Retailers think that Steam is killing PC market

Frick · Nov 14, 2010

I like retail games with boxes and manuals. Especially manuals actually.

CDdude55 · Nov 14, 2010

They're just butt hurt that Steam is owning the hell out of them in sales and they want a piece of that pie.

Steam is just an overall better method, the sales and the convenience alone makes it better in a lot of ways. Though retailers still have a place, especially in collector/special edition versions of games. They also are much quicker as opposed to Steam where your internet speed plays a big part. If it's going to take you a full days to download a game you might as well just grab the disc version from a retailer and speed up the process. But really Steam is where it's at.

Steevo · Nov 14, 2010

Updates
Friends/Community
Multiple PC's with one copy
No physical media to lose/damage
Internet connection required for most games anyway
Price
Ease of purchase
Selection
Demo's available

I haven't bought a PC game at a real store in years, and probably never will again. No condescending assholes at gamestop who thing the console is the answer to everything, no jacked up prices plus tax, plus building fee at some malls.....

Soon there will be no need for game stores at all, and that is OK with me. The last thing I need is a overweight smelly punk telling me how much better the 360 is than any PC.

qubit · Nov 15, 2010

Steevo said:
I haven't bought a PC game at a real store in years, and probably never will again. No condescending assholes at gamestop who thing the console is the answer to everything, no jacked up prices plus tax, plus building fee at some malls.....

Soon there will be no need for game stores at all, and that is OK with me. The last thing I need is a overweight smelly punk telling me how much better the 360 is than any PC.

Awesome.

AsRock · Nov 15, 2010

If Gamestop had the same policy that EBgames do i'd buy a hard copy of any game but companys like Gamestop are dead set on PC piracy which is hypocritical as they sell pleny of xbox games and there just as much pirated as PC games.

I say fuck'em it's there own fault not allowing secondhand games for PC. There just a bunch of whiny little bitches when they cannot screw the PC user over as much as they do the xbox owner.

D2D and Steam rule for good reasons as for me it's faster for me to download a game than go the shop to get it.

ShiBDiB · Nov 15, 2010

steam and other distributors like it are the reason the pc market still exists

FordGT90Concept · Nov 15, 2010

I have to agree. Publishers need to reach the consumers wherever the consumers are. By releasing only on Steam (or any digital distribution service), you lose the sales of all those that refuse to buy anything except retail. Those that want retail don't mind paying the premiums to make sure they get retail (travel expenses/shipping costs). It's their loss to ignore them.

Not to mention, Steam doesn't exactly promote impulsiving buying like standing in a store.

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

FordGT90Concept said:
I have to agree. Publishers need to reach the consumers wherever the consumers are. By releasing only on Steam (or any digital distribution service), you lose the sales of all those that refuse to buy anything except retail. Those that want retail don't mind paying the premiums to make sure they get retail (travel expenses/shipping costs). It's their loss to ignore them.

Not to mention, Steam doesn't exactly promote impulsiving buying like standing in a store.

Dude Steam is the MASTER of impulse buying. I've got tons of games I bought just because they were a good deal and have yet to play them! I mean 1.90 for Jericho! How can you NOT buy it?

erocker · Nov 15, 2010

Retailers are correct. Physical media is dying, there's no doubt in my mind.

1Kurgan1 · Nov 15, 2010

Theres an easy way to combat that, buying PC games at stores maybe dieing out, but console games, they are still going strong. Many of the companies that make the console games make the PC games. So these retailers still have big pull, companies like Wal-Mart could easily demand the right to digitally distribute. But even then, thats not enough, because since Steam has such a large foothold community wise, and trophy wise, I myself have stayed away from D2D and the other programs out there as I don't want to remember where a specific game is, just rather have them all in one spot.

So they just demand the right to digitally distribute, and demand that each digital copy also comes with a key that will work to redeem the key on Steam. That way a bit of everyone gets their sticky fingers in that money :/

I understand companies want this money, but the truth is, Gamestop has crushed the console market in most average retailers, yeah they still make money, but they sell so many other things, I don't see it being an issue. And since consoles still sell very strong at Gamestop, I don't see the huge issue there as they have never pushed PC games like they should and I don't feel bad at all for them.

TheMailMan78 said:
Dude Steam is the MASTER of impulse buying. I've got tons of games I bought just because they were a good deal and have yet to play them! I mean 1.90 for Jericho! How can you NOT buy it?

I know what you mean :/ Back when BC2 came out, that was my first Steam game ever, I figured having a son it might be best to move away from discs. And less than a year later I have 89 titles on Steam... I can't stop!

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

erocker said:
Retailers are correct. Physical media is dying, there's no doubt in my mind.

I agree. The only time I buy something in store is if its...

A) The deal is to good to pass up.
B) Its a game I love that happens to have a cool collectors edition like Fallout.

FordGT90Concept · Nov 15, 2010

TheMailMan78 said:
Dude Steam is the MASTER of impulse buying. I've got tons of games I bought just because they were a good deal and have yet to play them! I mean 1.90 for Jericho! How can you NOT buy it?

But you started Steam or went to the Steam Powered website. I bet Wal-Mart moves a lot of The Sims products (and other games) because people were shopping for clothes or something else and they noticed the retail packaging. They created a customer that wouldn't be a customer otherwise.

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

FordGT90Concept said:
But you started Steam or went to the Steam Powered website. I bet Wal-Mart moves a lot of The Sims products (and other games) because people were shopping for clothes or something else and they noticed the retail packaging. They created a customer that wouldn't be a customer otherwise.

People who shop for clothes and a new blender don't browse the PC gaming section.

Dude I can't argue math or even PC tech all that well. But one of the few things I know is merchandising. Demographics NEVER lie.

DannibusX · Nov 15, 2010

Steam is the model of the future of gaming. I'm sure Microsoft and Sony will switch to a digital delivery service at some point.

FordGT90Concept · Nov 15, 2010

TheMailMan78 said:
People who shop for clothes and a new blender don't browse the PC gaming section.

Hence, the impulsive buy. Older kids often lure parents to the games section (as opposed to younger kids going to the toys section) of the store whether they are going to buy or not as well. That creates exposure and given enough exposure, it will ultimately convert to sales (maybe even digital distribution sales if not retail). Considering how little most games are advertised, every little bit counts.

And realize, there are a lot people that don't like twenty different digital distribution services installed on their computers (EADM, Impulse, Steam, Gamer's Gate, to name a few). I'm surprised there hasn't been a big uproar over the lack of neutrality as is mostly standard with retail (put the disk in virtually any computer, it works). Basically, the digital distribution market is compartmentalizing with each user going to a different service.

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

FordGT90Concept said:
Hence, the impulsive buy. Older kids often lure parents to the games section (as opposed to younger kids going to the toys section) of the store whether they are going to buy or not as well. That creates exposure and given enough exposure, it will ultimately convert to sales (maybe even digital distribution sales if not retail). Considering how little most games are advertised, every little bit counts.

Impulsive buying will not sustain a market. It will become a niche and eventually die.

People who shop at Walmart tend not to have disposable income to blow on a gaming computer. They are much more likely to own a console. This is why "old kids" won't be dragging their parents to the PC gaming section.

FordGT90Concept · Nov 15, 2010

Tell that to the "As Seen On TV" corporation.

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

FordGT90Concept said:
Tell that to the "As Seen On TV" corporation.

"As seen on TV" is sold via TV. That means they run ads. LOTS of them. This means exposure. LOTS of exposure. Its apples to oranges to PC gaming.

CDdude55 · Nov 15, 2010

TheMailMan78 said:
Dude Steam is the MASTER of impulse buying. I've got tons of games I bought just because they were a good deal and have yet to play them! I mean 1.90 for Jericho! How can you NOT buy it?

Definitely, i can't count how many times ive tried to hold myself back from a good Steam sale, their prices can just be so damn good that even if im really not eager to play it, i'll still buy it just because it's over half freakin off. :rockout:

erocker said:
Retailers are correct. Physical media is dying, there's no doubt in my mind.

Agreed.

fusionblu · Nov 15, 2010

With Steam I would say that they are not really killing the PC market at all as they are actually becoming the market.

Obviously it kills off everyone else in the market such as retailers and game stores, but the advantage you get is the game is never out of stock and you don't have to make additional storage for games as all you have to do is download the game and once it comes down you are pretty much done already.

As for having the game on disc and in packaging it is clear that would probably still continue, but mostly for special/ collector's edition of games, however, there is still the risk that discs and packaging will go completely as I've noticed that special editions of games are pretty much the same game with addition features or content unlocked.

The fact is though that Steam is dominating the whole market as almost every PC game is available on Steam to buy and the system itself seems to be very secure as I've not heard of anyone hacking it, but only people accounts through account login information that is stored on their PCs (such as browser cookies and so on).

TheMailMan78 · Nov 15, 2010

fusionblu said:
With Steam I would say that they are not really killing the PC market at all as they are actually becoming the market.

Obviously it kills off everyone else in the market such as retailers and game stores, but the advantage you get is the game is never out of stock and you don't have to make additional storage for games as all you have to do is download the game and once it comes down you are pretty much done already.

As for having the game on disc and in packaging it is clear that would probably still continue, but mostly for special/ collector's edition of games, however, there is still the risk that discs and packaging will go completely as I've noticed that special editions of games are pretty much the same game with addition features or content unlocked.

The fact is though that Steam is dominating the whole market as almost every PC game is available on Steam to buy and the system itself seems to be very secure as I've not heard of anyone hacking it, but only people accounts through account login information that is stored on their PCs (such as browser cookies and so on).

They got hacked once. But it was only the "community" section. They never made it to accounting. Also as far as I know they busted the guy.

qubit · Nov 15, 2010

Apparently you can find hacked Steam games on The Pirate Bay and similar sites that don't need the Steam client. However, they're missing all the good stuff from a legitimate copy, such as updates, online play and community features.

So much for claims that DRM is ineffective, especially Steam DRM. :ohwell:

crazyeyesreaper · Nov 15, 2010

actually the steam games still get updates to and new exe's after every patch steam is just as fail in that regard as well it dosent stop squat really

steam excells at giving people what they do want tho aka achievements and all that bullcrap

me steam is just a tool i hate it i prefer physical copy but i cant refuse steams pricing etc. I can say that some games that are on steam and can be bought without needed steam I will always take the non steam version as a gamer who likes mods i hate the fact that steam fucks up alot of mods on some games. I also dislike the fact i cant specify where to put my games they all go to a generic steam folder. Some games Id prefer to have on a different HDD but cant do that with steam. Theres draw backs and in general i still prefer physical Disk, but even i cant deny digital is the way things are going to go and steam does better then the rest so i cant really complain in that sense. Altho i do like Impulse....

hat · Nov 15, 2010

I can argue for the HDD deal. I have a 150GB Velociraptor as my main drive, and it's getting quite full. It would be nice if I could redirect some games to my storage drive.

ComradeSader · Nov 15, 2010

qubit said:
Sound reasonable?

Hardly. Video game retailers within 2hrs of where I live have barely any PC games. And if they do, it's either flooded with The Sims, SC2 or CoD, with no alternatives.
Retailers are doing this to themselves, they offer us a small handful of games at outrageous prices ($100+). And sure you can order in games, but that takes a few days minimum if not a week; even ADSL1 can download games faster than that.

Steam on the other hand, has how many games? A couple thousand? All easily browsable and purchasable, even with links to a demo in a lot of cases. Then you've got the overlay with Friends, so you can talk to people who aren't in your current game, and so you can talk to said people without having to even be ingame. And they've got sales EVERY WEEK, more often than not on big name titles or bundles.

I can see why retailers are QQing. They should stick to consoles, since that's the direction they're taking anyway.

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Retailers think that Steam is killing PC market

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