When Qore was announced, a line was drawn in the sand. On one side were the people yelling “This content should be free! We’re not going to pay for videos and demos!” while on the other side there were people calmly saying “You know, I’d probably pay that to get exclusive content and get into betas easier…” Today, however, the groups are far from evenly divided.
Keep reading to find out why…
When Qore started, simply having the episode with the featured content was enough to allow access to the “extras”, but over time, the premium content has switched to being for annual subscribers only. Another key criticism is that Qore episodes offer access to content, but makes no specific claims as to exactly when that content would be available. Access to the Resistance 2 beta, SOCOM: Confrontation beta, and Home beta are a few advertised perks offered that were nowhere to be seen when the appropriate episodes were released. This content would sometimes come weeks after the Qore episode did. Playstation Home actually went to open beta (available to everyone) before people got Qore-related invites… one could easily argue false advertising, I would think…
Another criticism of Qore is that the episodes are rather freely available if you’re a little patient. For example, episodes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are all available for free to people that have subscribed to Playstation: The Official Magazine. Had I paid $24.99 for an annual subscription to Qore and then had free access to almost half the content, I would rightfully be a little upset… some folks are going through that exact situation.
Qore, a video magazine you’re expected to pay for, is also chock full of advertisements as well. In the earlier episodes, these ads couldn’t be skipped, but after consumer backlash, later episodes went to a “skip after a few seconds of playback” policy on the ads. I realize print magazines are full of ads as well, but it’s a bit easier to instinctively flip past a magazine ad than to choose content from a menu and have your screen hijacked while you look at a Burger King logo for 30 seconds. Ironically, Burger King’s motto of “Have it your way” doesn’t seem to apply here as most people would prefer Qore to include more content, less ads, and be free.
That’s why the critical failure of Qore is one of SarcasticGamer.com’s Top Gaming Moments of 2008.
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It’s sad too, because Veronica Belmont actually knows her stuff when it comes to tech. I’ve known about her since she was at cnet. She totally blows Morgan Webb out of the water.
At any rate, I don’t know why, but the idea of having to pay for a video show with info I could find just about anywhere else seems crazy. The fact that they advertise on it doesn’t bother me that much, since it’s not that different from a magazine. The fact that you can’t skip some of them is what’s annoying.
I never got any of the promised Beta invites. That was monumentaly disappointing, especially since I was really pumped for Socom.
It may be too ridiculous, but I should think they kinda owe some sort of compensation for the MANY people who didn’t GET what they paid for. But alas, it’s Sony.