Are Steelbook Editions Getting Too Expensive?

[vivigamer]

Hi,

Was just looking online and have seen that this year many Steelbook Editions that are being released seem toe be extortionately priced!

The Death Stranding Steelbook Edition exclusive to GAME is £69.99:
https://www.game.co.uk/en/death-stranding-special-edition-2571848

You get the Steelbook which is fine, but beyond that it's just minor cosmetic tat - A soundtrack and making of video which aren't even on disc.

Considering I can get the game online for £40, the extra £30 Hardly seems justified. I would have paid an extra £10 for this content but it seems more and more often these Steelbook Editions are costing too much.

The same can be said for the Final Fantasy VII Remake:
https://www.game.co.uk/en/final-fantasy-vii-remake-deluxe-edition-uk-retail-game-exclusive-2397798
At least with this you get a physical mini-artbook and soundtrack sample (usually very limited to 5-8 tracks at best...), but this is double the price of the original Edition online... It just seems wild to me!

Whereas with the MediEvil Remake, the Steelbook Edition is £24.99!:
https://www.game.co.uk/en/medievil-2612556
£5 more than I can get it at online competitors, but if I am being honest, I think GAME are treating this more as a Freebee... but it works for me and I've put a Pre-Order down for this one!

It's just beginning to annoy me, as I generally like Steelbooks, but not at some of these prices.

[weirdfeline]

I don't get the SteelBook fascination. Seems better to just have the original case.

Actually using the SteelBook is even worse, it feels like the disc is going to crack in half trying to pull it out.

[vivigamer]

I have to admit when I get them I'm very particular! like with the PS3/PS4 releases - I prefer them to have a Plastic Slipcase which has all the console information on that - Like the PS3/PS4 Logo & Information on the spine. I don't like Plain Steelbooks on their own, as they stick out oddly on my shelf. I also like them to have Plastic Slipcases for protection - I go one step further and put sleeves over them too! Though I do that with all of my games anyway:P But it is nice to be able to slide the Steelbook from out the Sleeve & Slipcase with ease.

[bikingjahuty]

I think the whole steelbook thing is a pretty overrated gimmick. I'm not going to say my decision to preorder a game was never influenced by the inclusion of one, but overall they're a fairly underwhelming bonus. It all reminds me how comics used to offer limited edition Holo covers that people paid more money for at one point, only for those editions to mostly be worth as much as the standard editions.

[kashell]

I never cared for steelbooks in the first place. They always look out of place, and they don't look more or less better than the standard versions.

[justin8301]

also not a fan of steelbooks, i have one in my collection, Doom on Xbox, and its rusted.

[shfan]

I was thinking what most of the folks think here have already said, don't see the fascination in the first place, let alone paying extra for them. I mean, some of the artwork is gorgeous, but the steelbooks themselves either get scratched and are ruined, or come with those plastic slipcases which seem a lot more prone to scratching than the standard plastic you get on game cases. I've spent god knows how many years replacing game cases to get them looking spangly, so card or any other material that can't be replaced as outer packaging makes me grind my teeth. It doesn't help that, as you point out, publishers seem to think that limited edition steelbooks aren't just nice to look at, they're 'must have' and add value.

[masamune]

It's basically a buyer's market. If people stop buying steelbooks at the current prices, publishers will lower the price on them.

Buyers dictate the market.

[andydavis]

It's basically a buyer's market. If people stop buying steelbooks at the current prices, publishers will lower the price on them.

Buyers dictate the market.

This, and never buy from scalpers who are listing new copies of these steelbook editions at outrageous prices. They are the ones who are probably buying up all of these limited edition copies they can get their hands on and creating a false high demand vs low supply shortages for these items. Happened recently with Cyberpunk 2077 jackets, and from I've heard so far, Kingdom Hearts 3, both the PS4 Pro bundle and the Bring Arts Figures Deluxe edition copies as well.

[hoshichiri]

The only steelbook I purchased intentionally is Final Fantasy 12 zodiac edition for the PS4, because the art is so much nicer than the standard release. Any others I have are incidental- that version went on the good sale first, it came in a collector's edition that had other stuff I want, etc.

I assume the fascination is due to the idea that metal is inherently stronger/better than plastic, so a metal case is better for your games... without considering any of the problems a metal case could pose for media storage specifically: rust, heat, and conducting electricity all come to mind. This is ignoring the extra effort in keeping the case nice since it's not readily replaceable and far more easily damaged.

For me though, the biggest issue is size. Steelbooks are just a bit bigger overall than a standard case, so that means you can fit less of them into your given storage solution. I don't think there's enough good from them to warrant spending the extra space to have them.

[wolff242]

The only steelbook I purchased intentionally is Final Fantasy 12 zodiac edition for the PS4, because the art is so much nicer than the standard release. Any others I have are incidental- that version went on the good sale first, it came in a collector's edition that had other stuff I want, etc.

I assume the fascination is due to the idea that metal is inherently stronger/better than plastic, so a metal case is better for your games... without considering any of the problems a metal case could pose for media storage specifically: rust, heat, and conducting electricity all come to mind. This is ignoring the extra effort in keeping the case nice since it's not readily replaceable and far more easily damaged.

For me though, the biggest issue is size. Steelbooks are just a bit bigger overall than a standard case, so that means you can fit less of them into your given storage solution. I don't think there's enough good from them to warrant spending the extra space to have them.

Not many steelbook fans on here I guess, lol

Personally, I love them. I think they look cool. I won't pay much more, but I'd pay and extra $10 at most. I have quite a few, movies and games.

I've never met a single person who buys steelbooks because they are better protection, so pretty sure people aren't fascinated with that. People that do like them, like them because they are something different...they are just nice. Also, no extra effort to maintain a steelbooks condition...They aren't so fragile I have to specifically pamper them or anything. Never left them out in the rain...so no rust, ever....never popped 'em in the oven...so they don't melt or burn my hands when I touch them.….never stuck them into an electrical outlet....so no issues with conductivity. So all those 'problems' are really inconsequential....Maybe rust if you live like in a tropical environment, but outside the one guy in this thread I've never seen or heard of a rusted steelbook. I'm sure it does happen, but it's not common.

Outside of 2 PS3 steelbooks which are 360 sized, I find all my steelbooks are the same size as the cases of the games they represent....I've never had to adjust anything storage wise to accommodate any steelboons (outside those 2).

I've noticed this gen seems to be offering an increase in steelbooks being offered as bonuses, still giving you the general plastic case as well.

[Flashback2012]

I don't usually go chasing after gaming SteelBooks because they mainly put them out for games I have no intention of buying/playing like Battlefield of COD. Also, they will say "metal case" or "metal packaging" and it'll be the cheaper made MetalPak or even worse.

Now for movies, it's a completely different story. I make it a point to get certain movies with SteelBook packaging. It used to be a novelty where if you pre-ordered the movie, you got a SteelBook case as a bonus. Then there were different companies fighting for exclusive rights and now we're at a point where most major releases have a SteelBook release option.

I try to limit myself to the super hero movies and animated features but there's a lot of both of those and it still adds up. 

[pzeke]

The only steelbooks that I own are for Resident Evil 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and this is because I got them in two separate lots. I’ve considered selling them, but I kind of like them: I like the laser cel that the RE4 comes with, and I really like the artwork on the steelbook of MvsC3. Nonetheless, to be honest I’ve never understood the appeal of steelbooks beyond the artwork. They’re impractical, I feel. But, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, to each their own, as they say.