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[PhoncipleBone]

But for a while werent Sony first party releases at 39 as opposed to third party 49? I seem to remember a lot of times that first party stuff is cheaper, unless it is a HUGE game like Gran Turismo and they know people will pay for it.

 

[Gek54]

Do you think though that 3rd party devs would get mad at MS for going to a $49.99 price when they are offering titles at $59.99. It kind of undermines third parties in a way.

Sony did it...tried to at least.

Edit: Freakin slow bastard.

 

[sonycowboy]

Do you think though that 3rd party devs would get mad at MS for going to a $49.99 price when they are offering titles at $59.99. It kind of undermines third parties in a way.

Not really. Sony's done it with their first party (until lately) games $39 vs $49. And I think Microsoft has talked to them ad naseum to try and get them to let go of the $59 price point, but at the same time, I've heard they had to hold firm on royalty rates being ~mostly the same as they've been this generation.

When you lose money on the console, and you're responsible for pushing the platform, advertising, Live costs, massive R&D, etc, publisher's expect to pay the standard royalty unless they want to set up some sort of exclusive arrangement or co-publishing.

Hopefully, consumers will buy the $49 and leave the $59 to underperform (much, like we hope with $49 PSP vs $39 PSP games) and publishers will let go of the damn "premium pricing" for non-premium games (Tony Hawk, Condemned, etc).

I mean, I could understand Halo, GTA, Madden, but the list is very, very short of games that I'd pay $59 for if I had the choice for a comparable $49 game.

 

[JayFro]

Isn't that what Sony does with their 1st party efforts? Shouldn't be a problem.

Sure they do, but as a 3rd party dev it would piss me off. It's great for the consumer to save $10 on a game, but it might force the hand of 3rd party devs to go down to $49.99 and with the supposed higher cost of making games next gen......


The best thing for the consumer isn't always the best thing for the 3rd party devs, unless with dev costs they are just blowing smoke up people's asses.

 

[sonycowboy]

I definitely see Sony playing the $59.99 card with advertisements and quotes about how MS is "attempting to ripoff the consumers by charging unjustified higher prices", and then people will hold off until PS3 only to find the PS3 games are $59.99 too and realize they were tricked but say fuck it since they waited that long anyways and buy a PS3.

I don't think they'll be anywere near as direct as that. More likely to say how "consumer friendly the PS2 is (especially with a HW price drop) and the average price point of PS2 games being ~$40 for titles (including back library, of course)

They'd be hurting themselves to actually outright attack them, when the same thing will apply to them in 6 months. It won't happen that way. Especially, since it's not Microsoft that will be charging the high price.

 

[Shaheed79]

This is exactly what I thought it would be all along the only thing stopping them from emulating the entire library is having to play Nvidia for the license of every single game which would amount to a nice pretty penny. Seems like they worked out a nice deal though and the word "majority" gives me hope.

 

[Particle Physicist]

the money that MS makes on faceplates, wireless controllers, XBL and premium content wether it be downloadable or premium version of software will be what saves MS this time around. They are in a totally different position than they were with the launch of the xbox.

if those things actually sell. i cant see the customizable faceplates becoming popular outside of japan.

 

[Mrbob]

I only see EA and Actvision multiplatform trash (Cept Madden) games going for the $59.99 pricepoint. I believe all other launch titles will be $49.99.

 

[Barnimal]

if those things actually sell. i cant see the customizable faceplates becoming popular outside of japan.

are you kidding? weather is be blue hair, personalized liscence plate frames/plates, ringtones or tattooes americans LOVE individuality. it's almost pure profit for MS. pure profit.

 

[Razoric]

I only see EA and Actvision multiplatform trash (Cept Madden) games going for the $59.99 pricepoint. I believe all other launch titles will be $49.99.

:lol :lol :lol if activision thinks anyone is going to pay $60 for that tony hawk trash.

they need to get their heads out of their asses... people bought the $60 Collectors Editions for games they loved not for 3rd party ported crap.

 

[Jonnyram]

:lol :lol :lol if activision thinks anyone is going to pay $60 for that tony hawk trash.

I dunno... A park editor seems like a good deal to me.

 

[Particle Physicist]

are you kidding? weather is be blue hair, personalized liscence plate frames/plates, ringtones or tattooes americans LOVE individuality. it's almost pure profit for MS. pure profit.

they also like their media players to look classy. and.. well, isnt the xbox360 striving to be a media player? those face plates are really tacky.

 

[DarkCloud]

The only Activision games that I'd pay 60$ for would be Spider-man Ultimate and X-Men Legends 2...and since only Ultimate is coming to the 360 that's Activision's loss.

 

[DarkCloud]

they also like their media players to look classy. and.. well, isnt the xbox360 striving to be a media player? those face plates are really tacky.

There will be user customizable faceplates down the line.

 

[Particle Physicist]

There will be user customizable faceplates down the line.

ok.

 

[FortNinety]

I dunno... A park editor seems like a good deal to me.

Didn't at least a few of the past Tony Hawk games have park editors already?

 

[acidviper]

OMFG they have made Bleem 2. It really is Dreamcast Next.

 

[mrklaw]

but how badly does a $60 game have to perform to make *less* money than a $50 game?

On a $50 game, you take off retail markup, wholesale markup, console royalty, and you are left with? maybe $15 for the publisher (I have no idea what the markups are like in the US)

With a $60 game, you are getting nearly a whole extra $10 pure profit. You can sell 30% less units and make more money.

I hope MS have something like the Sony scheme, where the royalty you pay is based on the MSRP of the game. Sony use it to allow for budget games, but I think they should charge more royalty for $60 games, to keep the margins approximately the same.

 

[trmas]

Bleem baby! It will be interesting to see how many fanboys are willing to drop $500 or more on the system and a game or two this Fall. Certainly noone but hardcore gamers will...

 

[DarkCloud]

Bleem baby! It will be interesting to see how many fanboys are willing to drop $500 or more on the system and a game or two this Fall. Certainly noone but hardcore gamers will...

...right.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

they also like their media players to look classy. and.. well, isnt the xbox360 striving to be a media player? those face plates are really tacky.

No, they like them to look like they want. Someone likes hi-tech look, someone likes woody look, someone like 70's look. And faceplates will allow you 360 to look like anyway you want. I see them selling very well, everywhere.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

But where's the option for "Solid Black" or "Silver" faceplates? Those will potentially sell more than these graphiced POS's they're pushing now.

 

[Fafalada]

I think they've been pretty clear that the HDD would be standard, not an optional bundle

Who said anything about optional? Remember certain launch with value pack only?

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

But where's the option for "Solid Black" or "Silver" faceplates? Those will potentially sell more than these graphiced POS's they're pushing now.

The first faceplates aren't announced yet, and I see them coming from third parties too, like it's already happening on cellphone covers. So, I think black and silver faceplates will most probably be there.

 

[Particle Physicist]

No, they like them to look like they want. Someone likes hi-tech look, someone likes woody look, someone like 70's look. And faceplates will allow you 360 to look like anyway you want. I see them selling very well, everywhere.

i believe that you are wrong. quite wrong. but the only thing we can do is wait and see how poorly those face plates will sell.

 

[Legal Step]

backwards compatiblity is hot!

 

[FinFan]

I see no reason for a game with no online multiplayer to warrant a price higher than the current ($49.99).

but, if the title has an exstensive multiplayer component and the developers support the title with free DLC, ala Ghost Recon, Rainbow 6 and Mechassualt, to name a few, I can understand and extra $10.

Take UBI for instance. They had 2 different studios working on SC Pandora Tomorrow. One on the multiplayer and the other on the single player game. Those kind of costs could definatley inflate prices.

Hopefully MS handling all of the ingame messaging, voice and invites will save developers time as they wont have to reinvent this connectivity for each title.

 

[Mooreberg]

CV&G is reporting it:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=120123

MICROSOFT TO COUGH UP BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE ROYALTIES

nVidia coin it in, plus: is the backwards compatibility library going to be bigger than expected?

12:32 Xbox 360's backwards compatibility is to cost Microsoft royalty payments to nVidia it has been revealed.
In order to achieve backwards compatibility on Xbox 360, the next-gen console's ATI chipset has to emulate patented nVidia technology, hence the royalty payout. According to analysts, Microsoft and nVidia have already shaken hands on an agreed royalty payment.

Microsoft to date has only confirmed that 'best-selling' Xbox titles will be playable on Xbox 360 and has yet to name games, but recent speculation suggests that the backwards compatible library may actually be far more extensive than originally thought - even larger than was hinted at by MS engineer Michael Brundage when he trashed claims on the supposed impossiblity of backwards compatiblity on Xbox 360.

According to website GameDailyBiz, it's reckoned that the majority of Xbox games are written on a single layer disc and as such should be pretty easy to emulate. As for Xbox titles in multi-layer format, well analysts are saying that the Xbox 360 will come with patches pre-loaded onto the hard drive to run these games on the next-gen console too.
Potentially Microsoft could release further such patches down the line over Xbox Live as well.

Interesting stuff to be sure, but we won't know concrete details until Microsoft serves up the official word on its backwards compatibility battle plan for 360. As soon as we get it, we'll let you know.

 

[sonycowboy]

According to website GameDailyBiz, it's reckoned that the majority of Xbox games are written on a single layer disc and as such should be pretty easy to emulate. As for Xbox titles in multi-layer format, well analysts are saying that the Xbox 360 will come with patches pre-loaded onto the hard drive to run these games on the next-gen console too..

:lol

We have to do somethin' special for those darn multi-layer discs.

 

[Mooreberg]

Next Allard interview: "I realized I also played Parrapa The Rapper in addition to the old Wipeout PlayStation games, so backwards compatibility is an important feature to me."

 

[thorns]

I can't believe NVidia is still getting money from MS, even after they ripped them off with xbox 1. Nvidia surely wouldn't want MS as an enemy.

 

[DarienA]

I can't believe NVidia is still getting money from MS, even after they ripped them off with xbox 1. Nvidia surely wouldn't want MS as an enemy.

thorn what crap are you spitting now?

 

[thorns]

thorn what crap are you spitting now?

ms was paying nvidia a shitload of money for the gpu on each xbox, and now they're going to be paying them royalties to have BC. clear?

 

[trmas]

Nvidia should take them to the cleaners. They had MS by the balls, and they knew it. Good for them.

 

[DarienA]

ms was paying nvidia a shitload of money for the gpu on each xbox, and now they're going to be paying them royalties to have BC. clear?

And you're point is what? You think nvidia should just license the tech for BC to MS for free? Please tell me that's not your point... because it's a dumb f'n point to try to make.

 

[6.8]

Typically, when someone is ripped off by another person, he tends to avoid dealing with him afterwards. I think that's where he's getting at.

 

[DarienA]

Typically, when someone is ripped off by another person, he tends to avoid dealing with him afterwards. I think that's where he's getting at.

Ok but where is he getting the definition of ripped off from? What notice did I miss?

 

[sonycowboy]

Typically, when someone is ripped off by another person, he tends to avoid dealing with him afterwards. I think that's where he's getting at.

That's exactly correct. But, Microsoft wasn't the one that was ripped off.

Microsoft took NVidia to court to force them to produced the GPU below cost and changed the specs of the chip to combat piracy, which forced NVidia to swallow millions of dollars of unusable inventory.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=1210

http://www.networkitweek.co.uk/news/1142306

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's exactly correct. But, Microsoft wasn't the one that was ripped off.

Microsoft took NVidia to court to force them to produced the GPU below cost and changed the specs of the chip to combat piracy, which forced NVidia to swallow millions of dollars of unusable inventory.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=1210

http://www.networkitweek.co.uk/news/1142306

I've read several times that the primary reason the XBox costs did not curve much was due to the fixed prices MS paid Intel and Nvidia due to not owning the designs, and that Nvidia made out like a bandit on the deal due to MS's rush to get into the console space. While the incident above did happen, has anyone quantified the net impact?

 

[KingV]

People have been paying $50 for videogames for about as long as I can remember. I remember some NES games being 50, and SNES games being fifty. In fact, many 3rd party N64 games were MORE expensive than the $60 being thrown about for third parties, and some of those sold relatively well (the first Turok comes to mind as the prime example, as I recall it being about 70 when it first released). I'm not a huge fan of the jump to $60, but games can't remain $50 indefinitely. Eventually, rising development costs and inflation have to raise the price of games to keep business profitable. Where it will really hurt is with High School and College students who generally are quite a bit more strapped for cash in their gaming purchases. This could lead to a lot less sales in those markets. However, I also have a feeling that those demographics buy a lot less games per capita than people who are established with real jobs. Now that I have a real job I don't think twice about pissing away $10 on stupid crap all of the time, however, when I was on a fixed income in college of a couple hundred/month that 10 bucks becomes a much bigger deal.