GameStop CEO Wants Price Drops

[DeleteMe1112311]

Isn't Sony losing money because the PS3 is ALREADY underpriced? I heard it takes more money to make a PS3 than the price its being sold at.

Yes but the console itself is still very expensive and, because consumers are not willing to pay that much, less consoles are sold. When less consoles are sold, less PS3 games are sold and the less likely that developers will want to use the money/resources to make a game for the PS3 specifically. Less developers = less games. Fairly simple train of logic, I know but it took me a while to realize that...I figured I would share on the off change that anyone else missed it.

If the PS3 sold more consoles, they could make up for their losses with new games created by the developers that actually started utilizing the PS3's capability.

Anyway, to stay on topic...Really? I just find this rediculous. You have no problems with charging us obscene amounts for used games that the creators do not get a cut of but when a console is too expensive, then it has gone too far. I'm willing to bet my middle fingers that he is trying to get a price lowered so that he can sell more consoles and games to make more money. There is no way in hell that he is acting in the interest of the consumer here.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

He needs to not point fingers at Sony, or people might tend to notice his own hypocrisy. Maybe he wants the price lower so more people will buy and return the games to GS, thus ensuring GS even more profit when they resell Sony's games for $5 less than the new price and keep 100% of this used price for themselves.

Sony will lower the prices whenever they get tired of losing sales to their cheaper competitors. Until then, GS needs to realize that it has as much credibility on video game matters as Wal-Mart does on selling quality products.

And my problems with Gamestop are almost entirely from my OWN personal experiences with them. This isn't a "bandwagon" issue-this is about companies treating consumers and their own employees like garbage and making tons of money because of it.

 

[KDR_11k]

Ugh, how do people not realize that the PS3 is more bang for your buck then 360. 360 core is a $100 less then a PS3 right?

AFAIK it's 200$ in the US (PS3 400$, 360 Core 200$ or so). Here in Europe the 360 Pro is 200€ while the PS3 is 400€. I think that greatly changes the equation.

Anyway, feature to feature comparisons are Apple math. People don't buy the console for the technology, they buy it for the games. Someone who doesn't care about BluRay until you can get a top of the line player for 50$ at WalMart and BRDs for the same price as DVDs won't care about the PS3 having a BluRay player and I think that's the vast majority. HD is nice but it's not worth paying extra for, the only usage that really needs HD is text and I don't think anyone wants a BRD to just dump a crapload of text on the screen.

The 100 of hours you spend playing aren't spent on the console, they're spent on the games. The games matter WAY more than the console itself. Sure, having a comfortable controller instead of that inquisition torture tool that is the DualShock design helps the experience in those games but the library still reigns supreme.


Overall though the sales numbers of the 360 and PS3 are fairly equal, I don't think it's the price that constrains their sales but the two-genre game libraries. Their libraries have almost no variety compared to the PS2 or DS. Big titles tend to be yet another xPS (Why hello there, Killzone 2!) or beat 'em up (now with more blood and black-and-white moral choices!). The systems have a limited genre coverage and the people who want those genres already have the systems. I think unlike common internet wisdom the majority of the gamers are mature enough to consider excessive violence a negative.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Well, I have nothing but good things to say about Gamestop...A used game is slightly cheaper a comes with a one week "return for no reason" policy.

And shut up about how much they give you for used games. WHAT IF NO ONE BUYS IT? How would they profit then?

/rant defending Gamestop


The CEO is truly a dick, though. Can't defend that jerk.

 

[Miral]

I think Nintendo would be absolutely insane to drop the price of the Wii before the demand starts dropping off. That's just basic economics, after all.

I would, however, dearly like for the price of Wii games to drop off. There's a Wii game that I've been interested in buying, but since it came out about a year and a half ago its price has not budged one cent downwards from NZ$120. And I'm not that interested.

 

[KDR_11k]

Actually their are 2-5 games of each genre on the PS3 that are good and exclusive for people who want them, people just ya know... never pay any god damn attention.

2-5 is pretty pathetic, especially the lower end because I don't see much approaching 5 (even when you count multiplatform titles) in the less served genres on these platforms. Most people don't like every single game in the genres they like so the number goes down a bit in practice and if you're looking mostly for 2-3 of the unserved genres you'll end up with way too few games to justify a purchase.

Besides, the games hardly make themselves known, I shouldn't be required to search through the depths of forums to find games I'd want and they can expect to lose sales if they fail to make me notice the game when I'm looking for it.