Console vs Steam Game prices

I have been good on the game buying front this year, patiently waiting for F1 2018 to drop (next month whooop whoop) and Dakar 18 (sept) to drop.
I have both in my Raru wishlist basket and they come in at R1668 excl postage for both of them.

I happened to go onto Steam and can get both for R598.

Yes one is a physical copy for PC and the other will be a hefty download, but that is a massive difference.

I’m not saying it’s Raru’s fault as its roughly the going price internationally, but how can game companies justify a R1000 difference for two CD’s, game case and some printing. wtf.

Right now my PC wont run those games and I cannot risk it is my bread and butter.

Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

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The worse is that the DVD/CD for PC will likely include an installer for Steam and a code…

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Almost 100%. No games are installed from CD/DVDs anymore. Don’t know why people still buy physical games unless it is a limited edition or something like that

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My pet peeve is “Battle Chasers”. It goes for R160 on Steam, but is currently selling for R540 on the Switch. That is just pure greed on the part of the publisher. Trying to make a cash grab on the Switch.

Hollow Knight and Dead Cells have shown that Switch pricing can be very good, so I don’t buy any counter argument about it being Nintendo’s fault.

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To smell them obviously.

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This is definitely a case where Steam’s regional pricing makes a huge difference. In general Steam switching to Rands has been a huge plus for gamers in RSA.

In this case the difference between console pricing and Steam is not merely a case of physical media costing more (even with Sony and Microsofts cut considered) the difference comes in where the console prices are based off of the Euro/Pound pricing (I think we are grouped in that pricing bracket) and the prices on Steam are not just a currency conversion but a specified price for our region.

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For example F1 2018
RSA = R329
USD = R791
Euro = R850
GSP = R786
Russian rouble = R423
Brazil Real = R376

In this case we get one of the best prices globally, even better than Russia and Brazil which are known “cheap” regions.

Dakar
RSA = R269
USD = R659
Euro = R772
Russion rouble = R196
Brazil real = R321

Only Russia gets a better pricing than us.

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