Archived from groups: alt.games.half-life (More info?)
Should Steam-delivered software be cheaper than retail boxes?
There's an argument that says you get less when you download, ie. no
manual or box, so it should be (compare the music industry where you
can download music for significantly less than street price). However,
if the manual and sleeve art for a DVD case were downloadable as pdf,
then the score is more balanced. You are also getting the convenience
of software delivered direct and immediately to your PC, instead of
having to go out and buy it.
I think there's a large element of personal preference involved here.
Some of us like having the "original" box and a "proper" CD. Others
place value only on the zeroes and ones and are not fussed about the
packaging.
I think buying through Steam should be cheaper than buying off the
shelf (at RRP), if only by a few dollars or pounds. I don't know what
the costs of maintaining the server hardware are, but we are talking
about capital investment with comparatively few variable costs. The
hardware can be depreciated over a longer period of time and over
several game releases. There is no money tied up in stock and stuck on
the shelf - which is what happens in the retail channel.
Having said that, box retailers will always be able to undercut Steam
prices in order to shift units, so perhaps Steam will encourage
competition and lower prices (made possible by reduced piracy losses?).
Should Steam-delivered software be cheaper than retail boxes?
There's an argument that says you get less when you download, ie. no
manual or box, so it should be (compare the music industry where you
can download music for significantly less than street price). However,
if the manual and sleeve art for a DVD case were downloadable as pdf,
then the score is more balanced. You are also getting the convenience
of software delivered direct and immediately to your PC, instead of
having to go out and buy it.
I think there's a large element of personal preference involved here.
Some of us like having the "original" box and a "proper" CD. Others
place value only on the zeroes and ones and are not fussed about the
packaging.
I think buying through Steam should be cheaper than buying off the
shelf (at RRP), if only by a few dollars or pounds. I don't know what
the costs of maintaining the server hardware are, but we are talking
about capital investment with comparatively few variable costs. The
hardware can be depreciated over a longer period of time and over
several game releases. There is no money tied up in stock and stuck on
the shelf - which is what happens in the retail channel.
Having said that, box retailers will always be able to undercut Steam
prices in order to shift units, so perhaps Steam will encourage
competition and lower prices (made possible by reduced piracy losses?).
And then I got HL2 silver (with all the
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