This is where Microsoft could screw it up

[Ironman273]

I saw that Battlefield 4 was on sale at the Microsoft Store so I figured for half price I'd pick it up.  When I went to the site I saw that, sure enough, it was listed for $30.  I prefer digital-only games so I clicked on "Download from Xbox.com" only to see the price go up to $60 again.

 

I don't know if it's Microsoft or EA but it's ridiculous that a physical copy is half the price of a digital download.

 

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Battlefield-4-for-Xbox-One/productID.294130400?ClickID=bnkqlnzzz1fkqzfqu6e6d6nqmnl6lvnygqqv

[McKay]

It is ridiculous, and wasn't the whole purpose of the initial proposed online checks and DRM etc so they could lower the prices to have them on the level with Steam? We kissed goodbye to that.

[Ironman273]

It is ridiculous, and wasn't the whole purpose of the initial proposed online checks and DRM etc so they could lower the prices to have them on the level with Steam? We kissed goodbye to that.

The system is in place.  I can download it for $60.  Why is it more expensive?  Logic would dictate that it should be extremely cheaper to offer a game for download than make a box, make a disc, burn a disc, print a label, assemble the product, wrap it, box it, put it on a truck and ship it.

[LaP]

The system is in place.  I can download it for $60.  Why is it more expensive?  Logic would dictate that it should be extremely cheaper to offer a game for download than make a box, make a disc, burn a disc, print a label, assemble the product, wrap it, box it, put it on a truck and ship it.

 

Yeah but you can only buy digital from Microsoft and you can't resell it. No competition = no price drop. In the case of the boxed copy they have competition.

 

It's different from Steam. Steam does have competition from Origin, Uplay, GOG and such.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

It is ridiculous, and wasn't the whole purpose of the initial proposed online checks and DRM etc so they could lower the prices to have them on the level with Steam? We kissed goodbye to that.

 

No, that's just the bait they use (and everyone else who starts a DD shop), to sell the plans to consumers. Did PC games drop in price when Origin launched? Nope. If anything they actually went up because you've no other option for particular versions.

[McKay]

Personally I think Digital Downloads should be cheaper anyway, for starters it doesn't need to be printed, a case made and transported etc. The biggest thing about Downloads is we can't trade them in, there's no chance of a second owner getting the copy when we're done, no chance of the company who made it losing money because someone bought it second hand etc. 

 

I thought that was the justification for high costing physical copies? The supposed loss companies made over pre-owned games?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Personally I think Digital Downloads should be cheaper anyway, for starters it doesn't need to be printed, a case made and transported etc. The biggest thing about Downloads is we can't trade them in, there's no chance of a second owner getting the copy when we're done, no chance of the company who made it losing money because someone bought it second hand etc. 

 

I thought that was the justification for high costing physical copies? The supposed loss companies made over pre-owned games?

 

Like I say, that's how they sell it to you, but then they make up some other ###### and bull and the prices never drop.

 

I believe the favourite excuse is "teh bandwidthz" :P

[Ironman273]

Yeah but you can only buy digital from Microsoft and you can't resell it. No competition = no price drop. In the case of the boxed copy they have competition.

 

It's different from Steam. Steam does have competition from Origin, Uplay, GOG and such.

There's inherent competition from the disc based game.  Also, Steam's competition didn't arrive at the scene until way after they were discounting.

 

Something else I just remembered.  The digital copy of Ryse was discounted to $40.  So is this a Microsoft thing or EA dictating how it can be sold?

[MikeChipshop Member]

totally agree. I've wanted to go download only for ages but apart from the no disc swapping, there's little insentive to do so. Long download times (for me at least) and no competition on price.

 

I wanted to get Titanfall as DD but i managed to get it a full ?20 cheaper on disc from Amazon on next day delivery so not only was it cheaper, it got here quicker!

[GotBored]

Something else I just remembered.  The digital copy of Ryse was discounted to $40.  So is this a Microsoft thing or EA dictating how it can be sold?

 

Ryse is not published by EA

 

Also Microsoft own a monopoly with the Xbox Store, its very different to Steam which runs on an open-platform (PC) where anyone or company can start a competing store. Microsoft have to license a competing store to be able to run on Xbox.. but they wouldn't do that so your stuck with Microsoft controlling the prices and having no competition to warrant any competitive pricing.

[Ironman273]

Ryse is not published by EA

That was my point.

[neoadorable]

Ryse is not published by EA

 

Also Microsoft own a monopoly with the Xbox Store, its very different to Steam which runs on an open-platform (PC) where anyone or company can start a competing store. Microsoft have to license a competing store to be able to run on Xbox.. but they wouldn't do that so your stuck with Microsoft controlling the prices and having no competition to warrant any competitive pricing.

 

Microsoft and Xbox are hardly a monopoly. In context, Xbox is Steam, PSN is GOG, Nintendo might be....i don't even know. You see my point. MS has a monopoly on Xbox but that's like saying you have a monopoly on your house, it's hardly a bad thing. Customers can always choose to buy from Sony, or Steam etc. If it's an exclusive game that's a different story.

 

Anyway, the truly ridiculous situation where physical is CHEAPER than digital during a sale no less is most likely either a mistake or some silly attempt to push you to buy digital. You either play along or refuse to pay. I am still holding off on Forza 5 even though i really want it. It's still $60 digital though i'm sure sales are no longer super hot, and that it could do with going to $40.

[spenser.d]

They do get it right sometimes though.  I picked up Tomb Raider digitally this weekend for $30 as they had it on sale. Don't think they physical copy was on sale at all. But yeah, its something they'll have to figure out if they're really serious about it.

[GotBored]

Microsoft and Xbox are hardly a monopoly. In context, Xbox is Steam, PSN is GOG, Nintendo might be....i don't even know. You see my point. MS has a monopoly on Xbox but that's like saying you have a monopoly on your house, it's hardly a bad thing. Customers can always choose to buy from Sony, or Steam etc. If it's an exclusive game that's a different story.

Anyway, the truly ridiculous situation where physical is CHEAPER than digital during a sale no less is most likely either a mistake or some silly attempt to push you to buy digital. You either play along or refuse to pay. I am still holding off on Forza 5 even though i really want it. It's still $60 digital though i'm sure sales are no longer super hot, and that it could do with going to $40.

Both Microsoft (Xbox) and Sony (PlayStation) have a monopoly over their own stores, neither is like steam which is in an open market-place (PC). Not sure how you came to the owning your own house monopoly conclusion, a better example would be if you owned every rental property in the US/UK/Aus/etc and dictated the rental prices. (That's a monopoly)

I'm also not sure how having a more expensive digital copy is an attempt to push you to buy digital. If they wanted to push digital they really should be making it cheaper.. Or atleast cheaper than physical which acquires additional costs due to the casing, disc, booklet and shipping costs yet it somehow manages to cost less than digital. :/

[1337ish]

Originally I read MS planned to allow other stores to sell games (before the whole stupid "itz drmz itz evilz" people showed up) as well as being able to trade in games to online stores again others.

You could also lend a game digitally to a friend (this is part of the reason for 24 hour check-ins)

It all sounded pretty good but so many saw it as DRM evil and missed all the good points.

[Argi]

The system is in place.  I can download it for $60.  Why is it more expensive?  Logic would dictate that it should be extremely cheaper to offer a game for download than make a box, make a disc, burn a disc, print a label, assemble the product, wrap it, box it, put it on a truck and ship it.

 

This has been brought up many times.  Yes it doesn't make sense, yes MS has said it's open to experimenting with lowering prices.  I do hope that they follow through.

[duddit2]

I like the way people talk in absolute terms here, as though its not a new system or mistakes could happen, I've already seen some cracking offers and MS have said they are working on the pricing/sales side.

 

But no, you find one example and call it a day, after all it proves your predictions right doesn't it? I mean you said all along about the monopoly aspect and that MS would never offer cheaper games via DD (even though I've seen, bought some) and that it was all bait and switch.......

 

Just had a brilliant idea, how about we all see how things get on and not make rash judgements within the first 5 months of a consoles life (which will be used for another 5+ years)?

[dead.cell]

They do get it right sometimes though.  I picked up Tomb Raider digitally this weekend for $30 as they had it on sale. Don't think they physical copy was on sale at all. But yeah, its something they'll have to figure out if they're really serious about it.

For Xbox One or 360? I ask because I'm curious if it wasn't in reaction to Tomb Raider being readily available to download for anyone with a PS+ account.

 

 

I like the way people talk in absolute terms here, as though its not a new system or mistakes could happen, I've already seen some cracking offers and MS have said they are working on the pricing/sales side.

 

But no, you find one example and call it a day, after all it proves your predictions right doesn't it? I mean you said all along about the monopoly aspect and that MS would never offer cheaper games via DD (even though I've seen, bought some) and that it was all bait and switch.......

 

Just had a brilliant idea, how about we all see how things get on and not make rash judgements within the first 5 months of a consoles life (which will be used for another 5+ years)?

It's hard to take you seriously when you take someone's argument and truncate it into something that doesn't even make sense. Nobody is saying there wouldn't be sales for digital downloads from Microsoft; hell, history has already shown that to be untrue.

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-begins-countdown-to-2014-xbox-360-game-download-sale

 

What people are saying is that because of the lacking competition for digital downlaods, that there's little incentive to cut prices to be as low as they are on Steam, Amazon, GMG, etc. for PC titles. I mean, Bioshock Infinite within the same month was $14 on Microsoft's sale price, compared to $10 on Steam. Hell, last weekend, my brother picked up Bioshock Infinite between $7-8.

 

Of course, the only one to beat that price is... lol, well, at the risk of sounding like a Sony fanboy, you could have picked it up on PS+ at no additional cost. :P

 

I do agree with you on the matter that it's still quite early though. The topic at hand sounds to be more of a mistake, which hopefully gets rectified. Bait and switch is not good for business after all.

[spenser.d]

For Xbox One or 360? I ask because I'm curious if it wasn't in reaction to Tomb Raider being readily available to download for anyone with a PS+ account.

Xbox One

[Hedon]

Tomb Raider was also discounted to $30 on PSN for PS4 at the same time. So no they didn't just discount it on Xbox because it was a new rental for PSN+.

[neoadorable]

Both Microsoft (Xbox) and Sony (PlayStation) have a monopoly over their own stores, neither is like steam which is in an open market-place (PC). Not sure how you came to the owning your own house monopoly conclusion, a better example would be if you owned every rental property in the US/UK/Aus/etc and dictated the rental prices. (That's a monopoly)

I'm also not sure how having a more expensive digital copy is an attempt to push you to buy digital. If they wanted to push digital they really should be making it cheaper.. Or atleast cheaper than physical which acquires additional costs due to the casing, disc, booklet and shipping costs yet it somehow manages to cost less than digital. :/

 

The digital/physical example i gave was confusing...confused myself even, so not sure what i was trying to say.

 

But Steam is exactly like MS and Sony. Not sure what you mean - since when is Steam open? It's 100% owned by Valve, everything is approved by Valve. It's not Ubuntu my friend, Steam doesn't run on the love of humanity, it runs on money. I love Steam as much as the next guy and appreciate it, buy stuff from them weekly. While just like MS and Sony I'm sure they enjoy what they do and are in it also for the games and community, they still want to make make money. Which is fine. But don't elevate them to something they're not. And Steam isn't open, you seem to think anyone can stroll in and somehow post their games on there without any supervision from Valve...that's just weird.

 

Steam is a platform, PC is not. PC is a colloquial concept, we think of it as a platform. X1 and PS4 are platforms, Xbox and Playstation overall are not, they are brands, as each has more than one system and they are not compatible unless decided by the companies that run things.

 

EDIT: Xbox Store is a house, PSN Store is another house, Steam yet another...it's only natural for the house owners to have full say on what goes on in their house. You seem to think Steam is not a house, it's an open field...where do you get this notion? If that was the case, we wouldn't have the whole Steam vs. EA thing, and there would not be a need for Greenlight or community voting, as anyone could just put their game on the store and set any price they want. That is clearly not the case. Steam is locked down tight just as much as Xbox and PSN. Their seeming generosity with sales is simply because non-console gaming has struggled and this was a way to bring it back. Don't confuse it for something it isn't, and this is said while being very positive and loving of our hobby.

[GotBored]

The digital/physical example i gave was confusing...confused myself even, so not sure what i was trying to say.

 

But Steam is exactly like MS and Sony. Not sure what you mean - since when is Steam open? It's 100% owned by Valve, everything is approved by Valve. It's not Ubuntu my friend, Steam doesn't run on the love of humanity, it runs on money. I love Steam as much as the next guy and appreciate it, buy stuff from them weekly. While just like MS and Sony I'm sure they enjoy what they do and are in it also for the games and community, they still want to make make money. Which is fine. But don't elevate them to something they're not. And Steam isn't open, you seem to think anyone can stroll in and somehow post their games on there without any supervision from Valve...that's just weird.

 

Steam is a platform, PC is not. PC is a colloquial concept, we think of it as a platform. X1 and PS4 are platforms, Xbox and Playstation overall are not, they are brands, as each has more than one system and they are not compatible unless decided by the companies that run things.

 

EDIT: Xbox Store is a house, PSN Store is another house, Steam yet another...it's only natural for the house owners to have full say on what goes on in their house. You seem to think Steam is not a house, it's an open field...where do you get this notion? If that was the case, we wouldn't have the whole Steam vs. EA thing, and there would not be a need for Greenlight or community voting, as anyone could just put their game on the store and set any price they want. That is clearly not the case. Steam is locked down tight just as much as Xbox and PSN. Their seeming generosity with sales is simply because non-console gaming has struggled and this was a way to bring it back. Don't confuse it for something it isn't, and this is said while being very positive and loving of our hobby.

Steam isn't a platform, it's a market application which runs on a platform (PC), anyone else can create another market application and run it on the PC platform. Consoles on the other hand are platforms which only allow one market application (Microsoft store on Xbox, PS store on Sony PlatStation).

Xbox Store is a house, PS store is a house, Steam is a room in an ever expanding house.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

Not really a console gamer any more but I agree wholeheartedly - digital downloads should be cheaper than physical copies. I just can't understand that there could be ANY calculations which would say copying discs, printing documentation, sealing up the case, boxing it, shipping it, unpacking it, and stacking it on a store shelf can be cheaper than uploading it once and sharing it many times - I just don't believe it. Sadly, I'm more likely to feel they see it as a great way to take advantage of the lazy folks out there and to maximise profit - which is what most businesses are interested in doing. 

[spenser.d]

Not really a console gamer any more but I agree wholeheartedly - digital downloads should be cheaper than physical copies. I just can't understand that there could be ANY calculations which would say copying discs, printing documentation, sealing up the case, boxing it, shipping it, unpacking it, and stacking it on a store shelf can be cheaper than uploading it once and sharing it many times - I just don't believe it. Sadly, I'm more likely to feel they see it as a great way to take advantage of the lazy folks out there and to maximise profit - which is what most businesses are interested in doing.

There are plenty of reasons to go digital that have nothing to do with being lazy.

Also the overhead per copy for physical copies isn't as large as you think ($4 according to this article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/02/anatomy-of-a-60-dollar-video-game.html) and at least partially offset by the cost of reasonable hosting of the digital copy.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

There are plenty of reasons to go digital that have nothing to do with being lazy.

Also the overhead per copy for physical copies isn't as large as you think ($4 according to this article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/02/anatomy-of-a-60-dollar-video-game.html) and at least partially offset by the cost of reasonable hosting of the digital copy.

 

Absolutely there are more benefits than just laziness - but what I meant was that I felt companies are specifically exploiting / targeting the lazier folks who will pay more to save themselves the inconvenience of having to go to a store, or even order something online and have to wait for it to be delivered.