GameStop Says Gamers Won't Buy Consoles Without Used Games
- Thread starter MikeWehner
- Start date
The next console will likely see me back on the PC gaming train. Seriously, what's the point of another console anymore?
Gamestop is biased and I wouldn't trust them as a source here. I know a lot of people who bought consoles where I live and used games can't be bought where I live. It's literally 4 hours to drive to the closest GAME and that is about to be shut down now. Still people buy consoles.
Now this might just be an exaggeration and there might be some truth to it, but the one who's got the most to lose here is GameStop so they aren't a trustworthy source for information.
Now this might just be an exaggeration and there might be some truth to it, but the one who's got the most to lose here is GameStop so they aren't a trustworthy source for information.
From a personal point of view I wouldn't mind. I haven't bought a used game nor have I sold even the worst game I can think of, but I think of this as a matter of my right as a consumer and those who actually depend on getting games used and selling their games. This wouldn't affect me, but it will affect a lot of people so I am against it.MikeWehner said:
Considering that I'm the type to rummage through a used games section to find multi-year old titles that are difficult to find new (the main reason I ever go to Gamestop), and that I still play my N64 and new games for it simply don't exist... well, you probably already know my answer.DVS BSTrD said:
I don't think inconveniencing or alienating the people who use or rely on used games is worth not having easily ignored debates that I don't think are that prevalent.00slash00 said:
I could probably count the number of pre-owned games I've bought in my life on one hand. So no, I wouldn't really care if anti-used game features become a mainstay.
I think I'll have to agree with gamestop. I would probably swap to fully to PCs or buy a used console a few years into its life. At 60 dollars a pop, I would have a hard time playing games at all.
"Can't play used games" most likely means more than just that.DVS BSTrD said:
Requiring a constant internet connection for example so you can't play your singleplayer games when the authentification servers are "down for maintenance" or losing your entire game library if the specific console it's locked to breaks.
Many ways to screw up for a worthless feature and I highly doubt this will do anything to soften the 60$ price tag of new games.
I would still say no. I normally buy new but I would like the option of being able to borrow games from friends and such.MikeWehner said:
But I wouldn't mind having my game locked to my console if I get another copy of the same game for other console.
For example, I would like the to play Metal Gear Solid 3 for my PSVita. But since I already have MetalGearSolid HD collection for my PS3, my money can be better used elsewhere. So if Konami is willing to give me free download of MGS3 for my vita, for the price of having ps3 version locked to my console I certainly wouldn't mind.
i honestly dont think theres a reason to rely on used games. if you can afford spending $200-$600 on a console, you can afford a $60 game. and if you cant, then either you are buying too many video games or you have bigger concerns than how much a video game costs. i work in theatre. theatre is very unstable and pays horribly so i am far from rolling in cash. however, i can still manage to pay full price for games. i dont need a new game every week or every month.Easton Dark said:
and the used game debate is extremely prevalent, at least on here. its taken a backseat for a while because people have had other things to complain about recently, but it is probably the most common thread ive seen on this site
Me.DVS BSTrD said:
However, I also haven't bought a CoD game since Modern Warfare 2 or an EA Sports title since NHL 11, yet these franchises continue to go from strength to strength, so my power as a consumer in the gaming industry appears to be limited.
I also don't watch or acknowledge 'XFactor', 'Got to Dance', 'The Only way is Essex' or 'Made in Chelsea', and again, they continue to go from strength to strength, indicating that my power to boycott (it's not so much a boycott, I just don't get involved with things I think are shit...) is about level with the power of the 'Occupy' movement to change the nature of capitalism.
Final point: Will making consoles incompatible with used games increase piracy? Discuss. (I honestly don't know enough to form an opinion on that and am curious to what other people think).
I'd just play more PC games. True, I'd be sad that I'm missing out on a few exclusives but there are enough good games out there to keep me occupied until some enterprising company comes up with a machine that DOES play used games and laps up the huge money they make by not being utter assholes.
Funny how treating your customers nice gets you more money, really...
Funny how treating your customers nice gets you more money, really...
They are likely correct and for the right reasons but it's fairly blatantly motivated by the fact that their business model is entirely dependent on used game sales.
Eh, whatever their motivations, they're fairly on the nose with their observations.
Eh, whatever their motivations, they're fairly on the nose with their observations.
To be honest I just don't think I'm going to buy another console. The whole attempting to wring every last penny out of gamers is getting rather old and I just don't have the twitch factor I did in my younger days so console gaming just isn't feeling fun anymore. I hardly turn on my 360 at all since most of my gaming time goes to the PC or Kindle Fire.
So unless something radical happens to make console gaming fun again I'd rather take the insane amount the new consoles will cost and put it towards a kick ass PC that can do more than play the latest FPS the consoles are pushing.
So unless something radical happens to make console gaming fun again I'd rather take the insane amount the new consoles will cost and put it towards a kick ass PC that can do more than play the latest FPS the consoles are pushing.
Well let's not forget about the used console market as well, right? There's lots of ways to reduce cost. And it all depends on how you spend your money. I work at a library, not a millionaire, but I almost never spend anything I make so it stacks up. Maybe someone's in a situation similar to mine but has to pay for their... ooo, old car's gas, or to feed their child. Or maybe they live in a place where new games don't exist/are sick overpriced.00slash00 said:
The most common thread I've seen lately is "Women: Question"
While that may happen, I think that line of reasoning fails to account for a key bit of information: used sales help drive new sales, and used sales can help create new customers.Jandau said:
As far as my first point, you know those used copies you see lining Gamestop's shelves the day after, and especially within a few weeks of release? There are a ton of people buying at launch and trading stuff in to do it. Losing the ability to do that, I'd have to think, would result in some dramatic changes in sales. Right now, the ability to trade a game in and get a good amount of credit for it right after launch is basically targeting the price conscious consumer up front. Instead of getting them with sales a year from now, you get them on day one. And with the completely insane pricing that I see on some games in retail locations, where titles rarely drop in price or go on sale, especially when they're popular, I'm not sure publishers are capable of filling that void that taking away used sales would do through the retail chain. Perhaps even more frightening is to consider whether a retail chain can even function profitably without used sales. I don't have any numbers though, so that's speculation. But stores would almost certainly become a lot less profitable. And if they can't afford to run at all, good luck selling your physical games with stores closing in various places. I'm sure some smaller towns and what not would suffer the most.
And as far as the second point, some people just either don't have the money when your game first comes out, or aren't sure they want to pay full price. They'll wait months, or even years, until they see it for $20 as a greatest hits title or in a bargain bin somewhere and give it a go. What happens if they absolutely loved it? Well if it's something like Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, or Call of Duty, they'll probably go out and buy the sequel. And wait, what's that? They've finished those up and a new one is coming out in two months? Better go pre-order it.
Maybe customers would swallow no used games if companies flock to one console, but I can't see how such a thing won't impact sales to some degree. In fact, I think the idea of eliminating used games may be very short sighted and lead to some very serious unforeseen consequences. And let's face it, companies are really bad at eliminating things they don't like that the public uses. Their track record on DRM alone should give anyone hearing about eliminating used games pause. It might even just do more to encourage outright piracy.
It'd work. Hell it works on PC via Steam and (to a lesser extent) Origin.MikeWehner said:
But hypothetical scenario aside, I see greed winning out.
Every publisher has coped with piracy and resale.
In that time, the market has been conditioned to accept games at 60 USD + gouging on DLC (and Day 1 DLC).
The publishers know the ball is in their court there. It's just a matter of whether one of them will try to break their little pseudo-cartel game and undercut the others at something like 40 USD, or if they all stick to the game to profit.
I'll skim through the thread because I can smell the hate towards GameStop, somehow.
Despite the fact that they make their profit out of used games and yes, if the next gen of consoles doesn't take used game, they will lose their biggest source of profit...it's true. Hey, if they're offering me to buy a brand new game I might like for 60 bucks or a used game that I can return if it sucks for 45, you're damn right I will buy the used one. As much as I want to support the industry, I gotta worry about what I'll have for dinner first.
Heck, the problem here isn't even about GS's profit anymore, it's about the fact that a gamer would be stuck with a game forever. Forget about selling it at GS; there will be no room for bad purchases anymore. Wanna take a gamble and play that game that looks really good by that company that makes crappy games? Well, too bad! You can't get your money back somehow anymore!
And what about parents? I work at GS and when we have those Buy 2 used games, get 1 free, parents just flock the stores! They don't care about getting their kid the latest CoD game, they'll get them 3 cheap games and hope they like them. They don't know the difference between used or new or how it will affect their future. They don't know/care about that, not because they're dumb, but because if you put the same game next to each other and they both look okay and you tell them one's cheaper and can be exchanged, again, you're damn right they'll go for the used one. And that's a feature they'll remember and enjoy. Take it away and they might not be happy.
So I'll have to side with GS on this one.
Despite the fact that they make their profit out of used games and yes, if the next gen of consoles doesn't take used game, they will lose their biggest source of profit...it's true. Hey, if they're offering me to buy a brand new game I might like for 60 bucks or a used game that I can return if it sucks for 45, you're damn right I will buy the used one. As much as I want to support the industry, I gotta worry about what I'll have for dinner first.
Heck, the problem here isn't even about GS's profit anymore, it's about the fact that a gamer would be stuck with a game forever. Forget about selling it at GS; there will be no room for bad purchases anymore. Wanna take a gamble and play that game that looks really good by that company that makes crappy games? Well, too bad! You can't get your money back somehow anymore!
And what about parents? I work at GS and when we have those Buy 2 used games, get 1 free, parents just flock the stores! They don't care about getting their kid the latest CoD game, they'll get them 3 cheap games and hope they like them. They don't know the difference between used or new or how it will affect their future. They don't know/care about that, not because they're dumb, but because if you put the same game next to each other and they both look okay and you tell them one's cheaper and can be exchanged, again, you're damn right they'll go for the used one. And that's a feature they'll remember and enjoy. Take it away and they might not be happy.
So I'll have to side with GS on this one.