It Was A Record Year for Steam, Claims Valve

[Guest]

Steam is both a blessing and a curse. The discounts are great but Steam makes me spend way more on video games than I otherwise would simply through greater volume. The gifting features are also a big contributor to the amount I spent last year, Steam games are a prefect gift for internet friends and a great way to make sure you have someone you know to play new games with.

 

[gokanis]

Now, if only they could learn how to finish a episode in a series of games.

 

[back_by_demand]

LAck of physical game is not an issue if you know what you are doing, you can still backup all game files to a hard drive and keep it in a firesafe if you don't fancy downloading all again if your PC is stolen or broken, if your network is down you can still play in offline mode for all single player games and LAN multiplayer and the cost issue makes it soooo attractive.

I picked up 8 games over Xmas and only cost me $65

 

[dillonpeterliam]

Steam - is there anything it cant do

 

[Goldengoose]

[citation][nom]Zanny[/nom]It might be bad economics for steam in the long run. They are building a brand expectation that almost every game will hit the $10 price point that they stock, and the long term is that more people (myself being my main example) now plan to wait out purchases until they hit the systemic lows 3 - 4 years after release. I got Neverwinter Nights 2 for $5 over the sale, for example, after having bought the first one back in 2003.I mean, there is a natural trend of the cost of games towards $0 since the cost of reproduction is so low (thus the rampant piracy) and it seems Steam has proven that exponentially more people buy games at half the retail price outright. I think if they just launched games at $30 rather than $60 on Steam, they would have significantly more profits just because a lot of people that pirate new releases due to the insane $60 price point would buy the $30 one, along with a lot of people like myself who wait on the blockbusters to go on sale. For example, Witcher 2. I'm waiting for it to go below $10 (also, waiting on my new gaming rig this summer) because I know it will eventually go that low. If it launched at $30, I might have bought it back in March.[/citation]

there are still alot of people who will buy a game as soon as it comes out because they just can't wait! I mean, can you see yourself waiting 3-4 years before a purchase when half life 3, diablo 3, guild wars 2 come out?

I think steam have it right with the sales - i don't know any other service that gives such good deals without fallbacks.

 

[frenchy]

The main reason I love steam is no CDs. Like others said, no more worries about lost or broken CDs. I rebuild the computer, no worries. I'll download and install again from Steam.

Good deals of course too.

 

[dark_lord69]

It's those cheap game packs. I can't resist...

 

[slabbo]

[citation][nom]xbeater[/nom]I used to pirate games, then I took an arrow to the knee[/citation]
to avoid arrow to the knee, do a barrel roll.

 

[Burodsx]

Steam allows me to find games that are no longer sold in store, saves me from driving to every store trying to find a new game, and allows me to reinstall the game whenever I want. I can't think of a better gaming service than this.

 

[Guest]

man for 4.99 for killing floor that was a steal thanks valve

 

[eddieroolz]

The Christmas sale helped ruin my wallet! But I'm sure I'll thoroughly enjoy the purchases I've made.

 

[NapoleonDK]

All my friends bought Skyrim for $60, I bought it for $40. They accuse me of being late to the party, I accuse them of not having money to go skiing last weekend while they play in their basements. Steam is my addiction, and like others have mentioned, I already have enough games to play until I'm 90. Skyrim, Arkham City, Just Cause 2, Mafia II, all GTA + DLC...I'll be lucky if I finish one or two before the Summer Sale!

 

[captaincharisma]

Steam - is there anything it cant do

make macs and linux good for gaming 😀

 

[coldmast]

[citation][nom]Zanny[/nom]They are building a brand expectation that almost every game will hit the $10 price point that they stock, and the long term is that more people (myself being my main example) now plan to wait out purchases until they hit the systemic lows 3 - 4 years after release.[/citation]
Not many people can wait the 1-4 years for games to go on sale. People will still buy games at full price, and still get a pre-buy discount. The benefit is that I can nab many five to ten dollar games I didn't intend on purchasing.

 

[animeman59]

I have 206 titles, and I don't know what to do with them all. 😵;

Damn you Steam, and your holiday sales! (and thank you)

 

[blackjackedy]

[citation][nom]joytech22[/nom]$60? You have it easy..Try $89 for a new release here, most stores sell at that price for about a month or two.That is the only reason I switched to PC gaming and holy cr*p it was a fantastic choice!Better graphics, better prices.. Better experience.My 360 is now a DVD player in the lounge..[/citation]

Did somebody say $160 for MW3 on 360?
God living in NZ is painful sometimes