DJ Hero DOA Or Just A Slow Starter?

Every month the numbers coming from the NPD Group give us a look into most of the retail world to see what's selling and what sometimes what isn't. While last month was notable for the release of Uncharted 2 and WiiFit+, one much hyped title didn't show up on the top ten: DJ Hero. While every October marks the beginning of the holiday season and sales traditionally pick up during that time of year, inevitably a few titles go unnoticed by the general buying public. But with all the marketing behind it and an incredible list of artists featured in its soundtrack, it many wouldn't have guessed that Activision's most recent extension of the Hero series to fall on deaf ears. Over at Ars Technica, Ben Kuchera has attempted to piece together this music rhythm puzzle and determine why more people are interested in picking up a Guitar instead of a turntable. While telling us the game is good, he is however quick to point some of the biggest flaws with the game that I feel are keeping players away. This mostly boils down to its single-player emphasis, unfamiliar "dj mixes," and, the most damning of all, price...

The Renegade Edition of the game was $200. The standard edition, $120. That's a tough sell in a market where price point is so important. For $80 more you can get yourself a Wii or an Xbox 360 Arcade model. Right now at GameStop you can spend $20 less and pick up a game, a guitar, a microphone, and drums with the $99 Rock Band 2 Special Edition. The music is more accessible, you can pay with friends, and you get more hardware for less money.

The turntable included with the $120 DJ Hero release is a high quality accessory; you won't feel ripped off if you buy the game. The trouble is that at that price, with only one accessory, not many people are going to be willing to find that out.

Amen, brother! My biggest issue with this game since it was announced was its obscene price tag. In some ways I'm glad that people are choosing to skip over this release because I think that Activision could learn a thing or two about music game pricing, but in other ways I'm sad that it has to be this game that teaches us this lesson. Not long ago I was trapped at a Best Buy waiting for what seemed like forever and I got a chance to play the demo myself. While I enjoyed what I played and the helped demo convince me to pick up the game up after a price drop or two, I can't help to agree with everything that Kuchera mentions in his article. What say you dear reader? Can DJ Hero be saved? What can be done to help bring a different kind of "music game with plastic instrument" in the crowded retail market?

[Innovating problems: why DJ Hero flopped] Ars Technica