Microtransactions required for all the features on my friend's new car (Audi A3) (13 day old reddit repost)
Microtransactions required for all the features on my friend's new car (Audi A3) (13 day old reddit repost)
(Ok I don't know if this is actually subscription, but it's definitely the same shit.)
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There's no microtransaction required, that's just the phrasing used. The car never had that function because they didn't buy one with that package.
Why is the option selectable then... At best it's just shitty UI, at worse it's a software feature that needs to just be activated. (Which is what people don't tend to like.)
The cruise control lever comes equipped with the additional buttons that would make use of this feature, which is done to streamline production at the factory, as opposed to needing to install two different types of levers depending on the build. Some have the upgraded software to use the adaptive cruise assist installed, some don't. Your friend purchased a car that did not have that feature, so nothing is removed or missing, and therefore no microtransaction is required. That's like saying they bought a car with 19" wheels but a microtransaction is needed to get the 20" option. It was never there to begin with, it was simply a feature they did not opt for.
I get it, but the normal thing that's always been done is for the lever to be missing the printing, and the movement to that position either be blocked mechanically or just ignored. At least that was smarter so the user wouldn't be bothered by something they didn't want, and it they changed their mind, it was still simple to install.
There definitely is a new trend for a product you bought to keep screaming at you to buy new shit. Does your car remind you to buy more expensive rims? Even if technologically it's almost the same as it's been done for ages, nobody is subtle about it anymore, and that indeed is similar to today's micro transaction model where everything has to have a built-in store, often as the top feature even more prominent than the main functionality.