Why steam prices so high?????

[tennistoad2k3]

Shouldn't the prices on steam be cheaper than retail?? I mean distrubution channels are cheaper and absolutely no tangible items are made or moved.. Why buy through steam when you get no cool box or even cd case???? shouldn't the steam version be at least $10 cheaper,, where is our no retailer markup discount??? Even vug wholesales the game to eb for less than $49.99 so why aren't we getting any discounts??????

/whiny ati voucher holder here.... Silver for $10 gold for $40???

 

[eQUIV]

Bandwidth of this magnitude is also expensive. I don't think its unreasonable at all, mass produced boxes and manuals are peanuts.

 

[Maxi]

Probably because if it was cheaper, retail would loose more sales.. and vivendi doesn't want that.

 

[Harryz]

Think about it.

Half-Life 2 Silver:
-Half-Life 2
-CS: S
-DOD:S
-HL: S

= £34

Retail package:
HL2
CS :S

=£35

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

mainly because the retailers would have a fit if Valve undercut them. Believe it or not, but retail sales are going to be greater than Steam sales - Valve still need retail.

 

[Democritus]

(1) They can't undercut Vivendi, I think contractually;(2) Valve wants to make money. Lots of it.(3) You actually are getting quite a bit for your money, albeit 3 of the games are polished up old ones.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

welcome to the American dream.

they have the ability, the will, the outlet, and the right to take your money.
they developed a software distribution application with benefits... I guess you cant blame them for wanting more cash.

also, you have an ati voucher.. 10 bucks shouldnt be hurting your wallet.. neither should 40.
thats cheaper than the silver version, plus you got a kickas video card for your troubles.

Im forking out around $130 for two silvers this morning.

 

[Dekstar]

Heh, yeah all the bandwidth will cost a packet.
Besides, tennistoad, If you want to get it off steam, you can write the GCF files onto a DVD of your own, and put a DVD label on there - Some of the forum goers here have made amazing ones!

That's what I'm doing, anyway.

 

[Homercidal]

The equipment to offer games through Steam costs money, just like packaging does. So does the cost to develop and maintain Steam. How that would compare to Retail, I don't know.

Also, although Valve would be getting a higher percentage of the sale through Steam, that doesn't mean they will make that much more profit. They have costs, in Steam Distribution, that VUG doesn't.

So, the price of the game does not indicate what the costs of the game are. Also, the price is usually as much as the market will bear. in this case, the prices are in line with other games.

 

[DavE0r]

yer im downloading off steam tbh, then burning the GCFs to a DVD for backup. My Mate jsut got a printer that prints to white label DVDs....so im gonna be printing my uber photoshoped label to it...mmmmm hl2 ownage, and then im gonna keep it in my **gold** edition box, and then wear my **gold** edition hat as i play

god damn it im a geek.

and this must be like the 32nd thread on prices...dear god..it aint expensive, i would be paying 30 (uk pounds) for retail, which was on a dvd and came with Hl2 and CS:S. I put up another 20(uk pounds) and i get all that exra stuff. I mean i have payed more than 20quid for a hat before now....lol

 

[cenmocay]

Shouldn't the prices on steam be cheaper than retail?? I mean distrubution channels are cheaper and absolutely no tangible items are made or moved.. Why buy through steam when you get no cool box or even cd case???? shouldn't the steam version be at least $10 cheaper,, where is our no retailer markup discount??? Even vug wholesales the game to eb for less than $49.99 so why aren't we getting any discounts??????

/whiny ati voucher holder here.... Silver for $10 gold for $40???

is not high kid its good

 

[Shadow-warrior]

Think about it.

Half-Life 2 Silver:
-Half-Life 2
-CS: S
-DOD:S
-HL: S

= £34

Retail package:
HL2
CS :S

=£35

Amazon HL2 retail package = £26.99

No online software retailers sell at the RRP



But I agree, Steam prices are a little high.

 

[f|uke]

For those who say bandwidth is a factor, it is a lot cheaper then you might think. The cost to send HL2/CSS to you via the internet is mere pennys. The cost of upkeeping the Steam servers is another story, but still absolutly minimal when split between all customers

While I would like to get a definitive 'yes' on the answer, I assume that the only reason it costs so much is due to contractual obligations not to undersell VUg

 

[Mountain Man]

While the Steam versions may not be cheaper, they are definitely the better deal. Actually, the Bronze is about the same value as the standard retail version, but in my opinion, the Silver version is far superior to the retail Collector's Edition and at $10 less. Or you can go for the Gold version which is $20 more than retail Collector's Edition but gives you much more bang for your buck.

So for my money, Steam is the way to go.

 

[fragShader]

i'll remind you again that the Steam offers are international, and in every country except America the prices are MUCH better value than retail.

VALVe may have decided to forgo some US sales for a much greater proportion of international sales.

 

[f|uke]

the Bronze is about the same value as the standard retail version, but in my opinion, the Silver version is far superior to the retail Collector's Edition and at $10 less. Or you can go for the Gold version which is $20 more than retail Collector's Edition but gives you much more bang for your buck

Bronze truely is not as good a deal as standard retail (unless you factor in that more $ for VALVe is a good thing). I am dissapointed with the cost of Bronze.

Silver + Gold are indeed better deals tho.

i'll remind you again that the Steam offers are international, and in every country except America the prices are MUCH better value than retail.

That is of little concern to us Americans. (But, yes, quite nice for the rest of you, no doubt)

 

[Gunner]

Im forking out around $130 for two silvers this morning.

Ouch! Offering one as a gift to someone? not that it's any business of mine hehe

 

[Ahnteis]

I doubt they can legally offer Steam versions for less then the retail price. Vivendi does NOT want people buying off Steam.

It's like how opposed RIAA/et al. are to selling music on the internet. They impose huge restrictions and finally, years after napster we are starting to see digital distribution (albeit with lower quality then CDs, DRM included, and nearly identical pricing).

Distribution companies are scared to death of the internet.

 

[Alientank]

I doubt they can legally offer Steam versions for less then the retail price. Vivendi does NOT want people buying off Steam.

It's like how opposed RIAA/et al. are to selling music on the internet. They impose huge restrictions and finally, years after napster we are starting to see digital distribution (albeit with lower quality then CDs, DRM included, and nearly identical pricing).

Distribution companies are scared to death of the internet.

Bingo. Distribution companies, HATE the internet if they are not an internet distrib. company. They absolutely despise the internet! Until they get on there, then they love it.

 

[ukfluke]

expensive? £35 is damn cheap for silver if u ask me.

 

[romhog]

do you really get a t-shirt with the steam load?
(im not home yet to prebuy it)

 

[KillaH]

here in holland almost every normal store (and a lot of internet shops) will sell half-life 2 for €59.95 and thats just the normal retail package (bronze) then you look at the steam prices and there bronze costs $49.95. that's around €40 so if we buy it of steam here in holland we will almost get it €20 cheaper. this is just because the shops want to earn more so they put another €10 on it.

 

[Homer]

Stop feeding everyone this its a gread deal crap. its not. its a horrible deal. There may be something contractual forcing them to do this, but that doesnt mean we dont get boned in the end.

Also, I'm seeing a lot of people who will be paying euros telling americans who take issue with the price that its cheaper than normal. although it may be for you, ITS NOT FOR MOST OF US. The U.S. prices are equivlent to or higher than normal retail. it may be a good price in france, but that doesnt help us much.