Xbox Live Games on Demand

[onlyCOpunk]

This is just a little bit of a gripe...

My Xbox is Australian, my live account is not and is tied to the US. Today I tried to download a game on demand, but Xbox Live wont let me saying that the game is not meant for my region. It is utter horsecrap. Especially when the game I was trying to download from the US Live is $19.99, and the same exact game in the Australian store is $69.99.

I can't figure out why it would be region locked, it's a digital download, and I'm not paying $50 more for the same game, especially when the exchange rates are almost even!

It's also irritating because I can dowload everything else, movies, music, add-ons, demos with no problem of region

 

[fbrdphreak]

Welcome to geographic pricing based on supply & demand. It happens in every industry and digital downloads are slow to come to grips with a lack of "real" borders, as they are based on laws & policies that are very much geo-centric.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

But it's also the case with physical discs here as well. A new game in EB Games would cost $120, although you can usually find them cheaper, but it's so much more money then people in the USA pay for games. I don't know how supply and demand would predict the prices of the games, as from what I've witnessed there's no more a demand for them here then anywhere else, and there is certainly not a short supply!

It's funny too because I looked up whether or not the game I was trying to download was region locked on the physical disc and it isn't, so what gives?