Gaming News

ShadowHearth

ShadowHearth wrote: »

No surprise brick and mortar games suffering. I personally went full digital on my xbox onex andpay more for games, then they cost in shop only, because I want digital.
Here is solution to these shops: start selling digital codes as well for all games and I bet they will win out of it. I for sure would buy a lot more from them.

They already sell digital codes for games as well as general gaming credit. The reason that GameStop is suffering is that they tripled down on preowned games in the hopes that sales of them would off set the fact that fewer people buy new in GS as they are ofter a third more expensive for new releases. That and that fact that they thought that random tat relation to geek culture would turn the tide but now find themselves selling off loads of this tat for next to nothing.

Dravokivich

kunst nugget wrote: »

I would think it's digital purchasing on consoles or the likes of steam that would be affecting more so than the likes of Amazon or other online retailers.

They re-sell PC Game keys on their .com website too.

They are already in the markets they claim to struggle against, purely because they didn't use'em properly, not because of them.

Retr0gamer

Is a lot of their online presence not controlled by a different company, the same way Zavvi are.

Last time I was in a Gamestop it was maybe 25% games and the rest was tshirts and Funkos.

The knock on from people buying digital is there isn't the volume of second hand stock to come back to them there used to be either. Certainly noticeable in the one's I've been in and even in CEX locally.

Jerichoholic

Gamestop stock so much garbage it's unreal. If I hear of any Whales choking on some crappy Funko Pop of a Youtuber, then humanity has failed.

Retr0gamer

They've also almost totally stopped stocking anything that isn't a triple A blockbuster meaning it's rare you can get something a little bit obscure or a new 3DS game. Gives me very little reason to even browse in Gamestop as I'll be wasting my time.

Billy86

I'll be honest, I won't miss them. Never was a fan of the place, and while their return offers seem to have been way too generous I remember bringing in 10 Xbox titles around 2010 way back when, and getting offered €12 for the lot.

That said I'm not happy to see them go because of the jobs involved, but it really has zero impact on me as the last physical game I bought was Madden 2009 on the Xbox, which would mean a full decade ago as of August or September.

Dyr

See this sneaky redshell oh-we're not-spyware spyware thing is causing quite a stir

List of games that install it here:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQz1d2jf15nHZE8GaRDAWCVMWuYkhip_cwkDUD3fo9dn0EiDRG3crtNXNhPESz8ZLL2KVDULnm9D-VB/pubhtml

ShadowHearth

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They already sell digital codes for games as well as general gaming credit. The reason that GameStop is suffering is that they tripled down on preowned games in the hopes that sales of them would off set the fact that fewer people buy new in GS as they are ofter a third more expensive for new releases. That and that fact that they thought that random tat relation to geek culture would turn the tide but now find themselves selling off loads of this tat for next to nothing.

Credit yes, but who needs that. The digital keys they sell are very limited. Only very few games. If I can walk in to gamestop and pick any game as a key, not a disc, then it would proper sysyem to fight back with.
So many times I see in xbox bargain alert thread games I would play and pay that price, but I dont want a disc. Thats a good chunk of my money spent on xbox store.
Its like they know digital games killing them, but they still set on the same path and dont want to do it.

ShadowHearth

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Credit yes, but who needs that. The digital keys they sell are very limited. Only very few games. If I can walk in to gamestop and pick any game as a key, not a disc, then it would proper sysyem to fight back with.
So many times I see in xbox bargain alert thread games I would play and pay that price, but I dont want a disc. Thats a good chunk of my money spent on xbox store.
Its like they know digital games killing them, but they still set on the same path and dont want to do it.

The only difference between credit and a key is about 30 seconds of searching the store to turn your credit into a game. Xbox selling codes for games would do nothing to help turn the tide, the margin on digital credit is so small that it may actually be at best a couple of cent. Any store that started pushing Game Keys for consoles in favour of discs would last about a week before having to shut down given the small margins, no chance of reselling and the simple fact that most people who buy digitally aren't going to go to Gamestop to buy a key when they can just turn on their console and buy it.

Billy86

Why would a code cost more for a retailer to stock than a physical disc? Or do they just sell for a lot less?

ShadowHearth

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The only difference between credit and a key is about 30 seconds of searching the store to turn your credit into a game. Xbox selling codes for games would do nothing to help turn the tide, the margin on digital credit is so small that it may actually be at best a couple of cent. Any store that started pushing Game Keys for consoles in favour of discs would last about a week before having to shut down given the small margins, no chance of reselling and the simple fact that most people who buy digitally aren't going to go to Gamestop to buy a key when they can just turn on their console and buy it.

Thats the point, I am not talking about credit. We all know retailers get **** all out of it.
If they have on their website a deal for Tomb raider at 20eu, I want to go in to shop and buy a box with code in it, instead of disc. This way as consumer I am not limited to the mercy of ps and xbox store, hoping for a deal come up next week.
Argos had Division 1 for 11eu, I skiped it and bought it for 15eu in MS store. I payed more for digital code, not because I was too lazy to go down the road to Argos. I wanted it digital on my console.
I really dont see issue why theu could not have digital codes and discs as options. Like Pubg did for xbox. A box with digital code inside. Lovely.

wes

Darch Nemesis wrote: »

Have Argos stopped doing pre-orders on consoles?

I didn't know they did pre-orders for consoles.

Thargor

Why would anyone go into a bricks and mortar shop to buy a code?

Kylo Ren

Thargor wrote: »

Why would anyone go into a bricks and mortar shop to buy a code?

Ha! I am literally back from Argos to get a copy of Pokémon Crystal for the 3DS. I wanted the box that the code was in

ShadowHearth

Thargor wrote: »

Why would anyone go into a bricks and mortar shop to buy a code?

Because if they have a deal on the game, I can actually go and buy it if its a code in a box. Not just wait and see if MS will decide to put the game on sale or no. I am pretty sure I am not the only one like this.

Edit:
Another example new game comes out andits 69.99eu on MS store, but smyths selling it for 60eu. I buy digital from MS even if its more expensive. If smyths sells it for 60eu and gives me a key in a box, I will go to smyths.

Skerries

I'm a PC gamer so have all my games as digital but for some reason I want the games I buy for PS4 to be physical

Dravokivich

Billy86 wrote: »

Why would a code cost more for a retailer to stock than a physical disc? Or do they just sell for a lot less?

It's been that way for PC games for a long time.

nix

Skerries wrote: »

I'm a PC gamer so have all my games as digital but for some reason I want the games I buy for PS4 to be physical

Yeah I'm the same, theres logic to it.

PC games as digital will always be available, even when you get a new PC.

PS4 games wont be once you move to PS5, they dont seam to have an interest on making that a thing when they can just sell the games to you again..

So buying hard copy for consoles is the way to go IMO, as you can just sell them after completing them or years down the line. I also like to have a box of a game, call me old fashioned :pac:

gimli2112

I used to buy a lot of games in EB. Got into a minor dispute with them over something. There was f-all difference in the price and legally they were right but I never bought anything from them again. These places didn't care about their customers when they were booming and while this wasn't the reason for their downfall, they didn't help themselves.
I'd much prefer to buy in Ireland and keep the money here. I'd pay extra to do so but there's very limited options. Bought a pro in GS this year and they offered a free game which I turned down because everything on the list was either terrible or they didn't have it in stock.

EoinHef

Skerries wrote: »

I'm a PC gamer so have all my games as digital but for some reason I want the games I buy for PS4 to be physical

Not much of a market for second hand PC games,its easy enough to trade or sell console games on adverts/cex though so makes sense.

With most boxed PC games just containing a steam code its hard to actually get phyisical disc for PC anyway.

Gamestop have had some decent deals on PC games from time to time. Ive bought 3/4 games out of there in the last year or two.

Sephiroth_dude

Great news!

https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/06/19/valkyria-chronicles-4-launching-on-switch-playstation-4-pc-and-xbox-one-on-september-25

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Launching On Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, And Xbox One On September 25

Mickeroo

nix wrote: »

Yeah I'm the same, theres logic to it.

PC games as digital will always be available, even when you get a new PC.

PS4 games wont be once you move to PS5, they dont seam to have an interest on making that a thing when they can just sell the games to you again..

So buying hard copy for consoles is the way to go IMO, as you can just sell them after completing them or years down the line. I also like to have a box of a game, call me old fashioned :pac:

Pretty sure that will be a thing of the past fairly soon. Already is to a certain extent on Xbox, I reckon Sony will move to a similar model in the future too.

nix

Mickeroo wrote: »

Pretty sure that will be a thing of the past fairly soon. Already is to a certain extent on Xbox, I reckon Sony will move to a similar model in the future too.

Hopefully, but i'd be very doubtful any current digital games we do have would carry over onto whatever platform they create.

Did they when xbox did it? or did people have to fill up their libraries again?

Mickeroo

nix wrote: »

Hopefully, but i'd be very doubtful any current digital games we do have would carry over onto whatever platform they create.

Did they when xbox did it? or did people have to fill up their libraries again?

Yeah any 360 game you bought digitally and went backwards compatible will still be in your library, even the discs work.

Retr0gamer

Mickeroo wrote: »

Pretty sure that will be a thing of the past fairly soon. Already is to a certain extent on Xbox, I reckon Sony will move to a similar model in the future too.

No, Sony won't. They are winning the console war and as a result don't even have to bother trying.

And before anyone thinks I'm being anti-Sony, the only reason that it's a thing on Xbox is because MS are doing so badly so are offering lots of consumer friendly initiatives to claw back some support. If MS was the leading console I've no doubt their backwards compatibility program would be as half arsed as the one on the 360 or even non existent.

With the move to PC based hardware by all console manufacturers it will be minimum effort to support games across multiple generations so I'd say the next gen will have extensive BC programs.

ShadowHearth

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Thats the point, I am not talking about credit. We all know retailers get **** all out of it.
If they have on their website a deal for Tomb raider at 20eu, I want to go in to shop and buy a box with code in it, instead of disc. This way as consumer I am not limited to the mercy of ps and xbox store, hoping for a deal come up next week.
Argos had Division 1 for 11eu, I skiped it and bought it for 15eu in MS store. I payed more for digital code, not because I was too lazy to go down the road to Argos. I wanted it digital on my console.
I really dont see issue why theu could not have digital codes and discs as options. Like Pubg did for xbox. A box with digital code inside. Lovely.

Digital codes in a box seem like a pointless exercise for retailers when you consider the room it would take up and let's not forget the risk of theft, part of the reason I stopped buying PC games in store was because in place like Gamestop they used to leave the codes in boxes on the shelf for anyone to copy down. That most codes now are just printed at the till also makes it a less than enticing deal for stores as we rarely if ever see price cuts on digital codes.

Saying you are at the mercy of PS and MS is a little unfair as the PSN always has sales on and great pricing, MS have a history of really crap sales that make it way more enticing to purchase from Amazon or a store. I've a lot of digital games on the PS4 simply because the sales are so good and big titles are often on sale on the PSN weeks after release. MS has improved recently but are a long way behind.

Retr0gamer wrote: »

And before anyone thinks I'm being anti-Sony, the only reason that it's a thing on Xbox is because MS are doing so badly so are offering lots of consumer friendly initiatives to claw back some support. If MS was the leading console I've no doubt their backwards compatibility program would be as half arsed as the one on the 360 or even non existent.

I don't think that backward compatibility is all that important to most gamers, sure you can get a nice upgrade in how the game runs but most people who buy a console are not doing so to play a decades-old title. For me, if I want to play and original Xbox console I'll fire up my CRT TV and get my Xbox out of the press where I have access to any title I want rather than sitting and hoping that MS will add something I want to play soon.

gimli2112

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't think that backward compatibility is all that important to most gamers, sure you can get a nice upgrade in how the game runs but most people who buy a console are not doing so to play a decades-old title. For me, if I want to play and original Xbox console I'll fire up my CRT TV and get my Xbox out of the press where I have access to any title I want rather than sitting and hoping that MS will add something I want to play soon.

I'd agree generally but I'd give at least one kidney to be able to play MW3, Blops1 or heaven forbid MW2 on my PS4, with a decent sized player base.

CatInABox

Deleted User wrote: »

Saying you are at the mercy of PS and MS is a little unfair as the PSN always has sales on and great pricing, MS have a history of really crap sales that make it way more enticing to purchase from Amazon or a store. I've a lot of digital games on the PS4 simply because the sales are so good and big titles are often on sale on the PSN weeks after release. MS has improved recently but are a long way behind.

Where are you getting this from? They have weekly sales that often have great deals, in some cases lower priced than steam sales.

maximoose

Mickeroo wrote: »

Yeah any 360 game you bought digitally and went backwards compatible will still be in your library, even the discs work.

MS have committed to being "forward compatible" with the next wave on consoles too

Really hope Sony do the same, all my purchases on PS4 are digital