QotW - Ep 230 - Are subscription subsidized consoles the future and are you in or out?

[Shino]

With the rumor of a $100 4G Kinect Bundle coming soon with a 2-year "contract" of $15/month... do you think this is real and do you think this is the future of game consoles.

We saw the PS3 launch at $600 already, high priced consoles are not unusual at launch. Would the price tag be more tempting if there was a contract involved.

Also, tell us if you're in or out. What do you think of this model for consoles... would it work for you?

NOTE: QotW emails and voicemails are almost always read or played on the air. Board posts are sometimes mentioned but usually not read. If you want your voice heard on the cast, send us a voicemail or an email.

[Boric]

Sounds terrible, and it's not even a deal. (tried to post this to this news article, but it didn't seem to work)

I mean, I guess it's good if you can't save up money, kinda like being ripped off by rent-to-own places...

$99 console/kinect + 360$ xboxlive(15$ x 24 months) = 459$
or
$300 console/kinect + $120(usually cheaper) xboxlive = $420 or less

Unless they bundled in something like Netflix streaming somehow, in which case, they'd have quite a deal

[RPT]

These things are never good deals for the consumer. Sure it lowers the upfront entry cost but you end up paying way more in the end.

In Australia you can get a Vita in the same sort of way with a 3G data plan. In this case you get a 3G vita for free but are locked in to a data plan for 2 years. The minimum plan is 2gb a month for $55 which works out to $660 all in. Given that the 3G model retails here for $420 your looking at paying $240 for 2 years of mobile service which is not terrible assuming you plan to use the 3g data plan with a Vita.

As Boric already pointed out is this deal is particularly bad because your locked into paying way more than normal for Xbox Live Gold for a couple of years. Your not really getting any added value due to the contract.

[Shino]

Oh I can see this is going to be a fun one. =)

[krae_man]

Indisfest IV $199*

*Or $0 with a two year $10/month contract.

[Shino]

We have some good responses so far guys. Get those emails in. We record tonight.

[MikePSN08]

Sounds terrible, and it's not even a deal. (tried to post this to this news article, but it didn't seem to work)

I mean, I guess it's good if you can't save up money, kinda like being ripped off by rent-to-own places...

$99 console/kinect + 360$ xboxlive(15$ x 24 months) = 459$
or
$300 console/kinect + $120(usually cheaper) xboxlive = $420 or less

Unless they bundled in something like Netflix streaming somehow, in which case, they'd have quite a deal

I totally am with you on this. This is the worse deal of the year so far for System bundling. I hate that you would even charge that much just to get your money back on the price of the console. People getting ripped off this bogus crap.

[Mister_Nep]

The worst part is this is going to sale. People always go for the cheapest thing possible. That's why, in my store, I always see people going for the cheapest pre-paid phones possible. People flock to the $10 straight talk phones, and end up having to pay like $20 for just 60 minutes of phone time. THIS HAPPENS SO OFTEN IT'S FRUSTRATING TO WATCH!

So, basically, people will definitely go for this. I'm depressed that Microsoft will end up profiting from this horrible price scheme.

[Shino]

I look forward to the comment thread that comes after I post the show in a bit.

[MikePSN08]

The worst part is this is going to sale. People always go for the cheapest thing possible. That's why, in my store, I always see people going for the cheapest pre-paid phones possible. People flock to the $10 straight talk phones, and end up having to pay like $20 for just 60 minutes of phone time. THIS HAPPENS SO OFTEN IT'S FRUSTRATING TO WATCH!

So, basically, people will definitely go for this. I'm depressed that Microsoft will end up profiting from this horrible price scheme.

Only people i see buying this are your soccer moms to keep the kids busy, or ones that like cheap consoles like the Wii but don't see the contract involved. We all know Gamestop will push it and try to get them to buy a hard drive add on for it too.