Playstation 4

[Jazzrat]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Well the future definitely sucks then. But even then I don't think the industry is going to get to the very extreme stage of only having online access to a game and no physical copies existing. Even PC games still have their physical copies. I'm sure the publishers hope for it so they can keep even more money for themselves but that seems like too huge a leap to fully happen even decades down the road.

It's not that far. Just look at Live Marketplace, PSN store, Steam, EA's Origin and many other 3rd party direct to drive company. Consumer are already embracing digital purchases. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the market migrates towards it.

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Assuming that all potential consumers have reliable internet access is not a wise assumption to make... look at Ubisoft's various DRM fiascos.

Personally, i think MOST of the potential consumers have reliable internet access. Then again, this is assumption on both end. I believe the inclusion of online DRM did not hamper their sales as most of us like to believe it will as such will continue to remain in games in one form or another.

Originally Posted by Keroko

It's an attempt to convince the customer to buy first hand be sure, but it addresses neither concern. Games are still expensive, so people will still buy and sell used games, and game stores will still sell second hand because there are no agreements in place to share a cut.

Now trying to negotiate such a way with stores is a long and painful process. Especially the larger chains are better organized and have an army of lawyers in place. It's easier to block the consumer, who is scattered and lower on funds and lawyers.

You can thank big retailers like Gamestop and etc for this problem. If retailers didnt try to promote used games so aggressively or atleast have a business model that doesnt rip off the publisher, it wouldnt have been such a big problem for us.

Retailers usually have a greater influence over the publishers but i dont think this will remain the same for much longer as consumers become more receptive to online sale.

With all the benefits of online sale, (lower overhead, full profit, removing used game issue, being able to adjust pricing at their own whim) we ll see a lot more aggressive marketing by publisher to buy directly from them.

As for game prices', it's really not that expensive. In fact, games have maintained roughly the same retail price as before and are more easily accessible to the mass market compare to 20 years back.

Console are becoming as prevalent in household as other traditional appliance like dvd players (and in most cases, actually replacing them altogether) and with the boom of mobile gaming (iOS and droid) and Facebook games, introducing more people to videogames and breaking down the social barrier of videogames being a nerdy hobby, majority of the games will just get cheaper and more accessible for the mass market with a few of them maintaining the old business model solely by the strength of their branding (Valve, Bioware, Blizzard and etc).

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by Jazzrat

You can thank big retailers like Gamestop and etc for this problem. If retailers didnt try to promote used games so aggressively or atleast have a business model that doesnt rip off the publisher, it wouldnt have been such a big problem for us.

No, I won't just blame the retailers. Not solely in any case. Yes, they are the key problem here, but it is the publishers who decide that the ones to punish for this is the consumer.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by Keroko

No, I won't blame the retailers. Not solely in any case. Yes, they are the key problem here, but it is the publishers who decide that the ones to punish for this is the consumer.

Exactly. The publishers could easily set up a competing service to GameStop and beat them at their own game, but they don't because the I-me-mine mentality pervades, especially through companies like EA.

[RRW]

For note: PS3 rumored to have anti used game system before launch.

just saying

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by RRW

For note: PS3 rumored to have anti used game system before launch.

just saying

Oh I'm not giving a whole lot of credence to these rumors, but the game publishers are already doing their damndest to make buying a used game either impossible or a very unsatisfying experience.

EA is the master, of course, withholding content and online passes until the "offending" customer forks over another 10+ bucks.

[RRW]

i can understand Publisher will force game manufacture to do this. but so does retail.

anti used system can only be applied if console is full DD only (e.i like steam). which i doubt for next gen consoles to do this.

next next gen consoles

thought i can see online pass and non used exclusive mission trend continue

[Mateus]

Originally Posted by RRW

For note: PS3 rumored to have anti used game system before launch.

just saying

The already purchased and used PS3s are going to be affected by this??

[Keroko]

No, he means that the same rumors we're reading right now were reported when the PS3 was being developed way back.

[Dhomochevsky]

Which most likely means they were working on it for the PS3, but didn't get it ready in time for launch date.
By now they made it work...

Rumors usually come from things various dev groups are working on, which does not mean it will be included in the final product, but it is being considered/tested.

[RRW]

Originally Posted by Dhomochevsky

Which most likely means they were working on it for the PS3, but didn't get it ready in time for launch date.
By now they made it work...

Rumors usually come from things various dev groups are working on, which does not mean it will be included in the final product, but it is being considered/tested.

arguably playstation pass is that

[Keroko]

Key difference is that the pass is optional.

[JagdPanther]

Ugh. No backwards compatibility and this anti-used-game thing would be a real bummer. Looking at my stack of PS3 games, I'd say that probably half of them are used. I did get a lot of them cheaply, but they were new, I think, years after they'd been released. Still, the backwards compatibility thing is annoying because I hate having multiple systems hooked up.

[Mateus]

Originally Posted by Keroko

No, he means that the same rumors we're reading right now were reported when the PS3 was being developed way back.

Ah yea I remember those, in fact many retailers denied the rumors and iirc the first wave of PS3s were backwards compatable.

[Jazzrat]

Originally Posted by Keroko

No, I won't just blame the retailers. Not solely in any case. Yes, they are the key problem here, but it is the publishers who decide that the ones to punish for this is the consumer.

Umm, it's a bit over the top to say we are being punished no?
Considering gaming is not an essential item like clean water and healthcare. As consumer we can simply not buy their product if they do not meet our criteria.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Oh I'm not giving a whole lot of credence to these rumors, but the game publishers are already doing their damndest to make buying a used game either impossible or a very unsatisfying experience.
EA is the master, of course, withholding content and online passes until the "offending" customer forks over another 10+ bucks.

Hehe, i get the feeling someone is still butthurt over ME3. EA aside, Steam is doing very well in this area since you can't trade in your steam games and steam sale are often enough that people who don't mind waiting can still get their game cheaply which imo, is a nice middle ground for publisher and consumer.

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by Jazzrat

Umm, it's a bit over the top to say we are being punished no?
Considering gaming is not an essential item like clean water and healthcare. As consumer we can simply not buy their product if they do not meet our criteria.

Things don't have to be essential for to be punishments. If the used game market gets eliminated like this, we players won't be able to.. say.. lend out games to friends. If I can't even do that just because some arsehat in a comfy chair decided this is the best way to combat stores, then yes I do feel punished for something I didn't do.

That we can choose not to buy their stuff doesn't really improve things. It leaves us with nothing.

Originally Posted by Jazzrat

Hehe, i get the feeling someone is still butthurt over ME3. EA aside, Steam is doing very well in this area since you can't trade in your steam games and steam sale are often enough that people who don't mind waiting can still get their game cheaply which imo, is a nice middle ground for publisher and consumer.

I agree with that point. A good service compensates for many discomforts. Cheaper games is the main reason people buy used anyway.

[GrimJack]

The only reason I would ever buy a game used is if I can no longer get it new, I feel the same way for books, records (cd's for those not as old as me haha) etc. I don't find the price a deterrent if I really want to play the game but there are so few games I want to play these days, My game library has many PS games less PS2 games and even less ps3 games maybe it is nostalgia but I enjoy playing some of the old playstation games than some of the newest titles

[Felliko]

This whole anti used games protection may as well put me off from gaming for sure. I love Sony and PS games, but this whole online code thing like in Uncharted 3 abysmal in my book. I do not think I can support something like this. Although, for now it still continues to be a rumor..

[synaesthetic]

If they want to go anti-used games, they should also go digital distribution only. Game discs that cannot be resold or replayed by a new owner go into a landfill when the original owner no longer wants them.

Electronic waste is already a huge problem.

[Bonta Kun]

Not really bothered about the anti-used thingy but no PS3 backwards compatibility is something thats really got me on edge.
I was fine with PS3 not having PS2 backwards compatibility cause I didn't have a huge catalogue of PS2 games and well they were rather dated games even back when the PS3 was just released(to me that is, don't care if anyone thinks otherwise) but PS3 can still go for a good few years IMO and if PS4 doesn't have backwards compatibility then I'd be very very disappointed.
Could actually be the one thing preventing me from getting a PS4 if it becomes reality.

[Mateus]

This anti-used policy is probably why the game companies were opposed to SOPA, so this way they can impose their own diabolical plans and further limit the choices of the gaming community. They may as well send armed police to our doors demanding a sweep of our dated videogame lot and arrest us for owning anything older than a Playstation 3/360 Slim.