Xbox One Microsoft considering making digital games cheaper

[KN1GHTMARE]

Microsoft has announced Xbox Live's digital prices may be revised, as the company is planning to reassess how competitive current listings are. The news comes courtesy of Microsoft's Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb, who jumped into a Reddit thread lamenting how digital downloads are often more expensive than retail offerings.

"We are way aware of this and many of the concerns of the community," he said, before reassuring commenters that competitive pricing is "on the agenda."

Source: IGN

Well it's about time that MSFT took a cue from Steam and realized how to manage and sell their digital offerings. I think we need to be able to preload games prior to launch so that they're accessible at midnight; on top of this there's no reason we should pay $60 for a digital copy. Digital games should be offered for no more than $50 depending on the game. What do you guys think?

 

[heavensdevil]

Great, their move to increase digital pricing not long ago was ridiculous. Glad they took some cue from other companies. Digital games shouldn't even cost the same as retail in the first place so I hope that they carry out their plan with this. If they want to push for digital distribution, the price is the main thing they need to address.

 

[sidd230]

To pick up digital sales, they need to get Steam level deals. Beating or even price matching Steam sales will be a huge boost.

 

[xSaVx Carnage]

This is awesome i hope they do lower it, i prefer to have mine digital lately especially since ive seen the xbox one has disc tray problems so im nervous about that all the time lol

 

[Oldman Jr]

I've gotten into the whole digital copy thing lately so I'm perfectly ok with this.

 

[sc_shark]

they have already droped the price of power star golf.

i am ok with cheaper prices... one thing that always get me is the 2nd push for sales like 2 months after launch when the game is 40bux or so.. they did this with bordderlands2 on steam/amazon. shorty after launch they just kept droping the price.

 

[SeanM]

This is a longtime coming, First of all, digital games cost way less to manufacture and distribute, there is no need to burn anything to a disk, you upload it once and buyers download infinte amounts of copies, you cut out the middle men, namely the distributors (Walmart, Target, Circuit City...whoever) and you save no shipping costs, in addition to the hardware needed, The disc, the drive that burns the games even plastic for the jackets..

 

[marthyrocks]

Finally! That move they did before was a little uncalled for. Digital pricing is supposed to be cheaper after all. Well, if they pull off a Steam-like sale thing, then it's really going to show Sony they ain't afraid to some sale. And besides that, they're digital copies, not physical copies. They ain't gonna run out of copies because it's digital. Unless there's bandwith issues.

 

[diamondback8]

Agreed. The digital pricing thing is very different from retail. I don't see "digital" copies running out. But also, there might've been other factors we never considered, that's why they raised the prices. Who knows but at least it's good they're considering this.

 

[knives0302]

They should have thought about this a long time ago. Their prices are way too much. Yeah. I agree this has to be set on a limit of up to $50 only. No more than that. Plus the games have to be priced fairly according to how cool or how new they are.

 

[Claptrap]

They gotta compete with Steam sales. Seriously, that would be great!

 

[TheDangerousSummer]

Not sure if Microsoft could compete with Steam. I would love it though. Anyone know if Steam sets the prices on the sales, or the developers? Or the publishers?

I honestly have never bought a game on a console digitally. Better prices would change that!

 

[spark_777]

Hmmm... now that's a good question. Honestly, I don't know. I just buy when it's on sale but when you think about it, yeah, who does the prices on the sales right? Developers or Steam? Interesting question.

 

[thecreed4life]

They should have thought about this a long time ago. Their prices are way too much. Yeah. I agree this has to be set on a limit of up to $50 only. No more than that. Plus the games have to be priced fairly according to how cool or how new they are.

Yup. Agreed. They seriously got to consider everything 'cuz after all, it's the digital market. I don't remember prices going up 'cuz they're digital copies. But like what diamondback8, they probably have factors we don't know. Even so, they gotta consider our opinions on this too,

 

[Dom0411]

They really have to put up a comment board on their site that way we can comment about the games and Xbox One so they can improve it. I wonder if they can have every game digitized, it would be a better move for them to have more customers that way.

 

[Oldman Jr]

the only thing I can really think of, currently, that would possibly have them not lower them is that although they save money on packaging/shipping that it'd require alot of bandwidth. Plus the whole "it'd be costing alot of people their jobs" and what not.

 

[Dom0411]

That could be possible. Losing people because they won't do physical copies anymore would be a waste, but yeah, I still hope they can make it all digital.

 

[nealbo]

I'm hoping this mindset will move to consoles, due to Steam (as you mentioned). I find it bizarre how many quality games I can on Steam for low prices, whether they're in a huge sale or not, whereas on the respective console stores, I'm paying exactly the same for a digital copy as I would for a physical copy. Surely if I opt to not have a physical box, disc, instruction manual etc. I should at least benefit from the reduction in production costs?

 

[KN1GHTMARE]

They really have to put up a comment board on their site that way we can comment about the games and Xbox One so they can improve it. I wonder if they can have every game digitized, it would be a better move for them to have more customers that way.

The Xbox Website has its own forums, they're not very good but they exist.

 

[NuclearDragon]

This would be a great idea if they shaved the price off digital games even if it's $10. I'm sure it would stick in game stores' craw a bit, but go for it. If it's one thing all gamers like it's to not pay too much for a game.