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No value in being able to sell a physical game over a digital one? Yeah, that's about what I expected from Nintendo.
Whoops, sorry for the blank.
Iwata can't seem to bring himself out of these old-school sensibilities, and I'm thinking he's holding the company back here.
If you're going to make a digital market, then you need to mark the games down from their physical counterparts. You're not buying anything physical, no cartridge or disc or manual or box for that matter. If the prices are going to stay the same, what the fuck is the point of going digital?
Iwata can't seem to bring himself out of these old-school sensibilities, and I'm thinking he's holding the company back here.
If you're going to make a digital market, then you need to mark the games down from their physical counterparts. You're not buying anything physical, no cartridge or disc or manual or box for that matter. If the prices are going to stay the same, what the fuck is the point of going digital?
So does this mean that we can see a digital games price actually come down overtime? Because it baffles me sometimes to see 3+ year old games still be $60.
"We do not hold such a premise that digitally distributed software has less value"
But here's the thing Satoru, it actually does. Like, undeniably. When you pay for a game, you're not just paying for the game. You're paying for shipping, you're paying so that both the retailer and Nintendo gets a cut of the profit, you're paying for the physical box and disc/cartridge. Not to mention that you lose basic benefits, like having that game physically and being unable to lend & borrow games.
So don't bareface lie Nintendo. So close, yet so far. I'd hope with the usual price gouging in the UK they'd make an exception, as lord knows they owe nothing to the retailers here.
But here's the thing Satoru, it actually does. Like, undeniably. When you pay for a game, you're not just paying for the game. You're paying for shipping, you're paying so that both the retailer and Nintendo gets a cut of the profit, you're paying for the physical box and disc/cartridge. Not to mention that you lose basic benefits, like having that game physically and being unable to lend & borrow games.
So don't bareface lie Nintendo. So close, yet so far. I'd hope with the usual price gouging in the UK they'd make an exception, as lord knows they owe nothing to the retailers here.
Yeah, unless the digital version is priced lower, I'm going to go out and buy the one I can trade in later, thanks.
Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" that pertain to this subject.
The fact is that a digital game is a copy of a copy of a copy which makes its cult value drop as you cannot touch it and be physically connected to it..
While a published game is a copy of a copy and has physical properties that can be put on display. Heck most of my friends do not know I own game because most of them are digital and they only notice when I am playing them that I own them.
Now this guy is an elitist, but cult value plays a big role on pricing and I find it really dumb that Nintendo cannot understand what form of marketing suicide they are pulling by saying this.
But then again it is Nintendo who decided to put all their attention to a failing hand held instead of making sure the wii got the games it deserved.
But overall I see a very big trend of Japanese developers and publishers making really stupid business moves.
The fact is that a digital game is a copy of a copy of a copy which makes its cult value drop as you cannot touch it and be physically connected to it..
While a published game is a copy of a copy and has physical properties that can be put on display. Heck most of my friends do not know I own game because most of them are digital and they only notice when I am playing them that I own them.
Now this guy is an elitist, but cult value plays a big role on pricing and I find it really dumb that Nintendo cannot understand what form of marketing suicide they are pulling by saying this.
But then again it is Nintendo who decided to put all their attention to a failing hand held instead of making sure the wii got the games it deserved.
But overall I see a very big trend of Japanese developers and publishers making really stupid business moves.
Who's going to buy digital copies of Nintendo games? Morons who hate collecting games that keep their resale value, that's who!
So what he means is,
"It will save us a boat load (pun intended) of money to not pay people to make our games, eat manufacturing costs and physical distribution but we want to charge you as if we still take those things into consideration."
Awesome got it.
"It will save us a boat load (pun intended) of money to not pay people to make our games, eat manufacturing costs and physical distribution but we want to charge you as if we still take those things into consideration."
Awesome got it.
So..... what I'm getting form this is
We are cutting massive production costs
No Box, No box Art, No Manual, No disk
But it should be the same price as the game that comes with
The Box, The cool box art, The Manual (if done properly they are awesome) and a Physical copy of the game.
So what Nintendo is telling me other than don't bother with the WiiU is that if I was to bother with the WiiU I should buy the physical games. Which will inevitably be CHEAPER than their digital counterparts via Discounts/Sales & the Used market.
So I'm guessing that in a year its going to be nintendo shouting at the heavens that Digital Distro is Dead because they made it noncompetitive with physical media?
We are cutting massive production costs
No Box, No box Art, No Manual, No disk
But it should be the same price as the game that comes with
The Box, The cool box art, The Manual (if done properly they are awesome) and a Physical copy of the game.
So what Nintendo is telling me other than don't bother with the WiiU is that if I was to bother with the WiiU I should buy the physical games. Which will inevitably be CHEAPER than their digital counterparts via Discounts/Sales & the Used market.
So I'm guessing that in a year its going to be nintendo shouting at the heavens that Digital Distro is Dead because they made it noncompetitive with physical media?
If I can't trade it in, loan it to a friend or sell it outright then digital copies are of lesser value to me than a retail release and should be priced accordingly.
so they want us to pay the same price and still get less? Fuck that! I'd simply by the retail-boxes so they make less money ( as I'm 100% sure THEY make more money on online sales due to the lower cost of delivering a product to customer )
Well, here where I live we get 3DS games at around $60 a piece (with big budget, console games around the $80 - $90 mark) so if Nintendo asks for the same US retail price on the eShop for their virtual counterparts, it's almost a 50% discount for me!!!
But yeah, having the same pricing for both products is kinda a slap in the face for us consumers. But I don't want them to be batshit crazy cheap, either! I mean yeah, the shipping, the plastic and the paper of the cart and box are gone, but you get an added bonus: you have your games ready to be played anywhere, and you don't need to be carrying a huge box of cartridges if fos some reason you wanna dig through your entire library to play any random game.
But yeah, having the same pricing for both products is kinda a slap in the face for us consumers. But I don't want them to be batshit crazy cheap, either! I mean yeah, the shipping, the plastic and the paper of the cart and box are gone, but you get an added bonus: you have your games ready to be played anywhere, and you don't need to be carrying a huge box of cartridges if fos some reason you wanna dig through your entire library to play any random game.
@Scuffles
Not to mention bandwidth limitations from our beloved content providers here in the States. 250GB/Month sounds like a lot until you factor in streaming services and digital downloads of future 1080p games at 15-50GB each.
Not to mention bandwidth limitations from our beloved content providers here in the States. 250GB/Month sounds like a lot until you factor in streaming services and digital downloads of future 1080p games at 15-50GB each.
On top of that you would think that they would be pushing digital by making it more economically enticing (cheaper) Because with digital sales there is no used market. Every Digital sale == a New sale with no possibility of creating a second hand sale.
God why does Nintendo hate Nintendo so much?
God why does Nintendo hate Nintendo so much?
So I guess digital downloads will go down in price by a third after three months.
MASSIVE CROSSING OF FINGERS.
MASSIVE CROSSING OF FINGERS.
I wonder if Iwata takes into account the cost of creating the games cases, manuals, cover art, transportation, fuel, drivers, employees, game disc, etc that goes into the retail price of a video game. From what it looks like, going digital can reduce costs for the manufacturer. Doesn't that mean the price should go down as well? I would like to say that Nintendo is being greedy, but I think its one of their ways to reach a certain point of profit due to road bumps they have been experiencing.
I'd love to see people's faces if we suddenly discover that the Wii-U can't play used games. Nintendo may just try shooting themselves on the physical aspect of game owning as well.
Compounded with the fact that Nintendo's games almost never get marked down, this is just bullshit of the highest order. I was considering getting some of Nintendo's games retail digitally so that I could save space in my game case, but now I'm not even going to bother. It's not even worth it.
The digital version may even end up more expensive than a retail copy, given that retailers are likely to offer discounts and cut prices when stock's been around for awhile, whereas digital pricing usually stays pretty static (unless you're steam.) They could atleast offer a 5 or 10% discount on retail price, but yeah, that would probably make too much sense.
Madness.
Madness.
This is why PC Gaming is great. You aren't locked into one distributor. I can shop around between Steam, Greenman Gaming, GOG, GamersGate, Amazon, Origin, Anything that Isn't Games for Windows and likely find a deal somewhere. It is wonderfully liberating.
It's not about not upsetting retail, its about companies saying "If people will pay $50/60 for a game, then they'll pay $50/60 for a digital copy of a game and we'll make a bunch more profit!"
Of course when the reverse happens, such companies seem more than happy to raise the price of a game. Like the jump to $60 games.
And mind, it doesn't really help when you've got consumers who start shouting that digital really is worth a premium charge just for its convenience. (See the ebook market for an example.)
Of course when the reverse happens, such companies seem more than happy to raise the price of a game. Like the jump to $60 games.
And mind, it doesn't really help when you've got consumers who start shouting that digital really is worth a premium charge just for its convenience. (See the ebook market for an example.)
BRILLIANT article. I wish I could force every publisher to type out your article by hand 1000 times.
Well, this is stupid. So publishers just simply get to pocket all the extra profits they get from saving on packaging, disc printing, distribution, etc? Fuck right off. That is the highest order of bullshit.
Maybe these publishers don't realize that a lot of ISPs the world over have bandwidth caps. Games files are HUGE. Between downloading Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2 beta clients this month I've already used over 45 gigs of my 60 gig limit. If I go over *I* have to pay for it, by the gig. How can I justify using ANY of my bandwidth limit if I can just walk 5 minutes down the street and buy the same game for the exact same price?
Yeah, yeah... first world problems and all that but this is just silly. The convenience doesn't outweigh the cost whatsoever. It's a fact that digital distribution costs publishers far less than physical. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing they're simply reaping in extra profits off of this.
I won't buy into it. Maybe I just won't buy another Nintendo console either.
Maybe these publishers don't realize that a lot of ISPs the world over have bandwidth caps. Games files are HUGE. Between downloading Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2 beta clients this month I've already used over 45 gigs of my 60 gig limit. If I go over *I* have to pay for it, by the gig. How can I justify using ANY of my bandwidth limit if I can just walk 5 minutes down the street and buy the same game for the exact same price?
Yeah, yeah... first world problems and all that but this is just silly. The convenience doesn't outweigh the cost whatsoever. It's a fact that digital distribution costs publishers far less than physical. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing they're simply reaping in extra profits off of this.
I won't buy into it. Maybe I just won't buy another Nintendo console either.
Also, in most cases PS3 games and Vita digital games are NOT cheaper than retail. Only a few examples of $5 less, but not universal.
Well, this is stupid. So publishers just simply get to pocket all the extra profits they get from saving on packaging, disc printing, distribution, etc? Fuck right off. That is the highest order of bullshit.
Maybe these publishers don't realize that a lot of ISPs the world over have bandwidth caps. Games files are HUGE. Between downloading Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2 beta clients this month I've already used over 45 gigs of my 60 gig limit. If I go over *I* have to pay for it, by the gig. How can I justify using ANY of my bandwidth limit if I can just walk 5 minutes down the street and buy the same game for the exact same price?
Yeah, yeah... first world problems and all that but this is just silly. The convenience doesn't outweigh the cost whatsoever. It's a fact that digital distribution costs publishers far less than physical. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing they're simply reaping in extra profits off of this.
I won't buy into it. Maybe I just won't buy another Nintendo console either.
Maybe these publishers don't realize that a lot of ISPs the world over have bandwidth caps. Games files are HUGE. Between downloading Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2 beta clients this month I've already used over 45 gigs of my 60 gig limit. If I go over *I* have to pay for it, by the gig. How can I justify using ANY of my bandwidth limit if I can just walk 5 minutes down the street and buy the same game for the exact same price?
Yeah, yeah... first world problems and all that but this is just silly. The convenience doesn't outweigh the cost whatsoever. It's a fact that digital distribution costs publishers far less than physical. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing they're simply reaping in extra profits off of this.
I won't buy into it. Maybe I just won't buy another Nintendo console either.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
NO.
Hilarity aside, this makes no goddamn sense, Nintendo. No box, no cartridge/disc, no manual and you want to price it the same?
I'm just afraid there are morons out there who will buy the digital version, setting precedent and encouraging companies to try more of these BS tactics.
NO.
Hilarity aside, this makes no goddamn sense, Nintendo. No box, no cartridge/disc, no manual and you want to price it the same?
I'm just afraid there are morons out there who will buy the digital version, setting precedent and encouraging companies to try more of these BS tactics.
For someone who spends half their day trying to get people to stop bitching about minor stuff, there certainly a lot of bitching about minor stuff (this) on D'toid.
If you don't like it, buy the physical copy rather than the digital copy and stop complaining. The option is there, bitch with your dollars rather than your mouth. It's more effective.
If you don't like it, buy the physical copy rather than the digital copy and stop complaining. The option is there, bitch with your dollars rather than your mouth. It's more effective.
I think that publishers feel that if digital games are offered at lower prices than retail games, they may be stuck with that price point when most game purchases do eventually go digital - and they wouldn't be able to suck that extra profit from our pockets.
Such a shame. They might make people more enthusiastic about a digital future if the cost savings of this format were passed on to the consumer in some way.
Such a shame. They might make people more enthusiastic about a digital future if the cost savings of this format were passed on to the consumer in some way.
And then I look at the PSN Store prices and realise that consoles just don't "get it" yet. Perhaps in another 5 years they might understand.
And you forget to mention THIS:
Iwata during a the same q&a session:
" It is a misunderstanding that the wholesale price of digital software will be identical to that of packaged software. As I mentioned earlier, it is a fair business transaction that, without taking any inventory risk, retailers don’t get the margin equivalent to the one they can get when they take inventory risk in selling packaged software. Therefore, the retail price of digital software isn’t necessarily converged with the wholesale price. There are several types of retailers; a retailer that offers products at comparatively high prices but provides good services and is in a convenient location, or a retailer that only focuses on offering products at lower prices than others do. I expect to see sound competition among retailers that take advantage of their strengths as they have done so far. In that sense, I don’t think our proposal on selling digital software will instantly pull a trigger that leads to cutting retailers’ profits to the limit. I also don’t think it should be this way in the future."
Iwata during a the same q&a session:
" It is a misunderstanding that the wholesale price of digital software will be identical to that of packaged software. As I mentioned earlier, it is a fair business transaction that, without taking any inventory risk, retailers don’t get the margin equivalent to the one they can get when they take inventory risk in selling packaged software. Therefore, the retail price of digital software isn’t necessarily converged with the wholesale price. There are several types of retailers; a retailer that offers products at comparatively high prices but provides good services and is in a convenient location, or a retailer that only focuses on offering products at lower prices than others do. I expect to see sound competition among retailers that take advantage of their strengths as they have done so far. In that sense, I don’t think our proposal on selling digital software will instantly pull a trigger that leads to cutting retailers’ profits to the limit. I also don’t think it should be this way in the future."
I've gotten burned buying digitally on the vita. Paid $35 for hot shots golf and I saw the retail copy go for $29.99 new, $24.99 used. And the $5 discount doesn't help when sony charges more than double for a freaking 32GB memory card. I found one for $94, the 32GB sd card that I got for my 3DS only costed $35, and it's a class 10 card. The data speeds for vita memory cards are equivalent to a class 4 sd card.
@sirkerrald
Nintendos downloadable retail games aren't locked into one dealer either.
Retailers will be sold codes as if they were boxed copies, and can set their price any way they want.
Nintendos downloadable retail games aren't locked into one dealer either.
Retailers will be sold codes as if they were boxed copies, and can set their price any way they want.
except if they lowered the digital price, the price of used WiiU games would go down and EVERYONE WOULD BE HAPPY. Can't have that.
This is why I am praying to the heavens for Valve to make a console. If that happens, there will be NO POINT WHATSOEVER for Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft to continue in the video game industry (They probably still will, but it will be funny to see them struggle to compete with AWESOMENESS).
Hey Nintendo (and all other major publishers): do you want to see how digital distribution should be done? Go look at Steam. I hear Valve are doing alright for themselves in that space.
Offer me that kind of value on a console and I will literally just pipe dollars into your pockets. Until then, watch me buy physical copies at huge discounts so someone along your chain of distribution is cut completely short on profit. Mass Effect 3 for $30? Someone got screwed, but it wasn't me.
Offer me that kind of value on a console and I will literally just pipe dollars into your pockets. Until then, watch me buy physical copies at huge discounts so someone along your chain of distribution is cut completely short on profit. Mass Effect 3 for $30? Someone got screwed, but it wasn't me.
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