Today, Sony introduced Qore, a new pay video magazine distributed via the Playstation Network. Qore has been nothing if not a touchstone for gamers. One the one side, the reaction has been: why should we pay for what essentially amounts to a Sony marketing piece? The other side dismisses this argument as yet another example of the internet generation not wanting to pay for anything: this program costs money to produce so why shouldn't people be expected to pay for it?
What is Qore? According to the Playstation blog:
Today we are announcing that Qore: Presented by the PLAYSTATION Network, a highly interactive, monthly lifestyle gaming program covering the world inside PLAYSTATION is on its way to PS3. Qore has been developed to give PS3 users early access to game related content at a level of quality, interactivity and depth. Everything is filmed in HD. Qore will feature exclusive news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scenes looks at PlayStation games and special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content.
So, essentially, what we have is a digital version of an Official Playstation Magazine type product. OPM retails for ~ $10. Each "issue" of Qore is only $2.99. On this score, it looks like a good deal.
However, by monetizing portions of their online content that would otherwise be free, they are essentially going the XBox+Live route: some content is free, some content is now premium.
It will be interesting how content now shakes out between the free and premium services. How will cross-platform content be treated? Will only PS3-exclusive games go Qore or will the XBox 360 get some content free that becomes premium content on the PS3?
As for the video content, while it is Sony's perogative to charge for content that costs money to produce, the existing content model has been ad-supported for-free content. Unnumbered websites produce good quality HD video without charging the end-user. Qore must justify its price-point- if it is indeed an extended advertisement for Sony by Sony, this justification must be even stronger.
Before passing judgment myself, I'll try an "issue" or two. However, I wonder how this experiment will turn out. Also, I wonder what impact this monetization of content will have on Playstation Home. I've had the sneaking suspicion that Sony has been working to monetize Home significantly and this could be the first taste. Only time will tell.
My last question: will Qore episode one explain what the hell Qore is supposed to mean?
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