Pay per play

[PeteJ]

We are obviously entering a new era of gaming, where we need to start paying for these micro updates. But are things going too far and too quickly?

TOKYO - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will introduce an online gaming fee framework for its forthcoming PlayStation 3 console, under which customers separately purchase items and features used in the games.

The new pricing scheme will be adopted first for SCE's own "Gran Turismo HD" auto racing game. For example, gamers will be able to choose from more than 750 models of cars and be able to buy them for around 50-100 yen (US43-85 cents) each.

Race course layouts will be available for roughly 200-500 yen. The firm plans to periodically add new cars and offer limited-edition models.

Itemized prices have been in use for personal computer games, but online gaming services generally charge flat monthly fees. Given that frequent users pay more under the itemized pricing scheme, per-customer charges tend to rise .

I understand development costs are through the roof, but I'm not particularly keen on having games delivered to me like this. The initial cost of buying the game will no doubt be lower, and I would have thought the amount of cars (in this particular example) I actually want to buy would also keep the cost lower than it otherwise would have been, and yet I still don't like the idea. I'm all for having extra content coming after the games released, which I pay for or otherwise, but to have the majority of the game locked away feels a bit off. Episodic content was one thing, but this is the next step.

It's weird, I had an argument all ready in my head, but I keep finding holes in it. Perhaps it isn't a bad idea after all? I think it'll be a case of like it or lump it regardless, microtransactions are the future.

[Matt]

I think it comes down to the initial cost of the game, and whether in some games you'll effectively end up paying more if you want the "privilege" of completing it or not.

If GT HD is a tenner with say 10 cars and 5 tracks, I'd be happy (and would probably only buy a TVR or two after that anyway!).

[dvdmike]

"Sony make new back rod, tries it on own back"

Its a silly idea and dev costs are high yes and people want more bang, but are not willing to spend more buck.

Is this any diff to the PGR3 style pack ? you bought a game and then had to add new cars because they were rushed to market ?
Yes there were alot of cars in PGR3 but not the same amount as PGR2

Do I think the upper management at SCE are going to be made to retire early ?
yes
Do I think the PS3 will come up tops when these are their great ideas ?
nope

[toythatkills]

I really hope this dies a miserable death, and quickly.

The main problem I have with it is that it's really difficult to keep track of what you're spending. Taking Xbox Live Arcade as an example, I've probably spent about ?60-80 on games from there, without even realising it. It's not *really* the same thing, but the point remains.

If games are delivered the way GT is reportedly going to be, how many people are going to end up spending loads before they realise they've spent way too much?

[Tetsuo]

"Microtransactions" can **** right off.

This is NOT what gaming should be about, but tell that to Sony - why should they care? I sure as hell hope this comes back to smack Sony right back in their fun-sapping, soulless greedy gobs*. I mean, come on, the majority of gamers likely to buy GT HD are cretinous morons, but they're not stupid enough to buy a game that requires you to purchase every flipping car model and track in the game, are they? It's pure and simple greed. Is this the future of games? Not for me it isn't.

What next? Will Soul Calibur 5 come with 20 skill-less characters that require you to purchase each of their 300 moves at ?1 a pop?

*I can see this sort of thing killing off gaming for good. Should be fun, so I'll look forward to it, and the huge hole it will (never) burn into my wallet.

[Vince]

If GT HD is a tenner with say 10 cars and 5 tracks, I'd be happy (and would probably only buy a TVR or two after that anyway!).

I read somewhere else earlier today that what GT HD contains is two version, one regular, ie the usual fare with lots of cars and tracks etc, and one HD version which only contains two tracks and 30 cars, but far superior graphics. I think the argument is that it takes them nearly six months to model a track in the detail required so the downloads will come way after the game allowing more tracks and cars to be added.

I don't agree with paying mutiple times though, its not fair really, i mean an upgrade pack with a load of tracks and cars for ?10 or something is not so bad but i don't like the idea of having to pay for everything. Still the games are going to be so expensive to make this generation with the detail required that i guess the devs are having to think of new ways to get more cash.

[Ginger Tosser]

So not only do we have unfinished games being released now we have to pay again to get the complete game.

As Tetsuo put it "Microtransactions" can **** right off.

[MikeRox]

as far as I know, you get a GT5 prologue as 1 part, then the other is a High Definition GT4 Online, but you have to buy all the bits.

[Family Fry]

Why force blu ray onto us that has a capacity between 25gb-50gb, then plop out a disc at ?10 with 2 cars and 1 track weighing in at a few hundred meg (if pressed on a blu ray disc what a waste that would be!)
They then charge us a further ?400 or whatever the hell it may be in total to actually download and store onto OUR hard drives, wasting our space!
Whack it on a blu ray, charge ?50 and it will all be fine in the morning is what I say.
I knew as soon as the words microtransactions came out of phil harrisons mouth it would be trouble. This isnt just sony if MS started to pull this **** i would give them hell too.

[NekoFever]

To be honest, given the choice between a ?60 game (worst case scenario...I hope) with all its content and spending ?20 but having to buy cars/guns/levels/characters, I'd rather pay the big amount. At least then it's all there to be unlocked if I want to and then I can sell it for a decent amount if I get bored of it. What kind of resell value does a game that costs ?20 new and requires you to buy all your content separately have? Maybe that's the idea since we all know what the companies think of the used games market.

The more pressing concern for those who aren't worried about selling their games is replay value. The last racing game I played for any length of time was PGR3 and I still play it online occasionally because me and friends can pick any track and then from a large selection of cars and have a quick blast. We can pick some of the weird concept cars in there if we want a bit of a laugh and just race. What's going to happen in GTHD when we all have different tracks/cars and everyone goes straight for the Ferraris without giving the smaller ones a shot. I certainly won't take a risk on a crap car if I have to pay a quid for it.

I hope this just turns out be be a short fad that turns out to be a complete failure. It's a horrible idea.

[Jusatsushi]

What worries me is what this'll do to the challenge of games. Why work through hours and hours of a game to unlock a car/spiky sword of doom when you can just buy it for ?10.99?

Remember the sense of achievement when you get Nights of the Round in FFVII, or get enough money to buy that car you've been eyeing up for ages in PGR? Well that's whats gonna die if everything is avaliable for cold hard cash.

It's not so much my wallet this little trend worries, it's my sense of achievement when gaming, and if they take that away we're left with a real shallow experience.

[Wools]

If all games adopt a method like GT4-HD without any other option, then that's it for games for me.

[Lebowski]

so if you have to download HD cars for online play what happens if you dont have the same cars as a freind, do you then have to buy his car so you can see him, dose a tempory version of his car get loaded into your memory, if they really are that large models i cant see this sort of thing happening on the fly especialy if your against 7 other cars you dont own, maybe this is another clever way to get people to spend more money on microtrasactions.

[eastyy]

Think there are really two types of microtransactions

1.Downloadable content to add to a complete game that i really do not mind aslong as the game was fairly generous (exception was oblivion though those bethesda made plugins seem pretty poor considering there are many user made ones that are far better)

2.To unlock whats on the disk.That i really do not like as far as i am concerned when you have bought a game its your property and if they are locking stuff away (which say you can only unlock by paying for it) then thats not right.

I really really hope it fails though i just hate the idea of paying for stuff after i have actually bought a game (which is why i do not want to play online RPGS)

[Dogg Thang]

Well I really said my bit back in this thread - http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=60864 . To summarise - the more secondary revenue streams become important, the worse the initial package will be. It's unfortunate but what is in the best interests of creating those streams is not in the interests of the games themselves. It's happened already. This is not new. What has changed since that thread is that now it has been adopted by a game as big as GT. The success of this game will dictate the new business model.