Why Rocksmith DLC Transferability Doesn't Matter to Me

Most of us who have played Rocksmith for a while have bought a fair amount of DLC (downloadable content). If we decide to buy the new PC version of Rocksmith, that DLC won't work and we'll have to buy those songs again for the PC. This has been hotly discussed for several days.

I somehow got it in my head that Ubisoft wanted us to switch from whatever platform we've been using to the new PC version. Of course, that would mean we'd by buying a lot of DLC songs that we already owned on our XBoxes and PS3s. While Ubisoft would clearly make some extra money if we did that, I really don't believe that's what Ubisoft had in mind. 

Ubisoft did release three discounted song packs right around the time the PC version came out. And, once again, I mistakenly interpreted Ubi's intent. I just figured they were trying to make it a little easier for us to make the switch to PC. Apparently that's not what Ubisoft had in mind, either. 

Rocksmith's new Community Developer, Mike, explained the subject of DLC pretty well on the Ubisoft forum. According to Mike, the bundled song packs were never intended to benefit existing RS players. The song packs are a promotional bundle sale which allows new users and those who are absolutely determined to migrate to PC to catch up with the rest of us for a 33% discount. Period.

Presumably, Ubisoft never intended to induce those of us who play RS on XBox or PS3 to switch to the PC platform. So, it seems to me the answer is pretty simple. Those of us who don't want to buy DLC for the PC after we bought it for our game consoles can avoid it by simply not buying the PC version. I don't say that in a snarky way. I mean it. Why switch? Why not just stick with whatever console we already use and avoid the whole issue?

Seriously. That's the question we need to ask ourselves: Is the PC version worth the cost of the software plus any DLC we want? Well, is it? 

I've answered that one for myself. I just don't see where switching is worth it. I've tried the PC demo and I like it just fine, but apart from loading a bit faster I just don't see much difference between the PC version and the XBox version. (I won't comment on the PS3 because I really don't know. It does seem like PS3 owners have had their issues - and that would of course factor into their decision.)

I still believe Ubisoft could have thrown loyal players a bone on this one and sold a few more copies of the PC version to boot, but just having someone from Ubi/RS come into the forum and address the issue was a good move. Mike explained the MS/Sony/Steam distribution issue and its effect on cross-platform DLC which is pretty much all I needed. Others had correctly speculated about that situation, but I'd rather get that kind of information directly from the source. No offense to my friends on the Rocksmith forum.

Buying the song packs (or not) is a purely economic decision - cost versus benefit. At the 33% discount rate, these song packs just aren't worth it for me. As someone mentioned above (and as I've discussed in detail on previous posts), there are simply too many songs included in the song packs that I wouldn't buy at any price. So, although I get a handful of "free" songs, they're songs I don't like and would never have bought anyway. I can buy just the songs I want for about the same price as the packs - or less. But, that's just me. Everybody will have to make their own decision.

I don't want to turn this thread into a discussion of the relative merits of one platform over another. At this point, I just don't see where switching to PC is worth the cost and the cost of replacing DLC absolutely factors into my decision. I'm not mad about it.

If you're mad about this, my advice would be to crack open a beer and reconsider just how badly you want to switch to the PC platform. If that's your thing and you've just got to make that switch, it's gonna hurt a little. At least you'll go into it realizing that it's YOUR choice.