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Sony Pondering Downloadable Game Rental Service For the PSP
Joystiq has brought attention to a recent survey commissioned by Sony to gauge interest in a rental service for PSP games that would operate by downloading the games to the console. The plan, as Sony puts it, "will enable you to download a fixed number of games during your subscription period ... you will be able to change the games you have chosen for the download once your subscription term renews." The survey goes on to gather opinions on various details such as pricing, the number of available games, and how games are added to the catalogue.
I just wonder what sort of pricing structure you'd need to justify that.
Physicist, consultant, science communicator
I smell a scheme that will end up causing many gamers to pay more than what they would if they were to buy the game. It would be better if you could 'buy' the game rather than 'rent' it. If you want to try a game, you check out the demo before making a decision. Or am I reading this wrong?
Also, what will their method of dealing with data loss, etc? Just what will the prices be, compared to going down to your local store? I personally like the idea of having a disk, as I can lend it to a friend if they're interested in the game, or trade it in to GameStop, EB Games, etc and recoup some of the money I spent on it, so that lessens the merit of the service for me.
And then, how long will it take to download a full game? Speaking from experience in the Xbox Live Marketplace, speeds can be agonizingly slow.
I mean, it sounds like an idea that could have great potential, but I wouldn't be jumping for joy until the details have been finalized and released to the public.
Our culture doesn't get smarter, it just finds new ways of being retarded.
Sounds awesome, but surely this is a risky sort of business move for game designers?
Video games first appeared as coin-operated machines, and the arcade model isn't too different from the rental model. Nor is the MMORPG monthly fee model much different from the rental model.
Whilst I quite like my PSP (running custom firmware), the one thing that it is pretty poor is at providing games which you can pick up for 10 minutes and play.
Every game I have seems to want you to dedicate at least 30-40 minutes on it. This might not be a long problem for long trips, but for whiling away 20 minutes on a bus journey isn't going to work.
Downloadable content may be able to resolve this issue although my gut feel is that, based on the way I play the portable, I probably should have got a DS.
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Can someone tell me the difference between a "rented" downloaded videogame, and a DRM that prevents you from playing when you don't pay?
I don't mean to bash, but from a technical viewpoint I don't see anything new, or that will be easy to get through the /. crowd.
I wonder: who's interested in this kind of throw-away gaming? I like to buy games for the sake of playing them over a long period of time. I still have my GameGear and all of my games for it.
You can relax, it was just the Oedipal voice of your father in your head. No one out here heard it. (Well, if they did, they didn't care enough to post.)
I can't see this model working well. There's only a handful of games that are "decent" on the PSP. There might be some good titles trickling out this year. But this would likely work for some when the newer revision of the PSP comes out that does not have the UMD Drive.
... like the kind of idea that I've been suggesting the PC games market adopt in order to counter the rampant piracy.
THE HONOUR OF THE KNIGHTS - CC Licensed Sci-Fi Novel
The PS3 will get the same thing for it's PSN games. I've have no issues with paying £5 a month to rent a handful of games. The reason I don't play most of the games on there is that there are no demos and I can't get a refund if they're shit. £5 or £50 a year would be a bargain in my eyes.
THE HONOUR OF THE KNIGHTS - CC Licensed Sci-Fi Novel
I've been waiting for this to hit the gaming industry for a while now. If you sit down and really think about it, this has the potential to save people a lot of money.
Look at Rhapsody, for example. $14.99 a month for their "to go" subscription. That plus a compatible portable player buys you access to 99% of their library. There are still a few assholes who won't let you have a few of their songs without buying them outright but we ignore those folks.
Where's the "good" math on this? Think about it. Let's say you have one of those fancy 30,000 song iPods. Indeed, if you bought individual songs from iTunes, it would cost you $29,700 to "fill" it up. Less if you bought full albums or had a few CDs in your collection to rip first. I'm going to take piracy out of the equation here because I'm trying to make an argument for legitimacy and honestly on the part of the individual consumer.
Now, look at Rhapsody. If you spent $29,700 on their "to go" plan at 14.99 a month, that would buy you a subscription good for 1981.32 months to access all current and future releases. That's 165.11 years. I doubt any of us are going to be alive that long, let alone be in full command of our ability to hear.
I use Rhapsody as an example because it should be a business model the gaming industry adopts. Imagine paying a flat fee...let's be generous and say $49.99 a month since, like Rhapsody, we want the subscription price to be a median of what one physical unit might cost. Most games are $50 to $60 new much as most CDs are anywhere from $15 to $20 new. What would that $49.99 a month get you? Again, unlimited access to the library of either Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo...depending on who's console you have.
I'd say this would be perfectly profitable for the industry. They would draw in a whole new audience this way. The prospect of only having to pay that one fixed price would be so appealing that I have to think money would be made left and right on the deal. Instead of a million gamers buying a dozen games a year (maybe about $600 a person in spendings), you suddenly have 20 million gamers paying you $600 a year. I call that profit.
I'm wondering how long it will be before Amazon catches on to this and goes to the publishers to hash out an all-you-can-eat deal with them as well. I'd gladly fork over $20-$30 a month to read all I can. Sure, I could go to the library for free but Amazon is in a unique position to offer their customers the entire literary world.
Some people don't like the idea of not "owning" anything. I have a friend who is very much against digital distribution. I ask him, however, what "owning" really means and how it's made his life better. Is having a game or a book or a CD that you listen to a few times and then forget about for years really that much more appealing? Seriously? Sounds to me like throwing away money.
Let's talk about the environment. Digital distribution helps out here as well. Imagine...no more packaging. No plastic disc cases, no plastic wrap, no paper manuals. Imagine the savings there...both to nature and your wallet.
I'm not saying this is all going to happen over night, but if you do the math and also look at our "on demand" society, I think you'll agree this is the direction we're headed...it's all about who is going to get their feet wet first.
For the right price, and the right games, I'd go for this. I currently buy a $60 game and play it for -maybe- a week. I can count on 1 hand the games I've played longer than that in the last 5 years.
Currently, my solution to this is GameFly. But even then... My GF account has gone largely unused for the past 3 or 4 months. There's just -nothing- I care about right now and I'm renting a few old games that I might play once and send back.
I guess what I'm saying is that this would work not because it's a great idea, but because the game industry is in a slump right now. Heck, I've had more fun with FreeRealms lately than anything since Fallout 3.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
You'd be surprised how very incredibly slow download services start seeming when you live in a country with affordable 20/20 FTTH.
What country, and how hard is it for a U.S. resident to immigrate?
I know I would hate suspending my games of Lumines (the first game I bought) because it was a lot harder to jump back in at the faster paces of later levels.
The problem with such games is that they need to kick the game into high gear faster. If I were making it, I'd have the speed in single-skin mode increase about five times faster, so that there isn't as much time to sit and make single color bonuses over and over.
By introducing new services, Sony may force you to download a new firmware which make your "homebrew" software inoperable. (The new ones have special motherboard that made installing custom firmware impossible).
Look what we have from Sony: Special AIBO memory sticks, New PSP motherboards, and BMG rootkits. What else do we need from them?
New Economic Perspectives
I don't want a PSP and never will own one. When I travel (like a did for three hours to and from Manhattan for work yesterday) I read and prepare notes for work (journalist for a living) or read non-fiction works.
The second PSP games become downloadable at the PSN store and playable on the PS3 I can see myself shelling out money for at least ten games that I've kept track of since the PSP's launch.
I don't care if the games are low-resolution, just allow me to play them in a window on my HDTV. I know the PSP has an add-on that allows it to be hooked to a TV with component video cables anyways.
Think outside the box Sony.
Currently, if you want to download a game DEMO to your PSP it's easy.
;p
Just connect to the store through your PSP and download it, then start playing.
On the other hand, if you want to download a full Game, things get different.
You can do one of two things. First, you can use your PS3 to download the game from the online store, then use the PS3 to transfer it to your PSP, then play.
Second method. Use your computer to go to the online store, and download the game. Then put it on a portable media (like a sony memory stick duo) and use that to transfer it to your PS3, then transfer it from the PS3 to your PSP. Finally you can play it on your PSP.
So basically, Sony wants you to buy $400 dollar peripheral (the playstation 3), to be able to play online purchased and downloaded games on your Playstation Portable, that is already fully capable of downloading things off the internet...
Now the article doesn't specifically state if those 'rental' games will use the current stupid system, or if they'll use the same rational one currently only being used for demos. Though considering Sony's past customer care, I'm betting it's not the intelligent choice.
Personally, I love my PSP. And there are a lot of games I'd be willing to purchase for download. But I don't have a PS3, nor do I have the money or inclination to purchase one. It just doesn't have enough software I want to justify that price. And to buy one just to be able to get those games for my PSP is not only absurd, it's an insult and completely against the concept of the handheld! There is a reason the second P stands for Portable.
Ok, enough ranting. You may resume your regularly scheduled whatever.
Didn't Sony say just a few days ago that "nothing good came from the internet"?
Are they planning on changing their view of the internet, or are they out to prove their claim to be valid? Answers next year!
I would sign up for this. Most games I play have little to no replay value, such as RPGs, action/adventure. Even Loco Roco I thought I would go back to, but I don't. For me game rental is cheaper per game and per unit time. The download bit is even better since the main disadvantage with Gamefly is availability and the real mail round trip.
They've been able to offer rentals for a looong time, but just haven't done so.
If you check the information on your PSN downloads (hit triangle and choose information you see fields that say:
Starts: (when you bought it)
Expires ( just has a "-")
Hours Left (Which says currently "No Time Limit")
Same goes for the PS3.
It sounds as if the game industry is following the media, cable, internet and other communication industries into a fixed monthly cost payment structure.