the software conundrum

[isfet]

the age of digitally downloading games is upon us and almost entirely in full swing.

Mike and Dave and others have been using Steam for ages now, so while this topic might not be totally "relevant," they might have some good insight into the issue.

so the other night i was debating on how i wanted to buy the new PSP game "Half-Minute Hero."  the part of me that wants instant gratification said "just download it," while the other part of me that likes to own physical objects said "buy it in a store."  but it brings up the real question: do i honestly need a box and instruction manual with this game?  more than likely, the packaging is not going to be too great, so i'm not missing out on anything.  so what's the drawback of buying it via the PSN store?  well, it costs THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT as buying it in a store.

now, generally, it appears that digital downloads cost less cash than their physical brethren, but what is the thought process behind pricing them the same?  wouldn't most people opt for "more is more" in this sense?  i.e. if i'm paying $30 either way, then give me the box and manual.


so i guess this topic boils down to:

a) lol Sony

and

b) like music and books, are people who play games as willing to relieve themselves of cases and booklets for the sake of ease, accessibility and space?  i'm not entirely sure.

[scratchmonkey]

I think a lot of the reason why there's price-matching between retail and download (and it's definitely not just Sony that does this) is because publishers don't want to risk upsetting retailers by offering a lower price online, because then that is perceived as undercutting the brick-and-mortar stores. Then, those retailers can in theory refuse to carry that publisher's games, which would then remove a large portion of their sales.

Which is why most of the bargains that you see from download services are on games that are around a year old or more. For instance, there are excellent sales on Stalker and The Witcher right now on Steam because WalMart isn't going to get all riled up because the boxed copies probably aren't even stocked anymore. As another example, CoD4 has never really gotten a price cut on Steam presumably because a) it's still selling well at the original price and b) it's still selling well in a physical space, giving retailers leverage.

[dhex]

what he said.

i like steam, despite not liking the idea of steam a while back, mostly because i trust valve as a company and because they tend to have a wide spread of games, including stuff i missed the first time around. (like vampire: the masquerade, for example)

i especially like gog.com because they package oddities from way back when at a very good price point (6 to 10 bucks). getting all six might and magic games for ten bucks was totally worth it, even if i'll only play half of them.

[dmauro]

Steam is nice because your rights and access to the game you're buying is good enough. Something like XBL I really don't like to buy games on and so I only do it with stuff I can't play any other way and for stuff that isn't too expensive.

[FortNinety]

Re: downloadable PSP titles, perhaps I'm revealing a dirty little secret, but one publisher I've spoken to explained (somewhat off the record, hence the anonymity) that every single decision and move is entirely due to Sony. This same party had advocated the idea of presenting downloadable games at a lower price point... mostly since their games get lost in the shuffle on the crowded spaces of Gamestop anyway.

Yet it's still true, there is a fear of pissing off brick and mortar establishments. Though Gamestop does a fairly poor job of supporting smaller publishers when all is said and done, and they're the only ones who give two shits about the matter. On a side/related note, things like pre-order bonuses, at least when it comes to smaller, niche games, have been less than effective and I can totally believe it; can't tell you how many times I was supposed to get a free figure or art book and the idiots behind the counter either had no idea what I was talking about or already gave that shit away to their friends. Back on topic, big places like WalMart, according to this source, could care less about this new, burgeoning economy. They don't seem to view the PSP Go as a thread... at least not yet. Perhaps ever, at this rate.

But yeah, they wanted to lower the cost, since there's less involved when producing the game, sans case and documentation. But Sony is instead charging a hefty fee for the ability for the privilege of having such and such carried via their PSN. I'm not sure if the fee that was already in place went up due to the Go, though a great deal of the frustration is related with the ineptness of the service itself. It's hard to navigate and find titles, etc.

The fact that games cannot be released simultaneously on both physical and downloadable fronts was also a strong point of frustration with this publisher. In the end, there's a bit more work involved than you would think, with the prevailing attitude at the moment being "what's the fucking point, this is not going to work, so it's almost not even worth the bother."

[isfet]

that seems to sum up my feelings on it.  what's very interesting to me, is that this "same price" thing is cross platform.  it makes sense that they're afraid of offending vendors, but honestly, i feel like the companies need to call the stores' bluffs.

downloadable games are more convenient, yes, but there absolutely should be a reduction in price if all you're getting is a file.  until it's model like itunes or something, i can't really see this succeeding very well.

[FortNinety]

Again, the attitude I got was that Gamestop wouldn't even being carrying the PSP Go if not for the fact that they don't view it as a serious threat and feel that it's a novelty item. The chances of it collecting dust is just as great as the multiple of plastic instruments they have clogging up the stock room, but at least its box is smaller.

I have to wonder what the average Gamestop employee's sales pitch/overall reaction to the thing is. Given that they're notorious for not pushing the items that they sell like every other business out there. Might find out for myself later this afternoon.

[dhex]

the other plus is being able to get demos and then immediately buy if you like the game. i might do this with torchlight tonight, actually.

[FortNinety]

Another dumb thing about the PSP since almost forever is how UMD demos were only given to those who pre-ordered the game. Granted, they can't give them out like candy since I'd imagine that they're pricey to manufacture, but why would someone who is already going to buy the full game need a 5% version? Seems like a waste.

In that sense, demos should be plentiful if they're not reliant on media. But for those expecting to see dozens at the PlayStation Store clearly have no familiarity with it. And Sony wonders why XBL sales dwarf PSN title by so much?

[isfet]

actually, i've found that there are a decent amount of PSP game demos (recently at least).  it's a LOT better than PS3 game demos.  it's hilariously bad in comparison to XBL, which has demos for practically every single game coming out.  and, truth be told, i've been sold on a lot of games i wouldn't have checked out otherwise thanks to the demo.  of course, the inverse is true also (e.g. Brutal Legend).

but either way, it's a bit of a shame that download services are not being used to their fullest extents.  i imagine that an ideal version of something like a PSP Go would have games that are cheaper than in stores and would include some kind of digital bonuses like artwork or video demos or something to replace the manual you'd ordinarily find.  maybe even come packaged with an MP3 rip of the soundtrack.  there are so many cool things that could be done.