Yea, been a while since Leathco has made a blog post, but suffice to say I am back baby!

Recently there has been a lot of controversy over the next gen consoles, specifically the restrictions on X-Box One and how Sony took the other direction with the PS4, forcing Microsoft to change their policies. However, just the idea that Microsoft attempted what they did is a huge concern. However, as much as I hate to admit it, DRM is more than likely here to stay for awhile. And in this gamers opinion, the future for gaming, and my chosen platform for the foreseeable future, is the PC with Steam.

The future is Steam Powered

Most people think of fairly modern gaming when they think of Steam, however its also a great, legal way of playing some awesome retro games. Steam could almost be used as a way to legally play your retro PC classics. Think I am wrong? Lets look at just my personal list of retro classics available through the platform.

Aliens Vs Predator, Baldurs Gate, Broken Sword 1 2 and 3, Deus Ex, Doom 1 and 2, Dragons Lair, Duke Nukem, Final Fantasy 7, Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2, Half-Life, Heretic, Hexen 1 and 2, Legacy of Kain, Monkey Island 1 and 2, Mortal Kombat 1 2 and 3, Oddworld 1 and 2, Quake 1 2 and 3, Sonic CD, Star Wars Dark Forces and the Jedi Knight games, System Shock 2, Unreal Tournament, X-Com, a crapton of Sega Genesis and Master System games, Leisure Suit Larry, Shadow Warrior, Rise of the Triad, and even more. Thats just the retro games I personally own, let alone the others also available.

Also its a great way to play newer games as well. Not always brand new, maybe a generation or so old, but you can play them without pirating at a low price. Steam sales can be insane, offering games for as little as under a dollar. Very often on their modern game releases they are soon on sale for 25 percent off normal price while the console version is still at that 60 dollar mark. The summer and winter steam sales get even more insane, going half off, 75 percent off, even some titles being 90 percent off. I purchased the Alan Wake games for under 4 dollars. BOTH games at that price. Or you can purchase huge collections at a large discount, such as every game made by iD (makers of the Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein game series) or Valve (makers of Portal, Half-Life, and Left 4 Dead). During sales these packs get reduced even more, making gaming affordable for the normal guy.

In my opinion, the future of gaming is not owned by Microsoft, Sony, or even Nintendo. Its sitting in your living room or den right now, waiting to be unleashed. Its been around before Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft launched their consoles. In this case the past truly is the future.