That's what 700k subscribers gets you, not counting the retail sale price and assuming a $15 a month fee. Consider the buy in (half of $50 at retail minus the first free month) and you are looking at another $7mil. So for around $138 mill, you are saying you can't make and administer a quality game?
Even with 400k left, that's still $72mil plus the $7mil buy in.
Asheron's Call actually did this very well. They had a new story line roll out on a monthly basis and there were things to be discovered by people of all levels. Even the MAJOR tasks were so hard (killing a certain dev controlled MOB) that they often required pretty much everyone on the server to be taking shots at the the mob (and some characters DEFENDED the mob!)
Despite it's flaws, at it's peak, AC was about the best MMO out there.
I think the idea is 'who cares about the super hard core players?' - why cater to a small minority. Besides, they will find something to do, like PvP, that needs no dev content.
"I still have no decent internet connection at home with which to play this game."
You know, I realize that Blizzard has really bent over backwards to make this game compatible with older computers and somewhat slower interenet connections, but maybe you need to take some responsibility for your inability to have a 21st century internets.
On the flip side, this premium is a little more fair since you CAN earn it yourself, as oppose to unique items you can ONLY get through joining early or by paying someone who has.
Things change. So do public perceptions. The public will come to see it's music choices as such:
1) Pirate and risk jail (minimal risk) - but getting all the music you want.
2) Pay a small fee a month and get all the music you want each month, along with some really nice management and catalog tools and pretty high quality audio.
3) Pay $1 for each song you want to own forever but you can only play it on your Ipod or burn it to a CD and then have to do some funky re-ripping to get rid of the DRM.
At the end of the day, option two is going to win out. And if you even have to think twice about paying $13-15 a month for a music subscription, you're not a relevant part of the market anyway.
Making Ipods not play other music formats would hurt their Ipod sales since you can't load it with all your stolen music.
Steve Jobs wrong. I want to rent my music. Real has around a few million subscribers, Napster has 700k. I asked an Ipod user if he would pay $150 a year for unlimited music on Itunes and he said yes.
If it existed to just sell hardware, they would introduce a subscription model so that everyone who wanted to use it would need a new Ipod and so that they can start to REALLY make money on the store as well as the Ipods.
It's pretty typical for a console manufacturer to require approval before releasing content. I know MS (and probably Sony) have internal quality control that must be passed.
Slashdot Mirror
Even with 400k left, that's still $72mil plus the $7mil buy in.
That.... would be awesome.
It's not called 'ripping off,' it's called 'embracing and extending.'
That's a great idea for an ironic T-shirt. I will pass it on to one of the people I know who has an ironic T-shirt company.
So it's not a tag, it's a political statement.
Tags on slashdot are non-functional. They are like the new joke, the new 'from the xxx dept' line.
booo effin hooo.
But isn't that discomfort - appealing? Like the rush you get from eating spicy foods? Or putting your penis in a shop vac?
If you really want to know, the best answers are found in reading her novels.
Hand delivered? Really?
And I was told internets in the us were teh suxors.
Despite it's flaws, at it's peak, AC was about the best MMO out there.
I think the idea is 'who cares about the super hard core players?' - why cater to a small minority. Besides, they will find something to do, like PvP, that needs no dev content.
A/S/L?
You know, I realize that Blizzard has really bent over backwards to make this game compatible with older computers and somewhat slower interenet connections, but maybe you need to take some responsibility for your inability to have a 21st century internets.
Really? Yahtzee didn't even mention the word 'DRM,' and neither did several other online reviews.
You left out the 'stupid customers on whom all of this depends who buy the shovelware despite the abundance of negative reviews' from the equation.
The issue is that they appear to be so incredibly stupid that they seem like an artist - maybe one who worked for Bungie - did it as a 4chan joke.
Those shots look stupid and fake. I think someone was having a laugh.
If not for bitching and whining, there would be no comment section on slashdot.
On the flip side, this premium is a little more fair since you CAN earn it yourself, as oppose to unique items you can ONLY get through joining early or by paying someone who has.
1) Pirate and risk jail (minimal risk) - but getting all the music you want.
2) Pay a small fee a month and get all the music you want each month, along with some really nice management and catalog tools and pretty high quality audio.
3) Pay $1 for each song you want to own forever but you can only play it on your Ipod or burn it to a CD and then have to do some funky re-ripping to get rid of the DRM.
At the end of the day, option two is going to win out. And if you even have to think twice about paying $13-15 a month for a music subscription, you're not a relevant part of the market anyway.
Steve Jobs wrong. I want to rent my music. Real has around a few million subscribers, Napster has 700k. I asked an Ipod user if he would pay $150 a year for unlimited music on Itunes and he said yes.
If it existed to just sell hardware, they would introduce a subscription model so that everyone who wanted to use it would need a new Ipod and so that they can start to REALLY make money on the store as well as the Ipods.
It's pretty typical for a console manufacturer to require approval before releasing content. I know MS (and probably Sony) have internal quality control that must be passed.