# Steam vs retail



## bigmac9787

I am fixing to buy Skyrim for the pc and was wondering if I should buy it from steam or try to find it local at a store. The closest store that has it in stock is a 30 min drive from home becasue my stupid local wal mart has almost 0 pc games anymore. I have never purchased anything from steam before and was wondering how it works, for instance will I be able to install it on more than one computer like my desktop and laptop or is it for only one DL. Will I have to input a cd key to install it from steam becuase i tend to loose thoes things unless i write it on the cd itself.


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## CrazyMike

I prefer boxed editions myself. They are always at hand, look nice as well. As far as i know when you purchase from Steam (any provider at that) it matches it with your profile. So if you have steam on a few computers, as soon as you log in, it will download the game. You can only play it from one PC though. Can't be on two separate PC's playing at the same time.


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## Turbo10

i got the box simply because for epic games i like to buy a hard copy, i also got a nice map of Skyrim with my pre-order


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## Darren

My friend uses two separate computers for Steam and he has no problem with it. He basically de-authenticates the computer he's not using.

You can have all your stuff on multiple computers but can only have one computer able to play games at a time. On boot it will ask if you want to change computers though. 

Makes sure you can still play on multiple computers but you and your friend aren't both playing the same copy of a game on the same steam account.


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## linkin

Denther said:


> My friend uses two separate computers for Steam and he has no problem with it. He basically de-authenticates the computer he's not using.
> 
> You can have all your stuff on multiple computers but can only have one computer able to play games at a time. On boot it will ask if you want to change computers though.
> 
> Makes sure you can still play on multiple computers but you and your friend aren't both playing the same copy of a game on the same steam account.



If it's a single player game you can do it in offline mode, ie, go online, select offline mode. Then each team before you launch steam you unplug your ethernet or disconnect your wireless and keep it that way while you're playing.

Useful if you have 2 computers and a friend over who wants to play x without interrupting your gaming session playing x.


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## danthrax

I have steam and have purchased several games through them.  The biggest downfall in my opinion is the fact that you have to wait for the game to download.  I have a pretty standard 1.5 mbps connection speed and I hate waiting for the download to finish.  Even though you're 30 miles away from the nearest store, I would still recommend going there and picking up a hard copy.


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## BalkanBoy

I have steam, bought only because of games that i bought (hard-copy) that must use it. But personally having a case, cd and booklet is better and looks nice if you have a collection.


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## SuperDuperMe

I agree, hardcopies are much better, for me personally.

I like saying i have bought this game, here is my collection i have 70+ cases.

Rather than, i have downloaded 70+ games look at my list  lol

But i think its personal preference.

I will use steam when i need to though, like i bought every gta for a fiver a few week ago. Which, although i would have prefered a physical box for each, was a steal and i couldnt turn it down


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## Motorcharge

Hard copy all the way.

I can't STAND Steam. The only time it's worth using imo is when they've got really good deals on games. Otherwise I don't see the point in paying the same amount for a digital copy of something that isn't any different and only comes with the headaches of Steam.


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## Aastii

There are headaches of Steam?


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## SuperDuperMe

Motorcharge said:


> Hard copy all the way.
> 
> I can't STAND Steam. The only time it's worth using imo is when they've got really good deals on games. Otherwise I don't see the point in paying the same amount for a digital copy of something that isn't any different and only comes with the headaches of Steam.



To be fair quite a lot of retail games require steam to play.

I honestly dont mind steam anymore, i sort of did when i first got into gaming, but it is much better than the alternatives (Origin im looking at you ) and its also great for having all your friends in one place. The in game overlay is good as well.

That said regardless of wether i need steam for a game or not i still prefer hard copy as i feel like i have something in hand for my money 


Downloads just make me feel dirty .... not to mention my isp is crap and i only get 15gb, the gf hates when i use all the downloads :/


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## Aastii

This is why I love having good internet. Downloading a full game in less time that it would take to install from disc and patch (even if I were to download the patches before hand) and not worrying about limits easily makes it better.

the only negative thing I can think about regarding Steam is with some games using mods can be a bit of a pain. Apart from that, everything about the service is better than any other and than physical copy


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## SuperDuperMe

Thats the only drawback of steam, and its not even steams fault, its mine for being cheap


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## Motorcharge

Their ToS/EULA's suck as do a lot of their policies. I was never a fan, but getting perma banned with no possible appeal from MW2 after spending $50 because some asshole hacked a server royally pissed me off.


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## Aastii

Motorcharge said:


> Their ToS/EULA's suck as do a lot of their policies. I was never a fan, but getting perma banned with no possible appeal from MW2 after spending $50 because some asshole hacked a server royally pissed me off.



Not Valve's fault, blame IW and Activision for their crappy game. Notice other Valve games that use VAC - HLM, CS:S, TF, TF2, DOD, none of them had that issue, it was only when you introduce IW to the mix and only when you take away dedi servers that it becomes an issue.

How does their EULA suck? Because you can't buy, sell, lend or trade games? Well why would you want to? The only time I have ever sold or given away a game is when I have bought it again through Steam and already have a physical copy. I would sooner have it through Steam due to the lack of hassle when it comes to updating the game and getting it to work, it is all done for you in far less time


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## donaldpeter58

The closest store that has it in stock is a 30 min drive from home becasue my stupid local wal mart has almost 0 pc games anymore. I have never purchased anything from steam before and was wondering how it works, for instance will I be able to install it on more than one computer like my desktop and laptop or is it for only one DL.


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## wolfeking

I am unsure of steams policy, but I know Origin will let you download to multiple computers.


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## Aastii

wolfeking said:


> I am unsure of steams policy, but I know Origin will let you download to multiple computers.



you can install Steam on as many computers as you want, as many times as you want. The limitation is that only you may have access to and use the account.

So you can install your games on all of your home computers, then go to a friends house, install your games and play em there, go to a family member's house and play em there etc


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## Troncoso

Aastii said:


> Not Valve's fault, blame IW and Activision for their crappy game. Notice other Valve games that use VAC - HLM, CS:S, TF, TF2, DOD, none of them had that issue, it was only when you introduce IW to the mix and only when you take away dedi servers that it becomes an issue.
> 
> How does their EULA suck? Because you can't buy, sell, lend or trade games? Well why would you want to? The only time I have ever sold or given away a game is when I have bought it again through Steam and already have a physical copy. I would sooner have it through Steam due to the lack of hassle when it comes to updating the game and getting it to work, it is all done for you in far less time



They don't have what issue? Hacking? of course they do. You'll find hackers on any game. period.

That's you. I, for one, if I didn't really enjoy a game, or never plan on playing again, would love to sell it off to someone else. And yeah, borrowing games from friends is very convenient, especially if it's a single player game that, once beat, has no real place in your collection.


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## Aastii

Troncoso said:


> They don't have what issue? Hacking? of course they do. You'll find hackers on any game. period.
> 
> That's you. I, for one, if I didn't really enjoy a game, or never plan on playing again, would love to sell it off to someone else. And yeah, borrowing games from friends is very convenient, especially if it's a single player game that, once beat, has no real place in your collection.



I didn't say there were no hackers, the difference between them is that MW3 had hackers in just about every server on day 1, none of the Valve games did. Whilst yes, there are hackers, they quickly get kicked because of dedi servers and they aren't as common, but the lack of dedi servers has crippled the game on the cheating side of things.

As for selling a game on, that is all well and good, however games such as BF or all GFWL games, they have limited installs or get bound to another account where, regardless of whether you bought a physical copy, it holds little to no value when sold on.

Also, due to keys being bound to multiplayer now too, that again pretty much stops them from being sold off either.

As much as you may dislike it, PC gaming is moving to the cloud or download services thanks to ease of distribution and because broadband connections are getting so quick you can download a game ready to play faster than you would be able to install from disc + patch it


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## jacobblack15

I have never purchased anything from steam before and was wondering how it works, for instance will I be able to install it on more than one computer like my desktop and laptop or is it for only one DL. Will I have to input a cd key to install it from steam becuase i tend to loose thoes things unless i write it on the cd itself.


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## mihir

Retail all the way.
Not one game more than $20 here in India.


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## CrayonMuncher

I always prefer the boxed editions, especially the orignal release where you get all the inlays and maps and stuff, makes you feel that the publisher/ develepor has put some effort in the final presentation of the game, plus it is nice to have a collection which can, for the most part, be installed just from the disc without needed to download gigabytes of data.


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## Aastii

CrayonMuncher said:


> I always prefer the boxed editions, especially the orignal release where you get all the inlays and maps and stuff, makes you feel that the publisher/ develepor has put some effort in the final presentation of the game, plus it is nice to have a collection which can, for the most part, be installed just from the disc without needed to download gigabytes of data.



This, along with when a game is cheaper, is the only time I will buy a physical copy. If the game has extras which I actually want or if the game is cheaper I would sooner buy an actual copy than a copy through steam


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## just a noob

I prefer steam myself, it's just easier to manage games for me.


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## claptonman

jacobblack15 said:


> I have never purchased anything from steam before and was wondering how it works, for instance will I be able to install it on more than one computer like my desktop and laptop or is it for only one DL. Will I have to input a cd key to install it from steam becuase i tend to loose thoes things unless i write it on the cd itself.



Yes, I think there's a limited number of machines you can install it from, but yeah. You'll just have to log in to steam each time and make sure you're not logged in on the other computer.


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## Aastii

claptonman said:


> Yes, I think there's a limited number of machines you can install it from, but yeah. You'll just have to log in to steam each time and make sure you're not logged in on the other computer.



No, it is unlimited, however you can only use the account on one computer at any one time. If you are logged in elsewhere, it will just log you out. Basically, 1 account per user


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## linkin

Aastii said:


> No, it is unlimited, however you can only use the account on one computer at any one time. If you are logged in elsewhere, it will just log you out. Basically, 1 account per user



Yep but depends. Some games like ones with GFWL and SecuROM have limited installs which is kinda crappy.


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## BurningSkyline

Both. I like having a physical copy, plus I have a slow download speed. Steam is nice because of all of the discounts, plus you don't have to worry about scratched discs.


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## Aastii

linkin said:


> Yep but depends. Some games like ones with GFWL and SecuROM have limited installs which is kinda crappy.



That isn't down to Steam though, you can buy a physical copy and it is the same. So far as Steam is concerned, you can buy a game and go wild with it, so long as only you play it


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