• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Is Gamestop warring with Microsoft?

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Same here. Even if they do drop it, i already know where their stance is. it's sad i feel like i'm letting something go but it's for the best.

Anyone notice in every single poll they're getting out numbered? I hope it reflects in real life as well.

amazon.png

The preliminary reports about preorders from retail seem to show this as well.
 
From personal experience GS has a far higher number of employees who preferred 360 and pushed it more this gen. We'll see how many of them remain with MS this round. Would be interesting if some corporate memos were leaked.

Yeah, this will be very interesting.

Same here. Even if they do drop it, i already know where their stance is. it's sad i feel like i'm letting something go but it's for the best.

Anyone notice in every single poll they're getting out numbered? I hope it reflects in real life as well.

amazon.png

I hope this continues in person as these come out.

same here seriously. not a troll or anything. i loved my xbox 360 when i had it. as i love gaming in general and i do not favor any system.

but i do want the xbox one to fail. because this DRM shit needs to go away. specially that 24 hours check.

if MS remove them both. then i hope the Xbox one to do good sales like the PS4 because competition is always good for us

This. I think the PS4 would have "won" anyway since there was no headstart this time and cheaper price for better hardware (plus Sony's first party should get started faster this time it looks like), so competition would be a good thing, but these policies need to be stopped in their tracks, especially the 24-hour online check-in (basically removing ownership of your games, and no, any rumored -probably not quite accurate if Cboat is right again since he said "it's still worse than we know"- sharing features are not worth losing the ability to play your game 15 years from now) and "kinect must be plugged in" and even the used games, etc.
 
This is no surprise, and this is where the war will really be lost for Microsoft

I remember how Gamestop employees hammered people about "PS3 got no games $599" back in the day. This time it will be even worse.

Gamestop may say its all cosy on the outside, but I'll be any money if you walk into a Gamestop, they will try to change your mind to a PS4, the shelf space will be less optimal for XBone, all the little things that will push the unsure customers towards the PS4.
 

ascii42

Member
but buying a new game at gamestop gets people into the shop, where they may potentially buy something else that has a higher profit margin

And used games have to come from somewhere. Any new game they sell could is a potential used game later.
 

mboojigga

Member
As I've mentioned in several threads already, it should also be remembered that it's company policy to allow employees to borrow games from the store. It's limited to used games, but that doesn't stop them from borrowing new games as well. With Xbox One, that becomes completely impossible.

This will effect employ attitudes towards the system in addition to any sort of company wide policy regarding Xbox One.

You mean just like it is impossible to do this with retail PC games?
 
Odd, could just be overzealous managers there. I would think they wouldn't be quite so blatant about it though.

Why wouldn't they be though? It serves gamespot better for every potential buyer to go for PS4 over the Xbone. Both consoles will have a plethora of games to sell and trade in, considering 99% of all games are mutliplatform, gamestop might as well promote the console that makes their lives easier.
 
I think you guys are over estimating the power of gamestop. This isnt 2005 anymore. Many people will preorder online and even through the 360 dashboard.

This is a delaying tatic for gamespot. Nothing more or less. There will still sustaintial X1s sold this year.

The real battleground is next year when the launch adopters dry up.
 

kevm3

Member
Given that the open PS4 model is more conducive towards them making profits, it's not surprising they are taking this stance.
 

ascii42

Member
I think you guys are over estimating the power of gamestop. This isnt 2005 anymore. Many people will preorder online and even through the 360 dashboard.

This is a delaying tatic for gamespot. Nothing more or less. There will still sustaintial X1s sold this year.

The real battleground is next year when the launch adopters dry up.

It's another way that the negativity is spreading, however.
 
It's another way that the negativity is spreading, however.


Again, it means little at this stage. A bad launch for Microsoft means 20-30k less than the competition come first NPD.

Its not the biggest deal in the world as evidenced by the PS3.

lets not celebrate just yet.

Furthermore, the more people are negative towards the X1, the more people will pop up to defend it till their dying breath. There always has to be a few like that.
 
Do so by offering me big discounts on the digital product, not by turning my disc into a key-code for a digital product sold at the same price a real disc would.
I agree. I think they should have just ditched disk based and told us that games would be cheaper as a result. Instead of having convoluted messaging and giving the sense that they were hiding something they should have said, "hey we are embracing the digital future." People could have weighed digital versus non and just made a decision whether it is for them or not. The messaging was horrible and ms haters and Sony took it and used it against them. Ms really screwed themselves quite a bit out of the gate but I think they will have to respond with price drop and great games quickly. It is ms's fault but on the surface these restrictions are really not that bad. People are blowing it way out of proportion IMO but maybe these concerns affect people more than I anticipate. Everyone's opinion is valid I just don't understand the absolute fury on the Internet. I will admit the messaging is absolutely awful. I find it funny that playstation had a pretty bad e3 by sonys standards but this ms crap made them look brilliant. Ms had a great conference but this dark "cloud" made them look shitty.
 
It also needs to happen at launch time when people come into the store and decide to whether to wait.

However, Gamestop delaying uptick could have an effect, the delay for PS3 to get those JRPGs was annoying as Microsoft basically kind of blocked them (at least I imagine this is how Japanese users saw it too since they waited it out for those PS3 re-releases), until they got Final Fantasy, and then abandoned the genre as I felt in the back of my mind they would.
 

Sblargh

Banned
Again, it means little at this stage. A bad launch for Microsoft means 20-30k less than the competition come first NPD.

Its not the biggest deal in the world as evidenced by the PS3.

lets not celebrate just yet.

Furthermore, the more people are negative towards the X1, the more people will pop up to defend it till their dying breath. There always has to be a few like that.

I think you are underestimating the power of walking into a store, wanting to give someone money and they telling you not do it, that this is a product you don't want to buy.
 
My brothers fiance went into our local store here in Ireland to preorder it, and was told blatant lies and told straight out to pre order ps4 instead. He told her that games were download only on the Xbox one, and that no previous gamertags could be downloaded and that it had no multiplayer.

Now my brothers fiance doesn't game, she doesn't watch e3 or anything like that so she genuinely believed the guy, ended up walking out of the store. We have to go in again soon enough to preorder the Xbox one, and I'm going to enjoy debunking everything the clerk says.

I'm probably going to get shit because of the fact I actually like the Xbox One, and while I dislike the DRM features, I don't understand this Huge debacle over it. Any time I've bought a second hand game and talked about it on GAF or other forums I'm told to buy the game retail so the developer gets money. And now that Microsoft actually make it so that in the select places you sell it back w/e the developer does get money, the entirety of the World explodes in outrage. Not to mention that considering its mostly up to the publishers the level of DRM placed on games Microsoft can't be entirely to blame. That being said, I seriously doubt sony will be able to deliver everything they said about lack of DRM.

The main thing with Microsoft's system, is that you don't actually own the games. The simple fact that it REQUIRES an internet connection to even function means that one day, all your games will be vaporware and the system itself will be a brick, when the servers fo offline (and they WILL go offline permanently one day). The other thing is, MS is trampling on our right under First Sale doctrine to OUR property, and here you are ready to give it up to them. Think for a moment on this.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
For once, I would be okay with GameStop pushing preorders on every consumer if it means informing them of the Bone's DRM.
 

Baron Aloha

A Shining Example
strange as one would figure GS would be one of the approved retailers

Yeah, but perhaps they are smarter than folks give them credit for. If the Xbox One succeeds and next next gen Sony and/or Nintendo follow suit and all 3 or 2 out of 3 become digital platforms... where does that leave Gamestop?
 
The main thing with Microsoft's system, is that you don't actually own the games. The simple fact that it REQUIRES an internet connection to even function means that one day, all your games will be vaporware and the system itself will be a brick, when the servers fo offline (and they WILL go offline permanently one day). The other thing is, MS is trampling on our right under First Sale doctrine to OUR property, and here you are ready to give it up to them. Think for a moment on this.
That is to verify you are playing your game and at any point they could get rid of that restriction in the next cycle to prevent this problem.
 

Seik

Banned
Sounds good to me.

They're only explaining to people what the Xbone will do.

Because it'll really do it, so it's only logical to explain it to people coming all like ''IMMA BUY A XBOX'' without knowing any of this shit.
 
I went to my local GameStop today and was made a sales pitch for ps4 preorder. I had already seen this thread so I went fishing for info. The worker was very informative about xbone but made it clear that he thought ps4 was a better piece of hardware.

He also informed me that ps4 had 25 preorders in their store compared to 3 for xbone. BTW 360 is easily the preferred console where I live.
 

Pandacon

Member
As far as Gamestop giving out the DRM info about Xbone, I'm sure they don't want people to buy it then return it because they didn't know about the DRM/online stuff. That sort of thing can cost Gamestop.
 

Beelzebubs

Member
Well most Gamestop or similar businesses tend to attract employees who are actually gamers for that sweet, sweet store discount. the majority of gamers aren't happy with Xbone policies so it makes sense they'd spread the word.
 

Rtas

Member
Source on this or is that just how you feel?



No source, I just said I personally doubt that their games are going to be DRM free. Its probably going to be something similar to EA's code redemption drm or something but its still going to be there. Don't get me wrong it won't be anywhere near as godawful as the Xone's but its still DRM.

The worst part of it is is that when I go into the store, and basically prove the clerk to be a liar, the dude's going to look like an asshole, yet I can understand the reason he did it. Sale of Pre Owned games is Gamestop's biggest profit maker, the Xbox One pretty much eliminates that (Unless Gamestop is one of the few retailers co opted by Microsoft in their endorsed Resalers scheme) so they're trying to steer people to the PS4, more people with PS4, more trade ins, more resales, more money for GameStop. I just think its pretty fucking disgraceful that they're all out lying to people to do it. I mean hell if it wasn't for the fact that I cannot fucking stand Dual Shock, and that PlayStation exclusives don't interest me, except for TLOU, I would be buying PS4 due to the information from E3.

If they told people the truth I'm sure they'd get the same end result anyways, but lying is a breach of Consumer Rights, Misleading Advertisement, Misrepresented Products, and Misleading Info from store employee's directly to willing paying customers.
 

Lagaff

Gub'mint Researcher
Make sense for them to inform their customers about drm and 24h check, or they will have a lot of problem with their customers.
 

Espada

Member
These kinds of moves makes sense from numerous angles.

As a business Gamestop would favor the platforms that don't do damage to their business model (profiting largely from used games). They also want to avoid the waves of angry customers who, ignorant of the Xbone's policies, can no longer play/purchase games as they did before. Bottomline secured and headaches nipped in the bud.

As gamers Gamestop employees will probably prefer the current model where they can buy, sell, lend, and trade games at will. No surprise that they'd hawk the PS4 and denigrate the Xbone.

Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if we saw stores subtly set up so people are steered toward the favored platform.
 

Kusagari

Member
I think you guys are over estimating the power of gamestop. This isnt 2005 anymore. Many people will preorder online and even through the 360 dashboard.

This is a delaying tatic for gamespot. Nothing more or less. There will still sustaintial X1s sold this year.

The real battleground is next year when the launch adopters dry up.

There was a study of what stores/businesses Americans visit in a month posted on OT a while ago. Gamestop was in the top 20 ahead of places like Pizza Hut, Target and Best Buy.

People underestimate just how ingrained Gamestop has become as the place to get games.
 
Again, it means little at this stage. A bad launch for Microsoft means 20-30k less than the competition come first NPD.

Its not the biggest deal in the world as evidenced by the PS3.

lets not celebrate just yet.

Furthermore, the more people are negative towards the X1, the more people will pop up to defend it till their dying breath. There always has to be a few like that.

That would be a miracle situation for Microsoft at this point.

The demand for PS4 is far greater than the XBone, and the amount of pre-order allocations is practically 4X greater then XBone per retailer.
 

prwxv3

Member
The low yields + this could means disaster especially when ps4 has no manufacturing issues. But we will have to see
 

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
As somebody who worked for GameStop for years, I can tell you guys that employees will generally support GameStop business practices as it affects customers, and will often do so without any prompting from management. Corporate and DMs don't even need to send out e-mails telling employees to support PS4 because the employees will do it themselves. Employees will absolutely tend to support PS4 over the Xbone, because they know that their customers, especially their regulars, value the used model as it currently stands.

That's not to be confused for employees being corporate shills however, as their opinion of the company on a management-to-employee level is usually pretty awful.
 
If they told people the truth I'm sure they'd get the same end result anyways, but lying is a breach of Consumer Rights, Misleading Advertisement, Misrepresented Products, and Misleading Info from store employee's directly to willing paying customers.

Have you considered the possibility that they didn't lie, that they instead told the truth, but your brother's fiancée, not being a gamer herself, misremembered the exact details and told you they had told her something different from what they actually told her?

Just giving you a heads-up before you go to the store filled with righteous anger, planning to knock over a magazine rack or two.
 

Kerm 1

Member
Gamestop and other electronics retailers fighting for life at this point. Gamers making a stand in defense of their consumer rights. Yet, a digital future is inevitable.

Gamestop will realize a similar fate to Blockbuster. Best Buy to Circuit City and Comp USA.

The transition may be slowed momentarily but, it will not be stopped. Archaic business models and unrealistic expectations. Nothing more, nothing less.
 

Woggerman

Banned
It doesn't really matter. Amazon, bestbuy, walmart and target will be happy to sell Gamestop's allocation. Microsoft will only send them what they presell. If they don't make their allocated numbers they will not get those systems.
 

BigDug13

Member
strange as one would figure GS would be one of the approved retailers

They ARE one of the approved retailers. But being an approved retailer doesn't mean they're going to make more than the system they already function under. In fact, they would stand to lose a substantial amount of money if XBO wins this next generation in sales.
 
Working at GameStop, I try to not influence the customers' decision greatly. I just let them know what is the deal. Most customers ask what is up with the PS4 and Xbox One. I tell them price and requirements and most customers say the Xbox One is really dumb.
 
Top Bottom