naznatips said: disolitude said: Interesting. This kind of service is what microsoft will gun for on their next system for sure. They better give me more than 20 gigs to work with if they do :) No, Microsoft won't.  No console will.  It's unfortunately not even an option for consoles.  Retailers make no money on console hardware, and the only reason they stock them is that they know people will buy games as well.  If a console ever tried to go pure digital distribution, it would lose retail support.  Especially from Gamestop, who thrives off used game sales.  Something they wouldn't get from a digital distribution console.   This is what separates consoles from PCs in the future.  The method of sales.  PC gaming is an internet community at its heart, and that's why something like Steam works.  It doesn't hurt the PC industry for things to go mostly digital.  Even the most internet connected console (the 360) has a miniscule online player-base compared to the PC.  While consoles may advance to full games on digital distribution, they will never be digital focused or have all games on such a service.  Hard copies of games are a necessity for consoles.

So screw the game retailers on software and just sell the hardware a bit more profitable through broader electronic stores?

Naz, a console wouldn't have to go exclusively digital distribution to have a Steam-like service. It's not like Steam is the only method to obtain PC games. Those same games can still be picked up at retail locations. The same could be true for a console. The same way Sony gives you the option to purchase a digital copy of GT5 Prologue and Warhawk or go to the store for a purchase, an entire service could go up for consoles to give the option for the entire catalog. It wouldn't cut anyone out, like Wal-Mart or Gamestop.

what makes gt5p and warhawk work is they aren't big games. Its less than a 2 gig download for both I believe. Even on my relatively slow internet (1.5mbps) I can download that in a relatively short time.

cwbys21 said: what makes gt5p and warhawk work is they aren't big games. Its less than a 2 gig download for both I believe. Even on my relatively slow internet (1.5mbps) I can download that in a relatively short time.

That wasn't the point I was trying to make though. It was being argued in this thread that a Steam-like service or a boxed retail service couldn't exist for console games, and I said both could co-exist the same way PC boxed games and Steam games co-exist. I undestand there are speed limitations for some, but that's why those with higher speeds can benefit from something like this, and everyone else can simply go to their local store and pick games up.

Also consider this wouldn't take place until possibly the next iteration of consoles, and there will be plenty of time for more internet users and faster speeds to be available to some that are left out in the cold right now. All it does is leave options open. It expands the possible market.

A downloadable service could even offer games $5 cheaper than stores do to help it along, since packaging isn't a worry.

The console could allow the user to download a game and play any other owned game simultaneously so even if the DL times are long, your console doesn't need to sit stagnant while the process is going on.

 

Mark Rein had a big grin of his face when he mentioned UT3 sales on Steam

piracy is good for us but not for the other companies

Onyxmeth, PC hard copy and Steam sales are not coexisting. Steam is killing PC retail software sales. As steam sales increase, retail sales decrease. This is easily evident in NPD numbers. Also, poor software sales can kill retail support too. Remember Best Buy was threatening to drop the PSP last year for poor software sales.

just to mention that Epic dropped the prices on Steam:

UT3 is now only $29.95! ($20 price drop)

Unreal Deal Pack is now just $44.95! ($15 price drop)

naznatips said: Onyxmeth, PC hard copy and Steam sales are not coexisting. Steam is killing PC retail software sales. As steam sales increase, retail sales decrease. This is easily evident in NPD numbers. Also, poor software sales can kill retail support too. Remember Best Buy was threatening to drop the PSP last year for poor software sales.

Piracy plays a big part in the demise of boxed product on PC also which isn't nearly as large an issue for consoles. This also ties into the PSP comment as it's very heavily affected by piracy as opposed to the three consoles and DS handheld. I wasn't trying to point out that a co-existing system would work, as no one could possibly see it in foresight. I was just pointing out that everyone arguing was taking one side and not realizing that there could be a middle ground of a downloadable service and boxed product in stores.

 

the ds is as easily pirated as the psp is. look up the r4