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Carbine Studios explains WildStar housing prices for music
If you'd like to change the music on your housing plot in WildStar, you'll be able to do so with the next major update. But it's going to cost you a pretty penny. Players have been a little upset about this for understandable reason, so Social Systems Lead Victoria Dollbaum took to the forums to explain why the prices for this feature -- as well as wallpaper options, atmosphere, and similar points -- were being set so high. Dollbaum explains that rather than simple changes, these purchases unlock the feature forever, rather than incurring another cost each time you decide to change. While the current system is less expensive, it also requires you to buy changes to wallpaper, sky, and so forth every time you change; with the new system, once you've bought it once, you'll never have to do so again. It doesn't fully ameliorate the issue, but understanding the reason might make it a bit more palatable.
Chaos Theory: The value of The Secret World's DLCs
This question was posed to me recently by a few different readers and stream viewers: Are The Secret World's DLCs a good value? As I pondered the question, I decided that instead of answering each query personally, it would be a good topic to explore here in Chaos Theory. Besides, the answer is definitely not a short one! (It can't even fit in a single column!) So why can't I just fire off a simple yes or no to this question? The biggest problem is trying to provide an objective answer to a very subjective situation. While the meaning of value itself is clearly defined, said definition emphasizes that the judgment is individual to whoever is involved. How each player defines value is very personal, so I can't really answer for anyone except myself. What I can do, however, is provide as much of the objective information that I can so you can make your own subjective judgment on the value. Are TSW's issues and sidestories packs worth it? Let's look at the value from various viewpoints and you decide!
UK carriers will be forced to let customers ditch mobile contracts if they raise prices
No one likes a price hike, especially mid-contract. Neither does UK regulator Ofcom it seems, which is setting out new policy clarification for mobile, broadband and landline suppliers. The guidance is to prevent different "interpretations" of existing policy, and will ensure customers can leave their contracts -- without penalty -- if prices are raised during a their contract. No one can argue that's not good for consumers, but it won't come into place for three months, and only applies to contracts taken out after that. It also doesn't apply to other general changes in terms and conditions, or when price goes up due to other factors (exceeding a data bundle etc). Still, come the new year, signing on that dotted line should give folk in the UK a little less anxiety.
Apple's Eddy Cue acknowledges e-book price increases at antitrust trial, reveals talk of Amazon deal that would split books/music control
The issue of e-book prices, and alleged price fixing, has come up again and again in recent years, with the focus most recently shifting to a Manhattan courtroom where Apple is at the center of an antitrust trial. After revealing new details of the company's market share yesterday, Apple's Eddy Cue has today offered another piece of surprising news: that he and Steve Jobs once discussed a potential deal that would see Apple stay out of the ebook market if Amazon agreed stayed out of music. There's no indication that went beyond the early discussion phase, or actually involved any discussions with Amazon, but it would obviously raise considerable antitrust questions had it gone any further. As CNET and The Verge report, the DOJ is hoping that revelation will bolster its case that Apple engaged in antitrust practices to inflate ebook prices across the market. On that front, Cue, who the DOJ describes as the "chief ringleader of the conspiracy," reportedly acknowledged that the prices of some ebooks did go up from April of 2010 (when it opened its iBookstore) through to 2012, but he attributed that to publishers unhappy with Amazon's $9.99 pricing. Cue's facing further questioning from Apple's attorneys this afternoon, with the trial expected to wrap up by the end of next week. Update: AllThingsD has further testimony from Mr. Cue indicating that Steve Jobs didn't even want to build iBooks -- at least, not until he got his hands on the first iPad.
Corona introduces an SDK starter, will raise Pro price to $599
Unity is probably the most popular tool for cross-platform development out there right now -- last week at GDC, I heard a lot from developers of all sizes about Unity and how it was helping them to build games for iOS and other platforms. But Corona also has a following out there. It's a Software Development Kit (SDK) that has been updated quite a bit lately, and I did hear a few devs say it's what they use to make their titles. One game development student even told me he's being taught how to use Corona specifically at school, so the tool definitely has its fans. Today, Corona has announced that it's hoping to make its platform more accessible than ever, with a new "SDK Starter" program that will allow developers to make and sell apps with Corona for completely free. The SDK is available as a free download, and as long as you don't need certain features (like in-app purchases or analytics services), you can publish apps made with Corona for exactly zero dollars. Some other SDKs require you to use a certain splash screen on your app or advertise the service in some other way, but Corona's new program doesn't even require that -- it's really free. Of course, the company does offer those other services, and more, with a Pro account. Corona also says it's "re-imagining" what Pro will mean for the service, which essentially means a price raise, to US$599 a year on May 1. The current subscription is $349, and anyone can still get one at that price until the first of May. Pro users will have access to in-app purchases and various analytics, as well as the option to use Corona's high-end graphic features, and the plugin system. But even if you're not interested in a full Pro subscription, it's nice to see that Corona's offering the free option for developers to try out the service for themselves. Unity, I would say, is still the leader in this area, and they offer a free version of the tools for developers to try. But you do need to pay to publish a commercial game on that platform, so maybe Corona will grab a few more users (and see a few more published titles) with this free opportunity.
The Art of Wushu: Winning in market PvP
Last time on the Art of Wushu, I promised I would write on how to sell production crafts. Crafting is a big deal in Age of Wushu, so it seemed like a reasonable topic to cover. However, I realized doing so would probably be a mistake. Why? If you followed my advice from two weeks ago, congratulations. You probably noticed a huge nosedive in a few markets: hemp, ramie, iron, and mint all took a huge hit. It's a bit flattering to see how I can write a post on what to sell and readers like you guys take it to heart, flooding the market with supply and crashing the value of these commodities. If I gave advice on production crafting, the same thing would happen. Instead, this week I'm going to talk about real market strategy. Pointing out things that sell doesn't help you if the market takes a nose-dive. Understanding supply and demand curves, market equilibrium, and the importance of market diversity are all long-term tools that will help you regardless of what you're selling.
PSA: Windows 8 and Pro upgrades will jump to $120 and $200 on February 1st
This should come as no surprise -- we reported the increase back in October -- but Windows 8 upgrades will become a bit more pricey come February 1st. That means you have the better part of two weeks to take advantage of introductory online upgrade pricing of $40 (for the Pro version), before the sticker jumps to 200 bucks. Fortunately, you'll be able to utilize current pricing for the rest of January, including a DVD Pro upgrade available at retailers for $70. After the switchover, you'll pay $200 for a Pro upgrade, a standard edition of Windows 8 will run you $120, the Pro Pack will be available for $100 (upgrading from standard to Pro) and a Media Center Pack will cost $10. You could, of course, stick it out with Windows 7 or Vista or even XP for the indefinite future, but if a fresh OS is in the cards, now'd be as good a time as any to make the jump.
Report: 35 percent of paid apps dropped prices in 2012
Apple Sliced is a site that keeps watch on App Store prices, and they've just released a year-end report on how much app prices fluctuated over the whole of 2012. Overall, says Apple Sliced, 35 percent of paid apps on the store ended up dropping their prices at some point last year, which is a sizable number for sure. A slightly smaller percentage of apps (around 32 percent) were cheaper at some point in 2012 than they are now, which means they dropped at some point and then raised. While these numbers represent a large proportion of apps on the store, they also aren't that surprising -- plenty of paid app developers do price tweaking and put on sales from time to time, usually just to raise interest (and thus downloads) in their apps. Apple Sliced also allows users to set price alerts for apps, and it says the "most requested" apps for a sale are WhatsApp Messenger (which is currently free?), Smart Office 2, Plants vs. Zombies HD and Infinity Blade 2. That makes sense -- with the exception of WhatsApp (and Plants vs. Zombies, currently on sale for US$0.99), these are all very popular apps with comparatively premium prices. You can see the same reasoning in the most popular app sales, which all feature premium apps that dropped down to the low price of free. Sales are a powerful tool for paid app devs on the App Store, and that's not likely to change as we move forward into 2013.
Samsung denies rumor of increased cost of chip production
Word's been going around that due to the recent friction between Apple and Samsung on the end product front, Samsung has decided to charge Apple even more for another one of its businesses: The chip assembly line. Apple depends on Samsung to make a few different components for its devices, and the rumor mill was saying that Samsung was making things harder for Apple on that supply side. But Samsung has now said that prices haven't changed, for Apple or anyone else. A spokesman for Samsung says that prices on the chips Apple is using "are set at the beginning of the year and aren't changed easily." That's not exactly a denial of the friction we've heard about, but it does make sense that Samsung wouldn't change any deals already in place. Any deals in the future, however, might be strained, to say the least. Apple is not a company that likes to depend on any other companies, especially competitors (just look at the recent replacement of Google Maps for an example of that one). So even if prices for Apple haven't yet changed, odds are that both Samsung and Apple are looking for ways to change this agreement back to their own advantage.
Square Enix considers dropping iOS prices
The Casual Connect gaming conference is going on in Kiev, Ukraine this week, and while there, Square Enix's General Manager of Mobile for Europe Antony Douglas expressed that his company is considering lowering its prices on iOS. By itself, that's not a very surprising notion: Most companies these days are realizing that lower prices on the App Store open up to a much larger audience, and there are other ways to monetize apps rather than just the traditional pricing model. But what's interesting here is that Square Enix is considering such a notion. The venerated Japanese RPG company has released quite a few apps on iOS, and its most popular apps (including Chrono Trigger and the more recent World Ends With You) have been priced significantly higher than even other very polished iOS games (US$9.99 and $19.99 for those two, respectively). In the past, we've seen this as a sign that game developers can still ask a premium price for premium content, and certainly Square Enix's games seem to have been doing well. Final Fantasy Tactics is another example -- a long-awaited game that was priced at $17.99 on the iPad. Douglas does confirm that these games are selling well, but he also says that the pricing "has been commented on quite a lot in Europe in the West," and that the more traditional Japanese overseers of the company are "seeing the feedback, and there will probably be changes in the way that it's structured." At the same time, however, he says the Japanese hold the view that quality games should have a premium price, and he suggests (correctly so) that "$20 for something you can play for 30 or 40 hours is still cheaper than what you can get on a handheld." So we'll have to see if Square Enix changes its pricing in the future. If anyone can command higher prices for these titles, it's obviously them, but it's also true that as prices drop, sales on the App Store tend to go up. So it's possible that Square Enix could sell more copies and make even more money with a larger potential audience if they go with a lower price. [via Slide to Play]
Apple adds Rubles and other currencies to App Store, bumps minimum price to €0.89 in Europe
After announcing slightly under par financials, Apple has added more ways it can be paid for apps, though it also bumped the minimum freight to get one across Europe. The new lowest price users in France, Germany, Italy and other nations "over there" can pay for an app is now €0.89, a euro-dime bump from before -- apparently due to the weak euro and local tax hikes. On the other hand, Cupertino also added more currencies accepted at its store: South African Rand, Turkish Lira, Russian Rubles, Indian Rupees, Isreali New Shekel's, Saudi Arabian Riyal, Indonesian Rupish and UAE Dirham can all now be used to pay. Apple has tinkered with its prices before in varying amounts overseas depending on the nation, so you may want to check your own country's App Store for the news -- bad or good.
Apple iPad mini appears in Media Markt inventory in cellular and WiFi flavors, €250-650 price range (update: part numbers)
Still waiting for all those alleged iPad mini leaks to culminate into something official? Why not take one more while you wait: according to a proven source of Mobile Geeks, German electronics retailer Media Markt has the iPad mini in 16 flavors in its inventory system. The company's internal documentation shows the rumored tablet at 8, 16, 32 and 64GB configurations, with each offering a choice of black or white, as well as a choice of 3G or just WiFi. The retailer is listing sticker prices, too: for the WiFi-only flavor, €249 buys an 8GB model, €349 snags 16GB, €449 for 32GB and €549 scores 64GB of storage. Looking for a slab with cellular connectivity? Stack an extra €100 on each of those prices. The listing doesn't have anything official to say about US greenbacks, but the included 19% tax evens up the dollar and euro quite nicely, giving us a reasonable idea what kind of pricing we can expect to see in the states. To put things into perspective, this would be a $150 savings on the 16GB WiFi model when compared to the full sized $499 slate Apple currently offers. Of course, this is all counting on Cupertino making the device official. We'll let you know if we hear anything. Update: While nothing's official yet, AppleInsider has obtained part numbers that largely match up with what Media Markt has shown -- two dozen variants that imply four different capacities, two different colors and both WiFi as well as cellular editions.
AMD Piledriver CPU pre-order pricing leaks out
It's always just been a matter of "when" and "how much," but it looks as if PC gamers looking to score a powerplant upgrade can start planning on specific amounts. AMD's impending FX Piledriver CPUs are now up for pre-order at ShopBLT, an outlet that has proven reliable in the past when it comes to nailing down processor pricing. For those in need of a refresher, these are built using the Vishera design, with the range including between four and eight CPU cores. We're expecting 'em to best the Bulldozer family, and if all goes well, they could be available to the earliest of adopters in October. Presently, the FX-4300 ($131.62), FX-6300 ($175.77), FX-8320 ($242.05) and FX-8350 ($253.06) are listed, but CPU World seems to think launch day quotes will actually be a bit lower. Only one way to find out, right?
Purported ASUS holiday roadmap pegs Windows 8 tablets at $599 and above
Windows 8 tablets have had their specs bandied about for months, but their prices have continued to remain off the radar. Now, however, a purported ASUS holiday roadmap sent to ZDNet may give us a glimpse as to how badly bank accounts could be affected this fall. According to the slide, the ASUS Vivo Tab will carry a $799 price tag and its Windows RT counterpart will come in at $599, which matches the previously reported price difference between slates running Redmond's latest OS with Intel and AMD processors. The ASUS Taichi dual-screen notebook / tablet hybrid is said to ring up at a heftier $1,299. As for the firm's Transformer Book, it will supposedly set purchasers back $1,399. If these prices are any indication of what we can expect from other OEMs, Microsoft's Surface might be pricier than hoped.
Shadowrun Online fundraiser comes down to the wire [Update]
There's this thing called Kickstarter. It's OK if you have never heard of it; it's not like it's sweeping the internet or anything. Anyway, Cliffhanger Productions is relying on Kickstarter to help fund Shadowrun Online, and with just hours to go until the final bell, the project is several thousand dollars short of its $500,000 goal. If it hits $500,000 by 4:00 p.m. EDT today, the project will be fully funded, but if not, Cliffhanger stands to lose a substantial investment in the title. We thought we should mention this for those of you who are Shadowrun fans and would like to see this project succeed. The dev team has added the special offer of the game's soundtrack to those who pitch in $9 or more in these final hours. To help you make up your mind, Cliffhanger has posted a character creation video that shows off some of the possibilities for making your Shadowrun Online avatar. We've posted the video after the break. [Update: Shadowrun Online made its $500,000 and then some with plenty of time to spare!]
Shadowrun Online changes business models during Kickstarter push
There's little debate over whether or not free-to-play is a viable business model, but there are some legitimate concerns over its implementation when mixed with PvP. That's a concern that's been raised by Shadowrun Online fans as the game pushes for Kickstarter funding, and it's one that the developers have addressed in an update on the game's business model. Rather than following a straight free-to-play model, the game will be moving forward under a model more reminiscent of Guild Wars. At launch, the game will retail for $39.99 (Kickstarter backers will be able to get the game at the $25 donation level), with a new "campaign" launched every three or four months at $14.99. Cliffhanger Productions isn't fully replacing the free-to-play model, as both the campaign option and the free-to-play option will be launched on separate servers to support both business models. It's a far-reaching change based on community feedback, and it should be interesting for fans to see how this affects overall donations to the ongoing funding campaign.
Developer won't patch XBLA game because Microsoft would charge 'tens of thousands' of dollars
Seeing as how so much software is moving to online distribution, the significance of this controversy might extend far beyond gaming and XBLA. For now, however, the spotlight is firmly on Microsoft and the way it charges developers for testing their games and patches, after a well-known developer made an unusually public complaint. In a post on its official blog, Polytron said it would not patch a rare game-saving bug in its popular title Fez, because Microsoft would charge it "tens of thousands of dollars to re-certify the game." It added that "had Fez been released on Steam instead of XBLA," the problem would have been fixed "right away" and at no cost to the developer, which strongly hints that it'll jump to another platform as soon as its XBLA exclusivity expires. Responses to the story over at our sister site Joystiq are decidedly mixed, with some folks outraged that Microsoft's high maintenance attitude could hold back improvements in this way while others suspect Polytron of blame-shifting.
Waze adds gas prices to its consumer-powered traffic app
Waze is a socially-driven traffic app that we've posted about before. Today, the company has released a big update: Gas prices. Now, in addition to browsing socially-driven information about traffic, accidents, and speed traps, you can search your area for the cheapest prices and get directions to the leading gas station. Unfortunately, information is provided by other users, so it can be inaccurate or even absent. If you're living in a city with lots of Waze users (like my own city of Los Angeles), the app can be really helpful in getting you around town. But if you're living in the middle of nowhere, there likely won't be nearly as much helpful or up-to-date information. Still, finding a good deal on gas could save you a lot of money, and Waze is also teaming up with certain gas stations to offer in-app deals occasionally. Traffic apps like Waze are definitely going to need some innovation to stay ahead of Apple's shiny new Maps app due out later this year, and this is a nice start. Waze is a free download on the App Store now.
iPad prevents seafood restaurant from overcharging
Thanks to the iPad, travelers in Sanya, a seaside resort town in Southern China, won't have to worry about paying too much for their seafood, says a report in China Daily. After an increasing number of complaints about excessive charges at local restaurants, government officials tried to curb the pricing practices by requiring restaurants with more than 15 tables to use the iPad to process food orders. Orders are processed by custom software on the iPad and sent to the kitchen via WiFi. Pricing will be determined by the government and restaurants will not be allowed to raise prices. If they try to overcharge the customer, an alarm will go off and the customer's bill will not print. All sales data will be stored and monitored by city officials. According to M.I.C. Gadget, about 20 of the 200 restaurants in Sanya have adopted the system, which costs 6,000 yuan (US$950) to implement. The local government is offering up to 9,000 yuan per restaurant to help with the cost of the iPad ordering system. [Via M.I.C. Gadget and nddaily]
EVE Online posts financial data for the past several months
When you think about the economy, is your primary concern whether or not the latest updates to combat have impacted mining operations and mineral prices? If so, you're probably an EVE Online player, and you'll be happy to know that CCP Games has released a full blog post detailing the economic trends for the game over the past several months. The good news is that the heavy inflation that's been at work for several months is starting to subside; the bad news is that the market is having issues with mineral prices. In short, following the announcement of loot drop changes, several players stockpiled minerals for resale after the change. This wound up dovetailing with the player-run Hulkageddon event, which resulted in several mineral stockpiles and a dearth of ongoing mining operations. The overall outlook is still positive, but mining operations are still recovering from these effects, meaning that movement will likely be tepid for a while.
