PMDG have withdrawn P3D products from sale.

[d.tsakiris]

3 hours ago, sdirand said:

PMDG already answered their reasons even if for some of us, we don't understand them.

 

Let's all be honest and realistic here for once: [...]

A fair assessment in my books, except that I don't buy PMDG's "people are buying the wrong product" explanation.

3 hours ago, sdirand said:

What do you really expect from them? What kind of communication are you waiting for?

A clear statment that the P3D products won't come back? Right now, they said "at the moment" so ok, it's not a clear NO but will it make any difference? If today, they will say "No, it won't come back", will it change the way you use P3D?

No, it won't change the way I use P3D, but it might change the companies I choose to buy products from (I only have 2 PMDG products at the moment).

My take is that PMDG knows that a clear statement could potentially cost them customers, and not only in the P3D sphere, as bad rep is bad on any platform. Others have flatly stated they are not developing for P3D anymore, and I understand their reasoning. But I'd add that even they are still selling for the platform...

So, the way PMDG is acting and communicating is just strange and unsatisfactory to me.

[MarkW]

On 8/7/2024 at 6:50 AM, GCBraun said:

It's interesting to note that the primary group upset by this decision are those who already own PMDG aircraft for P3D. How many people are still interested in purchasing add-ons for LM's platform? 3, 8, 25?

 

I tend to agree, I cannot imagine there are still people with P3D that are now wanting to purchase PMDG product at this late stage.  Certainly if they are they can rush over to Aerosoft and purchase.  I think this is more of a communications failure from PMDG.  They should have announced a month or two before the release of the 777 that they were discontinuing products for P3D and give people a chance to purchase them in advance, then stop sale a few weeks prior to the 777 release for MSFS.

[Ronda_sim]

Here we go again, msfs against p3d. 

P3D forum should seriously consider being locked for people, that come here and spread hate about it. 

I am sick of this. End of my messages. 

[tamba765]

I think you guys have beaten this topic to death. Companys are going to do what they want to. Move on and live with it.

[Ray Proudfoot]

17 minutes ago, Ronda_sim said:

Here we go again, msfs against p3d.

No it isn't. It's just debating the withdrawal of P3D products from the PMDG website with no prior warning.

[Patco Lch]

I wonder if maybe PMDG just didn’t want to discount the P3D products during their anniversary sale to turn people toward the new MSFS products and plan on putting them back up after the sale is over. Also didn’t want an influx of support request from many new users buying the P3D planes because of the sale. We will see next week. Just an uneducated hypothesis.

[Zylx]

11 minutes ago, Patco Lch said:

I wonder if maybe PMDG just didn’t want to discount the P3D products during their anniversary sale to turn people toward the new MSFS products and plan on putting them back up after the sale is over. Also didn’t want an influx of support request from many new users buying the P3D planes because of the sale. We will see next week. Just an uneducated hypothesis.

It's a nice theory and I want to believe that but I think they ditched P3D users for good, just like they did with FSX.  The cycle continues...

[Scottoest]

19 hours ago, Ronda_sim said:

Don't waste your time, @d.tsakiris. They do not understand any argument except that their sim is better then ours. That's why I said they should stop praising it here, in the P3D forum. 

Who is "they"? I've made like one post in this thread before my last one - they've had nothing to do with which sim is better than another sim, and dealt entirely with the cold business realities of a company deciding that certain juice is no longer worth the squeeze.  Some people here seem to think that reality shouldn't matter, out of a nebulous loyalty or debt to their former P3D customers.

Simple.

Oh, and their communication really hasn't been poor at all if you're not desperately trying to read between the lines for something that isn't there.  They're removing their P3D products from sale indefinitely due to cost, and they have no ideal when/if they'll ever return. Assuming P3D doesn't see a sudden resurgence in users that changes their business calculation, it's safe to assume that 'when' is never.  No company is categorically going to declare NEVER, because why would they needlessly close that door?  When Pepsi stopped selling Crystal Pepsi, I doubt they declared it would NEVER return.

Edited August 10, 2024 by Scottoest

[Rogen]

23 hours ago, Scottoest said:

Oh, and their communication really hasn't been poor at all

Heh, sounds just like a shill...

Cheers 🙃

Edited August 11, 2024 by Rogen

[Ray Proudfoot]

I’m giving serious consideration to buying the PMDG777-200LR/F from Aerosoft before it’s withdrawn permanently.

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/shop/flight/p3d-fsx/prepar3d/aircraft/2250/pmdg-777-200lr/f-for-p3d-v4/v5?number=AS14229

I’m not familiar with the 777 family. I note PMDG are developing the 777-300 for MSFS. Is the 200 and specifically the LR/F an older model and if so how old?

My GoFlight hardware together with Steve’s Pollypot software which I own is fully configured so no further work required there.

Any advice appreciated. I’ll post this on the PMDG forum and see what reaction I get.

Just noticed the 300ER Expansion Pack is available. Worth the extra?

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/shop/flight/p3d-fsx/prepar3d/aircraft/1351/pmdg-777-300er-expansion-pack-for-p3d-v4/v5

Edited August 11, 2024 by Ray Proudfoot
Additional info

[Luke]

On 8/9/2024 at 9:35 PM, Scottoest said:

They're removing their P3D products from sale indefinitely due to cost

Their unit costs have never been lower. If they cannot make a profit now, then they have never made a profit at all.

Cheers

[Luis Hernandez]

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I’m giving serious consideration to buying the PMDG777-200LR/F from Aerosoft before it’s withdrawn permanently.

If you're considering subsonic long haul, the 777 is a good choice. The trim in the latest version (the 2021 update) is a lot slower than usual, but the modelling was taken to the NGXu/747 standards.

Personally, the 777 (for FSX) was my first "major league" aircraft purchase, and then one of my first P3D birds. I only got the -300 because it was on sale, but I don't regret it at all. I see the prices you get in € interesting, as if there was some kind of sale. In USD, not that much.

One big advantage: textures for the FSX version work in P3D flawlessly.

Edited August 11, 2024 by Luis Hernandez

[Zylx]

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I’m giving serious consideration to buying the PMDG777-200LR/F from Aerosoft before it’s withdrawn permanently.

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/shop/flight/p3d-fsx/prepar3d/aircraft/2250/pmdg-777-200lr/f-for-p3d-v4/v5?number=AS14229

I’m not familiar with the 777 family. I note PMDG are developing the 777-300 for MSFS. Is the 200 and specifically the LR/F an older model and if so how old?

My GoFlight hardware together with Steve’s Pollypot software which I own is fully configured so no further work required there.

Any advice appreciated. I’ll post this on the PMDG forum and see what reaction I get.

Just noticed the 300ER Expansion Pack is available. Worth the extra?

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/shop/flight/p3d-fsx/prepar3d/aircraft/1351/pmdg-777-300er-expansion-pack-for-p3d-v4/v5

From what I've read, the 777-200 was fist put into service in 1995 and the ER variant was put into service in 1997 and the 777-300 in 1998.  Here's a great article that talks about the history of the 777 family:

Boeing 777 Family Story

I have the PMDG FSX 777-200 but I never bought the 777-300 addon.  It is a fantastic, very high quality model for it's day so I'm sure the P3D version is even better.

Edited August 11, 2024 by Zylx

[Ray Proudfoot]

@Luis Hernandez and @Zylx, thank you both. Whilst Concorde can get to places more than twice as quickly as any Boeing or Airbus its drawback is 1) range and 2) not flying supersonic over populated area. I do like to mirror my sim experience with real-world ops. 😁

So the 777 will fill a slot my other aircraft can’t. Joburg to Heathrow will be one of the first as it’s a route I’ve flown in real life. The feel will certainly be very different to a 737 and Concorde. v5 of P3D has vastly improved the world’s landclass so it will be a great combo.

[dave2013]

I don't begrudge PMDG or any other flightsim developer stopping P3D development and switching to MSFS.  They have to do what's best for their business.

However.

If PMDG is abandoning P3D development and removing P3D products from sale, then it costs them nothing to keep the planes on their servers and let people download them.  They could also sell them at a deep discount, like 70-90% off, and still make a few bucks off them.

This behavior is much like some other flightsim vendors who have product in stock but it just sits there unsold because they refuse to discount it.  I've likened this to having a hotel and by evening time you still have several vacant rooms, but you refuse to discount them.  What happens is that no one books them and you lose the rent, whereas if you had offered them at a 50 or 70% discount you would have at least made some profit.   

They simply release a disclaimer that there will be no support for the product so they don't get hassled by users, and then ignore the ones who contact them anyway.

It would be very inconsiderate and mean-spirited to just abandon their P3D stock and not even offer the products at a deep discount.

Then again, with PMDG it wouldn't surprise me.  I figured out years ago what their game is, so I stopped buying stuff from them.

Dave