2012-03-30, 10:44 | Link #21 | |
Homo Ludens
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 34
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Every single other industry can deal with the resale of products without throwing a huge tantrum about it. Why are video games special? Then they need to make games that are worth keeping. The problem is not and will never be the consumer. The problem is that they are unwilling to change their business models to deal with the situation. |
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2012-03-30, 11:07 | Link #22 | |||
Bearly Legal
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Anyway, Sony have been rather arrogant and over optimistic of their brand since their success on PS1 and PS2 for me. Not surprised that they continue to be crazy like this
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2012-03-30, 11:59 | Link #23 | ||
Adeptus Animus
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Age: 36
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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. |
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2012-03-30, 12:22 | Link #24 | ||
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Used markets have always been despised by media companies. Here's Nintendo a few years ago. Here's Nintendo back in the 80's. Quote:
Remember that copy protection exists to prevent piracy, and this isn't the first time we've seen companies use some pretty silly tactics to keep buyers away from rentals and second hand/pirated products. DRM, Macrovision, the old Divx DVD model, various scramblers, watermarks, etc., have all been done with the intention of discouraging consumers from using anything that isn't brand new. This goes back to the BETAMAX decision that had huge ramifications in the 80's. Basically, the decision made it legal for the used/renter market to exist in America and legalized the concept that once you purchase a product, it is yours to do with as you please (within limits). This grey area extends to modern day file sharing, another thorn in the side of major media. You are right, these companies should be embracing techniques that don't punish consumers for legal purchases, but that's just not how these companies work. They want the revenue from the day it hits the shelves until the day no one is purchasing it anymore. They want to milk the product with sequels, revamps, collections, dlc, emulation, subscriptions, and so on for as long as they can. Public domain? User control? Heh. No. Not if they can help it. Remember Game Genie? And you can't blame them really. When you sink so much into console and game development, and watch your old model struggle against changing consumer tastes and rapid technological advancement, it's only natural that you'd want to protect your revenue source as much as possible. Companies are in the business of making money, after all. For the average consumer though, disposable income is limited and there are a lot of options out there. When the entry barrier to every current console but the Wii averages 200 dollars or more, it's difficult to jump into this generation. Especially when you factor in system failure rates, the costs of each game, the peripherals, and so on. It's no wonder that older consoles like the Ps2 are still selling well. For the gamer on a budget, your dollar can go really far these days.
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2012-03-30, 12:30 | Link #25 | ||
Homo Ludens
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 34
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In fact, wasn't this one of the points behind DLC in the first place? |
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2012-03-30, 12:45 | Link #26 | |||
I can has drinks?
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Have to keep in mind this IS a Kotaku piece, so we'll just have to wait and see. |
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2012-03-30, 12:56 | Link #27 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Age: 38
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Main problem with "one game at a time" in terms of PSN downloads or whatever is that, inevitably, they never get around to releasing the games I own and keep my PS2 for. Those being Kingdom Hearts I and II, and Digimon World I, II, and III.
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2012-03-30, 13:02 | Link #28 | ||
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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2012-03-30, 13:21 | Link #29 | |
Homo Ludens
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 34
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2012-03-30, 14:54 | Link #31 |
Homo Ludens
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 34
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And if it turns out the consumers don't like it, you know what they'll do? They'll find something else to blame. Anything other than their perfect, all-knowing business models.
I'm also not the only one who wants to see another video game crash. |
2012-03-30, 15:01 | Link #32 |
User of the "Fast Draw"
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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.
Of course if I am wrong it will be a sad farewell to current gaming. At least by that point there will be so many good games already out there that I can just stock up on those.
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2012-03-30, 15:03 | Link #33 | |
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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i want to see it to, along with the movie and music crashing.
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2012-03-30, 15:32 | Link #36 | |
Adeptus Animus
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Age: 36
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Yeah. No. Because steam still has offline mode, buggy as it may be and is a retail platform, not a physical console that limits my physical games. And every time steam pulls the "even if you buy physical you still need steam" it's no less machiavellian. |
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2012-03-30, 15:39 | Link #37 |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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Making second-hand copies worth less is already a common practice on a game by game basis.
Companies use free release-day DLC linked to the first buyer's account, restriction of online game modes to one account and so on to achieve this. So this is not such an unrealistic rumor. Even if Sony does not support it directly, the practice will surely increase with the next generation of games. Given that, it might not be such a bad idea, to have a single point to handle and maybe transfer ownership of a game and it's DLC content, instead of having every game company doing it by their own means. Except that this is Sony we are talking about. As a customer I wouldn't want them to have any inpact on things like that... |
2012-03-30, 22:49 | Link #40 | |
blinded by blood
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I don't mind digital distribution if the prices fall as a result. Cutting out the overhead cost for pressing discs, printing covers and shipping all those discs (which is not a small expense), the cost of big-studio AAA titles could easily be lowered to $40 with no real loss of profit.
I'm not a fangirl who thinks Steam can do no wrong. It's especially annoying if I buy a game and decide I hate it *coughfable3cough* but when the game is on sale for $12, it really doesn't sting that badly. The reason Steam is given a lot of leeway by gamers and fans is because they compete heavily on price, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I own well over a thousand dollars worth of games on Steam, but I paid less than 25% of that to buy them. Quote:
They don't have a right to profit. They aren't our keepers. Our interest in their product keeps them in business. We're their bosses, and they're doing a shitty job. Unfortunately when they get as huge as EA, it's hard to gather up the few million or so gamers needed to fire (boycott) them.
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