Why doesn't Steam check compatibility of games with hardware/OS?

[ENERV8]

Last year I purchased a high end computer for a substantial amount of money. I was excited because it was the first time I had a machine that was anything but mediocre. I was expecting to be able to play any game on steam. To my amazement during the last Steam sale I purchased a couple of games that didn't work. Railroad Tycoon 2 and 3 kept coming up with errors about missing steam.dll, which I was able to resolve after a quick Google search. Then I had trouble with RRT2 not loading properly, probably because the settings weren't compatible with the later versions of Windows. I was able to find a patch through a community website that resolved the issue.

That being said, why does Steam not check system compatibility before purchase? It would be great if it said your computer is not good enough, too good or your version of Windows may have compatibility issues. I was simply amazed that I could purchase games that did not work right off the bat, especially given how recently I had upgraded my computer. I never thought my machine would be too good.

Thank you for your consideration.

[Captain Murphy The Villian]

You should look at the requirements and think can my computer run this game.
Not oh its a sale I must buy right now.

[Random Reference #98]

You bought a high end computer to play Railroad Tycoon 2. Lol, great troll.

[Malsfiel]

That's your responsibility, not theirs. Think back to the days of yore when you would have to go to a store to buy a game. It's just like that here, check your specs. Not that they probably couldn't have a system for checking your specs for you but it isn't inherently their job or responsibility.