Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[GameStop reminds console makers that used games matter at market]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/07/gamestop-reminds-console-makers-that-used-games-matter-at-market/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/07/gamestop-reminds-console-makers-that-used-games-matter-at-market/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/07/gamestop-reminds-console-makers-that-used-games-matter-at-market/#comments Used games are an essential part of the video game marketplace, generating more than $700 million in trade credit toward new games each year, GameStop President Tony Bartel told Forbes. Bartel defended the importance of used games in next-gen systems, noting that "recent surveys" suggested 60 percent of game customers would be less likely to purchase a console that couldn't play used games.

Bartel wouldn't want to see the pre-owned business evaporate, since used game sales have been known to represent almost a quarter of GameStop's annual revenue. Bartel noted that regardless of next-gen capabilities, there were 100 million current-gen consoles in the US, so that market wouldn't disappear any time soon.

GameStop has been banging this drum for years, noting in 2009 that 75 percent of trade-in credit applied directly to the purchase of a new game. Bartel told Forbes that 70 percent of trade-ins went toward new games and hardware per year, of more than $1 billion total trade-in credit.

The PlayStation 4 will be able to play used games, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida confirmed.

JoystiqGameStop reminds console makers that used games matter at market originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamestopmicrosoftnext-gennintendoplaystationPre-ownedps3used-gameswii-uxboxThu, 07 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pocket Gamer: How to get Trophies in used Vita games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/pocket-gamer-how-to-get-trophies-in-used-vita-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/pocket-gamer-how-to-get-trophies-in-used-vita-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/29/pocket-gamer-how-to-get-trophies-in-used-vita-games/#comments We've seen Sony's own tips and tricks for the Vita, but as the device ages (six days old already!) more and more will appear, as Pocket Gamer shows with its tutorial that explains how to renew trophy-earning functionality in used Vita games.

Upon booting up a pre-owned Vita title, players will get a screen that reads, "You cannot earn trophies in this application. Only the first player to use an application can earn trophies. To earn trophies, you must link the Sony Entertainment Network account of the first player to use this application with the PS Vita system." Pocket Gamer says the following steps will render that warning useless:
  1. Go to the main menu and hold down the screen for two seconds, until little bubbles appear on the upper-right side of each game's icon. Hit the bubble you want and click "Delete."
  2. A screen reading "All data related to this application will be deleted" will pop up. Hit "OK."
  3. Load the game and you should be good to go.
This process won't delete the previous player's trophies, Pocket Gamer adds.

JoystiqPocket Gamer: How to get Trophies in used Vita games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playstationplaystation-vitaPre-ownedSONYtipstrickstrophiesused-gamesvitaWed, 29 Feb 2012 01:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gamestop's Buy 2, Get 1 Free on pre-owned goods offer is back on]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/gamestops-buy-2-get-1-free-on-pre-owned-goods-offer-is-back-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/gamestops-buy-2-get-1-free-on-pre-owned-goods-offer-is-back-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/gamestops-buy-2-get-1-free-on-pre-owned-goods-offer-is-back-on/#comments Every couple of months or so, GameStop gets bored with its usual routine of selling all of its used games and accessories, so it goes on weekend-long tears where it starts giving them away with the purchase of two other items. Fortunately for all of us, this is one of those weekends.

Continue reading Gamestop's Buy 2, Get 1 Free on pre-owned goods offer is back on

JoystiqGamestop's Buy 2, Get 1 Free on pre-owned goods offer is back on originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buy-two-get-onegamestoppre-ownedused-gamesFri, 15 Oct 2010 15:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Treyarch combating trade-ins by supporting Black Ops multiplayer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/treyarch-combating-trade-ins-by-supporting-black-ops-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/treyarch-combating-trade-ins-by-supporting-black-ops-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/10/treyarch-combating-trade-ins-by-supporting-black-ops-multiplayer/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Developers and publishers have gone to some pretty drastic measures to prevent having their new products put through the Gamestop wash, such as EA's Project Ten Dollar, or Ubisoft's highly controversial "Pre-Owned Smart Bomb," which, upon sensing a player's intent to trade a game in, destroys his or her entire city. However, according to Treyarch's Mark Lamia, the developer hopes to combat resales of Call of Duty: Black Ops by making its multiplayer component positively unquittable.

"We're going to support the hell out of Black Ops," Lamia recently explained to MCV. "That will be our focus post-release: making sure we keep our fans engaged, and hopefully as a result, they'll want to keep playing our game and won't want to trade it in." A noble goal, but people really love trading in their games, guys. We're afraid of how things might escalate if Treyarch fights to keep their wavering attention. "No, wait, don't go," they might say, "now the game has dinosaurs!"

JoystiqTreyarch combating trade-ins by supporting Black Ops multiplayer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionCall-of-Duty-Black-Opsfpsmark-lamiamicrosoftpcplaystationpre-ownedps3treyarchxboxFri, 10 Sep 2010 10:07:00 EST<![CDATA[7-Eleven to begin selling used games for $20 and below]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/7-eleven-to-begin-selling-used-games-for-20-and-below/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/7-eleven-to-begin-selling-used-games-for-20-and-below/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/7-eleven-to-begin-selling-used-games-for-20-and-below/#comments
[Flickr user Emples]
Beloved Slurpee vendor 7-Eleven plans to nab a share of the video game re-sale market by soon offering budget-priced pre-owned titles as part of a partnership with Game Trading Technologies, which announced the program today. The new initiative, excitedly dubbed "GREAT GAMES BELOW $20," is currently being introduced into more than 3,000 U.S. 7-Elevens (or roughly 50 percent of all franchises), with plans to eventually extend the service to most locations. "The program is available to all 7-Eleven U.S. franchisees, and we hope to have most U.S. stores on board by September," said GTT president Todd Hays.

The partnership will have GTT providing 7-Elevens with a "broad selection" of used games for "various" platforms at price points of $19.99 and below. If the selections are actually decent, we fear for how costly our surprisingly frequent late-night hot dog runs might soon become.

Joystiq7-Eleven to begin selling used games for $20 and below originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>7-elevengame-trading-technologiespre-ownedusedused-gamesMon, 19 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Used game retailers respond to 'Project Ten Dollar']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/21/used-game-retailers-respond-to-project-ten-dollar/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/21/used-game-retailers-respond-to-project-ten-dollar/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/21/used-game-retailers-respond-to-project-ten-dollar/#comments It's unsurprising that most game retailers who dabble in the pre-owned market feel jilted by an initiative EA CEO John Riccitiello calls "Project Ten Dollar" -- after all, it was designed to reclaim some of the revenues earned by secondhand sellers. A number of representatives from used game retailers recently spoke to GamesIndustry (login required) about the perils EA faces by bundling DLC redemption codes with new copies of the publisher's games.

Chipsworld exec Don McCabe said consumers won't prosper under this new system, as copies of the game will lose their resale value, but retailers will "just readjust [the price] bearing in mind you have to buy the voucher." Marc Day, CEO of SwapGame, says diminished resale value will do more harm than good to the publisher's bottom line, as "customers who trade in for cash or credit do so to acquire new games they could otherwise not afford."

Check out GamesIndustry's full article for more retailer opinions on EA's new DLC strategy. It's an interesting read on what might turn out to be a pretty vicious cycle.

JoystiqUsed game retailers respond to 'Project Ten Dollar' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dlceaelectronic-artsjohn-riccitiellopre-ownedproject-ten-dollarretailsalessecondhandused-gamesSun, 21 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GameStop 'Buy 2, Get 1 Free' used game sale starts tomorrow]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/gamestop-buy-2-get-1-free-used-game-sale-starts-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/gamestop-buy-2-get-1-free-used-game-sale-starts-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/gamestop-buy-2-get-1-free-used-game-sale-starts-tomorrow/#comments You've probably got a ton of brand new games you want to purchase, but with Christmas just around the corner, the available funds to buy things for yourself are likely dwindling. Tomorrow through Sunday, GameStop's got a helpful solution: A Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on all used games. The sale is both in-store and online, though you'll need to use code B2G1FREE, along with SAVER to get free shipping on $25-plus orders.

Just so there's no confusion, we're not suggesting that you buy used games for yourself to save money, far from it. We just can't help but think how much extra cash you'd have left for Assassin's Creed 2 if you got everyone on your list a second-hand copy of Wheelman.

[Via CheapCollegeGamers]

Check out Joystiq's Black Friday Game Deals Hub or jump to a retailer guide below:


For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Sales,
And other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com

JoystiqGameStop 'Buy 2, Get 1 Free' used game sale starts tomorrow originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>busbydealsDSgamestopholidaze-2009MicrosoftNintendopre-ownedsaleused-gamesWiiXbox-360Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Toys R Us testing the waters of the used games business]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/toys-r-us-testing-the-waters-of-the-used-games-business/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/toys-r-us-testing-the-waters-of-the-used-games-business/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/02/toys-r-us-testing-the-waters-of-the-used-games-business/#commentsFiled under:


When you happen to stumble upon a $2 billion sales arena which requires almost no initial investment to enter, it makes sense to jump right into it -- regardless of the tremendous girth of said arena's reigning champion. This appears to be the modus operandi for the giraffe-fronted retailer Toys R Us, who is currently entering the used games racket for a trial period in select stores nationwide, as evidenced by an in-store advertisement snapped by Cheap Ass Gamer user phear3d.

Speaking to a clerk at the store which contained the promo (embedded after the jump), phear3d learned that the trade-in program is being tested at certain stores over the next few months to see if the company wants to incorporate it on a wider and more permanent scale.

We spoke with a corporate Toys R Us representative, who confirmed the program is being tested "in a couple New York stores." He informed us the used games program is not occurring at the Times Square location, but wouldn't give specific locations when asked, as the company doesn't "really give information about tests going on in [its] stores." Furthermore, he couldn't discuss the details of the program, as that also falls under the purview of "testing," which the company won't elaborate on. If you've seen a sign for the program at your local store, please feel free to let us know the location and we'll try to get the details.

Hopefully, we'll see a return to the now-defunct "Geoffrey Bucks" system of the late '90s -- we've always thought the one thing missing from modern used trade practices was tangible, non-transferable paper currency.

Continue reading Toys R Us testing the waters of the used games business

JoystiqToys R Us testing the waters of the used games business originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheap-ass-gamergamestoppre-ownedtoys-r-usused-gamesMon, 02 Mar 2009 15:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: no pre-owned games for PS3?]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/rumor-no-pre-owned-games-for-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/rumor-no-pre-owned-games-for-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/24/rumor-no-pre-owned-games-for-ps3/#commentsFiled under: ,

According to GamesRadar (who struck out on their last PS3-rumor at bat), Sony might be looking to prevent the sale of pre-owned games by using a software licensing system similar to the one employed in the PC software space.

The rumor goes something like this: instead of purchasing the actual game, you purchase a nontransferable license to play the game, and the physical media is just a distribution method (think Microsoft Windows). While Sony does own some patents that might be used to this end, the issue is far more complicated than the technology and motivation behind it. Sure, Sony and most publishers would love to cut off the parasitic used-games industry, but would they do it at the expense of angering both retailers and consumers? Considering the dubious origin of the rumor -- "retail sources" -- and GamesRadar's past inaccuracy, it's far too early to get upset over this one.

Next-Gen offers their (similarly skeptical) take on the rumor, getting responses from an expert in retail law and two publishing sources who, though admittedly in favor of such a plan, concede that the story is unlikely.

[Thanks, SickNic and Kerina]

JoystiqRumor: no pre-owned games for PS3? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 May 2006 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Pre-ownedpreownedPS3RetailSonyUsedUsed gamesUsedGamesWed, 24 May 2006 17:27:00 EST