Plug, pay and play
Singapore first in world to sell titles via direct download at stores
By Oo Gin Lee
YOU can now buy computer games as over-the-counter downloads into your USB flash drive or portable hard disk.
Singapore scored a world's first last week when world No.2 video-game maker Electronics Arts (EA) launched its trail-blazing Direct to Retail Download (DRD) service at six shops here.
With this service, a gamer can walk into one of the shops with a portable storage device such as a flash drive or portable hard disk, plug it into the shop's computer and walk out with a game title he has chosen. He just needs to pay for the game and its digital manual.
He can also buy a portable drive from the shops - three of which are operated by DVD chain Video Ezy, two by Comics Connection and the sixth by Sim Lim shop Tec-drome.
This DRD service now carries 22 EA game titles, including hits such as The Sims 3 and Burnout Paradise.
By the end of the year, there will be 70 titles. Prices will be the same as retail boxed sets, but consumers can expect more promotions.
Mr Christopher Ng, general manager of EA's games publishing business in South-east Asia, said: 'It is like the old days, when gamers went to a pirated shop, flipped through a catalogue and have the shop copy a game onto a floppy disk - except this is totally legitimate now.'
EA is launching its DRD service across Asia, with Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and India coming on board by the end of the year. The DRD service is available only for EA's PC game titles, and gamers can still buy retail boxed sets or go online to download them from EA's website (ea.com.sg).
Mr Ng said the new service will suit gamers who have too many game boxes cluttering up their homes. It will also appeal to netbook users as these mini-laptops usually do not have a built-in optical drive to read game disks.
More back-catalogue titles will also be available as retailers do not have to worry about overstocking on less popular titles. With DRD, the retailers pay EA only after the games are sold.
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