Re: Bad Pricing Move
- From: Scott <scottm9000@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 21:46:48 -0400
On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:17:40 -0000, Doug Jacobs <djacobs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>James Duncan <j.duncan@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> The only way to have the system be backwards compatible is with a hard drive
>> included. All of the current Xbox games expect a hard drive to be present.
>> As for the $100 20GB hard disk, of course it isn't worth $100. But the
>> price encourages people who want a Hard Disk to just by the more expensive
>> version of the console upfront.
>
>The pricing schemes are stupid because once you buy a 360 core, memory
>card, and one other non-controller accessory, you've already spent about
>$400, so you might as well buy the higher-end kit upfront.
>
But that's exactly what they want to happen. They're trying to make money
off the hardware right away. I'm thinking there will probably be a shortage
of the premium systems just to get more people to buy the core version and
all the extra hardware.
>> The current
>> generation of Xbox, got developers used to having a HDD available. Many
>> failed to do more than just use the drive as cache, but having a HDD opens
>> up they system for lots of cool things like custom sound tracks, add on
>> content, new adventures for RPG and action titles, extra outfits, etc. Now
>> they can still do some of that but it requires users to use memory units or
>> a HDD. The more ambitious content will fall by the way side. Rather than
>> being able to have a title, and then download entire expansion packs or load
>> an expansion pack on the HDD, we'll need to get a whole new disk with the
>> original title and expansion on it. This is one area where having only a
>> DVD available will prove problematic. Adding extra content to an already
>> packed DVD won't work. Since there will be no guaranteed HDD on every
>> system the content will need to be limited to what a memory unit will
>> accomodate.
>
>Well, they could do what Sony did with its short-lived HDD - have online
>content that would REQUIRE the HDD. This wouldn't be much different than
>how Xbox's extra online content required you to have an XBox Live
>account...
>
But Xbox developers expected a hard drive and that was one of Microsoft's
favorite bits of ammo against the PS2 HDD, the fact that it was optional
and not guaranteed to be there while the Xbox would always have one to make
it easier to stream data and store extra downloadable content. The core
system includes Live for free but doesn't give you a place to put the
things you download. Those memory cards can fill up click.
>> Also now people will need to very carefully check package label for system
>> requirements. This is very common for PCs, but is something consoles owners
>> don't need to do. Packages could have HDD required (or probably in most
>> cases it will just list as recommended).
>
Makes coding the games a pain and the whole point of a console game is to
just buy it and have it work. If I wanted to worry about system
requirements I'd stick to PC games.
>Microsoft has stated clearly that developers have been explicitly told to
>assume there is not a HDD in the system for their games to use. Hopefully
>the developers actually stick to this. So there shouldn't be a situation
>where a game won't work if the system doesn't have a HDD.
>
>Of course, Microsoft has also made some vague mumblings about HD-DVD and
>the "future" of the 360. If Microsoft intends on releasing an upgraded
>360 with a HD-DVD drive, they better make sure that developers will ONLY
>release games on DVD - otherwise, things will get really ugly, really fast.
>
An up gradable console. Indreama ring a bell?
--
Scott
.
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