Developer Calls Pre-Owned Sales a Bigger Problem than Piracy on Consoles

Snatcher_L said:
Who's gonna buy a Pre-owned game when it'll end up costing around the same price, used games that were recently released are usually just 5-10 dollars cheaper. You have 7 days to return a game for any reason to any GS or EB. If the consumer finds out after that timeframe then it's their fault.
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True, but they still won't care. They want the profits to go to them. So I'm betting that they'll keep the prices the same regardless.
 
CreepinDeth said:
True, but they still won't care. They want the profits to go to them. So I'm betting that they'll keep the prices the same regardless.
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Sports games tend to saturate used game bins in GS and gof for like five dollars since they aren't really selling. If GS gets away with selling newer used games then it's the consumers fault for buying which essentially encouraging them to continue selling it. For example no one bought animal boxing so I bought a brand new copy a few months after it was released for $8.
 
Snatcher_L said:
Sports games tend to saturate used game bins in GS and gof for like five dollars since they aren't really selling. If GS gets away with selling newer used games then it's the consumers fault for buying which essentially encouraging them to continue selling it. For example no one bought animal boxing so I bought a brand new copy a few months after it was released for $8.
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Animal Boxing?
 
x2 said:
How do you mean? The actual disc is more durable than DVD?
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Yes. They're proven way more durable. Actually, the only way I got a scratch on a Blu Ray (which was the instructional one given with the PS3..no game killing here!) was to use a hunting knife. Nails, setting face down on the floor and shuffling it with other cd's did no damage.
 
You know if they did this right going all digital could work improve the gaming market they could elminate the expensive disk players and get the console way down and reduce the prices of games by no longer physical game. However it's far more likely the developers think they have gamers by the short hairs dramaticly increase the prices and most people will probably just find themselves a new hobby.
 
As much as I love Steam and downloadable content, the thing that still bothers me is that if your hard drive ever fails or any other type of catastrophic failure occurs then you have to wait to get that fixed.

I would still want my consoles to come with an input drive for either discs or cartridges so that I don't have to completely rely on the hard drive. Granted, if the disc or cartridge drive fails too then it would be the same, but my point is I would like to have a backup system.

Another thing to consider is broadband speeds. Until the entire country has at least 15Mbps connections, I don't think we should go totally digital.
 
CreepinDeth said:
As much as I love Steam and downloadable content, the thing that still bothers me is that if your hard drive ever fails or any other type of catastrophic failure occurs then you have to wait to get that fixed.
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When it comes to Steam games, you can access them from any computer with your login info. You just have to install the game- Everthing else is there.

I've probably misunderstood your last post, and you most likely already know this, but I've already typed it out, so, here it is. =P
 
ThravRande said:
When it comes to Steam games, you can access them from any computer with your login info. You just have to install the game- Everthing else is there.

I've probably misunderstood your last post, and you most likely already know this, but I've already typed it out, so, here it is. =P
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lol, it's all good. Actually that's my fault. I meant for consoles. PC's can be maintained by the users, consoles you have to go through the manufacturer.
 
CreepinDeth said:
lol, it's all good. Actually that's my fault. I meant for consoles. PC's can be maintained by the users, consoles you have to go through the manufacturer.
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oooooooh, you meant console hard drive, I thought you meant PC hard drive since you had been talking about Steam. lol
 
I think the console game manufacturers are to blinded by nonexistant $$ and have come to some unsubstantiated claims and rather insulting accusiations as far as the effect that used a games have on the market. The problem is we don't know what the result will be but it's pretty foolish to assume that if you manage to remove used games from the market that games sales won't go down and people will be more picky about what they buy since they can't get it used or resell it if they're unhappy that's just common sense.
 
redneckgamer 213 said:
I think the console game manufacturers are to blinded by nonexistant $$ and have come to some unsubstantiated claims and rather insulting accusiations as far as the effect that used a games have on the market. The problem is we don't know what the result will be but it's pretty foolish to assume that if you manage to remove used games from the market that games sales won't go down and people will be more picky about what they buy since they can't get it used or resell it if they're unhappy that's just common sense.
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Actually, I would say they're blinded by potential money they can make by this strategy. This means publishers and developers would get a cut of the used game market as opposed to just GameStop getting almost all of it.

They're not trying to get rid of used games completely because they know they'll lose. They're just trying to profit from it as well.
 
CreepinDeth said:
Actually, I would say they're blinded by potential money they can make by this strategy. This means publishers and developers would get a cut of the used game market as opposed to just GameStop getting almost all of it.

They're not trying to get rid of used games completely because they know they'll lose. They're just trying to profit from it as well.
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I would probably agree that the game developers and publishers are just trying to get a piece of the used game pie and not kill the option entirely if the there corporate tool hadn't made the comment about used games being a bigger problem then piracy. Now if that is how the big shots in the gaming industry really feel then this only the begining.
 
CreepinDeth said:
As much as I love Steam and downloadable content, the thing that still bothers me is that if your hard drive ever fails or any other type of catastrophic failure occurs then you have to wait to get that fixed.
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Don't you have a backup drive?

I keep a backup 250 GB drive with an image of most of my 300 GB Velociraptor on it for a backup. After I image over to the backup drive, I physically disconnect it until it's needed.
 
redneckgamer 213 said:
I would probably agree that the game developers and publishers are just trying to get a piece of the used game pie and not kill the option entirely if the there corporate tool hadn't made the comment about used games being a bigger problem then piracy. Now if that is how the big shots in the gaming industry really feel then this only the begining.
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What is sad is that GameStop/EB Games, etc. sells used games for roughly $2 cheaper than new. Then their "new" games have already been opened, have been handled, and have stickers on the packages. I only buy games in those conditions if they are not able to be found elsewhere. For example, I scored Gradius IV for cheap from a bargain bin in good condition, only after having searched for it for nearly a year though.
 
Grindspine said:
What is sad is that GameStop/EB Games, etc. sells used games for roughly $2 cheaper than new. Then their "new" games have already been opened, have been handled, and have stickers on the packages. I only buy games in those conditions if they are not able to be found elsewhere. For example, I scored Gradius IV for cheap from a bargain bin in good condition, only after having searched for it for nearly a year though.
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To be fair, not all their games are like this, they just gut one copy to keep it on display and they only sell it if it's the last copy
 
Grindspine said:
Don't you have a backup drive?

I keep a backup 250 GB drive with an image of most of my 300 GB Velociraptor on it for a backup. After I image over to the backup drive, I physically disconnect it until it's needed.
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I do, but like I said earlier I meant to mention consoles and not PC games. I just pointed Steam out to show that I'm not anti-digital.

And what I just posted about the Wii earlier this week makes me even more weary of DLC on consoles.
 
Grindspine said:
What is sad is that GameStop/EB Games, etc. sells used games for roughly $2 cheaper than new. Then their "new" games have already been opened, have been handled, and have stickers on the packages. I only buy games in those conditions if they are not able to be found elsewhere. For example, I scored Gradius IV for cheap from a bargain bin in good condition, only after having searched for it for nearly a year though.
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Well Grindspine you got to realize there is more then one kind of gamer I'm what you would call bargain bin shopper. I didn't get a PS2 till acouple of days before the release of the PS3 and probably two thirds of PS2 titles I got I doubt you could have found a sealed copy of them at time I bought them outside of maybe on ebay at a much higher cost. Then there are my xbox and gamecube I only got those acouple of years ago back when most video stores and gamestop where liquidating there inventory on xbox games.
 
In principle I don't disagree with what EA is doing. It's the application of that principle to annual sports franchises that I find reprehensible. EA really pushed the "games as a platform unto themselves" with Rock Band, but they should have applied that model to sports franchises; buy the base game and then download yearly updates to rosters and minor gameplay improvements.

But, as usual, it all comes down to money. For a long time it made practical sense to make annual releases to sports games (before console DLC distribution channels), and monetary sense (people kept buying them because it was difficult to find outdated titles). Now, it doesn't make practical sense (DLC on consoles exists), nor monetary sense (pick up the 1 year old used copy for $5 instead of the marginally more up-to-date $60 version). EA should, if they were thinking about the customer, deliver annual updates via DLC for much less than $60, but the bottom line is money and as such this "anti-trade-in online policy" is EA's attempt to refute what the customer sees as progress in product delivery and maintain the $60 a year per game status quo.

And to top it all off, they make it sound as though they're being robbed. Buy a used copy and your stealing EA's well deserved money, even though charging $60 for annual franchise installments is stealing from the customer. In principle, yes, EA should be paid for each published product that sells. In actuality, they're published products are not worth what they're charging for them. Nobody wins. Except Gamestop.

Used game sales are a bigger problem than piracy? I suppose, if the point and purpose of making games is to make money. However, if the point and purpose of making games is to express something, or share an experience with someone, or to make a game worth playing, then one should embrace every avenue of distribution to ensure one's game is played by as many people as possible.
 
redneckgamer 213 said:
Well Grindspine you got to realize there is more then one kind of gamer I'm what you would call bargain bin shopper. I didn't get a PS2 till acouple of days before the release of the PS3 and probably two thirds of PS2 titles I got I doubt you could have found a sealed copy of them at time I bought them outside of maybe on ebay at a much higher cost. Then there are my xbox and gamecube I only got those acouple of years ago back when most video stores and gamestop where liquidating there inventory on xbox games.
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Oh, I'm not ignoring bargain shoppers at all. I got my PS2 used from a friend for $45 with three games and also have a pre-owned xbox. But, when buying DVD based media, I prefer to get it new since so many used copies have scratches. I will buy used, if the item is in good condition. But I try to buy games in the best condition possible. When I have had games for years, they still show little wear or evidence of handling and I expect the same of even used games I buy.
 
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