It was announced yesterday that Portal 2 PS3 players will be able to play with PC players. That's not even the best part. Gamers that buy Portal 2 for the PS3 will also have a digital copy they can use on their PC for free. Not only that Portal 2 on the PS3 will be backed up in their cloud service. Mind blown!
Alright now here's my chance to toss in a few speculations. I don't think it's too far fetched to say that Portal 2 will be a downloadable game for the PS3. Most PS3's have the HDD space and recently a lot of shooter like Borderlands and MAG are available for download on PSN.
Valve is quickly becoming one of my favorite game companies. I think they just get us as gamers.
I think it's a great that their knocking down the wall and allowing PS3 and PC players to mingle online. From a marketing stand point I can't see how this is profitable at all. Why even buy the PC version on Steam when you can just buy the PS3 version and BAM you have both formats for the price of one. Also why only PS3 and not 360? Maybe Microsoft will not allow inter-system multiplayer?
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea and an awesome deal to the player. But Valve could have easily just advertised system free multiplayer between PS3 and PC and still kept their profits up.
It sounds like you're disappointed in Valve's marketing decision. That's really interesting. The main reason they're not allowing 360 and PC crossover is because microsoft will not allow Steam to be on the 360. PS3 is allowing for steam support. You see it as a marketing flaw but I see it as a good long term decision. For instance there are a lot of console gamers, but what if one day this PS3 only owner decides to get a decent PC gaming rig. "Hold up I have a free copy of Portal 2 on my PC because I bought it for my PS3." Dude has download steam for PC. Steam just got another person that can't resist ridiculous holiday sales. Geniuses! Portal 2 can be the gateway game for PS3 users to buy more Steam games. If this is successful I don't see Valve passing up the chance to sell the HL series, L4D series, and TF2 on the PS3.
ReplyDeleteYea in the long term I can see it being profitable. Though I can't see the casual PS3 owner making the jump to buy or upgrade their current PC except perhaps the hardcore crowd. That said having STEAM accessible on the PS3 is pretty awesome. I wonder though if this is just a one off or if Valve will release future titles with copies for both platforms.
ReplyDeleteI still think though that while giving the gamer 2 copies of the same game on both platforms may spark future sales on STEAM, it could easily be done with out the inclusion of both copies. Since STEAM is coming to PSN anyways then you could easily just market interest there for both PS3 and PC titles. Unless Steam on PSN will strictly only show PS3 titles.
As a consumer, of course I see this as a win. A win because I own a PS3 and a PC with a Steam account. If I felt like buying Portal 2, this decision would make it clear that if price is the same, I would buy the PS3 version because I could then load it on the PC and decide if analog sticks or WASD worked better for me, the player.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I agree with Johnny that this is a strange decision. I don't see how the PS3 version is going to "lure" people to come play the exact same game on their PC, thereby increasing the number of Steam subscribers. There's no way that anyone who would do this wouldn't already have a Steam account. I don't see this improving their subscription base by any significant amount, offsetting current Steam sales with the potential future revenue. The busimess side of this doesn't seem to merit the reason for them to offer this.
Lastly, what is awesome to see, though, is that Steam, like the makers of DC Universe Online, are figuring out how to let users play cross-platform. That, my friends, is the real story here. Fanboys will always exist, and the flamewars will continue, but looking forward, businesses see that exclusives are only great if the hardware manufacturer pays you the differnce. Steam now pulls Mac/PC/and PS3 together. Going forward, this is going to benefit us all. Play on what you want, and your friends play on what they want, but at the end of the day, you can all match up in a single cloud instance of the game. Fan-freaking-tastic!
I don't see how they are losing money by doing this. I can only see how they make more money in the short and long run. The game is going to sell for $60 on the PS3. If the prices for current valve games on stream are any indication, than the PC version will sell for $40. That's a $20 dollar difference.
ReplyDeleteYeah no one's going to go out and buy a new PC just because they have portal 2 on the PS3. But I can guarantee you that if someone does buy a PC later down the road they're going to download Steam and test run Portal 2 on their new machine. Now here's why I think they'll make money. This gamer I'm assuming is a hardcore gamer and reads multiple gaming sites just like us. Most the sites like to post all the crazy awesome sales that Steam has during any American National Holiday. Guy with new rig always wanted to play L4D2 but they never released for the PS3 but wait he can get said game for $5 on Steam. All profits from said $5 goes directly to Steam. I don't see that as a lost at all.
Ok my story seems a little far fetched but let's look at it from your guys perspective. Here's a console owner that only owns a PS3. Buys Portal 2 and never buys a PC. Valve still gains whatever profit that they got from the $60. How are they losing money? If the guy never buys a PC.
Here's side two of your argument. We have a gamer much like us who as a gaming PC and a PS3. Like I mentioned before the price of PS3 games are $60 and steam games are about $40. Even if the said gamer buys it only for the PC, how is $40 going straight to their pockets a loss?
On a side note, MMORPGs being cross platform isn't anything new. FFXI people on 3 different systems can play the game together, PC, PS2, and Xbox 360.
A QUALITY FPS going cross platform is a big deal. My hats off to Valve.