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Austrian shop Gameware stops selling Xbox consoles in response to Game Pass announcement
- Thread starter Ostrava04
- Start date
Sosokrates
Report me if I continue to console war
There loss and another retailers or Microsofts gain.
Physical games will still be sold online through places like amazon, but traditional brick and mortar game stores are dying.
Physical games will still be sold online through places like amazon, but traditional brick and mortar game stores are dying.
jadedm17
Member
I search for Gameware and Gameware.com shows a giant Xbox with "We carry Xbox Ones" on the front page.
After going back to the OP.... WTH @ gameware.at ? Yellow and blue? This site is a prehistoric eye-sore; Who designed this and when?
Back on the point : Eh, good for them? Will this make getting an Xbox or games any harder for anyone really?
Too true, it's gonna be interesting to see where we are in 10 years.
I'm not looking forward to it - and I don't just mean all the lay-offs - since Best Buy's Gamers Club unlocked has saved me a fortune.
After going back to the OP.... WTH @ gameware.at ? Yellow and blue? This site is a prehistoric eye-sore; Who designed this and when?
Back on the point : Eh, good for them? Will this make getting an Xbox or games any harder for anyone really?
Too true, it's gonna be interesting to see where we are in 10 years.
I'm not looking forward to it - and I don't just mean all the lay-offs - since Best Buy's Gamers Club unlocked has saved me a fortune.
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Sad to hear but this is not too surprising. There are some simple solutions to this problem though. One, make the console profit margin a little bigger for the retailer so they push your hardware. Second, have those digital download cards priced in a way that makes people go to the store to buy the card and make the profit margin for retailers better if they sell the digital download card as opposed boxed copy. There should be a difference in price between boxed copy and digital card period! Right now in most stores the boxed copy is cheaper in many cases than the DD Card. retailers cannot sustain that!
goldenpp72
Member
How does the Xbox perform over there? Curious how big of a loss this would be to them. From my perspective it seems a bit silly to react this way only because there are so few first party titles that this will apply to. Off hand right now I can think of 2 in 2018? I'm sure there will be more but still, just seems bizarre, if it applied to all games i'd see some reason to react though.
michaelius
Banned
LoL what? It's Europe - between PS4, Switch and PC I doubt they are losing more than 5-10% of business and some of that will be recovered through simplified logistics.
Also they stopped selling consoles - they might still carry xbox games from 3rd parties.
Smart bussinesses react early and anticipate trends - it's obvious that this is another version of Microsoft assault against game ownership except this time they don't this as forcefully as they did during xone launch.
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Makes me wonder if this will be an issue with other retail chains in the West.
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
How is a monthly service assault on game ownership?
Is Netflix and assault on movie ownership?
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Shifty
Member
Yes, because you don't own any content that you access via Netflix. You stop paying that sub and poof, it's gone.
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
But how is it an "assualt" on it. The option to own is still there.
what are you nuts? not going to kill anything. personally i think it might bring them to the top. you do realize that every store makes many on each console? you do realize that games that are not first party are not on the game pass? too many little kids here.
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
Pretty sure he/she was talking about the retailer, not Microsoft.
Shifty
Member
MS are executing a strategy to try and push consumers toward the profiltable subscription model and away from the established premium purchase / retail model. The term 'assault' can be defined as 'a concerted attempt to do something demanding'. Ergo, the wording fits.
It's perhaps a bit strong, granted, but not wholly unwarranted when you consider MS' past behaviour. You can bet your bottom dollar that they still want to control the content just as much as they did during the XBO launch backpedal, they're just going about it with a degree of subtlety and hindsight this time around.
And as far as "the option is still there" arguments go...
The option to not buy DLC didn't prevent the death of the physical expansion pack.
The option to not buy microtransactions didn't prevent bonus costumes from being shifted from a fun unlockable to a purchasable product.
The option to not buy your games from walled garden stores didn't prevent MS from building their own, fucking it up to the degree where it's still broken five years after its inception, and then locking first-party content to it.
What makes the option to not obtain your games via subscription any different? It's not going to prevent stuff like subscription-exclusive content from becoming a reality if the model proves successful and the market shifts even further in favor of the platform holders.
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Sosokrates
Report me if I continue to console war
To be honest MS gamepass strategy is an evolution of gwg or ps+.
And before anyone thinks this is Exclusives to MS you need to wake up.
The guys at sony are ruthless business killers. They are watching very carefully and you can be sure these gamepass/Netflix like stratagies will make many blustering board meetings and sleepless nights for the PlayStation leadership.
I recently read this great interview with Amy Hennig
https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/12/16880484/amy-hennig-sean-vanaman-interview-year-in-review
And it reaffirmed my belief that risk is insane when making $100 million AAA single player only games to the level players expect today.
You can be sure sony would like less risky ways of making games.
And before anyone thinks this is Exclusives to MS you need to wake up.
The guys at sony are ruthless business killers. They are watching very carefully and you can be sure these gamepass/Netflix like stratagies will make many blustering board meetings and sleepless nights for the PlayStation leadership.
I recently read this great interview with Amy Hennig
https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/12/16880484/amy-hennig-sean-vanaman-interview-year-in-review
And it reaffirmed my belief that risk is insane when making $100 million AAA single player only games to the level players expect today.
You can be sure sony would like less risky ways of making games.
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ReBurn
Gold Member
With Netflix there never was an expectation of ownership of content. People who subscribe with an expectation that they will own content are willfully ignorant. It's the same with Gamepass. If someone thinks they own the games when the model is clearly subscription are willfully ignorant.
I can see why retailers that rely on used game sales for their revenue would be upset by subscription services. This move to stop selling hardware is short sighted since, at least for now, most software is still going to be consumed via the traditional sales model. But the reality is that one day physical media is going to be a thing of the past. They need to get all of the revenue they can while there's still revenue to get.
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Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
I still don't think assualt is the word but we can disagree forever and it doesn't matter.
It's pretty clear you're not a fan of digital distribution but it seems like the ability for more gamers to play a game is beneficial to the industry more than a retailer getting their cut.
I see it as positive.
hiphopcr
Member
Gross.
Microsoft unveils the most forward thinking, consumer friendly, value focused feature in years and this is your take?
I realize contrarianism is a hobby for some people...
JaxBriggs
Member
Sleepless nights? Come on now.
Gamepass has been out for a while and it hasn't exactly done much to turn things around, and while yes MS has recently announced a decent improvement for it, that improvement still hinges on their first party content which most (level headed) people agree is lacking.
I totally agree that Gamepass is great value for Xbox fans, but I honestly don't think Sony (or Nintendo for that matter) has too much to worry about at this point.
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freefornow
Gold Member
Nope. Gamepass is not compulsory.
freefornow
Gold Member
Shit!! I think your right!! A black SUV pulled up outside my house this morning. Phil Spencer stepped out flanked by two huge dudes. They held me down while Phil put a gun to my head. I'm now a subscriber to Gamepass. Welp!!!
Ar¢tos
Member
Freeing store space to display more ps4/switch stuff is probably more profitable for them. Could be something as simple as that.
I live in Portugal and I don't know anyone who owns a X1. The only X1's I have seen are display models in stores. I can imagine that stores with space limitations will prefer to display more of things that sell faster (and I've seen stores with the X1 space smaller than S
Ps4/switch space - "vita" size)
Why would a store publicly advertise that, besides to provoke MS?
I live in Portugal and I don't know anyone who owns a X1. The only X1's I have seen are display models in stores. I can imagine that stores with space limitations will prefer to display more of things that sell faster (and I've seen stores with the X1 space smaller than S
Ps4/switch space - "vita" size)
Why would a store publicly advertise that, besides to provoke MS?
This. A friend of mine has his own small video game shop in my city for like 18 years now. His PC games section gets smaller every year and is now just one small shelf. People rarely buy them anymore at his shop. The freed up space is now used for used console games and new releases. He heard the news about GamesWare and can totally understand them. He has a net profit of roughly 10 bucks per sold console; have to deal with defect and returned console but has no income through following trade. You don't make profits by selling consoles but by its accessoires and games. Microsoft should sell their console on their own, then.
//DEVIL//
Member
You don't see 2 steps into the future ? How is that assault ? Option to buy still here ??? What happens when that options vanish when companies stop releasing blue ray because it's no longer profitable ? Because not many people are buying them ? That options will be online only . And the same will happen to video games. I will never support digital purchases .
Dee Dah Dave
Member
"We demand a cut of the Xbox business"
Sorry retailers, but the long term future of physical game releases is a grim one. Adapt.
Sorry retailers, but the long term future of physical game releases is a grim one. Adapt.
JaxBriggs
Member
So who is selling the bulk of the hardware then?
Burdybundy
Neo Member
I wouldnt go that far ...Xbox is doing very well in the UK ..
Dee Dah Dave
Member
Retailers right now. Who knows what happens in the future.
Who is selling iPads and iPhones. Are they taking a cut of App Store sales?
Kamina
Golden Boy
I have a friend who owns a large austrian games store. Selling Consoles really doesnt make money. Money is made, slowly, with game sales mostly. So why should someone feel obligated to sell a console they don’t sell often anyway which doesn’t sell many games either and even fewer with MS’ new business model?
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Good point.
sublimit
Banned
I meant mainland Europe. But even if we include the UK XBX1 numbers are not that good there when compared to how well the 360 did in UK last gen.
Nikana
Go Go Neo Rangers!
Aren't the biggest Mark ups on console accessories? Why would someone buy the accessories at a store which doesn't sell the console?
Like I get it, Microsoft isn't the lead console this gen, but dropping it over a service is like best buy giving up selling TV's because people will use Netflix instead of buying a Blu Ray.
Burdybundy
Neo Member
The original Xbox one reveal is what fucked them having the weaker console didn't help...I think it's slowly been getting better ..I think the x could sell quite well if they lowered the price abit
Son_of_Zardoz
Banned
"Assault on ownership" what an absolute joke. Making first party games available at launch on game pass is a great OPTION for those who are interested. I'm sure the same people who were outraged by the thought of a once a day "check in" to verify your digital library are the same who are mad about this as they spend hours a day online on their phones/tablets/other devices.
Shifty
Member
Fair, agree to disagree.
I don't have an issue with digital distribution as a concept per se- it's the slow creep of not owning the content you pay for that I take issue with. Access to it being controlled by services that aren't guaranteed to be online forever.
If GOG goes bust then I still have the installers that I bought and can use them in perpituity, which is fine. If I want to go back and play the copy of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine that I had in my OnLive account, however, then I'm going to have to go elsewhere and buy it again.
There are certainly positives to be had with this stuff, but they come with their share of negatives.
The bolded is probably accurate, but the rest is a half-arsed attempt at an ad hominem attack that does nothing to further your point.
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Son_of_Zardoz
Banned
Not really. There's some strange disconnect within a large contingent of people in the gaming community about having consoles online. If you buy disc games it should never be a problem and I'm in total agreement that there shouldn't be a need for it in that case. But for digital purchases why is it such an issue when every other electronic device is online constantly?
JaxBriggs
Member
I assume there there is more profit in selling Apple products for retailers than consoles. My understanding is retailers make very little from selling consoles, it's the software sales that is the most profitable area. Take that away from them and I see little incentive why retailers would continue to invest funds and shelf space on low profit console hardware.
Digital is the way of the future and I agree on that point, but the console makers (unlike Steam) still rely on bricks and mortar retailers to shift their hardware.
Caipirinha
Member
freefornow
Gold Member
So no DLC for you then!
goldenpp72
Member
If MS ever succeeded in ceasing physical releases, they would no longer have incentive to keep the plan at the value it is, unless other competing services exist to thwart them. However we've seen price creep occur across all platform holders, so i'd not bank on that. MS has been trying to remove the physical medium barrier slowly, if people allow it to go away entirely you can say goodbye to your discounts and cheap services.
demigod
Member
What a dumb question. Do you know how much it costs to make a phone and how much they are selling it for?
TLZ
Banned
I don't know how serious you guys are. You think you know better than the business? They obviously dropped it because they won't be making enough money. This is a business afterall. Of course they'll want to sell whatever makes them profit. It's simple maths.
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Dee Dah Dave
Member
Of course the margins are thinner on a console. But there's lots of other things to sell, like accessories, other games, or even electronic items non game related. Anything.
What's really dumb is to expect to have a stake in someone elses ever changing business. Then throw an entitlement hissy fit when things change. Digital ownership has been gradually increasing for years and is inevitable to kill off physical games. Shops are going to have to adapt.
Shifty
Member
Because your device may not be. People with no internet, an intermittent connection, a connection that's that's so bad it fails the check-in, army troops abroad in regions where they can't get online, etc.
You can't just tell those people "tough luck"- Microsoft tried, and ended up having to make the biggest backpedal in Xbox history.
From the other end, what if the platform holder's check-in servers go down? Then everyone using the system is unable to access their games until the problem is fixed.
You can make the argument of "X platform holder is so big that they would keep it online forever", but nobody can guarantee that. Even if we were at the theoretical point where the world's internet infrastructure was totally global, super stable and accessible to everyone, there would still be nothing to stop such a service potentially being 'sunsetted' by business decisions and locking everyone out.
And that's without covering the idea that the always-online stuff simply isn't needed. It brings no value for the consumer. Just take current consoles and subtract the disc drives, and you already have a better system than what MS was pitching prior to the XBO launch: Games that actually do add value by taking advantage of 'always online' stuff still can by doing it software-side, and everything else in your library library isn't held hostage by the presence of an internet connection.
Son_of_Zardoz
Banned
Then buy discs. I am talking about digital purchases, not discs. Like I said earlier, they shouldn't have tried to kill discs (not that it would bother me) but for those who want to go full digital and have a more robust digital (family) sharing program I understand the need for a check in and have no problem with it. If you don't want that, stick to discs and don't buy digital.
hiphopcr
Member
hiphopcr said:
E ai caipirinha... Microsoft has been bending over backwards for consumers this gen. Free backwards compatibility while Sony charges for an inferior service. EA All Access when Sony says it's not a good choice for consumers. Willing cross play. Play Anywhere. All first party games included for a low monthly fee.
hiphopcr
Member
The only people complaining about this are hardest of the hardcore Sony fanboys who can't find any joy in life when other consoles succeed. Since that already describes you, you'll never own an Xbox and don't have to worry about it anyway.
AgentP
Thinks mods influence posters politics. Promoted to QAnon Editor.
Yes, losing does that to one. They are not doing it for you, they are doing it for sales. Go back to the start of this gen, how consumer friendly was that? You should thank Sony for their turn around.