The Core Problem With Qore
The first problem is that I want to follow that Q with a U every single time. This is going to take some getting used to.
By now you’ve probably heard about Sony’s new online magazine, Qore. The $3/month digital magazine will offer all kinds of high-resolution news, reviews and previews related to the Playstation 3. This is a good thing.
Here’s the bad thing: Qore will now house Sony’s hottest downloads, which were previously free on Playstation Network.
Further badness: The venture is sponsored by Burger King, and Sony will make sure we know it by including advertisements.
Wired blogger Chris Kohler confirms the presence of ads in his write-up of the early Qore experience:
In my brief demo of the service I saw ads for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Metal Gear Solid 4, and the aforementioned Home of the Whopper. You can skip the ads, but only after they’ve run for about five seconds.
Uncool. I’m not one to be irritated by advertising—we live in a capitalist society and it’s to be expected—but I’m getting a little tired of hearing, “Why don’t you check out this related bullshit” every time I pay an entrance fee. This includes DVDs and movie theatre commercials. It includes them so hard.
At the very least, Qore’s content should be pretty good. Future, the publishers of Playstation: The Official Magazine, will be handling all the stuff that goes inside, and according to PlayStation Network senior director Susan Panico, at least 80% of it will be exclusive.
Still, Playstation 3 owners are not breaking out the champagne over Sony’s announcement. It’s usually not good business to charge for previously free content. Unless you’re a drug pusher, I guess.
Kohler sums up my thoughts nicely:
“Sony still offers more for free than its nearest competitor: While PlayStation Network doesn’t offer nearly as many features as Xbox Live, Microsoft’s service costs $50 a year while online gameplay is free on PlayStation 3.
My only question is whether the value-add over what Sony was already providing for free justifies the minimum $25/year cost for the information. Although wrapping it in the very pretty package of an interactive magazine does make it seem a lot less like Sony is backpedaling on their stance of a largely free online environment, they’d be silly to release any really good demos, trailers, or interviews in the free section of PS3’s network from here on out — not when any halfway decent piece of content is another potential carrot to get users to pay them $3.”
Some days I think I need to be less laid back. I didn’t inherit enough of my mother’s Irish-ness. Must summon righteous anger! Grr!
(Image copyright Sony, courtesy of Wired.)
Tags: Chris Kohler, Playstation Network. Qore, Retail, WiredRelated Stories
POSTED IN: News, Playstation 3, Ranty McRantpants, psn
3 opinions for The Core Problem With Qore
David
Jun 4, 2008 at 6:42 pm
My biggest problem is probably with the ads, personally. I just don’t like the idea of a service that I already payed for forcing me to watch ads. The demos thing was annoying but I can’t muster up much anger considering they’ve sold demos for a long time (through those jampacks on the PS2, and, if the person wasn’t into reading, through dearly departed OPM). When I get around to getting a PS3 I’ll probably be passing on this though.
Nadia
Jun 6, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Me, being the ever money-hungry freelancer beyootch, immediately set out to see if I could write content for Qore and profit.
David
Jun 8, 2008 at 12:06 am
David is too common a name. :[
I can’t decide if it’s marketing genius or folly to name your publication something that takes actual thought and consideration to properly pronounce, even mentally.
On the one hand, it might stick in your head. On the other, it’s fscking annoying.
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