Lot of people asked for better deals on our digital marketplace, so we’re testing some…
— Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) February 17, 2014
Microsoft has decided to test the digital waters by offering digital titles for digitally cheaper. BOOM. (That makes sense, right?)
Ryse: Son of Rome is the first guinea pig, being offered digitally for $39.99 beginning February 18th. Apparently the price will jump back up to $60 on the 26th, so get that bad boy while it’s hot!
There really isn’t much more to say, and I don’t want to, uh…what’s that saying… squeeze blood out of a turnip here (ew) but, dammit, this is how it should be. If a title is being offered digitally it only makes sense that the price tag is a bit less than a physical copy. After all, the consumer who’s buying digital isn’t “having to” cover the cost to produce the packaging and all that. Admittedly I have *no* idea how much that actually costs the publishers, but nonetheless it seems like a fair trade off.
As for me, I’ll continue to purchase my physical copies because hoarderism.
I really hope this becomes a trend. Given that we aren’t paying for any physical material and aren’t contributing to manufacturing costs, one would hope they pass some of the savings on to the consumer. Now get on that, PS4.
*sigh* digital only media makes me sad. It takes power away from the consumer and gives it to the corporation. Instead of releasing a disc, cartridge, or book into the wild and seeing how it sells and letting the market decide what that item is worth they can just state what it is worth in their digital marketplace. There is also the issue of licensing versus owning a product. I feel they should make that distinction clearer to the general consumer and bite that bad marketing bullet.
Plus showing a digital collection to my friends doesn’t satisfy my collecting itch at all. :(
Okay stepping off my high horse now. I do see the good side of digital media. Lower production costs, easier distribution, general consumer convenience, etc. It just depresses me a little since it’s messing with a hobby I really enjoy.