Sony Charging for PS3 Downloads?

[Darkmoon]

So I saw this, http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/...dable-content/ in another thread. It made me slightly annoyed since, well, I'm guessing those 360 exclusives for download are suddenly gonna get a lot bigger. Guess I'm gonna have to finally wire my 360 up to the laptop or something...

Also, is this the reason why I can't pay Bethesda extra money to get the ending to Fallout 3? Which is bullshit in and of itself, of course, but I'm doubly annoyed at not even having the option.

[Carnivol]

This is one of those dirty little Sony secrets that finally came out in the open now.

Basically, this is part of the reason why I say paying for a Gold subscription on the 360 is like paying taxes.


Basically, on the 360, all hosting/bandwidth is covered by the Gold subscribers, making it a non-issue in an economical sense for the publishers (All they have to worry about is the product to pass Microsoft's quality control/certification process.)


On the PS3, they not only have to pass it through Sony, but non-free DLC will always cost the publishers extra for the bandwidth it uses (and remember that once you've bought something, you're free to redownload it for all of eternity as long as it's on PSN.) Free DLC will only cost the publisher money the first couple of months, after that it'll be hosted for free by Sony. But the first couple of months is also where the biggest download strain is. However, depending on what your content is (Size, estimated download count, lasting appeal, etc...) and how big the title is (sales), it is possible to take advantage of this.

Capcom has already found a somewhat suitable way with the v1.02 patch for Resident Evil 5, which we can certainly and safely assume contains the main data for the Versus Mode DLC. So after 60-ish days, hosting of the patch will no longer cost Capcom money, and the bandwidth used by a simple License Key you purchase vs download the full DLC on purchase = huge. EA/Criterion has done this with Burnout Paradise, with the latest patches that contains all the new DLC cars and stuff.

Can imagine it's annoying to get the "phone bill" from Sony once a month (or whatever) charging you all sorts of random tiny fees (Sure, they should be manageable for most, but how will this stuff affect end users if a company decides not to pay? Or if they go bankrupt/Shut down? Is Sony THEN suddenly gonna step up, pretend to be heroes and say "They might be gone, but we'll host it for free now!", when they might've been part of the problem to begin with?


And after all that... to wrap it up short; yes, I'd say this is probably one of the reasons why you can't have the option of giving certain publishers/developers your money for extra content. Even in cases where it'd be entirely beneficial all the way, some people just don't want to deal with the insecurity of having to deal with tiny additional expenses in the long run.

[Umon Daisuke]

Also, is this the reason why I can't pay Bethesda extra money to get the ending to Fallout 3? Which is bullshit in and of itself, of course, but I'm doubly annoyed at not even having the option.

I doubt that, since no publisher will pass off getting an extra revenue even if there is a small cost attached. Fallout 3 wasn't internally developed, and I suppose it's not financially viable for them.

This is an SCEA fee too (as far as I know since my source was from a US publisher), so the other regions aren't affected. DLC's in Japan for example are still cheaper than those of on the 360, and if smaller publishers like Tecmo are still considering DLC's, I don't think the fees are that prohibitive unless the publisher is in shambles (such as Midway). Ironically, Midway did release the free Titan patch for UT3 recently so I can't think of any smaller publisher at the moment.

This is one of those dirty little Sony secrets that finally came out in the open now.

Basically, this is part of the reason why I say paying for a Gold subscription on the 360 is like paying taxes.

I've known about this since early Dec, so it's not exactly a secret nor is it dirty.

This is irking smaller publishers undoubtedly, but frankly, as a consumer who enjoys the occasional online game, I really don't care. I'd rather have the main service for free and let the publishers worry about the costs. Call them unnecessary taxes if you will.

But man, do you ever dramatize Game FAQs style

[Carnivol]

I've known about this since early Dec, so it's not exactly a secret nor is it dirty.

And many have known about it long before it even was anywhere near going into effect, but it's first now it's making headlines. 'cause someone actually bothered to write about it.

But man, do you ever dramatize Game FAQs style

Do elaborate.

[Umon Daisuke]

And many have known about it long before it even was anywhere near going into effect, but it's first now it's making headlines. 'cause someone actually bothered to write about it.

Yeah, the headline MTV blog, as I said, it's not a secret nor are publisher fees really considered dirty secrets.

Do elaborate.

The phone bill comparison and how those fees may play a factor in bankrupting a publisher. Oh, the horror

[Carnivol]

Yeah, the headline MTV blog, as I said, it's not a secret nor are publisher fees really considered dirty secrets.

It is what you would call a dirty secret when the end user/fan/supporter/spokesperson who may be affected by it is preaching about the failures and problems of a competing service.

Basically, the lack of attention it has had is like showing off both the shiny and dark side of an M$ and only the shiny side of the $ony. (Was that GameFAQs enough for you?)

The phone bill comparison and how those fees may play a factor in bankrupting a publisher. Oh, the horror

'cause talking in a way that most people understand is GameFAQs? Sure, then I'll keep speaking "GameFAQs" 'till the day I die. 'cause I seriously prefer it over people who gargle on a shitload of shit they, themselves, don't even have a clue what means.



As for being part of the problem, it is. *this is where I could've written a wall of text about the annoyance of having to deal with tracking of income/outcome, use of external staff or hire qualified personnel for boring time-consuming paperwork and so on, but just skipping it*

If you were part of a gang harassing and beating up someone, you can't come and say you didn't take part of it 'cause you only spat on the guy.

You're still part of the problem.

[Umon Daisuke]

Did I touch a nerve there Carn? Because your original post was better in explaining your point than the bizarre one that did the job, but sounded like it was written while you were in an acid induced state.

My point was going the extra mile by writing about the "dire" consequences in such detail, as unlikely as it may happen (yes, I said unlikely, you're not going to find Midway for example blame DLC fees as one of the reasons of their collapose).

Relax, or don't.

[Carnivol]

No idea how you read stuff, but comments like that makes it seem like you certainly only reply to troll and annoy people (and, of course, to paraphrase you and your GameFAQs expertize; to always have the "final say" in things or lay the ground so you can pull the GameFAQs/Final Say-card.)

[Umon Daisuke]

Great, so I'll watch every single sentence from now so it won't touch a nerve or two (like that Game FAQs comment)

That's just me having the final word though, and if it seems that I troll and annoy people around here from, you can do something about it as a staff member. Seriously.

[Helegad]

The crab is coming to take you away!

Seriously though, this is just revenue raising.