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jsf · #1 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 01:34 AM

I found this interesting

Quote:

5. Paying $60 to be Beta Testers

I was one of the lucky ones. My 60GB PS3 and GTA4 got along famously. Unfortunately, for an unacceptably large portion of the millions who purchased GTA4 for both the PS3 and the 360 the game simply wouldn’t work. Freezes and crashes are something PC consumers have had to deal with for ages, but considering the near infinite hardware and software configurations PC developers have to account for, we can forgive these issues. What we shouldn’t forgive is developers working on closed architectures still delivering half baked products and telling us to be patient because they’re too busy counting their cash to work on fixing the problems.

4. Toll Booth Economics: Pay More to Access Everything on the Disc

It has been proven and admitted that developers have started locking content away on the disc that requires even more money to access. Developers and publishers told us that the $60 price tag of next generation games was an economic necessity as development costs have skyrocketed. We accepted this. They also sold us on the concept of downloadable content as a way to extend the life of games by offering smaller, episodic upgrades in the way of new characters, weapons, levels, etc. We accepted this as well. What we shouldn’t accept is a $60 game actually costing $80 or more if no extra work (and therefore development costs) have been put into the additional $20 of content. Holding back finished code for the sole purpose of wringing every possible penny from consumers is both disingenuous and dangerous. Video games aren’t the only entertainment choice consumers have, and as games start getting shorter and shorter while becoming more and more expensive, the cost to benefit advantage they’ve enjoyed in the past is going to evaporate.

3. Special Limited Editions: Not Really Limited, Not Really Special

Sony and Konami have dreamed up a limited edition PS3 that includes the backwards-compatibility-less 40GB PS3 and the limited edition copy of MGS4. All for the bargain price of five hundred and ninety nine dollars. Oh, but the PS3 is gray! That’s only a $120 premium for a paint job. When it comes to the games themselves, there are exceptions of course, but it seems to me that most limited editions feature little more than what used to be given away for free as a pre-order bonus. Combine that artificial price increase with developers locking content away and we’re literally seeing $100 games today. But hey, at least you have that Master Chief helmet on your mantle that continues to ensure your virginity!

2. That will be $60 + Tax…

For your new DualShock3. Accessories have always been the insane profit margin wet dreams of hardware manufactures. Somewhere along the line the industry as a whole decided that $25 and a 100% profit margin wasn’t enough for your controllers, and taking a cue from Monster cables started asking ridiculous prices. Microsoft is probably the worst offender, as it requires proprietary hardware to upgrade the HDD, doesn’t include wi-fi, and sells a console SKU that doesn’t even have an HDD to begin with (something they told us should be in every console just a generation ago.) Of course they’ll tell you it’s all about giving the consumer a choice. And that choice? Whether to “upgrade” your console to actually make use of all of the cool stuff on Live or eat more than just ramen noodles and peanut butter until next payday. Sony’s Sixaxis for $50 (”Rumble is last gen! No wait, it’s now next gen! That will be $60 please.”) and Nintendo’s $60 Wiimote and nunchuck combo are just as guilty.

1. The Slow, Methodical Death March of Disc Based Games

I love Steam. I think it’s as close to the perfect downloadable game service as we can realistically get within the next few years. All of my games are tied to my account, not the machine. If I have to reinstall Windows or I get a new computer, I just sign into Steam and re-download all of my games! This is not how things work in the land of consoles, where downloaded games are tied to your console and its serial number. More distressing is that a future with no physical copies of games mean that if you get bored with it, or hate it, you can’t even recoup a little of that cost reselling it. Just two weeks ago I was able to unload my copy of GTA4 after beating it and never wishing to revisit Liberty City again. In a world of digital distribution only, I would have been stuck with an unwanted game for eternity. And game rentals? Sayonara! Thankfully we’re not there yet, but the writing is on the wall. More and more developers and publishers are complaining about used games cannibalizing their profits. More and more marquee franchises are seeing titles launch in fully downloadable versions. The future seems to be digital rights managed games as the rule rather than the exception.

The irony is that publishers and retailers are both responsible for a sizable portion of the cost of a game on the shelf, so direct distribution to consumers should result in lower prices for consumers and higher profits for developers. So far though, prices seem to be the same. I’ve heard the excuse that offering lower prices for digital distribution would only anger retailers that still provide the vast majority of sales, but let’s be honest, given their track record of greed, it’s not a stretch to assume that we’ll still be paying full retail prices for downloadable games in a future where Gamestop and Best Buy are only in the market of selling collectible used games.

I love games and I respect the hard working guys and gals that create these great pieces of entertainment. However, there are literally billions of dollars at stake, and publishers are working harder than ever to screw you out of every penny!

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