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Being an X-Box fan I tend to do a lot of surfing with the word X-Box in a browser nowadays, but there's something new around regarding this console that has quite a few interesting ramifications for retailers and e-tailers, Special Reserve included.
A little click over to the Microsoft.com main site, and they already have an e-store up and running, but the interesting things on there aren't the products, but the options available to you.
There's a button for X-Box games marked as 'Trial Version', indicating that you can download a free demo from the internet to your X-Box and try before you buy. Free perhaps? I would think so, most demos are.
There's another button for X-Box games marked as 'Enhance It'. This one troubles me; it is either very good, meaning you can download upgrades to weapons, extra levels, altered graphics, new vehicles, new characters, or it means you can download the dreaded 'patch'. Time will have to tell on that one.
Like all sites there is also the 'Technical Support' link, but the layout of the official Microsoft Games site makes it VERY easy to find it for each individual game should you require it.
But here's the crunch, there's also a very easy to find 'Buy It' button next to each game listing. Are Microsoft intending to push into the retail market for games big time too? It appears at present that only the Microsoft published titles are listed on there, but they are the biggies like Halo, Amped, Project Gotham Racing and Oddworld to name the most awaited.
I would expect, this being the main Microsoft site, that only the Microsoft games themselves would appear here, and that other developers will be left to their own methods for providing backup information and technical support for upgrades and the like.
But with a lot of Microsoft titles being released on the X-Box in the future, and freely available from the main website itself, will the expected takings from other retailers be dented? Will they just not bother to stock Microsoft games and instead concentrate on the other releases from other developers?
A little click over to the Microsoft.com main site, and they already have an e-store up and running, but the interesting things on there aren't the products, but the options available to you.
There's a button for X-Box games marked as 'Trial Version', indicating that you can download a free demo from the internet to your X-Box and try before you buy. Free perhaps? I would think so, most demos are.
There's another button for X-Box games marked as 'Enhance It'. This one troubles me; it is either very good, meaning you can download upgrades to weapons, extra levels, altered graphics, new vehicles, new characters, or it means you can download the dreaded 'patch'. Time will have to tell on that one.
Like all sites there is also the 'Technical Support' link, but the layout of the official Microsoft Games site makes it VERY easy to find it for each individual game should you require it.
But here's the crunch, there's also a very easy to find 'Buy It' button next to each game listing. Are Microsoft intending to push into the retail market for games big time too? It appears at present that only the Microsoft published titles are listed on there, but they are the biggies like Halo, Amped, Project Gotham Racing and Oddworld to name the most awaited.
I would expect, this being the main Microsoft site, that only the Microsoft games themselves would appear here, and that other developers will be left to their own methods for providing backup information and technical support for upgrades and the like.
But with a lot of Microsoft titles being released on the X-Box in the future, and freely available from the main website itself, will the expected takings from other retailers be dented? Will they just not bother to stock Microsoft games and instead concentrate on the other releases from other developers?
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Thing is, we wont be able to make best use of the "Download-a-demo" option as not many of us have BraodBand connections. It would be ok if you could use your own ISP with the XBox, that way at least you'll have free calls while getting the demos and add-ons etc, but what if the download stops or you get cut off when you're 97% of the way through a 300MB demo?
Being an X-Box fan I tend to do a lot of surfing with the word X-Box in a browser nowadays, but there's something new around regarding this console that has quite a few interesting ramifications for retailers and e-tailers, Special Reserve included.
A little click over to the Microsoft.com main site, and they already have an e-store up and running, but the interesting things on there aren't the products, but the options available to you.
There's a button for X-Box games marked as 'Trial Version', indicating that you can download a free demo from the internet to your X-Box and try before you buy. Free perhaps? I would think so, most demos are.
There's another button for X-Box games marked as 'Enhance It'. This one troubles me; it is either very good, meaning you can download upgrades to weapons, extra levels, altered graphics, new vehicles, new characters, or it means you can download the dreaded 'patch'. Time will have to tell on that one.
Like all sites there is also the 'Technical Support' link, but the layout of the official Microsoft Games site makes it VERY easy to find it for each individual game should you require it.
But here's the crunch, there's also a very easy to find 'Buy It' button next to each game listing. Are Microsoft intending to push into the retail market for games big time too? It appears at present that only the Microsoft published titles are listed on there, but they are the biggies like Halo, Amped, Project Gotham Racing and Oddworld to name the most awaited.
I would expect, this being the main Microsoft site, that only the Microsoft games themselves would appear here, and that other developers will be left to their own methods for providing backup information and technical support for upgrades and the like.
But with a lot of Microsoft titles being released on the X-Box in the future, and freely available from the main website itself, will the expected takings from other retailers be dented? Will they just not bother to stock Microsoft games and instead concentrate on the other releases from other developers?
A little click over to the Microsoft.com main site, and they already have an e-store up and running, but the interesting things on there aren't the products, but the options available to you.
There's a button for X-Box games marked as 'Trial Version', indicating that you can download a free demo from the internet to your X-Box and try before you buy. Free perhaps? I would think so, most demos are.
There's another button for X-Box games marked as 'Enhance It'. This one troubles me; it is either very good, meaning you can download upgrades to weapons, extra levels, altered graphics, new vehicles, new characters, or it means you can download the dreaded 'patch'. Time will have to tell on that one.
Like all sites there is also the 'Technical Support' link, but the layout of the official Microsoft Games site makes it VERY easy to find it for each individual game should you require it.
But here's the crunch, there's also a very easy to find 'Buy It' button next to each game listing. Are Microsoft intending to push into the retail market for games big time too? It appears at present that only the Microsoft published titles are listed on there, but they are the biggies like Halo, Amped, Project Gotham Racing and Oddworld to name the most awaited.
I would expect, this being the main Microsoft site, that only the Microsoft games themselves would appear here, and that other developers will be left to their own methods for providing backup information and technical support for upgrades and the like.
But with a lot of Microsoft titles being released on the X-Box in the future, and freely available from the main website itself, will the expected takings from other retailers be dented? Will they just not bother to stock Microsoft games and instead concentrate on the other releases from other developers?
Page: