this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2026
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PC Master Race
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I don't know why they don't find a better way to subsidize it. Like once purchased and played for x amount of hours $200 of steam credit is put on the account.
Or they get 30% off 5 games they buy in steam with the account that activated the console.
There's already monopoly lawsuits going on right now. Subsidizing the Steam Machine could easily be used against them in those cases as evidence of monopolistic behavior
I mean that just makes me wonder why there’s multiple monopoly lawsuits/investigations against Valve but nothing against Sony, MS, or Nintendo.
Valve's backing Linux to bring it to desktop users, particularly for gaming. That's a big threat to Sony, Microslop, and Nintendo's ecosystems
God forbid the one decent company succeed
These lawsuits are an excuse to force Valve to enshittify. Because being decent to your consumers is unfair competition now
Would you be of the same opinion with Amazon doing it? Or Microsoft?
No, because Amazon and Microslop got to where they are by fucking everyone else over
They arent being decent, but in that alternate world where they are, sure. The tech industry would be unrecognizable
I think you found the explanation, I like this answer.
Thanks, I'm paraphrasing Gamers Nexus's review
That would make them look like jerks though. And Valve is basically just a storefront which is very generic. The only thing that keeps Valve successful against its many competitors is not looking like a jerk.
How do coupons make you look like a jerk?
They imply that your original price is dishonest. The same reason everyone hates CVS and Black Friday “deals”. The same behavior that put Bed, Bath, and Beyond out of business.
I didn't realize that was controversial for the general population.
It kind of looks to me like most people love sales, Amazon Prime day and black Friday.
So do you also not like the many steam sales and humble bundle?
Thats different to me because it only happens to older titles. I do find the perpetual sale titles to be obnoxious too, yes.