Direct2Drive versus Steam

Digital distribution is poised to replace brick-and-mortar stores as the primary source of PC games for consumers. Convenience alone is reason enough to jump on the bandwagon, frankly. The ubiquity of high-speed internet access coupled with the nature of the Web means that gamers can buy any game at any time of the day. Consider the implications. Medium is no longer a limitation, because the software is delivered directly. This means that there are no inventory shortages, no waiting in line (unless servers are busy, of course…), no parking, no salespeople, no long drives, and no store hours. Of course, you can’t use cash, nor can you easily contact a salesperson with questions and expect an immediate response, but I for one don’t miss either of these “conveniences.” If you have a credit or debit card, access to a high-speed connection, and a computer, there’s no good reason to drive to Best Buy anymore.
But once you’ve decided to join the rest of us in the 21st century, you’ve got a choice to make. While there are several options when it comes to distribution, the two I have experience with are Direct2Drive and Steam, and they just happen to represent the two major distribution models.
First, here’s a word (or several) on digital rights management. Digital rights management, or DRM, is a term that refers to processes or features which prevent piracy and unauthorized use of software. It’s been with us since the 1980s, when, for example, Sierra adventure games would ask you to type in a word from a particular page in the game’s manual each time you played. Now, DRM generally takes the form of a game requiring that the CD or DVD is present in a drive in order for the game to start (easily bypassed with readily available files from various websites), a game requiring that a unique key or serial number is entered during installation or when the game is first run, or, most recently and quite controversially, that the game “phone home”, or contact the publisher via the Internet, once or more.
Why is DRM significant? It’s the major difference between the two delivery systems. Direct2Drive allows the consumer to download a full copy of a purchased game at any time, as often as the consumer would like. What you essentially buy from Direct2Drive is a unique serial number, or key, associated with your account, which allows you to install and run the game. Steam, on the other hand, takes the “phone home” approach. While Valve, the creators of Steam, say that any single-player game purchased via Steam can be played in offline mode, some users (me included) seem to have problems making the offline mode work consistently. It also defeats some of the purpose of the Steam client, but I’ll get in to that later.
Now that DRM is out of the way, let’s look at the two services. Direct2Drive is part of the IGN network. In addition to PC games, it also sells anime and some digital versions of comic books, not that anyone who buys comics would buy digital versions over paper mind you. The process is really quite simple. You make an account, click on a game, enter payment information, and download the game. D2D installs a small download manager, essentially a torrent client, and you download the game as one large install file. And by large, I mean large, as you’re essentially downloading the entire game as it would appear on an installation DVD. D2D emails you a copy of your unique key. That’s also accessible on your account page, along with download links for everything you buy from the site, forever. When you buy a game from D2D you only need a connection for as long as it takes to download the game; after that, it’s yours. No fuss, no muss.
Steam is a different animal entirely. Steam is a self-contained client. In other words, the Steam store is a tab on the client’s interface, as is a list of games you already own and a tab for community-related items: Facebook or MySpace for video games. The process is different, too. You browse through the Steam catalog, find a game you like, and click to purchase it. A window pops up asking for payment information (which is never stored, for security reasons), payment is submitted, and the game begins downloading in much the same fashion as the D2D client.
So, where does Steam win over D2D and vice versa? Here are some pros and cons:
Steam:
+ Community. Steam gives easy access to a lively gaming community, with in-game (any game) access via pop-up chat windows. Also, each game has its own page with links to its Metacritic rating, news and forums.
+ Integration. The Steam client organizes your games, even allowing certain games purchased outside of Steam to be added to your Steam account (with a valid serial of course).
+ Patching. Steam can be set to automatically update any games purchased via the client with a Steam-compatible patch.
+/- DRM. On the one hand, the way that Steam’s purchasing system works makes it nearly impossible to buy a pirated key. On the other hand, if your account is hijacked, wave goodbye to your games. Also, playing games offline is tricky at best, so even offline games will require an Internet connection as well as the Steam client, which could be a problem for less-than-robust rigs.
- Client. Although not generally a problem, the fact that games are running through the client can be problematic. For one thing, you have to worry about two pieces of software (the client and the game) working with your system, not just one. For another, the client’s management of Steam content can result in fragmentation of game files. The client has its own defragmenter, but that’s like saying a wrecked boat is seaworthy because it comes with a pump. The client is slow to start and can feel…gummy, for lack of a better word. Finally, because the files are stored differently than the default installation for any particular game, installing mods can be difficult. There are some delivered via Steam, but generally only for Source games.

Direct2Drive:
+ Convenience. D2D is just a website. Yes, there’s a download client, but you only run it to download the game. Once the game is installed, you’re done. No Internet connection needed.
+ Client. This overlaps with the above, but it’s worth saying twice. No client needed to run the game.
+ Client. Once again, no client managing game files. Since games are installed as if they came right off the DVD there’s no fragmentation, and installing mods is easy.
+/- DRM. The odds of buying a key that happens to be pirated are the same as with a physical copy of the game and higher than with a Steam purchase, but not as catastrophic as a Steam account hijack. On the other hand, a key entered once is much more convenient than constant online verification through the Steam client.
- Patching. Most digitally distributed games use files which are different than their physically distributed counterparts, and so different patches have to be used. For D2D, these have to be obtained from the site. The only real problem here is you have to hunt for them (they’re all on one page as a list, without organization), and you have to know that a patch exists.
- Size. When you get a game from Steam, it’s as if Steam was the DVD and the game installs over the network. Therefore, when you buy a game, it takes up only as much space on your drive as its installation needs. With D2D, you are pretty much downloading the entire DVD, running a self-extractor, then installing, and so the space needed for the game is much greater.

So, what do I recommend? It varies, of course. I used Steam before I heard about D2D and bought a lot of games. Subsequently, I’ve used D2D for everything that isn’t a Valve game. I like not having to run a client to run a game, and I get annoyed at the slow startup time for Steam, as well as the fragmentation issues. Don’t get me wrong, I shop around on Steam all the time, but, all things being equal, I’ll go to D2D.
This might not be the best bet for you, though. For one thing, space isn’t much of an issue for me. For another, I don’t get involved in the community aspect of gaming outside of MMORPGs. I also only play on one computer. For some, the portability of Steam might make it their choice; I understand café gamers love it because they can install games on as many computers as they’d like as long as they’re only logged in to one at a time to play. Or, you might like not having to think about patching. I definitely like the automation aspect of Steam. You might just think the client’s cool. After all, it is like an iTunes for video games, and there are people who like organizing their games in one central client.
When it comes down to it, there’s a lot to recommend either method. That I prefer D2D is more a reflection of my impatience with clients in general (I don’t like iTunes, either) than any major shortcoming particular to Steam. The best option is to try Steam out with Valve games, since they require it anyway, and see how you like it. Then pick up a game via Direct2Drive, and see if that’s more to your preference. If you feel like you’re missing something, then maybe Steam’s for you.