Part of the issue is what the money is used for. Buy a game you intend on keeping, that's a good $40+ spent. Subscribe to a service you're not completely addicted to, that's a waste of $25.
I still have Doom on my computer and I don't have to pay yearly subscription fees everytime I feel like digging it up to play through it again.
On the flip side, everytime a good service commits suicide by requiring their users to pay up, there's either other clone services already in existence or someone will create a new one to "further the cause", essentially. As long as users remain informed of the free alternatives, broadband sales won't be hard hit.
Just as Napster, Delphi, KaZaA, and the rest of these so-called "desperate" companies have shown, when it comes time to pay up, it's always easier on the consumer to just switch to another provider.
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Part of the issue is what the money is used for. Buy a game you intend on keeping, that's a good $40+ spent. Subscribe to a service you're not completely addicted to, that's a waste of $25.
I still have Doom on my computer and I don't have to pay yearly subscription fees everytime I feel like digging it up to play through it again.
On the flip side, everytime a good service commits suicide by requiring their users to pay up, there's either other clone services already in existence or someone will create a new one to "further the cause", essentially. As long as users remain informed of the free alternatives, broadband sales won't be hard hit.
Ahem, GameSpot, not GameSpy. AFAIK, GameSpy is still remaining free (and remains my choice).
*idles for a minute so that this ridiculous two-minute delay thing passes*
Just as Napster, Delphi, KaZaA, and the rest of these so-called "desperate" companies have shown, when it comes time to pay up, it's always easier on the consumer to just switch to another provider.
<a href="http://www.gamespy.com">GameSpy</a> anyone?