GameStop to cease selling/trading GBA, GCN. and PS2.

[Mozgus]

GS doesn't have the dirty angle here that they had in retail that made them so successful.

True enough. Unless they are shady enough to start selling used digital copies.

Why do you people repeat the shit I say like you thought of it?

[J T]

Oh, I guess you did say that. I missed the part where you said "customers" would sell the digital games. I thought you were just saying that all of the companies that already have their own forms of digital distribution would allow gamestop to be the distributor instead (who needs a middle man in the digital world).

[Mozgus]

Oh, I guess you did say that. I missed the part where you said "customers" would sell the digital games. I thought you were just saying that all of the companies that already have their own forms of digital distribution would allow gamestop to be the distributor instead (who needs a middle man in the digital world).

What I'm saying is middle man or not, it will never happen.

[Niode]

The day everything goes digital distrubution is the day I stop buying games. I blame the greedy retail stores for pushing used trade so hard that it's forced developers and hardware vendors to go into a fully digitally distrubuted sales model.

There's nothing stopping the vendors from charging whatever they want for the games. Without the middle man (aka retail) we won't see price drops. They don't have to drop the price to shift stock so that they can get the newest batch of games on the shelves. They have unlimited (practically) cost-free holding space. They don't have reproduction costs. They don't have distribution/logistics costs either.

Sony is the worst culprit, charging RRP for games (that wouldn't even sell close to RRP in stores). Like GT5:prologue, £24.99 on PSN. £10 in most stores in this country. Nobody in their right mind would pay that price. Without a retail alternative, what are you going to do but suck it up?

[Mozgus]

The day everything goes digital distrubution is the day I stop buying games. I blame the greedy retail stores for pushing used trade so hard that it's forced developers and hardware vendors to go into a fully digitally distrubuted sales model.

There's nothing stopping the vendors from charging whatever they want for the games. Without the middle man (aka retail) we won't see price drops. They don't have to drop the price to shift stock so that they can get the newest batch of games on the shelves. They have unlimited (practically) cost-free holding space. They don't have reproduction costs. They don't have distribution/logistics costs either.

Sony is the worst culprit, charging RRP for games (that wouldn't even sell close to RRP in stores). Like GT5:prologue, £24.99 on PSN. £10 in most stores in this country. Nobody in their right mind would pay that price. Without a retail alternative, what are you going to do but suck it up?

Hey, I hate digital distro as well, but it's crazy to say that there would never be price drops. That's just not true. Prices will drop when shit does not sell. People are stupid, but after the first few mistakes, they'll learn not to throw away $50 on a game without hesitation. They'll hold back for price drops like they always do. And Steam has shown how their crazy sales have succeeded.

[fast]

My mistake, I guess I confused the Zune with some other mp3 player they use to carry.

I am fully aware of what reprehensible shit that Gamestop is capable of - I worked for a Software ETC (1936 – we were number one in the company for several months back in the late 90s), a Funcoland, and shortly a Babagges back in the day. For four years I worked for the company, I opened six different locations (of which one is still open) and my paperwork was “lost” at corporate more than once - seemed like everytime I was to get a raise. The discount was the only reason I stayed there. One of the last things I bought was a used xbox, the day the price dropped and we still got 25% off used consoles. We are all aware that Gamestop would sell the back of the receipt for adspace if they could. But in two of my three nearby Gamestops, they have 15 sections of shelf space - 3 for PS3, 3 for PS2, 3 for 360, 3 for Wii, 3 for DS, 2 floating doublesided shelf units – 1 side Xbox, 1 side Gamecube, the other for PC titles and 360 accessories, and 1 floating bin – all used PS2 and Xbox games. So currently 20 roughly the same sized areas for games. In the event of a redesigned 360 - If they are going to give up 6 of the 20 available spaces, and put in something that already has 4 of them, that’s is foolish even for Gamestop standards. I mean that is half of the store. I know this is not an overnight operation, and it is hypothetical, but this just doesn’t make much sense. Unless they view less time dealing with trades ins will equal more sales. But trade ins are the reasons many people go to Gamestop.

As for the GP2X, like its predecessor the GP32, it does have real games. Not very many mind you. It is also a multimedia player and the new version is a pda. Sure the main reason people buy it is to use it as an emulation box, but there are legitimate reasons for it. The only reason I brought it up is that the GP32, was released in the UK in 04. Sadly it never did get a translation of Astonishia Story R and Bloody Cross never got out of demo, but that is getting off topic. So in theory they could release it over here. The only way it would make a dent in the market is if it was released by a major retailer. And ofcourse, it is a pipedream.

However I am going to go offtopic and agree with Niode. Digital Downloads are great in theory and in some cases execution. However I am still wary of them and despite how great they can be, they provide lots of issues that we have already talked about: Prices will rarely fall, resell will not exist, and if it requires an active internet connection well that makes a whole other set of problems. I can live with the first two, I don’t like it but I can make do, the last would be a no go for me. And it is not as far away as we would hope. Now if everyone worked liked Good Old Games, thats a different story. Speaking of Digital Downloads, I still need to buy Left4Dead…

[Niode]

I was purposefully looking at Sony and Microsoft's online stores. Sony haven't had a price drop yet and Microsoft very rarely have price drops and only on very old XBLA titles.

Hopefully they will follow Steam's example but it hasn't happened yet...

[J T]

The digital distributors often claim it is the retail stores that keep them from lowering their prices. The retail stores won't buy a large stock if they think people can get it online for less money. I wonder if prices will actually drop if digital distribution takes over.

Then again, when CDs first hit the market, all of the record companies said they would stop charging $15 bucks for a CD once CDs caught on and it was less expensive to produce them. That never really happened.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

The digital distributors often claim it is the retail stores that keep them from lowering their prices. The retail stores won't buy a large stock if they think people can get it online for less money. I wonder if prices will actually drop if digital distribution takes over.

Then again, when CDs first hit the market, all of the record companies said they would stop charging $15 bucks for a CD once CDs caught on and it was less expensive to produce them. That never really happened.

When CD's hit the market in 83'-84' they were around $30-$40 a disc, it wasn't until they dropped to $20 in 85'-86' that they began gaining ground against vinyl.

Back on topic, GS is in denial over digital distribution, they can't expect to keep using a 1990's business model this far into the 2000's without it coming back to bite them in the ass.

[V3rtigo]

The day everything goes digital distrubution is the day I stop buying games. I blame the greedy retail stores for pushing used trade so hard that it's forced developers and hardware vendors to go into a fully digitally distrubuted sales model.

ditto. i'll happily play my old games until they die. i refuse to download games while paying full price and not being able to resell them.