This Stuff Comes With The Retail Version Of Patapon 2

[wraggster]

Ars Technica and their always informative retail mole leaked shipped copies of Patapon 2 would be a download voucher inside a UMD case. Sony later confirmed the rumor explaining the $20 retail game will also be available on the PlayStation Store on the same date for $15.

Last fall, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan introduced a similar strategy for first party games where downloadable versions would be simultaneously launched for a slightly lower price. The difference is retail versions of Loco Roco 2, Bleach: Soul Carnival, and Patapon 2 came with a physical UMD disc.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/04/14/this-stuff-comes-with-the-retail-version-of-patapon-2/

[jamotto]

Box art costs $5? Or Sony hoping to stiff people expecting a umd.

[pibs]

Oh from what I have been hearing, supposedly they are just going to release Patapon 2 as download in the states :(

Why don't they just release the game with the box and all, but just to be different, sell the game inside a Memory Stick since the game itself is probably less than a gig. Include a Patapon 2 PSP skin and it will sell like crack.

[jarshale]

i guess the people who buy this and only have dial up or no internet at all are out of luck

[b8a]

Super awful idea. I rather liked the first Patapon, and was looking forward to the sequel, but I will never (NEVER) download the sequal.

First, I don't have broadband and the thought of trying to hunt down a broadband connection that I can use JUST to download this game is too much hassle. Even if the game is only a manageable ~5MB, I won't support digital only distribution while broadband is still so outrageously expensive.

Second, I hope they're planning on putting a gigantic disclamer on the box that says that there's nothing playable inside, because it would make me think twice about buying any more PSP games if I had to be concerned about whether or not the box contains anything. The box also needs to carry a gigantic disclaimer about how big of a Memory Stick is required to download the game. Most people that I know (personally) who have a PSP only have a few hundred meg or less stick, so requiring them to buy a larger stick just to play the game is a hidden, unpleasant cost.

Third, Sony's not Apple. They can't repeat Apple's iPhone model because the PSP is still a viciously closed platform. If Sony started giving away the PSP SDK for $99 and hosting/distributing even indie developers' creations and letting developers choose their own price, then Sony might have a service worth supporting, but as it is I don't see Sony ever making the bold moves that would be required to replicate the AppStore's success.

Very, very bad move on Sony's part. I hope that sales of Patapon 2 flop and they quickly have to reverse this decision.

[ChaosCrypt]

Super awful idea. I rather liked the first Patapon, and was looking forward to the sequel, but I will never (NEVER) download the sequal.

First, I don't have broadband and the thought of trying to hunt down a broadband connection that I can use JUST to download this game is too much hassle. Even if the game is only a manageable ~5MB, I won't support digital only distribution while broadband is still so outrageously expensive.

Second, I hope they're planning on putting a gigantic disclamer on the box that says that there's nothing playable inside, because it would make me think twice about buying any more PSP games if I had to be concerned about whether or not the box contains anything. The box also needs to carry a gigantic disclaimer about how big of a Memory Stick is required to download the game. Most people that I know (personally) who have a PSP only have a few hundred meg or less stick, so requiring them to buy a larger stick just to play the game is a hidden, unpleasant cost.

Third, Sony's not Apple. They can't repeat Apple's iPhone model because the PSP is still a viciously closed platform. If Sony started giving away the PSP SDK for $99 and hosting/distributing even indie developers' creations and letting developers choose their own price, then Sony might have a service worth supporting, but as it is I don't see Sony ever making the bold moves that would be required to replicate the AppStore's success.

Very, very bad move on Sony's part. I hope that sales of Patapon 2 flop and they quickly have to reverse this decision.

Wow, what a load of whining................

Now before I address the above let me make it clear that I think to charge extra for a box that contains a voucher that means I cannot play the product I just bought sucks big time - I cannot see how Sony thinks this will work......

Anyways back to Mr Whiney

1st - Sony has nothing to do with the cost of broadband in your area, so not a valid point.

2nd - Well as 1GB memory sticks come in at under $5 on Amazon its still a bargain considering the game is cheaper than a standard new release.

3rd - This is a fully developed game, not some bedroom coded "app" - not the same thing so not a valid comparison.

As said I dont know what Sony aim to achieve, but none of the Parents points are valid.

[b8a]

Wow, what a load of whining................

Now before I address the above let me make it clear that I think to charge extra for a box that contains a voucher that means I cannot play the product I just bought sucks big time - I cannot see how Sony thinks this will work......

Anyways back to Mr Whiney

1st - Sony has nothing to do with the cost of broadband in your area, so not a valid point.

2nd - Well as 1GB memory sticks come in at under $5 on Amazon its still a bargain considering the game is cheaper than a standard new release.

3rd - This is a fully developed game, not some bedroom coded "app" - not the same thing so not a valid comparison.

As said I dont know what Sony aim to achieve, but none of the Parents points are valid.
That's a great laugh you gave me! Whiney? Certainly not. All of my points are entirely valid.

1: Sony doesn't have anything to do with the price of broadband. True. I never said they did. What they do have are tons of loyal lower income customers such as myself that they are completely ignoring by disregarding the fact that broadband still isn't even close to affordable for most of the world (developed or not).

2: Nope. The original Patapon retailed for $19.99 in the US, so this packaged retail version is already more expensive then the original, and even an extra $5 is still 25% of the price. Besides, I've got well over 20GB worth of PSP compatible memory, I wasn't mentioning this out of concern for myself, but over concern of the hidden cost that is deffinitely going to sour some consumers.

3: It's a completely valid comparison. The App Store may be flooded with low quality apps, but it also has a huge share of quality applications. While the low price point of the iPhone SDK means that even "bedroom" hobbyists are cranking out software for it, it also means that medium sized companies who could never either qualify to obtain or afford an SDK from Sony can both easily qualify for and afford an iPhone SDK. These medium sized companies are putting out some great applications. Check help wanted postings on the internet: you could easily find ten (this is a VERY low estimate. You could probably easily find fifty) current, relevant postings for legitimate companies hiring quality developers for quality iPhone software projects. You'd probably be lucky to find five postings for PSP developers, and they'd probably be for developers to code ports to the PSP. The bottom line is that there is a significantly lower barrier to creating and profiting from the iPhone, and the resuls are both tangible and immediate.

Anyway Mr. Clueless, I'm sorry that you're not quite perceptive enough to recognize constructive criticism, but, yes, all of my points were valid. It's clear what Sony's trying to do here (capitialize on digital distribution in the vein of what Apple's already accomplished), but the execution is so massively flawed (entirely different audience, baffling packaging scheme) that it looks like the bungled result of some newbie intern with far too much responsibility.