Nameless Voice on 30/7/2010 at 16:32

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There isn't a single achievement for getting them all, but rather an achievement for getting all the upgrades in a single section (base / infantry / vehicle / spaceship / dominion). I guess the idea is to get them all in different games, or something.

Nameless Voice on 30/7/2010 at 18:50

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Did anyone from Europe buy a digital download? I'm curious as to the price, and it won't show me since I already own the game.

I read somewhere that it's €60? Which is insane, because I only paid €50 in my local (overpriced) Game shop, and it's only €40 from Amazon. What's this insanity about digital downloads always being more expensive than retail boxes, when they yield higher profit margins due to not needing the materials to make boxes and discs, as well as not needing to give a cut to the shop?

Mr.Duck on 30/7/2010 at 19:20

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$59.99 digital download ($59.54 retail in Amazon.com).

No biggie, $10 overpriced, imo, but it's cool.

Now, in pesos that would be $761.87.

Bit more expensive, but hey, can't complain compared to the usual high prices in Mexico for videogames.

Cheers :)

TBE on 31/7/2010 at 23:53

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Yet they always have to have your download on a server somewhere, since you're allowed to download it many times. Cost of maintaining a server isn't cheap either. Especially since they have good download speeds from most online distributors like say, Valve. I always get like 1.8 Mbps minimum from Valve store. And Valve lets you put it on multiple computers, just can only be logged onto Steam on one computer at a time though. I agree, the digital should be less than retail. But I don't know the cost of maintaining their servers.

Malf on 1/8/2010 at 08:13

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It's retail pressure.
Most companies still make most of their money from selling games in stores, and if they're selling games cheaper through their own digital portal, the worry is that the big retail chains will no longer put their games on the shelves.

It will hit something of an "Event Horizon" soon though I think. PC games are getting increasingly difficult to find at retail (at least in the UK), so it can't be long before digital downloads completely outnumber retail, at which point publishers can completely abandon retail pricing. Valve have already proved for many smaller developers that you make more money for selling at a lower price.
And bigger publishers must be cottoning on as well. THQ especially must have made a fortune through heavily discounting their collection on Steam.

The interesting thing here is, will this encourage more players to adopt the PC as their primary gaming platform in the future?
It would only be common sense to notice that while the platform is more expensive, you'd make back the price difference between a PC and a console in no time in software price difference. Let alone which, services like XBLA and PSN+ are completely irrelevant in the PC's online world, being outclassed and outmoded by the more nimble and flexible options available to PC gamers. Not to mention that the equivalent services are all free to PC gamers.

Now if someone started producing a small form-factor, dedicated gaming PC with a gamepad and HDMI capable graphics card for plugging in to TVs, that came bundled with a Steam account?
Things could get very interesting.