Slashdot Mirror
MS & Game Rentals
pin_gween writes "Technology News says Microsoft has entered an agreement with Exent to provide On-Demand Video Games. So far, only 6 Microsoft games are licensed to the on-demand service (which costs from US$4.95 to $14.95 a month for access to anywhere from 50 to 300 titles). MS titles are "Age of Empire," "Age of Mythology," "Dungeon Siege," "Mechwarrior," "Rise of Nations" and "Zoo Tycoon." Exent lured MS with the "the shelf life can be prolonged and create additional revenue for the publisher not generated by the retail channel"."
This is going to be like that Quake shareware CD, free games for everyone!
In the 90's there was a thing here called "SegaChannel" by the local cable company (Rogers). It was $30.00 a month, and you got access to about 50-100 games, that changed about half of them every month.
We need that back! It was probably the most value that I have ever gotten for my money to do with games. (excluding free)
Personally, I like "all-you-can-eat" models for entertainment, since I have a large appetite and a short attention span. First music, then video, and now games. Logical, but I have to give MS some credit for being the first to enter this space in a significant way.
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
I'd rather download a program via my broadband in a few minutes to an hour sometimes than go to a video rental store only to find the copy they said was available over the phone is not able to be found. However, the titles MS is offering leaves much to be desired.
I'm not very familiar with the Microsoft game line, but are not most or all of the games offered ones that there has been a follow-up sequel to? Might Microsoft not see this as a way to gain revenue while at the same time use an old version of a game to promote a newer version of the game? I noticed the obvious absence of the Microsoft "Train Simulator" here, the game that even beta testers reported in bug reports "Unable to have fun with this game" and suspect it's because there is no sequel (the game rapidly lost it's shelf space). So while other companies sometimes release an older title into the wild as a way to promote a newer version, Bill has decided to charge users a reoccuring monthly fee for people to receive such promotions of new games. Nothing new there from the way Microsoft normally views their customers.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I don't think Microsoft would spend so much advertising money on slashdot if it weren't doing some "good." It must be an effective use of their money. They must be getting some return on investment. Could it be (heresy of herisies!) that in spite of all the vocal and popular MS criticism, most slashdotters purchase microsoft products? I mean - we must be clicking on the little MS Visual Studio .NET ad by the thousands. And what percentage of us has really not bought MS products?? We must be both their worst enemy and their best friend.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" -Jesus (John 14:6)
Oh lord, here we go again. Do you not understand that this site was started by a Linux enthusiast and continues to be part of an Open Source network of sites? Microsoft has their own forums. Don't like the way MS is portrayed here, then go there. Because I'm pretty sure I can go to any pro-Microsoft forum and read all kinds of anti-Open Source diatribes there. So grow up or move on.
Most of the time I finish a game I never play it again. Most of the movies I watch I never watch again.
I think a subscription business model for video games and movies is a good idea. You can always buy the ones you want to play over and over...
That said, I don't think the retailers have anything to worry about immediately, as you'd have to be an idiot to pay $14.95 a month to rent a game you can buy for $20.00.
I just bought a copy of Dungeon Siege, which included the Legends of Aranna expansion pack, for $20.00 at Fry's. Not only do I own the damn thing and not get dunned every month, but I also don't have to install some insidious piece of spyware/copy-protection enforcement sh*t which phones home reporting my usage and any other damn thing they "need" to know about. Mechwarrior 4 can also be found on the cheap rack for $20.00. And if you really want an amazing bargain, grab Loki's Descent 3 for $4.95, which includes the Mercenary expansion pack.
This is a really, really dumb idea.
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
"It's just another baby step toward the death of retail, that glorious day when we're not paying $20 for a box and $20 for a game. Instead, we'll probably just be paying $40 for just the game, but at least it'll go into the developers' pockets rather than a publisher."
Yeah that's what Microsoft, as a publisher, is trying to do. I do hope he is right though as a developer.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
Wow Bill looks old in that picture... He's turning 50 in October but I'd think someone that rich wouldn't be showing their age that much.
Apple doesn't do open source? Don't tell the Open Darwin folks, or the KHTML folks, or.... No, they don't produce ONLY OSS software, but they definately give back to the community. Oh yeah... they also aren't convicted anti-competative monopolists. Got any more examples? IBM? They're on here weekly for giving code to the OSS movement. SCO? We only bash them too. Most of us don't hate Microsoft because they don't write OSS code... we hate them because they're anti-competative and do illegal and immoral things.
Jeremy Logan's Website.