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X360 Games on Demand are now in India Marketplace


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X360 Games on Demand are now in India Marketplace

 

The Xbox Live Summer Update promised us Games on Demand - a service which will enable players to download Xbox 360 titles from Xbox Live to their hard drives. It's a service long in coming and we look forward to it. The big question hanging was the price in the Indian Marketplace and today, that question has been answered for three titles.

Today's update to the Xbox Live Preview Program enabled the Games on Demand feature, introducing three X360 games at a price point of Rs. 1499 (plus tax). That's right - Rupees 1499, not MS points. The three games available currently are Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 2, and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The install size ranges between 5.5 GB to 6.5 GB. Game manuals are available on the Xbox Marketplace website.

Personally, I would willingly pay Rs. 1499 for Assassin's Creed and Lego Star Wars. I am pretty sure I can pick up COD2 cheaper in our very own Trading Post. The price is not bad - I just hope it doesn't become one price for all titles. No one is going to pay Rs. 1499 for Gears of War when it's available for Rs. 999 as a Classic title.

On a side note, Xbox Originals are also available under the same Games on Demand tab and continue their old prices.

 

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xboxpricepoint.jpg

 

Some of you have probably noticed the reports from the XBox Live Preview currently underway regarding the Games on Demand pricing. Different regions have been offered different titles at strangely varied price points, some close and some ridiculously distant from any retail comparison.

 

Unfortunately, if you happen to live in Australia or New Zealand, it looks like we’re on the way to being disappointed once again. Unfortunately, the removal of MS points as the benchmark and moving to local currency has removed any chance of consistent prices. Considering we are generally always limited when it comes to On Demand purchases from any console maker, this isn’t a surprise.

 

See why after the jump.

 

I’m currently lucky enough to be getting a sneak peak at the upcoming major update for the 360’s NGE. Aside from speed, marketplace and avatar updates, one the most significant additions is the ability to purchase full retail games. Microsoft has recently pushed through the sub-update that allows the games to be sold and downloaded, and I have to say I have been shocked at what’s been on offer.

 

There are currently 5 games available during the current leg of this preview - Call of Duty 2, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Oblivion and Viva Pinata. The US gets Sonic The Hedgehog, Assassins Creed, Lego Star Wars and Need for Speed Carbon. Japan adds an additional Fight Night Round 3, Bullet Witch, IdolM@ster, Perfect Dark Zero, and Rainbow Six: Vegas. Since all of these titles are currently available and rated in the AU retail marketplace, I can only imagine that publishing issues are holding them back from online sale.

 

For the sake of regional comparison, I’ll keep it between the US and the AU/NZ markets, since the European regions are very numerous and, it has to be noted, have sub-regional splits for certain games as well.

 

3 of them are sitting at the reasonably RRP price of AU$49.95 - COD2, Bioshock and Oblivion. This is in comparison to the US$20 (Around AU$25) that they are priced for on the US marketplace. Strangely enough, NZ pays $20 more for COD2, at $69.95. Why? Heaven Knows. Viva Pinata sits a little closer to the norm at AU$29.95, which is almost a 1:1 split with the US pricing. While there is certainly a pretty high discrepancy, its nothing compared to the jaw dropping bombshell that is Mass Effect.

 

Mass Effect released in Australia on the 22nd of November, 2007. That’s almost 2 years ago. In the US, it is priced on the marketplace at a very respectable $20, close to the average online purchase value of $16. In Australia and New Zealand? $99.95. How much could you purchase it for the shop? You’d be hard pressed to pay more then around $40, even at EB Games who rarely price stock lower then the RRP.

 

That’s over double the cost. And while we’re at it, why are downloadable titles being priced significantly higher then their retail equivalents? Surely it wouldn’t be difficult to find the average retail sale, or even just discount the RRP since there are no middle-man costs (such as packaging, delivery, warehousing, staff and labor wages) to inflate pricing.

 

Mass Effect is one thing, but the other $49.95 games are all easily available at bargain bin prices. You’d be hard pressed to find Call of Duty 2 for sale at all, let alone at the $50 price point. For the sake of the article, I checked out three local discount retailers - JB Hifi, Big W and Kmart. Of those three, only JB Hifi had the title in stock, and sold it for AU$17 at the time of this article publishing.

 

Many have been saying that its highly possible that these prices are simply placeholders for when the update goes live to the masses. I don’t think so. The titles are available for purchase right now, for those in the preview, and its doubtful that MS would bother changing them without coming up against a major backlash against their purchase.

 

It’s a shame that this is the case. I was actually in a position a few weeks ago where I would have purchased a downloadable copy of Mass Effect, since it was after a heated discussion with a fellow editor and I had some free time available. This sort of impulse purchase fits in perfectly with an offering like this. But its unlikely that anyone with even a basic sense of retail pricing would even consider purchasing at prices like these.

 

Here’s hoping that Microsoft listens to the feedback and makes a greater effort to make these products competitive, rather then blaming the marketplace for not being “ready” for downloadable purchases. The success of Arcade is proven, now its time to start pushing some goodwill back into an already disappointed group of gamers.

 

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The price is NOT BAD?!

 

All that plastic and paper in your wallet must be weighing you down, poor thing :|

 

1500 for SW:TSC and AC is ok. And I wish the plastic would get more usage, it's gathering dust.

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can't say i agree with the price, buts still no bad. its £19.99 in the UK store. which, is not bad, but i picked up mass effect for £6 pre-owned. so considering u can get cheaper games in stores. also, mass effect in £15 in the new eco collection or what ever MS are calling it.

 

but then its understandable that they still need the pricing to be similar to the retail stores....... cos' u don't wanna piss them off.

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New games are available - all at 1500. Complete fail pricing for some of them since they are available as Classics at 999.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

Perfect Dark Zero

Kameo Elements of Power

 

I forgot the others and don't feel like going back now

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New games are available - all at 1500. Complete fail pricing for some of them since they are available as Classics at 999.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

Perfect Dark Zero

Kameo Elements of Power

 

I forgot the others and don't feel like going back now

Rainbow Six Vegas...

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  • 1 year later...

So I was browsing through this, and amongst the laughably bad rip off prices (4000 MS points for RDR) there are some pretty decent deals. Bayonetta, Chronicles of Riddick and Darksiders are all 1680 points (~1150 Rs). Which isnt bad considering the fact that two of those games never made it here on the Xbox 360.

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Since I posted that one and a half years ago there have been a few steam sales.

 

 

read carefully and repeat after me (large font so you don't make any mistakes with your grandpa eyes)...

 

 

 

 

steam f**king owns xbla

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