Those areas don't matter for single-player games to me.
Perhaps not to you, but they are still a big draw for a lot of people. I primarily play single-player titles or single-player modes, but I still enjoy the social aspects of steam. I make use of the messaging and voice chat at least once a week to talk to old high-school buddies who have branched out into their own corners of the world. And if we do end up wanting to play something together? Well, steamworks-enabled games make that a lot easier. One click and steam loads up TF2 and places me into the same server as a friend.
Heck, sometime we use the steam voice chat when playing non-steam games, simply because we've found it to be less intensive than Skype.
Steam is simply providing a better service, in almost every area, than its competitors. And I will gladly take the Steam "always-on" DRM over SecureRom, Starforce, activation limits, or Ubisoft's "always-connected" monstrosity. Likewise, I prefer it over the horrendously implemented GFWL, or Gamespy. It's the only form of DRM that really gives something in return.
Sure, Impulse has the benefit of not being necessary once installation is done, which is a big advantage, and the one that the anti-steam crowd champions ceaselessly. But is it enough to make Impulse the superior platform? Most people, clearly, don't think so. For the majority of game consumers, Steam's extensive community features, larger library, frequent sales, and even the little things, like Steam's much broader achievement support, make it the digital distribution platform of choice.
While many people on these forums can't stand the need to load Steam to play their games, to the point of boycott, most people could care less. I wouldn't be surprised if the average gamer leaves Steam running from startup to shutdown.
It's the giant it is today because it has consistently been the superior option for both developers and consumers. Impulse has become the best option for some people, but just a small minority of consumers. In order to become a real contender, either Impulse has to chance, consumers must change, or Steam has to do something to alienate its customers.
This Gamespot acquisition has the potential to change Impulse for the better, to allow it to really compete. Will it? I don't know. In the short-term, it seems to have had a negative impact; the news has been very poorly received by the community. In the long term, though, Gamespot certainly has the resources to transform Impulse. Just pray they make the right changes. Gamespot already has a long history of alienating its customers, and its all too easy to assume that trend will carry over into Impulse.
