The return of bundles

[goddog]

I welcome the return of bundles, after their demise during the original playstation era (yes i know most 64 units came bundled). Yes i know certain games have limited runs of packins, and holidays have seen retailers bundle. however this generation saw the return of permanent bundles by Nintendo, and seasonal bundling by microsoft (which due to channel stuffing lasts almost to summer for them)  Sony has aggressively bundled various games in the release catalog.

I hope this trend continues, and it becomes common place for all consoles sold to have at least one full retail game bundled in with them. This tactic value adds to the console, and helps parents, and relatives whatever find full gifts  for their children without the problem of providing a gift with nothing to do with it (much like the crime of forgetting batteries). On top of this it builds good will with the consumer, seen as a freebee that the monolithic corporation gifts to you when you buy their product.

The negative impact on sales and revenues can be blunted if they choose to use first party games, or as nintendo has choose to do pack in games that are developed as demos of the potential of the console, the key for these though is they must be fun. these pack ins are generally the first game someone will play, and unlike  a consumer buying a random game off the shelf, a company can make sure this first impression is good. they do not have to show off high end, they do not have to be AAA, they must also be a teen rating or less.  more adult bundles have a limited  more limited audience, and that type of bundle is best for the launch of games. over all if done well, these packins, can lead to higher over all game sales if they generate a good first experience.

the games that have been packed in with the arcade/core, do not strike me as a proper pack in, but are a nice gate way into the online community, mainly a ploy to get these users into ive, and to buy an hd... nice for  accessory sales, but will not help move real software. these types of pack ins should be supplemented 

For now  The return of pack ins has done well, but it needs to be pushed further into a year round practice for both sony and microsoft. there should be a standard pack in, and  if the company chooses special promo pack ins for larger games. This movement to the return of pack ins will help the health and image of the industry with  prospective parents, new buyers, and lapsed console gamers.