Not sure why this is still a thing and how hard it is to understand but ok.
It's like your ISP. You pay for the thing but with a few keypresses on their end you suddenly get more/less speed depending on what you do.
But the line is already there, but you pay less than the guy next door who have the same line. Everything is identical but since he pay more he gets more speed, that's just artificially limiting your internet speed for no reason!!
ISPs are on disc DLC too!
Horrible, how dare they sell things for cheaper when it supports more if you're willing to pay for it later down the line! Outrageous!
Cmon man. The thing don't even exist anymore and it's not like this is tricking anybody at all. And it's not like this is something new, at all. Regular engines can also be limited and sold for cheaper for you to unlocking them later and gaining more HP and such, not 100% identical but it's not a new thing, or shady by any stretch.
The only apt video game comparison is buying a cheaper version of a game with portions locked for you to purchase if you like it and want more. The content is already downloaded but you can't use it since you didn't pay for it in full, yet.