If you use Hyper-V VM-s then don't go into APC SmartUPS if you're not willing to spend additional money for their "dedicated" network shutdown software...
About restricting access to the British store from non-British customers, well I kind of doubt that's illegal. Do you (or someone on the Steam forums) have a source for this law?
(2) Whereas the free movement of goods and services affects not only the business sector but also private individuals; whereas it means that consumers should be able to have access to the goods and services of another Member State on the same terms as the population of that State;
The complaining about this change would seem to stem from the fact that European (and at one point British) customers used to be able to save a crapload of money by buying games in dollars, and now they're forced to pay prices more realistic for their own countries. Greed, plain and simple.
Well, but the point is the prices on Steam aren't even realistic, heck retail boxed games when compared to Steam games can cost a whopping 50% less (eg. Steam 49,99 euro, retail 25,00 euro on release date!). Also the complaining is about blocking access to the UK store which isn't allowed by EU laws. We have a more or less free market, so how would you feel if you weren't allowed to buy any products which were manufactured and are sold outside Great Britain of even if you couldn't (weren't allowed to) buy products sold in Scotland or Wales for that matter? Well, I think the British economy would be a pretty fracked if it couldn't import any products at all...
Everything in Europe is expensive due to their overrated Euro.
Actually that's a different issue with regard to the Steam store, the exchange rate has nothing to do with it. If it was that simple we would all shut up instead of buying our games at different vendors.
Well, as you can read from the 4000+ posts in their forums actually the British get better prices than the rest of Europe or even the US. For example I get you a comparison from 17.1.2009, all values are in USD -
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
EU: 52,63
UK: 33,61
US: 39,99
And that's only one example
Well, but he didn't mention the situation with Valve's store in Europe where prices are much higher for two months now as they used to be. And there's no answer at all from Valve even though there's a massive thread over at their forums and even sites are being created about this issue. Just take a look at http://steamunpowered.eu/ or http://www.steamrepowered.eu/
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If you use Hyper-V VM-s then don't go into APC SmartUPS if you're not willing to spend additional money for their "dedicated" network shutdown software...
Then just tell us that! Instead we get two months of "no comment" and deleting forum posts from Valve...
About restricting access to the British store from non-British customers, well I kind of doubt that's illegal. Do you (or someone on the Steam forums) have a source for this law?
Here you go: Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31997L0007:EN:HTML
(2) Whereas the free movement of goods and services affects not only the business sector but also private individuals; whereas it means that consumers should be able to have access to the goods and services of another Member State on the same terms as the population of that State;
The complaining about this change would seem to stem from the fact that European (and at one point British) customers used to be able to save a crapload of money by buying games in dollars, and now they're forced to pay prices more realistic for their own countries. Greed, plain and simple.
Well, but the point is the prices on Steam aren't even realistic, heck retail boxed games when compared to Steam games can cost a whopping 50% less (eg. Steam 49,99 euro, retail 25,00 euro on release date!). Also the complaining is about blocking access to the UK store which isn't allowed by EU laws. We have a more or less free market, so how would you feel if you weren't allowed to buy any products which were manufactured and are sold outside Great Britain of even if you couldn't (weren't allowed to) buy products sold in Scotland or Wales for that matter? Well, I think the British economy would be a pretty fracked if it couldn't import any products at all...
Everything in Europe is expensive due to their overrated Euro.
Actually that's a different issue with regard to the Steam store, the exchange rate has nothing to do with it. If it was that simple we would all shut up instead of buying our games at different vendors.
Well, as you can read from the 4000+ posts in their forums actually the British get better prices than the rest of Europe or even the US. For example I get you a comparison from 17.1.2009, all values are in USD - Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures EU: 52,63 UK: 33,61 US: 39,99 And that's only one example
Well, but he didn't mention the situation with Valve's store in Europe where prices are much higher for two months now as they used to be. And there's no answer at all from Valve even though there's a massive thread over at their forums and even sites are being created about this issue. Just take a look at http://steamunpowered.eu/ or http://www.steamrepowered.eu/