Sony introducing one-time-use online codes with Resistance 3

@latin trident

Epic-est troll post EVER.

@latin trident

They already did. Try buying a used copy of Mortal Kombat and you'll see.

@latin trident

I can only hope that Microsoft and Nintendo don't follow suit with their first-party games. Nintendo seems likely if Sony is doing it since online play is free.

It doesn't really bother me so much since I really don't play any PS3 games' online multiplayer, but it does bother me with the type of influence this can have on the rest of the industry, primarily the other two of the big three.

@latin trident

you already have to pay to play any game online on XBL.

@ItsameMatt03
As if playing online on the Wii wasn't bad enough, but paying extra for it?

@Kirkpad

I meant paying extra for online multiplayer. I understand paying for the xbox live service but if I were to buy a new copy of Halo 4 and on top of that I had to pay 800 MS points for a freaking 12kb download that allowed me to access online multiplayer, i'd be ticked.

No, i'm not trying to troll, just leaving a comment i wanted to share.

@latin trident
You don't pay for online pass on top of the cost of a new/retail purchased game. It comes with a leaflet that has the code to redeem.

@(Unverified)
its not paying extra if you buy it new.

@(Unverified)

MK when bought used comes with an online pass, which is why it's $55 used at gamestop where as other used games that have passes are $47 (with no pass.)

@latin trident

Hell I hope they do, and with every damn system. It's not like if you buy the game new you have to pay $10 to use online features, it's entirely targeted at punishing Gamestop for hurting a lot of their sales and not giving one damn bit about it. GS will be forced at that rate to lower their used prices at least $10 to stay competitive. If you aren't caring about online you get a benefit out of it, and if you do well better buy new or find it cheaper used. It's about harming the trolls of gamestop and the like, not you.

@TanookiSuit

Aww, forgive us if we don't care about the big corporate babies that want to milk us for every dollar. Between PC CD Keys that make it where you and only you can own the game you bought (making it so you can NEVER sell it when you're done), and systems like these, we're pretty much renting our games from companies. We don't own our games anymore.

I've stopped buying games for my PS3 at all. Also, I really don't give a damn about GameStop. They put games out there that generally end up being affordable, and most of them are already pre-owned. They fulfill a service that people want, and need. The game companies are trying to monopolize the market so you can only buy new, and where used games are worthless.

Wouldn't it be amazing if you FF7 came out new in this year? Used versions of the game would probably cut you off on the 3rd or 4th disk...

@TanookiSuit I'll say it time and time again, if Sony (or ANY dev) wanted to really hurt the second-hand game market...they'd stop sending new releases to Gamestop and force them to rely entirely on their used game sales.

But as long as Sony (and ANY other dev) continues to send GameStop and their kind new copies, it's a hypocritical approach.

@ShivanSwordsman
To be fair, the software licensing model (whether you or anyone likes it or not) has been around for a long time. What Sony and the others are doing is what is called a "re-licensing" or "transfer" fee. But that is a lot harder to market.

By this business pattern, you really don't own the game. You are licensed the ability to run it on your system. The medium on which the binary was delivered to you (Blu-ray/dvd/download) has nothing to do with ownership. It is akin to streaming movies on Netflix. You don't own those streams when they are on your system.

And if you think all of this is too vague, wait a few years when services like OnLive and Gaikai become more prevalent and your game delivery system is similar to the Netflix model.

@TRTX
Sometimes customers buy new games from their used game sales (I know I have). Especially if you want a really recent title, the price difference between a used and new one is pretty small.

@trinica
By buying used, you're not really supporting the game in the first place.

@mywhitenoise

how many times must we have this discussion.

take away used titles and gamestop suffers, if gamestop suffers, they'll close stores, if they close stores game publishers will sell less new games.

@trinica

Exactly. Switching your stance from "buying used" to "not buying at all" is pretty much the same as far as devs are concerned.

I'm guessing that this will have the effect of pushing used game prices down where the pass is applicable. There is no way Gamestop will be able to sell a game for $35 if the person buying it knows that they'll have to fork over an additional $10 to play it online.

Then again, how many consumers are that well informed?

@eat it

I'm sure if Gamestop closes we'll all find SOME way to purchase our games. Honestly, with Amazon's pre-order bonuses, and 99 cent release date delivery, I can't remember the last game I bought from a brick and mortar store. And with inFamous 2 being available from PSN only 2 weeks after it's release...I think the game industry will survive somehow.

@trinica

There are plenty of ways to buy new games that are cheaper than buying Gamestop's *used* price. Just follow Amazon's or K-Marts sales, watch Cheapassgamer, etc. You'll often pay less than used for a new copy, and support companies who don't have such an anti-consumer attitude as Gamestop has.

@mywhitenoise

The fact that he was able to buy a game used means that someone already bought it new and supported the developers.

@mywhitenoise Well, obviously. But companies need to support customers too.

@eat it
if Gamestop closes, people will buy elsewhere. People are stupid, but not THAT stupid.

"Oh gamestop closed...guess I can't buy anymore games now! If only the internet sold games, or something"

@mywhitenoise

Also DON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO SELL DIGITAL MUSIC! If you do that, it will hurt some music retailers like Sound Warehouse, and then nobody will ever be able to buy or sell music again and nobody will be able to make music anymore.

@Koya

I am speechless. Why not wait 6-12 months and get the game for 29$ or 19$ there are so many great game, if you can't afford full price then buy NEW game 1 year later and you will be able to get it for so much less while at the same time supporting the developer.

@mywhitenoise
If I buy the game used and have to purchase a pass to play online then yeah, that's kind of supporting it....What a stupid comment. I can't believe people gave you +1 for a comment that is as trolling as it is ignorant....

@Troy Powers

right you are but amazon sells used games too. they would suffer as well. and do you think they would offer those bonuses if they weren't making 7-10 dollars of commission off of every used game transaction between users? Or making tons of money by giving amazon credit for used games?

also just because you don't shop at gamestop doesn't mean it's not HUGE for the industry. you can't deny that. and it's huge because people trade in their games to help buy the next NEW game.

If I couldn't trade in my games, I would stop playing. I don't need a pile of games I never play. I can't afford it, and it's wasteful.

Because I can trade games and buy used I can justify spending $300 on a console and maybe buying 3 or 4 new games a year. You take that away, I'm not buying a console, because I'm not going to own one if I can only afford 3 or 4 games a year. I don't mind downloading games online but they need to be $20 or less for full titles

@eat it amazon, kmart, best buy, toys r us, target, actual mom and pop video game shops...

YEAH THE INDUSTRY WILL REALLY SUFFER.

@trinica
I agree with ur original post.
|I dont have the money to purchase new online games every time one comes out. The reason I dont want to wait a whole year to buy one is that I WANT TO PLAY IT ONLINE... Thats why I use Gamefly.
And lets face it, a year after a title comes out, only the people who have dedicated their lives to raping all the noobs are still playing. Making it no fun.
Well, 360 it is then. If this becomes more broad... I will revert back to only PC gaming.

@eat it

Yeah, because Gamestop is the only legitimate place to buy games...

There is NO discussion here. Buying used is the same as stealing in the eyes of the developer and the publisher. I absolutely can't blame EA for starting what they did. They have to pay to keep their servers running, and you feel entitled to roam free in their servers on a game you didn't pay them for?

@trinica
Except up until recently, you've never had to pay for an online pass...and you said you only buy used, and wont support a game with an online pass. You're not fooling anyone.

@Troy Powers

I've heard Gamestop prints the online pass code on the receipt when they sell those type of used games. I think thats what MLC (Myke-Myke on PSN) from Joystiq said and he works at Gamestop. Gamestop probably buys a whole slew of the codes directly from the publisher.

@mywhitenoise
Please, do point out where I said that I "only buy used." If I can't find a game used then I usually end up waiting for a sale or I pay full price if it's a game that I really want. With this online pass crap, I'm not going to support the game at all......ever. Not if it's on sale. Not if it's used. Not if it's full price. Not even if it's a game that I really want.

The point is that I am refusing to support any game that is like this.....If enough people do that, then the developers will suffer anyway.

@mywhitenoise
Yes it is. You are playing the game and if you enjoy it enough you will buy the DLC. Even if you bought THAT USED GAME, the publisher/developer already got their money for it in the first place.

This is just another way to milk the customer and get a piece of the gamestop pie. Wait til everything is DD and you will be stuck with a 60 dollar purchse thats worth jack crap. Even if you dont like the game you are stuck.

@eat it

Nonsense. You'll just get them from other retailers, and if not, you'll end up getting new games through digital distribution.

That being said, buying used games is the console version of torrenting them... about the same amount goes to the developer...

ST

@Koya
Keywords here:
"someone already bought it new and supported the developers. "
and
"I'm going to refuse to support any game that does this"

Ugh... so tired of this debate. Why should games be any different than any other non-perishable product on the market? Everyone else deals with a used market. Game devs and pubs are not deserving of any special treatment.

@mywhitenoise

Here's the flaw in the "Used is as good as piracy/not buying stance". When a game is sold as used SOMEONE has bought it before, so the dev got SOME money out of it. It's not like retailers got 30 copies of a game on launch day, opened them and sold them as used for pure profit. Going after the consumer is not the correct stance to take. Give us a better incentive to buy new, (Dead Space 2 and Alice: MR included a whole other game for free when bought new. More of that, less useless bullshit like character skins) or better yet, quit shoving $60 pieces of shit out the door and expect us to buy it day one without some way to try them.

I can buy used games and return them if i don't like them. The same cannot be said of new purchases, which is one reason i go for used. If I bought Game X new and i hate it or finish it in a few hours i'm stuck with it and will lose money if i sell it to ANYONE. If I buy Game Y used and hate it or finish it, i can take it back, switch it for another game and continue on.

@Steel Toad

for the record I don't buy or sell games at gamestop. I sell games on amazon or trade them in and then buy used or "new on sale."

If they take away my ability to trade and sell games I'm not going to be able to afford to keep buying new ones. that's lost money for the industry. also I don't buy full games online.

@(Unverified)
Wow. That's some serious whining there.

Look... for anyone bitching that they like buying used games but don't like the online pass system - you're being *cheap*. Plain and simple.
You want the same experience someone pays full retail for, at reduced cost. I'm not saying that used games shouldn't be sold, but I am definitely stating that you shouldn't expect a complete experience for a second hand product. The same goes for a car, house, etc.

- Wait for the game to go used to an amount where even with the online pass, it won't bring it to retail cost. If you're afraid that the competition won't be there or will be worse... that's the consequence of waiting around.
- Hell, you could do as I've done with Blu Ray combo packs: Split the cost among those who want the extra discs of the movie. That way, everyone has access to the game & the online pass.
- If buying at retail cost does affect your personal budget that much, SAVE for it! Or be responsible and buy more worthwhile "needs"(food/water, fuel, housing, school)than entertainment.

@Troy Powers

I agree that going with an online service like Amazon is the way to go, but I really don't like the fact that the PSN Infamous 2 is the same price as a retail copy. I understand that it's a new game and all, but this is the only industry that is attempting to sell a digital copy of something with the same price as its retail counterpart.

I know for a fact that it costs them much less to sell it online as they don't have to take packaging, or delivery costs into account, not to mention the mark up to $60 that allows retail stores a little bit of profit as well. All I'm asking is that maybe they sell it for $5-$10 less on PSN; I won't feel as if I'm getting robbed as much.

@trinica You're not supporting them anyways (used), so in the end there's no loss to them, not to mention it seems all developers will be doing this sooner or later.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

They're going to get a nice loss when gamers like me deliberately buy used on games that have this "feature" in opposition, or just stay away from them altogether.

I seriously want to go all William Wallace and roll up on these execs' on horse with flail in hand. Wakey wakey!

@Troy Powers That's just not true.

Even if you're not giving the publisher your money, you're adding to the player base. The size of the player base is hugely important for online games and the older the game gets, the more that player base is made up of used game buyers. There will still be a significant number of people who buy used for the campaign, but how many of them will now be willing to pay extra to play multi as well?

Besides that, how many games have you purchased after a friend recommended it? The more people that are playing your game, the more popular it is and the better it is for everybody involved.

The fact is, nobody else in any other industry earns money from used sales. There's no good reason game developers should. Do you pay extra to get access to fast forward on used DVDs? Do you have to pay extra for the first 5 chapters of a used book?

If they can't support themselves off first game sales, then there is a problem with their business model that needs to be addressed. Reducing the value of the game for the original paying customer is targeting the wrong people, exactly as DRM does.

well I guess Ill be buying alot less games, I'm not suporting any game that has this system, i buy my games on release date almost always so to me it doesn't matter, but this is just another scheme for the industry to milk money out of gamers.
want to profit from or curb used game sales? make the games have more longevity, support your games with DLC..... quality DLC.
As for wanting a piece of the used market I don't blame you, but how about this: negotiate with the resellers, amazon, gamestop and all the others, after all you protect your IP from individuals, why not from companies as well?

@trinica
Relevant: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2068-Project-Ten-Dollar

@packy17
You mean so they can turn the server off when they want? Because that is what EA, MS, and Sony do...
Online gaming servers survived for a long long time before any of this online pass BS or even XBL Gold.

Crap like this is why I have gone back to PC gaming.

Take Shift 2 for example. The console version was $60 new and had online pass, then the DLC was $10 each. Used the game right now at gamestop is $50, so add $10 for online pass and a used copy costs just as much as new.
The PC version was $50 at release. So brand new it is still cheaper than a used console copy.

@deftonesmx17

I play on both PC and PS3, and you'll find no argument from me about that. PC games are still usually cheaper, so yeah. If it's multiplatform, I'll usually go for the PC version now. But you know what you're getting into when you buy a console game product. There aren't unlimited amounts of space and server hardware to support online console games forever. SOME games can do it, like Warhawk, where you can set up your PS3 to be a dedicated server, but it's just not common and not efficient. I have for a few years now had it in my mind that if I can't afford to by a game or games new, I'm just not going to get them until I can. I know there are tons of sensible arguments against all this stuff, but movies/books/etc don't have to spend money and time hosting users in a virtual environment. IMO, buying used is fine for SP experiences, but if you want to play online, there SHOULD be a little something going the way of the developer. Maintenance is not cheap, nor is the electric bill they have to pay to keep everything green. A lot of people feel entitled when they buy something, and I understand that - but if they were to step back and see what goes into maintaining the games they love to play online, their attitudes might just change.

@packy17 What you say is true but only because the game companies force it to be that way. EA just discontinued online service for all their '08 and '09 titles, I would start my own server for them but EA won't let me. This is why people want to host their own servers. Resistance 3 is another game I won't play, this stuff has got to stop!