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Gaming Wednesday, February 13th 2013 at 6:50 pm

GameStop Says Most Customers Won’t Buy a Console That Can’t Play Used Games

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Rumors abound that the next Xbox will be unable to play used games, and some people aren’t happy about it. GameStop is clearly against that because of the business they do in buying and selling used games, so to try to show Microsoft that maybe this plan is a terrible idea, they surveyed customers and found that 60% of them said they would not buy a console that doesn’t play used games.

Those numbers came from GameStop CFO Rob Lloyd at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference. Lloyd also added:

Consumers want the ability to play preowned games, they want portability in their games; they want to play physical games. And to not have those things would be a substantial reason for them not to purchase a new console.

The details of the survey aren’t clear, so the results are a little suspect. “Would you not buy a console if it couldn’t play used games?” is a question someone buying your used games is most likely going to say no to, and people can very easily say they won’t buy the new Xbox if it won’t play used games before it’s released, but pick it up anyway.

Still, though, there’s no question some people will be turned off by Microsoft’s plan to kill the used game market. I know because I’m one of them. I fall in that dreaded category of the “casual gamer.” If Microsoft eliminates used games, then they could very well push me out of the market altogether.

I am the 60%.

(via Ars Technica, image via StockMonkeys.com)

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  • Martin Phillips

    Agreed, I’m excited about OUYA more than any new nextgen console, especially one with restrictions like that

  • Deag

    Not that I am a major used games customer, though I have on occasion ‘gamestop rented’ or played a game from Redbox here and there, I buy most of my games new. However, if these rumors prove true I’ll most likely go back to PC gaming.

  • Jack Bond

    I probably wouldn’t buy a console like that. I like how Nintendo does it on the 3DS. You can put your games on an SD card and transfer them from console to console.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1745027821 Jeremy Pennini

    If I buy a game that is installed using a disk, I expect to be able to play the game on more than one console, and have the ability to sell the game.

    However, if I buy a code or something on digital download, I have no such expectations. But I do expect to have the ability to redownload that data on to a new console using my UserID if the original console stops working.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1745027821 Jeremy Pennini

    I participated in the kickstarter for the OUYA. On that platform there is no disk, and I’m totally okay with not being able to sell the games.

  • Anonymous

    I will not state that I will not buy one, but an early adopter No way in hell. I might wait a couple of years and pick both the console and games up dirt cheap. Plus since I’m on my 3rd PS3 it seems more likely that I will wait until all of the bugs are ironed out at least.

  • Anonymous

    I won’t ever be buying another Microsoft console as it is, let alone one that doesn’t play used games.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bruce-E-Screws-Jr/5200506 Bruce E. Screws Jr.

    I purchase 90% of my PS3 games uses and then resell them after I complete them. I would not purchase any gaming system that gets rid of the secondary market.

  • http://twitter.com/Matt414 Matt H

    Clearly a sign that Hell has frozen over… I actually agree with Gamestop! *shudder* I feel dirty now.

  • Anonymous

    Yea but the only games you’ll play are half a**ed Android games. No major publishers will serious give that format a glance.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1745027821 Jeremy Pennini

    I’m looking forward to playing Final Fantasy III, as well as using it with XBMC.

  • http://twitter.com/rayban5016 Ray O.

    Lol… Matt

  • Disgusted

    People will just hack the console to over ride that feature anyway.

  • Hare Ofwar

    So a chain that makes most of its money selling used games to the customers it surveyed, and the survey results come out in their favor? Did not expect that. These must be honest and accurate results.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Cazba Robert Gallant

    I love the point made at the end about the “casual gamer”…I too am one of them. The only reason I game is because its simple and affordable for the most part, but once I have to start paying 60 bucks for games, can’t rent them to try them first, can’t sell/trade them afterwards to get other games, etc…there will be no reason for me to keep gaming in the console world. It isn’t that hard to grab a copy of the odd pc game and just fulfill my casual need that way.

    I really see this as a market response test by Microsoft, they leaked it, just to see what the response would be, and now they are reading all these message boards and getting the benifit of knowing what people’s reactions are without having to announce this officially.

    Now they will come out in the next week and say that was wrong information and they aren’t going to be using that approach with the next xbox. Or, they fancy themselves pioneers and think they can just force a horrid new reality on their customer base and people will not just buy a PS4.

    The only way this could ever work is if they all did it, because the one that doesn’t is going to own the industry.