[efreak]

I know quite a few people on Steam who simply refuse to but any games on any platforms other than Steam. Steam isn't an exclusive choice, but there's a nontrivial number of gamers who are loyal to Steam to the point of refusing to purchase anything that isn't available on Steam.

I personally have platforms I simply will not use (or refuse to spend money on directly, like EA's Origin, where I only own/care about C&C) regardless how good of a deal it is.

[Wowfunhappy]

But, see, this is where I draw the line.

Valve has the ability to set whatever rules they want within their store. A world where we didn't allow this would get very complicated very quickly. Do we also make Walmart and Target carry every brand? How much are they allowed to markup the price? Who decides?

If Steam provides such a valuable service that consumers aren't willing to shop anywhere else even when they can, then that's what it is.

And, I think that's what would largely happen on the iPhone anyway if side-loading was allowed, outside of extraordinary circumstances like when protesters can't access a critical safety app. But, in order to keep apps on their store, Apple would have to make a (slightly) greater effort to keep developers happy.

(I also think Steam zealots are ridiculous, but that is a separate discussion.)

[TedDoesntTalk]

There's another option to sideloading... permitting other marketplaces to exist. They ban that, too. Both sideloading and alternate marketplaces have an impact on android and windows (non-steam markets). Why wouldn't such things have an impact on iphone?