Analyst: Sony might launch $40 downloadable games line
Futuresource Consulting's senior market analyst Mai Hoang has some interesting predictions regarding Sony's future digital distribution plans. According to the analyst (via Video Business), Sony is considering rolling out $40 downloadable versions of its regular $60 disc-based software. It's a strategy that Sony has already experimented with using SOCOM: Confrontation, and it's a tactic that has been fully-implemented for first-party PSP titles in Japan.Futuresource reckons Sony wants to get a bigger slice of the digital format industry, as total revenues for digital distribution gaming are projected to reach $2.3 billion by the end of this year -- and $5.4 billion by 2012. Hopefully, if Sony does plan on standardizing concurrent digital and disc releases, it'll do a better job on quality control for such titles. Here's looking at you, SOCOM.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jarhead906 @ Feb 20th 2009 4:54PM
So...... that must mean, logically speaking, that the combined value of the plastic for the box, the paper insert, the booklet, and the actual disc medium is $20? Or is that $10 increase in price from last generation just a bunch of bullshit like we originally thought?
I mean if Sony were to go this route and offer a downloadable version of the game alongside the disc version for every game made, what's the point of getting the disc version from retail anymore?
Of course this is assuming that the quality of the download and the subsequent restrictions aren't too bad (transferring data?). The real utility of a video game is the ability to take it wherever you want and play it on anyone's .
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:10PM
Also, shipping, middle man, other fees.
top.slacker @ Feb 20th 2009 5:24PM
You're forgetting the nice big slice of the pie Gamestop and Co take.
Syn @ Feb 20th 2009 5:34PM
How long will MGS4 take to download...
deathxrebirth @ Feb 21st 2009 5:10AM
"what's the point of getting the disc version from retail anymore? "
For me, that would be resale value. Not talking about Gamestop (thought, they count too), but on ebay, I generally get about $40-$50 depending on the game.
"The real utility of a video game is the ability to take it wherever you want and play it on anyone's "
I don't know how often you do this. I think I did it ONCE with a PSN title (that we downloaded to his system with my account). I rarely brings games over anywhere and if this is a big factor for you, they are not saying you can't buy the physical disc - just now you have options.
Devin @ Feb 20th 2009 4:55PM
Makes sense to me. Instead of taking a hit from the middle man why not sell games directly to the consumer at a cheaper price? It may possibly sway those not willing to spend $60 up front, too. I will say this though, the fact that you cannot resell the game after you are done and/or can't take it to a friends house, pop it in and play is another huge disadvantage from the consumer side of things. As for if the HDD craps out, Sony allows up to 5 future downloads, correct? I wonder if they will drop down in price proportionate to their physical, retail counterparts?
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:30PM
I have heard of size restrictions though, but that could be a software thing and patched in the future, as FAT32 has a max size of 2TB. You might also consider that 7200RPM drives run hotter than 5400RPM, and if your PS3 is in an enclosed space you might want to reconsider it or move it in a more open area for it to cool properly. Believe it or not, one of the more common issues with PS3s is overheating.
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:30PM
Oops wrong conversation, dammit, lol.
Kodros @ Feb 20th 2009 6:48PM
"Makes sense to me. Instead of taking a hit from the middle man why not sell games directly to the consumer at a cheaper price?"
Because it really pisses off the Middle Man which Sony still would need to sell a large chunk of their games.
deathxrebirth @ Feb 21st 2009 5:14AM
@Kodros
Tell that to Valve. Steam does quite well (and often has pretty big discount sales, etc). I don't think retailers are necessarily pissed off at them.
Kristian Roque @ Feb 20th 2009 4:55PM
I vote yes to that... but darn it only have 80 gb PS3... Time to install new HDD then :-)
Amish Gramish @ Feb 20th 2009 4:59PM
I'm sporting a 320GB HDD right now.
They are getting surprisingly cheap nowadays.
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:09PM
Yep, saw a 320GB 7200RPM (faster than the stock PS3 drive) for $88 - $20 MIR canadian at NCIX on sale this week. Tempted to pick it up but I'm a bit short on funds and I don't have an immediate need for it. Usually you can get 320GB 5400RPM for about 80-90$, not bad at all.
I second that vote.. 20$ cheaper than the retail game? Finally a solution that makes sense. I never understood how games on Steam are the same price for the retail versions.
Kristian Roque @ Feb 20th 2009 5:15PM
so the PS3 does work with a faster speed HDD? I know it stocks a 5200 rpm drive, but read somewhere that it is recommended you install the same speed as the default. If thats not true then I will go with a 250 GB at 7200 RPM from WD that I saw for 65 bucks.
Had anyone downloaded SOCOM yet? how big are these suckas to download?
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:20PM
Should be fine: http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/138288/7200rpm-vs-5400rpm-does-ps3-hard-drive-speed-matter/
Seems like theres not a huge performance gain, but theres a gain nonetheless. I would probably go with the 7200 as the price difference between it and a 5400 is negligible.
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:32PM
I have heard of size restrictions though, but that could be a software thing and patched in the future, as FAT32 has a max size of 2TB. You might also consider that 7200RPM drives run hotter than 5400RPM, and if your PS3 is in an enclosed space you might want to reconsider it or move it in a more open area for it to cool properly. Believe it or not, one of the more common issues with PS3s is overheating.
Amish Gramish @ Feb 20th 2009 4:58PM
I was just talking about this last night on the thatgamecompany forums (Creators of flOw, Cloud, and Flower):
http://www.thatgamecompany.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=881
I think that Sony should be releasing a lot more of their games as downloads.
I have a PSP with CFW 5.04, and it's a lot easier to purchase and download a PSP game onto my PSP through the PlayStation Store than to purchase the UMD, rip it onto a Windows computer, and then turn it into a CSO (for better compression).
I pre-ordered Resistance: Retribution, and I know a way to work around that pre-order so I can get all my cash back so I can purchase it directly from Sony.
If Sony made it so we could only download it to one PSP/PS3, I WOULD NOT purchase it, because if my console would break down (or for when I buy a PSP-3000), I wouldn't be able to play it anymore, but with their five console downloading setup, I'm all up for it!
schrecknet @ Feb 20th 2009 5:00PM
Sort of like Steam.
Syn @ Feb 20th 2009 5:07PM
Once the PS3 can support 1TB HDDs I'll consider it.
wicko @ Feb 20th 2009 5:15PM
I think you'll be hard pressed to find a 1TB 2.5" hard drive.
Hife @ Feb 20th 2009 5:17PM
Uh yeah, same here. I mean, how large would those downloads be? 50 gigs for MGS4? I think they could only implement this on a fairly limited selection of their future titles, limited to "half games" like Socom and Warhawk.
Lieutenant @ Feb 20th 2009 5:08PM
Yes, please. Downloading full games is one thing PSN exceeds at (and probably always will, considering the universal harddrives).
Hopefully we'll start seeing ddl-able games day and date with the retail ones and more of them.
goods @ Feb 20th 2009 5:10PM
AND THE ENVIRONMENT REJOICES!
This is a smart move, especially if they release them a week or 2 earlier than their Blu-Ray counterparts. And surely this is a slap in the face to game stop and all the money lost to used game sales. 'bout time.
I know I would definitely only buy the PSN versions. There's enough plastic in the World as is.
Twinturbo120 @ Feb 20th 2009 5:11PM
Yea seriously
gooDs @ Feb 20th 2009 5:17PM
...not to mention all of the inks, paper, and fuel used to manufacture and ship everything.
Haldier @ Feb 20th 2009 6:08PM
..and the persons working with that...
gooDs @ Feb 20th 2009 6:19PM
@haldier
yeah, because obviously once Sony goes through with it the paper, printing, shipping, and Oil industries will totally collapse!
+sarcasm
*rolls eyes*
Pukel @ Feb 20th 2009 5:17PM
Warhawk FTW.
greg (peevmyster) @ Feb 20th 2009 5:20PM
This is a double edge sword here. If you pay 40 bucks for a game and don't like it/can't finish it, kinda screwed. Takin it over to your friends house is out of the question, unless you pack up your system with it. I kind of like the fact it's cheaper, but man i like to have a case and disk to display, take with me to a friends house. I only buy new games now as it is, i'm not helping gamestop out there.
Albert @ Feb 20th 2009 5:41PM
I like downloadable games. I like multiplayer, and if I want to play at a friend's place they should have a copy anyways. For me multiplayer online is the way to go.
DeathroW @ Feb 20th 2009 5:44PM
I'd love if they did this, at least for multiplatform games since the size is limited by DVD so they won't be over 9gb.
chimaera9 @ Feb 20th 2009 6:32PM
HD space will definitely become an issue, and here's another possible problem: say you downloaded a game and it's sitting there on your HD, taking up useful space, and there's another game you really want, but would have to delete the old game to make room. Now, you can always re-download the old game should you get nostalgic and want to play it again at some point, but how much of a pain is that, to have to download, install, download all the patches for the game again, etc.?
It would be great if we could download it, copy it over to an SD card or something (of course, then our saved $20 would end up going to a bunch of SD cards), and then store our games on those, but you know that Sony won't allow that, because piracy will become a huge problem. I downloaded the entire Firefly series, for instance, but could only copy those to my PSP (and then store the PSP format episodes on my PC for later viewing on the PSP). I ended up installing a bigger HD in my PS3, and realized that Sony doesn't let me re-download Firefly for it, despite already purchasing it before. Movies don't work the same as games, yet. Sony may decide to do something like this with the games, too, and as someone previously pointed out, limit the number of times you can download the game even though you've purchased it.
Sounds like a great idea, but I don't see this catching on for a while. We definitely need MUCH bigger hard drives to support it, or a way to store the game off the PS3, which isn't going to happen because Sony's not stupid--they learned their lesson about piracy on the PSP. One more downside to all this: games that are packed with data, like MGS4, are either going to be spurned because of their size, or developers are going to stop making games that awesome because of the size. This is frustrating, because the enormous space of the Blu-ray really gives a huge advantage over all other present storage mediums for consoles.
I think most gamers are going to stick with the game stores and buy the hard copies still. At least for the next couple years until huge HD's become available that are compatible with the PS3. Even then, it's my guess that less than half the PS3 owners out there are brave enough to try and replace their existing HD. It's easy for those of us with experience building our own PC's, but most people don't know how to do it and are scared to try.
Sorry about the long post--just interested in what responses I might get..
p.flynn2 @ Feb 20th 2009 7:26PM
a few observations
1. there would need to be a size limit for the downloadable games
2. 160+ gb hard drive needs to be standard
3. every title released in this manner should be released as an unlockable demo. what I mean by this is: you get to play a selected part of the game for free, but download all of it. then, if you want the whole thing, you just pay for it on psn and presto: you have the full game without any wait. if you dont like it, keep the demo or delete it: its up to you.
those of you with 20 gb hard drives: i pity you. sony should have always sold only one sku.
j.howlett @ Feb 22nd 2009 12:25PM
the hard drives are easily upgraded, the demo thing and size thing should vary, no need to dl a whole game just yo try it but it coul work out for small games
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Feb 20th 2009 9:56PM
i think it could work, but probably only for smaller or multiplayer only games like Warhawk and SOCOM. it would take forever for me to download a Blu-ray sized amount of information on my connection. up to like maybe 6 gigs would be bearable but if you get much larger than that, you gotta count me out by default.
i could see it getting popular though if it's cheaper and then Sony would have control over the releases and trade-ins.
linebeginstoblur @ Feb 20th 2009 11:11PM
I have mixed feelings about this. I think it's great that this type of media is given a chance, and it makes the PS Store look better and more diverse.
But at the same time, I still much prefer disc-based media. To be honest, when I read the headline, I was hoping that it was talking about $40 Blu-ray Discs that would feature compilations of games like PixelJunk, Everyday Shooter, Flow(er), and other first-party PSN games (indie devs especially though).
Which would be really awesome.
Not too likely though, since SCE and the devs gets more profit per unit from downloadable sales, though there ARE people who still do not like/prefer DLC. I prefer disc-based media, but if there is something that is not provided that way, I don't mind downloading on occasion from places like PS Store, Steam, and AmazonMP3.
lobotomies4free @ Feb 21st 2009 12:42AM
could we start with more of that PSP support over here? It makes more sense on a portable to not have to change discs
deathxrebirth @ Feb 21st 2009 5:19AM
This could turn out very dangerous for someone like me. The PSN makes it all too easy to make impulse buys. I don't know how many times I have been kinda bored browsing the store and just grabbing a game for the hell of it. If it had some of the bigger retail games on it, I would have most likely grabbed all of them by now.
AshStampede @ Feb 21st 2009 1:17PM
YESH! now I will be able to hide my game purchases from the wife easier, thank you sony.
manuel @ Feb 22nd 2009 2:17AM
That is nice for people who want games cheap on launchday.
At least 2 disadvantages:
- I can't sell a downloaded game if I don't need/want it any more.
- Some weeks after release, prices for disc-copies might be around that of the download. E.g. in Japan, amazon tends to sell many games at 10-20% off right from launch day. Many other retailers do the same. 6000 Yen games usually are 4800 Yen. The difference then is not so big any more. Downloadable games should be max. half of the retail-price of the hard-copy.