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Half Life 2 To Be DVD Only In UK

Posted by Zonk on from the upgrade-to-access-headcrabs-plz dept.

Thanks to Halflife2.net, who today recieved word from game retailers that, at least in the UK, Half Life 2 will only be available via DVD. This is evidently becoming common for US games in Europe, as FarCry was not released on CD in Europe either.

16 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. Kind of annoying, but... by Ayaress · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is this another case like broadband where Europe/Asia have better coverage than the US?

    I don't have a DVD drive on any of my computers yet, and don't really plan to get one any time soon, and I know that many of the people I know don't have one either. Since most PC games still ship on CDs, I'm happy enough without spending money on one. I just assume that when games start doing this, the prices on a DVD drive will be down a bit and I can grab one on the cheap.

    Anyway, back to my point: Are DVD drives more common in the UK than the US? Or do I just have a bunch of lame friends who can't play DVDs on their computers?

    1. Re:Kind of annoying, but... by SnAzBaZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Anyone with the modern hardware required to run games like HL2/Farcry is almost certainly going to have at least a DVDROM drive, the cost of which is nothing compared to the rest of the system. (£10-£15?).

    2. Re:Kind of annoying, but... by Rico_Suave · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You have lame friends :) I'm not directing this at you, but a lot of people seem to have an unfounded dislike of DVD-ROM drives. They'll complain and moan about having to buy a $20 DVD-ROM drive (there are five for under $20 on pricegrabber right now), yet won't bat an eye at buying a $300 video card every year. Even DVD *burners* are dirt cheap now - if you've shelled out the cash for a system capable of playing Half Life 2 or Doom 3, there's no reason not to have a DVD drive as well.

  2. It's about time. by badfrog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's taken way too long for this to happen, and there should be so many more games with at least the choice of DVD-ROM format.
    A DVD-ROM drive is only $30 or less, someone with the hardware to play a modern game has no excuse to not have the drive.

  3. Re:Load time? by SnAzBaZ · · Score: 3, Informative

    Most modern games don't read data from the CD/DVD these days anyway. They all copy 99% to the hard disk at install time for faster access times.

  4. Re:Load time? by Ayaress · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't know about Halflife 2 yet, but a lot of games I have install the bulk of the data to the hard drive, and only leave things like movies and background music on the CD. They requie the CD in the drive more as copy protection than data. If that's the case with Halflife 2, it probably won't seriously effect things for better or worse.

  5. I wish they would do the same in The States by GR1NCH · · Score: 2, Insightful

    At the least they should make games more readily available on DVD in the states. The only game that I've even seen DVD copies of in the store was the Myst sequal Uru. Most people have DVD's on their computers now, and hardly any new games fit on one CD. Why the wait? Does it cost too much more to put them on DVD instead of CD? Or is it just that putting the game out in both formats is expensive?

    1. Re:I wish they would do the same in The States by T-Ranger · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Without a doubt the hardware that actuall does the DVD production would be more expensive then the eqivelent CD thinger (esp. since the later is already paid for). But the actuall pressing of the disc is a relativly small component. They are exactly the same size, the same robots can deal with them in exactly the same way. The box/case production, exactly the same.... In the grand scheme of things, I doubt that the thinger in question is even a signifcant cost component of a disc factory.

  6. DVDs are the wave of the future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Like laser beams in your morning coffee and jetpack rides to the office.

  7. Ummm by MGrie · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, FarCry is a German game......

  8. Re:Come down in price? by Ayaress · · Score: 2, Funny

    You have to remember than I'm an unemployed college student and a compulsive spender. If I have $3 in my pocket in the morning, by noon I'll have a six-pack in my fridge. For something to be a reasonable purchase for me, it has to cost less than a six-pack, or I'll never save up enough for it.

  9. Re:Load time? by JimmehAH · · Score: 3, Informative

    Half-Life 2 will use Steam for authentication. You wont need to have the CD/DVD in the drive to run it. If you preload over Steam, you wont even need the CD/DVD to install it. Just enter the key from the box and it will be playable.

  10. Re:Come down in price? by EnglishTim · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wait!

    You're saying you won't buy anything more than $3, and are complaining that a game an order of magnitude more expensive won't run on your computer? Especially when a computer capable of running that game is almost two and half orders of magnitude more expensive?

  11. Re:Come down in price? by bigman2003 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Are you a compulsive spender, or are you a compulsive drinker?

    --
    No reason to lie.
  12. Download HL2 by Castaa · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Forget about hard media installs. We should be moving away from that. It makes sense on multiple fronts for people with broadband connection to the Internet to download their games directly from the developer.

    • It's a much cheaper distribution method
    • Automatic updates and expansions
    • No retail (no middleman) price mark up which should result in cheaper games
    • Game developers ultimately see more return on their investment which will yield better funded (and higher quaility) games in the future.
    --
    Chew: You Nexus, huh? I design your eyes.
    Roy: Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes.
  13. Pricing? by robot+captain · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This question has been asked in various places but no one seems to have a solid answer. Does anyone know the pricing details for the US (and UK) releases? Here is what I have found so far:


    Retail:
    Stanard (US): $54.99 (source: ebgames.com)
    Collector's Edition (US): $79.99 (source: ebgames.com)
    Standard DVD (UK): £39.99 (source: amazon.co.uk)

    Steam:
    Bronze: $?
    Silver: $?
    Gold: $?

    Other:
    Buying Day of Defeat stand-alone if you buy a
    retail version without it: $?