zungerman090 said:
I prefer to have something to hold in my hands. I checked the Steam deals and my enthusiasm wavered. The prices for all releases (even old) were amazingly high. I dunno why, but even Mass Effect that was released quite a while ago cost 20 bucks while I can buy a copy on Amazon for under 3.5 quid. Maybe it is just Mass Effect though..
Steam is overrated. Which is not to say that it's bad, but digital distribution has it's weaknesses that people all love to disregard too much (like the fact that, unlike with a retail product, you don't actually
own your digital copy and that you can't make backups). Plus, while it does sometimes have good deals (like during the time of the notorious Steam sales), the regular prices generally tend to drop a lot slower compared to retail copies. For example, in the recent past, I bought a few games from a local online retailer and I compared the money I had to pay for them with Steam prices at the time:
Tom Phoenix said:
The prices and US dollar value are provided as they stand today (August 24th, 2010):
Dragon Age: Origins [https://igabiba.joker.si/izdelek.php?menu=1⊂=1&izdelekId=2717] - 18 Euros ($22.82)
World in Conflict Complete Edition [https://igabiba.joker.si/izdelek.php?menu=1⊂=1&izdelekId=3749] (meaning it includes both the original game and the Soviet Assault expansion) - 14.50 Euros ($18.39)
Deus Ex [https://igabiba.joker.si/izdelek.php?menu=1⊂=1&izdelekId=1924] - 3.50 Euros ($4.44)
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Special Edition [https://igabiba.joker.si/izdelek.php?menu=1⊂=2&izdelekId=3731] (meaning it also includes Sands of Time and Warrior Within) - 14 Euros ($17.75]
Total: 50 Euros ($63.4)
In comparison, here are the current European prices for roughly the same amount of content (note that this does not include any potential limited time sales):
Dragon Age: Origins [http://store.steampowered.com/app/17450/] - 49.99 Euros ($63.39)
World in Conflict [http://store.steampowered.com/app/21760/] - 29.99 Euros ($38.03)
World in Conflict: Soviet Assault [http://store.steampowered.com/app/21910/] - 14.99 Euros ($19)
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition [http://store.steampowered.com/app/6910/] - 9.99 Euros ($12.67)
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time [http://store.steampowered.com/app/13600/] - 9.99 Euros ($12.67)
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within [http://store.steampowered.com/app/13500/] - 9.99 Euros ($12.67)
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones [http://store.steampowered.com/app/13530/] - 9.99 Euros ($12.67)
Total: 134,93 Euros ($171.09)
That is over 100 US dollars in difference (and I didn't have to pay for shipping either, since the retailer provides free shipping for purchases over 30 Euros). In that context, Steam isn't as great of a deal as people make it out to be.
That said, the PC retail situation in Europe and in the US is very different (PC retail is very much alive in Europe while US stores tend to barely even have a shelf dedicated to PC games), so it is possible that Steam is a lot better option across the pond. Plus, as far as I know, the situation with PC retailers in the UK isn't exactly very good either and I am not sure how good the prices are on Steam for UK residents (they are terrible for continential Europeans, especially due to the 1:1 conversion rate that Steam uses, even though the Euro is worth more than the US dollar).
Anyway, to get to the point, you should weight out all your options. Check the prices at your local retailer (both brick and mortar as well as online) and then check the prices on Steam. If there isn't much difference or the retail version is even cheaper, you are much better off getting that one. If, however, the Steam version is a lot cheaper (especially if it's during one of the Steam sales) and you don't have much to spend, you should consider buying it off Steam. Also, consider that some games are only available through Steam, since indie developers in particular cannot afford the costs of retail distribution.
Steam isn't bad...but it's not a godsend either and, like you, I also prefer to actually have a physical copy in my hand. Think carefully about each purchase you make.
