Studies have shown that American (and other western) gamers favor larger transactions, like $10 DLC or large "packs" offering a multitude of additional content. Asian gamers, on the other hand, love microtransactions. EA doesn't get it yet, of course. They're always behind, struggling to catch up.
The reason for this is that most western consumers simply like to buy something and be done with it. Nobody likes to think about buying more little things here or there - Asian consumers do, for some reason, cultural differences. I don't want to feel like I'm limited because I wasn't willing to buy enough stuff. Give me my game and let me play it. Don't remind me of what I don't have. This is why people don't like microtransactions and would rather pay for ALL the extra content in one pack and not have to be bothered about it again.
In the future, be prepared to see many games with little functionality offered as "free" when in reality you have to pay to unlock most of the game's features - but a one-time payment, similar to purchasing the game. Additional DLC may follow. However, there are no (or very few/inconsequential) microtransactions. The "free" game is little more than a demo in disguise. If Ouya catches on, expect this to become common sooner.
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