Game Stores View Valve's Steam as the Devil

[cliffro]

[citation][nom]Proxy711[/nom]Please go ahead and list these so called limitations.I use steam for 99% of my game purchases, really the only time i don't use it is when there's a better deal somewhere or there's a preorder bonus that isn't can cool or isn't there at all with the steam copy. @ people that continue to spread false information about steam being unuseable if your internet or steam service is down. Please stop there's a offine mode that works just fine for almost every game. And really when has steam gone down for an extended period of time? I haven't EVER encountered a time when it was down, and I've been using steam for years and years.[/citation]

I can name a big one. I cannot give a game I've finished (or stopped playing) to a friend to enjoy IF I bought it on Steam. If I bought it retail, (depending on the DRM used that is) I could.

I'm not Anti-Steam in anyway, and regularly take advantage of their specials, but that is a pretty big negative.

As to the Retail Stores disliking Steam...as others have said, they usually carry a very limited selection AS IS, what do they expect us PC gamers to do? Accept limited selection?

I have to give props to another store that has a rather large PC Game selection, Microcenter(at least the store in Columbus Ohio). It's ridiculously large compared to WalMart, GS/EB and Best Buy combined. Too bad its over 2 hours away from me now that I've moved.

 

[robula]

Steam is cheap, frequently has good deals and it's great for overall convenience. The only time I'd want a proper copy of the game is when I order it from an online retailer such as GamePlay and ShopTo.

 

[teodoreh]

There are STEAM fans? Seriously?

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]cliffro[/nom]I can name a big one. I cannot give a game I've finished (or stopped playing) to a friend to enjoy IF I bought it on Steam. If I bought it retail, (depending on the DRM used that is) I could.[/citation]
Actually you can give drm limited games to friends too.
Regardles of what the license sais, removing the drm is legal on games that you have bought. So you can hand over previously owned games to friends and supply them a crack from gamecopyworld or a similar place legally. It may impact their online activies ofc, as you in most cases aren't allowed to sell your online profile along with the game.

 

[sheytan]

Steam have to large share of the market.
Why does the many games cost more at steam than in store??

 

[sheytan]

Steams prices sucks, most of the time its cheaper to buy at a store!!
Steam has grown to large and im gonna stop buy there.

 

[clinomaniac]

I'm yet to buy a game from a store that doesn't require an immediate update. At least with steam it does it all for you, its just far more convenient than having to update each individual game.

Game stores will stay open for as long as there are people out there with no internet/very slow internet/download limits and to a certain extent birthdays and Christmas though in the next 5-10 years that will change as the older generation become more tech savvy and start buying their kids games through steam too lol. I just dread the day when facebook gets hold of steam in an effort to get their mits on even more demographic data...

 

[Guest]

Game retailers need to learn that not all PC gamers are obsessed with WoW, Warcraft, and Starcraft *cough* Gamestop *cough*. Maybe when they start filling their shelves with decent games will their declining sales turn.

 

[johnnysgraf]

Steam is a love/hate relationship.

I love the accessability of games, especially the classics which cant be bought instore but still aren't classed as "Abandonware".

I hate though that it isn't cheaper considering there is no cost in materials and distribution. Instead I have to source legit keys online from 2 stores I trust which are usually ~25% cheaper and since I download it through Steam as I purchase a Steam key, it's identical to purchasing from Steam but cheaper.
I'll admit I used to be an avid pirater, but since Steam (More importantly, places I can purchase Steam keys for cheaper) my pirating days for recent games is over.

PC games are now in a good price bracket.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]johnnysgraf[/nom]Steam is a love/hate relationship.I love the accessability of games, especially the classics which cant be bought instore but still aren't classed as "Abandonware".I hate though that it isn't cheaper considering there is no cost in materials and distribution. Instead I have to source legit keys online from 2 stores I trust which are usually ~25% cheaper and since I download it through Steam as I purchase a Steam key, it's identical to purchasing from Steam but cheaper.I'll admit I used to be an avid pirater, but since Steam (More importantly, places I can purchase Steam keys for cheaper) my pirating days for recent games is over.PC games are now in a good price bracket.[/citation]

What are those two stores? sounds useful.

 

[iamtheking123]

My only beef with Steam is it can sometimes get overly intrusive. For example, I bought a box version of The Orange Box, only to install it and have to wait 3 hours for it to mandatory download 4 GB of updates before I could even play single player...seriously what was the point of having the discs at all then? I also don't like how every daily game update is usually a few hundred MB.

Then there's the "man behind the curtain". When you have a standalone installation you know where everything is located (maps, saves, etc). But with Steam everything is thrown together and it becomes a maze to navigate through.

What I do like is Steam makes reinstalling Windows no problem...just reinstall Steam and all your games are right there ready to go again. The pricing is also very reasonable and there's tons of sales and loads of independent-but-still-fun games available.

 

[johnnysgraf]

[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]What are those two stores? sounds useful.[/citation]

onlinekeystore.com is the main one I use,

I use cdkeysdirect.com if onlinekeystore doesn't have a particular game

 

[impreza]

lol don't sell the game I will just buy it on steam, but games that use steam are about the only ones I'll buy from retail unless they are dirt cheap or have nasty drm like ubi games.

 

[vectorm12]

Personally I prefer the retail channel to the DD systems like Steam. Sure I've been forced to use steam to activate and play my Valvegames and it's cool that I can get a hold of a legit copy of Wolfenstein which would be impossible in the retail.

However I can't bring myself to spend more than 100SEK on a piece of software I can't have a physical copy of. In my mind I haven't received the product unless I've got a physical copy of it I can play again in 20 years. I still have my copy of Wings for my AMIGA 500 and it still plays today, I however doubt I'll be able to play any of the games I "own" on Steam today in 20 years. I feel all of these DD systems are at best long-time rental services and not owned copies.

Most likely I'll have to buy the game again provided I can even do so that is.

 

[Jarmo]

Steam as a marketplace is excellent.
I only shop for bargains there, but then I oly shop for bargains anyway.
I dislike the DRM, but prefer it to having to insert the DVD when playing.

Steam integration in boxed games sucks like a hoover though. Buy a box and get a one use coupon for a portion of the game, buy a box and and get steampowered DRM thrown in, buy a box and waive your right and chances to resell it.

It's this bit the stores don't like, just like Valve wouldn't appreciate if games bought from steam would need to be registered at the local store.

Games retaining their price in steam long after they're availlable at half price elsewhere, is another issue for disliking, but that's beside the point.

PS. GOG is the way to go.

 

[Travis Beane]

I don't regret giving Valve a penny.
However, there is one local game shop that I do love. They use to sell PC games, but not anymore. They do specialize in the hard to find titles though.
What makes them worth the extra money to me is the personal touch of the old family business run by a man who has been playing games since I was born.

I just don't like the idea of say, a VAC ban. Get banned in one game, and cripple half of my games for life.
Or really pissing someone off and having my account closed (with all my games on it).

 

[zybch]

I first used Steam to take advantage of the free HL2 offer when I bought my radeon 9600XT when they first came out.
Since then its amazing the number of titles I've purchased via the steam system, and the corresponding drop in bittorrent usage this resulted in.
I'm sick to death of being gouged when I wqant to buy a game in a store (and her ein Oz we get gouged a LOT more than in the US or europe).
I've also now started using MS's Games for Windows online store thingy for game purchases. Its the way of the future.
I can buy what I want when I want and not pay what the criminals running the game shops want to rip me off by.

Also, for those complaining that when steam goes down (seriously, when was the last time this happened) that they can't play their games, this is a complete fallacy.
Perhaps you can't play them multiplayer on-line, but they still work just fine in offline mode, and you can easily back them up onto DVD/CD/hard drive folder with the included 'backup and restore games' feature if you absolutely must have a physical/backup copy.

 

[Guest]

Steam seems a mixed blessing to me.
It's convenient, but you need fast Internet and even in a developed country like Germany here, there are still huge rural areas that don't have fast Internet.

They also offer some really good prices for games on sale.
However, quite often they are far from the cheapest, it does pay of to compare to other shops, either online (I'm using also Impulse) or offline .

DRM aside, my biggest gripe with them right now really is privacy.
For some reason, I'm not comfortable with showing all the details about what games I'm playing, for how long and when to the public.

So in the end you have to choose between convenience and control (over your data and games).

 

[Guest]

i still like having the actual physical game at hand or added to my collection of games. Tho the nice thing about steam are the games that go on say like 50% off. Unfortunately I bought risen 2 days ago from steam and I still can't play because the are still getting keys from publisher. wow! makes me think i should've just bought the actual game at the local shop. ah heck!

 

[elbert]

Games stores shouldn't boycott steam because its a no win for them and their costumers. Developers went with steam because of its advantage against pirates. There is no way stores will get them to change. I suggest stores ask for advantages such as discounts, added value like player guides, and anything that can not be downloaded so the stores product stands out.

 

[impulsefire911]

i almost always get the boxed version because in case i ever delete it i can reinstall without hassle. however, if a game is really cheap ill almost always get off steam. and the installation process on steam is one of the best. you just download and play, how much simpler could it be

 

[ulysses35]

I cant stand the fact that you walk into a shop to buy a game - get the box... DVD' etc get home to install the game and BAM - STEAM is required. I dont really want to be held to ransom to have poxy steam running and updating all the time.

 

[pythonic13]

Sounds like the retail stores are /raging to me, they almost never carry PC games anymore, this may be the result of steam but isn't it a little late to start pointing fingers when stores only have a handful of PC games?

 

[stromm]

Call me old school, but I hate digital distribution. As proven many times, your software can not only be disabled, but you can be prevented from downloading it again. So that $50-70 you spent is really just a short-term lease payment.

With the disc I can reinstall the software years later. Well, unless they force some sort of "Internet based activation" BS on us.

 

[jamus34]

My GS has one (1) four foot rack for PC games. Of those they are either new releases or ancient crap games that they are unable to sell even at a $9.99 price point or less.

I'll go to GS to take a look around or if there's an old 360 game I am trying to buy used at discount, but beyond that I don't give'em a dime of my money. DD (steam primarily, however I also use Impulse and GOG) are much superior and considering that I do not have space to keep 100's of game boxes and manuals around I find it convenient to use the digital model to avoid losing the manual and serial code without which turns my game disc into a coaster.