ORIGINAL: twinbrother
I don't think we can compare the present lowered priced sims to the good ones. The $30 sim isn't even close to something like Phoenix or FS One.
Heh.
Tell that to the "Clearview" sim developers.
I think they would disagree.
ORIGINAL: twinbrother
It's apples and oranges. It may be $30, but I rather spend my $30 on something else.
In a way you've re-affirmed what others have been saying.
The sims that cost more have larger developement staffs, which results in the difference you are noting.
So it goes round and round....
ORIGINAL: twinbrother
The reason I think there is potential stems less from market research and more from observation.
Our perception of how we would like things does not mean that we have it right though.
ORIGINAL: twinbrother
I also am a hardcore video game player and I see many crappy games out there sold to the large market of youngsters.
And if crappy games appeal to such a large market, there has to be a way to get those great sims out there too.
Crappy games die quick deaths ( I hope! ).
But games and their markets have no relation to specialized simulators.
There are other cheap sims on the market and they've all done quite poorly.
The purchasers seem to expect a certain level of fidelity and quality.
This takes a lot of effort and investment, but the return is from a limited base of users.
THAT's the problem vis-a-vis the price point.
Lowering the price is not going to increase the market. The market is simply too small.
Everything you say would be applicable if they could sell the sims to the "game" crowd.
They cannot.
A typical game purchaser would quickly tire of an RC sim... just image the reviews in the game magazines.
There is nothing there to hold a gamers attention.
Simmers purchase the programs because they are fullfilling a specific need, something the average purchaser does not have.
Unless you are into RC or just getting started, you have no interest in paying anything for an RC sim.
Unfortunately for us, the market is simply too small and lowering the price will NOT increase the market size.
I would think that this has been studied ad-nauseum by the marketing people at Horizon, Great Planes, etc.