Business, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Demo-lishing Expectations
Prior to Xbox LIVE and Playstation Network, game demos only existed with periodicals on newsstands. Magazines usually had demos on the accompanying CD/DVD, sometimes with coverage of a game on the interior. Occasionally, certain games came packaged with brief, selected demos (Parasite Eve on PlayStation came with a demo of Xenogears, and videos of Brave Fencer Musashi, Bushido Blade 2, and Final Fantasy VIII). Now with Xbox LIVE and PSN, gamers can download demos and have time to test out a wide array of games without dropping any additional coinage. Does this hands-on time help in a purchasing decision?
