Gamers still prefer used over digital, new NPD reports show
By Tim Colwill on March 8, 2013 at 1:37 pm
A recent survey by the NPD Group, whose work basically provides the most reliable guidance as to gamer consumer trends, has found that more people are still buying used games than buying digitally. 78 percent of ‘core gamers’ — defined as those who play for more than five hours a week — frequently purchase used games, while only 70 percent buy full digital games regularly.
Both of these stats are beaten out by new retail games, which still sits at 88 percent. Digital continues to make inroads, but, as these figures show, it still has a long way to go to fully eclipse the traditional model. In fact, as NPD analyst Liam Callahan added in the report: “While many core gamers indicate they are purchasing full games and digital add-on content frequently, there are those that stated they have never purchased digital content.”
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
PC hardware sales down across the board in 2013 so far
Unless you're Lenovo, that is!
Australian game prices lower in 2012 than any year on record
Falling console prices and Skylanders cited.
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I’ve seen pre-owned or ‘used’ console games sitting in EB for more expensive than most of what I pre-order the same AAA PC releases for at GmG/Ozgameshop/Gamersgate/CJS…
Silly mainstream sheep, keeping these retailers in business and fueling the fire of why our price gouging problem in Aus is despicable.
According to this report most Aussies like bending over, lubing up and being ripped off..? How baffling, and embarresing.. :S
Wonder how this breaks down by platform?
Also number of people surveyed, how they were surveyed, etc?
Dont forget….
By how many active brain cells.
Common sense level.
And feralism status..
When I owned a PS3 I don’t think I ever actually bought any new games, I’d always just check out the used section in EB Games and pick them up for $10 or $20 and although some were a huge ripoff I did pretty well.
I did laugh though when I went in to buy a second controller, and the used controller was $5 cheaper than the brand new one.
For me it is simple ..
Console games I will try to find 2nd hand (unless needs online pass)
PC games I will buy digital.
Thanks Origin
I’ve never tried buying console games digitally. Does it halt anything else you might want to do with the console? Part of the reason I find digital so useful on PC is that I can buy, download, and install a game all while doing other things.
From my experience, console games digitally tend to be more expensive
2nd hand console games you can get for $15-20
Not surprising considering the console market is bigger. If PC was the bigger market then digital would be preferred over second hand purchases.
It’s pretty bizare that they are clearly only talking about console games in the statistics, and yet phrasing it such that baxically all games = console games.
If this is the most ‘reliable’ sales info companies can get, no wonder things are so screwed up
If anything console online has a huge drawback. I downloaded the Jak and Daxter Trilogy on the PSN because I didn’t know there was a physical copy(ies) of it. If mt PS3 crashed, I lose the games as its linked to it. While if I had physical copies, sure I’d lose the data, but I still have the discs.
+ you cant transfer them account wise so if said account is gone, you cant back it up or anything. you have to re-buy it.
NPD are stupid with their figures, apparently they group PC and Console together.
Journo’s should mention this in their articles..
i.e
PC digitial downloads % over consoles would be much much higher.
PC used games purchases are practically non-existent, compared to consoles.
i like games… new, old, digital
Physical copies are only for when digital copies are region-priced before affordability. Used games, however, do no-one apart from used-game sellers any good. It’s like piracy except someone is making a profit – so it’s worse than piracy…