I want to give the product a chance, purchase it, and often do not find it on the same level as more fully developed games outside of the Home universe.

While I have the right to keep my money in my pocket the next time I am enticed, I also have the right to express my displeasure at the inflated price tag that is attached -- Whether or not I am as elegant a writer as Norse.

I think part of the problem is market saturation. It seems every update increases the choices of where and how to spend our money. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that we have such a wide variety of content available every week!

I feel that is one thing that your model does not consider. When faced with a decision, who among us will not choose the product that leaves a little more in our wallet? That is where developers are failing. We should be seeing more competitive pricing with all of the content being released.

Also, if the item needs updating or is unsatisfactory, the point of purchase should not be the last we hear from the vendor about said purchase.

I have to say I do agree that the quality has increased as well. I’m not saying I think all developers are over-charging, but I do think it is becoming a more commonplace practice.

I do love that developers are becoming more prevalent among the community! It’s great to know that you will be heard -- and answered. It creates faith in your customer base. I hope more developers take note from companies like nDreams and Digital Leisure, in that aspect.

I did a comparison of items sold in 2010 and now -prices for the same items are basically the same. The one notable difference is that European and Japanese developers are charging more, but that can be explained away by currency differences.

Apartments are different now in that back in the day, $4.99 got you a beautiful box. Now for $9.99 you get an apartment, a game and a companion. The value per dollar level is much higher now. I remember adding a refrigerator door and microwave door to a plain apartment and getting rave reviews for months.

There will always be someone who is unhappy. I don’t know if you all noticed but most people who complain about prices eventually admit they are not doing well financially right now. So let them rain and we all can continue to be the parade.

When you own a business people automatically assume you’re living the high life, when really it’s a constant financial tightrope you’re walking.

It does frustrate me to read the childish, banal, ignorant posts (like the parody above) that are strewn across the Sony forums day in day out but it’s simply a case of these people not having the capacity to understand the fundamentals of what a business goes through in order to keep itself afloat.

Here’s the thing, though: there is no possible way that your opponents can agree with you, because the fear is that if they do so, they must then accept the business realities of how things actually are, rather than how they wish them to be. And how do you save face after something like that?

There is a disturbing trend from some on that forum to ignore reality, demand things function a certain way, and decry any prompts for critical thinking and personal fiscal responsibility. The entitlement attitude is astonishing, and I’ve never quite seen it this bad before. Most of the people there are pretty awesome, but there’s a group that’s getting quite shrill.

This doesn’t mean Sony is perfect, or that every business decision they’ve made was necessarily great (far from it, in some cases). Nor am I at all opposed to the consumer leveraging their voice and their wallets to try to make a difference. But they perhaps do not realize that they could make a far more *effective* argument if they actually first understood why things are the way they are, and worked from that baseline.

The forum would also do well to realize that it is a shockingly small microcosm of the overall user base, and that actual consumer trends, as indicated by SCEA’s monthly sales lists, are often quite separate from what that particular gaggle thinks is best for Home. Doesn’t mean the feedback isn’t useful, and that it shouldn’t be given — but it’s very easy to be forum-centric with our thinking, and that’s a dangerous trap to fall into.

I learned, quite some time ago, that my goal with that forum is not to convince the people opposed to my point of view. That’s impossible. Trying to do so only leads to a classic Internet Argument(tm), and those inevitably end in stalemate. The forum will continue as it has, reinforcing its own beliefs, convincing itself that it’s unassailably correct. And hey, if that adds to the fun of the Home community experience for them, there’s nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of good people there, and some fun discussions take place, but like any community it will have its rabble-rousers, muckrakers, specious popularity queens, et cetera. Fortunately, they appear to be in the minority. Even still, the forum is a useful tool for other purposes, which is why I periodically dive into a discussion, even knowing what the outcome will probably be.

You brought up a lot of great points on the forum, Liza, and though some chose not to see them, they were most certainly not overlooked.

Not that it would have mattered.

The price matters little in circles where the prevailing attitude is that the content should just be available for free.

All fell on deaf ears, naturally.

He used Facebook as an example of a thriving company that makes billions while giving away all their content for free. Forgetting conveniently about premium content and 3rd party developers, of course. Oops.

“I GAV U MY MUNY SONY AND U STOLE IT”

LOL. LOL. Genuine LOL.

Easily one of the funniest things I’ve read in quite a while — and eerily accurate, too.

Thanks for that.

SONY R BLOOD SUKERZ WE WILL RUIN HOME 4 DEM!!!!!1!!

Whay do I gotsta do sumz 2 post numberz r 4 ritin yea????

Such an undertaking to create Home with all these different partners and make it work! I wish more home users would just play the game instead of trying to set policy. This is Sony’s baby and it has worked since day one. pretty simple really.. Offer constructive feedback and go enjoy the product. That has been my intention.

Terrific read. Appreciated.