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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