Valve and Apple might be teaming up to make a gaming console

[akeley]

No, I don`t. Brand new Skyrim on Amazon = ~25E (boxed, not a "license to play"). On Steam = 49.99E. Similarly to Gamestop & Amazon, Steam is powerful enough player to negotiate prices. But since they cornered the PC market, why would they? They`re so "cool" their customers will defend those high prices themselves - which is quite a paradox.

But don`t worry, I won`t go into a 3-page argument about Steam in general, there was enough of these all over the net already and there`s little point preaching to the converted. If not for the BS that is Steamworks I would probably use it myself, for bargains & some indies , even while disliking/questioning it. After all I use Microsoft`s products, or some other stuff from people that I don`t agree with - but I also don`t try to excuse them or worse, pretend they`re actually the good guys.

[ddrXero64]

I'm interested in seeing how this plays out. Sony is becoming greedy as hell. The PSN is free, but the PSP Go's monopolized market and the news/rumoes about the inability to play used games (on the future console, let alone the rumors that backwards compability might be thrown out the window) just shows me how greedy of a company they're becoming. You have rumors that Microsoft is becoming just as greedy, if they aren't already depicted that way with their overpriced DLC and milking of the CoD games and Kinect related products. I only respect Nintendo in the casual gaming market, so this might be a good thing for hardcore gamers. Stop throwing your money at Sony and Microsoft and give this (possible) new pairing a chance at your money, maybe they'll actually be worth it.

tl;dr version

If you're getting tired of the recent crap from the existing companies then giving these companies a chance isn't a bad idea.

[Graeystone]

You do realise that Steam doesn't actually get to set the price point themselves, right?

Hush you! Quit spoiling it for the haters!
That would be like me saying Steam can be set for offline play or somethin'.

[Slacker Magician]

You do realise that Steam doesn't actually get to set the price point themselves, right?

Unless there is an agreement preventing them from doing so, stores set whatever prices they want.

[Sheik]

Wellisty,wellisty,wellisty.

I have seen the end of gaming(not really, Rare will usher that in) Hmm.... there is too many conflicts with the gaming mass, the fact a marketable console would have to be made, and fanboys from all gaming calling blasphemy. This could work, but they'd be walking a tightrope with no safety net.

[Dr Mario]

Unless there is an agreement preventing them from doing so, stores set whatever prices they want.

The agreement with the publishers yes, who ultimately control access to the game Valve want to sell (and have a vested interest in making sure their physical sales - which still make up the biggest chunk of their turnover - don't get shafted because that'll cost them money and marketshare when the brick and mortar stores retaliate). Its a different sort of field to the old way of "yeah, we'll buy X copies for $Y each and sell them for whatever we can get", though even in those days sellers had to tiptoe around distributors or risk getting blackballed.