Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
This is an interesting article on the first step taken to destroy the pre-owned market. AT basically rips Sony a new one WRT the PSP Go.
Developers standing up to gamestop ?
- Thread starter eastmen
- Start date
How is that PSPGo review an article on steps to destroy the used-game market?
PSPGo sounds more like a "political" and opportunistic niche product for network-centric entertainment. I also don't know what Sony is after specifically. Perhaps to see its full potential, we need to track the downloadable game price vs retail game price (pre-owned and new) over time. It's a minefield to navigate.
My guess is: PSPGo is a defensive or test-water move at the moment.
My guess is: PSPGo is a defensive or test-water move at the moment.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Did you read the article? You can only download games from Sony at RRP, you can't sell them on, there's no way to buy or sell any pre-owned or second hand games in any way or at any place, you can't use anything you've already got for the PSP, and you have to rebuy your old games as a download even if you've already got the same title on UMD. It's a total lockout.
the UMD thing aside, isn't that just the exact same way that iPhone/touch games work?
It is the first time that a "console" manufacturer has tried this but it seems as if this is the way the industry is headed. i lament this turn but I don't blame them at all.
Too early to say. Sony may not kill off brick-n-mortar sales since the other PSP models need 'em.
Even for iPod, you can copy songs from CD, and videos from Blu-ray. Online won't be the only way to buy goods; at least not in the near future. What DLC may change is the pricing.
It's the historical artifact of movies and music as having been distributed on physical media that allows iPods/Touches/Phones to sync/transfer that content from physical versions. When Apple implemented an apps market place for those devices, it was entirely via. digital distribution. You have to download them. They don't sell physical media equivalents for applications on the iTunes marketplace, to my knowledge.
I'm guessing that Sony would have rather not included the UMD drive in the PSP if they could rewind time. They're reacting to Apple, and I dare say they are well positioned against Ninty now, if Nintendo haven't implemented a device with download capability. I've always thought it funny that people put up with hand-held devices that required physical media ever since I bought my first iPod (the original Nano).
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That's not an article on Digital downloads though. Such an article ought to mention the pros and cons and industry reactions yadayada. This is a hardware review, in which they point out there's no second hand market. Like all the other DLC out there. How do you resell purchased movies on XBLive!? Or iPhone apps? Or music from one of the many DRM controlled services? Or games off Steam? PSPGo is nothing like the first step to destroy the pre-owned market, except perhaps as the first step taken by an existing console company. And I'd say it isn't a step anyway. It's just a different distribution model that doesn't at all tackle resales, only circumvents them.
The DSLite has download titles, no?
deathindustrial
Regular
In this discussion of Gamestop "overcharging" for used games, one thing that has not been mentioned is the fact that Gamestop will get stuck with large amounts of unsold inventory. Sure, a recently released game will be available used for just $5 less but how many copies of Turok or The Darkness did Gamestop get stuck with that they eventually had to mark down? It's the same thing as used DVDs or CDs, second hand shops end up with tons of old inventory no one wants so that also has to be included in the profit assumptions.
As aside, if it wasn't for used sales I likely would have been 6 months to a year later into the PS3 party myself as they helped fund my initial purchase. That said, these days if I am buying a game and the price differential for new is only $5, I buy new. But games being priced at $70 doesn't help me favour that option very often.
As aside, if it wasn't for used sales I likely would have been 6 months to a year later into the PS3 party myself as they helped fund my initial purchase. That said, these days if I am buying a game and the price differential for new is only $5, I buy new. But games being priced at $70 doesn't help me favour that option very often.
I was wondering if that's where Walmart has got it's stock of second hand titles, buying up the unwanted inventory from companies with a trade-in program?
On a related note, Sony talks more about PSP Minis:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25491
Don't think it's a game changer, but these small efforts will provide valuable data points for vendors.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25491
Don't think it's a game changer, but these small efforts will provide valuable data points for vendors.
Those aren't acutally owned by Walmart. They are owned by e-Play. Just a pilot program and they weren't originally going to give back Walmart credit.
Tommy McClain
Iphone apps aren't resaleable and thus you have an absent of a second hand used market. If you have a console or portable that dependent solely on DD with DRM then you don't have a second hand used sales market. If you circumvent second hand sales how does that not destroy the second hand market?
Finding success of eliminating the second hand market on the Iphone is one thing, doing it on the PSPGo is another. Success with the PSPGo could be a major signal that a DD model that eliminates the second hand market is ready for the major constitiuents of the gaming hardware market.
Microsoft nowdays sells larger games on XBoxLive Marketplace, so do Sony. Names like Burnout Paradise, Warhawk, Siren: Blood Curse, Battlefield1943, Fable, Mass Effect, Bioshock etc...
Games are even a size of 5GB files, so downloading takes some time. People still buy it for conviniency. I am sure publishers want to fastforward a plans to provide more download-only titles. Its a nice and clean way to solve preowned problem.
Games are even a size of 5GB files, so downloading takes some time. People still buy it for conviniency. I am sure publishers want to fastforward a plans to provide more download-only titles. Its a nice and clean way to solve preowned problem.
Well, I suppose it does, although I think destroying the second hand market involves incapacitating second-hand games, rather than removing the existence of a media. For a thing to be second-hand, it has to have been used. Digital media isn't used as such, rather than a new copy is made. But it's just semantics not worth arguing about. The point here is whtehr PSPGo is doing anything new. The answer's 'no', as this path has been trodden before, and we're heading that way anyway no matter who takes what steps when. Kinda like Cell actually. Developers may have complained about the large multicore architecture, but it was going to happen anyway. Sony were just the first to go that way. Digital distributuion is the future and will avoid second-hand sales. It's taking off in a big way now and will only get bigger, though I doubt it'll replace hard media for a while. Having said that, if the second hand market diminishes that much, brick-and-mortar stores will lose substantial income and perhaps be untennable, and then where will the hard media be bought? Supermarkets and large CE chains I guess?
Either way, GameStop's gonna get it in the end!
I see your point as with DD it moves the argument from the realm of second sales/used market to basically the realm of pirating. I think this would remove all major retailers out of the equation and thus limit Sony's bottom line to a rather small exposure (illegal copying) to what it has to deal with now (illegal copying and a way bigger and legal second hand market).
I agree DD is the future as the second hand market in the future will probably consist of selling used hardware bundled with previously purchased software.
People have been complaining about the UMD since the day the first PSP came out. Now Sony gives you two choices (Normal PSP or Go) and people still complain. I don't get it.
It's not like UMD media disappeared right after Go's release. If Sony sold a Go that would allow homebrew but not piracy I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
It's not like UMD media disappeared right after Go's release. If Sony sold a Go that would allow homebrew but not piracy I'd buy it in a heartbeat.