pap

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#1 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

Not sure that this is going to have much impact. First, the wow factor of the Wii has long since disappeared. Second, there are already millions of these white bricks gathering dust. A lot of people have a Wii already, and generally don't have great things to say about it. Price sensitivity isn't really the issue. White elephant avoidance is.

#2 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

@Daveyo520: Yup, we've established that, sir. The consequences for PC gamers are about the same irrespective of who pulled who.

#3 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

It's not really an either/or thing for me. Origin will end up on my machine because I'll end up buying something EA makes and I'd prefer to do that digitally. I'm glad to hear accounts that Origin is just a download service.

Really not a fan of the multitude of pop-ups (Impulse, Steam, Gamespy Comrade) that are becoming part and parcel of the PC gaming industry. If Origin is a success, others will eye that market - and we may see suitors we don't expect, such as companies that aren't traditionally associated with games, but do have a lot of spending power. You don't need to be a games company to create a digital distribution company. Think of the sweeteners a large corporation like Walmart could offer to obtain digital exclusivity.

#4 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

@Stonyman65: It'll be interesting to see whether Origin becomes a pre-requisite for BF3.

#5 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

@Axxol: Steam started out as the best way to download Half Life 2. I heard anecdotal accounts of a couple of problems, but I didn't download the client myself until a year or so later.

I'm a software developer myself. Nearly every project ends up with patterns of use you don't anticipate. Most of the refinement you do stems from your knowledge of industrial-age problem solving and a solid appreciation of how people really use the system you've provided. I'm sure EA are not blind to the issues that are occuring right now, and they'll solve them as they gain the experience.

#6 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

I have a lot of time for HBO. As a Brit, most of my TV heritage comes from the BBC. This has a major effect on the rest of our channels. Like HBO, the BBC channels run without commercial interruption. In many ways, they also operate without commercial consideration. The subscription model means that both channels can operate without worrying about how their sponsors' customers might react. HBO is the closest thing you guys have to the BBC. Completely different means of customer choice (HBO is opt-in subscription - it is illegal to own a device capable of receiving TV coverage without a TV license in the UK).

The net result is the same. Two cherished institutions that give us something that is ostensibly authentic, rather than the sanitised blandness we get from our sponsor-approved slots. If it's coming to consoles and grows their audience, I welcome it.

#7 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

@crusader8463: Are you talking about EA?

#8 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

@buft: Appreciate the link.

@DeeGee: Brilliant summary.

Gotta say that despite the protestations from either side and with a smidgen of reading between the line, that this would have been an inevitable state of affairs. I think the only thing that would have changed is the timing and/or a few specifics either way. I know what it looks like from a public perspective, but off-the-record, both companies knew that this was coming for awhile.

The fortunes of Origin are going to be interesting. Sure, there are other companies that do digital distribution, but none of them have been the size of EA - not even Valve. It's really the first serious challenger to Steam. Other big publishers are going to be watching this closely.

#9 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

Good clarification, and once again, an object lesson in not believing everything you read on the Internet.

Still, is Origin viable at all on PC, absent some AAA goodness?

#10 Posted by pap (23 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago

Do elaborate, sir. All the press I've seen so far has put EA in the position of pulling out.

Happy to be corrected.

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