As some of you may know I'm quite satisfied with how Steam works and the convenience of getting your games and keeping them maintained (steam takes care of patching the game).
However I've noticed that the pricing for many games is significantly higher than that I am able to get the same games via retail channels (I'm in Europe). I would love to have most of my games in my Steam portfolio but I am not willing to pay premium for that sole pleasure. Additionally buying a game in retail will get me extra materials (that I do not particularly care for, like a manual) so by buying online the game should actually be cheaper, unless the costs of keeping steam servers up (with adequate bandwidth) are extraordinary high.
I was able to buy Fallout 3 for €31 (actually I got it for €30 because I had a voucher) whereas it goes for $55 on Steam. Taking currency exchange rates into account that is still more than €42. Same holds for many other games. Also I notice that on Steam games are not reduced in price for a long time. Bioshock still goes for $55 on steam, whereas this game is in bargain bins on many retail sites (online and in shops). I can get it delivered to my house for €14.
In short, although I love steam and I will get my games from there even at a slight premium price because I love the convenience, it is not worth more than few euro extra for me, not more than 10 (in bioshock's case it's 28!!!).
Am I the only one annoyed by this?
However I've noticed that the pricing for many games is significantly higher than that I am able to get the same games via retail channels (I'm in Europe). I would love to have most of my games in my Steam portfolio but I am not willing to pay premium for that sole pleasure. Additionally buying a game in retail will get me extra materials (that I do not particularly care for, like a manual) so by buying online the game should actually be cheaper, unless the costs of keeping steam servers up (with adequate bandwidth) are extraordinary high.
I was able to buy Fallout 3 for €31 (actually I got it for €30 because I had a voucher) whereas it goes for $55 on Steam. Taking currency exchange rates into account that is still more than €42. Same holds for many other games. Also I notice that on Steam games are not reduced in price for a long time. Bioshock still goes for $55 on steam, whereas this game is in bargain bins on many retail sites (online and in shops). I can get it delivered to my house for €14.
In short, although I love steam and I will get my games from there even at a slight premium price because I love the convenience, it is not worth more than few euro extra for me, not more than 10 (in bioshock's case it's 28!!!).
Am I the only one annoyed by this?