Retailers Concerned About PSP Go!
See Full ImagePretty soon, everything will either be wireless or digital and there will be no need for any physical format. We'll just put something on our heads and every last form of entertainment on earth will blast into our brains at the speed of light. ...and then we'll all die from a hemorrhage and maybe God will let the human race try again.
But the point is that with electronics going digital at a rapid rate, retailers simply have less to sell. Take the PSP Go!, for instance. The lack of any physical software will definitely put a hurt on a retailer's bottom line and further, it completely erases the possibility of a second-hand game market for the new handheld. Let's not forget that a gigantic portion of GameStop's profit comes from the used game department... And according to Sankaku Complex citing Itai News, many stores are worried about this new and unwelcome development:
"With this PSP Go and its download only system, is Sony saying they don’t need us in the retail distribution channel? We’re no use to them? But we’re business partners aren’t we? Shouldn’t there be some way we can improve distribution? If they go ahead specialialist shops are going to be in trouble. My own motivation is really suffering from all this uncertainty.
Has the time come for us to have to think of getting out of the business completely?"
It's a problem, certainly, but one must always find ways to adapt in this ever-changing world of electronics entertainment. The only problem is that such stores may really become obsolete when all the rest of the software goes digital, which may be inevitable but it certainly isn't something I personally want to see. You're already going to see the demise of brick-and-mortar movie rental stores thanks to Netflix and other digital download services, so might there come a time when GameStop fails to exist? It almost seems impossible to us veteran gamers...
6/8/2009 Ben Dutka
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Comments (63 posts)
Gregory Freeman
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 6:14:06 PM
anyways, to say places like Blockbuster, and rogers video (really big up north) will shut down because of netflix is with all due respect(and no offense) a big joke... globally, not everyone has access to internet, and more then half of those have bad internet connections... so live streaming would take forever... and for netflix 2 be so popular as to leave blockbuster with absolutely no customers, it would have to require absolutely every movie lover in the population to have access and subscribe to netflix. and since that's not the case, there will always be business for video rental places...
1 up, 0 down
CH1N00K
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:21:05 AM
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How did they not see this coming? Gamestop and EBgames has been giving a big "screw you" to video game companies with their used games business. They sell the same game 5 times over for only 5 bucks less then a new one, and the developer doesn't see one cent after it's been sold the first time. You can't tell me that that doesn't affect business...
Now that the game companies are retaliating...suddenly it's "Boo Hoo, how can you do this to us?"
Ever since the invention of the Hard Drive, You had to have seen this coming. Wasn't that the whole point of it? To get rid of Physical media?
They have to keep moving forward. Downloading is environmentally friendly and should be better for the consumer as they can now cut out the markup that the middle man puts on the price tag. Factory direct gaming? Yes, Please!
If places like Gamestop want to survive, they're going to have to take a page out of Amazon's books and sell it online. With the price of fuel going up and the economy the way it is, less and less people will want to travel to the store to buy a game when they can get it at home for cheaper.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a picture of a video game store before it disappears. Maybe hang it beside a picture of a T-Rex.
16 up, 2 down
crapreviews
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:39:27 AM
1 up, 1 down
SarahPalinMILF
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:49:30 AM
2 up, 3 down
jaybiv
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:54:57 AM
There are limits to storing and accessing electronic media. Not to mention, what happens to content when the storage media becomes obsolete? How will the consumer replace the digital content when the storage device fails?
For the retailers, digitial distribution will kill their resale market as we know it. Perhaps they can sweeten the deal for consumers selling their Go! with the games.
1 up, 4 down
HOODGE
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 12:21:38 PM
Sony's the first to go the digital distribution route which is cool as well. They are the industry leaders. Expect nothing less. We all know when the crapbox 3fixme NEXT comes out in the future it too will have to go that route as they probably won't be able to use BluRay on their next doorstop machine.
And what a joke they give you squat for your trade ins and sell it for 5 bucks less. I never buy used games ever. Screw that. Could care less about Gamestop/EB Games.
3 up, 1 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:52:05 PM
Great point, that's why I like the idea of buying a game on disc, but having the right to download a copy of it to memorystick or whatever.
That said, I won't lose any sleep over the fate of GameStop.
I have truly had the experience of purchasing a game, getting it home, finding it to be - well, not to put too fine a point on it, it was crap - not to my liking. So less than 24 hours later (the day after the game launched, I went back and they offered me $20, for the same game I had paid $59.99+tax for less than 24 hours before. Not only that I new with absolute certainty, this copy would either be shrink wrapped and sold as new, or put on the used shelf for $54.99+ tax. Daylight robbery. So I sold it on Ebay for $55.
GameStop bites.
8 up, 0 down
hart_attack
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 2:37:17 PM
i dont think storage is as much of an issue as you might think. you can get 1 TB hard drives for like $100. it takes an insane amount of games, music etc. to fill it up. and for the possibility of the hard drive failing, it is really easy to back up these days. takes very little looking into to get it
in my opinion the biggest issue of all digital downloading of games and what not is people's internet. not everyone that owns a console has high speed internet and therefore can't get online to purchase and download any games. they are the ones i am concerned for
Last edited by hart_attack on 6/8/2009 2:41:32 PM
3 up, 1 down
LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:30:44 PM
1 up, 1 down
THEVERDIN
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 5:32:33 PM
1 up, 1 down
Wage SLAVES
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 8:53:29 PM
Sorry seems like you have been playin the field a little too much GameSTOP.
1 up, 0 down
somethingrandom
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 @ 10:39:44 PM
Storage will not be as much of a problem as all the packaging in the dozens of games you buy. Also, how many current-gen gaming systems do you know that support NES cartridges? You are always going to lose games when a storage medium expires. Just like with disc based games, your games will only expire with the generation of system you purchased them on.
0 up, 0 down
Thrill Kill
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:22:55 AM
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6 up, 2 down
N a S a H
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:07:16 PM
2 up, 2 down
Silent_J
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:38:02 PM
Yeah i stop trading in games cause you dont get nothing back.
1 up, 1 down
Jawknee
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:32:03 AM
Reply
Last edited by Jawknee on 6/8/2009 11:35:27 AM
7 up, 1 down
Silent_J
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:43:47 PM
0 up, 1 down
Kevadu
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:35:23 AM
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With digital distribution this problem goes away. Once a game is made available this way there is really no reason not to keep it available. Even if sales trickle off it doesn't really cost Sony anything to continue to offer it.
3 up, 1 down
DarthNemesis
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:44:35 AM
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6 up, 1 down
oldmike
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:48:37 AM
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what happens if your harddrive crashes you have to rebuy the games?
as for the "you have 5 downloads" there are some
games and stuff that you only get 1 and thats it
0 up, 1 down
vicious54
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:51:49 AM
3 up, 1 down
Akuma07
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 12:01:26 PM
i want the PSP go! but i would go over my limit in a day if i downloaded all the games i wanted on psp.
1 up, 1 down
hart_attack
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 2:42:50 PM
just take it to a hotspot cafe and download there?
2 up, 1 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:49:17 AM
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My only problem with Digital Distrubtion is that the physical, tangible 'game' is gone. It was bad enough when games that had previously come with a user manual of sorts started appearing in CD Jewel cases with little to no room for any paper work. With Digital distribution, there is zero chance for anything even remotely close to a printed user manual.
Maybe GameStop could sell game manuals? ;-)
4 up, 0 down
vicious54
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:55:07 AM
0 up, 1 down
bearbobby
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:43:00 PM
3 up, 1 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:48:08 PM
2 up, 0 down
Karosso
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 5:48:22 PM
I will pull my original old one and see it its a perfect copy of it :-)
Having sooo much fun playing it again, hope to finish it this time.
0 up, 0 down
vicious54
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:50:45 AM
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How long would it take to download 50gb though?
Last edited by vicious54 on 6/8/2009 11:57:58 AM
0 up, 1 down
fluffer nutter
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 12:03:23 AM
0 up, 0 down
PS3addict
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 12:03:13 PM
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I have been glad several times to be able to return the game that I was "Not sure it will be all I am hoping for" and pick something up that is more for me.
I hate the store for offering me $20 for a game I bought less than a week ago, and then tack on $30 for thier pure profit as they sell it used.
Generally, I do buy new, but you do come across the "Maybe" title and a $65 dollar investment should be a wise one. Reviews do not come in as quick as I hope sometimes and you need to choose ,new or used, permanant or returnable? Sometimes that is an easy choice.
New this year:
Overlord 2 (Already paid off)
Uncharted 2 (Already reserved)
The Beatles Rock band (Disk only already reserved)
Used or rented first
Ghostbusters
Batman Arkam Asylum (Boring fight mechanics in beta).
2 up, 1 down
Ultimadesires
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:34:42 PM
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0 up, 1 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:46:48 PM
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4 up, 0 down
Scarecrow
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:48:46 PM
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It's called going green...I guess
Less trucks polluting our Earth
1 up, 1 down
Oyashiro
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 1:54:25 PM
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All video game stores make their money off of used games and systems. The store I work at sells New DSi's for less then we buy them for just so we can be cheaper than Gamestop.
For everything we sell new We get 1% or less profit. For used we can sell for 60% or more profit. Its the way all video games business are not just GS, It would be nice if they falter and let some other stores to grow though.
Even though all game stores do some of the same things. The industry would benefit from more competition. Gamestop has a monopoly, and it makes it so they are the one that ultimately dictate prices for used games, systems, and accessories.
1 up, 1 down
BikerSaint
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 2:26:47 PM
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Only for the reason that I'm a collector, so I'm always on the hunt for a game that has hit it's used low price point at $20 or less.
And I love dumpster-diving headfirst into those bargain bins!!!!!
Also since I'm a collector, I also want my games in psyhical disc form, sitting all in a row, up there on my shevles.
Not some 60+ flash drives, where I can't remember what's on them unless I plug them in first.
3 up, 2 down
Xbox_Killer
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:11:46 PM
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It's hard copy or nothing.
6 up, 2 down
Zapix
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:27:49 PM
I won't go purely digital downloads just as much as I won't say... oh... pay $40,000 real dollars for digital download BMW to virtually drive to work. Not happening.
3 up, 0 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:36:17 PM
2 up, 0 down
Xbox_Killer
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 9:56:29 PM
I see what your saying about the PSP GO. The thing is it's digital only and I don't like the fact that I'm buying air.
Also, I was mainly talking about the PS4 or any other at home system going digital only. Now this brings me to another subject OnLive. It really makes me mad that there making that. I hope nobody buys it and they go bankrupt. It's things like OnLive that make me wish I wasn't addicted to games.
I just hope I'm not alive to see the day where everything is digital.
0 up, 0 down
Zapix
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 @ 12:46:15 AM
Ben can argue Netflix kicking video rental stores around, but we are talking rentals... If you want to "buy" a movie to own, I can rest assured, MOST any will want a hard copy. In terms of rentals, digital makes sense, yes. Onwership, no, not completely.
On a side note... Look at the MP3 industry and what it has done to sales of CDs... This is the only time arguement could be made. Download of MP3s (legally and not) have crippled retail stores of music sales. However, with MP3s you can back these up to discs... Keyword here... Back it up! If you could download these games, burn them to disc, legally... I might argue less, but not give in entirely. But then, that'll open holes in the system so wide that a piracy of console/portable systems would rival PC games over night... If not faster.
0 up, 0 down
Kowhoho
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:28:29 PM
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2 up, 1 down
LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 3:31:52 PM
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4 up, 1 down
Zapix
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:33:24 PM
Personally, I think EBGames/GameStop and all major retail stores should basically not sell it. If Sony is so set on digital downloads only, then screw em... Let em sell this thing digitally. See how that works out for em. Then they can see how much they really do rely on retail stores.
1 up, 0 down
Dingodial
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:07:08 PM
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What if you loose your PSP Go! or what if it gets stolen? Not only will you lose your system but YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED TO IT, including all those games that you had to pay for (at least 16 gb. of stuff will be lost).
If a normal PSP gets lost or stolen, you will only lose whatever UMD game you have inserted in it along with the system (1.8 gb. plus your memory stick will be lost)
Both of the situations above are terrible losses, but I think you will lose a lot more money by digital downloading. It's like comparing Blu-ray movies to digital download movies for your PS3. It also costs less to get a game on a disc than it does to get a storage device (hard drive, memory card, etc.) along with a game to download onto it.
The only way to keep from loosing too much stuff on a PSP Go! (if you loose it) would be by storing only one game at a time on the system, and leaving all the other games on a seperate storage device. But who wants to constantly transfer games between the PSP Go! & a hard drive, when you could instead eject a physical disc & then insert a different disc? It takes longer to swap files between 2 different devices than it does to swap out one disc for another.
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:29:14 PM
1 up, 0 down
PS3addict
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:31:54 PM
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 5:34:46 PM
You just go down to your local GameStore and pay for your game, they give you the case/manual, and a redeem code, you saunter over to the download station, put your MemoryStick into the socket, log in with your PSN account and enter the redeem code. A few minutes later and your downloaded purchase is safely on a memory stick, and you're on your way home, no multi-hour downloads for you.
5 up, 0 down
Skatejimmy5
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:42:30 PM
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2 up, 0 down
tes37
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 4:46:52 PM
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1 up, 0 down
THEVERDIN
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 5:16:34 PM
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Last edited by THEVERDIN on 6/8/2009 5:17:09 PM
1 up, 0 down
Robochic
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 5:49:42 PM
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Ebgames and Gamestop do rip people off, someone the other day traded a game in and got like 4 bucks for it and then they put a price tag of 19.99 on it why not sell it for what you just took from the customer? highway robbery i tell ya. I sell my games privately.
0 up, 0 down
LimitedVertigo
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 8:50:09 PM
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0 up, 0 down
Kangasfwa
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 9:10:44 PM
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On the used game store debate...
I had a bad experience at a GameStop so I don't shop there anymore. Now I either use GameFly (which I love), or shop at a local used game store called Replay. They sell their games scratch free and they also give me half the resale value when I trade/sell my used games.
1 up, 0 down
Karosso
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 9:40:28 PM
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"You just go down to your local GameStore and pay for your game, they give you the case/manual, and a redeem code, you saunter over to the download station, put your MemoryStick into the socket, log in with your PSN account and enter the redeem code. A few minutes later and your downloaded purchase is safely on a memory stick, and you're on your way home, no multi-hour downloads for you."
You better patent this idea dude, it really makes sense and for those places where there is a cap or people have really slow ISPs, this could be golden :-)
1 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 @ 2:46:11 PM
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What if your flash is either corroupted, or becomes corrupted...then isn't it game over????
And what if you have 10 different games on that same one card too?????
At least I can swap out ANY faulty disc with another one at the stores.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 6/9/2009 2:48:00 PM
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 1:27:51 AM
0 up, 0 down
d_lang
Thursday, June 11, 2009 @ 12:14:43 AM
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Well what happens if one of your buddies decides to have a game night and he/she hasnt bought all the games you have. Will we have have to just re-buy it on another persons console then wait all damn day for it to download since as of now you cant play a game and download at the same time. Or will we just have to pack up our sexy black machines and switch consoles every time to play a new game.
I know i would be mad if i had to do that every single time. but with a hard copy you can go halve on games with a good friend and swap out games for other games. let me inform you that this is not possible with digital downloads.
0 up, 0 down
NULL
Reply
Monday, June 08, 2009 @ 11:05:52 AM