Just one comment on the subject of online distribution--I've bought HL2 with Steam a while ago just to see how it works, and I must say that the concept is truly great. Implementation is a bit iffy, having in mind that at least in Europe loading a game can take hours, if not days. However, there's one other thing that's crucial and hasn't been mentioned here: online distribution puts the developer back into the saddle. Online distro guys take thir hefty share of revenu, that's true, but it's like 4x less than the traditional publishers do (as I hear from friends in game development industry). So for me, that would be a no-brainer. Add to that constant and immediate feed of updates, news etc...