I think EA's gamble is fundamentally misguided. I can sum up very easily why Steam is my go-to vendor. I've already committed years ago. I own hundreds of games on that service, and my Steam account is intractably bound to my online identity, not just publically, but in terms of the experience of moving from one computer to the next, and not having to worry about the game collection.

It's a very effective and admittedly kind of devious lock-in tactic, much like how my Google apps account is now how I publish Android apps, purchase Android apps, store my contacts, my email, my work documents... My Google account kind of IS how I use the internet now, and my Steam account has become how I use games on the PC.

It goes beyond the sale of the game, and comes down to the game's effective integration with and inclusion in my lifestyle. I've bought duplicate copies of games just to have them on Steam. The convenience is just too great a factor.

Origin is not only a clumsy piece of software, but it carries the ambience of cruftware. It's not necessarily poorly made; It's just that it is so obviously and shamelessly attempting to usurp a position already taken by a vastly superior product. Every time I boot up Origin, I do so begrudgingly; "This is so unnecessary".

I kept Impulse around for Sins of a Solar Empire. When that game was made available on Steam, I got the Steam version and ditched Impulse. When I stop playing Battlefield, I'll ditch Origin. I have no interest in Mass Effect 3 on PC *because* of Origin at this point. It's one unwanted step too many, and I can't imagine Origin is going to improve EA's PC sales of any game that isn't Battlefield 3.