Actually, the non-preorder price is $49.99 so you got $5 off. It's $39.99 in stores, but SD is small and doesn't want to piss off retailers so they can't undercut, so instead they make a CE that's (usually) exclusive to direct orders. For both Sins and Demigod, the original preorder price was $5 cheaper than the final direct order price.
so what youre telling me is, to buy demigod through stardock for digital download only on release day, the price is going to be $50? perhaps so (my crystal ball is broken) but i really doubt it.
Your argument is nonsensical, though. If you buy something at a store and the price drops at some point in the future, do you go and demand money back?
actually... yes. and i frequently DO get the difference refunded to me, depending upon the time thats passed since purchase. but in general, youd be hard pressed to find a retail store that WOULDNT refund the difference within 30 days, and some as much as 90, if youre willing to pester your way up the chain to upper management.
which is actually irrelevant, because your analogy is flawed: purchasing a finished good (or in the case of software, a released retail product) is not the same as pre-ordering software, even IF said pre-order provides early access to unfinished product. i wont make the case that stardock should be paying its beta testers for QA on pre-release code, because thats unfair, people beta test because they WANT to, and shouldnt expect renumeration for it... but they absolutely positively shouldnt expect to pay MORE for it, either.
Not a perfect analogy since it actually increased in this case (for what you paid for, anyway) and the cheaper one is non-CE. But sure, if you don't care about CE goodies or the betas you should just wait until it's in stores.
which i now realize, and which i will do in the future. stardock can find some other sucker to fund their development. a pdf, a desktop theme i wouldnt use if you paid me to, and some mp3s arent worth $5. they arent worth $1. your perspective may be different, but from where im standing, its a screwjob no matter how you slice it.
