Poor Sprint. They’re always getting the short-end of the wireless-market-stick as the No. 3 national carrier. Their CEO is gone . They just had their WiMAX aspirations knocked down a notch with the recent WiMAX 3G standardization . The whole WiMAX deal is still on the table . So, now Sprint’s trying to regain lost ground in their core business (you know, that little business of providing wireless service to customers) with a questionable new service - Sprint Arcade. Apparently, Sprint’s betting that a subscription-based model for mobile gaming is just what they need to spur subscriber growth. Sprint Arcade will serve up mobile games from EA Mobile to “most data-enabled Sprint phones” for a $9.99 per month fee. Gaming titles include Sudoku, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Hearts, Air Hockey, and Blue Blocks, with more games promised for future release. Will subscription-based mobile gaming catch a foothold? At the $9.99 price point, not a chance. We would pay a couple bucks a month (literally, we’d pay no more than $2 per month) for a subscription gaming service - but only as long as the game catalog is up to snuff. Sprint Arcade’s subscription model seems like a viable alternative to paying for each individual game - and should appeal to heavier gamers. But, $9.99 for Sprint Arcade basically seals its fate - which is to say, it’s doomed. Press release ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Mobile gaming losing ground to Mobile TV and MusicHands-On brings Crystal Quest classic arcade to mobileStreet Fighter 2 goes mobileSprint announces Nextel Direct Connect PTT service and handsets for next yearSprint's Motorola Q Not Likely To Get Windows Mobile 6.0 Update
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