HL2 through Steam - $50. Fair?

[UKchaos2]

Can we purchase DoD later as a single Mod?

I expect you can upgrade your bronze to silver or gold, at the cost of the difference between packages.

 

[B.Calhoun]

you pay for convience (sp?) just like everything else.

 

[Hyperion2010]

they cant charge less becuase that would be undercutting the price and would probably be illegal

 

[Jakeic]

then why not make the bronze and silver the same price?

if they really cared about the consumer, they would give us a break on the price. it shows that they don't really care as long as their pockets are lined with gold.

people are dumb, they believe anything, they will buy into whatever you tell them.

 

[6iXx]

# Half-Life 2*
# Counter-Strike: Source
# Half-Life 1: Source*
# Day of Defeat: Source*
# CS: Condition Zero
# Day Of Defeat
# Counter-Strike
# Half-Life
# Ricochet

Yep $60 is way to much

You're lucky Valve isn't an English company, you'd be paying $70 for the bronze package.

Then you fat assed greedy americans would probably be sending death threats to valve :/

 

[ZEROarmy]

No. Why pay the same for less, and let VALVe reap the benifits?


um... no. I think 45 would be fair

 

[City17Citizen01]

I don't get this debate, sounds like a bunch of rich kids that have never worked for anything or bought anything with their own hard earned money.
<exceptions noted of cource><you know who you are>

Hello! six years of Valves life to this thing! You don't think they all wish they could snap their fingers and pop out hit after hit on a product cycle basis and make money hand over fist. As if they all get their rocks off by holding up production of thier own livelyhoods just to piss off gamers, get a friggn clue!

Valve payed for the development, they are the artists, this is their product. Anyone who is willing to pay a middle man like VU just out of spite because of price debate is a dumbass. By buying that way your telling the developer, yes I like your product but I don't want you to have more money to bring me better products in the future, I'd rather pay this big bloated smacktard a fee to make me up a manual and box cause thats more important to me.

The only excuse for buying retail is not having bandwith, and I understand that. Not all of us have equal playing grounds when it comes to ip services.

To be upset that the cost isn't lower is silly when you think of how much money a data centre costs to run. and the costs that Valve have inccured during the production of HL2. Most contracts with publishers/distros maintain a price comparison, why would anyone buy retail if they could get it straight from the source for less money, just like video cards, go to ATIs website and ck the prices, you'll be hard pressed to find stores that can sway from the price to much, an no, I don't mean bend me over aib partners with fancy fans, leds and lame game bundles. Unless you buy in bulk at wholesale cost (usually with a resale licence) you not going to get a better price.

:/

 

[Tenaku]

maintaining steam is a ine item compaired to shipping a game.

perhaps maintaining it is, but figure that steam has been in development for about 3 years... assume that 3-5 people have been working on it essentially nonstop at an average salary of $70k/year...

that's $630k-$1.05mil dollars.... not exactly cheap. plus figure the cost of bandwidth, servers, hosting, office space for the workers, legal fees... doesn't look like a line item anymore, does it...

i'm more than willing to pay the same price as retail so that i can (hopefully) be playing hl2 at 12:01 am on the release date, while you poor suckers are waiting for the store to open, or still waiting in line/driving home if you were lucky enough to find a store with a midnight release.

*edit* and you still have to wait for the massive install when you get home too

 

[f|uke]

Then you fat assed greedy americans would probably be sending death threats to valve :/

I thought of a number of really nasty responses to this.

But when it comes down to it, I'm more mature then that.

Just understand that I am not fat, greedy, or prone to violence (or threats thereof). The thing you may not realize about America is that it represents all kinds of different people. Subjecting all of us Americans to these negative stereotypes is pure ignorance.

 

[poseyjmac]

I thought of a number of really nasty responses to this.

But when it comes down to it, I'm more mature then that.

Just understand that I am not fat, greedy, or prone to violence (or threats thereof). The thing you may not realize about America is that it represents all kinds of different people. Subjecting all of us Americans to these negative stereotypes is pure ignorance.

true true.

 

[Jakeic]

Living in america, where 90% of the wealth is owned by 4% of the population, you think more of us would stand up for ourselves and say we won't take it. However, we get shouted down and told that we are greedy.

There is always someone worse off, the secret to capitalism.

 

[Eat Fresh]

Seriously people, you have to think that Valve DOES have an agreement with Vivendi that they can't undercut the price. Valve would make more profit from selling it for $30 on Steam than they would through retail.

 

[DrEvil]

I don't think Valve could sell the game for less than their publisher even if they wanted to. Specially with those lawsuits going on.

 

[f|uke]

Seriously people, you have to think that Valve DOES have an agreement with Vivendi that they can't undercut the price. Valve would make more profit from selling it for $30 on Steam than they would through retail.

I'm actually coming around to this. Selling it at $50 a pop out of greed would be stupid and self defeating.


Still, to those who say that its a fair price, it simply is not. VALVe gets way more out of the deal, no matter what the upkeep on steam is. (it really does not cost very much to send you 4 gigs over the internet,. well under a dollar, I am sure). Games are $50 only because most of that money goes to the retailer and publisher.

But if VALVe has no say in the matter,. which I guess I'll assume they do not (though I would like to know for sure), I really can't hold it against them.

 

[merc]

WHO GIVES A DAMN about the stupid box and cd's and manual... for goodness sakes guys you get to play hl2 instantly through steam that is the thing everyone has been waiting for, not a stupid box you will set on your shelf... gah im so pissed right now at the stupidity of some people

-merc

 

[f|uke]

WHO GIVES A DAMN about the stupid box and cd's and manual... for goodness sakes guys you get to play hl2 instantly through steam that is the thing everyone has been waiting for, not a stupid box you will set on your shelf... gah im so pissed right now at the stupidity of some people

-merc

1) You dont get it. Its not about the CD and booklet at all.
2) You're a complete asshole.

 

[nutcrackr]

It would appear USA may have got screwed over this time, at the current exchange rate $50 is about equal to 3/4 of the price of a new game on the shelves in Australia. Even the Silver edition is cheaper than a new game here.

 

[cenmocay]

50 $ is fair yeaaaa

 

[Jakeic]

Like I said previously, if they can't undercut the Retail price, why not make the Silver the same price?

You know, like the cared about the consumer.

 

[Ownzed]

Of course it's fair.