Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Prince of Persia 2008, and now Dead Space 2 all share one thing in common: They have DLC packs for sale that aren't available on the PC. Other games, like GTA4, have the DLC available on PC only months after it's out on consoles.
I'm sort of confused why this happens. After all, there's very little cost involved in porting (same engine, already-existing content; should be plug-and-play), it seems like something that would be a bit harder to pirate (although not impossible) for the entry-level consumer, coming as it does with "some assembly required," rather than just torrenting it off the 'net. (These things don't all have standalone installers)
And finally, it seems like this could be legally/ethically questionable if (as with Prince of Persia 2008) the DLC contains the conclusion of the story. This invites certain negative things into the discussion - things like, my PC copy of the game isn't worth as much as your 360 copy of the game, because my PC copy doesn't allow you to see the ending.
So why does this happen? All I can think of is exclusivity deals, but even that doesn't solve all the problems. (most of this DLC comes to both major consoles even when it skips the PC - not to mention, do MS or Sony really think anyone's going to pay up for a new console AND another copy of a game they in all likelihood already finished just to play a DLC pack?)
Making things even worse, in the case of Dead Space 2, the (apparently) console-exclusive DLC has been announced even before the game is properly out! Are EA trying to lose PC customers? Heck, the thing even costs the overcharged sixty bucks on PC - they can't even make the argument that you paid less so you get less.
This attitude befuddles me - I just don't understand why companies would do this. Does anyone have light to shed on this topic for me?
I'm sort of confused why this happens. After all, there's very little cost involved in porting (same engine, already-existing content; should be plug-and-play), it seems like something that would be a bit harder to pirate (although not impossible) for the entry-level consumer, coming as it does with "some assembly required," rather than just torrenting it off the 'net. (These things don't all have standalone installers)
And finally, it seems like this could be legally/ethically questionable if (as with Prince of Persia 2008) the DLC contains the conclusion of the story. This invites certain negative things into the discussion - things like, my PC copy of the game isn't worth as much as your 360 copy of the game, because my PC copy doesn't allow you to see the ending.
So why does this happen? All I can think of is exclusivity deals, but even that doesn't solve all the problems. (most of this DLC comes to both major consoles even when it skips the PC - not to mention, do MS or Sony really think anyone's going to pay up for a new console AND another copy of a game they in all likelihood already finished just to play a DLC pack?)
Making things even worse, in the case of Dead Space 2, the (apparently) console-exclusive DLC has been announced even before the game is properly out! Are EA trying to lose PC customers? Heck, the thing even costs the overcharged sixty bucks on PC - they can't even make the argument that you paid less so you get less.
This attitude befuddles me - I just don't understand why companies would do this. Does anyone have light to shed on this topic for me?
