DLC: Blessing or a Curse

[Momiji]

Also Mommiji, can I ask what the hell in gods name are you doing to go through so many xbox 360 consoles? I'm still using my first one the old 20gb I brought time ago.

Getting off topic, but it's called Microsoft poorly designing a console and then replacing broken ones with refurbished ones because actually giving you a console that stands a chance of working for more than a year or two to replace your broken one would cost too much. But hey, at least you get a nifty three year warranty for when it almost inevitably breaks again.

Nope, just a three-month warranty since the issue isn't the RRoD. Conventiently, almost too conveniently, they break down again within said three months.

The problem is always, always, always an error when it comes to reading discs. The system will turn on and take me straight to the dashboard, as usual-- but the discs will not read. You can open the tray, close it, and it says it's reading, and then it'll just go straight back to 'Open Tray' again. You can repeat this for over an hour and it might possibly work, but that's not good enough. My NES is over 20 years old, and it works as if it was brand new. I take very good care of my consoles, and I have never, ever been so dissatisfied with a video game console in my life.


There's no obvious reason as to why this happens, either. Over time, my dad and I have a small collection of 360 consoles in the house-- 4 in all. There's our first console-- an Elite--purchased two years ago. This one has been sent in 10 times now. True, my dad plays it for hours and hours every day. Then there's my first console, an Arcade model. Since there was a time where I didn't play 360 games for a long while (a few months), I didn't know it was failing. One day I happened to turn it on, and the error started. However, we couldn't send this one in since it was past its warranty. We had no choice but to just stuff it away in a closet. Then my dad got fed up with waiting for the Elite to come back fixed, so he bought a second console-- an Arcade model. He used this until the Elite came back, and then gave it to me. Then my brother got his own 360 as well. There's 4.

I rarely play games on my 360. Once I got Mushihimesama Futari last month, I've played maybe, maybe 5 hours a week. It's now got the bull error, and I have to wait for Micro to send me a box so they can give me another refurbished console to smurf up in three months. My brother's 360 is doing the same, but he and my dad play a significant amount more than me. The Elite has been shipped in yet again, and my dad happened to pull out the 360 that has been sitting in the closet ('I'm going to intentionally RRoD this one so I can send it in and get a guaranteed 3-year warranty!')-- believe it or not, it worked, but he refuses to shut it off now in case it messes up like all the others.

So yeah. I'd have converted to PS3dom a long time ago, but it doesn't really have any games that interest me. The 360 has pretty much all of the interesting arcade games this generation, so I've been sticking with it. I just wish Micro would give us the kind of service we've given them.

[Slothy]

I've heard some 360 horror stories in my day, but sweet Zombie Jesus...

Even if the system was the only one with the games I wanted I'm pretty sure I would have told Microsoft to shove it and took up knitting long before I got as far as you have.

[Quindiana Jones]

Although I think Microsoft are kinda ty, I'm gonna stand up a little for them here. My 360 broke after about a year: RRoD. I called and they told me what to do. I had to get my own box and stuff (which is kinda lame considering they said that they could send me one, but whatever) and sent it off. It returned less than two weeks later and has currently been working quite perfectly for about 18 months.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Personally I hate DLC, primarily because of what it stands for; a way of demolishing user-created content for games in favour of continued shilling for games companies too lazy to make truly original content. During my lifetime I've seen many games go from open-source projects with an encourage on user created content, to a "get in the big bucks" system that disregards the user in favour of increased profits. Yes, I get that it's good for the companies from a profit point of view, but so is overpricing oil for petrol companies. Just because something is beneficial for a company doesn't mean it's benefits trickle down into the user base, nor should we all necessarily fall in line with a "well I don't have to buy the DLC". Such reasoning is utter crap, because none of us need to buy games in the first place. Considering that it's a hobbyist pursuit to begin with justifying effectively doubling the price of a game for 1/3rd of the content (for example the entirety of the DLC for Fallout 3 combined costs more than the original game with only a fraction of the content the original game has to offer) to me seems ridiculous. Essentially the consumers are being sold mutton dressed as lamb, which we know is mutton but collectively we've decided to call it lamb, because we never get lamb that often so we should be bloody well thankful when it does come along. Well it's not lamb is it; it's mutton. Overpriced mutton.

[Momiji]

Well, I just got off the phone with my dad. He said he spent 133 minutes talking to 4 different MS associates, and was demanding for something to be done.

The result was an 'unlimited' extension of all 4 systems' warranties. Pretty neat, but I really wish it didn't have to come to this-- and who knows how long it will truly last-- the duration is still entirely up to Microsoft's decision. Microsoft is lucky they have all the games that interest me, or they'd never have my business in that department ever again.

[Slothy]

Personally I hate DLC, primarily because of what it stands for; a way of demolishing user-created content for games in favour of continued shilling for games companies too lazy to make truly original content.

Let's be perfectly fair here: with the sole exception of Little Big Planet (and even that's not the type of user created content I'm pretty sure you're getting at), user created content has never been a significant factor in console gaming, nor will it ever be in the same way it is on PC. Kind of tough to demolish something that didn't exist in the first place. You may have an argument in terms of the PC market as the lack of dedicated servers in Modern Warfare 2 demonstrates, but even then, it's a small argument as many developers and publishers not named Activision generally still support it.

nor should we all necessarily fall in line with a "well I don't have to buy the DLC". Such reasoning is utter crap, because none of us need to buy games in the first place.

The reasoning isn't utter crap. No we don't have to buy any game or it's DLC, but we like to, and more importantly, developers and publishers like it when the stuff they release sells. If you think one is trying to rip you and other consumers off then don't buy it, and tell everyone you can why you feel it isn't worth it. If enough people vote with their wallets then companies will either give up on DLC or stop trying to rip people off.

Even still, it's all about what people think the stuff is worth. The DLC for Fallout 3 might cost more than the game itself for dramatically less content, but many may simply feel that for what the original game cost they got far more than what they paid, making them more willing to pay for the DLC. And keep in mind that like any product, DLC prices tend to come down over time, so while you may not think it's worth it now, it could be half price in a year or so. Let those who actually think it's worth the release price pay it while you wait for a more reasonable price to purchase it.

[Iceglow]

Ok on the case of Fallout 3, I'd almost agree with this but here look at the maths based on the prices from my work at HMV:

Release price on 360 console: £44.99
Current price on 360 console: £19.99 in a two for £30.00 offer
Cost of each dlc package on 360 in points: 800 points each pack
Total cost of DLC packages (operation anchorage, the pitt, broken steel, point lookout and mothership zeta) in points: 4000 points
Cost of each microsoft xbl point: 500 for £4.75 I make that 105 points per £1.00 but with rounding we could say 500 points is £5 so 1 point a penny.
Cost of each package: £8.00 rounded though closer to £7.50 without the rounding
Total cost of dlc in £ sterling: £40.00 rounded, £35.00 or thereabouts not rounded.

Looking at that maths it does seem terribly expensive however consider this: Fallout 3 GOTY edition comes with a second disc containing all DLC £34.99

So if you're that deeply unhappy with the cost of the DLC buy or trade in towards a copy of the GOTY edition which comes with all of the DLC and the main game disc for essentially free with it. If you know someone interested in the Fallout 3 game without it convince them to buy the GOTY edition because you can just borrow their DLC installation disc and it'll work I know, I done it :P

[Bolivar]

From what I've heard, you can only re-license once a year though-- which is kind of pointless when it's been sent in approximately 5-6 times in the last year.

This is one thing I love about PSN, being able to share all content attached to a username on up to 5 machines.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Ok on the case of Fallout 3, I'd almost agree with this but here look at the maths based on the prices from my work at HMV:

Release price on 360 console: £44.99
Current price on 360 console: £19.99 in a two for £30.00 offer
Cost of each dlc package on 360 in points: 800 points each pack
Total cost of DLC packages (operation anchorage, the pitt, broken steel, point lookout and mothership zeta) in points: 4000 points
Cost of each microsoft xbl point: 500 for £4.75 I make that 105 points per £1.00 but with rounding we could say 500 points is £5 so 1 point a penny.
Cost of each package: £8.00 rounded though closer to £7.50 without the rounding
Total cost of dlc in £ sterling: £40.00 rounded, £35.00 or thereabouts not rounded.

Looking at that maths it does seem terribly expensive however consider this: Fallout 3 GOTY edition comes with a second disc containing all DLC £34.99

So if you're that deeply unhappy with the cost of the DLC buy or trade in towards a copy of the GOTY edition which comes with all of the DLC and the main game disc for essentially free with it. If you know someone interested in the Fallout 3 game without it convince them to buy the GOTY edition because you can just borrow their DLC installation disc and it'll work I know, I done it :P

I'm so getting GOTY edition.

[NeoCracker]

That GotY thing is a pretty bad argument in all honesty. A lot of people bought the DLC as it came out, as well as Fall Out 3. It wasn't until recently you could get that much for that price, where as originally you couldn't have done it, and instead had to pay out all the extra money for it.

And you can't really just say they should have held out and waited for that edition, cause if no one bought the first release of FO3 or any of it's expansions, that edition wouldn't exists, so someone is paying out a but load of money.

I am still in favor of DLC however, though they need to work on the pricing of it.

[Shoeberto]

I think Fallout 3 did DLC the best because each part was like a mini expansion pack, priced appropriately. When you add it all together it's like getting a full expansion for about the price of one. As a PC gamer, I'm fully used to this idea.

Some games do it really poorly though. However I think it's mostly a result of it being a new market and both business people and developers still trying to work out the kinks on how to approach it.

[Slothy]

And you can't really just say they should have held out and waited for that edition, cause if no one bought the first release of FO3 or any of it's expansions, that edition wouldn't exists, so someone is paying out a but load of money.

Of course someone's going to pay out a buttload of money for this stuff as it comes out, but if you're concerned about value there's no reason you can't wait for the GOTY edition (which given Bethesda's history we all knew was coming in a year anyway). Keep in mind too that if no one was buying the DLC, they'd just lower the price anyway. It's not like they'll pull what's out there entirely.

[NorthernChaosGod]

And you can't really just say they should have held out and waited for that edition, cause if no one bought the first release of FO3 or any of it's expansions, that edition wouldn't exists, so someone is paying out a but load of money.

Of course someone's going to pay out a buttload of money for this stuff as it comes out, but if you're concerned about value there's no reason you can't wait for the GOTY edition (which given Bethesda's history we all knew was coming in a year anyway). Keep in mind too that if no one was buying the DLC, they'd just lower the price anyway. It's not like they'll pull what's out there entirely.

I think he's arguing from a general sense and not just about him specifically, which makes sense; you're getting people paying inflated prices for things.

[NeoCracker]

And you can't really just say they should have held out and waited for that edition, cause if no one bought the first release of FO3 or any of it's expansions, that edition wouldn't exists, so someone is paying out a but load of money.

Of course someone's going to pay out a buttload of money for this stuff as it comes out, but if you're concerned about value there's no reason you can't wait for the GOTY edition (which given Bethesda's history we all knew was coming in a year anyway). Keep in mind too that if no one was buying the DLC, they'd just lower the price anyway. It's not like they'll pull what's out there entirely.

I think he's arguing from a general sense and not just about him specifically, which makes sense; you're getting people paying inflated prices for things.

Yeah. This.

[Slothy]

I think he's arguing from a general sense and not just about him specifically, which makes sense; you're getting people paying inflated prices for things.

Even still, the price is only inflated if a person thinks it's inflated. Obviously a lot of people think they get their money's worth from this stuff whether it costs more than the original game for less or not.