The Xbox One Thread

[Brad]

Until yesterday I would have questioned you there Boris but Morrisson were selling used Dvds for ?3 when I was in there. Not seen booksellers selling used books yet, apart from actual second hand bookshops and I wouldn't even know where to go on the high street to buy non-game software, new or otherwise.

Perhaps the high street is destined down this path as Amazon and Co slowly destroy their ability to compete on new prices.

[sj33]

Asda have started buying and selling preowned DVDs and Blu-rays, too. About time they introduced user accounts to Blu-Rays, and required people to log into the internet before they can watch their movie. Maybe take a couple of scenes out of the movie and require people to use an 'online pass' to be able to download a key to unlock the full film.

[EvilBoris]

you may bet but i advise you to have a look at common economic rules Boris. gamers wont just buy more new games because there's no option anymore to purchase used games. in fact there is another option: no purchase at all. because income and budget is limited. even for you Boris

When I go to buy a game. The only option for anything beyond 6 months old is to buy 2nd hand. This is the problem that they are trying to deal with as a business, retailers don't purchase any more stock beyond their initial first weeks sale.

Take a big yearly title like COD or Fifa as an example, quite often those may be the single purchase a consumer might make all year. Call of Duty black Ops 2 sold 11million units in its first week.

All brand new stock.

Now lets say that after 3 months 60% of those come back into circulation as traded in games, meaning there are 6.6 million copies sitting on the shelves of games shop. The games shops don't need to buy any new stock, thus very quickly the publisher cannot make any more money on that single game.
Those 6.6 million copies may be sold 2 or 3 times during a 2 year period meaning 25million+ people have played those 11 million copies.
Remember this is very easy to track now that such a large volume if gamers are online.

Now in a world of digital only / single use codes, they make take a small hit of initial sales due to what you are saying about household income, but even if they took a 30% hit on day one sales due to pricing, there will be a pool of another 20million users who can buy the game in the next 2 years .Even if they only capture half of those by selling directly to them they would of still sold more units than they would of using the current model of 2nd hand copies being available.

Obviously I have maybe done my argument a disservice by choosing an Activision game,
But if you think of a game made by a studio that has had to close down due to low first week sakes then perhaps you can understand why this should be good for the industry.

And I know people think that this means games will stay at ?39.99 forever. They won't.
Once a game has reached it's full price sales plateau, it makes 0 sense to keep it at that price, so we will see sales and reductions.

[Sketcz]

About time they introduced user accounts to Blu-Rays, and required people to log into the internet before they can watch their movie. Maybe take a couple of scenes out of the movie and require people to use an 'online pass' to be able to download a key to unlock the full film.

Sarcasm, or are you being serious? I honestly can't tell. I mean, it sounds insane to me, but I've seen some consumers supporting DRM, so I really can't be sure any more.

Bottom line is: I oppose any and all kinds of DRM. It's only natural as a consumer. We're in a "us and them" kind of situation. Even though the one lives off the other.

[NW2013]

Asda have started buying and selling preowned DVDs and Blu-rays, too. About time they introduced user accounts to Blu-Rays, and required people to log into the internet before they can watch their movie. Maybe take a couple of scenes out of the movie and require people to use an 'online pass' to be able to download a key to unlock the full film.

Assume sarcasm but if not they are doing this sort of thing with Ultraviolet and other types of scheme (apart from the required log in and deleting scenes/DLC bit).

[sj33]

Yeah I'm being sarcastic. Trying to show how we wouldn't accept that kind of nonsense in any other context.

[EvilBoris]

Already happening, I've seen loads of those ultraviolet discs of late, only a matter of time before it goes that way for Movies too.

Especially as streaming servies and on demand start to muscle in

[85 78 73 81 85 69]

Asda have started buying and selling preowned DVDs and Blu-rays, too. About time they introduced user accounts to Blu-Rays, and required people to log into the internet before they can watch their movie. Maybe take a couple of scenes out of the movie and require people to use an 'online pass' to be able to download a key to unlock the full film.

I know you weren't being serious but it brings up a valid point.

The way I see things moving isn't as negative as other people who seem to presume the worst is always going to happen even though nobody, including the publishers, would benefit from that is the way it has started happening with blu-rays.

With services such as Ultraviolet and iTunes which covers the major studios and many of the smaller studios, the film can be registered once and you then have the option to download digital copies and/or stream it via compatible devices.

To render films and games useless because the technology is available to do that benefits nobody at all. It may not be the same on the 360 but with what developers have said about the new way that user accounts work on the PS4 the value add route seems a far more likely and beneficial way to go.

With films when you bought them new you'd have access to them on all your devices that you have linked to your account (console, phone, PC, TV, blu-ray, etc) but you don't get that with used copies unless you pay to relicense it to your account.

It's not reached here yet and Europe is a nightmare but in the US retailers who used to sell DVDs & blu-rays have begun exchange services where people pay to relicense ($2 SD & $5 HD) and can trade in their discs for downloadable/streamable copies of the same film on multiple devices.

Although streaming isn't quite as simple with games it is worth mentioning that both consoles include dedicated compression/decompression hardware and both Sony (Gaikai) & Microsoft (id8 Group R2 Studios Inc.) have both purchased companies that facilitate streaming in the past 12 months.

It's still very much baby steps at the moment but I do think the almost overwhelming negativity is likely to be misplaces as much of what is said just wouldn't benefit anybody who's involved in it. Things are changing and things really need to change but it's understandable that this concerns people, maybe I'm less concerned as I do get to see the other side of the approaching changes due to what I do as my profession.

[Brad]

You're right: It doesn't benefit EA in any way to stop me being able to play BF3. It also didn't benefit Telltale Games to not let me play Walking Dead for several months. Nevertheless, that has happened and it will happen again. Sadly the world in general will just accept this.

[MisterBubbles]

With all the talk of having maybe to register or the machine logs your game, this then brings in pretty special people, the hackers, how much kudos would a guy or a team get for hacking a highly unliked bit of tech in the said system.

[EvilBoris]

Piracy is always going to exist in some form,but the more they can hamper your games without being connected the less attractive it becomes for people to do.
Especially if you require a valid disc to install the game from first, that creates 2 layers of hacking, which isnt going to be a walk in the park
If Sony go down the RFID route, so you don't require an internet connection, I wonder if that will be any harder/easier to hack/crack?

[sj33]

Is piracy on consoles really that big of a problem anymore? It exists, but it seems to be becoming less widespread with every console generation, especially with the increased emphasis on digital services.

[EvilBoris]

I think it still exists quite a bit on the 360 and probably on the DS, but as you say, as much of the draw for the games for the mass market comes from the online component, it must be significantly reduced.

[MisterBubbles]

I was talking of piracy, just somebody trying to circumvent the lock of the game only playable on the activated system.

[MisterBubbles]

Wasn't ....