Ubisoft ditching paper game manuals for Xbox 360, PS3 games

[upgrayedd]

This just set back female video gaming for years.

If HDD ever put together a greatest hits section, this would be included.

[grasp]

At least now, if you loose the game manual it'll be digitally included in the game always ready to access.

Some of you are just being winers.

Worried about the savings not being passed on? Okay, Instead of 59.99, Ubisoft will sell you the manual less game at a total of 59.97! Save 2 cents!

Yeah, to be honest, the cost for printing in bulk for the entertainment industry is ridiculously cheap. It would cost more to ship a package with print included, then to actually print it. To give you an idea of how cheap, printing a CD booklet or a DVD booklet is only about a dime each on 1000 pcs. Imagine on 50,000. The Game booklets I'd think would run 12 or 14 cents for a multiple pager.

[Snadinator]

At least now, if you loose the game manual it'll be digitally included in the game always ready to access.

Some of you are just being winers.

Worried about the savings not being passed on? Okay, Instead of 59.99, Ubisoft will sell you the manual less game at a total of 59.97! Save 2 cents!

I'm not whining about anything. I don't care about manuals... they've been antiquated for years.

I'm just saying how this has nothing to do with "going green". Take econo cases for example. Say they save 5 cents of plastic per case. If they ship 3 million copies, that is a savings of $150,000. That's like 2 annual salaries or some big wigs bonus. If the manuals truly only cost 2 cents to fabricate, on a game shipping 3 million copies, that another $60,000 in savings. Add that up and you got a savings of $210,000. Now for a publisher like Ubisoft who release multiple games per year, and you see that they can be saving quite a bit.

Now take Splinter Cell Conviction. Let's say it came in an econo case and without a manual. Let's say the values I placed on saved plastic from the econo cases and manuals is correct. That $210,000 would have been awfully nice if it payed for say, an extra few levels, some more co-op or vs content... or maybe some USB drives that actually worked. THAT is how the savings can be passed onto the consumer.

Now don't get me wrong. I love UBISoft... especially their Montreal studio which seems to pump out a lot of winners.

[hdinred]

I would expect that by next generation (or maybe later on this gen) that this will be handled at the system level, much like PSP Go. There will be a uniform way to access and navigate digital manuals that is the same for all games.

I just hope this doesn't mean more warning screens that I have to sit through when booting games.

[KTA]

I would expect that by next generation (or maybe later on this gen) that this will be handled at the system level, much like PSP Go. There will be a uniform way to access and navigate digital manuals that is the same for all games.

I just hope this doesn't mean more warning screens that I have to sit through when booting games.

No no, the future:

Press A to jump. - This instruction was brought to you buy Sprite, you can't jump without fresh lemon sprite.

And to unlock the double jump just buy a bottle of sprite and redeem on sprite.com today!

[Snadinator]

No no, the future:

Press A to jump. - This instruction was brought to you buy Sprite, you can't jump without fresh lemon sprite.

And to unlock the double jump just buy a bottle of sprite and redeem on sprite.com today!

This jump was brought to you by... Reebok! Jump Higher!

This kill was brought you you by Tide! Get those blood stains out!

[boxterduke]

eh whatever, one less thing for me to read on the shitter

lol, I thought I was the only one. I always bring manuals in there.

[Porky Pine]

Doesn't matter to me as Ubisoft is already on my boycott list.

[Sarang]

Yeah, to be honest, the cost for printing in bulk for the entertainment industry is ridiculously cheap. It would cost more to ship a package with print included, then to actually print it. To give you an idea of how cheap, printing a CD booklet or a DVD booklet is only about a dime each on 1000 pcs. Imagine on 50,000. The Game booklets I'd think would run 12 or 14 cents for a multiple pager.

Along the same lines this is why the PSP Go is bullshit as well. The costs of said UMD's are cheap, nowhere near as expensive as it costs us to buy the memory stick. It also isn't offset by the cost of the games being $5 cheaper. For some reason people here have ignored my point as such there.
Snad you'd think with those eco-cases and the risk of the discs being punctured in shipping would end up being more costly then the savings.

[CorruptedDragon]

Doesn't matter to me as Ubisoft is already on my boycott list.

Its cool. I like their games so I buy almost everything, so we balance out.

[Snadinator]

Snad you'd think with those eco-cases and the risk of the discs being punctured in shipping would end up being more costly then the savings.

The cellophane on new 360 discs is bulletproof.

[kalel1974]

Now maybe than can spend that extra money on better QA testers, man.... H.A.W.K.S. and End War were gliiiiiiiitchy.

[twonunpackmule]

Along the same lines this is why the PSP Go is bullshit as well. The costs of said UMD's are cheap, nowhere near as expensive as it costs us to buy the memory stick. It also isn't offset by the cost of the games being $5 cheaper. For some reason people here have

Umm, the exclusion of the UMD drives make the system cheaper to build. I don't know if they use Solid State memory, but that would raise the cost, which the PSP Go is more expensive. So, you pay for that. However, the savings from Sony go this way...

They make less UMD discs - which saves money.

They make less UMD drives - which saves money

They make less cases, manuals, and packaging - which saves money

The PSP Go is a multiple cost cutting solution. It's not just cutting out manuals. It's cutting out the physical aspect. So...what are you getting at?

You buying 1 memory stick is cheaper if you get $5 off each game you buy. You see, the value adds up. If you save $5 off each purchase by going DD, then you buying the cards covers that cost, then eventually...you save. The average PSP will say costs $40. If you bought 7 of them, then that would cost you $280. Now, if you bought the same 7 PSP games, at a $5 savings for their DD versions, they would cost you about $245. The savings bought the Memory Stick, and then some.

[Sarang]

I checked the link. laughs ass off. You assume I'm stupid enough to buy the regular Memory Stick Pro's in which I'm just asking for something to fuck up?! I know it's not Sony but still. Buying regular says I want to take chances too much. I know I'll still back up but I'd prefer to know that the stick will likely last as long as a disc or cartridge.
I have an Ultra II and will upgrade it to either 8 or 16 gigs., whichever is cheaper, 16 if they're the same. It's got a limited lifetime warranty which gives me the message they kept a closer eye on these, that they're a quality batch.
With that in mind it's not cheaper to me. It's cheaper for me to buy the UMD's where I get free storage essentially. Whenever storage changes to be the burden of the consumer unless it's mass market enough(see PC) consumers will likely get fucked, as we are with the Go. If Sony ditched the old PSP and kept the same size screen as well as included 32 gb. or even 64 gb. of RAM I might not feel so offended. Oh and I imagine switching my imports will be a nightmare to find it reconciled.

[Actionable Mango]

I'm thinking that we'll see the return of CD jewel cases in the guise of going green. As long as we don't go back to SNES or N64 style cardboard cases (with little plastic to make up the disc holder), I'm good.

I can't stand CD cases, the plastic they use cracks too easy. The little ears forming the pivot are weaker than a wet tissue.