Microsoft Defends Games on Demand Pricing

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Apr 15, 2009
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I NEVER buy games on consoles when i can get them on pc. downoadable titles? whats going to happen when my console dies or something? I really sad that one day i'll probably never be able to play LIMBO again. its not like microsoft are big on backwards compatibility.
 

tzimize

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Mar 1, 2010
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AngryMongoose said:
/facepalm
Well played microsoft.
I'm assuming they're trying to make steam look better?
Hahahah, yeah I was thinking that too. Fantastic stuff.
 

Emz

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Jun 13, 2010
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Therumancer said:
Honestly, their logic is similar to that used by small neighborhood stores. The store on the corner can charge so much more for a stick of butter, or a quart of milk, because it saves you the time, trouble, and gas of having to travel accross town to get it.
I disagree with this part of your post. Supermarkets are able to go lower compared to a corner store due to how much profit they make. They aren't just charging as such just for convenience. Besides I always drive to a supermarket - more variety. I prefer variety over convenience when it comes to food.
 

Therumancer

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Emz said:
Therumancer said:
Honestly, their logic is similar to that used by small neighborhood stores. The store on the corner can charge so much more for a stick of butter, or a quart of milk, because it saves you the time, trouble, and gas of having to travel accross town to get it.
I disagree with this part of your post. Supermarkets are able to go lower compared to a corner store due to how much profit they make. They aren't just charging as such just for convenience. Besides I always drive to a supermarket - more variety. I prefer variety over convenience when it comes to food.
Conveinence stores prey on people who don't want to take the time to go to a supermarket. You know, the wife needs a quart of milk for dinner, your watching TV, and don't want to drive accross town to get it even if they have 20 differant brands. You'll miss your show, and besides for that one thing your liable to lose more on gas than you pay the corner store.

Conveinence stores are also deceptive in how they operate. While there is the illusion that a lot of them are operated by mom and pop, a lot of them operating as massive chains. They buy in bulk as well, share warehouses, and everything else.

In some cases it's obvious when your looking at chains like "Cumberland Farms". In other cases it's less so. One of those little "secrets" is that there are a few companies based out of India and Pakistan in paticular that run chains of stores, they just don't use a logo or the same letterhead, but they DO wind up joining the collective. I've read a few things on it over the years, and it's one of those issues where there are racist accusations since the businesses refuse to let people not of the right ethnicities join the effort.

At any rate that's part of why you have the stereotype of indians running corner stores and such, and why you rarely see them in direct conflict with each other, areas with more than one store in close proximity typically have enough traffic to justify it.

Basically someone wants to start a store, perhaps even making the arrangement to run a business before they even come to this country, the corperation does the scouting much like a fast food place, and says "we think a store will do well here". Then the person pays to opt into it like a franchise, calls it whatever they want, and is involved with all the other stores in the group for bulk purchuses and such, it's just that instead of all the stuff going to a few big stores, it's scattered between a lot of small ones.

At least that's what I've read at any rate. Nothing especially malevolent about it unless you consider the racial allegations, which are basically akin to say a black guy approaching Mcdonalds to open a resteraunt, and being told they won't let him do it because only white people are around to own and operate Mcdonalds.

Of course that's hardly all inclusive, there are doubtlessly a number of companies operating like this under the radar that are ethnically based, that's just one of the big "examples" I'd mention.

None of this of course has much to do with video games or Microsoft's logic.
 

robandall

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Jan 25, 2010
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Haha! That's completely ridiculous! :D

I could definitely afford to get a cab to my local copy of game, and probably pay the cabbie to go in and get the game for me, for that price hike! Ok maybe not get the cabbie to go in for me but you get what I mean. MS must be aware that when you buy a game from, say, Amazon it get's delivered to your door, right? I can do the online shopping in my kecks and answer the door in the same fashion... and get a few beers in with the cash I saved.
 

Azulito

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Jan 1, 2009
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For that price.. you can get it off amazon with express delivery and still get it cheaper (And maybe faster too)
 
Mar 30, 2010
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Seems kinda like a flawed arguement to me. So Microsoft is charging a mint for On Demand games because it's convenient? How is turning on my XBox and going to the XBox Marketplace more convenient than turning on my PC and going to Amazon? Hmmm.
 

Dastardly

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Apr 19, 2010
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Andy Chalk said:
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It's simply a matter of artificial inflation.

If there's a factor that causes a competitor's prices to rise (or, in this case, prevents them from falling below a certain point), you can simply charge the same amount... or even a dollar lower, to put forth the illusion of a "deal." If people are willing to pay it (which they are, evidenced by prices in real shops), they're going to continue to charge it.

The bad thing here? Simply "not buying it" isn't going to have much impact on the price if you then go by a hard copy. They still get the money, and they're not losing any overhead keeping a stock of digital copies available. The only way to speak out against something like this, if you're so inclined, is to avoid the product entirely.
 

GeorgW

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Aug 27, 2010
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But why would I buy it if I can't get a discount?? It takes forever to download with my slow internet, I don't get a nice physical copy (that I can also lend out to friends) and it's not exactly a challenge to go to the damn store!!
Sure, have that policy Microsoft, I won't be buying from you anytime close.
 

Dirty Hipsters

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Yeah, convenience, right...

It's much more convenient to wait 10 hours for a game to finish downloading then to take a 20 minute drive down to your local game store and pick up the game cheaper.

Stupid Microsoft.
 

David Trout

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Aug 12, 2011
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Everyone forgets one thing about steam, it's strict rules won't let Ea games like Battlefield 3 to come out on it and buying copy from games on demand just means. Either you are gonna pay for a new copy and opt to not spend gas money because there are people that live 10-15 miles away from the gamestop or a wal-mart because they live in a large neighborhood. And if it's better to pay full price for a game rather then wasting gas wearing out a car and what not then why not. You can't blame a company for wanting to make money. No matter how "honorable" people say they are everyone wants to make money even the church turns a profit!