If you decide on buying a game through Steam, you should first check if you really want to pay the price. People in Europe usually have to pay more for games than people in the US. Europe is divided into three groups: Group 1: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland Group 2: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the Vatican City Group 3: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Now let's take a look at Team Fortress 2 and what these groups pay for it: Group 1: €19,99 (=$28) Group 2: €14,99 (=$21) Group 3: €11,99 (=$17) UK: £13,99 (=$23) US: $19,99 As you can see, Europe group 1 pays the most, nearly 1/3th more than the US. There are a lot more examples of this. Let's look at one more, Left 4 Dead: Group 1: €29,99 (=$42) Group 2: €22,99 (=$32) Group 3: €17,99 (=$25) UK: £26.99 (=$44) US: $39.99 This time the UK pays the most while group 3 pays the least. Just a reminder that before buying a game or a deal on Steam, check if it's really such a good deal because they tend to let people from different parts of the world, pay more for the same product. If you'd like some more information on this and more price comparisons, check this site: Steam Unpowered
Its always hit and miss with Steam, in the past steam has had some great deals such as the ID and Epic mega packs. On Steam you don’t get a physical box, DVD or manual so I would expect it to be cheaper from day one... not more expensive in a lot of cases!
I agree. Things should be cheaper givent that you get no case and no disc. Even if the game is only a bit cheaper, that would be fine. I have to say that Steam really has had some great deals lately; especially this weekend with Fallout 3 for 50% off.