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Steams pricing to go regional

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    #62
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Steam have gone mad, it seems. I always thought they were a little pricey but I opened it up last night to have a look and saw they added Red Alert 3 for €49.99 and Dead Space for €44.99 and have likes of Mass Effect still at €44.99. It's criminal at those prices but surely nobody is buying them? Surely they can see that sales are down with pricing like that? Or are there a lot of uninformed people out there that don't check local prices (or even prices of online retaliers) and will just pay what Steam want?


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    #63
    Fnz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,848 ✭✭✭Fnz


    Mr Bloat wrote: »
    Steam have gone mad, it seems. I always thought they were a little pricey but I opened it up last night to have a look and saw they added Red Alert 3 for €49.99 and Dead Space for €44.99 and have likes of Mass Effect still at €44.99. It's criminal at those prices but surely nobody is buying them? Surely they can see that sales are down with pricing like that? Or are there a lot of uninformed people out there that don't check local prices (or even prices of online retailers) and will just pay what Steam want?

    I'm guessing many people will pay for the convenience of the service (after release, it took a week for L4D to reach me, having ordered a physical copy of it online).

    Some may see this as their opportunity to support developers by paying the full price of the game directly to them - rationalizing that 'outdated retail' is to blame for Steam's high prices. Gamestop and the like probably threaten to remove Valve's products from their bricks and mortar money-traps should Valve undercut them.

    I think Valve/Steam should actively monitor the price of their products on other online stores and (at the very least) match the current best price. I want to support developers, want the convenience of the download service but more than that, I find it a bit disgusting (from an environmental perspective) that we're still, unnecessarily, shipping boxed copies of digital media around the globe and being encouraged to do so thanks to ridiculous pricing conventions. :(


    BTW in Xtra Vision (Artane Castle):

    Red Alert 3 (PC) - €20
    Dead Space (PC) - €20
    Mass Effect (PC) - €30
    There were even a couple of copies of L4D going for €30 a few days ago.

    ... all new.


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    #64
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,279 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    thats just ridiculous.

    did they ever fix the valve game prices?


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    #65
    Sierra Oscar
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 8,500 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sierra Oscar


    Overheal wrote: »
    thats just ridiculous.

    did they ever fix the valve game prices?

    Yes, they did.

    Keep in mind that game publishers decide the prices on Steam to a certain degree.


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    #66
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Sierra Oscar wrote: »
    Yes, they did.

    Keep in mind that game publishers decide the prices on Steam to a certain degree.

    But surely they know if something is going to sell at a certain price point or not? Most of the EA games that were recently added to the Steam catalogue are retailing at the original release price. Obviously they reckon that some people have been gagging for EA games to be added to Steam and will pay any price to use the service. If that is true then I don't blame them for putting them up at those prices, I blame the muppets that are buying them.

    It's a shame though. I'd love to use the Steam service but almost every game I want from them is available cheaper elsewhere.


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    #67
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Fnz wrote: »
    I'm guessing many people will pay for the convenience of the service (after release, it took a week for L4D to reach me, having ordered a physical copy of it online).

    Some may see this as their oppurtunity to support developers by paying the full price of the game directly to them - rationalizing that 'outdated retail' is to blame for Steam's high prices. Gamestop and the like probably threaten to remove Valve's products from their bricks and mortar money-traps should Valve undercut them.

    I think Valve/Steam should actively monitor the price of their products on other online stores and (at the very least) match the current best price. I want to support developers, want the convenience of the download service but more than that, I find it a bit disgusting (from an environmental perspective) that we're still, unnecessarily, shipping boxed copies of digital media around the globe and being encouraged to do so thanks to ridiculous pricing conventions. :(


    BTW in Xtra Vision (Artane Castle):

    Red Alert 3 (PC) - €20
    Dead Space (PC) - €20
    Mass Effect (PC) - €30
    There were even a couple of copies of L4D going for €30 a few days ago.

    ... all new.

    That's interesting (the parts I highlighted). I didn't think about other retailers boycotting Steam products if Valve undercut them and it makes sense that this would happen but it doesn't mean Valve should keep games at full retail cost long after they have been reduced in price everywhere else. The only other place I've seen do this was the Virgin Megastores of old.

    I don't think that shipping boxed products is all that bad. Most people still want the 'retail experience' of going to a bricks and mortar shop for games. As well as that, not everyone has the broadband speeds necessary to have a Steam product downloaded in good time.


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    #68
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,279 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    It is an interesting point and I can see why that might cause a headache. The brick and mortar is still an important launchpad for steam - you dont need an internet connection particularly fast to get HL2 up and running, and you only really need the connection once, so its a moot argument.

    Consequently every publisher on steam is potentially under that pressure from gamestop and its cronies. How bad do you think it would hit EA if suddenly gamestop quit putting its games on the shelves? It could turn one of their (shyte) AAA titles into a complete financial flop, nevermind break-even.

    I wonder though if anyone knows side-by-side if theres any issues/differences between buying on steam and adding the retail key to your digital locker?


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    #69
    Sierra Oscar
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 8,500 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sierra Oscar


    Mr Bloat wrote: »
    But surely they know if something is going to sell at a certain price point or not? Most of the EA games that were recently added to the Steam catalogue are retailing at the original release price. Obviously they reckon that some people have been gagging for EA games to be added to Steam and will pay any price to use the service. If that is true then I don't blame them for putting them up at those prices, I blame the muppets that are buying them.

    Well, Valve are evidently aware of the pricing for the games on Steam - however it comes down to publishers wanting their own prices. If they dont get them, then they can pull the games from Steam would be my guess. Valve would rather have the games on Steam over not having them at all.

    There are a number of reasons why Publishers keep prices on Steam close to retail. Some do not recognize the fact that Steam is a cheaper alternative, then you those like EA who already have their own digital distribution system. They want to have games on Steam to increase sales, but they do not want to have low prices that would result in their official EA downloader loosing potential customers. Then there are others who just want to keep the prices the same for ease of administration.

    Basically, there are plenty of publishers on Steam who seem to be simply price skimming. They really do not care about people’s perception of Steam – they simply have their games on Steam to broaden their market, they have no intention of going out of their way to increase Valve’s business.

    Overheal wrote: »
    It is an interesting point and I can see why that might cause a headache. The brick and mortar is still an important launchpad for steam - you dont need an internet connection particularly fast to get HL2 up and running, and you only really need the connection once, so its a moot argument.

    Consequently every publisher on steam is potentially under that pressure from gamestop and its cronies. How bad do you think it would hit EA if suddenly gamestop quit putting its games on the shelves? It could turn one of their (shyte) AAA titles into a complete financial flop, nevermind break-even.

    I wonder though if anyone knows side-by-side if theres any issues/differences between buying on steam and adding the retail key to your digital locker?


    True - Valve do not want to lower the prices so much to a point where it would annoy retailers. They could refuse to stock Valve games, and that would be a disaster.

    There are no issues/differences between Valve games bought on Steam & Valve games bought via retail.


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    #70
    Slutmonkey57b
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭Slutmonkey57b


    Fnz wrote: »
    Gamestop and the like probably threaten to remove Valve's products from their bricks and mortar money-traps should Valve undercut them.

    Interesting quote from the Penny Arcade boys on how retail units think of themselves in terms of a "link in the chain":
    Gabe: Robert said we could talk about that deal with GameStop.

    We had a meeting with GameStop to talk about selling a boxed version of the game. Once we had a bunch of episodes together, we would collect them and put them in a box, you know? And GameStop said, oh, that's fantastic. We'd love to do it, we'd love to carry the game... but it's not going to be available anywhere else, is it?

    And Robert said, well, we're going to digitally distribute it first.

    They got really upset. And they said, no, you can't do that. We can't have it in our store if it's coming out digitally first. And he said, well, I'm sorry, that's the way it works. We're publishing our game and we can say where it goes. And so the deal that they tried to strike with Robert was okay, well, listen: If you cut us in on the profits from online distribution, and XBLA, and everything it comes out on, then we'll think about carrying it in the store. Just, what assholes.

    So we're not going to be seeing this game in GameStop, is what you're saying.

    Gabe: Probably not.


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    #71
    Fnz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,848 ✭✭✭Fnz


    Slutmonkey57b wrote: »
    Interesting quote from the Penny Arcade boys on how retail units think of themselves in terms of a "link in the chain":

    Lol, fair play to those guys.

    Gamestop are going to have to get with the times and adapt.... eventually. Until then there's going to be much frustration, for consumers and developers.
    Mr Bloat wrote: »
    I don't think that shipping boxed products is all that bad. Most people still want the 'retail experience' of going to a bricks and mortar shop for games.
    No offence intended but you almost sound like a Gamestop shill ;). While I agree that some people prefer a boxed copy of a game, I'd be surprised if anyone assigns value to the 'retail experience' of shopping for games.
    Not everyone has the broadband speeds necessary to have a Steam product downloaded in good time.
    That is true but why must they deter would-be downloaders, offering them a financial incentive to seek out a boxed copy instead. There is no good reason for the digital version to be dearer than retail.


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    #72
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,279 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    [quote=Sierra Oscar;58584229
    True - Valve do not want to lower the prices so much to a point where it would annoy retailers. They could refuse to stock Valve games, and that would be a disaster.

    There are no issues/differences between Valve games bought on Steam & Valve games bought via retail.[/quote]
    But what about Other Titles available on steam that arent valves? Are you getting the exact same experience buying RA3 off the shelf and adding it to steam, as buying it on Steam? I know thats already true of valve games, but not sure about others.


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    #73
    Sierra Oscar
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 8,500 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sierra Oscar


    Overheal wrote: »
    But what about Other Titles available on steam that arent valves? Are you getting the exact same experience buying RA3 off the shelf and adding it to steam, as buying it on Steam? I know thats already true of valve games, but not sure about others.

    Yes, the same experience. Some Steam games do not have the retail DRM, which is a plus.

    EA games are an example of this.


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    #74
    Slutmonkey57b
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭Slutmonkey57b


    Fnz wrote: »
    No offence intended but you almost sound like a Gamestop shill ;). While I agree that some people prefer a boxed copy of a game, I'd be surprised if anyone assigns value to the 'retail experience' of shopping for games.

    There is the "greasy paw" effect, but that's not a retail experience.


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    #75
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Fnz wrote: »


    No offence intended but you almost sound like a Gamestop shill ;). While I agree that some people prefer a boxed copy of a game, I'd be surprised if anyone assigns value to the 'retail experience' of shopping for games.

    That is true but why must they deter would-be downloaders, offering them a financial incentive to seek out a boxed copy instead. There is no good reason for the digital version to be dearer than retail.

    I'm no shill, I try my hardest not to even shop in Gamestop, let alone work there. :)
    I suppose saying retail experience is a bit strong (which I why I enclosed it in quotation marks) but I have to say I do enjoy browsing through the game shops in my area on a Saturday afternoon. It makes me feel like I'm keeping in touch with my roots, or something. :)
    I agree with you that digital downloads should not be dearer than retail, I was giving reasons why I think shipping boxes is still necessary.

    Steam is a great service - I recently reinstalled my pc and was able to get all my Steam downloaded games back in action just by leaving my pc on overnight, downloading the lot. A damn sight better than having to reload all of them from disk. However, I'll take the minor inconvenience of reloading from disk over getting ripped off any day.


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    #76
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Sierra Oscar wrote: »
    Yes, the same experience. Some Steam games do not have the retail DRM, which is a plus.

    EA games are an example of this.

    The only difference I can see (apart from the DRM) is that some Steam games demand an active internet connection to play. My broadband was down for a few days a couple of months back and I couldn't play Company of Heroes through Steam during that time.


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    #77
    Fnz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,848 ✭✭✭Fnz


    Mr Bloat wrote: »
    The only difference I can see (apart from the DRM) is that some Steam games demand an active internet connection to play. My broadband was down for a few days a couple of months back and I couldn't play Company of Heroes through Steam during that time.

    Could you have switched Steam to "offline mode" (File-> Go Offline)?

    Also, after formatting, can I download the games I bought at retail or must I reinstall from the boxed copy?


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    #78
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,279 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    Sierra Oscar wrote: »
    Yes, the same experience. Some Steam games do not have the retail DRM, which is a plus.

    EA games are an example of this.
    Sorry to be so thick about this :p

    So by spending more for Spore on Steam, you dont have to go through SecuROM.

    But, now that Spore IS on steam, can you buy it on the shelf cheaper, then add the retail key to steam, so that you wouldnt have to use the DVD (or the SecuROM on the DVD)?


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    #79
    Cuddlesworth
    Registered Users Posts: 13,995 ✭✭✭✭Cuddlesworth


    Overheal wrote: »
    Sorry to be so thick about this :p

    So by spending more for Spore on Steam, you dont have to go through SecuROM.

    But, now that Spore IS on steam, can you buy it on the shelf cheaper, then add the retail key to steam, so that you wouldnt have to use the DVD (or the SecuROM on the DVD)?

    Adding the retail key to Steam basically only creates a shortcut to the game on the Steam games window. You don't get any of the benefits, unlimited downloads, storage of key, no secure rom or Dvd needed etc. This only exception is Valves games themselves sold retail.


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    #80
    Sierra Oscar
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 8,500 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sierra Oscar


    Overheal wrote: »
    Sorry to be so thick about this :p

    So by spending more for Spore on Steam, you dont have to go through SecuROM.

    But, now that Spore IS on steam, can you buy it on the shelf cheaper, then add the retail key to steam, so that you wouldnt have to use the DVD (or the SecuROM on the DVD)?

    Hehe no problem.;)

    You cannot add retail CD Keys for games like SPORE to Steam - there are only a select few games whereby the retail CD Keys can be added to Steam. They are listed in this FAQ.


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