Topic: Bought some new games.

[Pugnate]

So while I still have NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer, Pyromen...err...wtf?... Psychonauts, Hellgate, Bioshock and the Titan Quest expansion to go through, I went ahead and bought two more games. First is The Witcher, that I just gave up on finding a CE for.

Second game that I bought wasn't a planned purchase to be honest. The same seller was selling this little thing called the Sam & Max first season, for only 10 pounds! That's $20, for the entire season, so I picked it up.

Now if I only I can get enough time.

If you guys are interested, I'll pass on the seller info. He is charging only a couple of pounds to ship the game, and I've had good experience buying from him before. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

[Quemaqua]

Actually, 20 bucks is the going rate for Sam and Max over here at any store.  I need to pick up a copy for Julia now because she just finished playing the original on her DS with the R4 that I got her.

[Pugnate]

Aww... now why did I think I got a great deal? Oh yea, because on STEAM it is $30.

[Quemaqua]

Gee, chalk up another point for online distribution.  Now you can not only avoid getting a hard copy and box with your game, you can even PAY MORE.  Stupid fuckers.

[MysterD]

Gee, chalk up another point for online distribution.  Now you can not only avoid getting a hard copy and box with your game, you can even PAY MORE.  Stupid fuckers.

Hmmmm....

*Scratches my head...*

I thought the point of online distribution was to be cheaper for the consumer -- yeah, especially since the downloader wouldn't have to basically pay for physical disc, physical manual, and a physical box/jewel case for it to be in.

You'd basically get all that junk digitally -- manual on PDF format (that you could print w/ your own paper and ink), supply your own disc to burn it on, and supply your own jewel case.

[Ghandi]

I thought the point of online distribution was to be cheaper for the consumer

Heh.

Businesses operate to increase revenue,  not save us money. Prices are dictated by the market. It's the idiots out there willing to pay 10 extra bucks for the online distribution that are dictating the prices.

[Quemaqua]

It's the idiots out there willing to pay 10 extra bucks for the online distribution that are dictating the prices.

Exactly.  Nothing else needs to be said.  There are a variety of trends in gaming that are ultimately leading us into bad places, and nearly every last one of them is being dictated by idiot-children with too much money to waste.

[MysterD]

Heh.

Businesses operate to increase revenue,  not save us money. Prices are dictated by the market. It's the idiots out there willing to pay 10 extra bucks for the online distribution that are dictating the prices.

Very true...

But still, you'd figure these companies would sell WAY MORE copies digitally, if they sold the game digitally a little bit cheaper than the actual retail box.

One reason I don't buy from STEAM (and other places digitally) is b/c of the poor Internet copy protection checks/activation and whatnot -- even for SP games. That's one reason, but you can often get the retail box cheaper w/ actual physical manuals, disc, and what other junk they decide to supply you. Though, even if the retail box version is more than the digital version, for what usually is just a few more bucks or so, you might as well buy the retail box version over the digital version.

It's the idiots out there willing to pay 10 extra bucks for the online distribution that are dictating the prices.

Exactly.  Nothing else needs to be said.  There are a variety of trends in gaming that are ultimately leading us into bad places, and nearly every last one of them is being dictated by idiot-children with too much money to waste.

Damn...ain't that the truth..
Ghandi and Que win!

[Pugnate]

Well apparently S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was profitable purely because of STEAM. Looks like the upcoming prequel will be STEAM first, and priced $10 below retail.