I've just bought Civilisation V.
It was four times cheaper for me to get a physical DVD shipped from the UK via air mail (AUD $21.49) then it is to buy a digital copy on Steam (AUD $79.95).
[Edit: To add insult to injury, I'm now typing the CD key into Steam. No need to install from the DVD at all. And the technology tree wall chart is out of date...]
I find much of the pricing on Steam to be ridiculous. Digital distribution should always be significantly cheaper than physical distribution. Your example with Civ is the worst example I've come across yet.
ReplyDeleteYes it was similiar thing with witcher2 I believe, but Gog.com (praise the lord) have been kind enough to give people refund on the difference. I think it has something to do with oz legislation or region locking or something.
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing but region locking, that is naked profiteering.
ReplyDeleteI have had similar experiences.
ReplyDeleteNot only with computer games, but also with books or hardware.
You were lucky that you got the game shipped to you, when try to order a game directly from amazon uk or us, they often say they won't ship this to my country.
It's not just region locking, Steam is nearly always more expensive than retail, in particular a while after release when retail lowers their prices, but Steam doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThese are the prices for Civ V in Sweden:
Steam: 50 EUR = 69 AUD
Retail: 179 SEK = 27 AUD
Yikes. I've enjoyed Civ V quite a bit, but $80 is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's perfectly reasonable that you could find a good retail bargain before finding a similarly good price through digital distribution channels. Brick-and-mortar establishments gotta dump their inventory at some point to make room for new product, whereas Steam can continue to "stock" the game at no additional cost.
RogerN: The point isn't I can find a better bargain at retail. The point is I can find a better bargain at retail and then have it shipped to the other side of the world...
ReplyDeleteThis makes me feel bad for loving Steam.
ReplyDeleteCould you have sent money to someone you trust in the US (where Civ V is only $19.99USD on Steam) and have them gift you a copy, for way less than you would have otherwise paid for it?
What they're doing is highway robbery.
Subscribe to this feed in your RSS reader:
ReplyDeletehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/SteamGameSales
Shows every item that goes on sale on Steam, Gamersgate, Impulse and some others. I got Civ5 for ~ $16 a few weeks ago from a Gamersgate sale.
ozgameshop for the win!
ReplyDeleteTo see where and how badly we're being scammed, SteamPrice's Top Rip-offs section is invaluable. This past weekend's THQ Warhammer pack was a great example, with Aus. paying $180 to the rest of the world's $100.
And yes, it's pretty trivial to find someone willing enough to buy and gift a cheaper regional version, the question is why should I have to jump through more hoops to buy something at the same price as the rest of the world.
I had thought this kind of pricing discrimination was prohibited under the terms of our "Free" Trade Agreement with the US, but after the recent consumer screw-overs by Sony, I'm not that confident our consumer industry watchdogs actually give a damn about the gaming market.
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ReplyDeleteAnother decent site for getting cheaper game is G2PLAY.NET, who only seem to deal in keys, no need to wait for a physical key delivery system :)
ReplyDeleteThe new Deus Ex is only $40 there, just over half of the $71 it retails to Aus. for on Steam, and even less than the US price.
Aussie winers.
ReplyDeleteI just checked the site linked above.
It gave me immediately dozens of games which are cheaper to bu in AU then ship to DE,then to buy them here.
Also form looking at amazon uk, it seem like shipping to AU costs the same as shipping to DE.
Wow. Thanks for the recommendation...
ReplyDelete