Do you purchase games more on steam or retail?

Hey guys. Do you purchase more PC games off steam or retails?

Assuming that the game appears both on retail shelf and steam.

e.g. ...

callofduty4

bioshock

company of heros

fallout 3

I'm always tempted by the savings on steam, but at times i prefer having the disk and am afriad of being in an area where there isnt any internet. (U can't play a game on steam if you're not online. even for single playaer games, thats true i think)

I voted retail as well. I am not interested in placing more points of failure in between me and the game that I just paid for. For me it is primarily a lifestyle/work-style thing....I just travel way too much to place myself at the mercy of connectivity...plus then you can't play on the go. STEAM is a nice model and a good thing for the industry...but until something like WiMAX or perpetual internet everywhere all the time is firmly in place...I hope it won't become the primary model for PC game releases.

- Vr/GulliverJR.>>

Retail...98.6%

Steam 1.4%

The experience....Priceless ! ....Though I don't have any problems with Steam< it's actually pretty good when I have used it ..... 8)

*+

Over the past year I have purchased more games via steam for multiple reasons:

1. Convience of being able to purchase a game, watch a movie while it downloads, and then play it.
2. Being able to install anywhere I please
3. Taking advantage of the cheaper prices

Only problem now is that I have to revert back to retail to get my games as the Canadian dollar has been slipping to the American. Which means the exchange rates have plummited, which means Steam has now become even more expensive.... Oh well, hopefully that will change.

Retail 100%

Steam 0%

Unless a game i really want to play is only available on steam

Digital download on Steam or some other way. People that need to have a hard copy are insecure and living in the past. I have never lost the ability to play a game I bought over the internet. I've had many more problems with games i've bought hard copies of. Skeptomania

Wanting a hardcopy of a game has nothing to do with the ability of it to play longterm. Not with steam anyway.

• Install games on multiple computers
• Handy built-in feature for backing up games locally, as well as being able to re-download anytime
• Lack of physical media is a bonus to me for several reasons:
  • No discs / CD keys to worry about damaging/losing, thus making it very difficult to reinstall the game without buying another copy.
  • Minimizes problems being able to play due to buggy disc-based DRM schemes
  • Saves physical space in my closet and media drawers

guess i'll be purchasing more games via retail after seeing you guys comments.

what really put me off steam is the need to be online in order to play any steam-purchased games.

but i do like the fact that everything is organised for you in steam, downloads can be done simply just by clicking on the games that you have purchased and install will be done itself. its kinda, neat.

what really put me off steam is the need to be online in order to play any steam-purchased gamessdu_1111

if the game i want is cheaper on steam, i will get it there. otherwise i usually get retail.

i do like not having to hassle with cds, though.

When will people realize that Steam has an offline mode you can use to play single plyer games without the internet.

I too used to be an all retail guy becuse I just wanted the box, but now I'm 100% Steam. The whole box thing is relly easy to get over once you start downloding more off of steam. Infact I wish I could add all the games I bought retail to my Steam account.

When will people realize that Steam has an offline mode you can use to play single plyer games without the internet.

I too used to be an all retail guy becuse I just wanted the box, but now I'm 100% Steam. The whole box thing is relly easy to get over once you start downloding more off of steam. Infact I wish I could add all the games I bought retail to my Steam account.

i_hate_pants

Well its not just a box, but manual, art, cd, no resale... If steam games cost less (at least $15) it might be worth it, sometimes. It also takes me like 12 hours to download something DVD sized if its uninterrupted.

Number of games, or price wise?

Well it doesn't matter really I spend more retail and get more games retail. but not by much.

When will people realize that Steam has an offline mode you can use to play single plyer games without the internet.

i_hate_pants

QFT if you start up steam without internet it will ask you to "try again" or "start in offline mode."

As far as the topic is concerned I prefer to have a hard copy of my games usually. However I don't mind downloading via steam either. So i would say it depends on the deal I would get.

When will people realize that Steam has an offline mode you can use to play single plyer games without the internet.

I too used to be an all retail guy becuse I just wanted the box, but now I'm 100% Steam. The whole box thing is relly easy to get over once you start downloding more off of steam. Infact I wish I could add all the games I bought retail to my Steam account.

i_hate_pants

no wait, what if i'm in an area where i can't even access the net to even log in to steam and set it to offline mode.

i like the steam feature that its like a mini console where i can get bring my entire library of games onto any PC or laptop i'm working on. but its just sometimes i cant even get a hotspot. but i need to log in 1st before i can have excess to the games, whether they're already installed or not.

Retail. I just prefer to have the disc and have a physical item when I've bought something.

If a game requires activation through Steam, then I might as well get it through steam, but for other games which install and play without it, I'll just get the retail version.

Apart from having the disc, it also means you can download patches direct from the developer, rather than having to wait for a specialised Steam version patch (or generic Direct2Drive download version patch).

most on retail. usually pre order games so i get it a day before release. also i am only 10 mins walk from the closest game shops.

but any valve game, indie games and games that are cheap i buy on steam. and i have bought a ton of games on steam.

I always go for the Steam version of a game if it's possible.
Would have bought all my games there if they where avalible.

One thing I really like about Steam is that I don't have to redownload/install my games if I reinstall my OS.
Just install steam and it finds all my games that are allready there. :)

Like the answers on this forum point to, so many people buy retail because they want the box, manual, CD, etc. Stop being attached to paper and plastic.

and the idea that retail is safer, is nonsense. You are more likely to lose or scratch a CD than lose the ability to play a game you bought digitally. All you have to do is keep your emailed receipt saved in your email box and backed up a couple of other places like another email account and your harddrive. As long as you don't lose your Steam account info, they keep records of what games you've bought. How many people here have bought a game digitally and lost the ability to play it? If you answer "I did", there's a good chance you're just lying to support the buy retail argument. You have to practically try to lose the ability to play a digitallly downloaded game.

Oh, and EA's download service is garbage. It's like other download services, except it's been EAed. It doesn't derserve to be in the same conversation with properly done download services like Steam and D2D.

I think Steam is fine but its always down to a matter of choice which is good to have and retail is simply my choice. Audiosurf is the only game I've bought directly through Steam so far.

To the OP there is offline mode to play your games so you don't need to be always online to play but I think you still need to log in once in a while.