Consumers Won't Pay Xbox One Second Account Installation Fee, Shops Will

[Guest]

The hidden costs with next gen gaming, worth it?? I'll stick with PC.

 

[cepheid]

It's blatantly obvious that MS is trying to sell a bridge in Brooklyn.

 

[WithoutWeakness]

So if I want to loan a game to a friend, I would have to sell it to GameStop and have my friend buy it back? Is that the only way this "activation" nonsense works? I don't play my Xbox much but when I do I like to trade games among my friends. Or if someone makes a new Gamertag, for instance; do they have to pay a fee to transfer all their games from their old account to their new one?

 

[Benthon]

No. Consumers will stay pay for it. Retailers will pass the buck back to us. What a nightmare, much less headache to just go with the PS4.

 

[lunyone]

If that is the case, no Xbox One in my household! We'll see what actually happens, but I won't be buying this next gen console from either camp until I really know what is going to happen with numerous issues (used games, always online, etc.).

 

[velocityg4]

This doesn't take into account the annoyance of having to log in to your account and add it to an XBOX just to casually play a game. You also can't trade games with friends you no longer play or lend them your game. I wonder how much this will hurt XBOX One sales? I suppose it will really depend on what the competition ends up doing.
All the reports I've heard so far about the XBox One make it seem unappealing. There's nothing about that endears me to it. Games locked to account and only a quarter of the processing power in the unit itself. Meaning for games needing more processing power you'll always have to be online so the the MS servers can provide the extra performance. Which also means once those servers go offline you will never be able to play again.
Really what's with all this online BS, accounts, activation, &c? I prefer the good old days. You just popped in a cartridge and played.

 

[timbozero]

And, the retailer will pass that extra cost on.
Net effect, less (probably no) money for the seller, more cost to buyer.
Net effect, used games cost as much or more than new.
Net effect, dead used games market.
End result, no thanks Microsoft !

 

[everygamer]

Anytime you hear that the retailer will pay the cost and not the consumer, this equals the consumer will pay the cost just not directly. The retailers will re-coup their lost profit margin by increasing prices on other products/services.
That said, I like that publishers will get some part of the pre-owned game sales, as that means that they can generate more revenue and push it into more game development rather than the game stores getting that profit and it just going into their coffers. Game stores making money does not benefit the game industry (developers/publishers and people working at those companies). Years ago I would have disagreed because the stores were needed to bring the product to the masses, these days that's what the internet is for.

 

[everygamer]

As to the money grab, yes, it is. Pre-owned game sales have been funneling hundreds of million of dollars into game stores like gamestop and not back into the game development companies that make the games.
Think of it this way, your a video game developer (not the big EA) but the companies that work for EA to build games. You have to produce a game for 50 million dollars, EA publishes this game to retailers, with pre-owned game stores the total number of units of games sold have decreased far more than if people just let their friends borrow the games. This means that with fewer units sold, they have to increase the retail price so that they can re-coup the 50 million cost + profit margin. So the game development companies in the end get shafted as their margin runs downhill into Gamestop's pockets with the pre-owned market.
What Sony/Microsoft are looking at is ways of brining that back to the industry, don't get me wrong and to get a piece of the pie. The reality is that the more money going into the industry leads to more games. More money going into game stores does not lead to more games, it just keeps the stores open. Last I checked with Amazon, Direct Download and other vendors we don't need stores anymore. That is just overhead on the industry.

 

[Soma42]

I'm mostly content with PC gaming, but reading stuff like this makes me never want to go back to consoles again. The PS4 seems more promising. I hope they dominate this generation and Microsoft learns something from it. Maybe the SteamBox will be the savior this round...

 

[LB23]

How long till car companies think they should get a cut when I sell my used car.....

 

[patrick47018]

Wow really Microsoft? Their gonna put Gamestop out of business unless everyone wises up and gets a PS4

 

[hfitch]

I recently decided that I will not be buying a next gen system if these restrictions are in place. I am sorry consumers should make the choice of how much to pay. Not the Microsoft.

 

[Nick_C]

Cue an EU enquiry into restrictive business practice....
CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays can be sold without these sort of restrictions.
Also, what happens if you gift a game to a friend?

 

[cobra5000]

We can buy used cars, homes, clothing, jewelry, music, movies, tools and phones. Practically anything can be bought used. Why do game companies think they are special?

 

[technogiant]

What happens with second hand sales that don't go through retail stores...I mean like ebay purchases?

 

[guanyu210379]

Consumers Won't Pay Xbox One Second Account Installation Fee, Shops Will.
Consumers will have to pay extra bucks for the second handed games to the shops, so that the shops can pay the second installation fee..
^o^

 

[fictitious1]

Consumers WILL pay. As some have pointed out, you can not "trade" games with friends anymore. I'm still unsure about how the download to a friends console is going to work, but if they have to have my password to access the game, if I'm not there then game over. Yes you will be able to sell the game and get some money back, but as far as a friend to friend trade, it sounds like its over. They really need to make a way to turn the game on and off through your account, and then allow someone to re-activate it for like $2 if they are planning on killing the used market like this.

 

[computerguy72]

Most of this stuff so far has proven to be either untrue or wildly inaccurate. I think I'll withhold judgement until there are hard facts.

 

[ojas]

Eurogamer had a full blown interview with Phil Harrison, not a random source.
http/www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-21-phil-harrison-on-xbox-one-kinect-indie-games-and-red-rings