There's one copy of the noncollectors edition at my local store for 44.95.
Steam is 39.99

So save 5 bucks. What do you guys think of the two options when comparing what they come with? Steam has ease of updating, transferring to future computers digitally. The physical cd has the game guide and dvd/auido track.

Opinions? Thanks!

honestly i'd pick up the retail version

I have the steam version, patch 1.1 was 9gb for steam users.. thats kinda annoying

patch 1.2 seems to be delayed for steam users for no reason given

:(

I was gonna say that DRM is nicer on Steam, but the 1.1 patch removed the DRM, so it depends how much you like physical objects with your game. I don't care much about that stuff and I like the convenience of a digital version. The only other issue is maybe that your internet connection is really slow, in which case the physical version will be faster to get.

While you have ease of transferring with Steam, you have no DRM what-so-ever since Patch1.1 with the retail version.

You also might take into consideration that the steam (premium edtion) version offers all that stuff from the physical premium edition (except for the coin of course ;) ) in a digital version (.pdf / .mp3).

Last but not least, it is likely that substantial mod tools will be released. And Steam and mods often does not work together that well.

I guess I'd pick up retail as well.
But then again, I'm just a huge fan of extra stuff and fancy boxes. ;)

I move a lot and was kind of worried about losing the cd, but i think it's just an insecurity that steam plays on to take my money.

Might just go retail, thanks for the advice!

The difference between Steam and retail is completely personal. Steam has auto updates, but they can be huge. Steam is digital, which is outside the comfort zone of some purchasers who wonder what will happen to their games if they don't own the disc and Steam goes belly up. Myself, I will buy a retail copy if it is available and close in price to the Steam version only because I like having something in my hands. Not quite comfortable with purely digital.

That said, it is nice to open Steam and look through the library and pick what game you want to play and go. You can play on any computer as well, though you will usually (unless there is cloud support) have to download the game onto the computer first before you can play. Downloads can take a long time. A very very long time. Also, Steam has some nice multiplayer features which don't come into play here. At the same time, if you have more than one computer and you and a family member want to play Steam games (even if they are different Steam games) you cannot do so unless the game can be played off line. Many new games require you to play online and thus only one person can be on the account at any given time. Check to see if the removal of the DRM will allow you to play the Steam game offline.

Steam can have amazing sales and does carry games which are hard to find retail. You can buy games for download later, which is a nice feature. Steam is not always cheaper, however. I bought Portal 2 for 29.99 retail when it was still $45 on Steam. One point, I though TW2 developers were going to lower the price of the game by $10.00. You might want to check on that as a wait of a few days could save you some money.

With the Witcher, this is the first time I tried to use a digital service that is not Steam and did not buy retail, I bought from GOG. I liked the idea of a digital copy without DRM, but of course that does not matter now. I have been happy with GOG which seems to insist on far less control (pretty much none) on the games it sells that Steam does. GOG also offered a few bonus items of minor interest.

If you are a heavy modder, go GOG or retail. You can use some mods for Steam but they can be a bit trickier and some mods just don't work on steam versions.

As I said, it is a preference thing. I like having the box and disc, so that is always my preference for AAA games. However, I don't mind Steam, it does what it does well though you need to understand the restrictions. For the TW2, GOG was a good alternative. I don't regret using them. The choice is yours.

there's nothing wrong with steam except their refusal to adapt a more sensible patching system. valve believes many of its customers are computer illiterate and cannot handle finding and installing correct version of patches for their games, so steam does it for them.

i mean how hard is it to download a patch and then allowing the user to manually execute it? apparently they believe multi-gigabyteg full packet redownloads are the way of the future.

companies shouldn't have to accommodate valve's stupidity. valve needs to sort itself out.

i think you answered your own question here.

Heh.. I hope you are right

if it's 9gb again my face will be like this:

:(

I am curious, if the patch removed DRM does it mean Steam customers can now play the game without it running? I was under the impression that Steam was perpetual DRM and the game could not be played without running it whether offilne or on. Does Steam really allow their version of the game to be patched to remove Steam from the game?

Since I do not see any reason to another program running and using a substantial amount of memory juat to play a game. I have not purchased Fallout New Vegas for that reason. My opinion is to say "No thanks Steam". I would rather pay more than deal with their scheme.

Of course, there's also GOG.