Steam: Whats the point of it?

Kirby

The conversion thing is a complete joke tbh. I was all set to buy Empire : total war from them until i noticed that with the new prices it was 50 euro. Feck that.

The sooner they go back to a proper conversion rate that ISNT 1:1 I will start shopping there. Until they do, They wont be getting a cent off me.

Kirijoleth

The trick with Steam is to wait and keep an eye on their weekend deals, all you need is a bit of patience

A few weekends ago you could have purchased Left4Dead for half price. Also if like me you are one of those people that have problems with SecuROM protected game disks the only other hassle free option is Steam.

Fnz

Kirijoleth wrote: »

A few weekends ago you could have purchased Left4Dead for half price

That's true, but I'm fed up waiting for Valve to make some statement regarding the price inequality between regions...

Half price sale of downloaded EU version of L4D = €22

... and there was me paying the full €29.99 in Xtravision a week prior to the sale. :rolleyes:

If we had access to the UK store during the sale period I could have actually got the game at half price (€15).

pixelburp

Steam is like any other shop, you can't expect every product in there to be a magnificent bargain; the other week I managed to pick up Beyond Good & Evil for only 5euro, so the bargains are there to be had, just don't be in such a hurry to buy your digital copy of Generic Gun Shooter 5 & shop around.

Warts and all, I think Steam are to be applauded; they are centralising a typically fractured platform (the PC), putting emphasis on the buyer / community not the developer & generally steering clear of the more draconian methods of DRM.

dreamers75

HAWX 50 on release with blazing angels 1 free

Play.com have it for 23
game have it for 25


Blazing angels 1 9.99 Blazing angels 2 9.99

OR buy both in the pack for 24.99 :eek:

Lafortezza

Steam is great if you're lazy about getting new games, and the weekend deals can sometimes be amazing. Bioshock for less than the price of a pint without having to leave my house? Sweet!

Creamy Goodness

lafortezza wrote: »

Steam is great if you're lazy about getting new games, and the weekend deals can sometimes be amazing. Bioshock for less than the price of a pint without having to leave my house? Sweet!

given the option of bioshock or a pint, i'd rather the pint :P

that being said the deals are awesome, i got left4dead for around €25.

5uspect

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

given the option of bioshock or a pint, i'd rather the pint :P

that being said the deals are awesome, i got left4dead for around €25.

Yeah, me too, on both counts.

thebman

I checked the price of L4D there and it is back up to 45 euro, god damn it

5uspect

Oh they had a half price sale a couple of months ago. I even started a thread on it in the Half-life forum. Just keep an eye out.

thebman

5uspect wrote: »

Oh they had a half price sale a couple of months ago. I even started a thread on it in the Half-life forum. Just keep an eye out.

Yeah I know cheers, must keep an eye out a bit better. I don't go to the store very often as my laptop is specs are fast becoming outdated. L4D I could handle though

fugazied

You can still get the hard copy if you can find it cheaper, then add it in steam and that way you can see existing steam friends etc.

I like steam because I don't have to worry about lost cds etc. However if a game is cheaper as a hard copy just buy it that way.

pixelburp

Well like everything else retail, it's caveat emptor; if it's more expensive on Steam, don't buy it & don't be so damned lazy.

wayne040576

Seems people who bought the boxed version of Last Remnant cannot play it because it isn't officially released on Steam until next month and it requires steam for activation:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-last-remnant-is-unplayable-on-pc

ShadowHearth

SeantheMan wrote: »

Its not just a Store !

Yes, they are often dearer than most other game retailers.
But the fact that you can purchase a game...and then download it infinite number of times to infinite number of machines is excellent !
Gone is the need for CDs/DVDs

Also there is a huge back catalogue of games you can buy

Thats just the store part,

Then theres the STEAM community, Friends List and Groups, In game comms.
Its like xfire/msn/gamespy all in 1 lovely well presented easily managed form specifically for gaming.

I hated steam at the beginning, it was one of the most annoying programs along with ICQ and IRC that ive ever used.

Now it is the foundation of my gaming scene

Now your story is beutifull as rainbow, but here the sh*t hits the fan.

I bought Dow2 in shop for 35eu, and it activates it self on steam...

So 50eu on steam, and 35 in shop and they bouth working on steam...

Steam just got out of controll. It used to be such a good platform for games, but now, they dont even look outside theyr window to see prices in shops!

Overheal

so do something about it. Gabe isn't going to hear you here. Why don't you write him a letter? His email is on valvesoftware.com for all to see.

you'll possibly have noticed though that valve does not operate any corporate offices outside of WA. Perhaps you could start by convincing them to establish a european branch to oversee your pricing needs.

Cuddlesworth

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Now your story is beutifull as rainbow, but here the sh*t hits the fan.

I bought Dow2 in shop for 35eu, and it activates it self on steam...

So 50eu on steam, and 35 in shop and they bouth working on steam...

Steam just got out of controll. It used to be such a good platform for games, but now, they dont even look outside theyr window to see prices in shops!

I will say this again and keep saying it until people understand. The publishers decide the price the retailer gets the game in at. The retailer includes Steam as well as others like Game, Gamestop wallmart etc...

The brick and mortar stores, in the usual fashion of a company trying to hold its head above water are inflating prices sold through digital sales. They are doing this through the fact that they still hold a huge percentage of the overall sales, but they are losing this daily.

The penny arcade game was a perfect example of the types of offers being put to people.

Overheal

Which is a strange thing innit?

I mean, anytime you go into Gamestop or similar, you will notice that PC games might take up a shelf or two, whereas the console market is still huge and stable. Most places I ever went when I was in ireland sold a handful of AAA PC titles, some bottom of the barrel shareware-esque titles and that was it. So I don't get personally how Brick and Mortar is still pulling in so much cash for these publishers when they are providing fcuk all variety. At least stateside Gamestop Walmart and all those places see fit to keep a respectable collection of PC titles - in the case of walmart they line up as many pc games as they do all the console games.

So I really don't understand the brick and mortar argument, because it does not hold up to scrutiny when you look at the US market, where steam is almost always cheaper, and the retail offerings in europe are slim pickings at best.

Cuddlesworth

Overheal wrote: »

Which is a strange thing innit?

I mean, anytime you go into Gamestop or similar, you will notice that PC games might take up a shelf or two, whereas the console market is still huge and stable. Most places I ever went when I was in ireland sold a handful of AAA PC titles, some bottom of the barrel shareware-esque titles and that was it. So I don't get personally how Brick and Mortar is still pulling in so much cash for these publishers when they are providing fcuk all variety. At least stateside Gamestop Walmart and all those places see fit to keep a respectable collection of PC titles - in the case of walmart they line up as many pc games as they do all the console games.

When you go to a publisher as a retail organizations the negotiations include console games etc. They would view pc games now as a small percentage of their market, but still a percentage. And over all they sell far more and make far more money then online pc retailers like Steam. So they are in a better position to demand prices online are kept high. In the same way with Valve themselves they can force online prices to a certain margin because they want to be able to get a hold of that bricks and mortar market.

The problem lies with the certainty that console sales for the immediate future will remain in stores keeping the problem of price fixing ongoing.

Overheal wrote: »

So I really don't understand the brick and mortar argument, because it does not hold up to scrutiny when you look at the US market, where steam is almost always cheaper, and the retail offerings in europe are slim pickings at best.

The Europe market has always been screwed, I think its to do with the need for a large number of multiple language conversions and differing tax laws over a relatively small area. Either that or they just reckon they can get away with it. Remember there is still no guarantee this won't be dictated by the publisher rather then Steam.

Fnz

Overheal wrote: »

so do something about it. Gabe isn't going to hear you here. Why don't you write him a letter? His email is on valvesoftware.com for all to see.

Don't know if you're aware of it but Valve won't even respond to their community and customers when asked about the pricing on their own forums.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770231

.... 4,666 replies at time of writing. The thread is 3 months old.

Overheal

Fnz wrote: »

Don't know if you're aware of it but Valve won't even respond to their community and customers when asked about the pricing on their own forums.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770231

.... 4,666 replies at time of writing. The thread is 3 months old.

Valve is notorious for not getting involved in their own forums, and frankly I can see why having spent some time in them myself - its mostly populated by children and teenagers with keyboard warrior fervor and 1773ness. The only time I ever saw an admin (valve team member) post in the forums was to post a one liner to calm the masses on Scout Pack release night - they were a few hours behind what people anticipated and there was the internet equivalent of a lunatics riot.

But they will respond to a mature thought out email. Give it a shot. What have you to lose.

Either way I am sure they aren't oblivious to the problem. Though as a $ customer its not my beef.

pwd

I find steam very convenient.
I think the uncompetitive pricing is probably to do with the publishers rather than valve. That's the reason for most cases of uncompetitive pricing in digital distribution anyway.

uberpixie

pwd wrote: »

I find steam very convenient.
I think the uncompetitive pricing is probably to do with the publishers rather than valve. That's the reason for most cases of uncompetitive pricing in digital distribution anyway.

DOW2 on steam :€49.99

DOW2 for digital download on THQ's website: £34.99 (roughly €38)

If THQ can afford to sell dow2 for €38, why not €38 on steam?

I'm sure the fact a lot of people (such as myself) will pay over the odds to buy through steam for the convience which is why valve can get away with it, I'm sure in other cases it's the publishers.

Still there most be very high sales on Steam at the high initial costs they charge: otherwise why would publishers bother going digital distribution but decide to hobble it in favour of retail stores, unless all the stories of gamestop/game through hissy fits are true?

Either way Valve are making a tidy profit I would say after all their costs are covered. Prob enough to be able to stay a private company and do what ever the hell they like. You have to tip your hat to a fairly samll dev that decided to become their own publisher and make it work.

5uspect

I posted this before but it seems that Valve are well aware of the effect of strategic pricing.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/02/left-4-dead-sees-3000-jump-in-sales-on-steam.ars

Fnz

Overheal wrote: »

Valve is notorious for not getting involved in their own forums, and frankly I can see why having spent some time in them myself - its mostly populated by children and teenagers with keyboard warrior fervor and 1773ness. The only time I ever saw an admin (valve team member) post in the forums was to post a one liner to calm the masses on Scout Pack release night - they were a few hours behind what people anticipated and there was the internet equivalent of a lunatics riot.

But they will respond to a mature thought out email. Give it a shot. What have you to lose.

Either way I am sure they aren't oblivious to the problem. Though as a $ customer its not my beef.

I'm sure they're not oblivious to it either, which just smacks of them being disingenuous towards their European users. The thread is, by far, the most popular one on their forums. It contains replies from people who feel they are being treated unfairly (which is a strong incentive for people to get agitated). Whether or not the thread devolves into angry "keyboard warriors" (which can't always be avoided on the internet), Valve should offer an explanation for their actions to the many disappointed customers who have calmly asked them to provide one. Instead they let other people try to rationalize (or make dismissive statements) on their behalf.

It leave me with the sense that they can't come up with a good enough reason, one that will placate the folks who feel they are being treated unfairly.

Overheal

uberpixie wrote: »

DOW2 on steam :€49.99

DOW2 for digital download on THQ's website: £34.99 (roughly €38)

If THQ can afford to sell dow2 for €38, why not €38 on steam?

do you really need an answer to that?

5uspect wrote: »

I posted this before but it seems that Valve are well aware of the effect of strategic pricing.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/02/left-4-dead-sees-3000-jump-in-sales-on-steam.ars

It's not just Valve games that see benefits from discounting games on Steam, as Newell also explained that an undisclosed third-party title saw a 36,000 percent jump in sales over a similar weekend. Here are some of the figures that Newell revealed:

• 10 percent sale = 35 percent increase in sales
• 25 percent sale = 245 percent increase in sales
• 50 percent sale = 320 percent increase in sales
• 75 sale sale = 1470 percent increase in sales

Audiosurf.

Numbers like these help to illustrate the benefits of digital distribution, especially on the PC. By having so much control over the pricing of a game, it allows developers to give titles a longer lease on life, constantly keeping them in gamers' minds. Hopefully this is something we will eventually see make its way to downloadable console titles.



While the prices on Steam are often higher than what you'd find at retail, the sales are likewise usually stronger. It's an odd dichotomy in terms of pricing, but the deals are there if you're willing to wait.

I guess they get to charge more then, they are saying, because of the convenience factor (automatic updates, digital locker, no-pants-on purchasing) and true that if you wait long enough just about every game has or will go, on sale. I suppose additionaly its the publishers passing the buck on for the services steam charges to them in terms of their feedback systems on sales and playtime, etc. - if you've seen the stats pages for any of the source games you know just how much information they can collect about your gaming habits.

http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

I'm sure the version of these pages offered behind closed doors are even more informative.

It leave me with the sense that they can't come up with a good enough reason, one that will placate the folks who feel they are being treated unfairly.

Even still, when you look at other publishing companies, valve is still left up there in terms of customer approval ratings. And yeah, you can say or do anything I've found and youre always going to piss off someone. I take tf2 as my example with these unlocks: some people love them, some people hate them, some people just don't care. You can't do or say anything to please everyone at any given time.

MooseJam

no one told me about the 50% off l4d sale - I'm not impressed

pwd

i did hear about it and i got it. I played it maybe twice since. I'm also not impressed

Sierra Oscar

Overheal wrote: »

Valve is notorious for not getting involved in their own forums, and frankly I can see why having spent some time in them myself - its mostly populated by children and teenagers with keyboard warrior fervor and 1773ness. The only time I ever saw an admin (valve team member) post in the forums was to post a one liner to calm the masses on Scout Pack release night - they were a few hours behind what people anticipated and there was the internet equivalent of a lunatics riot.

Well, while Valve have not posted in that thread they are actively pursuing the forums as a method of interaction with customers. Over the last two years they have had employees dedicated to overseeing and interacting with customers on the forums. This compares to the 2003 era when Valve totally stayed away from the forums. That thread is pretty much the exception for Steam related discussions, and I think the reason is clear . . . just take a look at the content in the thread.;)

In any case, did anyone notice Valve's newspost on DRM today?

Steamworks Makes DRM Obsolete

Also, for those who are not aware - there is a 50% sale on a different Ubisoft game each day this week.

Ubisoft 24-Hour Sales Week on Steam

Also, there is an Indie offer on-going where some Indie games have 33% off at the moment, and if you play an Indie game demo on Steam and purchase the game you get 10% off the games price.

Steam Indie Sale

Overheal

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

In any case, did anyone notice Valve's newspost on DRM today?

Steamworks Makes DRM Obsolete

What does that mean in english I dont understand what the change is here.