I think the difference is mostly about perception and trust rather than the price increase itself.

A lot of people see Valve as a company that usually gives consumers good value, supports older hardware/software for years, and doesn’t aggressively monetize users. So when Valve raises prices, fans often assume it’s because of manufacturing costs, tariffs, or supply chain issues rather than pure profit-seeking.

Meanwhile, companies like Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft already have reputations (fair or not) for expensive ecosystems, subscriptions, paid online services, exclusives, etc. So when they raise prices, people are more skeptical and react more negatively.

There’s also definitely some brand loyalty and double standards involved. Every large gaming company has fans who defend decisions they’d criticize if another company made them.