I'm sort of confused with this regard.

Skyrim has plenty of mods that have created plenty of new features, ranging from new animals, to new houses and villages and what not. All for free.

Now skyrim DLC, you have to pay roughly 5-20$ for and adds stuff that modders could technically do themseleves, no?

So..if we are looking at the whole scenario from a purely technical standpoint, does that mean PS3/360 users are being swindled while PC users are reaping in the gold? Doesn't sound much fair to me.

I guess that's just one of the prices a console user pays for the convenience of playing on a console. Life is not fair.

it is possible for the consoles to run mods but they are closed systems, and modifying it will result in a breach of contract. That is the trade off console users have they prefer convenience over an open system.

How could one share a modified version of a game onto a console that isn't designed to handle it? If a said modification could be handled, then you must answer to Microsoft and Sony. You get what you pay for. If you payed for a console, you get all the limitations with it.

Because if there wasn't mod support on PC then many a PC user would cry like a 7 year old girl.

The main difference between Mods and Add-ons is that is cannon and it's fully supported in the law.
Also (if done correctly) can proved a greater experience as Bethesda can change things in the engine, hire professional voice actors and in general just make something better.

Also, I believe there are development tools that the mod community doesn't have access to...unless someone wants to pay a hefty licensing fee.

With no mod support it would be far less innovation for the next game. Lots of the changes you see from Oblivion to Skyrim is taken from mods, the new level scaling, plants who changes then harvested, advanced crafting are just some of the things who showed up as Oblivion mods. Even hearthfire is heavy influenced by mods.

However as you say DLC are usually done more professionally and they have the option to make changes in the game to make things work like adding mounted combat.
Again it's not always done, farming in Heartfire is coded very awkward as they does not have access to the isharvested() skse function.

^ This.
100%

The difference isn't really that big, in theory paid DLC works exactly like mods. However some differences are there. Since Betehsda has made the game they also have a better system of integrating different things together, after all they kno th source code and the possibilities to their fingers. Take Hearthfire as an example,you could do the same stuff in various mods, but Hearthfire tied it together. Adoption we had previously as a mod, with Hearthfire we now had more dialogue options, possibility for pets etc. The mods that has been updated to support hearthfire now also allows for this very features to be fully used with their mods also. Free mods is pretty much fan made stuff and often they use the resources from the game and existing paid DLC to improve their mod.

Mods are usually buggy and low end compared to the professionally done DLC by Todd.

Trololol hohohohoho

Spot on.

If Bethesda ever remove the mod support for their FO and TES games, that is a sad day for the series. So I hope it never happens.

Good news is that the focus on steam workshop point the opposite direction. In previous games it was pretty much an special feature now it's much more an part of the core game.

It's simple, really : Developers game is doing their "job", which is means they need salary, which is means we need to paid up. Plus they need paid the actors and actress for voice acting.
Otherwise, modders are free-charge peoples who did work without being paid.

See the difference?

I just wish bethesda could one day do like a top 10 mod list, and just implement that as free dlc for xbox users/ps3 users.

Because just browsing on skyrim nexsus and there's so many kick ass mods that really enhance the overall game of skyrim. It's like taking a toyota, and pimping it out to be a corvette.

This gets said about once a week in this forum. It is not Bethesda's decision. If you want mods on XBox or PS3, contact Microsoft or Sony.

I would also like to point out that console won't be able to handle some of these mods.
Also Microsoft doesn't allow for free DLC.
And Bethesda will have to port the mods from PC to consoles and optimize them which takes allot of time and money

Microsoft doesn't allow for free DLC? Yes they do...

I might be wrong on this but, the latest DLC for Left 4 Dead 2 was free on PC, but cost money on Xbox because Microsoft doesn't allow for free Add-ons

^
A person who doesn't use mods.


The truth of course being that many mods are actually of higher quality than content pushed out by Bethesda.

This. And i am a (only) PC player.

What is it with you and Todd Howard/Pete Hiness??
I love Skyrim. It has many weak sides, but I love it. Pete Hines and Todd Howard are the last persons of the Bethesda staff I want to thank, to be honest. Todd sits on a throne of lies and Pete Hines is responsible for the freaking horrible PR regarding the DLC releases on PC and foremost PS3.
Get out of their asses, dude.

You've got to be trolling. There are even mods that FIX THE GAME.

I don't know why that would be, but MS definitely allows free add ons.

Resident Evil 6 just got free DLC for consoles and Mass Effect 3 has had many free DLC', like the retaliation map pack, for example.

I am probably wrong I haven't played on my xbox 360 since Gears 2 and Halo 3, so it probably has changed.