PSPgo @#$!!% yourself!
- — 15 October, 2009 11:43
Gripe 5: Game Over: the death of pre-used games
While video game piracy is considered to be an evil scourge on the industry, the second-hand games market is A-okay with retailers. This curious case of hypocrisy has been around since the PlayStation debuted in 1995, and has been a godsend to cash-strapped gamers ever since. We’ve all hawked old, unwanted games on occasion, or bought a second-hand copy to save a few bucks. Hell, many of us wouldn’t own our current consoles if it wasn’t for those crazy EB Games trade-in deals. With the PSPgo, Sony is hoping to change all that.
The PSPgo’s ‘download only’ status has effectively killed the second-hand market in one fell swoop — at least as far as the PSP is concerned. While this is good news for video game publishers and developers, retailers and consumers are getting the royal shaft. If other hardware vendors follow suit, we may see an end to this multi-million dollar industry. Boo-hiss.
If the PSPgo proves successful, trading in second-hand games may become a thing of the past.
Conclusion:
So there you have it. Not a pretty picture, we’re sure you’ll agree. While we do applaud Sony for boldly embracing digital distribution, we don’t think it’s fair to fleece loyal customers just so they can be part of the ‘future’. Until the PSPgo comes down in price, we’ll be giving it a wide berth — just like everybody else.
You can read our in-depth review of the Sony PSPgo here.
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