Thanks to rampant piracy, it was probably several years ago that computer gamers started downloading more of their games than they bought on disc, but now even honest gamers are following suit. For the first time in the PC game market, the number of digital sales surpassed those of disc-based games. [More]
downloadable content
My Code For A Digital Copy Of District 9 Won't Work, Sony Won't Help
By 9.9.10
Realizing that rampant movie piracy has as much to do with the way consumers want to watch a film with their unwillingness to pay for it, some home video studios include codes to transfer digital copies of the films along with Blu-rays. [More]
Check Out These Sites For Free Audio Books
By 8.24.10
Who says story time has to stop when you exit kindergarten? Audio books provide all the stimulation of reading without that annoying reading part. And the internet is full of avenues to get them for free without having to resort to piracy. [More]
GameStop Selling Download Codes At Retail
By 8.20.10
Sick of being left out of the party as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo sell downloads to gamers directly through their consoles, GameStop has started hocking downloadable content codes at all of its 4,400 stores, Game Informer reports. [More]
Go Easy On Tapping The 'A' Button If You're Getting An Xbox 360 Demo
By 7.6.10
Jonathan wishes his trigger finger wasn’t so itchy, because while going on an Xbox 360 free demo downloading binge he accidentally bought a game. [More]
Geniuses Are Buying Downloadable Transformers Characters For Big Money
By 7.1.10
As enticements to get fans to preorder the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game, GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy offered codes for downloadable characters exclusive to each seller. Clever entrepreneurs are turning around and selling those codes to nostalgic people who are careless with their money, and some were getting north of $100 on eBay yesterday morning. [More]
Don't Buy A Digital Game And Expect To Return It For A Refund
By 6.24.10
Joshua heard you could play Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on the PC with an Xbox 360 controller, so he downloaded it through Steam, a digital distribution service. He hasn’t been able to figure out how to use his controller and suspects it may not be possible, and Steam is ignoring his requests for a refund. [More]
Game Company Stunningly Uses Downloadable Content For Good Rather Than Evil
By 6.23.10
Rockstar Games trotted out a downloadable expansion to Red Dead Redemption, its epic Wild West-set action game. What’s remarkable is that the download, which lets players partake in online co-op missions and adds Xbox 360 achievements and PlayStation 3 trophies, is free. And not for only those who bought the game new. [More]
Sony Is Making An Xbox Live-Like Cash Cow Of Its Own
By 5.26.10
Citing a swirl of whispers around the video game media world, 1Up reports Sony is set to announce PSN+, which will shake down gamers for $5 to $10 a month for perks such as cross-game voice chat, free play of the first hour of downloadable games and access to a rotating list of downloadable games. Online play should remain free for non PSN+ members, unlike Xbox Live. [More]
Downloadable PS3 Game Requires You To Be Online To Play
By 4.22.10
Sony has taken a page out of the Ubisoft DRM-bungling playbook and required gamers playing the downloadable retro game Final Fight: Double Impact to be online in order to play. According to Joystiq, this must be a Sony-only thing because the game plays fine offline on the Xbox 360. [More]
Target Offering Video Game DLC Cards For 15% Off
By 4.20.10
Joystiq reports Target has a sweet deal going on with Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 points cards, selling the $20 cards for $17. [More]
Microsoft Gives 7 Free Days Of Xbox Live To Players Who Bought Broken DLC
By 4.6.10
Those who downloaded Modern Warfare 2’s overpriced ($15) and broken Stimulus Package maps the day they came out got a little reward from Microsoft, according to Kotaku: 7 days of free gold service. [More]
Now You Get To Pay To Be Advertised To As You Play Games
By 4.6.10
Three Old Spice-themed games have lurched onto Xbox Live. Advergames are nothing new on the console, but what’s audacious about this new set of games is you actually have to pay for them, Joystiq reports. [More]
Bioshock 2 Paid 'DLC' Is Already On The Disc
By 3.15.10
Video game press outlets, including Game Informer, are reporting that Bioshock 2’s $5 Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, which adds new characters, weapons and levels, is actually just code that unlocks stuff that’s already in the game. [More]
Madden Fans, EA Has Plans To Further Exploit You
By 3.3.10
EA Sports president Peter Moore, whose Madden monopoly has gamers in a chokehold, isn’t happy with just being the only game in town. According to a Joystiq report on Moore’s statements at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference Monday, Moore said in so many words that he hopes to further nickel-and-dime Madden players with downloadable content. [More]
UPDATED: Stardock Takes Care Of Gamer Who Downloaded Messed-Up Game
By 11.19.09
Tim downloaded a computer game from Stardock but found that it’s been crippled by DRM issues that treat him like he’s a common pirate. At first he found customer service unresponsive and thought he would be out $10 (Stardock ended up refunding his money).
Pepsi Rock Band Contest May Have Been Unwinnable At The End
By 9.17.09
The Internets are aflame over a Pepsi contest that gave out free instant-win Rock Band codes. Apparently the powers that be shut down the contest before it was supposed to end Sept. 12 and 13, while still proclaiming on its website it was going on. 5frets.com has a detailed report of how things went down.
Microsoft Charging For Xbox 360 Game Add-On That's Free On PC
By 9.8.09
Eurogamer reports that Microsoft is charging $7 for the downloadable Crash Course add-on, due this month, to the zombie-splattering Xbox 360 game Left 4 Dead. Crash Course will be free on the PC version of the game via Steam, but the Destructoid story cites a Eurogamer interview with Chet Faliszek of Valve, the game’s developer. He tells Eurogamer:
