Why are Collector's Editions of PC games still including DVDs and not Blu-rays?

I shall reiterate the sentiments I posted in another such thread:

People still buy PC games on physical media?
 
GreenMonkey said:
+1

Civ5 is relunctantly going on my no-buy list thanks to its Steam DRM. IMO "buying" any game with DRM that has to call home to the mothership isn't ownership - it's a long rental, and one that may fail to work under some circumstances.

I'll pay rental prices for an online-DRM'd game - like maybe $10-$15 tops for a highly, highly wanted game - but that's about it.

And BD on the PC? Only if I want to fight with the HDCP copy protection to get them to display on my FW900 monitor. I have a BD player - it's in the living room with the projector. I'd like a BD drive downstairs on my PC, but only barely - I watch very little on it. Until they hit like $30 or so I'm not liable to get one.
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I dont know what Civ5's DRM is like, but the vast majority of steam games you can play in offline mode. The exceptions are ones where the publisher has put in extra DRM, like Ubisoft and their retarded phone home system... which is the same DRM you get whether or not you buy the boxed version.
 
Tudz said:
I dont know what Civ5's DRM is like, but the vast majority of steam games you can play in offline mode. The exceptions are ones where the publisher has put in extra DRM, like Ubisoft and their retarded phone home system... which is the same DRM you get whether or not you buy the boxed version.
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I'm not really bothered by most DRM, I just don't like being tied to a game forever once I buy it and not being able to sell or trade it later.

I'm not too scared to buy a game for full new price on my PS3 for 60 bucks, since I know I can always sell it and recoup some cost. But I'll never buy a new PC title on Steam for 50 bucks unless it's a game I KNOW I'll be playing for a very long time.

Even though I'd rather just wait a month until it hits 20-30 bucks. Steam and it's ilk have turned the PC into one hell of a killer BUDGET gaming platforum.
 
I can't think of any games that would need a blu-ray disc. I don't even own one. I just don't see why I would even need a Blu-ray reader or burner. For the price of a few blank discs I could buy a 1+ TB hard drive.
 
Psh..what a tiny collection. :p



Straight up ownage right there. :D ;)
 
Xizer said:
When did this idea of choice go the way of the dodo? Jesus Christ. PC games used to be all about getting things the way you wanted them. Having to wait around for something to go on sale is not my idea of freedom of choice.

You sound like a console gamer. I bet you love getting nickle-and-dimed with DLC too.
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So your idea of choice is less choice? :confused:

My choice, as a PC gamer, is to use digital distribution methods. Speaking for myself, the pros outweigh the cons. Perhaps some day I won't feel that way, but I do for now. It's what I prefer. I would personally pay $5-$10 more for a Steam copy than I would for a physical copy.

If you prefer box copies, that's fantastic, I'm glad that we both have access to our preferred options.
 
Spiko said:
I think mine is still pretty respectable. :p
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Yeah...you've probably played more of yours than I have too. My idea of how much gaming time I have, and the reality of how much gaming time I have, are quite often not well matched. :p
 
Prrft Blu-ray! What an out dated format. I buy my games plasma etched on moon rock platters like a REAL gamer! :p
 
Oldie said:
So your idea of choice is less choice? :confused:

My choice, as a PC gamer, is to use digital distribution methods. Speaking for myself, the pros outweigh the cons. Perhaps some day I won't feel that way, but I do for now. It's what I prefer. I would personally pay $5-$10 more for a Steam copy than I would for a physical copy.

If you prefer box copies, that's fantastic, I'm glad that we both have access to our preferred options.
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No no no you've got it all wrong. He's pro choice just so long as you make the right choice. Duh. ;)
 
Oldie said:
Yeah...you've probably played more of yours than I have too. My idea of how much gaming time I have, and the reality of how much gaming time I have, are quite often not well matched. :p
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Probably not actually. The majority of those games I haven't even launched. That's in part due to my busy schedule but also a result of wow cannibalizing my gaming time. I did however just cancel my account after killing the Lich King so I'm hoping to catch up on my ridiculous back log. That is until of course Cataclysm comes out and I become a wow drone again. :eek:
 
any word when they will come out with the laser disk drive for my computer? its a big disk so i hear it can hold a lot.

joking aside, I think you are in the minority about distribution methods, but i can see where you are coming from. And im sure your version and my version of 'hardcore gamer' differ greatly. I would never by a collectors edition. thats for bads.
 
Tudz said:
I dont know what Civ5's DRM is like, but the vast majority of steam games you can play in offline mode. The exceptions are ones where the publisher has put in extra DRM, like Ubisoft and their retarded phone home system... which is the same DRM you get whether or not you buy the boxed version.
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So if I go to install a Steamworks-protected game 5 years from now, when Steam's servers don't exist any more (hypoethetically)...where exactly will it call home to to authenticate I have the right to play it?

Guess what. I have a copy of Pool of Radiance on 3.5" and 5.25" discs from the 80s. I could install that and play it today. I still play Heroes 3 - a win95 game - and it still installs and plays to this day.

That's not going to be possible with this kind of remote authentication. Buying and supporting this model is short-sighted, and it's giving in to the industry and their desire for DRM and control, at the expense of the consumer.

Again, I say, if the game has to authenticate somewhere to let you install it, or play it...you don't own it. It's more like a license to play an MMO for a while...when the MMO goes under...you're SOL. Why is this better than a product you actually own and requires no remote authentication?

If some remote company goes under, you don't have the right to play something you PURCHASED any more? No thanks.

I would be mollified if I would hear a promise to kill the DRM a year down the road or something like that. We've seen that with Safedisc protection and the like...in the event they don't do that, you still have the disc and you can still play it.

You'd think DRM-protected music store debacles and the collapse of other big game and internet companies would have taught folks about the dangers in this kind of thing by now.

I simply refuse to engage in quote-unquote "buying" a product like this.
 
GreenMonkey said:
So if I go to install a Steamworks-protected game 5 years from now, when Steam's servers don't exist any more (hypoethetically)...where exactly will it call home to to authenticate I have the right to play it?
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I'll take my chances that Steam will still be around in 15 years much better than any of my 15 year old floppies still working. They weren't reliable when they were brand new.
 
Guess what. I have a copy of Pool of Radiance on 3.5" and 5.25" discs from the 80s. I could install that and play it today. I still play Heroes 3 - a win95 game - and it still installs and plays to this day.
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That's awesome man, because I'm sure you replay those ancient games on ancient discs all the time!

Seriously though, things are trending toward online uptime of 99% with broadband. Hard to see why Steam would go out of business, or why they'd lie about just deauthorizing everything in the event that they did go out of business.

Let's assume for a moment that Steam will go out of business and that they lied when they said they'll just deauth everything if that happens. I'll consider myself having gotten more than my money's worth with those insane $5 to $10 deals that'd be impossible if we mainly relied on hard copies.

Hell, PC gaming would be at death's door without Steam, and everyone knows it.
 
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Personally I do not have a lot of new games. the newest game I have is batman arkham asylum and that has a shit load of DRM in it......plus I hate having to fix the inverted y axis every time I install it.....
 
Matrices said:
Let's assume for a moment that Steam will go out of business and that they lied when they said they'll just deauth everything if that happens. I'll consider myself having gotten more than my money's worth with those insane $5 to $10 deals that'd be impossible if we mainly relied on hard copies.
.
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Not me, because (like many here) I haven't even fucking PLAYED most of those budget deals from the winter sales.
 
pigwalk said:
Not me, because (like many here) I haven't even fucking PLAYED most of those budget deals from the winter sales.
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Actually, it's worst than that...

I haven't even downloaded about 90% of the 300+ games I have through Steam...

If they completely vanished tomorrow (which won't happen, but if it did...), that would royally suck as I don't even have the data available to me for the games...

I'm not certain at all even how many GBs/TBs the 300 games I have even are...
 
Matrices said:
Let's assume for a moment that Steam will go out of business and that they lied when they said they'll just deauth everything if that happens. I'll consider myself having gotten more than my money's worth with those insane $5 to $10 deals that'd be impossible if we mainly relied on hard copies.

Hell, PC gaming would be at death's door without Steam, and everyone knows it.
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Steam has stated that if they do go under that they would update it so that the games can continue to be played even if there is no server.......
 
GreenMonkey said:
So if I go to install a Steamworks-protected game 5 years from now, when Steam's servers don't exist any more (hypoethetically)...where exactly will it call home to to authenticate I have the right to play it?
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The only steam games that require a constant internet connection are multiplayer ones or ones where the developer has added extra DRM (which isn't steam's fault, you get the same shitty DRM if you buy it on disc).

There is a chance steam will go out of business, however it's pretty unlikely, and hopefully if they do go out of business they'll release a new steam client that never needs to be authenticated to go into offline mode.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php+++++++3160-AGCB-2555
 
GreenMonkey said:
So if I go to install a Steamworks-protected game 5 years from now, when Steam's servers don't exist any more (hypoethetically)...where exactly will it call home to to authenticate I have the right to play it?

Guess what. I have a copy of Pool of Radiance on 3.5" and 5.25" discs from the 80s. I could install that and play it today. I still play Heroes 3 - a win95 game - and it still installs and plays to this day.

That's not going to be possible with this kind of remote authentication. Buying and supporting this model is short-sighted, and it's giving in to the industry and their desire for DRM and control, at the expense of the consumer.

Again, I say, if the game has to authenticate somewhere to let you install it, or play it...you don't own it. It's more like a license to play an MMO for a while...when the MMO goes under...you're SOL. Why is this better than a product you actually own and requires no remote authentication?

If some remote company goes under, you don't have the right to play something you PURCHASED any more? No thanks.

I would be mollified if I would hear a promise to kill the DRM a year down the road or something like that. We've seen that with Safedisc protection and the like...in the event they don't do that, you still have the disc and you can still play it.

You'd think DRM-protected music store debacles and the collapse of other big game and internet companies would have taught folks about the dangers in this kind of thing by now.

I simply refuse to engage in quote-unquote "buying" a product like this.
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Let me know when Valve goes under. I am sure it will be same week as MS and Apple declaring chapter 7 bankrupcy.... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

When company is growing over 100% year-to-year and its expenses are on average 30% (last time this data was available) of their income its not not very likely that company wil die anytime soon.

 
Here is a quick reason why for the original OP. Because 90% of all the making of crap is still shot on some POS equipment.....most of the Blu-ray discs I have seen have making of content that is below 720p.
 
I don't really like the idea of all my steam games being at the mercy of steam going bankrupt, fortunately that's unlikely to happen, steam itself is it's own business model now completely seperate from their games, it clearly funds itself more than enough.

What I am worried about is the terms changing, they could plaster the service with adverts, they could sell it to somoene else for a lot of money who could do any number of similar things. What valve have is incredibly valuable, all that users data, their gaming habits, their spending habits...lets face it some buisnesses would kill to get a hold of this data to make money from it.

Is there anything to stop them from interupting/pausing our games while we're in the middle of a singleplayer or an online multiplayer, to bring us a message about who is sponsoring steam now and why we should buy their sneakers/deoderant/curtains/slushies? Thats my main worry, greed ALWAYS takes over, everything good online eventually dies to greed because it's bought out and no one buys this sort of thing to continue running it the way it is, they buy it to make a crap load of money very fast (advertising)

The only consolation for this is really that with todays technology and laws, that paying for games is really just a formality, piracy is pretty much in every way superior to legit games, DRM free, often released early and download speeds from private trackers easily exceed even the better platforms like steam (for those people with fast connections). It really isn't the end of the world if we get our paid for games taken away from us, it's amazing that we jump through the hoops and even pay for them in the first place.

I have a 100+ strong steam games list and counting, I like steam, but it wont take a massive betrayal to lose my custom, that's for sure.
 
zamardii said:
The Pianist has no special effects... so i'm surprised that you saw no difference. I only buy movies on BluRay that I know are going to look amazing. Like King Kong, Avatar, 300, and other movies which require lots of special effects.
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I actually find most of the blu-ray movies look really cheesy because you can tell how fake everything is. Quality is still top notch though.
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
Steam has stated that if they do go under that they would update it so that the games can continue to be played even if there is no server.......
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Now that is something I can't trust. When companies go under, it is always ugly and things don't get done because they ran out of money, which is why they went under. I don't expect Steam to go under, but start imagining what sorts of things would make Steam go under and you'll see why a promise like this is worthless.
 
Because blu-ray serves absolutely zero purpose for computers at this point (other than HTPCs). Most games can fit on a double layer DVD, digital distribution is becoming more popular, blu-ray movies have little visible increased fidelity for most monitor sizes, and they're much, much more expensive.
 
evilsofa said:
Now that is something I can't trust. When companies go under, it is always ugly and things don't get done because they ran out of money, which is why they went under. I don't expect Steam to go under, but start imagining what sorts of things would make Steam go under and you'll see why a promise like this is worthless.
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I suspect that that application already exists, something that enables a permanent offline mode to be used for games. obviously steam based online games would be screwed, but others, like borderlands can already be played online even when you are offline on steam.
 
PrincessFrosty said:
What I am worried about is the terms changing, they could plaster the service with adverts, they could sell it to somoene else for a lot of money who could do any number of similar things.
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To this point, Valve has only added features to the Steam platform that are of some benefit to its users. It's gone from an almost unusable mass of nonsensical bullshit (during the transitional period from WoN) to where it stands today without so much as a hiccup, and I can't recall a single instance in which a feature was added that was specifically designed to be an annoyance.

I don't believe this is going to change. Furthermore, I see no reason why it would: the model, in a nutshell, is "sell as many games as possible by tying value-added features to purchases". Any kind of drastic change at this point would simply grind the platform's rate of growth to a halt.
 
Xizer said:
I don't see how you can possibly be a hardcore gamer who spergs out about Eyefinity and 2560x1600 resolutions and the latest $800 graphics card... and then be perfectly happy with all your video being at a resolution of 720x480.

It is mind-boggling. How could you possibly be a PC gamer who is happy with DVD video?
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Aren't Blu-ray movies 24p? How can a gamer who plays action games at 60 frames per second settle for Blu-ray with it's retarded and blurry 24 frames per second?
 
You can't compare 24fps motion picture capture with film against 60fps in games. 24fps is the standard, go higher and live action looks like the local news or a soap opera (ie - horrible).
 
evilsofa said:
Now that is something I can't trust. When companies go under, it is always ugly and things don't get done because they ran out of money, which is why they went under. I don't expect Steam to go under, but start imagining what sorts of things would make Steam go under and you'll see why a promise like this is worthless.
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Yup. It's meaningless. Companies say stuff like this, but they often go down so fast that it means nothing.

See this quick reminder about what happened to people with DRM'd music from MICROSOFT:

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006844.html

I can just see people posting before that happened: "It's Microsoft. It's not like they'll go out of business".

I don't do server based authentication. It's my goddamn product and I resent being forced to rely on someone else's remote servers to let me use it. I simply am not going to purchase anything of significant value that requires a call home to Big Daddy Antipiracy to ensure I haven't stolen it. Too many things can go wrong, either now or in the future. I'm not tolerating it for games any more than I would tolerate it for my car, or my home, or my lawnmower. I know somehow a lot of the other anti-DRM folks give Steam a pass, but I don't. It's still DRM. There's no reason they couldn't make Steam games steam-aware without needing any sort of authentication to install, or needing to shift into offline mode, or whatever.

And to the smarty pants backtalking my oldschool games. Yes, I actually do play them. Admittedly I use a downloaded copy of Pool of Radiance rather than install a 5.25" drive, but other than that, they play fine via DOSBox. I was playing Betrayal at Krondor via DOSBOX about 6 months ago before I got sidetracked by Dragon Age. And I still play HOMM3, especially when one of my buddies is over.

I reluctantly tolerate the call-home-BS for Windows as I have no real choice in the matter - but when it comes to games, I can vote with my wallet.

For that matter, the original subject here, Blu-ray, is annoying too. My wife's PC will not play *some* Blu-rays now, despite updating the software, and it's getting old - I'm sure it's probably an AACS or a BD+ update or something that caused the problem.
 
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Neither my roommates nor I have a blu-ray player/drive, and we don't care to. I was irritated enough to have to purchase a dvd drive for a pc I recently built. I don't see myself ever really caring to have high-end media with the advent of digital distribution.

I'd just rather use steam and netflix, personally.
 
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