USED GAMES HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!! Sony Confrims it

[Jmustang1968]

Meh... I dont really buy used games for the newer consoles anyway. I can typically buy them new, especially during sales or on Amazon, for near or at the used prices anyway.

[Hobie-wan]

Meh... I dont really buy used games for the newer consoles anyway. I can typically buy them new, especially during sales or on Amazon, for near or at the used prices anyway.

But you'll still be screwed if they're tied to a specific console that dies or if they rely on server authentication which will be gone someday.

[J T]

Just to play devil's advocate, here's Total Biscuit talking about why used games are actually bad for gamers and the game industry.

[Blu]

But you'll still be screwed if they're tied to a specific console that dies or if they rely on server authentication which will be gone someday.

I'm curious if the hacker community will be able to flash/jailbreak the consoles that are going to use this technology. I see something like a dummy server that bounces back and validates the copy of the game. Maybe it's a pipe-dream at this point, but could it happen? I know the oXbox hasn't had its Xbox Live capabilities restored, so maybe I'm incorrect thinking something like this could happen.

[Damm64]

Just to play devil's advocate, here's Total Biscuit talking about why used games are actually bad for gamers and the game industry.

Yeah i saw the video and he makes a good points, what i still don't know is how used games didn't kill the industry in the last 20 years now all the sudden OMG USED GAMES ARE KILLING US. I can support some decisions like online passes (they suck, but at least don't interrupt the single player) and DLC (when is well done), but companies just throw some stupid crap like the allways online and say "it's good for you"... that's actually just good for them, pirates can still pirate the game, they can crack anything without problem.

From a personal view what is "killing" the industry is little companys are trying to emulate the succes of giant corporations that sell millions of games (you know wich ones), but make a new and original game and fail, this is happening now and has been happening since the birth of videogames, but now with games coming out every month and the industry is really big when compared a few years back companies are trying to get in too.

I can't speak about gamestop and such because i don't live in USA, but from what i hear they sound like a awful company.

Also he talks about how, eventually, steam will be the system for the buying of games in a couple of years. This is just personal opinion, but i don't like the system how steam works digital has some great advantages but i don't feel like i own the product i just bought.

[isiolia]

Yeah i saw the video and he makes a good points, what i still don't know is how used games didn't kill the industry in the last 20 years now all the sudden OMG USED GAMES ARE KILLING US

Probably a balance between development costs, and the prevalence of used game sales. I mean, seriously, Wal-Mart does used games (online at least). Target does. Best Buy does. While there's used merchandise of all kinds out there, it seems like video games stand out as something that major retailers that don't really offer much else preowned actually go out of their way to offer used.

Combine that with feature film level budgets that many titles don't wind up making back, and you can easily see where it'd be a problem.

[AppleQueso]

It is pretty fuckin weird to see used games at best buy and stuff, especially when you don't see them selling used DVDs or CDs.

[Cronozilla]

Maybe the prevalence of used titles is a message that they need to lower sale price of new games and keep them out longer.

Most of the games I buy used I can't even get new anymore. For a long time, especially in recent memory, publishers have been putting more emphasis of opening performance than lifetime. It just makes it look like they're more concerned with blockbuster returns instead of financial stability. Personally, I would think that is a much more dangerous issue than used games.

The amount of money it takes to make a packaged game is ridiculous ... but what's even more ridiculous is actually developing the entire thing is less than half that cost. But that's where everyone is saying the strain is ... I don't know, maybe it was the $300 Million advertising campaign?

The other side of the situation is GameStop has turned used games into such a lucrative operation (and it's specifically on recent released used games) that everyone wants on that bandwagon. That, I don't think is an acceptable practice either.

[Blu]

Very well put, Cronozilla. Did something happen that made the video game industry shift to a model that resembles the Hollywood movie scene? I don't know when/if the industry took that shift, it's the only comparison I can think of. That being said, it's incredible how much is spent on advertising campaigns. It just doesn't seem sustainable. Word of mouth doesn't seem to be quick enough to sell games, where it used to at least when I was a kid.

[TheRev]

Meh... I dont really buy used games for the newer consoles anyway. I can typically buy them new, especially during sales or on Amazon, for near or at the used prices anyway.

But you'll still be screwed if they're tied to a specific console that dies or if they rely on server authentication which will be gone someday.

I've been saying if Litigation or complaining doesn't fix the problem a bunch of Guyfawkes mask wearing douchebags will.