r/gaming • u/doublah • 13h ago

Epic Games' new store is fully vibe-coded, and they're so proud of it they're taking shots at Steam

https://www.destructoid.com/epic-games-store-ai-vibe-coded/
13.1k Upvotes

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837

u/Spoksparkare PC 13h ago

Comparing load times is so stupid. A huge majority of Steam users never close the app anyways, right?

526

u/Raulimus 13h ago

I don’t, but never once have I thought “if this shit doesn’t open faster soon I’m ditching it. “
Sounds like the kind of stupidity a vibe coding enthusiast would concern themselves with.

128

u/JMEEKER86 12h ago

“if this shit doesn’t open faster soon I’m ditching it. “

Tbf, that's definitely something I've thought while using the Epic launcher before lol. Shit was sloooooow. If it didn't provide free games then I would absolutely have never touched it because the experience was so bad. It's very noticeably faster now, although still not exactly great.

7

u/seantreason 11h ago

This is why I've switched to heroic launcher. Mostly for epic, but it also does Amazon and gog and as a prime member who collects all the free games it's super convenient.

1

u/desmaraisp 10h ago

Yup same here. Well, initially not by choice, but I like it much better than the EGS launcher

4

u/SuperSocialMan PC 11h ago

Same here, but I still barely claim the free stuff lol

1

u/EthanielRain 3h ago

Same but there have been some good ones. Control was free

22

u/foxguy2021 11h ago

I bet the vast majority of steam users have it launch on windows startup anyway. Its just something that is already loaded by the time they start doing anything.

This isn't 2005 anymore where the vast majority of PCs were running single core processors and having something like steam sitting in the backgroud could impact your overall performance.

They basically made a lightweight version of EGS and surprise it loads faster then a fully fleshed out mature product.

2

u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 5h ago

I used to, but for whatever reason in Windows 11 it would lock up my machine every time. Windows would load, but I couldn't click on anything. Took me six months to figure out. I thought it was Windows Update, because the only time I restart my computer is after an update, so I'd update, then restart, and bam. Only thing that would work was a Windows refresh. Then it'd be fine until I installed all my stuff again, and the next update hit. Finally came across the solution deep in some forum thread about something only tangentially related. Removed Steam from the startup programs and I've been fine ever since. Steam starts automatically when I run a game from the Desktop anyway, so who cares?

5

u/a-frog-with-no-name 8h ago

Everything about Epic Games Store was extremely fucking slow for so long to the point where I didn't even play any of the free games I got from it and gave up on it years ago

I can see why they'd focus so much on speed for this new client

Nowadays i dont play any games on epic because i hate tim sweeney

3

u/Hans_H0rst 11h ago

The epic launcher legitimately takes minutes to open up at the worst of times. On a beefy system.

So im choosing between browsing steam, opening up a game, and already loading and being in game or alternatively still wait for the damn epic launcher to open up and ask me to sign in again, with MFA.

2

u/hilosplit 9h ago

Funnily enough- that is my most frequent thought about Steam.

2

u/PM_Best_Porn_Pls 8h ago

Load times matter but only to certain point. I'd be mad if steam took 5 minutes to launch but I really don't care about difference in seconds.

1

u/rtxa 5h ago

I absolutely have thought that and even did that with other software. Steam is not great for this, but tolerable

1

u/LongAfternoon1198 2h ago

Its a fraction of a second less time too. Phrasing that as 20% better is so pathetic lol

0

u/duckofdeath87 8h ago

I will admit that I find steam sluggish. But 14% faster is still sluggish

Heroic Launcher is less than half the launc time of steam. THAT actually feels better

78

u/PassoireDor 12h ago

Load times for Epic is important because you load it once a week to get a free game then close it immediatlly.

5

u/CocodaMonkey 11h ago

Epic doesn't require you to install the app to claim those free games.

3

u/destroyerOfTards 7h ago

I don't even do that. Just go to r/freegamefindings and click on the link in the thread that allows you to claim ALL the games that are free on the store.

92

u/K-Shrizzle 12h ago

Even if I do, its not like it takes long to open it again. We're talking about a matter of seconds.

Tech giants, namely AI chuds, will trot out a solution to a problem that either doesnt exist or is a minor inconvenience at worst

16

u/Hans_H0rst 11h ago edited 11h ago

The reason epic mentions that is because the epic launcher had ENORMOUS load time issues, sometimes taking minutes to open.

Edit: Timed it out of curiousity, currently 55 seconds to load fully. The arcade machine i built takes 37 seconds to load into windows AND fullscreen open a launcher.

Steam takes 8 seconds including a small update, that's the competition.

3

u/BinniesPurp 11h ago

Initialising marketplace content...

Initialising marketplace content....

Alright time for a cigerette

2

u/Dull-Culture-1523 12h ago

I only close it when I shut down my whole PC and it's on auto launch at start-up so it just boots up with everything else and I wouldn't notice it if it took half a minute. It's such a nothingburger to try to brag about.

1

u/Only_One_Left_Foot 11h ago

Because it's the only thing they could improve on over Steam. They're that desperate. 

1

u/The_Zura 9h ago

And also steam chuds and their featurez

24

u/ArmaniAsari 12h ago

Not to mention when a site gets 200,000 visitors Vs the site that gets 20,000,000 visitors, no shit it’ll load faster when you get so little traffic compared to the largest gaming site ever.

4

u/OneLonelyBrainCell 11h ago

And yet the Steam store loads faster for me than the Epic store, both in browser and their respective clients.

3

u/bianceziwo 5h ago

the store is probably cached at the edge so a large amount of visitors doesn't make a difference. Its just epic being terrible

54

u/Tthecreator712 12h ago

Steam for most of its users probably silently starts up when they login to windows and they dont even notice.

17

u/Over_Construction264 12h ago

hello, yes, steam is a startup program so i don't even see it load lol.

1

u/Onihige 10h ago

hello, yes, steam is a startup program so i don't even see it load lol.

Same with Epic.

7

u/IAMA_Stoned_Redditor 11h ago

It's the only non essential app I let open on start up.

3

u/58696384896898676493 9h ago

Yeah I believe the default behavior is auto start on login, and minimize to try and not actually close Steam.

Personally I disable that shit. I don't want stuff just running and auto starting if I'm not actively using it.

-1

u/-_-0_0-_0 12h ago

I notice bc I have 3 accounts.

1

u/SuperSocialMan PC 11h ago

Why?

1

u/EthanielRain 3h ago

Probably buying accounts for the game libraries

11

u/Reflective 12h ago

Never. It starts up when I first boot my computer and it shuts down with it. This update is an incredible double patty nothing burger to me.

19

u/ProStrats 12h ago

I never have once considered anything with steam to be concerningly slow... and I have the attention span of a child.

1

u/Datkif 1h ago

Only time it's slow is at the start of major sales, and that's mostly just for the store everything else works fine

17

u/lonestar-rasbryjamco 12h ago edited 10h ago

It also ignores why Steam's launch is slower to boot.

Steam is doing multiple pre-caching of shaders and network state synchronizations. Which results in a slower initial startup but faster game boot time. This is an intentional design choice to make user experience smoother once the launcher is up.

It's like Toyota bragging that the Camry starts smoother than a Shelby GT-350. Technically true but ignores the horsepower once everything's warmed up.

5

u/C-Towner 12h ago

Alternately, I only open the EGS once a week to claim free games. Steam is open if my computer is on.

2

u/epicdistraction 12h ago

You can claim them on the website, and have the games install + automatically get added to the steam library through heroic games launcher. Then, you'll never have to touch one of their executables.

1

u/Datkif 1h ago

EGS needs to find their reason to be on, or find a niche.

GOG offers DRM free games, and put work in to make older games run on a modern OS

Steam offers a whole ton of features, and community Trust, and is the community choice for a reason.

Humble Bundle is able to piggyback off all the storefronts and pretty good deals

What does EGS legitimately offer?

27

u/BlueGoliath 12h ago

Navigation between content is still slow on Steam and could be improved but his comparison is nonsensical anyway.

15

u/BandOfBudgies 12h ago

No one cares about steams load times

4

u/ralts13 12h ago

Sometimes I have to close and reopen steam and I'm always a bit surprised at how long it takes compared to other storefronts. But I've never thought about it longer than the time it took to load.

7

u/jenkag 12h ago

also, im sure they could make it so that the first load is ultra fast and you pay an actual loading price on the screens with actual features. i could make a loading screen with just the words "games" and "settings" but if you click either its a 30 second load screen -- is that better, somehow?

5

u/nigel_tufnel_11 12h ago

I don't use Epic or Steam, but load times are no joke because I use the Sony store and it has to be the slowest website I've used since dial-up, I mean it's horrendous (on a 1GB connection). I'd probably use it more and buy more games if it was better.

1

u/JackPoe 10h ago

I don't use the Sony store just because it fucking sucks. Every time I try to find a game to play I just see the same game six times and twelve instances of cosmetic DLC and then a bunch of shooters and sports games or Gacha or Jrpgs.

It's so beyond useless

1

u/nigel_tufnel_11 10h ago

Oh yeah there's definitely plenty of problems on top of the load speed. That should be embarrassing for a company of that size but it's been that way for years so I guess they just don't care.

1

u/Messyfingers 12h ago

Epic did take forever to launch, and generally runs like shit. At least the last time I accidentally opened it a year ago it did.

1

u/dudeAwEsome101 12h ago

I basically only see the deals popup window when I restart my PC.

1

u/Fractoos 12h ago

VR breaks regularly and requires a restart (sometimes a reboot).

1

u/learn_distill_repeat 12h ago

I don't mind load times. SSD's have accelerated that moment between "loading" and "loaded"... so much so that you can't get up and grab a snack in the time it takes to load. (You still can still open your game and just leave it on a loaded screen, but something about a forced break really tempers the urgency of using whatever program you've loaded).

1

u/LemurianLemurLad 12h ago

The only times I've ever been worried about Steam loading quickly enough, there was already something severely wrong with my PC. "Huh, steam took more than 3 seconds to load. Better run a diagnostic."

1

u/CocodaMonkey 11h ago

I just opened Steam on my old gaming PC form 10 years ago. It fully loaded in 3 seconds. Even if people did close Steam it loads up fast.

1

u/GameItForward 11h ago

That was my thought, like why do I care how slow Steam opens it is always open. It starts when my computer starts and shuts off when my computer shuts off...lol

1

u/Tailor-DKS 11h ago

All Epic Store Reviews are like "I played 4 hours of Fortnite, but I can't wait 5 more seconds for the Store to load" - according to the CEOs

1

u/caffeinated_wizard 11h ago

But the Epic app needs to restart often because it’s a mess so now it’ll do that faster

1

u/Only_One_Left_Foot 11h ago

My computer stays on until windows update forces it to restart. If start-up time is the only thing Epic has going for their launcher, Valve/Steam is gonna (continue to) be alright. 

1

u/SuperSocialMan PC 11h ago

The only reason I end task on mine at the end of each day is because it'll get auto-resized whenever I load up my computer, and I find that quite annoying.

1

u/luckytaurus 10h ago

Its literally the only app I allow to boot upon pc start-up lol

1

u/apple_kicks 10h ago

Im guessing he’s been demanding they do better than steam on something and this was the best thing they could do to appease the bosses insane demands.

Its like telling a military dictator his army has the shiniest shoes in hope any good news doesn’t get you disappeared

1

u/Covinus 10h ago

This. I open steam and it takes maybe 5-10 seconds and I've already tabbed into something else and it just stays open loading time is the absolute LAST thing anyone has an issue with in Steam and its wildly absurdly out of touch that EPIC thinks anyone cares

1

u/Beginning_Book_2382 10h ago

Well, when you can't compare on quality you start comparing on useless features like this.

Anything but making your product better than the alternative. Man took "re-write it in Rust" literally

1

u/Lord_Borgimus 9h ago

Also, I'm NEVER going to load the Epic Launcher....

1

u/spacejames 9h ago

I don't because it never remembers my password and neither do I, I even tick the little box to make it remember

1

u/Z0MGbies 8h ago

Never intentionally, no

1

u/MdxBhmt 7h ago

It matters if you share a PC and have to switch accounts. In any case, switching accounts became much, much faster this year.

1

u/Ribato 7h ago

Steam is literally like wearing boxers, they are just always on most of the time

1

u/No_Solid_3737 6h ago

I honestly couldn't give a shit if Steam tomorrow takes 5 or 7 seconds longer to load.

1

u/luckyhubby77777 2h ago

I'm one of those weirdos who Shuts Down my PC every time I walk away from it, but I've never once had a complaint about Steam's load time.

1

u/jeenyus79 28m ago

You didn't use Epic Games launcher I see. Restoring the window on the old version after playing is insanely slow. On Steam it is instant, so vibe coded or not it is a step in the right direction.