Aug 3 2011, 04:05 PM, updated 15y ago
QUOTE
Death of the Disc-Based Game
The idea of a steep, one-time purchase price for games can't last. Like the newspaper, the hardcover book, and the compact disk, the expensive disc-based method of video game distribution is on its way out, a process that's only accelerating as more developers and publishers test out alternative pricing models both on PC and console platforms.
The full-priced retail game might not disappear until after the next generation of consoles, but it will eventually. Major franchises like Call of Duty will continue to move huge quantities through ever-expanding brand recognition, but new or lesser known intellectual property is doomed to either flounder or catastrophically fail if they're sitting on a store shelf bearing a prohibitively high price tag.
The answer is to lower the price, as many have been doing in the PC realm with games on digital storefronts and social networks. Make the game free, let people play the real game, not a demo, and then use the strength of the gameplay to advertise the product. Low cost gaming is exploding all over. It's part of why the App Store took off, capitalizing on the all-consuming power of the impulse purchase.
Looking forward, beyond even the next generation of consoles, the future will involve services like OnLive. Though OnLive does not yet offer an ideal gaming experience, the notion of bypassing the need to upgrade hardware entirely makes too much sense to be ignored by console producers. It's the fastest, easiest, most direct method (at least for consumers) to access games. Instead of consoles, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo would simply run OnLive-like services. They might sell unique input devices, but the entire concept of a physical disc and hardware setup will be archaic, irrelevant and ultimately difficult to profit from in this rapidly evolving industry where convenience is king.
The console that takes off in the next generation is the one that most successfully mimics what's happening in the PC market.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/118/1185726p1.html#disqus_thread
sense next console to be:The idea of a steep, one-time purchase price for games can't last. Like the newspaper, the hardcover book, and the compact disk, the expensive disc-based method of video game distribution is on its way out, a process that's only accelerating as more developers and publishers test out alternative pricing models both on PC and console platforms.
The full-priced retail game might not disappear until after the next generation of consoles, but it will eventually. Major franchises like Call of Duty will continue to move huge quantities through ever-expanding brand recognition, but new or lesser known intellectual property is doomed to either flounder or catastrophically fail if they're sitting on a store shelf bearing a prohibitively high price tag.
The answer is to lower the price, as many have been doing in the PC realm with games on digital storefronts and social networks. Make the game free, let people play the real game, not a demo, and then use the strength of the gameplay to advertise the product. Low cost gaming is exploding all over. It's part of why the App Store took off, capitalizing on the all-consuming power of the impulse purchase.
Looking forward, beyond even the next generation of consoles, the future will involve services like OnLive. Though OnLive does not yet offer an ideal gaming experience, the notion of bypassing the need to upgrade hardware entirely makes too much sense to be ignored by console producers. It's the fastest, easiest, most direct method (at least for consumers) to access games. Instead of consoles, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo would simply run OnLive-like services. They might sell unique input devices, but the entire concept of a physical disc and hardware setup will be archaic, irrelevant and ultimately difficult to profit from in this rapidly evolving industry where convenience is king.
The console that takes off in the next generation is the one that most successfully mimics what's happening in the PC market.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/118/1185726p1.html#disqus_thread
1. NO optical drive, internet dependent for Mass distribution
2. Games rental, like OnLive and XBL
3. Games are sold in segments, SP and MP are price accordingly (Starcraft2)
4. Games are to be cheaper and shorter like what happen to the current industry
This post has been edited by y3ivan: Aug 3 2011, 04:10 PM
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