Microsoft has officially lost their f*****g minds.

[diskoboy]

http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/26/news-microsoft-re_2D00_charging-for-game-room-arcade-games.aspx

According to this article, for MS's upcoming Game Room feature, if you already own an XBLA game that is in their library, you have to pay for it AGAIN to use it in the Game Room.

First, it was charging for online play. Then, upping the price on new games from $50 to $60. Then it was overpricng hardware. Then it was deciding 1200 points was the new price point for all XBLA games no matter the quality.

Does MS seriously want people to quit buying their consoles? What the hell?? Do they not seem to realize that the entire planet is in the middle of a bad recession? It's like they just don't seem to care... They're gonna gouge you however they can.

[Oobgarm]

Eventually they're going to charge you every time you turn the system on. :roll:

You do realize that the game room is not going to appeal to everyone and those who re-buy simply for the aesthetics of a game room are likely to be very few, right?

I love the idea of the room but apparently it's not gonna be for me. Oh well, life goes on.

[portnoyd]

No one is going to rebuy the same exact game they already bought once for the same system. No one is that stupid..... right?

[diskoboy]

Eventually they're going to charge you every time you turn the system on. :roll:

You do realize that the game room is not going to appeal to everyone and those who re-buy simply for the aesthetics of a game room are likely to be very few, right?

I love the idea of the room but apparently it's not gonna be for me. Oh well, life goes on.

I was actually looking forward to it. I'll stick to my REAL LIFE game room now MS, thanks... :)

[Nature Boy]

I love the idea of the room but apparently it's not gonna be for me. Oh well, life goes on.

That's pretty much my opinion as well. The initial post here seems a little over the top.

If they allowed me to integrate I would've been in there more and likely spent more money too. That affects them, not me, so I can't get worked up about it.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I'll just have to wait and see how it all looks before I spend any points.

[GrandAmChandler]

That's pretty much my opinion as well. The initial post here seems a little over the top.

If they allowed me to integrate I would've been in there more and likely spent more money too. That affects them, not me, so I can't get worked up about it.

I understand everyone's gut reaction is "Wow what a drama queen!" But this makes a very valid point for the next generation jump. "ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO RE-BUY EVERYTHING ON XBLA" ?

-GAC-

[Vectorman0]

At first I thought this was retarded to, then I read the link.


Any Game Room arcade titles that you may have already bought as Xbox Live Arcade games won't transfer over to the Game Room, which is due this spring. We talked to a Microsoft representative on the topic, who told us that the company considers the Game Room titles different from their XBLA counterparts because they are the original versions and not "revamped" like those on XBLA. Game Room games will cost between 240 and 400 MS points, so even though you may have to buy them a second time, they should at least be cheaper than those you've already bought.

That makes sense to me. The game room sounds like it is only going to have the original arcade versions which will be inherently different than the classic XBLA ports which have options, menus, leaderboards, multiplayer, etc. They aren't charging again for the same XBLA game in a virtual arcade cabinet, but a more barebones version. The two may feel or play identical once you are in-game, but I think they are sufficiently different otherwise to justify this decision.

[Baloo]

At first I thought this was retarded to, then I read the link.



That makes sense to me. The game room sounds like it is only going to have the original arcade versions which will be inherently different than the classic XBLA ports which have options, menus, leaderboards, multiplayer, etc. They aren't charging again for the same XBLA game in a virtual arcade cabinet, but a more barebones version. The two may feel or play identical once you are in-game, but I think they are sufficiently different otherwise to justify this decision.

That makes sense, and 240-400 points is a lot cheaper than the ones in regular XBLA.

[RCM]

While this holds little to no appeal to me, gamers are going to eventually have to reckon with this warped sense of entitlement. When we purchase a game for a specific system we agree to buy and play it on that system only. If Nintendo wants to include BC that's up to them, but we shouldn't expect past purchases to work on new systems. Sure it'd be nice, but videogames are a business before all else and ripping a cd to itunes is far different when compared to porting/emulating games.

And in this case the Game Informer headline is pretty misleading as you're really not purchasing these games again. Sure it may feel like it, but you're not.

[jcalder8]

I don't know anything about the Game Room thingy but from what Vectorman said you're paying less for a similar game, but not the same.


First, it was charging for online play. Then, upping the price on new games from $50 to $60. Then it was overpricng hardware. Then it was deciding 1200 points was the new price point for all XBLA games no matter the quality.

MS is hardly to be blamed for paying for online play. Nintendo and Sega systems both charged for the online services with the Xband and PC gamers have had to pay per game. Most I've ever spent on a brand new game was 120 for WWF No Mercy on the N64. You're claiming that MS is the fault of overpricing hardware? How much was the 3D0, Jaguar, or Neo Geo when it first came out? Finally Activision chose to bring out Tony Hawk Ride on all 3 systems for $130(Canadian) and I think we can all agree that there is no quality in that game.

[SparTonberry]

Off topic, but Xband was run by a third-party.

[Robocop2]

I assume from the article that games you have already purchased from the Arcade will still be playable right? If so I fail to see how they are charging you twice for the same game. Besides the fact that it appears the games in the game room will not be enhanced; if you can play what you already have without using the game room service it sounds like you're just paying to play the original arcade version in the game room.
It's not like they are making you repay for a game you already have just to access it at all.

[Rickstilwell1]

Luckily for me I haven't purchased any XBLA games. I don't take my 360 online because it doesn't have wireless internet and my room is way far away from the router.

[SparTonberry]

Come to think of it, I don't think charging per play would be that out of place at the time of Xband. Weren't ISPs still charging for time in the mid '90s?
(my first ISP was AOL in '98, and I think at that time, flat-rate monthly fees were kinda new)

[Arthur-Otaku]

An xbox system costs 200 dollars, with promotion you can buy for 150, there is no reason to claim for online play or games, 150 dollars is a bargain for a great system like xbox

Some people have to change their minds, the "free piracy utopia" where everything must be free or almost free is ridiculous, people that make games have to pay their bills and if you want to play their work you have to pay for them, no one will work for free for you

If you think that game room is expensive, just don't buy, you have the choice

The old arcade games don't fit on game room due software limitations, if you want to play them on game room you will have to buy again, a new file, for use in game room

[j_factor]

MS is hardly to be blamed for paying for online play. Nintendo and Sega systems both charged for the online services with the Xband and PC gamers have had to pay per game.

With the exception of online RPGs, MS is really the only company charging for online play. The X-Band hardly counts, since it was a third-party application, and they had a programming team to write code that would make games play online when they weren't designed for it. Online play was free on Dreamcast and PS2, and now it's free on Wii and PS3. It's mostly free on PC, and has been for a long time. Xlink Kai and the like are also free.

Many argue that Microsoft charges for online play because they offer a superior service. That's fine, but I'd prefer to at least have the option of choosing an "inferior" but free service. Back in the day, heat.net was free for the basic service, but with an optional paid subscription for increased features. I also don't think it's cool that MS went out of their way to prevent tunnelling programs from working.

But this argument's been done to death.


Most I've ever spent on a brand new game was 120 for WWF No Mercy on the N64.

Yeah and N64 pricing was crap too. This is another argument that has been done to death, but you know, N64 games were more expensive because they were on cartridges. 360 games are on plain 'ol DVDs. I'm still not a fan of the $60 price tag... so I don't pay it.


You're claiming that MS is the fault of overpricing hardware? How much was the 3D0, Jaguar, or Neo Geo when it first came out?

I'm pretty sure the Jaguar was $249 at launch. :p Neo Geo is not comparable since it was never meant to be a mainstream system, and 3DO isn't really comparable because it ran on a completely different business model. The best comparison you could make would be the Saturn's original launch price (and we all know how that went...). My personal feeling on this is that the 360 came out too early anyway, so if they couldn't have released a properly-featured console (i.e. with hard drive) for $300 at launch, they could have just waited. The original Xbox had plenty of life in it to last a bit longer.

But actually, I think when he mentioned "overpricing hardware", he was talking about ridiculous prices on hardware other than the systems. Like $100 hard drives and $100 wireless adapters.

[portnoyd]

Some people have to change their minds, the "free piracy utopia" where everything must be free or almost free is ridiculous, people that make games have to pay their bills and if you want to play their work you have to pay for them, no one will work for free for you

What does that have to do with the topic at hand?

[s1lence]

Well....you can always choose NOT do buy that version of the game.

Not all the games on the up coming Arcade are on the XBLA system.

If you really want 2 versions of Frogger have at it. Maybe the "new" version will actually control like it should.

Once again, if you don't like it or want it....DON'T buy it. I recall a bunch of people bitching about avatar shit and yet......they bought the garbage anyway.

Its like "rebuying" Ms. Pacman and Pacman.....you could play them for free on Mame.

[Bojay1997]

While this holds little to no appeal to me, gamers are going to eventually have to reckon with this warped sense of entitlement. When we purchase a game for a specific system we agree to buy and play it on that system only. If Nintendo wants to include BC that's up to them, but we shouldn't expect past purchases to work on new systems. Sure it'd be nice, but videogames are a business before all else and ripping a cd to itunes is far different when compared to porting/emulating games.

And in this case the Game Informer headline is pretty misleading as you're really not purchasing these games again. Sure it may feel like it, but you're not.

"Warped sense of entitlement"? How about a realistic sense of feeling ripped off? I would agree with you that these are technically "different" products, but for $3 each, most of us feel like these are a rip-off, even before the whole you have to rebuy the new version because these were re-done specifically for the new arcade thing. If they were available as a package for maybe $15 for 15-20 games, it wouldn't be an issue. As it is, $3 each is a straight up rip-off and the fact that some of us already paid for emulated versions of these same games done in a slightly different way on the same friggin system just really adds insult to injury.

[Ro-J]

Based on the pac-man thread from the other day (or was it earlier today, it's hard to remember in internet time), people are willing to buy the same game over and over. Hell, I bought two different Namco Museums for the Gamecube even though the only main difference, apart from a couple games, were the interfaces (the 50th anniv. version had the "game room" look). There are people out there who will buy the same game twice, if only to complete a certain virtual arcade collection.

[skaar]

I'd be amused if they do something where you pay 10 points or something small per play of a game (like quarters/tokens) but have access to all games at all times.

That would be kinda neat. A bigass ever expanding arcade. And pay 240-400 to "own" the machine and have perma freeplay.

[duffmanth]

Well they have to generate new revenue somehow to compensate for replacing all of those crapped out 360's over the last 4 years...piece of shit.

[grimlock]

Then, upping the price on new games from $50 to $60.


Since when did MS decide game pricing for the whole industry? Kinda cool they decided Nintendo can sell for less, no?

[Leo_A]

This makes perfect sense to me. I'm unsure why anyone would think they're entitled to Time Pilot (For one example) free in this new service just because they own the XBLA release.

This is going to be fresh work running under emulation (Something XBLA releases from companies like Namco and Konami don't do).

No one's entitled to get it free anymore than you were entitled to get a percentage discount on Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Collection on last generation consoles because you owned the earlier Namco Museum with some of the same games on, to use one example that duplicated some content without changing platforms.

If you people think this is such a rip-off and there isn't value there to make it worthy to repurchase something like a emulated version of a game that you just have a port of on XBLA (And often, a poor port at that, such as the Stainless developed Atari releases), just don't buy it. After all, you already think you own the exact same thing anyways.


Hell, I bought two different Namco Museums for the Gamecube even though the only main difference, apart from a couple games, were the interfaces (the 50th anniv. version had the "game room" look). There are people out there who will buy the same game twice, if only to complete a certain virtual arcade collection.

You didn't look closely enough or weren't familiar enough with the source material. The 50th Anniversary collection was a huge leap. It added a significant number of new games and used emulation (Which was accurate and well done), unlike past Namco Museum releases. So the games played, looked, and sounded correc. You could never even use a pattern in Pac-Man in a Namco Museum game until the 50th Anniversary collection, for one example, because it always was a inaccurate imitation and not the original game.

[diskoboy]

Since when did MS decide game pricing for the whole industry? Kinda cool they decided Nintendo can sell for less, no?

They were first. They set the standard for others to follow suit.

And Nintendo is technically a generation behind the 360 and PS3. If Nintendo tried to charge $60 for a game not much powerful than most Xbox titles, the Wii would've been a tremendous flop. Especially with all the crap titles avalible for the Wii.

[grimlock]

They were first. They set the standard for others to follow suit.

And Nintendo is technically a generation behind the 360 and PS3. If Nintendo tried to charge $60 for a game not much powerful than most Xbox titles, the Wii would've been a tremendous flop. Especially with all the crap titles avalible for the Wii.

MS Has no control over game prices unless they are publishing the game and set the MSRP. Sony has no control either. Or Nintendo.

[retroman]

yeh. they will charge you to turn on the system if it works...On third one now.

[whoisKeel]

Awesome! I can't even remember the last time I bought Pac-Man for the 2nd time this generation!

[WCP]

An xbox system costs 200 dollars, with promotion you can buy for 150

I can buy an Arcade 360 for $150 ? Where ? I'm actually in the market for a new Arcade 360.

[Howie6925]

It kinda looks like they are ripping off Playstation Home.