3 ms·

$400 for a current console and $60 or so for a recent game. Assuming you buy the next gen after 3 years or so there's quite a budget invested in the gamer's par

$400 for a current console and $60 or so for a recent game. Assuming you buy the next gen after 3 years or so there's quite a budget invested in the gamer's part - a streaming service at maybe $20/month that gives you access to recent titles doesn't look that bad in comparison.

Krasnol 8y ago
So what would be the businesses incentive here? It's not like we're talking about charity here. I have the feeling this is peak microtransaction. They've found out that people are likely to spend small amounts over time then one big sum at once and now you don't even own the game. It became the microtransaction.
root_axis 8y ago
Even with a very conservative 3 year lifespan of a console (5 years is closer to reality) 20 dollars a month over 3 years is 700+ dollars and at the end of the day you don't own anything. It seems like a pretty bad deal overall.
- alexandre_m 8y ago
  Video games and consoles don't have much lasting value, so it's not a good investment (except for some collectors). If you mean to keep a copy and be able to play it again anytime in the future, then yes I'm with you. However, most of the games are either thrash or doesn't offer much replay value, which means that once you're done with it that will stack up somewhere and collects dust. One point though is you can trade games that you own, which has some appeal. People used to bring the same argument for music streaming vs buying a CD or digital copy. See where that brought us. Convenience wins most of the time.
reanimated 8y ago
It's more like every 5 years and $60 a game only if you buy just fresh games, if you don't focus just for most recent games, you can buy good triple-A games for like $20 then they are on sale. Don't forget the subscription where you usually get a decent game every month for like $45 a year. So you can actually buy a console once, subscribe and pay like $4 a month and constantly have new games in your catalog to play with.

Krasnol 8y ago

So what would be the businesses incentive here? It's not like we're talking about charity here. I have the feeling this is peak microtransaction. They've found out that people are likely to spend small amounts over time then one big sum at once and now you don't even own the game. It became the microtransaction.

root_axis 8y ago

Even with a very conservative 3 year lifespan of a console (5 years is closer to reality) 20 dollars a month over 3 years is 700+ dollars and at the end of the day you don't own anything. It seems like a pretty bad deal overall.

alexandre_m 8y ago
Video games and consoles don't have much lasting value, so it's not a good investment (except for some collectors). If you mean to keep a copy and be able to play it again anytime in the future, then yes I'm with you. However, most of the games are either thrash or doesn't offer much replay value, which means that once you're done with it that will stack up somewhere and collects dust. One point though is you can trade games that you own, which has some appeal. People used to bring the same argument for music streaming vs buying a CD or digital copy. See where that brought us. Convenience wins most of the time.

reanimated 8y ago

It's more like every 5 years and $60 a game only if you buy just fresh games, if you don't focus just for most recent games, you can buy good triple-A games for like $20 then they are on sale. Don't forget the subscription where you usually get a decent game every month for like $45 a year. So you can actually buy a console once, subscribe and pay like $4 a month and constantly have new games in your catalog to play with.