Details about PSO pricing

[rbf2000]

planetgamecube.com (http://www.planetgamecube.com/news.cfm?action=item&id=3498)

News Article: Phantasy Star Online gets pricing
News Date: 10/02/2002
So how much of your hard earned dollars are going to go towards PSO? What's this? Exclusive GameCube content?

SEGA'S PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODE I & II TO FEATURE EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONTENT

SAN FRANCISCO - (October 2, 2002) - SEGA(R) of America, Inc. today announced that "Phantasy Star(TM) Online Episode I & II," the company's 20th online game and the first online-enabled game for the Nintendo GameCube(TM), will feature exclusive downloadable quests as part of the game's online service package. The "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" service package will be available from SEGA for $8.95 per month beginning at the game's launch in the U.S. on October 29, 2002. "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" can be played offline with up to four players for free.

"Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" online quests will include themed seasonal missions and will feature special items and secrets exclusive to online subscribers. Based on the wildly popular "Phantasy Star" universe, "Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II" features two complete games in one, allowing players to team up with up to three friends online via a dial-up or broadband connection, or enjoy a full offline experience, including a four-player split screen mode. Featuring a universal translation system, the game also lets online players seamlessly communicate while playing - no matter what language they speak.

"More than a half million people have already experienced 'Phantasy Star Online(TM)' on the SEGA Dreamcast(TM), and now we're excited that 'Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II' will be the first online game for the Nintendo GameCube," said Mike Fischer, vice president, entertainment marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "SEGA has an untouchable reputation for innovation, and we continue to lead the gaming world by example, with this, our 20th online game."



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: rbf2000 on 2002-10-03 09:53 ]</font>

[rbf2000]

$8.95 a month :/

[Agent_Reav]

Wow we get to dl quests! *shakes hands in a frenzy* :/ This is the same stuff we weere able to do on the DC and now it will cost us more!!? Ack, capitalism -_-;

[KodiaX987]

Well, it doesn't look that bad... about 100 bucks a year. This is pocket change compared to car insurance preniums! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Alex_Pinoy]

Hmm... $8.95 a month. Sounds pretty steep, but hey it's well worth it! At least it isn't $13 a month like Everquest. *Hopes he isn't giving Sega any ideas of raising the price that high*

[Nidarrock]

Ahh the plot thickens. Lets see if we get better service than we did on the DC version 2. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif Still it's good to know, thanks.

[VariantXL]

if people are going to be paying monthly instead of quarterly we better get those d/l quests in english real quick... and i dont want to be running to the japanese version of the d/l quest just because you wont get an item in the english version. You should NOT be doing things like that at all. Things like that make the game feel half-assed and rushed. (which i still think pso is)

[BioFan]

I guess sega charges $4 for each episode??it's pretty steep...but I will still pay...http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Castoth]

If Sega doesn't give us quality support this time around, then the true way to show them that we aren't going to take it is to just quit PSO altogether and make them lose money. Of course, that will never happen, seeing as how most of us are junkies and will pay any price as it is, thereby negating any bitching we can come up with since Sega will still have their customers. Bleh...

[vgi_vinnie]

hehe i have the same PR on my site, no point in linking.

I am ready to pay 9 a month, just release it sega!

(should i import? how much is it for jap. version?)

[Tsukishima-Ruriko]

Eew.. yuck. Monthly pricing is the reason why I shy away from online games.

Good thing there is an offline team mode. :/

[SilencePSO]

If the Japanese are currenty paying 1,200 Yen a month (which I have heard from importers, please correct me if I'm wrong!), that comes out to $9.72 a month at the current exchange rate. So actually we should be thankful, we are paying less than Japan!

Still, I hope we get the free month as well, that's only fair. And I hope they protect us better if we are paying this much, and get quests out on time as well, we shouldn't always have to wait 6 months longer than Japan!

Anyway, I hope this makes some of you feel better, it made me fell a bit better! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

*edit*I thought I would add a link to the conversion site I used, in case you want to check yourself, or my price for Japan is wrong someone who knows can check. Linky:

http://www.oanda.com/converter/classic?user=pacrimamex

http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wink.gif

[WraithAkaMrak]

Still, I hope we get the free month as well, that's only fair.Have we heard anything more about this, now that the monthly fee has been announced? I remember reading about it a while back. I hope it's still happening.

$9/mo. still sounds high. I was thinking if it was priced similar to Version 2, I wouldn't care much... I hope that Sega/MSFT announce the pricing on the Xbox version soon, if indeed there is going to be an additional monthly fee on top of Xbox Live.

[vgi_vinnie]

here is pricing plan link:

http://vginsider.com/news.cgi?viewnews=13§ion=gcn_news

[SilencePSO]

On 2002-10-02 17:31, WraithAkaMrak wrote:
Have we heard anything more about this, now that the monthly fee has been announced?


Japan got the free month, but Sega has mentioned nothing about it for us http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif



I hope that Sega/MSFT announce the pricing on the Xbox version soon, if indeed there is going to be an additional monthly fee on top of Xbox Live.


There is an additional fee in Japan, but Microsoft is running the servers, so this could get changed, I hope (but I'm not counting on it). At these prices playing PSO on Xbox Live could get very expensive, I hope Microsoft even announces what the monthly fee will be for LIVE after the firt year before launch.

[BioFan]

On 2002-10-02 17:16, SilencePSO wrote:
If the Japanese are currenty paying 1,200 Yen a month (which I have heard from importers, please correct me if I'm wrong!)


IN Japan, HL is 600yen/month or 1500yen/3 months...which is around $4US/month or $12US/3 months...
but in DC version Japanese gamers have always paid more than US...they need to pay even for ver.1...And I am sure that SOA will lower the price later next year...but $9/month to get 2 episodes, that's good...at least not $12/month like FFXI in Japan...I will definitely get it...But I may import it instead...not cos of the HL license fee tho, but because I want to play PSO card battle, I think it may not come in the US..who knows...

[Danderdag]

Since MS is going to be running the PSO servers over xbox live rather than sega, I don't know that there'll be any cost, or at least better than 10 bucks a month (which isn't ludicrous given the bandwidth sega is gonna use..BUT that's nearly as much as a full on MMORPG which offer 100 times as much support and NEW CONTENT as pso and pso v2 did. we'll have to see what sega offers up this time).

[BioFan]

GCN version or Xbox version, I am willing to pay $10/month...it's that damn good...I don't know how much Sega will charge for Xbox version, but if it ends up same as GCn version, I will still pay too...and I think it's fair if we pay the same on both version, regardless xbox owners pay an additional Xbox live fee...it's up to Sega on the price, MS will allow any developer to charge their games...and if they wish to charge same as GCn version, and MS accepts it...then I am ok with that and play...I love PSO...as long as it's not $100/month, then I am fine...http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[Danderdag]

MS is publishing the game I think, but regardless if the cost isn't less I'm gonna have some words for sega. 90% of the cost of running an online game is the server infrastructure and bandwidth. since Xbox Live is taking that burden, I don't see them screwing people over on it.