Amazon PCDD - Important Update New Community Manager Incoming!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Amazon DVG Deals

Official Representative
Feedback
4 (100%)
Hey CAGS,

I’ve got some news I’m both excited and sad to share with you at the same time. I’ll be leaving the Digital Video Games team in Mid-March to join the marketing team for Amazon.com’s Loyalty and Rewards program, Amazon Coins. My boss and I have talked extensively about how to maintain and continue our presence here and across the other communities we’ve created in the past couple of years. To that end I’d like to introduce you to Josh, who take over monitoring, updating, and responding to this thread. Josh will be ramping up over the next couple of weeks, he  will be posting shortly to introduce himself.

Now that the “what’s going on” part of the message is out of the way I want to tell you all how much I love CAG and the posters here. This was the first community I joined when I started this job (anyone still remember that first thread?) and all of you have had a huge hand in shaping how we think about and execute Community Development and Management here at Amazon, which has in turn shaped my career these last two and a half years.

I started to write out a section calling out the regular posters and realized the list would be both overly long and incomplete at the same time. Instead I’d like to thank you all again, you all have my deep and sincere gratitude. I’ll still be around and my gaming accounts aren’t going anywhere so feel free to hit me up anytime you want to chat. I’ll probably still hang out in the thread too :).

Thanks again everyone, let me or Josh know if you have any questions!

The Indie Store has launched!
Amazon.com is launching a storefront dedicated to supporting and promoting PC/Mac/Web-based Indie Games. Our Digital Video Games team is a small group of passionate gamers and we’re all really excited to help Indie developers reach more customers quickly by providing a quick and simple process for bringing their games to market. Additionally we’ll be supporting the Indie Store with a ton of promotions, both at and after launch. Many of these promotions are designed to give the developer the opportunity to maximize their revenue. For example, Amazon is forfeiting all royalties from bundle sales and passing them along directly to the developer, we’ve also created an “Indie Spotlight” program to help customers learn more about the games and developers they love. We view the Indie developers as some of the most creative in the industry and we want to help them continue to create new and innovative experience for customers.

Why we are doing this:

  • Allow customers to discover an entirely new category of games on Amazon.com
  • Help developers reach new customers quickly. Our onboarding process is straightforward and we want to sell every Indie game available
  • We want to leverage our strengths to support and help the developers who are driving forward innovation and creativity in the games industry
General Information

Hi CAGs,
I'll be posting deals we're running on Digital Games (PC/Mac, Free to Play, Sony/Microsoft Points/Subs).

I'm also here to answer questions you might have, get you closer to the developers by hosting Q&As, setting up podcasts, live streaming gameplay etc. If I don't respond to a question you have in thread please send me a PM. These ping my email address and make it more likely that I will see your question and respond more quickly.


Cheers,
Tony


FYI. EA Games sold by Amazon will not activate on Steam.
F.A.Q.S.:

1. Does the game I'm buying from Amazon Activate on Steam/Origin/Uplay? What DRM does the game use?

There are two places to identify DRM on a digital video game detail page:

At the top of the page, below the title:

16hm7a8.png


In the "Product Description" section:

r06ykl.jpg


2. Note on Electronic Arts Games - For the most part, EA games sold on Amazon do not activate on Steam. Most activate on Origin.

3. Note on DRM with limited activations:

Our Policy



4. Sometimes I'll do giveaways.

5. I work with developers and publishers to get fun (or at least what I think is fun) content to share with you all. Here are some examples:

a. Check out the Pax Gameplay videos here: Xcom: Enemy Unknown I played Xcom with Jake, the Creative Director for the game, a few months before the game came out Also, on this page, check out the Q&A, also a community driven event.

b. Check out the interview on this page: Borderlands 2 we did this interview at E3 with Randy Pitchford this year.

c. We've partnered with the ++GoodGames Podcast to feature many of the games we carry. They talk to the developers about the game development process, how the games are conceptualized and managed, all kinds of fun stuff. I'm working on putting together full link list and will update when I have it.

What else do we sell?

Xbox Live Points and Subscriptions:

1600 Microsoft Live Points
4000 Microsoft Live Points
12 Month XBOX Live Subscription
3 Month XBOX Live Subscription]
12 Month + 1 XBOX Live Subscription

PSN+ Subscriptions and PSN Points:

$20 PSN Points
$50 PSN Points
12 Month PSN+ Subscription
3 Month PSN+ Subscription

We also have a Free-2-Play store supported by our GameConnect technology. Gameconnect allows you to link your Amazon.com account with free-2-play and MMO accounts so that you can buy things like in game currency, premium game time/subscriptions, in game items, etc. on Amazon.com using your Amazon.com payment options and have this content delivered directly into your game.

5. Price Matching notes: Generally we do not match international retailers (GMG, Gamersgate, etc) or physical retailers (Best Buy, Newegg.com, etc.)
To check out the Free-2-Play games we offer you can visit our storefront here: Free-2-Play Store

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I usually try to stay at 192kbps or above. 320kbps is my fave and I can actually hear the differences on my setup.

Still no pm on the Newegg 2k deals btw. Come one Amazon come through for us!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know Apple uses VBR but the quality setting is called 256k. I just found it really strange/funny that you insist on FLAC but you listen at only 160k.
Yeah...it's not really VBR, though. It's constrained VBR, which means if you have a silent section of a song rather than dropping ~0k it drops to 230k. Then if there's a section that actually does need the bandwidth, it might only go up to 290k even though it should go higher. The result is larger file sizes but poorer quality than a good true VBR encoder will achieve.

The reason I insist on lossless is because I know I'm going to re-encode it to AAC using the settings I've found that work for me. Obviously I don't want to download one lossy format and convert it to another lossy format. That's madness. :)

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal.  According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something.  They couldn't just email or video chat with him?

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
He's going to see a man about a deal.

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
You ever break a man's thumb via email?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Crap, Max Payne 3 + Season Pass deal seems to be dead atm ...... Tony, will we see it live again before the sale is over, please? My card was out of cash for the weekend and I couldn't grab it until now :/

 
What software and settings do you use? I used to be a FLAC snob but I finally had to admit to myself that a good quality MP3/AAC sounds the same, and I've never looked back.

I can tell the difference between FLAC/M4A (Apple Lossless) and MP3/AAC easily with $10 earphones and $20 headphones using both an iPhone and Nexus 7. I only re-encode when I have no enough storage :)

Vinyl is still the best but can't be enjoyed on the go! :D

Back on topic; I grabbed Max Payne 3 + GTA IV the moment GTA IV keys got restocked. I just couldn't risk it and now that Max Payne 3 is OoS, I am glad I did.
Depends on the bitrate and song. Some songs change notes and sound completely different at lower bitrates. Just about anyone can hear the difference on any speaker. I haven't encountered many (if any) instances that a 320 kbps vbr MP3 have trouble with.

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
Maybe he's trying to talk them into a Star Trek/Pac Man/Enslaved bundle, and namco is hesitant...so Tony put together a huge presentation or sumfin

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
You're assuming that Tony's only going to negotiate a Namco EC deal. I think it's more likely that there are bigger discussions to be had regarding future promotions and collaborations between Amazon and Namco. A possible EC deal strikes me more as a "Oh, by the way, while I'm here..." thing.

 
You're assuming that Tony's only going to negotiate a Namco EC deal. I think it's more likely that there are bigger discussions to be had regarding future promotions and collaborations between Amazon and Namco. A possible EC deal strikes me more as a "Oh, by the way, while I'm here..." thing.
My feelings exactly.

 
According to recent reviews... Not really.
Hmmmm - Does BF 2142 have an offline skirmish mode where you can battle bots?

I ain't really seen many BF's since BF:BC2 do their old "SP and MP are the same skirmish mode thing - but the SP has bots; MP you battle other players online thing", since DICE began doing SP campaign for the BF games.

I know BF 1942 had that.

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
Sometimes it takes a little...personal interaction to get things done...

dfg2rk.jpg


 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
Tony challenged the head CEO of Namco to a Pac-Man Championship DX tourney, If he wins he will come back with some killer deals or if he loses well lets just say he will be walking bull legged for awail. :) go Tony

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Whatever Tony planned with Namco better work and it better work fast otherwise those baby seals are done for, i don't think Bruticis is bluffing.

 
I can piss so far that I can play different qualities of music through $1 headphones, put in a set of earplugs, put another set of over the ear protection, and tell which is better just by feeling the music pass through my soul.
 
You're assuming that Tony's only going to negotiate a Namco EC deal. I think it's more likely that there are bigger discussions to be had regarding future promotions and collaborations between Amazon and Namco. A possible EC deal strikes me more as a "Oh, by the way, while I'm here..." thing.
I would NOT put too much hope into this deal with Namco given it is Jan 28th already. Negotiation takes time and unless Namco was extremely receptive & willing to super-expedite the whole process, having Namco deal starting from Jan 29th to Jan 31st seem very unlikely.

Maybe he went there to talk about February and/or March deal

 
While this sale was a bit of a slow burn, I'm going to say in the end I think it was actually better than last year's sale, especially in terms of getting new price lows on quality titles. Yes, there weren't any free game glitches, but you can hardly assume something like that should be part of the deal. And I'm sure next year when Tony gets rid of it (as he should, for his own sanity if nothing else), the same people decrying the quality now will be complaining the sale is gone.

 
While this sale was a bit of a slow burn, I'm going to say in the end I think it was actually better than last year's sale, especially in terms of getting new price lows on quality titles. Yes, there weren't any free game glitches, but you can hardly assume something like that should be part of the deal. And I'm sure next year when Tony gets rid of it (as he should, for his own sanity if nothing else), the same people decrying the quality now will be complaining the sale is gone.
LIES THIS WAS THE WORST SALE EVER

 
Since y'all was talking about going to chvrches and getting right with the Lorde, you might like to know that Google has a bunch of mp3 albums for $0.99. It may not work for everyone as the promotion is "only open to users who receive the related email offer from Google Play," but it worked for me and I didn't get a related email. Note: you need to click on the regular price to see the $0.99 price and you are limited to 5 albums.
I ain't got that e-mail. :(

Yeah - any time I put anything in the cart from that page, it's full price. :(

If I could get 'em for a buck each, I could really go for this stuff that I'm missing:

The White Stripes - "Elephant"

Nirvana - "Nevermind"

MIA - "Arular"

The Roots - "Things Fall Apart"

 
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
Screw a Road Trip.

It's all about the Plane Trip!

 
I ain't got that e-mail. :(

Yeah - any time I put anything in the cart from that page, it's full price. :(

If I could get 'em for a buck each, I could really go for this stuff that I'm missing:

The White Stripes - "Elephant"

Nirvana - "Nevermind"

MIA - "Arular"

The Roots - "Things Fall Apart"
There giving away some free tracks here. Small consolation I know.

EDIT: And here.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
So, if I've got this right so far, Tony is going for one last hail mary of a deal. According to reddit, he's getting on a plane to go meet the assholes who make Pac Man to see if he can put together a Namco deal or something. They couldn't just email or video chat with him?
He said he was going to meet the people of Namco.. it was never said that the trip was specifically to make a deal for EC and it sounds pretty stupid to assume so. And btw.. the assholes who make Pac Man ?? WTF did they do to you to earn that title.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top