NextBox to block used games.

[Pincus]

The online stuff is a real mindfuck. But what I find really boggling is referred to the article about the patent.

MIT rocks. 'Nuff said.

[Ashenfury]

That's funny what you're posting about is pretty much all I pulled from that article. (The free MIT)

[Guduk]

dang it, I could have taken anthropology at MIT for free!! *throws his x-ring across the room*

[Darien]

SFX? I wanted to go there. qq

Uh, relevant to topic at hand? I got nothing, except I can't listen to a couple of my CDs in anything but a CD player, which I don't have anymore, because of DRM, so...

I agree with the service > commodity thing.

[lascivious]

More developer hate on used games.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6349861.html?tag=nl.e513

Saints Row works with THQ. THQ is on the verge of going out of business (or selling out to EA then going out of business). It's not because of piracy or used game sales, it's because no one wants to spend $60 on their GTA wannabe games. Make good games, assholes.

Closing down used games or rentals is short sighted. Publishers and people support this idea are not seeing the big picture. For example, the only reason I wasted $60 on that piece of crap Mass Effect 3 was because I bought the first two used and really loved them. They already have hard core gamers where they want them - throwing money at them no matter how hard they abuse them. That's a small group. The used and rental markets are how they bring in new suckers like me. Customer service and relations goes a long way to breeding brand loyalty. I had a brand loyalty to Bioware. With the exception of ME1 and 2 I've bought every one of their games new. I bought a used copy of Crysis because the second one looked good and I decided if I liked the first I'd buy the second. I did like it, so I shelled out the $60 on Crysis 2. Rentals and used games are a great way to bring in new customers and earn good will.

Used games and rentals are not robbing them of money - it's advertising for their products. It's actually an investment that they are not having to bother involving themselves in.

If the smaller studios think this is going to save them, if they choose to participate, they may as well sign themselves over to EA or Activision now because they'll be committing suicide.

Mal pretty much outlined how much money they are making form additional sales. That doesn't even begin to touch on server rentals and DLC sales. EA made 1.5 billion in revenue last year. If they're struggling that's a management issue, not a used game issue. But then these are the same guys who think making more money selling a game cheaper demeans the worker's effort than if they made less money selling it for $60.

2K sports is a good example of a company that could make an elite game for $20 bucks. So good EA had to buy the exclusive rights to franchise brands to eliminate competition.

The sky is falling on these companies because they are bringing it on themselves.

If they would embrace this and work with it, they could benefit from it. It reminds of the church vs rock n roll. Instead of saying "Hey, the kids are into this, we can use it to bring them into the fold," they decided it was the work of the devil.

A couple of Earthly examples. StubHub is an online ticket market where people can sell and trade tickets they're not going to use. Although sports teams fought it at first, they soon embraced it. Not only giving it their own support but creating their own online ticket markets to compete with them. and I forgot my second example because the kids started fighting. But it was same thing, different industry.

Anyway, if anyone loves small company developers and publishers say good bye to them or - as Abric says - go get yourself a nintendo.

[Ashenfury]

Rentals are not used games. Can't you already rent games from both PSN and XBOX Live?

The more negative feedback I see on this the more I wonder how it will turn out. I thought it was a great idea at first but apparently the masses feel otherwise. Good idea or not if everyone thinks you're a sleezeball it's a lot harder to make money. Also note that PC Gaming is beating them to the punch on no used games but nobody seems to care in that arena.

We'll see what happens!

[Abric]

I can see companies going the route of online passes, because that guarantees they will receive money on used games without trying to tackle places like Gamestop.

If you buy it new? Free pass. If you buy it used? To access online content you'll have to shell out 5 bucks (or whatever that is in Microsoft Fun Bucks). So, regardless of what the seller of the used game makes... the publisher and studio who made it still generate income from it.

The customer always has the choice to not utilize the online pass, though that would mean forfeiting any patches made to the game, both in content and bug fixes.

Still a dick move.

[Utina]

I go to blockbuster or gamefly. I get the game. I put it in my XBOX. I play it. I take/send it back. how is that not a used game?

I assume if those companies aren't straight up buying the game, then they're at least paying some kind of fee. So that's revenue the developer has lost right there. How many games does a company who rents games in disc have to buy to meet customer demand? I'm going to try and look that up. I think I have my next editorial.

[Abric]

The conversation was valid enough for him to post on TWO different accounts. Bwhahaha.

Yeah, the difference between used games and rentals can't be too much different. If rental companies are paying a certain amount to the companies for "leasing" ... I couldn't see them making that much profit.

Unless there is some value in having an extra hundred copies of Battleship - a game based on a movie based on a game.

[Ashenfury]

It's not a 'used' game because the licensing isn't to whoever rents it. It's to blockbuster or gamefly. They have a different pass system that renews with new keys. Otherwise BF3 wouldn't let you play multiplayer as it already requires an online pass.