As long as they’re the only place I can get multi-console video cables for less than a single first-party calbe, I’m just going to have to hope there is indeed a future.
Given how big the business of used console games is, and that they have the lovely 7 day trial(which I’m known to use and abuse until I find something that I fall in love with), I don’t see a problem for consoles. They’re been out of the PC game for a long time now, most box retailers are thanks to digital distro, but even when there’s something I can’t download(and that is, thanks to Steam, really really rare anymore), I just hit Fry’s Electronics for that, where they don’t have to make money from reselling items.
You haven’t been shopping much lately if you think retailers are out of the PC game. Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City… all of these major retailers have pretty hefty PC games sections.
Some Gamestop/EB Games stores also have rather large selections. The one in the mall near me has two full gondolas of PC games, easily rivalling the section at Best Buy or Target. They carry less PC games in the strip mall stores than they do in the enclosed mall stores.
Game Crazy has also started carrying a small selection of PC games.
We’re a long way away from digital distribution overtaking retail for ANY form of games other than cell phones, which obviously have no retail sales equivalent unless you count N-Gage.
Gamestop’s profit is, as many have pointed out, almost entirely from used game sales. There are two major pressures on used game sales right now.
As was mentioned, digital distribution will cut into used game sales since you can’t currently resell the license. Unfortunately there are people who will always want a physical medium for their games. The MS “Live Arcade” retail disc (just a pressing of a few existing arcade games onto a DVD) is evidence enough of this.
Downloadable content is already changing some habits. I know people who have sold games after the inital rush only to re-buy them when the game releases new content. This has changed some people’s habits away from trade-ins.
Personally I’ve found it cheaper and more consistent to buy my games from Amazon using Amazon Prime. I can get games as inexpensively as at Gamestop (i.e. full retail generally) in about the same amount of time (if I pay the $4 for overnight shipping). I can manage which games I have pre-ordered much more easily this way.
Yeah, EB doesn’t like PC games because they don’t sell them used and therefore not much profit I guess. Also, I’m sure PC games generate a lot of return hassles (“this doesn’t work on my machine!” “Look at our return policy!” etc etc) that you just don’t have with console games.
And even if digital licenses could be transferred, no one would use a third party to do it.
You know, I think that a GS/EB employee’s greatest pleasure (especially during this time of year) is answering the question “Do you have any Wiis?”. I think I will call them today- about 20 times- and ask them. Teach them to hold out on me on release days.
Agree, right now I only use Gamestop as a last resort or if the game is several years old and a new copy is out of the question. I’ve had part time jobs there for the holidays a few years ago and their really allowed to get away with some things. I know that employees are allow to take out games to play and return them, whether or not they’re new or used and the game will be put back . The last manager who was somewhat decent made it point to only allow used copies but not anymore.One thing I’ve witness several times is that the employees give special treatment to friends and family members. Also I know that they sometimes take new games and label them as used for a sale, it’s what they did with Persona 2 and from what I’ve heard also with Phoenix Wright 1.
I had a surprising experience in gamestop today. I avoid going there, but I needed a copy of viva pinata (360) as a gift last minute. Walmart, bb, target, etc didn’t have any, but somehow gamestop had a new sealed copy. So I guess you can occasionally find actual new copies of older games there.
It’s a bad sign that probably quite a few of us are genuinely surprised by this.
I went to a Gamestop yesterday. I’ve been going to this same store since I was in sixth grade, and just like every other store in the franchise, it’s gone from being an EB paradise full of nothing but PC games to complete hell. I saw Rocket Slime for the DS on sale for $25, so I ask for it, but am told they’re out of sealed copies, and do I want the open box store copy? I asked for Luminous Arc for the DS, but it was nowhere to be seen (it seems the district manager has seen fit to stock very few Atlus games, and every time I ask about one they say they only ever carry enough to fill preorders). I looked for some PC games, but most of the boxes were in bad shape and the inventory was quite stale. Sadness.
