JasonNumber100:How can you say that pixel balls cost nothing to make. You think they just appear by magic.
Takes a designer minutes to make a golf ball vector from scratch and stick a logo on it. Don't know how much WGT pay but I'd gladly design the next ball for less than $10, then gift someone a few sleeves of balls with the money. So on that note, less than $10 for a ball that WGT can replicate a million times over and sell on for $5 a sleeve makes the initial design cost relatively negligible.
JasonNumber100: There will be a cost involved to use branded names on the balls
Who says there's a cost. Nike and Callaway will also be enjoying huge sales of their balls due to WGT advertising their brand, so there's nothing to say Nike or Callaway could actually be paying WGT to put their logos on the balls....we'll never know.
JasonNumber100: and then they have to be programmed to react like the real thing
Will be a doddle and take no time at all for any programmer to get right, considering they'll have the source codes for the other balls to work with and gauge distance / backspin / durability on any new ones.....and again peanuts with regards to any cost involved.
Forgot to say, my main line of business is graphic design / web design / programming etc. Been in it just over 10 years, so I understand it well enough.
All I am saying is that WGT can more than afford to roll out 2 decent HD courses per year like they used to when equipment and balls were $5 a driver and $1.75 for a sleeve of balls.
Nowadays the avg player uses $3 Callaways & $5 Nikes, decent drivers cost $25, putters at $25 and sets of clubs for $30, so surely anyone with 1/2 a brain can understand that, yes WGT is a business, yes it's in it to make money bla bla.....BUT they could also afford to roll out 2 decent HD courses a year because they're making far more profit today than they were making by selling $5 drivers and cheap end rock balls.
JasonNumber100: None of us know all the costs involved.
That's correct.....none of us know all the costs involved but I'm willing to bet we'd all get a shock if we were told lol.
JasonNumber100: You say $40-$50 million which is highlighted in the media. That doesn't tell the whole story
Correct again, that doesn't tell us the whole story.....in fact WGT refrained from disclosing the actual amount, which generally means it was more. :)
I'm not here to bash WGT, of course it's their business but it's worth pointing out that there is a new game on the horizon, when it does get off the ground and is as good as it looks & where new courses can be developed in next to no time, then WGT is going to have some stiff competition and needs to buckle up that is unless you actually believe people will remain and sit tight for the US Open every year, whilst there's 9 or 10 courses a year getting rolled out over yonder.
JasonNumber100: That's how a free market works. If you don't like it, don't pay.
Who's quibbling about paying? Not me, I've paid since day one. Many $1000's actually because I'd rather spend some free cash than mess around with the freebie route as my time is more important to me than money.