EA games decides they're not hated enough

[Drone]

The market must be vastly different here in Canada then, here every pawnshop has the same selection of used games you can find at any game outlet and for vastly cheaper. They may lack quantity of titles for people to buy, but if you want a used game chances are you can get a copy a few days after launch for nearly half price. Even places like EB, and video stores will slash used game prices before the new copy drops in value to put some extra cash in their pocket.

I think someone owes me an apology.

[Norade]

The market must be vastly different here in Canada then, here every pawnshop has the same selection of used games you can find at any game outlet and for vastly cheaper. They may lack quantity of titles for people to buy, but if you want a used game chances are you can get a copy a few days after launch for nearly half price. Even places like EB, and video stores will slash used game prices before the new copy drops in value to put some extra cash in their pocket.

I think someone owes me an apology.

Not really, you still failed to understand that different areas have different prices and that many places won' just price at $5 lower than the newer game.

[Stark]

I think people are starting to miss the point. EA doesn't want to stop anyone trading in the secondary market or using these features; they want to profit from it. If people buy these 'day one' features as DLC, they'll be happy (perhaps more so since it's pure profit).

[Drone]

The market must be vastly different here in Canada then, here every pawnshop has the same selection of used games you can find at any game outlet and for vastly cheaper. They may lack quantity of titles for people to buy, but if you want a used game chances are you can get a copy a few days after launch for nearly half price. Even places like EB, and video stores will slash used game prices before the new copy drops in value to put some extra cash in their pocket.

I think someone owes me an apology.

Not really, you still failed to understand that different areas have different prices and that many places won' just price at $5 lower than the newer game.

No, you ass, you called me a retard for doing the exact same thing you just did. You based it on your limited experience with your specific market and applied that to the entire world. When Stark mentioned that it was different in his market I didn't tell him to fuck off, I found the information interesting. Turns out the internet can be used to exchange information?

[Sea Skimmer]

If only video game prices weren't basically arbitrary? I mean they've changed so much due to market forces.

Oh wait they've changed like twice in history.

Well its like three times. Very early on console games were around 70 bucks USD, then everything dropped down to around 30-40, then rose to 50 and then to 60 with some stuff like all the fucking same game difference year NFL games back to 70.

[Stark]

Ha, sucks to be AU. I don't ever remember them being less that $100 here, and aside from 'next gen' 360/PS3 games they've stayed there ever since.

Although for some reason War for Cybertron is $80. Huh.

[Drone]

Ha, sucks to be AU. I don't ever remember them being less that $100 here, and aside from 'next gen' 360/PS3 games they've stayed there ever since.

Although for some reason War for Cybertron is $80. Huh.

I've noticed, this is in the US, apparently I need to specify, that some games on next gen consoles are starting to be released as "value games" like they used to on the PS2. Tropico 3 was like that, it was $39.99 when it came out. Might be that.

[Stofsk]

Ha, sucks to be AU. I don't ever remember them being less that $100 here, and aside from 'next gen' 360/PS3 games they've stayed there ever since.

Although for some reason War for Cybertron is $80. Huh.

I used to remember a time when a new game went for 89.95 IIRC. Nowadays, they're likely to be either a hundred or over a hundred dollars.

Game prices here are bullshit.

[Isil`Zha]

Ha, sucks to be AU. I don't ever remember them being less that $100 here, and aside from 'next gen' 360/PS3 games they've stayed there ever since.

Although for some reason War for Cybertron is $80. Huh.

I used to remember a time when a new game went for 89.95 IIRC. Nowadays, they're likely to be either a hundred or over a hundred dollars.

Game prices here are bullshit.

That's pretty insane. I take it most are 2x what we pay?

[Stark]

Originally (back in the day when the FOREX was that level) but it has been fixed for ages despite the USD plummeting. Red Dead Redemption, for instance, is AUD120 for NO REASON.

[Stofsk]

Yeah, exactly. Back when they were cheaper, the exchange rate between the Aussie and US dollars was a lot wider. Nowadays, it's only a few cents different - yet prices have actually increased for no fucking reason whatsoever. I don't understand it.

[Stark]

The word you're looking for is 'cartel'. It's actually cheaper to pay retail and international shipping somewhere else than buy in AU.

[Stofsk]

How much cheaper is it out of curiosity? Getting it direct and cutting out the middle man (IE retail outlets) is always going to be cheaper. But I suppose you have to wait a few weeks to get it though (whoop-dee-doo).

[Stark]

If you buy in the US, it's $60 and about $8-12 shipping; so about $90. Asian copies are generally $40-$50 and $5 shipping. Aside from region locking (and return policies) there is no reason to buy in a store.

Ebay etc is even better; I bought Fable2 GOTY for like $30 bucks including shipping.

[Aaron]

So whats FO3 go for there? The game of the year edition was still 60+ here last time I checked.

[Stark]

No idea. But if I imported RDR it'd total maybe $90-95 AU, cmopared to $120 in a store.

When you factor in economies of scale, AU consumers get ripped if they're dumb enough to buy in a store.

[Losonti Tokash]

No idea. But if I imported RDR it'd total maybe $90-95 AU, cmopared to $120 in a store.

When you factor in economies of scale, AU consumers get ripped if they're dumb enough to buy in a store.

Which then leads to game companies viewing Australia as a bad market FOR COMPLETELY WRONG REASONS, making them dick the country over even more.

[defanatic]

Seeing it from their side, the publisher actually loses more money from second hand game sales than piracy. So, if they behave in such a draconian way about piracy, then why not second hand game sales?

[Stark]

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

[Elessar]

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

Sadly true too. The idiots in charge believe in the notion that any pirated download is a "lost" purchase, as if that sale would have been made if the cost was actually retail.

But hey, when you're jumping to conclusions like that, why not apply the logic to used sales? That's 30 bucks that Gamestop just stole from you!

[Stark]

Except piracy is illegal, and reselling isn't. Oops property rights?

[Alphawolf55]

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

Sadly true too. The idiots in charge believe in the notion that any pirated download is a "lost" purchase, as if that sale would have been made if the cost was actually retail.

But hey, when you're jumping to conclusions like that, why not apply the logic to used sales? That's 30 bucks that Gamestop just stole from you!

Umm except it pretty much IS 30 dollars Gamestop stole from them. The majority of used game sales generally take place within the first month of a game's release, during that period the general difference is 5-10 dollars, it's not ridiculous to believe that if there were no used games, a good portion of those people would've bought it used.

[Stark]

ITT we learn 'secondary market' = 'theft'.

Just like how trading shares is 'stealing' from the issuer! If only secondary markets were illegal!

[adam_grif]

Or like how buying a house instead of building it is stealing from construction workers.

Also, in fairness, you can usually pick up new games at 78 or 88 AUD from JB HiFi straight from launch. Lots of places will pricematch them too, and my local EB will pricematch things from the JB online store.

[Stark]

Yeah, EB marked prices are basically a joke if there's a JB or Big W around. EB HATES Big W.

But who keeps games for more than a week anyway? I kept Lost Planet for like 3 hours!