The company that claims to offer Earth's Biggest Selection says it's ready to scratch your zero-day itch, if you'll scratch theirs for a nominal shipping fee. "No lines, no waiting, no fuss," claims Amazon.com's press release, which goes on to promise customers can now receive select games including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Gears of War 2 "on the first day of availability."
What's the damage? Six bucks on top of overnight shipping fees for everything including shipping fees will get you stuff like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (8/26) and Fable 2 (10/21) the same day they hit stores. And if you're already an Amazon Prime member -- an $80 per annum subscriber service -- release-date delivery is completely free.
Technically software retailers like Gamestop.com have been providing (if not necessarily guaranteeing) day-of-release delivery of games for years. It's not uncommon to trawl message boards and find customers who pre-ordered a game and simply paid for next-day service landing copies before the game's even on store shelves. GameStop has a warehouse that receives product at least a day prior to its retail due date, and ships directly to online store customers at the same time it's sending product to stores. Getting a game day-of-release costs nothing extra.
Here's GameStop's street date policy:
Pre-order [insert game name] by [insert cutoff date -- typically the day prior to street] with overnight shipping and get guaranteed delivery on the street date [insert street date]! If your product does not arrive on the street date, we will fully refund your shipping charge!
What's overnight shipping at GameStop.com? $10 for orders up to $75 plus $1.50 for each additional $75.
Is six bucks for the whole enchilada at Amazon.com worth it? Probably not. Probably, even if the press release on the service confusingly fails to distinguish itself from simply being an additional fee on top of existing overnight shipping charges. It's not, and as far as I can tell having tried the service, it really is just six bucks to get the game day-of-delivery, no hidden charges or "insurance gimmes."
Now let's get cracking on that fee-free digital distribution (for consoles as well as PCs) model and obsolete the need for any kind of fee-based shipping "service" altogether, 'kay SonyNintendoMicrosoft?
Except that if you do some homework, you'll see that it's $5.98 PERIOD. I tried checking out with the Tiger WOods game. That launches tomorrow. If I choose Next Day, it's $15+. Release-Day Ship, $5.98.
Actually a bargain in this case.
Slap my mouth for failing to do exactly that, Iria. I just did, you're right, and I've updated the post accordingly.