Are low prices the only reason you use Steam?

[Vibhor]

Its the most easy to use DD service.
It would grow on you and sooner or later your wallet will have no more money to buy AAA games.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Yes I do like steam and I would still use it even if the prices were higher. No one is forcing me to buy games off steam so I fail to see how this would affect my usage of it. Although in terms of community driven things like replay, broadcasting and recording and what not Steam is still light years behind Xfire.

 

[MoeTheMonk]

I get some use out of Steam's messaging system, and it's handy to see the new games coming out, but the thing that makes Steam invaluable to me is the sales. I have countless games on Steam by this point, probably some of which I might not ever even play, all because their sales mark them down 75% and I can get a good game for anywhere from $2.50 to $10.
Not to mention it is very nice not to have to order everything from amazon or mess around with cd's and dvd's all the time.

 

[Keava]

Nope. I really rarely buy off steam with exception of some indie games. Reason i use it is because i was forced by games that require steamworks in order to work, which is not really what i do like, but not much choice either. Think Dawn Of War 2 was what pushed me into steam.

 

[captainwalrus]

Just for the cheap prices. I like having hard copies more than electronic copies. If games on Steam weren't cheap, I'd never use it.

 

[Randomperson9999999]

im a pc gamer and steam lets me gets games easy for pc also it has low prices

 

[Arancil]

It is a platform that handles updates, add-ons, purchases, re-installation and many other things smoothly.

The steam overlay is useful in that I can communicate easily with people even when playing full-screen games. Plus the browser.

It's simply handy.

 

[Llil]

I don't like steam at all. I only ever use it if it's the only way to play a game. I would rather just put the disc in than have to have steam open whenever I want to play. I think it's the internet connection thing, and that I don't like to have extra programs running. Also, the games are tied to your account, which really annoys me.

When I bought Mount & Blade: Warband and With Fire and Sword, whose disc versions both require steam, I just registered the keys with steam. I then looked the "multiplayer cd-key" on one of the tabs, and downloaded the games from Taleworld's website. (Steam keys are 5*5 cahracters, M&B keys are 4*4) This way I can play no DRM versions. Annoying busywork, but it was worth it.

I also bought Amnesia straight from Frictional Games website just so that I wouldn't have to use steam. If a game is only available on steam, I'm not buying it.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

The thing I like most about Steam is not prices. On the contrary I often find games on Steam are more expensive than a physical, boxed copy delivered to my door which winds me up no end. What I like most however is the convenience followed by the speed of it. It's so easy to get a new game and have it appear on my PC ready to go in almost no time at all.

Until Steam (or digital distribution one might argue) came along, piracy was the only way to get those benefits. No need for CDs/DVDs, instant delivery, get a game at any time of any day and the rest. With Steam there's even more advantages. I can log in to any computer and have all my titles available for download. Unlike most other DRM methods, I never have to worry about "losing my license" if I change computer as I can install anything as much as I like. That isn't even to mention the social features.

In short, I like Steam and believe it's what PC gaming needed. A better alternative to piracy and a good service to boot. Apart from the often off-putting prices, it's great. But with regular deals that's not always an issue.

 

[Jamous]

I use it for the convenience and the sales mainly; my view with steam is that is should be everything compatible but nothing compulsory, because it completely dicks over people with shoddy internet, or when their internet temporarily goes down. Angers me to no end.

 

[Double A]

Yeah, I only use it for the low, low prices. I might still play the games on my computer, might not, but I probably wouldn't be playing quite a few at all if they weren't so cheap and easily accessible. For instance, I probably never would have bought KOTOR, NWN2, or Monkey Island 1&2 if they had never been on sale on Steam.

Steam itself is ok. It's buggy at times, but then again, so is everything else that has to do with computers.

 

[Daveman]

It's mostly convenience. But Steam sales are great too.

not all the time
infact for some reason it never has let me play HL2 offline

Weird, it does that for me. But it does seem to be like the only thing that won't do it.

 

[Treblaine]

I have never really cared for Steam, seeing as how I am primarily a console gamer that being said I bought the PS3 edition of Portal 2 and took it on it's offer of a free PC copy of the game I could play via Steam, that and also Team Fortress 2 went Free to Play which gave me that last little pushed needed to finally dip my toes into Steam...
And do you know what I've come to realize? I despise Steam. I won't go into a rant because frankly I don't want to but suffice to say I am less than pleased with the service but most of my friends with Steam accounts can't get enough of Valve's money printer. So here's my question Escapist: If Steam's prices were a little more in line with everyone else's would you still use it?

Nope. Because sometimes I'll find the game slightly cheaper on somewhere Amazon and I'll still wait to get it on Steam for all the added value of steam

Where I have so much great stuff:
-Unified screenshot mechanism
-automatic updates
-more consistent DRM/support
-Launch without disc or hack
-all games in one place to easily track popularity/playtime/achievements/etc
-Great integrated community
-DLC is often on sale or cheaper

I despise Steam. I won't go into a rant...

You could give at least one good reason. Just one.

And no, the company being successful is not a reason to hate it.

 

[aussiebee]

I generally buy half a dozen or fewer games a year, and when I do buy games it's typically at release because I can't wait to get my hands on it.

So really, price has very little bearing on how I get my games.

(For me,) Steam is convenient, the DRM isn't crippling and doesn't take away my game after #X installs, support has always been helpful and efficient, and it keeps all my games in one easy list when I don't know what I feel like playing.
On top of that, it has Friends list, chat, and little extras like links to news about games in my library.

 

[linwolf]

Steam is annoying, have heavy DRM and a lot of bug. I still use it but I refuse to pay more than $10 for even a AAA game if it uses Steam.

 

[Redingold]

I would use Steam even if it was more expensive than retail. It's more convenient, and the chat function is great.

 

[veloper]

Steam special sales. That and a little extra convenience, like DLing the game and auto-patching.

 

[VladG]

Prices and offers are one side of the coin. Convenience is the other. It's a very hot summer here, and I'll be buggered before I go out for an hour and a half to buy Deus Ex: HR. I'll just stay under my nice cool AC and download it from Steam.

That being said I don't love Steam, just as I don't love my local game retailer. They provide a service, and so far there's no competition. Sure, EA's Origin is coming, but I really expect their service to be a lot worse than Valve's. Will give it a try though.