The War of the Preowned Games is Coming

[Tanuki]

Amazon/Gamestop/Ebay/etc. vs. Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo/EA/etc.

http://kotaku.com/5879202/sources-the-next-xbox-will-play-blu+ray-may-not-play-used-games-and-will-introduce-kinect-2

But that disc detail could be far less impactful to the next generation of game consoles than the assertion I've heard from one reliable industry source that Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720.

It's not clear if that means that the system wouldn't play used games or how such a set-up would work. Obvious approaches—I'm theorizing here—like linking a copy of a game to a specific Xbox Live account could seemingly be foiled by used-game owners who would keep their system offline. My source wasn't sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine.

A push in any way by Microsoft against used games would likely be cheered from publishers sick of seeing retailers like GameStop crow about their revenues from the sale of used games. But it could potentially anger consumers who rely on buying cheaply-sold used games or even pass games to relatives or friends.

Does this mean no more crappy launch DLC?



Welcome to our world chumps! -Random PC gamer

[Haldi]

Seems like they've learnt something from Steam!

[Armenius]

Looks like publishers don't want my money. I usually rent from Gamefly to try a game before deciding if I want to buy it. The same goes for PC games if it's available on consoles. If this is all true, of course. This is still speculation at this point.

I also watch people play games I'm interested in by watching them play it online. I decided to buy Dark and Demon's Souls this way. Of course this could be impossible in the future, too, if something like SOPA or ACTA is passed...

[Tanuki]

I think my position on this issue had been decided for me.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/prototype-2-radnet-edition-includes-55-dlc-drops-6349479

According to Activision, every gamer who preorders a copy of Prototype 2 for either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will score access to Radnet and its content through a onetime-use code. Additionally, the content will be available to those who pick up a new copy of the game at launch, though Activision warned these copies will be "limited."

Gamers who redeem the code will score 55 pieces of free DLC in the form of in-game events, challenges, avatar items, themes, and behind-the-scenes videos.

[ViciousXUSMC]

I am all for no more pre-owned games if they cut the BS DLC gimmick they are doing. We are not dumb, as somebody stated the other day in a thread "don't piss on my leg and tell me its rain"

I have seen games come out and then 2 weeks later DLC is out for it, we know this content was ready at launch, in many cases it was already on the disk or in the original game files just waiting to get unlocked and yet you without this game content from us just to charge an additional premium on the game we just bought brand new weeks before.

Makes me sick, and games like say Magicka releasing tons of DLC when they still don't even have the bugs fixed in the game. Our game crashed 3x on us last week when we tried to play.


Get rid of used games, but take DLC with it and also if your making more sales do the right thing and cut the cost of games to go along with it, watch as your sales grow even more since people are willing to buy more games when they cost less.

Authentic DLC is fine, like stuff you create for the game way after the fact and want to add it to the game as a way to prolong the games life, but when DLC was real it usually came in the form of free content or a full on game expansion.

DLC is an evil developer plot that we need to put our foot down on, and if they want to put a foot down on used games I think its time we come to terms with each other and make a mutual exchange.


Wishful thinking I am sure xD

_________________________________________________

As for this news specifically I do not think it will happen unless Sony does it also. I feel a considerable amount of people will put there money into the new PlayStation instead of the new Xbox if only the Xbox is going to be preventing people from buying used games and selling old games. I also feel strongly that somebody will quickly hack said system if it is implemented so the tech guru's will still be getting used games just fine while its the average joe that gets hurt the most, just like any other form of DRM, witch IMO this is very similar to a type of DRM.

[Tanuki]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-07-witcher-2-dev-next-xbox-not-playing-pre-owned-games-a-bad-thing

No, Saints Row developer Volition - the next Xbox possibly preventing people from playing pre-owned games "can be a bad thing".

Those words belong to Adam Badowski, managing director of Polish Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red, who spoke to Eurogamer today.

http://altdevblogaday.com/2012/02/02/i-feel-used/

Most Game Developers will agree that the Used Games market is significantly impacting the revenue we receive. I think what most consumers don’t realize is that every time they buy a used game, there is ZERO money making it back to the Game Developers. All of those profits are going directly to the re-seller and making it more and more difficult for us to continue making higher quality products.

In completely unrelated news...
http://www.gamespot.com/news/psn-accounts-getting-a-name-change-6349822

The Sony Entertainment Network was first announced in August as a service that included Sony's three major online businesses: PSN, Video Unlimited, and Music Unlimited.

The new terms of service and policy agreements include a number of changes, among them a specific clause that preorders placed through PSN cannot be canceled.

[GeneralAdmission]

Read the Volition dev's blog earlier today, and shook my head. Despite being a PC gamer I do know a few people who play on consoles. Most of them are completely dependent on the trade-in/used game market to support their hobby. If used games get magically dumped with the next Xbox then they are not going to automatically start forking over substantially more money for all new games. No, they might very well leave gaming altogether or reduce the number of games they buy down to what they can actually afford per month/year/etc. Cost is a huge factor when it comes to buying habits (for any product), yet many of these industry insiders don't seem to understand this fact.

[Haldi]

If they buy one Game directly in the shop instead of 4 Games 2nd Hand the Industry will be Happy! Little more profit made!

[Delphium]

Yet due to the 2nd market, consumers frequently purchased a game first hand, knowing that they could farm it off onto someone else, or would risk buying a game they might not normally like, knowing they could trade it in and recover some losses.

I forsee a higher percentage of pirated games being used instead.

My partner gained an xbox for her b-day recently, so I compared xbox to pc titles the other day and was shocked at how much more they where on the console.

So instead of tighening the grip on the consumer with what is already high prices, leading poeple to..
A) buy less games or get bankrupt.
B) pirate them
C) give up

If however they just lowered the prices, they would likely find more people interested in buying first hand, more interested in risking new games and the devs in the end would make more money.

Steam is a good example of this... with frequently low prices I find myself buying games left right and center, I've even a handfull that I have purchased and yet not even played yet! :s

Essentialy tightening the grip wont help the devs much at all, but actually making them cheaper and thus more appealing will help.

[AussieTimmeh]

It's so true.

I buy games on GOG.com because I know I won't have DRM issues, but games from Developers like Ubisoft, whose DRM was extremely painful, I probably won't buy again.

DRM / piracy protection only hurts the honest.

[Haldi]

DRM / piracy protection only hurts the honest.

The whole World knows that, except publisher!

I mean, why invest a lot of money into a DRM when 1 week later Razor / Skidrow or some other group has made a fully functionally Crack ? I just don't geht it why they're so obsessed with DRM's ! Is it because they benefit from DRM something more than just "anti copy protection" ? do they gather information about computer and send them anonym like Origin does ? Is it so they can count how many people are using their game ?

At least Ubisoft went back a little on their gamelauncher and now you don't need "Always internet connection" anymore!

[ugzz]

its a crap world out there.
between drm and all these games that you "must" be online for. its getting ridiculous.
and bringing DLC into this just adds to the flame. theres characters in Soul Calibur 5 that wont come out for dlc for like another month, but they are already in the game. you fight "random opponents" they will come up. so they were on the disc, in the game, and can already come up. you just can't use them unless you "buy" the ability to do so.. when it comes out, cause its not even out yet.

and don't even get me started on Dragon Age: Origins..
Travel random encounter, "can you help me" "YEs, yes i can" message pops up -IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE BUY THIS DLC!
BULL MOTHER@#$%(#$ S#!%

and killing the used market? Jezz they are just digging graves here.
i have an xbox 360. and i only have 4 titles i bought new. but i have like 20 games.
if i couldlnt get used titles i would have never bought the system. seriously, i bought it with the idea of getting second hand stuff.
So they are also hurting the console makers

[Tanuki]

lol

[Tanuki]

bump bump

http://www.gamespot.com/news/next-playstation-to-lock-out-used-games-6368582

A tipster has told Kotaku that the PlayStation 4 is named "Orbis," and that it will feature an anti-used game system, offer no backwards compatibility with PlayStation 3 titles, and ship in 2013.

[Haldi]

What? PS3 in 2013? Thought there wouldn' be one before 2014! But X-mas 2013 or january 2014 isnt so big difference -.-

Well Xbox gets Hacked pretty easy... PS3 is still Safe? I think they will sell more XBox 720 than PS4! If they are on the same performance Level.

[Tanuki]

bump

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/vi ... ame-Market

Used game sales are a bit of an issue. Sure, buying a used game cheap at GameStop is great for the consumer, but developers and publishers complain at how they see absolutely no revenue from that sale, thereby preventing game-makers from taking risks on new IP, etc. There's no legal way to restrict someone from reselling their property, but that hasn't stopped Sony from coming up with a dastardly plan anyway. The patent - filed on September 12, 2012 but only made publicly available this morning - outlines a system in which RF tags on game discs interact with the console, allowing only one owner to access the game. Sony hasn't commented whether this new system will make it into the PS4, but the technology exists if the company chooses to use it.

[Tanuki]

Update:

XboxOne will require a fee to activate used games. PS4 has the same kind of tech but appears to be letting the publishers decide to use it or not. XboxOne has no backwards compatibility. PS4 has no local backwards compatibility but plans for streaming PS4 games via cloud in the future. So PS4 also has no backwards compatibility.

WiiU does both but I got a good CPU and Dolphin and Xenoblade 2 has no release date.

I look forward to playing these games on emulators in the future. PC master race!

[LuckyNoS7evin]

Update:

XboxOne will require a fee to activate used games. PS4 has the same kind of tech but appears to be letting the publishers decide to use it or not. XboxOne has no backwards compatibility. PS4 has no local backwards compatibility but plans for streaming PS4 games via cloud in the future. So PS4 also has no backwards compatibility.

WiiU does both but I got a good CPU and Dolphin and Xenoblade 2 has no release date.

I look forward to playing these games on emulators in the future. PC master race!

I'm really surprised people didn't know there wouldn't be backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 or PS3 games. The chips going into the new consoles are x86_x64 architecture which is nothing like the 360 or PS3 as they are now. In mag and on sites the architecture of the chips has been known since almost the start of the year, but people act surprised now when there is no backwards compatibility.

On the note of used games both Sony and Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot. Sony less so as they are letting devs/publishers choose but think about it, are they going to reduce the buying cost of the games? probably not! In fact with each generation of console we have been through the cost of a game has increased! PS4 games were under pre-order for £55+ I can't find the links now but I think I saw this on amazon.

Unless they go to a more "steam like" pricing model it's the consumer that is getting at on! I know you can sell games for the new consoles but for the love of god buying a game for 40+ then tradin value is reduced due to the new buyer having to purchase a "licence" it going to kill the used games market and people will buy less.

[skipclarke]

To some degree this isn't new to PCs. We've never been able to resell our games, or trade them in. On Steam, you can't even give it to someone when you're done. I could at least do that with physical media. I see it as an issue with console gamers. Maybe they'll come over to the dark side.

[Tanuki]

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/publishe ... il/0116137

Official resellers. Margins basically same % as new. This most likely would kill reselling online and I am unsure if it would affect the buy back prices or if retailers would just accept getting stuffed.

Maybe Gamestop peeps will start pimping new games again? lol

Thinking about how EA felt comfortable enough to dump Season Pass a few weeks ago I think guarantees that Sony's used blocking tech will work similar.

Sort of random aside...looks like PSN and Live games don't carry over at all to the new systems. That is kind of like everyone's "Steam folds" worst case scenario.