Xbox LIVE’s selection of downloadable Xbox 360 games via the Games on Demand service has been expanded with two new games today, being Virtua Fighter 5 and FIFA Street 3.
Both games are available for download on Xbox LIVE for $19.99. Once again, if you’re really interested in these games, I suggest buying them used or looking for a better deal. Amazon has FIFA Street 3 for $16.99, but it may not be worth the wait saving two dollars. You have shipping fees with that, too. Although you may think differently with Amazon’s $12.43 Virtua Fighter 5 deal.
09.16.09 (
9:28 am |
How large are these games? Maybe FIFA Street 3 isn’t that big but I would imagine that VF5 would be a little on the large side. Probably at least 3GB.
While I think everyone wants the future of game purchasing to go this way there’s the matter of download time to consider and how much bandwidth people are pushing through their homes. Similar to AT&T, the problem with the iPhone is that because people use it so much more than any other cell phone (or smartphone) their towers are getting hammered and they just can’t handle all the data. Eventually cable and satellite providers will start having issues trying to support a download only retail market and caps on bandwidth will most likely start to be on the rise.
Some cable companies already have monthly bandwidth limits and as more retail downloads proliferate the market the limits will probably only get more strict or prices will rise in order to compensate for all the data being transferred.
Imagine trying to download Uncharted 2. They said they filled the Blu-ray disc. Even if they only used a single-layer Blu-ray that’s still 25GB (obviously double that if they used a dual-layer disc). And if they start compressing games just so they’re not too big for an online store than we’re actually moving backwards instead of forwards as we’ll lose features like multiple audio tracks or larger levels. Instead everyone will be programming just so they’re game is the smallest on the block.
Of course they could also break up the game into several downloads and handle each component like DLC but I’m not sure that would work for an entire game to be split apart.
09.16.09 (
12:32 pm |
Nice post, and excactly the reason I am not going to be quick to download this new range of Games on Demand.
I must add though, I for one do NOT want the future of all game purhcashing to go this way. I would prefer to purchase a solid box and disc any day over a digital download.
09.16.09 (
4:42 pm |
The only way this is going to be successful is if Microsoft see’s huge returns in Games on Demand (I was going to use just the initials of Games on Demand but it just didn’t feel right) then we’ll have no choice but to go to an all or nothing digital distribution format.
But similar to the Dutch retailer who refuses to sell the PSPgo because they can’t make ANY revenue on the platform other than the initial sale of the unit, I’m hoping that other retailers would refuse to carry the next Xbox if it didn’t have a physical drive.
Imagine Wal-Mart refusing to sell the NextBox if you can only buy the games via XBL or if they go the OnLive route? I have little doubt that Sony will include a faster Blu-ray drive in the PS4 giving them and Nintendo in the driver’s seat. It took Nintendo 5 years just to get into discs after the epic fail that was the N64, and they’re online strategy leaves much to be desired, so you know there’s no way they’re going all digital if/when they release a new console.