Retailers Still A Better Value Than Digital Distributors?
Valve Software’s Steam service is the front-runner in terms of digital distribution, but I keep seeing evidence that direct-to-consumer sales and digital distribution networks like Valve’s Steam are still not the best value for consumers when something is also available at retail. Case in point? Diner Dash and Darwinia, two very good games that I recently found in the bargain software section at a local Target.
Each of these games is available online, with Steam selling both Darwinia and Uplink for just under $14 together — not a bad value — but the boxed version of Darwinia goes for about $30 online at the official website. Diner Dash is a direct-to-consumer download game with a very good demo and a $20 price tag — too much for me to pay, which is why I didn’t buy it even though I liked the demo. At Target both of these games are priced at $9.99 each, no digital distribution installer getting in the way, no registration hassles. You get a legal, legit CD-ROM and off you go.
I bought Diner Dash, and my almost-never-gamer spouse will actually play it. It’s got a whimsical Sims-y soundtrack and sound effects and very easy-to-get and addictive mouse-click-centric gameplay. I highly recommend at least trying the demo. The full game recognized the leftover demo information showing how far I’d gotten in the demo version of the game, keeping me from having to replay those early levels.
Darwinia I didn’t pick up because, frankly, I wasn’t able to understand what the heck was going on when I played the much-lauded demo some time ago. If I were patient enough to try it again, I might enjoy it, but it seemed a little bit obscure and RTS-like for me.
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I don’t see DD ever taking over, not any time in the near future. People like to own property, not megabytes. And definitely not for consoles; there’s still a good part of everywhere (not just America) that isn’t connected or doesn’t want to pay for broadband. Just won’t happen, regardless of what the technophiles say. It may be the future, but its a distant one.
Here’s a novel idea:
You can buy a game over DD. When you purchase the game, there will be a check box that says “Please mail me the physical copy of the game.”
This would be cheaper than putting every box on the shelf because not everyone would want a hard copy.
Win/Win right?
KK