Sony America scraps UMD-to-PSP Go conversion plans

[ssj12]

Onyxmeth said:

ssj12 said:

Onyxmeth said:

 

The problem is not retail outlets. It's a non competitive nature in DD for the PSP. Want to know why Target might put a game on sale? It's so you don't shop at Walmart. Want to know why Steam puts a game on sale? So you don't shop at Direct 2 Drive. Want to know why there won't be as nice an atmophere for PSP titles on the PSN? That's the only place you can buy your game at. No need to blame Gamestop sir.

You would be shock in learning i put my PSP titles at walmart at a sale price to just get rid of them out of my back room. Same with Target. It is not always because of competition that retailers or DD services lower prices to compete. Sony's reason to put a game on sale is its a limited time sale offer. Anything else is held up by B&M stores.

And why not blame GameStop? they absolutely hate digital distribution because they cannot make massive profits off used games because there is no phyiscal copies. This is why you wont see any games from Valve or StarDock, let alone PC games anymore, because GameStop cannot sell them used because either they are connected to a service that renders them useless or the game is tied to a license that can only be used once. I'm actually shocked they haven't tried to make Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to shut down the XBL Marketplace, PS Store, and WW/VC services.

I'm well aware of this. You might want to realize that this would never happen on PSN since there's nothing to clear out of stock. Everything can stay there forever, and it can stay there forever at whatever price, because the middleman(retail) isn't there to overorder and reduce prices drastically. I enjoy that retail atmosphere. I check Target's clearance section every week for deals, and I recently got Fallout 3's DLC retail package for $13.33 and NCAA Football 09 for $7.49, and I never would have gotten those prices online. I know for sure not the Fallout DLC since I can see it sitting at full price right at this moment.

I really don't know why you would say Gamestop hates digital distribution. I'm guessing you've never been to Gamestop.com, where there's a fully functioning digital distribution service for PC games and strategy guides. Also I just went on Steam and looked at a few new titles for sale, and then checked GS.com and noticed the same games for sale. They also have The Orange Box for sale for $29.99 on the site(retail copy), which I believe is a Valve game, and if you want it, it ships in 24 hours.

My point is that even if you get rid of every retail store, you still have the problem that there is no online competitor for selling PSP games. This is why Steam puts on sales, online competiton. Without competition there's less reason to lower prices. Don't like that $20 for Patapon? Tough, because there's no where else offering it to you.

GS.com isn't a B&M retailer now is it. You rarely see PC games at their retail outlets and never see used PC games since it can't happen ever. They can run DD sales out their website, but they do tend to refuse to sell phyisical media that contains competitors products.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/digital-remains-biggest-threat-gamestop

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/57111

of course this does not mean GameStop couldn't have a change of heart considering the future. Their CEO does seem to be becoming a bit more open to the idea of DD. Even though he still wants to rip customers faces off with used game pricing. (Pay-and-Trade is so much cheaper and is running my local GS out of business).

Still that $20 Patapon is being held up in price due to retailer influence and distribution costs. If a publisher didn't pay UPS or Fedex to deliver their games to Day 1 to GameStop or WalMart or any other retailer and instead could just male a bunch of box-art sheets and DLC codes it would cut costs to nearly 95% making it so the cost of the game isn't based on what publishing/advertising costs are rather development and  advertising costs that $20 Patapon title just because a $10 Patapon title that can see another price cut once all other costs are paid off.