What? Save for indies, semi-indies (games that aren't exactly AAA titles) and old games, everything on Steam is priced at 50, sometimes even 60 euros. How exactly is that "cheaper than ever?" Do explain.

That's exactly what they cost in actual, physical game stores, where I get them on DVDs (saves me the time needed to download them), with manuals, printed maps, posters etc.

Digital downloadable services were supposed to make games cheaper; the rationale behind them was that thanks to removing the need for middlemen (game stores,) printing boxes, manuals, producing DVDs, distribution etc., the prices would drop significantly - only they didn't. The games cost exactly the same and, as I said before, they're priced exactly the same as the games you buy physically.

They are not "so cheap nowadays" (especially considering a considerable number offer only a couple of hours of entertainment) and they're certainly not cheaper than ever.

K3x are you for real? I bought dead space for seven bucks, far cry 2 for four dollars on steam... a year after they came out.

if you are like a spoiled kid who just wants his ranch doritos RIGHT NOW, then yeah, pay full price just like everybody else. And full price on steam is almost always ten dollars less than console.

And keep in mind that there is no sales tax on digital download services. No scratched disks or getting mugged on the subway home either.

The immense convenience of services like steam, which also get you patches and driver updates for free, and allow a social/community layer, makes them a no brainer. Complaining about paying full price for a brand new product is just silly.

So? I don't know when you bought these games. For the record, they both came out in 2008, which makes them 3 years old now. A game that came out 3 years ago is old, so is a game that came out one year ago. You bought two old games, one of them really bad, so it was even cheaper than the other one. Give yourself a pat on the back there. Guess what - normal game stores run sales too when they want to get rid of games no one buys anymore. And shit like this has been going on for centuries too, only back then they weren't selling video games necessarily. Crazy, I know!

I don't give two craps about your personal preferences concerning the acquisition of video games. It's got nothing to do with what I was discussing. See, I don't really care for bullshit much and I'm also not too fond of blind fanboism, and so I felt I had to react to a post where someone stated that buying games is cheaper than ever when, clearly, it is not. It's as "cheap" or as "expensive" as it's ever been. The prices for new games haven't changed one bit. Nothing's changed. Enjoy Steam? Great, that's your right. Cut the bullshit though.

I don't know if you're new to gaming or what, but PC games have always been 10 dollars cheaper than their console versions... Steam hasn't started this trend, there's nothing new about it, this is how it's always been.

You get patches for free even if you don't buy on Steam. The same goes for driver updates... Steam doesn't provide any driver updates by itself; additional installers for 3rd party software and/or driver updates often come with games that require them and, once again, it's not anything new, and it's got nothing to do with Steam or any other similar platform.

I don't care about the social/community layer. In fact, I could do without their bloated frontend, but that's just a matter of opinion. Whether there's a sales tax depends on your location; be happy you live in the US, I guess... Then again, I've never had any problems losing newly bought computer games to subway muggers.

Did you just compare used game sales to theft?

No, I didn't compare them. I simply meant what I said, used games sales and theft are a part of doing business. They both are inefficiencies in your business model.

It's a cost to doing business just like filing your financials, being sued and having to keep a legal team around and etc...

I have in recent times changed my stance on used games sales and believe it is the fair right of the people to do that and equally other companies to profit from it. The market wouldn't exist if the games was cheaper, so it is the publishers own doing.

Oh, ok, I misunderstood.

I just really hate how publishers making that kind of money enjoy making gamers grab thier ankels. And then blame the poor gamers and charge them more money.

At least that's how I see it. I only pirate games when I can't afford them or they are no longer in production.

And I seriously hate the online passes, because it ruins the resale value (if I don't like the game) or it hampers my playing experience because I get no alt account to do stupid stuff. Stoopid stuff is half the fun, man! Sucks I have to mess up my stats, because the people making milions need more money. :/