Paying for downloads?

[Rajaat the Warbringer]

I have always felt there was something very wrong about paying for downloads. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it has made it so that the only Xbox Live Arcade games I own are the free ones. And the ones actually released on a disc on Live Arcade Unplugged Vol 1. It just seems like there should be an option for those of us who don't want to pay for the privilege of copying a game, where they don't actually give us any real product we can look at and say "I own this".

I'd love it if I could go to Microsoft's website (or wherever) and pay for all the downloads I want, plus a small fee to have them put on a disc and shipped me. There are a ton of Live Arcade games I'd get, if I could have physical proof of them.

Here's hoping they release a Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 2...

[Tan]

I'm the same way. I have all the free games plus a few bought with a MS points card that I got when i bought the machine nearly 2 years ago, that's it. I also have the Unplugged disc.

Not giving me a physical copy means it has no collecting value, display potential, trade/resale value or even longevity. I know we are early in the age of digital distribution here but who can't actually say in 15 years you'll be able to grab a digital game from any of these services. Lose your HDD lose the info, and when the day comes these will no longer be offered, you won't be able to transfer them onto a new HDD.

I have no problem with disposable content however, I'd rent downloadable movies. Easier to download it in 10-15 minutes than hop in the car and head out to Blockbuster. But the difference is I'm paying a disposable price for disposable content. $10 or more for something I have severely limited user rights and none of the above mentioned value for just doesn't sit well. $20, $20? Who are they kidding? Want to share those VC downloads with your friends or for your second console? How about lend Pac-Man CE to a friend over the weekend?

Then your read articles like this:

http://www.next-gen.biz/i...;limit=1&limitstart=0

Sure the digital distribution age is upon us and is inevitably the future, but like HDTV or Blu-Ray/HD-DVD the consumer isn't pushing it, the industry is again trying to tell us what we want and forcing it upon us.

[Ghost Soldier]

I agree I like have something tangible that I can put on a shelf.  I can't just say look at my HD and all my downloads.  That's not as cool as someone walking in and seeing your games on display.

[Tondog]

I agree that there should be more disc based compilations of these downloadable games for those of you who are uncomfortable buying games for download on the internet. I mean, Telltale Games does it perfectly. You can buy the entire season of the Sam and Max episodic series when the season starts, that enables you to download the episodes as they come out and at the end of the season they'll mail you a DVD containing all of the episodes on it so that you have a hard copy. That's the direction I'd like to see digital distribution move. Buy a downloadable game, get a hard copy sent to you for back up.

Steam is a great example of my idea (in a sense). Though they don't send you the actual game on a disc, you can make your own backups of the games you have bought (or got for free) and put them on a DVD or something. Kudos to Valve for thinking ahead with that feature.

Personally, I was weary of digital distribution, but I've changed my attitudes recently. I used to think that I'd never pay for a game and get access to some file on a server, but the thing is, downloadable games is where the most creativity in the game industry is today. You'd never see something like Echochrome, Everyday Shooter, or flOw being sold as a $60 game pressed on a Blu-ray Disc. I've embraced digital distribution for anything that requires an online purchase. Just look at the RFGeneration Official Downloadable Game Tracker Version 2.7 (now with Steam support) section in my collection profile and you'll see that I've been embracing this "new age".

And damn you Keith, I started writing a front page article a few days ago about that one you linked to.

Oh well, this thread will tie in nicely to that article.

Sure the digital distribution age is upon us and is inevitably the future, but like HDTV or Blu-Ray/HD-DVD the consumer isn't pushing it, the industry is again trying to tell us what we want and forcing it upon us.

The consumer is embracing it though. Uno on XBLA has sold more than 1 million downloads and XBLA totals have exceeded well over 25 million. So, consumers ARE embracing it. One of the few groups who aren't embracing it are of course collector types like ourselves.

I agree I like have something tangible that I can put on a shelf.  I can't just say look at my HD and all my downloads.  That's not as cool as someone walking in and seeing your games on display.

You could print out the art for the game and tape it on the wall next to the shelf. 

[Tan]

As far as Steam is concerned, well it has it's ups and downs. Having to log in online just to play an offline game really sucks ass. It doesn't say anywhere on the Half-Life Anthology case or disc that you need to be online and logged into Steam to have access to your single-player games.

This isn't a matter of being uncomfortable or weary, it's a matter of principle. Would you buy a car if you couldn't lend it to someone, drive to certain places, or resell it towards a new one later? Of course not. If you pay $10-20 for a movie and get sick of it, you can sell it, trade it, or give it away so you get some money back or a nice gesture.

People laying down like sheep accepting DRM and having their user rights taken away from them, are making it harder for those of us who expect more than a lease when they buy something.

It's more than code versus plastic here, it's the whole business model of it all.

[phoenix1967]

When I first bought XBL, it was because I wanted to DL the Yavin Station content for KOTOR1 on the original Xbox.

And since then, my take is that I really enjoy having the options available to enhance my gaming experience with new levels, maps, songs etc.. Point being that as consumers, we have the choice to be able to just stick to the game we bought on a disk, or to get something to add to the experience.

At the present time, most downloadable games out there are not very expensive for the consoles (most being $5-10 on XBL), and if you wait you occasionally get them on disk compilations. XBLA Unplugged vol 1 and XBLA PopCap Games are examples.

Personally, I have no objections to the concept.

What I DO find "annoying" are games that are online-only such as Shadowrun, FF11, etc. and on top of that charge you a monthly service just to play it. Imo, that's a "trap". Because if you pay $50 for a game and you pay $10/month for the subscription fee to play just that 1 game, you tend to be compelled to play just that game to justify the purchase of it in the first place.

So, by comparison, DLC is no big deal with me. At least you get something for your money. And if you look at it another way, if you decide to sell your hard drive (for whatever reason), you can market the fact that you have $X worth of games/DLC on it to justify the sell price you're asking.

[Tan]

When I first bought XBL, it was because I wanted to DL the Yavin Station content for KOTOR1 on the original Xbox.

That's what got me into XBL as well. I had beaten the PC version and when I got the Xbox version shortly after I found out that that the Yavin Station wasn't on the disc. Of course it was free so I didn't think anything of it at the time, A lot of Xbox1 games had tons of freebies, I have a lot of it on those Xbox Magazine demo discs.

[Arrrhalomynn]

So far I've only bought Shivering Isles through XBOX live, so my experience may be one sided, but I'm far from enthousiastic. I get the impression that, a the moment, it's only being used to screw customers out of their money, instead of providing a good, economically attractive service.

In my case I first had to buy Microsoft Points. You can only buy these in set amounts, and downloads are priced so that you'll be left with a small amount of useless, leftover microsoft points. I think I had to buy 3000 points, with Shivering Isles costing 2900.

This means I had to pay, I believe, 30 euros for it, while the PC version was only 25. For some reason Microsoft can get away with charging more money for considerably less functionality, while having less costs themselves.

So in this case it has turned out to be a very lousy alternative. Of course I bought it, but only because I didn't have Oblivion for the PC. Next time I will take this into consideration when purchasing a game that'll be released for both systems.

Another unapealing thing to me is the tendency to release downloadable extra content. This always gives me the feeling they sell an incomplete game at a store and want you to pay extra to complete it. If game X will really improve with a horse in armor, then why do I have to pay extra for it? That just sucks.

[Cobra]

I love the digital age. It's great, as I order a lot of stuff overseas, there is a long wait. With downloads I get it the same day. Something to remember is when you buy something from a store, your paying for two things. Your not just paying for the cost of making the item you just got, but your also paying the wages of those who worked hard to bring that product to you.

For this reason, when someone says why should I pay for song on iTunes when I don't get a CD. That is why. It supports the artist so they can continue working.

Like I said I'm all for it.... however the reason I don't just buy all my games from
http://www.macgamestore.com/
and save myself a lot of time and money is because I love RFGen and want to keep contributing, so I pay the extra, and wait that much longer so I can submit it to the database. Because the truth of the matter is owning all these physical copies is eating up a LOT of room here

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Steam isn't too bad. I was opposed to paying for downloads before I got steam. Steam is purty, although annoying.

[Arrrhalomynn]

when someone says why should I pay for song on iTunes when I don't get a CD.

Who the hell says that? I know people who don't like paying for music and thus download it somewhere for free, but I've never met someone who didn't understand why you had to pay for music on itunes.

[littlenick]

I don't see why DICE didn't just make Northern strike Booster Pak (BF2142) a booster that you could just buy in the shops. Having to pay 10 bucks to download it onto your HD seems pretty dumb, since i heard you cant move the booster onto another computer if you so happen to buy a new PC even though you payed for the booster in the first place!

[Cobra]

Who the hell says that? I know people who don't like paying for music and thus download it somewhere for free, but I've never met someone who didn't understand why you had to pay for music on itunes.

Unfortunately I do. He won't even pay for Steam even though he absolutely loves it, he cracked it instead. Doesn't believe downloads should costs money regardless of what it is.
This kinda attitude really bugs me as it's digital shoplifting.

[TraderJake]

Not everyone does charity work. People need money to live. For those people who release games / etc via only digital distribution should they be screwed out of their lunch? No, I don't think so.

[James]

The trouble with paid downloads is the few sources to get it from usually charge the full RRP, whereas with a physical copy there are lots of stores who compete for the best price. Thus prices are below RRP and you also get something you can move to other machines or sell on to get some of your money back.

I prefer having CDs so I can rip at any quality I like and at any time. It's actually been illegal to rip CDs until recently (It might still be illegal but there was talk of changing copyright laws) Again, with physical media you get competitive prices. iTunes have set prices of however much but it probably can't beat £2.99 for a top album with no DRM - I recently bought an Oasis album/CD new for that much.

Steam would be good if they didn't automatically charge "tax" on top of their US prices. Games are bought in the UK in US$. Therefore you would expect it to count as an import. However, we don't pay VAT on any imports under £18 except Steam charges this mystery "tax" anyway.

/does not like downloads