Given that the DLC versions of the games are almost always way overpriced, I don't blame them. People hooting about how the PSPgo is a good thing fail to remember that you can compare the prices of many of the DLC titles up for the PSP now with the UMD titles in the stores. Know what you tend to find? That the DLC titles are most -costly- then the one in the store with box, book and disc.
And ten to one, games will be unit locked, so how do you intend to ever get your money back when your tired of a game?
The Go is also being put out to replace all older units and phase out UMD completely. Mark my words, within a year, many games will be DLC only. Just like I saw when BC for the PS3 was being removed that it was going to be removed completely, not downscaled, as people claimed.
I dunno...I much prefer having 30 games on one memory card than carrying around 30 UMDs...and the costs aren't really anymore than the price of the UMD's around here...unless maybe you go sniffing in all the bargin bins. But I can TOTALLY see the retailers outrage over the GO!.
@Datacide: But for a DLC game with no box, book or printing costs, they should be cheaper. Instead what do we get? Priced the same as the retail copies or in some cases, priced MORE then a retail copy (Points at Capcom's offerings)
@out-phaze: He is right though, Locoroco should not be 22.99 on the PSN store (at least in the Canadian store). 22.99 is actually the price of alot of games, which is not worth it since sometimes Gamestop sells it for cheaper used.
@out-phaze: I have. Almost all of Capcom's offerings can be found in clearance bins in Walmarts, Target and other retalers for 15 dollars or even less.
And you can get almost every one of the titles on PSN, preowned for half, with box, book and disc. Let's see, what are people going to go for?
Hey if Sony thinks online distribution of their products is the new way to go, they should just sell the PSPGo over their online store. That'd be the true indicator of whether or not the market really wants to move in this direction.
But seriously, I will laugh all of the laughs if any American company also boycotts the PSPGo. Sony is either doing this too early or are actually planning on being the dead guinea pig.
Don't blame them. I'm a Sony man all the way, but this travesty is horrible... More money for a system that can't play games the others can and yet STILL has a grossly smaller catalogue... There' no real benefit to this thing, and it COSTS MORE MONEY!
I hope major American retailers will follow suit -- GameStop, Gamecrazy, Best Buy, etc.
I don't believe for a second that they will. Regardless, they'll have to acknowledge that PSPgo's digital downloads cut into their profits. Why would they want to stock a handheld system that directly leeches their profits?
@sereal: Yes! Down with the MAN! Down with Wal-Mart and Best Buy! I put up with some downloadable content/games. But when games aren't avaialble for PURCHASE anymore, I'm not going to be renting DLC from Sony and Microsoft.
Keep up the irrational chains of logic that lead to bizarre attacks like this one. It really helps move debates forward. No, really. No sarcasm. Totally honest. Stuff like this is really helpful.
Why is everyone so pleased about this decision? The PSPGo cuts out the middleman, and distributes the savings between Sony and the consumer. We no longer have to worry about losing our money to the very simple, yet very overpriced transaction of used games. Downloaded games are not going to cost the same as a UMD; it doesn't make sense that they would be. I don't understand why suddenly GameStop and the like are the good guys when they've been bleeding us dry with used game sales for years.
@OrwellJames: They've been bleeding you dry? Tell me, have you ever been forced to buy a used game? Have you ever been forced to sell your old games for nothing?
I would love to hear about how you have been losing your money "to the very simple, yet very overpriced transaction of used games". Please do tell your tales of the horror-inducing used game system.
@NeoAkira: Actually I've been in gamestops where they will lie about new copies of a game being in stock to shift 2nd hand copies. So in a way, yes, they do force you to buy a used game, if you want to buy the game from them anyway
@OrwellJames: It may not make "sense" for downloaded games to cost the same as UMD, but since when does "sense" mean a damned thing?
Time and time again when games have moved online they haven't been any cheaper. In fact, a fair percentage of the time, they actually have cost MORE -- see XBox Classics for instance can cost more in some cases. Steam certainly isn't cheaper than retail (sales excluded) for PC games. And, semi-related, DLC actually runs significantly CHEAPER if you wait for it to come to retail in a pack.
It's not a phenomenon limited to games either. The vast majority of things that have moved to a downloadable media haven't gotten any cheaper than the physical media was.
Sony will just say that you're getting added benefit through the "convenience" of being able to download whenever you want, so they're justified in charging what they always did. It's not like you'll have any other option to source your games. At least with physical media if you have any gripe with the publisher/developer but still want the game you can just go buy it Used.
@OrwellJames: Hah! You don't remember back when everything was cart based, and they said "If we put things on CDs, it would be cheaper! It's the ROM chips!! Our hands are tied". Now I'm not talking today, where games are now 10 dollars HIGHER, but during the ACTUAL transition (so no inflation, etc). Those games weren't cheaper, and downloadable games won't be cheaper either. "It's the bandwidth! Our hands are tied!!"
@DragonYen: I would add that since digitally available games won't have to fight for shelf space, the natural attrition prices see in B&M stores and in online retailers who have to warehouse product, will be much slower or non-existent.
@NeoAkira: Your overbearing sarcasm isn't well taken, but I imagine it would be hard even for you to deny that GameStop possesses a virtual monopoly on the retail used game sales business. Small businesses just don't have the stock to compete with GameStop because, apparently not knowing any better, everyone sells their used games there for $5. eBay is better on the price point, but entails shipping delays in addition to the nail-biting associated with buying on eBay, praying that you're not going to get scammed by some asshole while eBay shrugs its shoulders once it already has your money. So your last option is GameStop. Buy a game for $60. Sell it for $15. Buy it again for $55. Meanwhile, despite increasing development costs, we wouldn't see the price hikes associated with each generation ($40 - $50 - $60) if used game sales weren't eating into publishers' profits.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether YOU yourself sell a used game to GameStop. You're still going to pay development costs with a modest profit margin any time you buy a game. And if less people are buying it new, then you're paying more for it. Period. So don't pretend GameStop needs to force me to buy and sell used games to them. I'm already subsidizing the cheapskates whether I want to or not, and I'm happy to know that when I download a game for the PSPGo, I'm downloading a license just for ME, not for 10 other people down the line.
@SigmaHyperion: I'm sure the transition from cartridge to CD did lower distribution costs, even on the consumer's end, but the transition from 2d to 3d raised production costs substantially as well. I'd certainly be interested to see price comparisons between PSX and N64 (I don't really remember what they were like), but generally parallel conduct locks all new game prices into a nice $_9.99 bracket so the cartridge just meant that someone along the chain had to bear that increased cost. My guess is it was 3rd party developers who dropped the 64 like a bad habit.
Unfortunately it's just skin off their nose unless all other retailers follow suit. If they don't stock it and someone wants one they're gonna buy it elsewhere. Sure they can object on principal but without support for that objection the only result is lost business. Brick and mortar stores have been hammered already by e-commerce, digital distribution is simply the next nail in their coffin.
@Odin: Well, it is the "biggest Dutch retailer", and their support is that it's just just not worth it stock the device. Maybe if they see a huge demand for it they, but I doubt that'll happen. I do believe it'll be no skin off their nose.
It's like selling iPods. Retailers make very little off of the initial but when you sell a lot it becomes worth it.
Record labels are slowly losing the right to live. Perhaps video game shops are starting to feel the same kind of change. Seems to me they should try to adapt instead of whining and suing like bitches.
@eedahl:
That's not really a proper comparison..... Record labels still get money when you buy their music, anywhere and anyway you buy it. When you remove a physical product from the shelf of a store, the publishers still get money from the sales, but the brick and mortar sellers get no profit because there's nothing to sell.
Good on them, and I hope many more retailers follow suit. After all, what's the point in stocking an expensive console which A) They can't sell games for; And B) Has such a high cost price and low profit margin of only a few Pounds / Euros / Dollars based on the RRP - It's just not viable from a business point of view
If Sony want to shift these units, they're better off selling them themselves and cutting out the middle-man.
That's like saying Best Buy shouldn't sell the iPod because people will just buy music on iTunes and will stop buying CDs. Oh well, their choice to sell it or not, I just think they're relying on an outdated business plan and capitalism means you must adapt.
@kneegrow: You only adapt if the consumer wants to purchase what you're selling. I'm not convinced that the market is there for the PSPgo, and I sure as hell don't want it rammed down my throat. I like having a physical copy of a game I can share and isn't tied to a specific system or user.
@KaneBaker:
Also, if I'm not mistaken, you can rip CDs onto ipods, correct? Having an MP3 player doesn't necessarily mean you stop buying CDs all together.
@kneegrow: Specialty stores don't have as much room to absorb the loss from leaders like the iPod or the PSP Go. From a retail perspective, the point of these items is to get people into your store to sell them other things. Natch, the larger your selection, the more likely this is.
A niche retailer simply has less of an chance to promote opportunity buys to their customers. What we end up with is a world of Wal-Marts and Best Buys and no smaller chains specializing in one type of item.
Additional, and I've seen this absurd iPod analogy pop up several times through this thread, so I'd like to put the kibosh on it now.
If I buy an iPod and 10 CDs from Best Buy, will I be able to use those CDs with my iPod? Yes.
If I buy a Go and 10 UMD games, will I be able to use those games? No.
(Ah, I see Kris beat me to it. Well played.)
So please, drop this awful and inappropriate analogy. It is not applicable to this situation.
@doubtful: Except that it IS applicable, just not with your example. There are tons of retailers other than Best Buy that carry iPods and no CDs.
Now if these specialty retailers sell video games and video games only, it still does not make sense to not carry the GO under the logic of 'selling it to get people in the store'. Sure, they won't make money off of future game sales, but they could sell accessories and PSN cards (which if anything like an iTunes card, they get a small profit from it).
I am also willing to bet that the majority of people interested in the PSP GO are interested in other gaming products as well. Perhaps you have a PS3 at home. Or you are considering getting one along with your Go. Another fine reason to 'get people in the store'.
Lastly, if they make any profit from the system at all (I have heard many rumors that the high price factors in the larger cut the retailer will get from the system compared to other consoles-if not, my point still stands), why not just stock it? It will have the same physical footprint of a controller or a couple of games and they will be making some sort of profit, so why not?
now it's just the gamers that get screwed. no price drops, no selling your used games, you spend money on a license which which after you purchase is locked to you, and basically has no value as you can't do anything in the way of transferring it. not to mention they can be remotely taken away for i'm sure a variety of reasons (without refund). i personally will never buy any system which doesn't support physical media for games.
First, Nedgame is an awesome name. Second, I'm selling my DSi and my PSP-3000 and all my UMDs to buy a PSPgo. I hate having to pick out one UMD game to take with me because I never know what I'll be in the mood to play. I, for one, welcome my game download overlords.
Can you explain to me how it's "ALWAYS a bad idea"?
And if he's too lazy to spend 5 minutes installing firmware on his PSP then he should also be too lazy to spend the time selling his old PSP and buying a new GO. So please, if you could explain your point in detail.
Installing custom firmware on your PSP does not void your warranty and it can't break the device. So considering that clearly you and him have no idea what you're talking about, his point is perfectly invalid.
I want to buy one just to take into my local Gamestop and start screaming like a lunatic that the Go is the start of their death! Maybe we should all march on Gamestop corporate HQ with our Go's, like a zombie army massed outside their door waiting to devour them.
That said, it wont sell enough. But let Nintendo do the same thing with their next handheld and Gamestop will be feeling some heat. They wont do it with the DS since its so established, but they might at least have some kind of game download service on the next one, since everyone seems to be getting down on some download-able games action lately.
@Darkly Dreaming svenhoek: Nintendo has already gone on record saying that they don't intend there download services to replace regular retail at any time. And I have to agree with them on this. There is a market for different games. I would feel cheated to pay $40 to PSP GT as a digital download if I can wait a week and find it on sale at some retailer for less. Same game, but one I can hold in my hands. I really like how Nintendo is keeping the games released on WiiWare/DSiWare different from the retail counterparts. I don't think I would be interested in but a full fledged Mario or Zelda game directly, not only for price but for the size of the game. Could you image a Full Mario game would take like 10,000 blocks of memory and forever to download. That's one thing I don't like about PSN is the downloads take forever and I got High-Speed Internet. Just my thoughts - lets not start a war here...
@Mike Aschenbrenner: Odd, on my 360 it took me about 10 minutes to DL all of Burnout Paradise, and the patch.
And I think Nintendo will have some sort of digital distribution with the next iteration of the Gameboy. Their slow to pick up on trends, but in 5-6 years (Thats how long I am giving the DS's lifetime from this date) I think DD will be way more established and mainstream.
09/16/09
I Googled it though and the website looks awful, and there is no retailer in my hometown. So 'biggest retailer' or whatever is complete bullshit.
09/16/09
09/16/09
And ten to one, games will be unit locked, so how do you intend to ever get your money back when your tired of a game?
The Go is also being put out to replace all older units and phase out UMD completely. Mark my words, within a year, many games will be DLC only. Just like I saw when BC for the PS3 was being removed that it was going to be removed completely, not downscaled, as people claimed.
09/16/09
I dunno...I much prefer having 30 games on one memory card than carrying around 30 UMDs...and the costs aren't really anymore than the price of the UMD's around here...unless maybe you go sniffing in all the bargin bins. But I can TOTALLY see the retailers outrage over the GO!.
09/16/09
09/16/09
Have you even bothered looking at the PSN store? Most Digital-Download titles are comparible, even cheaper in some cases, than their UMD brethren.
Do a little research next time.
09/16/09
09/16/09
And you can get almost every one of the titles on PSN, preowned for half, with box, book and disc. Let's see, what are people going to go for?
09/16/09
But seriously, I will laugh all of the laughs if any American company also boycotts the PSPGo. Sony is either doing this too early or are actually planning on being the dead guinea pig.
09/16/09
Let it die.
09/16/09
I'm getting one, no doubt
09/16/09
Yikes. Some people have WAY too much money. Give me some of it, as I can put it to much better use.
09/16/09
I don't believe for a second that they will. Regardless, they'll have to acknowledge that PSPgo's digital downloads cut into their profits. Why would they want to stock a handheld system that directly leeches their profits?
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
Keep up the irrational chains of logic that lead to bizarre attacks like this one. It really helps move debates forward. No, really. No sarcasm. Totally honest. Stuff like this is really helpful.
...
/sarcasm
09/16/09
HAHAHA, yes, that's what I'm for.
09/16/09
09/16/09
I would love to hear about how you have been losing your money "to the very simple, yet very overpriced transaction of used games". Please do tell your tales of the horror-inducing used game system.
09/16/09
09/16/09
Time and time again when games have moved online they haven't been any cheaper. In fact, a fair percentage of the time, they actually have cost MORE -- see XBox Classics for instance can cost more in some cases. Steam certainly isn't cheaper than retail (sales excluded) for PC games. And, semi-related, DLC actually runs significantly CHEAPER if you wait for it to come to retail in a pack.
It's not a phenomenon limited to games either. The vast majority of things that have moved to a downloadable media haven't gotten any cheaper than the physical media was.
Sony will just say that you're getting added benefit through the "convenience" of being able to download whenever you want, so they're justified in charging what they always did. It's not like you'll have any other option to source your games. At least with physical media if you have any gripe with the publisher/developer but still want the game you can just go buy it Used.
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
"They do force you to buy a used game, if YOU WANT to buy the game from then anyway"
lolz
09/17/09
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether YOU yourself sell a used game to GameStop. You're still going to pay development costs with a modest profit margin any time you buy a game. And if less people are buying it new, then you're paying more for it. Period. So don't pretend GameStop needs to force me to buy and sell used games to them. I'm already subsidizing the cheapskates whether I want to or not, and I'm happy to know that when I download a game for the PSPGo, I'm downloading a license just for ME, not for 10 other people down the line.
09/17/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
It's like selling iPods. Retailers make very little off of the initial but when you sell a lot it becomes worth it.
09/16/09
09/16/09
That's not really a proper comparison..... Record labels still get money when you buy their music, anywhere and anyway you buy it. When you remove a physical product from the shelf of a store, the publishers still get money from the sales, but the brick and mortar sellers get no profit because there's nothing to sell.
09/16/09
If Sony want to shift these units, they're better off selling them themselves and cutting out the middle-man.
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
Also, if I'm not mistaken, you can rip CDs onto ipods, correct? Having an MP3 player doesn't necessarily mean you stop buying CDs all together.
09/16/09
A niche retailer simply has less of an chance to promote opportunity buys to their customers. What we end up with is a world of Wal-Marts and Best Buys and no smaller chains specializing in one type of item.
Additional, and I've seen this absurd iPod analogy pop up several times through this thread, so I'd like to put the kibosh on it now.
If I buy an iPod and 10 CDs from Best Buy, will I be able to use those CDs with my iPod? Yes.
If I buy a Go and 10 UMD games, will I be able to use those games? No.
(Ah, I see Kris beat me to it. Well played.)
So please, drop this awful and inappropriate analogy. It is not applicable to this situation.
09/23/09
Now if these specialty retailers sell video games and video games only, it still does not make sense to not carry the GO under the logic of 'selling it to get people in the store'. Sure, they won't make money off of future game sales, but they could sell accessories and PSN cards (which if anything like an iTunes card, they get a small profit from it).
I am also willing to bet that the majority of people interested in the PSP GO are interested in other gaming products as well. Perhaps you have a PS3 at home. Or you are considering getting one along with your Go. Another fine reason to 'get people in the store'.
Lastly, if they make any profit from the system at all (I have heard many rumors that the high price factors in the larger cut the retailer will get from the system compared to other consoles-if not, my point still stands), why not just stock it? It will have the same physical footprint of a controller or a couple of games and they will be making some sort of profit, so why not?
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
There are these magical things I've heard of called "memory sticks". Apparently they allow a person to carry more than one game at a time. Who knew?
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
Custom firmware is ALWAYS a bad idea. Especially if you own a PSP 3000.
09/16/09
Can you explain to me how it's "ALWAYS a bad idea"?
And if he's too lazy to spend 5 minutes installing firmware on his PSP then he should also be too lazy to spend the time selling his old PSP and buying a new GO. So please, if you could explain your point in detail.
09/16/09
09/16/09
Installing custom firmware on your PSP does not void your warranty and it can't break the device. So considering that clearly you and him have no idea what you're talking about, his point is perfectly invalid.
Thanks, try again next time.
09/16/09
09/16/09
Actually, it doesn't. [www.us.playstation.com]
Only HARDWARE modifications void your warranty.
09/17/09
09/17/09
I'm sorry, if you're stupid enough to TELL SONY that you modified your PSP then you don't deserve to get a warranty replacement.
09/16/09
09/16/09
That said, it wont sell enough. But let Nintendo do the same thing with their next handheld and Gamestop will be feeling some heat. They wont do it with the DS since its so established, but they might at least have some kind of game download service on the next one, since everyone seems to be getting down on some download-able games action lately.
09/16/09
09/16/09
And I think Nintendo will have some sort of digital distribution with the next iteration of the Gameboy. Their slow to pick up on trends, but in 5-6 years (Thats how long I am giving the DS's lifetime from this date) I think DD will be way more established and mainstream.