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Gamestop stores will not exist as a physical location by 2017-2018

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
All I know is, we all better have SUPER reliable internet connections by 2016.. Or the majority of devices we own might now work.
We won't. The government isn't aware of how many people will actually be screwed over by the changing world just yet. For example, my area STILL doesn't have 12mbps cable internet available, and we just NOW got 6mbps DSL available.

This generation of console gaming is going to be godawful, because average American internet, for the most part, STILL CAN'T HANDLE THIS KIND OF SHIT.
 

Compbros

Man of Tomorrow
not to sound like a know it all or anything but whether people like it or not its happening

GOOGLE around some on the topic and legitimate business sites and consumer electronic sites

Also Have you guys heard that games are starting to DISALLOW wireless connections on most modes on their upcoming products?

It probably will happen but I don't see Gamestop going completely out of business since we are not where we need to be infrastructure-wise for that to happen. Unless our internet drastically improves within the next few years then there's no way a console can be primarily digital or digital only. Until we get that there will be a need for hard copies and Gamestop accounts for like 70 percent of new game sales.
 

Tim Static

Adminerator
Lead Moderator
Also Have you guys heard that games are starting to DISALLOW wireless connections on most modes on their upcoming products?
LOL I'll believe that when i see it! should have been done years ago.

To play online, must have ethernet connected. To download, etc, its whatever you'd like!
 

Pig Of The Hut

Day 0 Phenomenal Dr. Fate and Darkseid player
It probably will happen but I don't see Gamestop going completely out of business since we are not where we need to be infrastructure-wise for that to happen. Unless our internet drastically improves within the next few years then there's no way a console can be primarily digital or digital only. Until we get that there will be a need for hard copies and Gamestop accounts for like 70 percent of new game sales.
well then download your new games at 12:01 when u go to bed and wake up and play :)
 

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
That sounds dreamy. People will be so pissed, though. People are lazy and don't feel like buying 50ft wires that don't even cost that much.
 
I don't see new titles being cheaper because you download them instead of buy them. Think about it. NES games were $50 brand new in the mid 1980's. People have always paid about that price (nevermind the price gouging bullshit on N64 games after the console first released....i paid $80 for MK Trilogy!!) and I don't see that price range changing for new releases. Sure older titles will always come down in price, but the structure used now will still be the structure used over the course of at least the next generation of consoles.
I think we're dealing with a total different industry now, and technology.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/02/the-minecraft-test/

https://twitter.com/therealcliffyb/status/301459266030665729

http://dudehugespeaks.tumblr.com/post/42939895428/in-space-no-one-made-me-scream

https://twitter.com/therealcliffyb/status/301459266030665729

Just food for thought. It's a shared sentiment in the industry. Of course, there's still a solid plan needed though. I am behind it. Oh, yeah, look at Steam also, living proof new games don't have to be $60.00
 

Tim Static

Adminerator
Lead Moderator
Hey , I still prefer CD's when listening to music. Even have portable CD players which I still listen to with headphones. I get funny looks sometimes. Call me archaic but when I spend money on something I like to physically own it. The only upside I see that benefits us gamers is that they cut out the middle man and the whole disk process so the prices for games will drop. That is, unless they get greedy.
i agree w the CDs being better cause we grew up on it, I have over 350 CDs and a guitar student asked me honestly and almost in an offended way...."Whats the purpose of having that shit" she owned me bad cause i realized i had no good answer in 2012

Times always be a changing
At one time, i owned over 1500 cds at once. Over the years, i was force to get rid of most of those, still have at least 400-500 cds/albums. But fuck portable CD players! lol I love CDs too, i love to go shopping for music (used especially, never know what you'll find!) but I hate the fact CD's are such a flimsy way to listen to music. Disc skips, its probably getting scratched, etc. Laser burn? fuhgettiboutit! ugh! lol

I have a 160g iPod classic and Im constantly finding stuff to put on, take off, etc etc. I'm glad to have that much music in one place without having to destroy my personal stash :coffee:
 

CrimsonShadow

Administrator and Community Engineer
Administrator
I don't see new titles being cheaper because you download them instead of buy them. Think about it. NES games were $50 brand new in the mid 1980's. People have always paid about that price (nevermind the price gouging bullshit on N64 games after the console first released....i paid $80 for MK Trilogy!!) and I don't see that price range changing for new releases. Sure older titles will always come down in price, but the structure used now will still be the structure used over the course of at least the next generation of consoles.
One factor you don't want to forget though, is a price war. Imagine the following:

Physical boxes and DVDs are no longer used. Distribution networks aren't needed; all the cost/overhead/logistics of manufacturing and shipping thousands of boxes out to stores, gone. And everyone is still paying $60 for games.

Microsoft, looking for a competitive edge, decides "You know what? Lets sell our games cheaper than the competition." So an announcement is made:
  • "Heretofore and henceforth, all Xbox 1260 games will be priced starting at $44.95."
And this is followed by a bunch of rabid angry gamerfans screaming "Sony games are so overpriced.. I'm switching to Xbox. Why do we still pay $60 for games when Xbox is cheaper and we don't even get discs any more?"

Put in that situation, what do you think Sony would do?

It's happened already with iTunes. It's happening now with Ebooks. Lets be serious: games are next.
 

GodsLonelyman

Kombatant
i agree w the CDs being better cause we grew up on it, I have over 350 CDs and a guitar student asked me honestly and almost in an offended way...."Whats the purpose of having that shit" she owned me bad cause i realized i had no good answer in 2012

Times always be a changing
Oh man tell me about it. I've invested alot of money on CD's. Have a huge classic rock/metal/blues collection. Even have out of print CD's and Japanese imports. I would be mind boggled if some booger eater told me that. The damn kids dont even know what real music is anyway.
 

THTB

Arez | Booya | Riu48 - Rest Easy, Friends
Google Fiber is going to spread like the plague. Once they get it out of the Kansas / Missouri area, I think that it is going to absolutely take off.
If Google Fiber gets to all major cities at the very least by 2015, I'll believe it. I just hope it gets to Cleveland soon...gives me and my fiancee even more reason to move up there... :p

(She's an LoL head...sooooo godlike internet = we're both happy)
 

Pig Of The Hut

Day 0 Phenomenal Dr. Fate and Darkseid player
At one time, i owned over 1500 cds at once. Over the years, i was force to get rid of most of those, still have at least 400-500 cds/albums. But fuck portable CD players! lol I love CDs too, i love to go shopping for music (used especially, never know what you'll find!) but I hate the fact CD's are such a flimsy way to listen to music. Disc skips, its probably getting scratched, etc. Laser burn? fuhgettiboutit! ugh! lol

I have a 160g iPod classic and Im constantly finding stuff to put on, take off, etc etc. I'm glad to have that much music in one place without having to destroy my personal stash :coffee:
yea that does suck no ipod or iphone is able to hold all of my music and video id like w me
 

Pig Of The Hut

Day 0 Phenomenal Dr. Fate and Darkseid player
One factor you don't want to forget though, is a price war. Imagine the following:

Physical boxes and CDs are no longer used. Distribution networks aren't needed; all the cost/overhead/logistics of shipping thousands of boxes out to stores, gone. And everyone is still paying $60 for games.

Microsoft, looking for a competitive edge, decides "You know what? Lets sell our games cheaper than the competition." So an announcement is made:
  • "Heretofore and henceforth, all Xbox 1260 games will be priced starting at $44.95."
And this is followed by a bunch of rabid angry gamerfans screaming "Sony games are so overpriced.. I'm switching to Xbox. Why do we still pay $60 for games when Xbox is cheaper and we don't even get discs any more?"


Put in that situation, what do you think Sony would do?
Sounds like the consumer would be the winners
 

Compbros

Man of Tomorrow
well then download your new games at 12:01 when u go to bed and wake up and play :)
Still doesn't deal with the problem of caps. Imagine downloading something like Watchdogs or Metal Gear Solid 5, it's gonna eat into your cap like crazy. Comcast and ATT, the two most widely available IPs, charges ten bucks for an extra 50 gigs when you go over the 250 gig cap. As games become more technologically advanced in terms of graphics, environments, cutscenes, what have you, they're gonna eat up a ton of bandwidth to download.

Google Fiber is going to spread like the plague. Once they get it out of the Kansas / Missouri area, I think that it is going to absolutely take off.
Until I see this happen I won't believe it, it could very well take off and give us what we need for the coming technology but until it's in my hands I can't believe it.
 

Pig Of The Hut

Day 0 Phenomenal Dr. Fate and Darkseid player
Still doesn't deal with the problem of caps. Imagine downloading something like Watchdogs or Metal Gear Solid 5, it's gonna eat into your cap like crazy. Comcast and ATT, the two most widely available IPs, charges ten bucks for an extra 50 gigs when you go over the 250 gig cap. As games become more technologically advanced in terms of graphics, environments, cutscenes, what have you, they're gonna eat up a ton of bandwidth to download.



Until I see this happen I won't believe it, it could very well take off and give us what we need for the coming technology but until it's in my hands I can't believe it.
i use comcast

I pay $60 a month

I have zero cap
and a 36 down and 8-10 up

Att and verizon internet phones have caps but not my comcast internet

Now if you pay like 19.99 a month for internet then ok you get what you pay for but most internets at hoe do not have caps
 

Tim Static

Adminerator
Lead Moderator
One factor you don't want to forget though, is a price war. Imagine the following:

Physical boxes and CDs are no longer used. Distribution networks aren't needed; all the cost/overhead/logistics of shipping thousands of boxes out to stores, gone. And everyone is still paying $60 for games.

Microsoft, looking for a competitive edge, decides "You know what? Lets sell our games cheaper than the competition." So an announcement is made:
  • "Heretofore and henceforth, all Xbox 1260 games will be priced starting at $44.95."
And this is followed by a bunch of rabid angry gamerfans screaming "Sony games are so overpriced.. I'm switching to Xbox. Why do we still pay $60 for games when Xbox is cheaper and we don't even get discs any more?"


Put in that situation, what do you think Sony would do?

It's happened already with iTunes. It's happening now with Ebooks. Games are next.
Yea, but how long has Sony & MS been selling full games at retail? Even Nintendo has been doing it (first 3DS, now WiiU). And the prices are no different than if you buy them in store.

And they've cheapen the whole plastic thing big time, and the instruction manuals are basically nothing now.

I do HOPE they get cheaper, but its been 30 years and it still all about the same, regardless of how "improved" the tech is.
 

EGP Wonder_Chef

Official Quan Chi Nerf Demander™
i use comcast

I pay $60 a month

I have zero cap
and a 36 down and 8-10 up

Att and verizon internet phones have caps but not my comcast internet

Now if you pay like 19.99 a month for internet then ok you get what you pay for but most internets at hoe do not have caps
remember not all areas have the same internet availability right now

we were talking about how J360's internet is around 20x faster than mine for the same price, and it's the best I can get where I am.
 

Compbros

Man of Tomorrow
i use comcast

I pay $60 a month

I have zero cap
and a 36 down and 8-10 up

Att and verizon internet phones have caps but not my comcast internet

Now if you pay like 19.99 a month for internet then ok you get what you pay for but most internets at hoe do not have caps

They've suspended the cap until who knows when but they can implement it again whenever they want.
 

TakeAChance

TYM White Knight
Baby steps into digital have already been made by most companies, even amazon now has a digital service. Steam showed everyone that the digital model works and is insanely profitable.

It sucks for people like me who grew up getting the physical copies and love the allure of having a box to open and a manual to look through tho.

But, the future is the future. If it results in lower prices then thats just an added bonus.
 

Tim Static

Adminerator
Lead Moderator
Maybe I'm weird but I like going to gamestop. Something about going to the store and getting physical copies is fun, although 99% of the time the employees are retarded.
Yes, you're weird. :p

nah, the GS i shop at is the one i used to work at, and they're the complete opposite of the "stereotypical" GS employees. No BS, no ignorance. If we (they) didn't know, they'd tell you where to find out. Regardless, I do like preorder bonuses, so if the digital direction is where were headed, then the bonuses need to follow digitally too.
 

astronout

see you at the top.
if bestbuy & blockbuster STILL exist, than so will GameStop, at least up until their inevitable downfall.