Differences between DLC (360 v. PS3)

[Fatal_Exception]

I know there's been many debates concerning which system is best for Rock Band, but my impression has been that they're basically identical. One aspect that wasn't discussed much is how DLC will differ between systems

1) DRM - After hearing many horror stories about console hardware failures, I've become paranoid about the possibility of losing DLC, seeing as how much of it I'll potentially be purchasing it. My understanding of the situation for both consoles is as follow.

Xbox 360 - DLC purchased from Live marketplace is associated with your gamertag as well as your console. The upside to this being you can use your DLC anywhere you can login with your gamertag, but anyone can still access it offline on the console it was downloaded on. The downside appears to be in the event of a hardware failure you'll only be able to access DLC via your gamertag, since you no longer have same serial numbers (or whatever unique identifier is used as before).

PS3 - DLC can be downloaded up to 5 times. DLC doesn't seem to be associated with a specific console, so despite the finite number of downloads you're unaffected if you replace your console / hard drive under 5 times. It also appears you can make backups of your data and restore it in the case you upgrade your HDD / have to change hardware for any reason. This would be a major selling point for me, as I could backup my songs on a regular basis and only ever need to redownload again if my backup failed at the same time as my hardware, which is unlikely to happen more than 4 times. (And if it does, I probably deserve to pay again)

Is my understanding of the situation correct? And even if it is in the general case, will Rock Band DLC behave identically to other purchased content?


2) Pricing - Will there be any noticeable difference in prices for downloads? (This might only apply to non-US residents) ie. Will the difference in value of MS Points in different countries cause a discrepancy between DLC purchased from Live Marketplace and the PSN store?


I was leaning slightly to the 360 before I started thinking more about DLC, and now I've convinced myself that PS3 might be slightly safer. So any input would be appreciated!

(Apologies if all of this has been answered before, the search function doesn't seem to be working)

[Chris_Gonzalez]

I'd honestly go with the PS3 version. More HDD space if you decide to upgrade your hard drive, free online if you want to play with someone, and you don't have to be signed in to play your DLC after downloading it a second time.

[Qweets]

Umm everything you download on the 360 is attached to your gamertag, so say your HDD fails on your 360 you can get another one but you won't have the stuff still but yo ur gamertag account knows you already payed for it and lets you download it again and again, I had my HDD fail a long while back and I was able to download everything I had purchased previously. No problems. In terms of DLC I think xblive will be the way to go, xblive is so much more alive and kicking than the PSN is.

[rockst01]

The downside appears to be in the event of a hardware failure you'll only be able to access DLC via your gamertag, since you no longer have same serial numbers (or whatever unique identifier is used as before)

You can fix this by recovering your gamertag.

[Fatal_Exception]

Umm everything you download on the 360 is attached to your gamertag, so say your HDD fails on your 360 you can get another one but you won't have the stuff still but yo ur gamertag account knows you already payed for it and lets you download it again and again, I had my HDD fail a long while back and I was able to download everything I had purchased previously. No problems.

Hmm. Can you still access your downloads when you're not signed in with your gamertag? I haven't used Xbox Live, but I was under the impression that you'd have to be online to do this. So if your console wasn't always online or other people use the console while you're not around to sign in, you can't access your DLC. But if this isn't the case, things might even out in the DRM section.

EDIT: Just started to check out some sites on gamertag recovery thanks to the suggestion. Still haven't figured out if this totally gets rid of my worries or not.

[Fatal_Exception]

Alright, I realize a blog post isn't the most reliable source, but this is the situation I was thinking of regarding XBox Live:

http://thedigitalgamer.typepad.com/the_digital_gamer/2007/08/xbox-live-arcad.html

(Also mentions this discussion on the Xbox.com forums)
http://forums.xbox.com/1159815/ShowPost.aspx

My understanding is that although a gamertag recovery will let you download the songs again, you'll always have to be online to play them and other users are locked out. (Again, correct me if I'm wrong) So unless you contact MS and have them refunded your points, your DLC is slightly harder to play after a console failure.

[defmonkey]

Hmm. Can you still access your downloads when you're not signed in with your gamertag? I haven't used Xbox Live, but I was under the impression that you'd have to be online to do this. So if your console wasn't always online or other people use the console while you're not around to sign in, you can't access your DLC. But if this isn't the case, things might even out in the DRM section.

EDIT: Just started to check out some sites on gamertag recovery thanks to the suggestion. Still haven't figured out if this totally gets rid of my worries or not.

If you're harddrive is on another console and isn't signed on. You can't access it (I can say this, because 1 week ago, I was at a party and just brought GHIII and my harddrive and couldn't access my DLC on their xbox). You need to be signed on with your serial code and whatnot on your 360.

But, if you're signed on with your 360 (like your own 360 not somebody elses). Then you're fine. Becuase I'm almost sure, if I was able to access the 'net with my harddrive. There was a chance I could of re-downloaded the song packs. *shrugs*

IMO, 360 is the way to go, because they are always updating their Live stuff on new downloads and since HMX is pushing weekly downloads :D, you would be seeing it on XBLMP a couple days earlier then PSN.

[hankmallon]

Alright, I realize a blog post isn't the most reliable source, but this is the situation I was thinking of regarding XBox Live:

http://thedigitalgamer.typepad.com/the_digital_gamer/2007/08/xbox-live-arcad.html

(Also mentions this discussion on the Xbox.com forums)
http://forums.xbox.com/1159815/ShowPost.aspx

My understanding is that although a gamertag recovery will let you download the songs again, you'll always have to be online to play them and other users are locked out. (Again, correct me if I'm wrong) So unless you contact MS and have them refunded your points, your DLC is slightly harder to play after a console failure.

Yeah, as good as the DLC policy can be when you go to another system after it fails its never the same. Though I hardly notice unless I have internet issues, you do have to be logged in to access any of your DLC if it was purchased on the previous console. Including arcade games which sucks if you just want to play without internet at the moment.

[Chris_Gonzalez]

You can fix this by recovering your gamertag.

Yeah, but you have to be signed in in order to play the songs after that.

[teflon067]

Okay, I've been with the 360 since launch and have gotten a couple replacment consoles for various reasons, so I've experienced everything there is when it comes to Xbox Live support.

Your Xbox Live DLC is tied with two things, your online gamertag, and the serial number of the console you originally downloaded the item to. That means as long as your gamertag is online you can play any of your DLC on any console, or, as long as you are using the original console, any gamertag may use your DLC.

If there is a case where you get a repacement console and still need to play offline (and therefor not logged in with your gamertag) there are a few things to try, that should re-licence your DLC to your current console.

1) Completely delete and re-download the DLC.
2) Delete then recover your gamertag.
3) Call 1-800-4MY-XBOX talk to them, they will manually re-licence all your DLC to the new console.

Hope this clears everything up.

[ChaosElement]

I say get the PS3. Larger HDD, backup features, easy way to recover DLC, reliable (no hassling with breaking down, calling customer support, recovering via gamertag), and free online.

Really, unless you already own the 360, it's a no-brainer.



There is no difference between pricing, except you have to pay slightly higher for a set amount of MS Points on the 360, and you can pay the exact amount on the PS3.

[Strider0028]

If your xbox 360 breaks with the red ring of death or whatever, you only send in the consol and you keep your harddrive with all of your songs on it

[ChaosElement]

If your xbox 360 breaks with the red ring of death or whatever, you only send in the consol and you keep your harddrive with all of your songs on it

I doubt it.

[teflon067]

I own both the 80Gb PS3 and a 360 Elite. The Elite has a 120Gb HDD so I never come up with space issues even though I regularly download HD TV shows and Movies via Xbox Live. I'm a lot happier with my 360 than my PS3, it's just a preference though.

[Fatal_Exception]

Thanks for the info teflon! (And to everyone else too) So if re-licensing does in fact work, then you're not completely SOL if your 360 fails, which is apparently not entirely uncommon. Although I still have nagging doubts from all those people complaining online, I have a feeling that it might not be a big problem in most cases.

Anyone actually back anything up with the PS3 yet? I would probably still feel safer backing things up myself for whatever reason, but I've heard of certain data like game saves not transferring properly.

(Just FYI I don't own either of these consoles, hence my lack of real preference. I have two friend that own each, so that's not a tie breaker either. That's why I'm worrying about small things like this ;) )

[Xanthous]

In terms of DLC I think xblive will be the way to go, xblive is so much more alive and kicking than the PSN is.


Uhh...what?

Because "xblive" is "move alive and kicking" it's clearly the better choice for DLC?

How about the fact that if I want a single DLC track, I pay $1.99 with my credit card for the song, rather than buying a set number of Billy Bucks that I DON'T need at the time, just to sit around and hopefully use sometime in the future.

Between that and the backup options already mentioned, it sure seems to me the PS3 holds an edge when it comes to DLC.

[Fatal_Exception]

Uhh...what?

Because "xblive" is "move alive and kicking" it's clearly the better choice for DLC?

How about the fact that if I want a single DLC track, I pay $1.99 with my credit card for the song, rather than buying a set number of Billy Bucks that I DON'T need at the time, just to sit around and hopefully use sometime in the future.

Between that and the backup options already mentioned, it sure seems to me the PS3 holds an edge when it comes to DLC.
Yeah, I agree that some people may have missed the distinction. I think Xbox Live sounds like a great service for playing other people online, but purchasing DLC is a different issue that is affected by things like pricing too.

As a Canadian, I have a feeling PS3 downloads might be cheaper. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Points
100 MS Points currently (well recently) cost $1.296 USD in Canada. So if I were to just pay in straight up USD, I'd be saving like 60 cents a download assuming 200 points a song. (There might be some flawed math there, I'm sure the exchange rates have changed)

[rockbandforever]

I'd honestly go with the PS3 version. More HDD space if you decide to upgrade your hard drive.

last time i checked the Elite has 120gig hdd:D

[M3wThr33]

Last time I checked, the PS3 can go far beyond 120GB. Heck, I can get one TWICE THE SIZE for LESS than it cost for your 120GB HDD.

PS3 downloads aren't tied to specific consoles, priced in real dollars, and I can use a credit card just fine. Then with a friend, you can share these downloads, so it's only one purchase for up to 5 people AT A TIME. It's in the TOS. Read it. It's not a joke. Certain games can block this, like Warhawk. That means everything else approves of it.

Just because you got used to the convoluted system of purposely confusing MS Points and proprietary overpriced goods doesn't mean it's ok.

And yes, you keep your hard drive when you send it in, and your faceplate and everything. You get a free faceplate when it gets returned, too.

[rockbandforever]

[QUOTE=M3wThr33;123055]Just because you got used to the convoluted system of purposely confusing MS Points and proprietary overpriced goods doesn't mean it's ok. /QUOTE]

How is MS points Confusing??????

[M3wThr33]

Because they are price like Wal-Mart's items to make you think you are saving money.

80 points = $1.00 Yes. I know that. But a lot of people don't think about that. 1200 points =... $15. 1200 looks close to 1000 (OR $10) than $15. It's a giant marketing scheme that ALSO guarantees you have points left over to spend on things that are free on the PS3 (Read: Themes and avatars)

On the PS3, if you spend more than $5 on a total purchase, you can buy that exact amount. Otherwise, you leave the change totalling up to $5 in your wallet for next time. It's delightfully simple and not confusing. The only confusing part is when XBL content comes on board and then you can see 500 points on the 360 and $6.25 on the PS3.

If the pricing REALLY didn't affect human judgement, then Wal-Mart would have stopped it long ago.