Though the
recently opened Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Arizona contains all the electronic doodads and software you'd expect to find in a Microsoft-branded retailer, there's one pleasant surprise waiting there for PC gaming enthusiasts.
That VideoGame Blog reports that kiosks are distributed throughout the store which allow shoppers to order a Games for Windows title, leave their name with a customer service representative, then have the game, case, insert and other accouterments printed on the spot in under four minutes.
We imagine the whole process is similar to the teddy synthesis featured in Build-a-Bear Workshops, only without all the haunting, ever-gurgling vats of stuffed animal guts featured prominently on the sales floor.
{ Oct 23rd 2009 at 4:00PM } 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ima747 @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:03PM
is it just me or is the fake exit pictures above a little ominous?
Shagittarius @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:05PM
I don't know it looks obvious to me...
drown @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:09PM
Stay a while, stay FOREVER!
Danthok @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:14PM
*Reaches for door handle*
Blue screen of death !!! Fatal Exception error!!!
Queue freaky Windows Narrator synthesized voice.......
Maulok @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:43PM
Haha! "This is how the outside of the store looked before the zombie apocalypse ravaged the town. Exit at your own risk."
bongoes Sector 2814 @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:45PM
Hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to escape!
bongoes Sector 2814 @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:46PM
Or you could just press the Esc key, stupid me.
Matt @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:14PM
I can count, on one hand, the amount of Blue Screens of Death I've seen on Windows XP or Vista PCs in the past eight years - that joke is a tad old.
Go hang out with your Mac some more.
Shinji @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:58PM
Yep. The last BSOD I got was a software issue with MacDrive not able to handle vhd unmounting correctly. The bug was reported and issue was resolved.
Rudy van DiSarzio, Jazz fusion guitarist. (I go by many names...) @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:03PM
Is Microsoft gonna open one of these stores in the UK?
HippoHero @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:04PM
That is the coolest thing ever. And here I am using Steam like a sucker.
Storm Eagle [Resident Capcom Megafan] @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:06PM
Sarcasm spotted. Noted. Appreciated.
HippoHero @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:22PM
But seriously. I would actually go do this if one opened where I live.
But I wouldn't leave my name with a staff member. I would just stare over their shoulder while it printed.
Einhanderkiller @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:42PM
It would be pretty cool if you could go to a store and get your Steam games printed.
KeenCommander @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:55PM
It would be pretty cool if you could resell your Steam games too, but...
Ballistic H @ Oct 23rd 2009 10:49PM
One big problem: internal theft. An employee could play around the system, print many games and resell them to benefit himself.
Optimaximal @ Oct 24th 2009 3:09AM
I'm sure they've thought of this - I doubt the 'printed' games are either resellable or true retail packages. They're more likely just a version of the game locked to a Microsoft Live account of your choice.
Storm Eagle [Resident Capcom Megafan] @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:06PM
Will I be able to make non-color instruction manuals color?
Will I be able to remove non-essential Spanish, French, etc. translations from product?
Can I opt NOT to get annoying insets (postcards, leaflet ads, etc.) placed inside the box?
THESE are the important questions.
Electro Poof [Super Nintendo IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING - Now Only $29.99] @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:12PM
Yes, If you have OCD
KeenCommander @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:29PM
Don't make fun of people with OCD, please, especially when it's completely irrelevant.
Extinction @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:36PM
I agree with Storm. Those are important questions
THE HEAVY @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:06PM
That is extremely awesome.
Gamer4Life @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:08PM
Wait till Xbox games can be purchased this way.
Goopyshrey @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:25PM
That would please me greatly, the whole experience it self seems pretty interesting
Danthok @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:10PM
Rather pointless, except in the extreme case of a PC game being sold out. Well I guess it may come in handy for older, out of print games, but I do not think any of the Games for Windows games are that old.
Danthok @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:11PM
They should subsidize the price since the transport cost is nil. Then I would get excited about it.
jayeffaar @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:23PM
They should, but what they will do instead is increase the price since it's (supposedly) more convenient for you and they will never have a backstore full of old game boxes that they need to move. See all the downloadable stuff (games on demand and movies) on Xbox Live for reference.
Reuben @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:40PM
That will probably never happen. The price will either stay the same, or increase slightly.
Luscious @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:44PM
Not pointless, it saves money, resources, and the environment from printing and manufacturing boxes, cases, discs, etc that might not be sold, since it's basically on-demand. It's actually probably the best solution for selling software while being environmentally and financially conscious aside from digital distribution. And, we get to keep our game packages etc, which I'm a fan of. Seems like everyone wins.
MRLN (The Comment God) @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:14PM
Cool.
That's about it, it's not very practical.
Professor Lario @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:17PM
It starts becoming practical very quickly from a business perspective. No freight costs, no shortages, very little supply chain management, no stores selling your game for $15...
Courtney @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:20PM
It's very practical from a retail standpoint, you can free up space on the floor and in your backroom inventory. You don't have the shipping or handling costs, or the risk of products being damaged and the additional work of returning any merchandise to the distributor. You can have a virtually infinite variety. It saves the publishers costs, by cutting out a distributor and possible overproduction runs.
Unfortunately, I doubt that any of the savings that retailers and publishers get will be passed onto the consumer.
It also destroys the process of actually walking down an aisle and browsing through boxes, which I think would likely hurt the sales of some games. It seems like it would vastly cut down on impulse buys, which is bad for retailers, publishers and developers.
Vcize @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:34PM
The wii's sales would be cut to a 20th of what they are if this ever became the norm
Warlock @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:38PM
There are problems with this though. The article says it takes about 4 minutes to print a game. Imagine this with several customers trying to use a limited number of kiosks - especially on heavy shopping days like Black Friday. It works for a small place like these Microsoft Stores where you'll only be getting a handful of customers at a time, but when you move to larger retail, it does create some queuing problems.
Still, there are a lot of advantages to this from a retailer's perspective. Once this kind of thing is perfected, I could see it taking off mainstream and replacing traditional stock.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:19PM
Makes sense for those who don't have broadband connections. Stores don't have to stock up on individual games and can make them on-demand, a consumer version of just in time manufacturing. It's a great business model, at least until super-fast broadband becomes the norm, not the $100/month FioS connection.
Mike @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:30PM
Wow. This seems like it could be a good idea.
You could have game labels/packaging customized just for you, perhaps a few different cover options to choose from (just like how different Guild Wars boxes have different characters on them), or you could make pretty awesome gift packaging. Throw your own photo(s) on there, maybe.
Microsoft might want to consider expanding this idea a bit. I think they could get away with charging a few extra bucks for people to get a copy of their "favorite" game customized with their name and other stuff. It could be huge on the larger releases like, say, BioShock 2.
To be honest, it's a waste of money for a consumer to pay extra for a customized game disc/packaging, but I'd bet more than a few people would try it at least once.
Maulok @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:45PM
Not sure I understand how going to a MS store and waiting for them to burn a copy of a game is more convenient than:
a) ready made retail box copies at any other store
b) Steam
joeybeast @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:48PM
The store doesn't have Apple store's wow factor, at all.
Raffi @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:05PM
Thank god for that!
joeybeast @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:08PM
By that I meant it looks like a freaking Best Buy.
Duke @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:15PM
I find a best buy to be more comfortable than the Apple store though, so that's a plus to me. Now if this will make Zune HD peripheral suppliers appear that would be great!
nick @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:42PM
Have you been in an Apple store lately?
I can't believe how they ruined our local store.
It looks like a big open hall now. They got rid almost all the inventory and anything that divided up the space into sections. Instead, you walk in, and you see nothing but tables with hands-on displays for Mac and iPods. What little inventory they now have available resides a single shelf at the far end of each side of the room. One for Mac software (on the left side), and one for iPod accessories (on the right side). The check-out area was removed. The genius area is now at the end of the room, and also functions as check out. It's impossible to buy anything and check out because the geniuses are held up with user questions.
It's like walking into a school gym that has tables setup for computers in the middle and then concessions at the far end.
I was shocked at how drastically the store has changed.
Zo @ Oct 23rd 2009 4:52PM
To those complaining about costs not be reduced...consider the following:
There is a lot of costs that retailer absorb that you never see in the price of the game to being with....which includes none exclusively:
- Floor/Shelf space and the tax on the floor/shelf space
- Inventory management and the people to manage and maintain it
- Tax on the inventory itself
- Loss from theft/damage/returns
The costs that they still have kiosk or not:
- Someone to run the kiosk
- Consumables (ink, paper, CDs, maintenance on the kiosk)
- Additional IT infrastructure and support ot keep that Kiosk going
- Reporting to show that something was actually purchased so that the tax man can get his piece including required audits.
So, they are taking out expenses that the store was eating anyway that was never reflected in the price to begin with -- but the cost of getting that CD to your hand is just about the same but shifted so you pay about the same.
It is the same reason that grocery stores don't charge less for the self check-out. That Apple costs the same self check or using a person.
BUT, how is it that Blu-ray movies are often prices higher than DVD but nobody seems to care? Everyone here is happy to pay more to get soda or snacks from a vending machine, but you guys are ok with that? And we all pay more for a newspaper or magazine at a newstand or store -- but we are all ok with that --- but don't mess with our video games!
Dr. Bradwart @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:09PM
You make some good points. However, I'm okay with the higher prices on Blu-Ray's because A: The discs cost more to manufacture. B: They're higher quality, and the cases are sturdier. and C: The movie has generally been restored/had special features added that make it worth the extra cost. As for soda and newspapers; that's a 'convenience tax'. Because we want it now, instead of waiting, we're willing to spend more.
Games are different. There is no subscription model that allows us to acquire them cheaper. We can't join a fanclub for discounts. (EDGE card doesn't count). And the entire market moves up in price if one company does, as seen by the initial 'next-gen tax' on 360 titles. Not so with the consumer goods market.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:25PM
There is an advantage that should reflect in cost. Retailers won't have to stock up on games ahead of time, leading to potential mark-downs to clear stock to make room for more.
CH3BURASHKA @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:16PM
I'm convinced that this wasn't decided out of convenience for the PC gamer, but rather to prevent shoplifting.
Dr. Bradwart @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:21PM
Which keeps prices down.
Tony F. @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:45PM
This is stupid. What if 300 people come in to buy a game? Are they going to print 300 copies of the game? that would be 20 hours of non stop printing..... that being if they only got 1 machine..
HippoHero @ Oct 23rd 2009 6:03PM
I worked retail once. 300 video game sales a day is rare, much less all at once. At about 4 minutes a print and with the "leave your name and come back when it's done" service, I wouldn't expect this to be any more crowded than Wal-Mart's photo booths.
Maybe even less so.
shibathedog @ Oct 23rd 2009 5:46PM
So if I don't want the fancy packaging can I save a couple bucks? A blank CD labeled with a sharpie is good enough for me.