Steam has always had a backup option. GOG is well known and loved because of its backup option. Sony does not have any such backup option besides physical media. Same with Nintendo and Xbox.
And as Ubisoft showed with The Crew, even your physical media can be nuked remotely if it requires checking on a server to verify anything. It’s no guarantee of anything.
But steam would require you to go online to install your backups. Unless you have DRM free install files, you’re vulnerable. That includes physical media that has DRM
But what if they remove a game you’ve purchased? You’re in the same situation as with a PlayStation.
As long as you’re not able do download DRM free install files, you don’t own the software you purchased.
Steam has “promised” to make games available in case their service closes, but we’re living on a prayer
Steam has always had a backup option. GOG is well known and loved because of its backup option. Sony does not have any such backup option besides physical media. Same with Nintendo and Xbox.
And as Ubisoft showed with The Crew, even your physical media can be nuked remotely if it requires checking on a server to verify anything. It’s no guarantee of anything.
But steam would require you to go online to install your backups. Unless you have DRM free install files, you’re vulnerable. That includes physical media that has DRM
What if they disable the CD key? Same story. This is how they banned cheaters since ages too, nothing new. At some point you have to trust them.
What are you talking about? You can’t ban a player from a downloaded copy of a DRM-Free game.
Only a tiny faction of all games are DRM free. And since you do not get a key for them, why did you assume I was talking about them?