Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint • Hacker News Board

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#511

Post by fbelzile » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:51 PM UTC

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

You mentioned it yourself, most third party developers still use the Google Play Store on Android. The same will be true if the App Store continues to provide a better user experience. You might need to pay a little more for a game from the App Store, but I'm willing to bet most people will pay for the peace of mind. Let people decide whether the Apple tax is worth it or not. Either way, you're going to end up with a more efficient system where end users are paying an Apple Tax that is closer to the cost of running the store.

This does mean that Apple will need to start upping their game by either lowering their fee (which means lower costs for you) or supporting other independent games that deserve attention in the App Store.

Furthermore, iOS is a well designed platform with very tight security restrictions. You don't need the App Store to do that, it's build into the platform.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#512

Post by tomc1985 » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:51 PM UTC

bombela wrote: post #498

tomc1985 wrote: post #488

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When things work that way, then great! But a number of high-profile publishers (Rockstar, Ubisoft, EA) force you to use their app platform even if you purchased the game on Steam. I bought Far Cry 5 on Steam, and running it first launches Ubisoft's launcher, which usually needs to update (why????), then I can launch the game. GTA Online freebie in Epic Store, first has to start Rockstar Social Club (which also usuall…

At this point I barely play anymore. Because with all the intermediate updates and transient failures, it takes longer to start the game than the time you would spend casually playing during a week evening.

Agreed. I have definitely been favoring platforms that let me run the binary directly, which is really just GOG, Patreon projects, and open-source.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#513

Post by malka » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:53 PM UTC

015a wrote: post #509

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

Suggesting that iOS should not be more like literally the most vibrant, healthy, popular computing platform ever created (Windows) is borderline delusion. The Mac is great, but the Mac App Store is garbage. And that's the iOS analogue there. That's because Mac has alternatives; centralized, forced big-tech App Stores don't work in the face of alternatives. The only platforms they have worked on (iOS, lesser degree An…

It sucks way more to have a new app store per company.

as a user, I WANT a single app store, that is heavily curated.

As a surprise, who do NOT want that ? Companies already pushing garbage on my desktop computer so I can play their games.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#514

Post by ClumsyPilot » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:54 PM UTC

insert_coin wrote: post #447

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"it’s about reasoning from first principles and going where ever that leads you, regardless of how much you dislike the outcome" This sounds an awfull lot like the though process of religious zealots and extremists. Ignore the real world, consequences be damned, ideology comes first. There is no way we could make an error of judgement. Thats how you get a famine and 50 million dead in China. "Apple has the right to c…

The right to one's own work, to one's own mind outcome is arguably the only real right we can even pretend to have. What there is none is the "right" for governments to claim ownership to other's work and dictate you must do what your own free will tells you is not on your best interest, that is why they use force.

My work and private data is stored on apples's systems, so either it's my rights to do as I please or their's.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#515

Post by xxs » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:54 PM UTC

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

I'd have zero care if I have to 'download' stuff from a website and run it. The entire idea of store/aggregator is ok but the lack of choice to do as I please with the thing I own doesn't sit right.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#516

Post by Elegia » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:55 PM UTC

munificent wrote: post #427

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

Say you had the choice between: 1. Buy game X from Apple's app store for $39.00. 2. Buy game X from X's own app store for $30.00. Would you install X's app store then? Would you at least want the option of choosing that path?

I think that having to make that choice in the first place is exactly what most iOS users want to avoid.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#517

Post by Notorious_BLT » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:55 PM UTC

simion314 wrote: post #311

dkonofalski wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not parasitic of Valve, though. Valve created the storefront and platform that has all of those customers baked into it. EA is not just paying 30% for the privilege of selling their game, they're paying for the customer base that they haven't had to work to establish on that platform.

I will disagree, you can see the entitlement of users that demand the game,movie or payment system must be exactly his preferred one. Though for Valve you can compete with them (but people hate it but I think they don't hate the actual competition but the shitty implementation of the stores and the fact this game launcher most of the time must be run in background ) BUT with Apple you can't compete, they have up to 5…

It isn't entitlement for consumers to look at a company saying "you can buy this game, but only on our own launcher/storefront" and say "okay, then I won't buy it". Users don't like juggling Steam, Origin, Uplay, Epic, and whatever other launchers/storefronts. If publishers feel the additional sales are important, they can make it available through Steam.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#518

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:57 PM UTC

dkonofalski wrote: post #251

pennaMan wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before Apple blessed us with it's ground breaking technology to restrict the software you are allowed to have on your own device we did just fine getting software on our devices using a file system and the internet.

You may have but the rest of the world did so with a lot of hand-wringing and a boatload of viruses, toolbars, malware, and everything else. As someone who has worked in IT and in tech support, I get and agree with what Apple has done.

[deleted]

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#519

Post by drstewart » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:58 PM UTC

munificent wrote: post #427

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

Say you had the choice between: 1. Buy game X from Apple's app store for $39.00. 2. Buy game X from X's own app store for $30.00. Would you install X's app store then? Would you at least want the option of choosing that path?

Except we all know the real option will be to buy game X from X's own app store for $39.00, so the only thing the consumer has gained is extra friction in exchange for the developer pocketing a larger share.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#520

Post by gknoy » Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 6:58 PM UTC

throwaway3699 wrote: post #479

vinger wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of those sounds like a very bad user experience. A very bad experience is games disppearing different games appearing after purchasing something else, games not working, memory usage too high..etc No user reviews, no easy help button for noobs, no cloud save, only recently got achievements, can't crush a friends party. all sound like little nice to haves that don't add much value. Does it allow me to find/play t…

Then, no offense, but you might not understand the market very well. Achievements and friends are table stakes these days. Games are primarily a multiplayer experience with friends so platforms absolutely need those things before locking games as exclusives. This would be like shipping an OS without internet access to end-users.

It likely depends on your friends or the games you play. I don't think my friends care to know that I am playing the Witcher, Cyberpunk, Battletech, Mechwarrior, or Jotun. Friends might care to know that I'm online, and be able to message me, but to be honest Discord or other social networks (Steam, Blizzard) already cover that. I've actually been quite happy with GOG's interface, for example.