What's new in games?
| 17 December 2011
When buying a game, what would you rather do, click X on a joypad for a quick download while you grab something from the fridge? Or put your coat on, grab your wallet and trek into town? This will be the decision that faces PS Vita owners in the New Year. But on top of that, what if the download version was up to 40% cheaper than the price of the High Street game? Suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a tough choice.
The way we buy games is once again changing. But this time it’s the customer who could be quids in, while the big-name game chains could be well and truly brassic.
Japan will be the first country to test the new PS Vita pricing system when the sequel to Sony’s best selling PSP handheld launches. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is probably the biggest launch title for PS Vita. The next installment in the hugely popular Uncharted series will go on sale with the boxed over-the-counter version costing ¥5,980 (£49.85), while the digital download will cost ¥4,900 (£40.85).
Hot Shots Golf 6 will cost slightly less at ¥4,980 (£41.50) and ¥3,980 (£33.18). That’s some big savings on brand new games without any hassle of having to trek to the shops. And if the rumours are true, there’s even bigger discounts, up to 40%, set to be available on some titles as Sony attempts to encourage gamers to buy games directly.
The question is, why bother with shops? Well, for a start, some people simply like shopping. Browsing a games shop and finding a long forgotten gem or checking out the new pack of a forthcoming game is pretty cool. But then so is saving money at the press of a button.
Then there’s the packaging. Having a hard copy instruction manual and maybe a poster and a sticker or two. It can add to the experience. But not as much as getting the equivalent of a free game in every four or five purchases
But what has to be the biggest advantage of buying a retail game is the access to the pre-owned market. Virtually everyone I know now trades games in to fund buying another, and nearly as many people also buy preowned games.
But somehow I don’t think Sony will ever let you trade in a pre-owned digital title to help finance a new game. Digital downloads are much more a case of ‘buy it and own it’, but then if you’re making big savings even on launch day then it may well be worth getting involved.
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