Is Microsoft Becoming Gamestop?

[Norris Rochelle]

Lately Microsoft has been sending out surveys in regards to enabling a "resell" feature that allows you to sell your digitally bought games back to Microsoft for digital currency. This should be a very big deal because Microsoft can change the market with this idea. We all know that we can trade in our physical games for credit or cash at local game stores but do we ever really get our moneys worth? 9 out of 10 customers have a problem with how much money they get back when they trade in a game they purchased which is completely understandable. If Microsoft were to promote and enable the "resell" feature they could do some serious damage to local game stores. With Microsoft giving you the option to sell your digital games at a higher price than you would get from your local game store they'd attract more customers to the digital market making themselves more money. This would increase the competition by making local stores up how much money they put out. How do you feel about this? If you got paid more to sell a digital game would you continue to purchase digital games based on the idea of getting more for it if you decided to sell it?

 

[Keith Wallace]

I don't know if I would. You'd have to be giving me a noticeably greater trade value than physical. Amazon and Best Buy give consumers 20% off new games, and GameStop and Best Buy discount used ones, then give another 10% off. So, I'm getting launch games for $48 at Best Buy, $12 less than digital. I'm then usually able to trade them back in for $20-30 when I'm done. So, spending $18-28 to experience a game is what I'm usually shelling out. In the scenario that's been floated out there, I'd pay $60 for a digital game, then get $6 back when I'm done. Instead of $18-28 to experience a game, I'm out $54. In that case, I'm not going for it.

 

[Norris Rochelle]

I don't know if I would. You'd have to be giving me a noticeably greater trade value than physical. Amazon and Best Buy give consumers 20% off new games, and GameStop and Best Buy discount used ones, then give another 10% off. So, I'm getting launch games for $48 at Best Buy, $12 less than digital. I'm then usually able to trade them back in for $20-30 when I'm done. So, spending $18-28 to experience a game is what I'm usually shelling out. In the scenario that's been floated out there, I'd pay $60 for a digital game, then get $6 back when I'm done. Instead of $18-28 to experience a game, I'm out $54. In that case, I'm not going for it.

You made a very good point. I never knew that you could get discount like that with those companies. I think it would be a good idea since you'd only be able to get money back by the same company you bought it from. GameStop can sometimes give you your moneys worth but in most cases they don't. I think this really appeals to me because bought a vast majority of my games on 360 as physical copies while I went fully digital for Xbox One. Of course we'd all go to whichever idea is cost effective but if Microsoft were to give us great deals I'd be down for it.

 

[AwildaHarrison]

Microsoft are aggressively pushing digital alternatives to physical game sales. Most of the video game industry is already dependent on digital distribution.

osamresume.com

 

[MobileVortex]

Let's not forget that you can regularly get Microsoft Credit on discount. If I'm purchasing $60 in Microsoft credit for $45, sometimes less, then getting $6 back that's a new game for $39. Still not anything i would be interested in, because I do not re-sell my games. I just wanted to point out that just becuase the digital store says $60 for a game doesn't mean you have to pay that much. Just a few weeks ago I got $100 in MS credit for $75 from best buy.

Everything is not black and white, there are always shades of grey

 

[Keith Wallace]

Microsoft are aggressively pushing digital alternatives to physical game sales. Most of the video game industry is already dependent on digital distribution.

osamresume.com

They're really not. They don't market the benefits. They aren't open about game sharing options. They don't have good sales.

Then the end of that comment makes me think this is just a spam post, so IDK.

Let's not forget that you can regularly get Microsoft Credit on discount. If I'm purchasing $60 in Microsoft credit for $45, sometimes less, then getting $6 back that's a new game for $39. Still not anything i would be interested in, because I do not re-sell my games. I just wanted to point out that just becuase the digital store says $60 for a game doesn't mean you have to pay that much. Just a few weeks ago I got $100 in MS credit for $75 from best buy.

Everything is not black and white, there are always shades of grey

Yeah, but it's not a frequent offering of discounted credit. Family Dollar has it for 20% off right now, but people are also having trouble getting it to ring up properly nationwide. You're also talking having to either hope for a sale at the right time or tying up money in Xbox credit for a while, until there's something you want. Even then, your best-case can be twice as expensive as the physical alternative. Of course, game sharing helps with that, especially if you can find someone to split costs with. But 20-25% off credit every few months doesn't beat 20% off at all times, plus frequent (and stronger) physical sales. That's just for me, though.

My cousin might be getting an XB1 soon. If he does, I might have to think about some digital stuff. If we will both play it, then we can either split costs or take turns buying stuff on our accounts and sharing them. That's where you can win with digital.

 

[Jez Corden]

Xbox's Aaron Greenberg debunked that they're considering doing it, but if Microsoft/the industry wants more people jumping to digital, some kind of resale feature would probably help.