COD4 preload on steam $70??????

  • Thread starter Thread starter HAz
  • Start date Start date
With steam I can play my games anywhere without needing to take discs, that's reason enough for me.
 
It works out about 30 quid...thats normal for a new game init?

works out as a lot more than that.

$69.99 is about 35 quid on current rates of 2:1 then you also need to figure in the tax that gets added which will probably be close to another fiver, so you are looking at about 40 quid for cod4 on steam.

That is more expensive than some of the on line stores that are selling it in the uk which are doing it for 29.98 with free delivery on an extra few quid for next day service.

The only reason it even works out cheap for us on steam atm is due to the weakness of the dollar v sterling. If the rates were at the normal(ish) levels of around $1.60/$1.70 to the pound it would be even more expensive.
 
I was told once that Steam said in an article they are under a lot of pressure to sell games at prices that are not too low compared to retail. The larger retailers have practically threatened to pull steam related products from the shelves if they undercut them with their digital service.
 
They are selling you the game without a disc or any pakaging and do not need to distribute it to stores, the highstreet stores also put on upto and over a 100% of the wholesale cost for there profit so steam have no excuse not to sell it for closer to half the price they are currently asking.

I realise the highstreet stores do not want to be under cut by steam but as steam are offering a cut down package that the customer has to waste there time and bandwidth downloading I don't think they can complain if steam was a fair bit cheaper and there are still a lot of people out there who do not buy games off the net and prefer to walk into a shop and get there hands on it there and then even though it means paying threw the nose for them.
 
I was told once that Steam said in an article they are under a lot of pressure to sell games at prices that are not too low compared to retail. The larger retailers have practically threatened to pull steam related products from the shelves if they undercut them with their digital service.


Well we the buyers would support them if they did undercut! :D

Plus they wouldnt need them on the shelves if they did great prices
 
They are selling you the game without a disc or any pakaging and do not need to distribute it to stores, the highstreet stores also put on upto and over a 100% of the wholesale cost for there profit so steam have no excuse not to sell it for closer to half the price they are currently asking.

I realise the highstreet stores do not want to be under cut by steam but as steam are offering a cut down package that the customer has to waste there time and bandwidth downloading I don't think they can complain if steam was a fair bit cheaper and there are still a lot of people out there who do not buy games off the net and prefer to walk into a shop and get there hands on it there and then even though it means paying threw the nose for them.
It's Valve that are selling them, Steam is the platform and they don't set the price, that's their excuse.
 
It's Valve that are selling them, Steam is the platform and they don't set the price, that's their excuse.

Steam is a valve thing and as most of the games on there are Valve games I just blamed steam even though COD4 isn't a Valve game, what I said is true in the case of Valves own software but suppose they don't have complete control over the price they sell other publishers software at.
 
$69.95 = £33

33 * 1.175 = £38.775

This how much money that is for Americans! :eek:

When I saw it was £30 on a certain website I thought that was a lot of money compared to most games! Still pre-ordered though.

Is this not the most expensive PC game in recent times (not sure how much PC games used to cost in the olden days..) for a non collectors edition etc.?
 
Steam is always more expensive than retailers, which is harsh considering you get no media and there is no retail outlet staff to feed, so cutting out at least two elements out of food chain should already make it a bargain.

For all of you going "Orange box was 3 games and $50" - Orange box was not 3 games. It was short expansion pack, a mod and a game most of you had already for years but was forced up yours anyway. It shouldn't have costed more than $25, but you all couldn't wait, so you can bet they will be creating all shades of Boxes in the future, as it's fool proof way of making money out of white label addons pretending to be full games worth premium prices and creating false demand for them (you have to buy the same stuff again as a pack,because we won't let you have just an addon).

And if there is enough morons to pre-purchase media less COD4 for what is clearly a rip off price, you can bet on two things. Next releases will have rip off price tags and they will be specifically delayed as online preorder to create desperation to pay those kind of prices.

Say no to rip off pre-orders. Say no to useless bundless. Say no to non VAT registered foreign company charging you VAT for electronic services. In fact. Just say no. ;)
 
Last edited:
For all of you going "Orange box was 3 games and $50" - Orange box was not 3 games. It was short expansion pack, a mod and a game most of you had already for years but was forced up yours anyway.
To be pedantic, wasn't the Orange box five games? Episode 1, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2 and Portal...

I don't disagree with you, two of those are addons and one is a MP mod, but there are 5...
It's still pretty good value for me, as I only own HL2. Having said that, I do intend to get it from a popular Etailer for £25 inc.

That's quite a good point about VAT too, it's not like Customs is can intercept your data transfer and charge whatever duty they happen to feel like... but just deciding to shaft Europe instead isn't exactly the right method either.
 
Last edited:
Steam is always more expensive than retailers, which is harsh considering you get no media and there is no retail outlet staff to feed, so cutting out at least two elements out of food chain should already make it a bargain.

For all of you going "Orange box was 3 games and $50" - Orange box was not 3 games. It was short expansion pack, a mod and a game most of you had already for years but was forced up yours anyway. It shouldn't have costed more than $25, but you all couldn't wait, so you can bet they will be creating all shades of Boxes in the future, as it's fool proof way of making money out of white label addons pretending to be full games worth premium prices and creating false demand for them (you have to buy the same stuff again as a pack,because we won't let you have just an addon).

And if there is enough morons to pre-purchase media less COD4 for what is clearly a rip off price, you can bet on two things. Next releases will have rip off price tags and they will be specifically delayed as online preorder to create desperation to pay those kind of prices.

Say no to rip off pre-orders. Say no to useless bundless. Say no to non VAT registered foreign company charging you VAT for electronic services. In fact. Just say no. ;)

Team Fortress 2 is a full game pretty much you can see a lot of effort has gone into it. And everyone was going to buy EP2 anyway if they followed the HL2 series. Even if you just include those 2 games it still works out as £12.50 per game and there isnt any game on the market (other than old ones etc.) that cost less than that. For me the rest was just a bonus :)

I dont know any game which is up to the standard of Team fortress 2, Ep2 and Portal which costs less than £12.50 (you said about it only being worth $25).
 
Team Fortress 2 is a full game pretty much you can see a lot of effort has gone into it. And everyone was going to buy EP2 anyway if they followed the HL2 series. Even if you just include those 2 games it still works out as £12.50 per game and there isnt any game on the market (other than old ones etc.) that cost less than that. For me the rest was just a bonus :)

Episodes are $9.99 from just about anywhere starting from Amazon and finishing in Nottingham Forest. ;) And they rightly should be, as they are not even 1/4rth the length of the original $29.99 game. I don't negate the fact most of you would pay $50 for Team Fortress 2 alone, I'm just saying it should have been released separately, and you lot given a choice. If you all voted with your wallets Valve wouldn't pull stunt like this ever again. But since you didn't their marketing department has working example how the same $9.99 woolworths bargain bin game can be repackaged and sold time and time again to the same bunch of desperate gaming addicts. Valve first proven they can sell games with minimum media production costs and no retail cut for more than retail price, then they proven they can split expansion pack into small chunks and sell it for the price of full game, then they sold you lot with gold and silver boxes the same game set in orange jump suit, now they try to prove they can pull double prices if they withhold the title for long enough. What will it take for you guys to stop feeding that wench of bankers?

Oh wait. I bought into all the above too... damn...
 
Say no to rip off pre-orders. Say no to useless bundless. Say no to non VAT registered foreign company charging you VAT for electronic services. In fact. Just say no. ;)

Valve Corporation reports VAT declarations on a quarterly basis to HM Revenue & Customs in the UK, who then distributes to the various EU member countries.

Valve Corporation's eleven character "Special Scheme" identification number is EU 826 000 671.
http://support.steampowered.com/cgi...TEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD12YXQ*&p_li=&p_topview=1

and

This Information Sheet explains the special electronic registration and VAT accounting scheme for non-EU businesses which provide electronically supplied services to EU consumers and how it operates in the UK.

If you supply electronically supplied services you will also need to read the following VAT Information Sheets:

.....................

This new Scheme is being introduced alongside the changes to the EU place of supply rules for electronically supplied services, which also take effect from 1 July 2003. From that date, these services, when supplied by non-EU businesses to EU consumers, will be subject to VAT in the Member State where the customer belongs. This means that non-EU businesses would be required, under the normal rules, to register separately and account for VAT in each and every Member State in which they make those supplies. For example, a Canadian business with customers in the UK, France, Germany and Holland would have to register in, and submit declarations to each of those Member States.

Instead, the Special Scheme offers eligible non-EU businesses the option of registering electronically in a single Member State of their choice and accounting for VAT on their sales of electronically supplied services to all EU consumers on a single quarterly electronic VAT declaration which provides details of VAT due in each Member State. This is submitted with payment to the tax administration in the Member State of registration which then distributes the VAT to the Member States where the services are consumed.

Example: A USA business registers for the Special Scheme in the UK. Its customers are located in the UK, Italy and Spain. The USA business charges UK VAT to its UK customers, Italian VAT to its Italian customers and Spanish VAT to its Spanish customers. The business enters the VAT for each country on the appropriate line of the electronic declaration. It sends the declaration electronically with payment to HM Customs and Excise, who retain the UK VAT and pass on the Italian VAT to the Italian authorities and the Spanish VAT to the Spanish authorities.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ntent&id=HMCE_CL_000922&propertyType=document

Looks like they are fully registered for VAT to me - if you want to blame someone for paying VAT on electronic services moan about the EU or Chancellor.
 
Back
Top Bottom