Pachter: Valve Will Offer Trade-ins on Steam
- Thread starter Greg Tito
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It's great, but then, the logistics of it all would be a nightmare. How do you make sure that the trade-ins are of equal value when there always seem to be a sale?
That would be amazing, it's something I really want to see, because right now I do actually need it. I have L4D on Steam, but only found after buying it that my computer is too slow to run it properly. So if I could, I'd trade it in, and use the money to buy the same game but on the Xbox, and play through XBL instead. Of course, I can't do that, but if I could just trade it in for a bit of credit that I could perhaps put towards some awesome Steam indie games, it would be so worth it... 
Oh, and added to that is the fact that my main concern about buying downloadable games instead of a hard copy is that with a hard copy I can trade them in, whereas with downloads I don't have the right to sell that on later when I get bored of it. So I distrust downloads anyway through that (although thankfully Steam does indeed do plenty to make up for it), and this idea would go one step further to easing my fears about it, to be honest...
Oh, and added to that is the fact that my main concern about buying downloadable games instead of a hard copy is that with a hard copy I can trade them in, whereas with downloads I don't have the right to sell that on later when I get bored of it. So I distrust downloads anyway through that (although thankfully Steam does indeed do plenty to make up for it), and this idea would go one step further to easing my fears about it, to be honest...
Ok. Maybe because it's late, but I cant see how money would result from this. Is the "small fee" in actual money because otherwise there would be no gain to Steam.
I don't think this will happen.
PC gamers have been without trade-ins for like 20 years now, we really don't care.
What I WOULD like to see is a rental service.
So I can give Steam 5-10 dollars, they give me a game for 3-7 days and then after that it will be deleted from my HD.
PC gamers have been without trade-ins for like 20 years now, we really don't care.
What I WOULD like to see is a rental service.
So I can give Steam 5-10 dollars, they give me a game for 3-7 days and then after that it will be deleted from my HD.
Sounds good, but I just don't see it happening.
If it happened on Steam, a lot of the major publishers would most likely pull their inventory.
If it happened on Steam, a lot of the major publishers would most likely pull their inventory.
I assume this would only apply to Steam games that you actually bought off of Steam (as opposed to ones that are supported by Steam, but you installed with a disc)?
This idea doesn't make sense. they charge as much as they do for a reason: that's how much it costs to make these games. Every once in a while I'll come back to this idea, and I always reach the same problem. Valve doesn't lose money when they let you have access to a game, and tehy don't gai money by taking it away. Therefore when you, say, pay 5 dollars to trade in you're copy of HL2 for 20 dollars worth of credit (in which case you are no true gamer, but anyway), Valve is essentially charging you 5 dollars for 20 dollars worth of content with no other revenue stream to make up for it. No matter how little money Valve will give you, the same problem always arises.
If it did happen, I'd be for it. I have so many games that seemed like a good idea at a time and are now sitting like rocks in my library. If I'm not doing anything with them, they have no value to me, and since many of them I'm unlikely to actually want to play anything I could get, even a partial credit, would be nice.
Granted, to be fair, they'd probably have to take into account the price you paid for the game when you bought it vs the price it is now. Admittedly I tend to do most of my Steam shopping during their wonderful, productivity-slaying sales, so I get the games for a low price before they jump back up. I wouldn't expect to get the same amount of credit as someone else if I paid five dollars for a game and they paid twenty for it. I guess they just have transaction records?
Granted, to be fair, they'd probably have to take into account the price you paid for the game when you bought it vs the price it is now. Admittedly I tend to do most of my Steam shopping during their wonderful, productivity-slaying sales, so I get the games for a low price before they jump back up. I wouldn't expect to get the same amount of credit as someone else if I paid five dollars for a game and they paid twenty for it. I guess they just have transaction records?
What with all the steam deals. Imagine you bought an L4D2 4pack last week, when it was 3x6.99 euros (yay, belgium -.-).
It's reverted back to 20 euros for just a single copy of L4D2. How much would you get back for turning in one of those L4D2 copies, 50% of the cost? You'd either be making a profit off the steam deals, or hardly getting anything back (if they'd give only 25% back or something)...
Wouldn't call it plausible, really.
It's reverted back to 20 euros for just a single copy of L4D2. How much would you get back for turning in one of those L4D2 copies, 50% of the cost? You'd either be making a profit off the steam deals, or hardly getting anything back (if they'd give only 25% back or something)...
Wouldn't call it plausible, really.
And so Valve removes the last barrier between them and open-faced honesty. My two cents says that:
A. This is going to kill the "you license it, you don't own it" argument for download software, and help make a case for first-sale rights.
B. Eventually, they'll add game trading services, letting gamers go gamer-to-gamer (for a cut of the sale profits, of course).
C. Any download service that doesn't offer this is going to be left high-and-dry within five years. Expect to see it in Gamer's Gate and Direct2Drive, at the least.
D. I am now regretting sending on my extra copies of Half-life 2 and Episode 1 when I bought the Orange Box.
EDIT: If this happens. I was under the impression for some reason that Pachter was Valve's CEO. Stupid me.
A. This is going to kill the "you license it, you don't own it" argument for download software, and help make a case for first-sale rights.
B. Eventually, they'll add game trading services, letting gamers go gamer-to-gamer (for a cut of the sale profits, of course).
C. Any download service that doesn't offer this is going to be left high-and-dry within five years. Expect to see it in Gamer's Gate and Direct2Drive, at the least.
D. I am now regretting sending on my extra copies of Half-life 2 and Episode 1 when I bought the Orange Box.
EDIT: If this happens. I was under the impression for some reason that Pachter was Valve's CEO. Stupid me.
"It's so crazy that it just might make sense."
Crazy? Nope.
It's just a form of customer support (digital distribution style) that has been vacant in recent years.
Of course Valve is going to profit, from what has already been proven, a great way to make money.
Johnny come lately is finally stepping up.
Crazy? Nope.
It's just a form of customer support (digital distribution style) that has been vacant in recent years.
Of course Valve is going to profit, from what has already been proven, a great way to make money.
Johnny come lately is finally stepping up.
I would really like this... Although part of me would rather be refunded actual money. But I don't see that as a feesible way, so i would definity accept credit on steam
