[Rumor] Downloaded Vita Games May Be A Lot Cheaper Than Retail

[Chris_D]

I'm sure publishers want to cut Gamestop loose as soon as they think their business can withstand it. Maybe it will be this gen?

[JayVe]

Not likely.

There is a rapidly growing demand for digital distribution, but GameStop still sells PS2 games. TONS of people still buy them. For people like us who have been living digitally for ages it only makes sense... Almost.

The used market allows games to reach lots of people on the second and third resale. Those people eventually move up the chain to become new game purchasers. There are a number of games that I simply wait until I can get it cheap, used or otherwise. Publishers mostly expect digital prices to remain high forever. Check out prices of full games on Xbox 360 or PS3, and they are almost always above retail... Let alone used prices.

Steam 'gets it' while most content pushers, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo don't seem to understand. Their own mishandling will ensure that a healthy used market continues for quite some time. Heck, the 3DS does not even allow downloading of full retail games, and the 3DS is going to be around for quite some time. There will be a large and healthy market of used games for the 3DS for the entire generation of the handheld... At least 5 years worth.

Unlike a market like iPhone, these devices don't come with their own internet connection. The number of people with unconnected systems is baffling. Shrinking but baffling.

If you get a Vita with a 3G connection, you get a monthly data usage cap too, limiting the amount you can download, and those games are gonna be bigger than an iPhone's.

Right now, there are enough little issues to prevent digital distribution from eclipsing retail. People still love to buy shit in stores. Not me, but the number of plebeians who load up their carts in Target and Wal Mart are staggering.

[DoctorFinger]

Remember also that Gamestop is making significant inroads into the digital realm. It's not enough to float the business yet, but they're trying to avoid the mistakes made by Tower Records and Blockbuster when it comes to digital.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by JayVe

Publishers mostly expect digital prices to remain high forever. Check out prices of full games on Xbox 360 or PS3, and they are almost always above retail... Let alone used prices.

This actually isn’t true. Most PSP games on PSN have dropped significantly, many now being in the $8 to $15 range, with some $20 games, and a few outliers remaining at their launch prices. This is, of course, up to the publisher. Some PS3 games have dropped on PSN as well to match retail prices, like Mass Effect 2 recently, but some have still remained higher than they should. Hell, some, like Prototype coming out for $30 earlier this year, have started higher than they should.

Heck, the 3DS does not even allow downloading of full retail games, and the 3DS is going to be around for quite some time. There will be a large and healthy market of used games for the 3DS for the entire generation of the handheld... At least 5 years worth.

That’s more of a failing on Nintendo’s part than something to hold up as an example.

Unlike a market like iPhone, these devices don't come with their own internet connection. The number of people with unconnected systems is baffling. Shrinking but baffling.
If you get a Vita with a 3G connection, you get a monthly data usage cap too, limiting the amount you can download, and those games are gonna be bigger than an iPhone's.

Except an internet connection isn’t needed. Both the Vita and 3DS connect via WiFi, and in the case of the Vita (like the PSP before it) games can be downloaded on both the PC (and eventually, Mac) and the PS3. It isn’t difficult to download any of your games to your PC or PS3, use them as storage, and transfer them to the console as needed.

Right now, there are enough little issues to prevent digital distribution from eclipsing retail. People still love to buy shit in stores. Not me, but the number of plebeians who load up their carts in Target and Wal Mart are staggering.

I’m one of those people who love buying shit in stores, and I doubt we’ll see DD eclipsing retail for some time, but it is going to make a dent. Flexible pricing is going to be key for that to happen.

[jeffbax]

I don't understand why anyone is at all skeptical of this happening at some point. $24 is still probably 5x the average iOS game which is quickly stealing the entire mobile gaming world's thunder.

$39 portable games are dead. Sony and Nintendo have their work cut out for them until their games are $10-20

[JayVe]

Game pricing at retail is currently broken. So is the iPhone model of pricing games at $0.99. Some form of middle ground will eventually emerge. This is an interesting time where prices and quality are all over the place.

I think you'll still find people willing to spend $60 on quality games like Skyrim, and $40 on quality portable titles like Mario 3D Land for the foreseeable future. Beyond the cream though, how much is there for tier 2 and tier 3 games at this price point?

[Xerxes]

Here we go again with phone games.

[Chris_D]

$20 is definitely a great sweet spot. I just got Tactics Ogre for that and feels like it's worth at least 20 decent 99c iPhone games. Hell, make it a 100 .