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Walmart to start removing physical Xbox games in store starting with Starfield.
- Thread starter Bernoulli
- Start date
HeWhoWalks
Gold Member
Include Switch with handhelds. It's such a hit because of that component.
Magic Carpet
Member
TIL There is a physical version of Starfield.
or was
or was
They have gamepass balls deep in their throats. Fuck everything else : gamepass is everything!
Maddux4164
Member
Yeah. Nintendo has never swung and missed with handhelds.
That is truly their THING. They now know it and likely will keep this hybrid deal for the foreseeable future. They print money
FrankWza
Member
It would give retailers less of an incentive to use floor and warehouse space on xbox hardware. Accessories are higher margin but most likely don't sell as often per customer as games do and usually don't have launches that bring customers to stores.
NuclearDiarrhea
Member
no one but you, frankly MS short-sighted decision to go all digital on the entry device probably helped seal its failure, sony's data showed new releases are usually 50% plus physical, ms all digital s was a screw you to consumers that like a choice.
plus this means Xbox games are going to make like GFWL, i.e. they'll be gone,
look forward to losing access to those digital games when ms is done with xbox,
All the PC is all digital type, everyone lucked out that Gabe Newell was crazy rich before value , very generous and is passionate about games, as if it wasn't for him, and if anything happens to him, the pc marketplace can become just as fickle as every other one
cash_longfellow
Member
Just in time for the ps5 Starfield announcement…nice 
a multicultural team of v
Member
Honestly this is a perfect example of why physical is so important and actually helps keep prices, including digital, down.
I'm guessing it sold like shit and there are a ton of copies out there that need to be firesaled by the store, but since it is physical and actually resellable that would massively deflate the secondhand selling price since the market will be flooded with more copies than people actually want. Which would impact how much Microsoft could charge digitally, because they can't charge $60 for a game digitally when someone can easily buy it for $10 on eBay. The stores disposing them fixes this problem and recreates an artificial scarcity so that there is no competition with their digital price.
Edit: another twist, perhaps there is going to be something like allowing you to trade in your Xbox physical copy for a PC key, again they would want to limit the number of game copies out there so that people aren't buying one on eBay for $10 and getting a PC key.
I'm guessing it sold like shit and there are a ton of copies out there that need to be firesaled by the store, but since it is physical and actually resellable that would massively deflate the secondhand selling price since the market will be flooded with more copies than people actually want. Which would impact how much Microsoft could charge digitally, because they can't charge $60 for a game digitally when someone can easily buy it for $10 on eBay. The stores disposing them fixes this problem and recreates an artificial scarcity so that there is no competition with their digital price.
Edit: another twist, perhaps there is going to be something like allowing you to trade in your Xbox physical copy for a PC key, again they would want to limit the number of game copies out there so that people aren't buying one on eBay for $10 and getting a PC key.
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Maddux4164
Member
Isn’t the MAIN problem with physical now….
That it’s barely a working game? It’s useless without the bevy of patches and updates it gets
So in the end, physical games in 2024 aren’t really the game anyhow. It’s merely a rushed version of code on a disc. That’s the main reason I’m kinda “meh” on physical
Nintendo kinda stands alone on this and typically they ship full and playable games
That it’s barely a working game? It’s useless without the bevy of patches and updates it gets
So in the end, physical games in 2024 aren’t really the game anyhow. It’s merely a rushed version of code on a disc. That’s the main reason I’m kinda “meh” on physical
Nintendo kinda stands alone on this and typically they ship full and playable games
angrod14
Member
In that case, physical games aren't going to save anyone. They require very specific hardware to run, and if that hardware is no longer supported/in production, it's only a matter of time consoles start dying and you can't play the games anymore. Everything has a lifespan.
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hopefully, he'll live a nice long time, not just because of steam either,
I've got 45-year-old Ataris and 50 year old odysseys that are just fine, hardware will be around longer than xbox servers will,
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
For the 3 United States cents, it's finally worth it!
Yeah, Walmart is just starting with physical products that aren't selling that well first. Makes perfect sense for a retailer to do. Shelf space and all that.
Have to start somewhere.
Maddux4164
Member
Do they still sell cds? Can’t recall seeing any. Used to be 3-4 ailes of them
That’s exactly where games are going
Outta the store
Astray
Member
Xbox are likely paying full MSRP on all unsold units to completely obliterate all stock asap. This is a drastic fucking move and tells you that shit is likely happening rn at Redmond.
Happosai
Hold onto your panties
The 3 cents still has me super puzzled. Even if they dropped physical by the end of Q1 at every retailer...you'd still want to go down with a slightly higher profit margin. At that price, may as well give them out for free.
BlackTron
Member
It claims memo states system will block the purchase. If so it's not actually intended to be sold at this price. I think the point is that if you go on Monday there *might* be a chance of taking advantage while the wires are being crossed and swipe one for 3 cents. Personally I think it's farfetched but it might be worth a try because I'll be driving past like 3 Walmarts on Monday anyway.
I think it's more for something like internal inventory value though I don't know what the mechanics of it all are.
Simpkin92
Member
Goodbye Xbox it was a good run (I guess?) been a huge fan since 2008, but these last few years were painful. I’ll be getting a PS5 by summer, a switch 2 when it comes out and start building my PC to play your future releases. I’ll never really understand why you couldn’t just be normal like us Xbox fans wanted. Adieu
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
If you look back on the Genesis/Nintendo days retail stores were only interested because they could move so many units. You could go demo a console in front the CEO of Walmart and he’d wager how many units the store could sell. I forgot which store offered what amount, but it might be Walmart and I think it was Nintendo. Iirc it was Donkey Kong Country on SNES. They probably ran the same market as mom and pop game stores for a while. They cashed in when the medium was hot for Wii’s and Rockband guitars. Before that it was due to availability and e-commerce wasn’t as big. Now it’s so saturated with online shopping and the digital store fronts built into the console.
cinnamonandgravy
Member
just mod the x360 hd-dvd usb drive to read blu-ray discs, then mod future xbox's to accept the usb drive, and youre golden.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
Good luck getting anyone to buy.
reinking
Gold Member
At first glance I thought you said Penis. Which is totally appropriate for Walmart.
You have to ask Phil, well, he'll spin the answer to the point where you'll leave feeling excited about Xbox future (again).
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NeonGhost
uses 'M$' - What year is it? Not 2002.
A lot of people don’t have have functioning brain cells
AngelMuffin
Member
As long as it’s not called the Switch U, it will be successful.
The Fuzz damn you!
Gold Member
No, this is stripped stock. MS will buy them back at the price they charged Walmart. It’s a common practice for books and magazines, although I don’t know how prevalent it has been for disk-based media.
MiguelItUp
Member
I can't imagine Walmart was killing it in physical game sales anyway to be honest, lol. I mean, unless it's areas where there's literally nothing but a Walmart. Which, isn't really the case these days as far as I know.
To each their own, but I'll never understand the desire to NOT want to own something physical. Something that you can have and own as long as you have it in your possession. With digital if you're forced to accept it, you're forced to accept it.
But I'll never understand a world where digital is still paying physical prices, and it's "yours" but things could happen to make it no longer yours and its beyond your control. I feel like a lot needs to change if everyone and everything was to be digital.
To each their own, but I'll never understand the desire to NOT want to own something physical. Something that you can have and own as long as you have it in your possession. With digital if you're forced to accept it, you're forced to accept it.
But I'll never understand a world where digital is still paying physical prices, and it's "yours" but things could happen to make it no longer yours and its beyond your control. I feel like a lot needs to change if everyone and everything was to be digital.
SkylineRKR
Member
What is their game here?
It lines up with the rumor they will offer discless systems only soon.
It lines up with the rumor they will offer discless systems only soon.
Sushi_Combo
Member
Best deal in gaming.
Astray
Member
And what is the price they charged Wal-Mart?
Where I live, the typical retail agreement had the retailer purchasing stock at MSRP, then receiving an agreed percentage of said MSRP (typically called a distribution fee) when a sale happens, goes like this for everything from detergents to disks. Discounts are a special case, but they typically involve the vendor paying money to cover the amount the retailer would lose due to the discount.
It's deeply unlikely things are much different in the US.
Mr Moose
Member
But why? I don't get it. Why this game? It did quite well in sales.
Astray
Member
My guess would be as good as yours tbh.
Mr Moose
Member
MS going to be a digital only publisher. That's the only thing I can think of but that doesn't make sense either lol.
Edit: From 2023
Might be worth adding this to the OP?“I would expect to see this trend continue in 2024. I've heard rumblings that Wal-Mart is dropping physical Xbox games soon, and I have to imagine further cuts to physical gaming sections will be made as we get deeper into next year. […] I'd expect deeper changes in their gaming department as time goes on. Retail is becoming more and more challenging and in-store game sales are declining, only makes sense they'll reduce the department in time.”
Best Buy Reportedly Dumping Physical Media, Walmart Ditching Xbox Titles as Boxed Games Fade [Update]
Worrying news for fans of boxed games, as both Best Buy and Walmart are reportedly cutting back on physical media.wccftech.com
That's actually terrible. I don't give a fuck about MS and Xbox (fuck them for threatening the UK) but the disc gamers...
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thatJohann
Member
I’m glad I sold my Series X and PS5. The only console worth having is a Switch (imo)
OuterLimits
Member
I suppose Nintendo will be the last one still supporting physical in the not too distant future. Largely because the Japanese domestic market still prefers it. Plus in the U.S. Nintendo games easily make top 10 lists without even reporting digital sales.
The Fuzz damn you!
Gold Member
If that’s the case, then it really makes no difference. The point is that MS aren’t paying more than they received in order to reclaim these copies, which I think the post I replied to was implying.
It could well be that this was MS’s plan - oversupply with an agreement that Walmart will provide more shelf-space, which advertises the game and the platform, then buy back remaindered stock.
Or, the game just didn’t sell as well as MS anticipated, at least at Walmart.
Or both.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Re-release maybe?
it *is* weird that it's just for one game, and that too that was in the top selling games of last year.
Mr Moose
Member
Seems to be a thing that was known to be happening from last year.
Unfortunately it seems not.
Best Buy Reportedly Dumping Physical Media, Walmart Ditching Xbox Titles as Boxed Games Fade [Update]
Worrying news for fans of boxed games, as both Best Buy and Walmart are reportedly cutting back on physical media.
wccftech.com
Edit: This is actually making me sad.
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