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At equal pricing, would you buy a game on Steam or from Retail?

Steam, Digital Distribution, or Retail?

  • I would buy from steam

  • I would buy from steam only if it replaces the drm included in the retail copy

  • I would buy from a download service that does not require me to be logged in to play

  • I would buy a retail copy

Results are only viewable after voting.
Terzo

Terzo

Platinum Member
I'm sure this is a rehash, but here goes.
If you have the option of buying a game for digital download or a physical retail copy at the same price, which would you choose? I'm curious since I see no reason to get a digital copy when I can have retail at the same price, but it seems many find the benefits of steam outweigh the benefits of retail.

I'm starting to think I fall in the minority.

Clarification:
When I say retail I don't mean physical stores per se, just that you get a physical copy. So buying a copy from amazon or newegg would count as retail.
 
Last edited:
Steam any day. I got one place with all my games, I don't need DVDs and I can backup my entire collection if needed. No installation needed either between OS reinstalls, just copy the whole Steam folder. I can also play my games in remote locations (for the most part). I don't really see a single downside of Steam. Unless I'm somewhere where there's no Internet at all - though gaming would probably be last on my mind then.
 
DVD. Buy from Steam and wait many hours to to download your game. If the Steam server feels like it.
 
If there is no hostile DRM then retail.
If there is hostile DRM then Steam, assuming steam doesn't have the same DRM as well.
If both have hostile DRM, then I buy neither.

At least with steam they offer useful services which compensate for the online activation. Though I set my price cap for steam games at $15 due to lack of control of your games, say if a company buys out valve and charges you a monthly fee to use steam. Exception being if a friend really wants to play a co-op game, otherwise I wait out steam for a sale (so..many..sales..).
 
Steam, normally...

If I'm at school, where the daily download limit is 3GB per day, then I may just go to the best buy next to my dorm and pay extra there...as I did for GTA EFLC. 10.25% sales tax and all.
 
MJinZ said:
DVD. Buy from Steam and wait many hours to to download your game. If the Steam server feels like it.
Click to expand...

What if you buy the dvd and it forces you to use Steam? Has happened to me twice now, no warning at all on the box stating it used steam....
 
Would pay more for Steam than for physical media. I bought my first physical media in years, because I'm in Afghanistan and downloading isn't practical.
 
KMFJD said:
What if you buy the dvd and it forces you to use Steam? Has happened to me twice now, no warning at all on the box stating it used steam....
Click to expand...

It installs from the DVD, Steam makes no difference except for updates.
 
As long as the prices are competitive, I always buy from a store rather than online. I believe in supporting the local economy and jobs even if I pay a little more. Note, however, I do have limits. I won't pay over market value - I'd order a $10 USB cable from Newegg rather than paying $50 at Best Buy.
 
MJinZ said:
It installs from the DVD, Steam makes no difference except for updates.
Click to expand...

Seems, though, everytime I buy a DVD, Steam has a major update and I have to install the whole game again from Steam even after I just installed it from the DVD. Plus, Steam updating is mandatory - you can't play the DVD install and update later, you have to wait for the update to install, which can take hours.

Happens quite a lot to me (L4D, Orange Box, Dark Messiah, etc).
 
MJinZ said:
Does steam give you 1 Megabyte/second?

It never did for me.
Click to expand...

I'll sometimes get close to 2,000 kbps download speed. Usually average is around 800 - 1,300 kbps, with dips sometimes around 400 kbps when steam is getting hammered.
 
ZzZGuy said:
If there is no hostile DRM then retail.
If there is hostile DRM then Steam, assuming steam doesn't have the same DRM as well.
If both have hostile DRM, then I buy neither.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. Download size factors in. If it's big, and doesn't contain hostile DRM, then I'll buy a boxed copy.
 
tviceman said:
I'll sometimes get close to 2,000 kbps download speed. Usually average is around 800 - 1,300 kbps, with dips sometimes around 400 kbps when steam is getting hammered.
Click to expand...

That's not so hot... I'm getting 5Mbps+ downloads on my 3G connection (HSDPA). You sure you mean bits?
 
I wish I could get all my games on Steam, but it takes me 3 days to download a 6GB game. Sucky internet sucks. I don't buy many new releases, but if I do I most likely will get them from Amazon.
 
steam all day long.

For one, no tax, for two, I never have to worry about losing the disc, also, I dont have to go to said retail store
 
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