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[Mrbob]

There is a magazine you do get too with that price...

Anyway, I like this idea. Magazines are part of the old reign which is fading away. Especially with the internet. 2.50 per issue isn't too much to ask for.

 

[Moeeed]

I think its a great idea!

 

[soco]

i'm fine with this, but i'd rather pay 2.50 for the demos than the cost of the print magazine, which last time i got it i think it was like 6$ at a newsstand.

you already pay for the exclusive demos (unless you've got a hookup) so why not get them without leaving your house and for cheaper?

 

[NullPointer]

This should come free with XBL Gold.

Amen.

 

[neptunes]

1up should consider doing something like this as well, sans demos of course.

except for free

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Thread merged and yours came up on top. YOU WIN THE PRIZE.

Thanks you guys. You believed in my thread even when I didn't believe in it myself...

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

i'm fine with this, but i'd rather pay 2.50 for the demos than the cost of the print magazine, which last time i got it i think it was like 6$ at a newsstand.

I wish. Try $10.

 

[EternalGamer]

If they can find a way to make it easy to navigate and read articles, I love the idea. I'd definitely be willing to toss them a couple of bucks a month if the quality was there.

 

[HallwayGiant]

I support this sedentary future.

 

[Proelite]

Let me guess, they are going to make demos exclusive to OXM again, and thus, in a roundabout way, finally get people to pay for demos on XBL.

That would makes sense if Microsoft owns OXM and a critical mass actually subscribe to the service. Otherwise, I think the demos on OXM and demos on XBL are totally unrelated.

 

[MMaRsu]

I think that these 'exclusive' demo's will be only time exclusive.

 

[Dirtbag]

1up Friday exclusive owned?

 

[Littleberu]

Should come free with XBL Gold.

We should get Halo 3 with XBL Gold.

 

[Wario64]

I think that these 'exclusive' demo's will be only time exclusive.

Probably, I don't think there's a OXM demo that hasn't appeared on the marketplace sometime in the future

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I think that these 'exclusive' demo's will be only time exclusive.

They usually are, I think.

 

[The End]

again, with PSN being free, this is the kind of thing MS should be giving away to add value to the XBL Gold subscription

 

[jet1911]

1up Friday exclusive owned?

I'm pretty that's not the kind of thing a "Ziff Davis" show would talk about.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Paying for demos. Now this is living.

Yeah, I'm not liking the sound of this. Still, I think there's enough evidence for publishers to see how wide distribution of demos is a good thing - so many games have gotten huge boosts from free ones that I hope they don't have any high-level participation.

I'm all for tinkering with alternate distribution models, but bundling these demos with paid content is one of the worst ideas on Marketplace yet. They could toss up a Halo 3 demo and I'd still vote with my dollars - no thanks.

All that said - I'll judge the content of the magazine itself. I do like the idea of snagging it for digitally for a lower price.

 

[Proelite]

again, with PSN being free, this is the kind of thing MS should be giving away to add value to the XBL Gold subscription

Or just lower the price of xbl by $30.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Yeah, I'm not liking the sound of this. Still, I think there's enough evidence for publishers to see how wide distribution of demos is a good thing - so many games have gotten huge boosts from free ones that I hope they don't have any high-level participation.

I'm all for tinkering with alternate distribution models, but bundling these demos with paid content is one of the worst ideas on Marketplace yet. They could toss up a Halo 3 demo and I'd still vote with my dollars - no thanks.

But you wouldn't buy an issue of OXM with that same demo?

 

[Dirtbag]

I'm pretty that's not the kind of thing a "Ziff Davis" show would talk about.

Think about the next step though, EGM magazine downloadable on live announced tomorrow.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

again, with PSN being free, this is the kind of thing MS should be giving away to add value to the XBL Gold subscription

This isn't Microsoft, it's Future Publishing.

Reading comprehension ftl.

 

[Proelite]

But you wouldn't buy an issue of OXM with that same demo?

Exactly, this is actually cheaper than buying a paper issue.

 

[GhaleonEB]

But you wouldn't buy an issue of OXM with that same demo?

Note the edit. And nope, I've become a spoiled greedy bastard. Which is to say, I have not bought a magazine for a demo since the Dreamcast days. I buy magazines on the merits of the content alone, and if there's an issue with articles I want to read on Live, I'll buy it. I really do like the idea of having the magazine available on Live, that's cool. But as a consumer I won't support buying a magazine just for an exclusive demo if the issue itself doesn't have content I want, especially given all the free demos on Marketplace.

 

[Tobor]

If Ziff was smart, this is exactly the kind of thing they should try to do with EGM. And why isn't the 1up Show available on XBL and PSN?

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Think about the next step though, EGM magazine downloadable on live announced tomorrow.

1up Show on Live??

KERPLOTZ.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

So a zoom function is confirmed in the next fw update?

 

[jmdajr]

I had canceled OXM, but got a free one year subscription

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Note the edit. And nope, I've become a spoiled greedy bastard. Which is to say, I have not bought a magazine for a demo since the Dreamcast days. I buy magazines on the merits of the content alone, and if there's an issue with articles I want to read on Live, I'll buy it. But as a consumer I won't support buying a magazine just for an exclusive demo - especially given all the free demos on Marketplace.

Sneaky!

And I have to say, OXM has been really good lately with actually having exclusive print content that I'm interested in (PGR4 for example) to go with the red hott demo.

 

[mollipen]

I simply cannot believe how many people in this thread are supporting this idea.

THEY ARE CONNING YOU INTO PAYING FOR DEMOS!

You aren't paying for the demos when you but the magazine + CD... you are paying more because it is harder and costlier to include a CD bundled with a magazine than it is not to do so.

Demos are a marketing tool used to try to convince you to purchase the final product, and now you're happy abou paying for the marketing as well? There is simply NO logical reason why you should have to pay for a demo, and if people actually go for this, it's going to set a terrible, terrible presidence on Xbox Live.

Again... you're cheering the fact that you're now going to be paying for commercials. The argument should not be "well at least we'll get the Katamari demo now" or some other nonsense, it should be "why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

 

[Zep]

Sports demos eh...Depends on the game!

 

[Dirtbag]

So I'll assume this will require a new update of live, and maybe some more exclusive live features revealed. I wonder if they plan on including the web browser this time (now that we have a keypad to support it). And what else would you put into a download magazine section? Maybe more magazines than just gaming mags will be announced.

I wouldn't be suprised to see Maxim and Rollingstone etc.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Sneaky!

And I have to say, OXM has been really good lately with actually having exclusive print content that I'm interested in (PGR4 for example) to go with the red hott demo.

I just think that taking their print model and applying it to digital form is one I want to discourage. You need exclusive content to sell magazines - it's an expensive mag and that model makes sense. But with demos all over the place on Live, and so many of them helping to drive sales of titles (Crackdown, Fight Night Round 3, Lost Planet, Dead Rising, etc.) I don't want to encourage charging for digital distribution of those same demos.

I'm willing to pay $2.50 for a good magazine in digital form, for one that would cost ~$5 in print sans the demos. It's a good comprimise. What I don't want to see is a publisher giving a huge demo to them exclusively, seeing the paid downloads go up and get ideas about charging for that kind of content seperately. It's not the model itself that I'm wary of, but what it might lead to.

Short version:

Great issue with great demos - buy
Great issue with crap demos - buy
Crap issue with great demos - no buy

 

[adelante]

HARGH! I dunno what to make of this...at a glance, paying for demos sound downright outrageous. I hate having to miss out on what we've been getting for free....man... But seeing as how we've paid for 'em in the past, their decision's sorta vindicated. There better be that much more content for 200 points tho!

How bout the release separate demos of the same game for each system. The Darkness demo had a few levels to play around with...future demos could split the content up. Or say, multiplayer demo for OXM, singleplayer for free on Marketplace





Ok ok i know, its a bad idea.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Again... you're cheering the fact that you're now going to be paying for commercials. The argument should not be "well at least we'll get the Katamari demo now" or some other nonsense, it should be "why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

Because it is part of the digital emulation of a magazine that costs money, part of that money goes to companies to secure exclusives.

You know, I run into this mentality all the ****ing time making webcomics. People seem to harbor the delusion that because a comic isn't PRINTED it should be free, never mind the fact that I have to do the combined work of an entire publisher's BULLPEN just to make shit look professional and on a much tighter deadline.

But no, since it's not PRINTED we all have a right to it for free. The same effort and money is still going into the magazine and the exclusives it has secured. They damn well deserve some compensation for that.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

"why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

It's been this way with magazines for years, dude. Nothing's changed other than the fact that you're downloading it instead of buying it. And they're passing off that savings to you by reducing the price of the mag/disc combo to $2.50 for the download.

Being pissed off about how the world works isn't going to magically change it. It's not worth getting angry about. You can't change it. Either buy or don't and go about your life. If enough people don't buy, things will eventually change.

 

[The End]

Because it is part of the digital emulation of a magazine that costs money, part of that money goes to companies to secure exclusives.

You know, I run into this mentality all the ****ing time making webcomics. People seem to harbor the delusion that because a comic isn't PRINTED it should be free, never mind the fact that I have to do the combined work of an entire publisher's BULLPEN just to make shit look professional and on a much tighter deadline.

But no, since it's not PRINTED we all have a right to it for free. The same effort and money is still going into the magazine and the exclusives it has secured. They damn well deserve some compensation for that.

right, but what are demos?

they're advertisements for commercial products

the more people who play them, the more copies of the game get sold

charging for a demo is retarded

 

[Proelite]

I simply cannot believe how many people in this thread are supporting this idea.

THEY ARE CONNING YOU INTO PAYING FOR DEMOS!

You aren't paying for the demos when you but the magazine + CD... you are paying more because it is harder and costlier to include a CD bundled with a magazine than it is not to do so.

Demos are a marketing tool used to try to convince you to purchase the final product, and now you're happy abou paying for the marketing as well? There is simply NO logical reason why you should have to pay for a demo, and if people actually go for this, it's going to set a terrible, terrible presidence on Xbox Live.

Again... you're cheering the fact that you're now going to be paying for commercials. The argument should not be "well at least we'll get the Katamari demo now" or some other nonsense, it should be "why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

You're about 7 or 8 years too late. :/ Where were you since the first playstation magazines started to bundle CD demos. The war was over and gamers lost already.

EDIT: more than 10 years too late. v v v v

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

right, but what are demos?

they're advertisements for commercial products

the more people who play them, the more copies of the game get sold

charging for a demo is retarded

Magazines have been charging for demos for almost a decade. Before that, actually.

 

[epmode]

I simply cannot believe how many people in this thread are supporting this idea.

THEY ARE CONNING YOU INTO PAYING FOR DEMOS!

You aren't paying for the demos when you but the magazine + CD... you are paying more because it is harder and costlier to include a CD bundled with a magazine than it is not to do so.

Demos are a marketing tool used to try to convince you to purchase the final product, and now you're happy abou paying for the marketing as well? There is simply NO logical reason why you should have to pay for a demo, and if people actually go for this, it's going to set a terrible, terrible presidence on Xbox Live.

Again... you're cheering the fact that you're now going to be paying for commercials. The argument should not be "well at least we'll get the Katamari demo now" or some other nonsense, it should be "why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

Yep.

I'm just as astounded by people who buy themes and gamerpics, though.

 

[op_ivy]

I simply cannot believe how many people in this thread are supporting this idea.

THEY ARE CONNING YOU INTO PAYING FOR DEMOS!

You aren't paying for the demos when you but the magazine + CD... you are paying more because it is harder and costlier to include a CD bundled with a magazine than it is not to do so.

Demos are a marketing tool used to try to convince you to purchase the final product, and now you're happy abou paying for the marketing as well? There is simply NO logical reason why you should have to pay for a demo, and if people actually go for this, it's going to set a terrible, terrible presidence on Xbox Live.

Again... you're cheering the fact that you're now going to be paying for commercials. The argument should not be "well at least we'll get the Katamari demo now" or some other nonsense, it should be "why the f**k are demos exclusive in the first place??"

no, your premise is wrong. we are happy we can buy oxm issues for 2.5 vs 8-10 bucks. i'm sure in the next couple months oxm will have a large halo 3 feature. it will be AWESOME to purchase that from my console for much less then it goes for on the newsstands.

oxm doesnt get many exclusive demos, and i dont expect that to change just cause thats on the marketplace. IF it does, and many big name demos become exclusive to oxm (print or on marketplace) only then will i and should you bitch. as it stands now, its just another, cheaper way to get oxm issues

 

[alistairw]

Glad to see no one's slagging off the mag, at least.

 

[The End]

does this mean that it'll take less time than before for this stuff to get posted on the internet where we can read it for free?

 

[GhaleonEB]

Magazines have been charging for demos for almost a decade. Before that, actually.

This practice happens for a couple of reasons. First, they have costs associated with physical production of the magazine and disk and need compelling content to drive sales to offset the costs. Second, it started when digital distribution of demos wasn't so widespread. Now they are competing with tons of free demos on Marketplace, and their model looks antiquated by comparison.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

does this mean that it'll take less time than before for this stuff to get posted on the internet where we can read it for free?

Scans are last year. Now's the time for Cameraphone Screenies.

 

[Proelite]

does this mean that it'll take less time than before for this stuff to get posted on the internet where we can read it for free?

NO more shitty cell-cam pics. YAY! :/

 

[AstroLad]

I just don't like digital books and magazines. I had EGM for free on Zinio for a year, but rarely even looked at it, and my guess is that whatever format they use for this won't be as good as Zinio (plus, reading a mag on your TV from your couch seems beyond clunky to me).

I'm one of the holdovers keeping mags alive though; I buy at least 2-3 a month to read on the train.

 

[Dirtbag]

does this mean that it'll take less time than before for this stuff to get posted on the internet where we can read it for free?

I think it helps to combat the situation by making it easier to get an issue immediatly. Make it available to the widest group at the same time, more people have a chance to buy it b4 its spoiled.

 

[C4Lukins]

I wonder how OXM gets exclusive demos to begin with and who makes that decision. I think any company would be pretty stupid to go that route only when you have the massive marketing possibilities of a free demo on the marketplace. But, if they want to be stupid, let them.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I wonder how OXM gets exclusive demos to begin with and who makes that decision. I think any company would be pretty stupid to go that route only when you have the massive marketing possibilities of a free demo on the marketplace. But, if they want to be stupid, let them.

I would imagine it's part of the magazine's budget, but I have no idea how that works.