Suggestions

[#1]

As a developer I was extremely excited to begin working with the Playstation Suite and have been super happy with the quality of the tools (extending on Mono Develop is a great way to start).

But reading over the FAQ I was saddened to read this

Q: Can I develop free games and applications?

A: Development will be limited to paid (including freemiun) content.

This is very disappointing to me and a major misstep in my eyes on Sony's part. One of the biggest values in buying an iOS device is the amount of free applications I can download. This is an inherent draw that the Vita would benefit from IMMENSELY.

This is something that Microsoft gets railed on for from indie developers, they don't allow free DLC for games even if the developers insist on it.

I understand that Sony doesn't want to pay for the bandwidth of a ton of free games, but I feel they underestimate the value they could be lending to the PSN platform by allowing free titles.

[#2]

i thought the same thing when i read it the first time. i'd like to understand this too.

[#3]

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JonTerp wrote:
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I understand that Sony doesn't want to pay for the bandwidth ...

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And the QA cost, i guess.

I'm also feel.. allowing free apps is very vital part of PSS success (especially on Vita, for other PS certified devices we could simply avoid the PSS).

[#4]

Sony want to maintain a certain level of quality in the PS Store for PS Suite, it's as simple as that.

This is a next gen gaming system, Sony have an image to maintain here and they're wanting high quality games that warrant higher price points. The average PS Vita user or Xperia/Tablet user is going to pay a little more than an iOS user would. Part of that simply has to do with sticking the PlayStation certified badge on games.

I hope there is a strict QA policy to keep the crap off the store when it launches. The BIGGEST challenge as a developer on any mobile platform these days is the amount of rubbish that's being uploaded each and every day simply drowning out the 1 or 2 really high quality titles.

Sony are also in this to make money of course, so they want high quality games. You also can't put ads in your games (and most free iOS games are just made to try and get a load of Ad revenue). It does say freemium will be supported, so design your game with that in mind and offer lots of IAP.

[#5]

You right, application spam could be problem. But prize isn't equal quality. There is also high prized rubbish like I am Rich for iOS.

[#6]

No, but on a controlled platform price can equal quality. It was also stated in the GDC slides that Sony would take our base price and then determine what the game/app should actually be sold for, indicating that they are looking to take a cut from sales and might even price some of the higher end games to compete with their own PSN titles.

[#7]

I still dont like the fact that Sony sets the retail price of our games. Makes it easy to conflict with a game ports to other consoles. If i price a game at a 99 cents on IOS and it gets marked up to 3 dollars for PSS, gamers will take it out on the developer before they realize that its ultimately Sonys fault.

[#8]

Gamers won't care what the price is across different platforms. We already have a number of marketplaces where we release games and you price your game to suit the market. That's why Most of us can get away with charging more for our games on Windows Phone and Android than we can on iOS. I don't see any problem with charging a higher price for PS Vita games.