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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Nintendo, Your Restrictions On Demos Are Just Silly

MDMAlliance on 13 August 2013
attaboy said:
If there's a demo for a game I already plan on buying, I never play the demo, anyway. There are extremely rare exceptions to the rule, though. Normally, I just buy the game. I can't remember the last time I actually finished a demo, honestly. I'll see what the graphics look like sometimes but that's it.

I played the Monster Hunter demo on Wii U while I waited for the actual game to release. Definitely killed that sale for me. I can't recall bothering to play a demo for a game I didn't already plan on buying and almost invariably, it kills the sale when I'm on the fence. That's why I don't have Catherine in my collection right now. Yeah, the restrictions on demos is kinda dumb but I guess Nintendo has their reasons. There was a time when I'd get those Playstation Underground discs or Jampack demo discs or even the OPM demos for PS1 and PS2. I used to tell myself that I had to play every single game on the disc but that got old rather quickly. I think I still have demo discs for PS2 and Xbox 360 that are totally untouched.


You see, I don't think Nintendo is the one setting the limits.  Some demos have 5 uses, some 15, some 20, some 30... and it can go up to unlimited.  If Nintendo was the one deciding, wouldn't most, if not all, demos have a consistent number of uses?



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attaboy on 13 August 2013
MDMAlliance said:
attaboy said:
If there's a demo for a game I already plan on buying, I never play the demo, anyway. There are extremely rare exceptions to the rule, though. Normally, I just buy the game. I can't remember the last time I actually finished a demo, honestly. I'll see what the graphics look like sometimes but that's it.

I played the Monster Hunter demo on Wii U while I waited for the actual game to release. Definitely killed that sale for me. I can't recall bothering to play a demo for a game I didn't already plan on buying and almost invariably, it kills the sale when I'm on the fence. That's why I don't have Catherine in my collection right now. Yeah, the restrictions on demos is kinda dumb but I guess Nintendo has their reasons. There was a time when I'd get those Playstation Underground discs or Jampack demo discs or even the OPM demos for PS1 and PS2. I used to tell myself that I had to play every single game on the disc but that got old rather quickly. I think I still have demo discs for PS2 and Xbox 360 that are totally untouched.


You see, I don't think Nintendo is the one setting the limits.  Some demos have 5 uses, some 15, some 20, some 30... and it can go up to unlimited.  If Nintendo was the one deciding, wouldn't most, if not all, demos have a consistent number of uses?

Yeah, you're right.  I actually saw an earlier post saying something similar.  Don't know why I tossed in the Nintendo comment.  Guess I was trying to throw Nintendo's name in there somewhere so that I could kinda remain more on topic.



SuperMarioWorld on 13 August 2013

I'm sure it affects young kids with not many games.



Nem on 13 August 2013
MDMAlliance said:
Nem said:


That is a very skewed view that presents the demo as beeing bad in most cases.

Its simpler than that. If the demo is good, you will want to buy the game, wether you were originally interested or not.If its not, you probably werent plannig to buy it or had doubts of what the product was gonna turn out as.

Personally, if i know im gonna buy a game, i already have a pretty good idea of the quality of the title. So demos are fortunate events when a game that isnt on my radar or i was thinking of skipping suddenly proves itself to me. Unlikely what the guy in that video is trying to make it sound like, i have bought more games i wasnt planning by playing demos than i had changes to heart, since those arent common at all.

For example i had alot of doubts about soul sacrifice. I played the demo and it was an instant buy. Enslaved a few years ago, i didnt even know it was coming, i played the demo and i bought it.

The only instance where i wont buy a game i really liked because of the demo is if i just cant afford it.

Its quite simple really. If you make a good demo you will get increased sales. If its half-assed people that were planning to buy it, probably will anyways and the undecided will probably still be undecided. I think the fair comparison would be sales gained by a demo vs blind impulse buy (at full price). Even if the second one might look better for any reason, a burned customer is a suspicious customer for next time. It gains one sale now, but possible loses multiple later.

While I know the video has made some flawed arguments, not everyone is like you.  My point I was trying to make is that if you can play a demo enough (and unrestricted), the person would play the demo as a replacement of a game.  There's his data to prove that there are people like that.  My point was to use the video as a means to explain that having a usage restriction serves a purpose.

That's why i said "personally". I cant extrapolate for everyone, but neither can him in the video.

Yes that might be the reason why Nintendo puts a limit, but i have never reached that limit on my demos. I have about 13 uses left on my most used demo (that started at 30) on the 3DS. I dont think that that limit would be what makes me get the game, so its a bit silly. I just try it out a few times when im pondering wether to get the game or not. The game in question is overpriced and hard to find (theatrythm), so me buying it or not has had more to do with that than the demo.



Zkuq on 13 August 2013

I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with the demo if you need addition restrictions so it doesn't eat the sales of the full version. You're making the demo too extensive if you need such restrictions. If such restrictions are absolutely necessary, you should probably offer a trial version of the full games or something instead of a traditional demo.



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Xxain on 13 August 2013

The Lost Planet demo's on PSN have passionate communities...



Fusioncode on 13 August 2013
NintendoPie said:
"Now, of course I don't plan on playing a demo more than once or twice, as I'm sure most people don't."

- If a restriction doesn't really restrict anyone, is it even a real restriction?

A restriction is a restriction. I'm sure there are some people in the world that would play a demo more than 20 times. 



Sigs are dumb. And so are you!

mike_intellivision on 13 August 2013

A difference that makes no difference is no difference.

There are developers that show that any demo decreases sales. While I think that some of this anti-demo sentiment is exaggerated, I don't disagree that if you give people too much for free, they may not buy the product. There are WiiWare games that I played the demo extensively and never played.



      


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NintendoPie on 14 August 2013
Fusioncode said:

A restriction is a restriction. I'm sure there are some people in the world that would play a demo more than 20 times. 

Yes, I'm sure there will be that odd person out there that plays their demos 21+ times.

By the by, sorry for the bump.



winston000smith on 14 August 2013
anthony64641 said:


- I downloaded the demo for The Wonderful 101, and was surprised to find this message pop up telling me that I would only be allowed to run the demo 20 times. Now, of course I don't plan on playing a demo more than once or twice, as I'm sure most people don't. Which is why I find it so odd that Nintendo would put this restriction in place. If any game is good enough that I would play the demo more than 20 times, then I'll be buying it to play the full experience before ever getting to that point.


does this Restriction effect you?

The restriction effects me in this way. It just makes me think "Wow Nintendo, you really are stingey! You even impose a restriction on something which is highly unlikely for fear that someone, somewhere may get some joy from replaying one level multiple times, without paying SHOCK HORROR".

I find it embarrassing they would waste time imposing a limitation like this.

Especially when on 360 I have Wolf 3D, the original one, DEMO. Play as many times as I like, get my nostalgia fix, no need to buy. Hardcore fans of that game will buy it. No one is starving to death in a bus shelter because of me playing one level of Wolf 3D multiple times. 



Too much planning, and you'll never get anything done.

Karl Pilkington.