Why are PC game download services so expensive....

I love steam, I must have spend £50 over christmas on £200 worth of games, due to the awesome sales.

I only realised last week that I didn't have my DVD drive connected - it had been like that for at least 6 months. The only reason I reconnected it was because Steam didn't sell "Mafia" so I had to buy it in disk form.

I agree that the prices of new games on steam can be too high, but IMHO the service you get from steam is far better than owning the DVD, so the cost can be justified. I far prefer having my games on steam - so I can play then on any PC I like anywhere I go.
 
neoboy said:
Not really encouraging piracy when you can buy it cheaper elsewhere? As I already said, prices are set by the publishers of the game, when it comes to their own things Valve are quite competitive (Orange Box £16.99, L4D2 £19.99). For example they also set EA games who have their own delivery system in EA Downloader and prices on there compared with Steam are cheaper and I wouldn't be surprised if EA keep the Steam prices artificially high to make people use their own system rather than Valve's.
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Downloading wins on convenience over purchasing a physical copy.

If you combine convenience with a reasonable price point, then you massively reduce the incentive to pirate.

as it stands, the fact that an downloaded purchase cost more than buying a physical copy suggests that we are being ripped off, and will encourage piracy.

Note - i am not disputing your version of the mechanics of why prices are higher, that seems like a good explanation.
 
EdwardTeach said:
Downloading wins on convenience over purchasing a physical copy.

If you combine convenience with a reasonable price point, then you massively reduce the incentive to pirate.

as it stands, the fact that an downloaded purchase cost more than buying a physical copy suggests that we are being ripped off, and will encourage piracy.

Note - i am not disputing your version of the mechanics of why prices are higher, that seems like a good explanation.
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When a product can be had for cheaper it really isn't an incentive but an excuse.

If download and physical copy prices were matched then retailers simply could not keep their costs down to make any significant profit and really couldn't justify trading PC games, frankly. We already seeing many shops pull PC games off their shelves and sell them online only and any further threat, could well prove the last straw. PC Games prices are low compared to consoles as it is and with recent popularity of the Wii and others they could well use the shelf/warehouse space for them instead. This is quite a dramatic view there but I reckon not as far off as we think and if does happen will drive the whole platform underground.

This is why it's important for Publishers to keep up the prices on their download counterparts, for now at least to keep the retailers happy to avoid any upsets. Besides they can't keep up with deals some retailers are cutting anyway and there are few extra factors involved with download services over retails. If the shop sells you a game they forgotten about you pretty much as soon as you leave through the door. Sure they have the statutory rights to consider with 28 days return but after that you're done with that shop.

To be completely honest with bandwidth costs going down along with this whole cloud computing concept taking off, I do actually see a future where retail sales will indeed start to decline even further and download services taking off, not just on PC but console markets and this is when we can expect places like Steam to be a lot more competitive. As it stand though at this point it would only be detrimental to us all.
 
it also depends on the game also


I noticed just cause 2 even with the little add ons on steam its like £5 less than in say game which is £35 currently or at least I think the steam version did I m not too sure but both the normal version and the limited edition of it is 34.99 from game


So at the end of the day it depends on the game.
 
barmyllama said:
Bandwidth and server costs aren't the reason. MW2, AVP and Napoleon TW all use Steamworks and cost less to buy retail. It's down to large retail chains having deals in place with publishers that prevent digital downloads under cutting them. It's a similar deal with Ubisoft games like Assassins Creed 2 and Settlers 7 not being available on Steam in the UK, they still have a contract in place with the large retail chains regarding digital downloads.

And I don't suppose Steam are that bothered either, they sell at recommended retail price and a lot of people are prepared to pay that price. They get the rest of us with sales and weekend deals.

When the balance of sales tips towards downloads, then maybe prices will fall, though I doubt they will.
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This.

Valve's hands are tied - if they undercut the retail stores too much, they lose their deals with the publishers and so can't sell the games at all.

They get around this by offering frequent very generous deals. It's always worth waiting for a while, when a game comes on steam - it'll be available on an excellent sale sooner or later. the ones that don't go on sale, are the ones that publishers protect the price of, like Modern Warfare 2.
 
It is the publishers who agree the final price.

The publisher have pretty much total control on Steam.
 
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There are also positives that come with Steam, rather then just doing without the negatives that come with retail (e.g. having to manufacture a physical disc). Having updates and patches automatically ready to download, and being able to download the game any time, as many times as you like.

I lost my Oblivion and Grim Fandango discs, sob!
 
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Going to my local PC games retailer in a bit and i'll pick them up from off the shelve...... I really am disappointed that a content delivered online without box, and a DVD is actually more expensive....

As N:TW is steamworks, I'll just register it up as I did with Half Life 2, and put the DVD back in the box never to be used again...:D

It is such a shame..... I just hope this DRM for Settlers 7 doesn't ruin it, I'm sure it wont. I'm always connected to the internet, apart from when my line drops due to outages and BE internet aren't known for many of those... But it does happen...

Its also a shame honest PC gamers are treated as crooks, however they are out to make money, and afterall, no profits, no new games... no new games, no hobby..!! and at the moment, PC gaming is a nice quick fix to fill my time when I'm not busy.. Its the most pick up and put down hobby I've ever had....

Easy to walk away from when other stuff in my life takes over... :p
 
Gimpymoo said:
It is the publishers who agree the final price.

The publisher have pretty much total control on Steam.
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I think this point is one of the least known with regards to this issue. The number of people who rant about Steam or Valve when it comes to pricing need to realise they take barely any cut, and have almost no say in pricing.
 
Memphis said:
I think this point is one of the least known with regards to this issue. The number of people who rant about Steam or Valve when it comes to pricing need to realise they take barely any cut, and have almost no say in pricing.
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it is known that steam takes the biggest cut among all DD services and even developers have mentioned this issue. impulse is usually cheaper.
 
Which developer has stated that Valve take the biggest cut out of all the DD providers?

Many have voiced their disapproval that Valve is a developer and DD partner but I cannot recall anyone saying Valve take the biggest cut.

Also bear in mind the current customer base of Steam and that of Impulse, I think it is more a case of not Steam being greedy, more the others having to take less because they essentially sell to a lower number of people.

If I was selling a game and Impulse wanted to charge the same as Steam, I would tell them to do one.

It is like my local newsagent wanting to charge less than the local billboard company to put a poster up.

Sure, the billboard company may cost more but the returns will also be greater.

Does this mean the billboard company is greedy or the newsagent is cheap as he knows he has no chance of competing.
 
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.one. said:
Does anyone really know what cut steam take ? if not the argument is mute.
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Likewise does anyone know the cut the other DD's take?

Probably not owing to various NDA's.

The point is, MANY developers have came out and said how great Steam is. Tripwire specifically have said they would likely not exist was it not for Steam what with traditional publishers wanting to bend them over a table.
 
Well back from the store, left with 5 boxed and media sealed and brand new PC Games –

Settlers 7 - £24.99
Napoleon total war - £15.99
Assassins Creed II - £19.99 (Maybe shouldn’t have got this, think I might have got this cheaper online)
Left 4 Dead 2 - £14.95

And……. Spotted a copy of Grid for £9.99 so got this as well.

Total price - £85.91.

Ok, lets see. Steam as an example…

Settlers 7 – N/A so would have had to buy this from another content provider. Direct2drive sells this for £34.95
Napoleon total war - £24.99
Assassins Creed II - N/A so would have had to buy this from another content provider. Direct2drive sells this for £34.95
Left 4 Dead 2 - £19.99
Grid - £19.99

So, 5 games.. total download sizes. Approx 40GB?? What would a 4MEG ADSL line take to download this little lot?

Oh and total price to buy online - £134.87.

£134.87 - £85.91 = £48.96 difference. Could have also got Batman Arkham and Dirt 2 (already got these two great titles though) with this from the same store I got these games from..

Sorry, that’s downright disgraceful. And I have the games, on my desk, ready to install now. No waiting for days for downloading, got a DVD and a case, and a manual and saved nearly £50.

Someone is getting rich from download services – not from me though. Gone from disappointed to now pretty much outraged.

Rant over… lol Can sit back and enjoy another month of gaming. This little lot will certainly keep me entertained for a good few weeks I can tell you..
 
There are exceptions, like Stalker: Call of Pripyat, which was cheaper on Steam than Amazon and Play.com when it came out (and it still is). Torchlight, too, I notice.
 
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iv-tecman said:
Someone is getting rich from download servicesRant over
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Yes, the publishers, who are also afraid of undercutting the retail channel as they would then no longer stock their games.

Look what the Australian market did to the PSP Go when they realised you dont need to buy its games in the shop:

http://play.tm/news/26788/eb-australia-refuse-to-stock-psp-go/

The retail channel are acting like the newspaper industry at the moment, spoilt brats clinging onto their last few minutes and trying to ruin it for everyone else.
 
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