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GameStop Not Thrilled about Anti-Used Game Console Rumor
A report on Bloomberg from last week features comments from GameStop Spokesman Matt Hodges that addresses the persistent rumors of anti-used game tech in next-gen consoles. To absolutely no one’s surprise, GameStop would be very, very unhappy about such a prospect, and cites the prospect of angry gamers as a weapon against such a “feature” coming to pass:
“We know the desire to purchase a next-generation console would be significantly diminished if new consoles were to prohibit playing pre-owned games, limit portability or not play new physical games.”
Darn tootin’. Still, last week’s rumors caused GameStop’s stock to drop six percent, a sure signal that the rumored addition is bad news for the retailer. There are plenty of reasons, however, why it seems unlikely that Microsoft or Sony will include the anti-used game tech that’s been rumored for months and months now. The Bloomberg piece quotes analyst Michael Olson with Piper Jaffray who isn’t buying it: “we are confident that both the new PlayStation and the new Xbox will support used games.”
At this point, I’m confident of that, too. Until the industry goes straight up digital, cutting out retail locations entirely, I have a hard time believing they’ll mess with used games that bad. But until we hear more, we’re stuck speculating for the next few months. At least we should know something by February 20.
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“We know the desire to purchase a next-generation console would be significantly diminished if new consoles were to prohibit playing pre-owned games, limit portability or not play new physical games.”
Oww, sounds like someone’s butt-hurt over this. Well, maybe if you didn’t charge store price for used games and take our trade-ins for pennies we might shed a tear or two for you.
P.S. – Burn! BUUUUURN!!! HAhahaHAHAHHAhAHHAHAAA!!!! >:D
Never bought an used game on gamestop, their practices are terrible and they should feel ashamed, its much easier for both parties just to buy off ebay or craigslist, and even so, the only feasible reason to buy used is for games that are out of print.
Just my 2 cents anyway.
This is where digital comes in, my good friend. Cold, semi-hard digital.
The problem with full digital is that games also go “out of print” well, sorta, they loose their licenses or something and disappear from the catalog, games like Outrun 2006 and Too Human (Suppose it was an awesome game for example sake) you can no longer buy on XBLA/PSN, and there is an insane huge list of games that disappeared from Steam.
Whether we hate gamestop or not, which we all do, nobody wants to see the anti-used games system being used, so let’s side with Gamestop for now. Imagine never even being able to borrow from friends and such. This doesn’t only hurt gamestop, it hurts all of us.
Please don’t use words like which we all do I may not like them but I don’t hate them either. They are a business and they are doing what any business does, that is to make money. Having said that I don’t often agree with what Gamestop does, but it is a business model that has worked and will continue to work as long as there are used games. Just as their are the mom and pop used game, movies, and even used electronic stores. They may not feel like they are ripping you off trading in for used games for store credit or cash, but there isn’t much of a percentage difference and they don’t offer points for transactions that you can use to get free things, or give preorder items? So you have a give and take when you are shopping an doing what you want with your old games. I for one hardly ever trade in games, but I do like having my physical copy of my game I can take wherever I want and by a lot of downloadable games. Don’t see why Sony and Microsoft won’t keep both formats open for a the next gen systems as they would be cutting out a large part of the gaming community. Simply trust in the greed of everyone around, even in yourself.
And they wonder why people resort to piracy when game makers do stuff like this!
Help, if they do that to the new consoles, I’ll probably just take the money I would have spent on their products and upgrade my pc. Fine with me, if they’re gonna be (all “they are trying to run a business” comments aside, they still owe it to their customers to not egg them over) ducks about it, we, the consumer/customer will refuse to purchase their products. That is how the market tells a company what they will and will not stand for. If everyone caves and buys it anyways, the companies will continue to do it because tthey can make a profit.
I rly have no sympathy for game publishers when it comes to this kind of crap, first it was piracy that was ruining the business thats why we have awful drm that punishes legitimate buyers when there not even proof piracy hurts, the gaming industry is one of the only markets where i hear people have an issue with used sales, look at the car, electronics, book their all protected by the first-sale doctrine,(europe even protects digital sales) i dont understand why game publishers feel like theyre so special they deserve an exception , then theres time where a game sells well and is very profitable but the publishers shaft the devs anyway, its despicable
It’s not piracy as in, you download, burn and play a game, but piracy as in, you download, burn a hundred copies and sell then, which is a practice extremely common outside the US.
Publishers hatred for used retail market goes way back to the 80′s, along with rental stores, and if you say, oh but it’s going to hurt more if I can’t resell, no it wont, Steam proved that, people who never bought games full price on retail, wont buy full price digital either, instead choosing to buy on winter sales and so on.
And honestly, I love having boxes, manuals, discs, all of ‘em, but fuck retail, the moment they go out of business the price of games will drop, simple because there is no longer problems like printing and distributions.