| ListerOfSmeg said: Games on steam launch at the exact same price as the disc based games. They like to use the "it'll make games cheaper excuse." but I have yet to see a single game actually prove that concept. Technically the disc based games are nothing but codes to download the digital version yet they are the exact same price as full retail games on disc. With everything MS is doing to combat piracy and used games, why haven't they announced that their games will be cheaper? Because they have no intention of passing the savings on to consumers. |
The XB1 is functionally the same as the PC in that respect. Not a big deal to PC gamers, but console gamers are more or less have it ingrained into their heads that they can trade or sell their unmarked/non-user linked used games to whoever; box resellers or private hands.
Barring the minority of PC games that don't have account linking, etc. generally speaking, the used market for PC games has all but dried up; most games are little more than installer discs and physical checks for DRM.
Since DD services like Steam, PC distribution went the next step and all but eliminated physical product distribution (which in all fairness have become installer discs), but the price of PC games actually went from $50 to $60 to match the price of a console copy. I'm sure pleny PC gamers remember that earlier in the 7th console gen, the same new games on PC were $10 less.
So the notion that by eliminating installer discs and the plastic boxes they're distributed in (retail PC box games have essentially stopped shipping with printed manuals) publishers should knock $10 off the price of their games is wishful thinking. They physical product (the disc and box) actually costs less than that to produce and ship to retail.
It all boils down to who's willing to accept this not so new policy (only new to console gamers) with the XB1. It should be interesting to see how much of a factor this plays in the next gen of consoles.
