Sony to Offer Reduced Price Full PS3 Game Downloads in Korea?

[dmgr]

Basically, in an interview with GameWatch at the Taipei Game Show, SCE Asia's Tetsuhiko Yasuda says that Sony is looking into offering reduced price PS3 titles for download over the net directly to PS3 units (for Korea only for now). This is to combat piracy and, to a lesser extent, used game sellers.

Most of the interview is about the boring economics of the game industry in Asia, but Yasuda also mentions that for PS3 there will apparently be a service which will enable users to download games online for significantly cheaper than retail price. This way Sony expects they can combat pirates and, to a lesser extent, used games sellers. Yasuda says that the 2006 plan of SCE Asia is to construct a PS3 infrastructure on which software makers can distribute software digitally. Yasuda also talks about about the price point of the console. He expects the price of the PS3 may be a bit high (but not outrageously so) for Asian countries, but, of course, will be reduced as the console gets older. Just like expensive PSX and PS2 units were imported and bought by certain people in Asian countries during the Japanese launch window, nothing will be different for PS3. To help with this issue, Yasuda says Sony is going to try to launch the console in all of that area of Asia simultaneously. This is great news if Sony can really pull it off, and even better, if the Korean test for PS3 game downloads goes well, we may indeed see it in the US and EU.
The full article can be viewed by clicking here (http://www.gamersreports.com/news/1432/).

[Sl1pstream]

If a PS3 game is supposed to come out on Blu-Ray and a Blu-Ray disc is supposed to hold 300 GB of space, how long is a download going to take and more important, what kind of Hard drive will you need for, say 10 games?

[jeffbax]

Blu Ray will hold 25 GB initially, with theoretical max at 200 GB, not 300, and definitely not to start, not that games need that much for a game as is.

[Zombosis]

Sony to EB/Gamestop: "Boo!"

EB/Gamestop to Sony: "AAAHHH!!!!"

Sony to Pirates: "Ooogedy boogedy!"

Pirates to Sony: *yaaawwn*

[Megalith]

Shouldn't be a problem for Korea. I think that you're considered an outcast there if you don't have a T3 line and don't play an MMORPG all day.

[Vjornaxx]

Yeah, Megalith is right about it not being a problem in South Korea. The speeds their networks can handle are significantly higher than anywhere else in the world. As I understand it, they can saturate an ethernet cable.

[gojira]

I'd hate to see anyone try this in the US though. I tried to buy software via download once. It was a special edition of Adobe Acrobat, iirc. Even though I dutifully made a copy of the file as soon as I downloded, I found that I couldn't install more than once.

My PC was due to be upgraded anyway, which I knew, but I didn't think that it would be an issue. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Upon re-install a few months later, the downloaded software informed me that the PC clock didn't match the time of download, and neither did the OS version. Adobe's "copy protection" screwed me out of using a product I had paid good money for just because I upgraded my system

Never again. I will gladly pay $10 to $20 extra for a product in a box that I can install anywere, and even sell as used once I am done with it.

[DigitalFirefly]

That's one way to kill the resale market. I'd only download a game if it was cheaper than the "boxed" version.

[fitbabits]

I don't know - there's something magical about retail packaging. It somehow seems more real, as opposed to files that are delivered to you via the web. I love buying a game and dashing to my truck, sitting down, ripping off the plastic wrap and looking at the manuals, etc. Unless, of course, we're talking about the boxed version of Half-Life 2.

[rein]

If it is to combat piracy, the magical package means squat to the pirates. If it is to combat resellers, the magical package has less significance but most still prefer a hard copy. I will admit right now. If Sony (or anyone else) can deliver me a game at a significant reduced price online I will be all over it. However, it will have to be significant since in my mind I think I may have to buy it more than once. Then again, I just re-purchased BF2 and Freelancer recently because I lost them. :o

[bickle]

The lesson learned here is that stealing a little will get you nowhere. But if you steal ungodly amounts and no one seems to care, then the big companies will reward you by lowering their prices.

:P

[Chimpbot]

That's one way to kill the resale market. I'd only download a game if it was cheaper than the "boxed" version.

Well, they did say it'd be at a reduced price.

In an ideal world, this reduced price would be cheaper by ~$20. Something tells me it'll be closer to the $10 range.

Personally, I think this is a good idea...if they build the system properly. Hopefully they follow in Steam's footsteps to an extent; when you purchase a game through Steam, you can redownload it at any point(as most of you know). This is a wonderful feature...and I pray Sony includes it.
I, for one, hope they bring this "feature" State-side; I'm typically a whore for packaging, but with the next-gen games being even more expensive than the last-gen games I'll take any discounts I can get.

[Nessus]

Apparently these were some of the stipulations Sony had for Korean developers releasing games for the PS3 through its online distribution model:

1). KIPA and SCEJ will provide the entire development cost for an online PS3 title. The project will be funded up to the Alpha version. Moreover, the PS3 tool kit and support will be provided. There’s also an option for the team to become a first party developer. The game will be published under SCE in Japan. A worldwide release will follow. Korean developers were pleased with these terms. (The remaining ones pissed ‘em off.)

2). Even if the prototype of the game is finished, the quality or marketability could be deemed “low” (a subjective term not clarified by either Sony or KIPA), the entire development cost would need to be paid to KIPA.

3). Since the game is slated for the PS3, the entire rights including the source code would be owned by Sony — regardless of whether the title is published or not.

4). If the game is successful and a sequel is made, Sony will own all rights to the title.

5). When the game is released, all initial profit will go to the SCEJ to cover the development cost. After that is paid off, Sony and the development team would divide the remaining profit. However, at what percentage the development team starts to receive profit cannot presently be revealed.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/korea/sony-pisses-off-online-korean-developers-155838.php

[Atepsflame]

Anything to make a buck, eh Sony?

[inmostlight]

Hmm...anybody else remember that story from a few months back, about Sony's patent tying software to a specific machine to kill the rental and resale market?

I can only hope they'll at least tie stuff to an account and not a machine...

[fndarkone]

dear game makers,
stop crying about the used game market. its just like used furnature or used books. just because your product is is made of electrons and not wood doesn't make yours extra special.

[gawaintheblind]

Hurray! I can't wait till I can hook my PS3 up to my cable modem and download games directly to my ps3 harddrive from pirate sites.

Digital distribution just removes a step from pirating, making it even easier, though I suppose it will be a few months before somebody cracks whatever copy protection they use.

Not that I would do any of this, mind you. That would be wrong, and I am a paragon of virtue.

[Karmakaze]

Personally, if I never have to pop a CD/DVD/BD in a PC/console/DVD player again I'll be a happy camper. I could give a squat about packaging (which just clutters up my office). Of course they need a good infrastructure where I can download the game/app/movie again if I 'lose' my copy in a reformat/whatever.

Physical copies are just a market inefficiency that requires bloated prices so Best Buy et al can get thier cut.