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Ars Technica: Retail Patapon 2 IS UMD-free
- Thread starter Alex P
- Start date
tokkun said:
If they have both UMD and DD as buying options, you get to not have to collect anything. So I still don't see what is so hard to understand about the fact that many are against DD only but not against DD in general and that coming around saying "yeah, kill UMD, long live DD only" is a rather ..."weird" stance. Both methods of delivery can be available without taking away from each other.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Pai Pai Master said:
Pricing isn't the issue. Losing physical media that I can resell is.
Servbot #42
Unconfirmed Member
Wollan said:You can't play it on a Nintendo/other platform?
But basically, your account can be active on 5 systems simultaneously. De-activating a system is very easily done via the XMB.
You can redownload your bought stuff an infinite number of times until the end of time.
*as long as that isn't movies/tv show content due to big movie corporations, max 2 redownloads for those
Thanks for the answer! so you can share your stuff with up to 5 other people, that seems pretty cool.
The Take Out Bandit
Member
I'd honestly this rather be an optional solution. UMD and DD. Let the market decide.
Also just put out game download cards. Not retail boxes. I have no doubt copies of this game will be sold and returned once people get home and find no disk in the box. Just make it a gift card like PSN and iTunes. It's a waste of plastic and packaging otherwise. :|
So wait, you're downloading GoW and RR?
Where?
Or are you just pissed Sony is removing the disk option for people to rip so you can keep pirating all of their PSP software?:lol :lol :lol
Also just put out game download cards. Not retail boxes. I have no doubt copies of this game will be sold and returned once people get home and find no disk in the box. Just make it a gift card like PSN and iTunes. It's a waste of plastic and packaging otherwise. :|
Spiegel said:
So wait, you're downloading GoW and RR?
Where?
Or are you just pissed Sony is removing the disk option for people to rip so you can keep pirating all of their PSP software?:lol :lol :lol
TheChewyWaffles
Member
You think having no disc-based images stop people from pirating? Where have you been?
The Take Out Bandit said:
You know PSN games for psp were cracked ages ago, don't you? This shouldn't matter to pirates.
I downloaded the demo of Phantasy Star Portable (less than 400 Mb) from my psp and yes, it was a pain in the ass. That's why I said downloading bigger archives (RR, GoW) would be worse.
By the way, thanks for calling me a pirate
The Take Out Bandit
Member
Spiegel said:
This is because Sony's Playstation Network fucking sucks.
I downloaded Hellboy 2 from iTunes which weighed in at 1.5GB and it came down in 5 minutes.
Then stop discussing downloading PSP games that aren't digital downloads. :|
Ether_Snake
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What is the release date for Patapon 2? I am thinking it would be a good hint for PSP2.
mrkapawutzis
Member
One thing I've noticed about downloading from PSN is that you usually need twice as much space on your memory card in order to download a demo or game. I was unable to dl the PSP demo or put Syphon Filter on my card until I cleared out twice the space for either title. Has anyone else run into this problem?
TheChewyWaffles
Member
As stupid as digital download exclusives are, I think it's overreaction to expect this to be applied to all big titles from here on out. The market for digital-only is still far too small to do away with physical media. Not to mention you can't afford to piss off chains like Walmart and Best Buy.
Agent X
Member
AlphaTwo00 said:
There wasn't a big fuss because they didn't try to sell Echochrome download codes in stores for $5 more than a straight-up purchase direct from the PlayStation Store.
Paznos said:
I agree. This would have been the ideal test. In fact, a lot of people here (myself included) seem to favor Sony doing in North America what they have been doing in Japan for months--releasing PSP games as both a physical UMD and digital download on the same day.
The way they're doing it with Patapon 2--selling download codes at retail for $5 more--is an awfully stilted test. It seems almost like it's being intentionally set up to fail at retail.
Another possibility is that there's reverse psychology at play. People might see the codes being sold at retail and say, "Hmm, let me just buy a regular PSN card for the $20 instead." In other words, by deliberately inflating the price of the "boxed" game, it's being used as a roundabout method of selling the PSN cards that already exist at retail.
The Take Out Bandit said:
I agree with this too. All they need to do is offer a rebranded version of the PSN card. They already have PSN cards with Warhawk, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and Rock Band being advertised right on the card. Simply offer one with Patapon 2 graphics instead.
Tobor said:
Wouldn't it piss them off enough that they're being asked to sell this package for $5 more than a direct download?
I remember there being an uproar over Warhawk being sold at $59.99 in stores, but the download from PSN was only $39.99. The justification for a $20 higher price tag in stores was that it was packaged with a Jabra headset (which at that time was about $40 on its own). Even so, some retailers still complained. Sony had to quickly release a $39.99 standalone disc in order to placate them.
Microsoft didn't seem to have any problem allowing GTA4 and Tomb Raider Underworld expansion pack codes to be sold in retail stores at the same price as the direct download from Xbox Live.
The precedent has already been set. Why does Sony feel they have the chutzpah to buck this trend? You'd think that with their ever-dwindling position in the North American video game market, they'd be trying harder to keep pace and not do something detrimental that could confuse and agitate retailers and consumers alike.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Having to be tethered to a PC to trade games you'll be carrying with you seems awfully cumbersome for a portable system. the DD-only route will currently not work with such large downloads on a portable so early, unless Sony or another third party created a means for which we will have an internet connection at all times. It just doesn't make much sense and will probably be a horrible business decision to go DD-only at this point in time.
Simultaneous UMD/DD releases sound much better to me.
Simultaneous UMD/DD releases sound much better to me.
RadioHeadAche
Member
I want to get this, but I'm afraid that it won't work since I can't run demos on my PSP.
kitchenmotors
Banned
Screw that, I won't be buying this game now, and I was a big fan of Patapon. I want a physical copy.
RadioHeadAche
Member
Hazaro said:
Are there any reliable online shops that sell PAL games and ship to the US, or will I have to use Ebay?
RadioHeadAche
Member
Hazaro said:
I checked delivery restrictions on the UK Amazon, and I found a list of countries that they will send games to:
Health & Beauty, Jewellery & Watches, Office Products, PC & Video Games, Shoes and Software items and accessories
* United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (Republic of), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
They do ship DVDs to the US which is why you didn't have a problem with Planet Earth.
ShinoguTakeruKoeru
Member
Strider2K99 said:
I suppose people perceive it as a hassle when such a procedure is thrust upon them rather than have it integrated from the very start. I constantly put movies and pictures for wallpapers on my Memory Stick so I don't mind connecting to my laptop or my PS3 for downloadable game content.
RadioHeadAche
Member
RadioHeadAche
Member
Strider2K99 said:
No, $26 is the price for the game itself. Although it mentions "free shipping" I'm still trying to figure out if that includes the US.
Edit: Upon further investigation, it appears that the free shipping option is valid for most items. I'm currently at checkout for Patapon 2 and my total is $26.49 ($.50 for insurance). Take a look at their FAQs and Customer Service details for more information.
The Take Out Bandit said:
Of course the silly PSP has that '802.11b' wireless antenna, which is disastrously slow in downloading anything. Which is why I said earlier that by PSP4000 they'd better at least put 802.11g (or n) in.
Especially since reported throughput =/= actual throughput on wireless devices since it depends on distance from router etc. 802.11b was reported to be 11Mbps, which is 11 megabits per second or what, 1.375 MB per second. On that speed, 1.5GB will take 18 minutes (assuming full speed all the time). Of course, actual output is usually half the speed, so 36 minutes.
802.11g promises to be 54Mbps, so that's 5 times faster and a lot more manageable (7.2 minutes at average speed). Now, in comparison, it's terrible, and the PSN downloading sucking doesn't help.
The alternative should be 'download via PC and then transfer to PSP', but you know how pirates can get in the way of anything with a PC ;p
rainking187
Member
Slavik81 said:
Going from a CD player with one ~12 track CD to an iPod with a couple hundred songs is a huge change though. I rarely connect my iPod to the PC as I have more than enough music on it. The average person will probably be able to store what, 3 or 4 games on the PSP? Whoo, that's some convenience that's worth giving up any actual ownership for. -_-
Raist said:
Yeah, I dunno about this.
It's absolutely fine for me. I am a huge steam-head and I love DD. I have no concern for owning something physical: I'm not a fetishist.
However, I know a good portion of the consumer populace isn't ready or interested in this brave new world, and I'm not sure Sony wants to simply cut them out. We'll see, I suppose.
In general, I'm against digital distribution because it means never owning anything, but it makes so much sense for portable gaming. The biggest annoyance with portable gaming is having to carry around all the cards and UMDs, and digital distribution eliminates that issue completely. It will be interesting to watch how PSP performs once it switches to DD only.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Yea and that's fine for small songs which you can fit hundreds of in a couple GB. PSP games, unless heavily compressed, will be at least 400MB for the average title. We would just be running into the old Wii "fridge" problem where we can only hold a handful of purchased content onto our devices at one time and have to carefully choose which ones we will have to carry with us.Strider2K99 said:
That's too cumbersome. I dislike the idea and it seems like Sony would hurt themselves to do it at this point.
Then again I'm really not scared that they will actually use this system exclusively. It seems like a bad idea and they just reiterated how UMD will be used in future devices.
The Abominable Snowman said:
No, it's the opposite of that. I get like 6 games on my Memory Stick using custom firmware, and it's a hell of a lot more convenient than carrying 6 UMD cases around with me. I can just slip the PSP into my pocket when I leave in the morning (and it actually fits in my pocket if I'm not carting around UMDs). Do you really carry all your UMDs with you when you take your PSP somewhere?
Augemitbutter
Member
NIN90 said:
thats one thing.
the other thing is: how do people scratch discs? i have CDs up from the eighties and never scratched one.
The Abominable Snowman said:
You know, I have an issue with this.
Just how many games do you seriously need to carry with you at one time with a PSP (or on anything)? It's nothing like the Wii problem since that was a console, at home where you would expect to carry a library of games on. A PSP? How many games must you have at one time with you? 2 GB card, 400-600MB sized games... that's 3-5 games or so? Do you really need more with you?
Do you guys carry your entire library of UMD/DS games wherever you go just in case you get the urge to play something for five minute before you switch games or something?
Peronthious
Member
Kintaro said:
That's one reason I'm a bit incredulous over the people who go out and buy 8/16/whatever GB PSP memory sticks. I have custom firmware and all my games ripped, but I don't feel the need at all to carry them all around with me at once. If anything, I don't want to do that so it's easier to focus on a few titles.
rainking187
Member
Augemitbutter said:
They take the games/DVDs out of the system and instead of putting them in the case they just stack the discs on top of the system. I have relatives that do this and it drives me fucking crazy.
frAntic_Frog
Member
theres no doubt in my mind that a few months down the road after patapon 2 is launched, that sony will release the hardcopy version. this is most likely a test release to gauge the feasibility of a DD launch. Think about how many of the 50million PSP owners around the world have readily access to internet? is sony really that shortsighted to cut out those users?
Kintaro said:
its not the need to carry everything, its the time taken, and the need to choose in advance.
lets say you think 5 games is reasonable to carry around, and is 'enough' to give you choice and still fit on a memory stick. So you decide to take those 5 games with you on a trip one day. next day you're in a different mood, perhaps going to have more time to kill, so you want to take some different games.
Its much easier to just drop some different UMDs in your bag than connect up to your PC via USB, and transfer 2-4GB of data. Just something else to slow you up.
I like the idea of DD, but I'd want more storage - more storage is always good. Hopefully any potential PSP4000 will have tons built in.