PSPgoes to Oz [ COMIC ]
The first paragraph of this article definitely caught my attention. It said, “One Dutch retailer refusing to stock the PSPgo is an isolated incident. But when the Aussie branch of EB Games says “no, thanks” as well, you’ve got a trend on your hands.”
Wow! Really?
First off, I definitely want to hear from the Australian readers. They mention that GAME and JB Hi-Fi will still be carrying the system, but does EB Games not carrying it affect your decision to buy it in anyway? And/or were you ever even intending to buy it in the first place?
Second, my two cents. Now as of right now I have no plans on buying a PSPgo, but things can definitely change down the road. That said, from a consumer’s point of view I think it sucks that Australia’s branch of EB Games, EB Games being one of the biggest video game retailer’s in the world, will not be carrying the latest incarnation of Sony’s handheld. But since I’m not a regular patron of EB Games, they’ll neither gain nor lose my business when and if I ever decide to buy own. But from a business point of view, I kind of understand why they did it…
Let’s compare the PSPgo to the iPhone, of which AT&T is the exclusive retailer it here in the U.S. Both the PSPgo and the iPhone have no physical “cartridges” that hold their games or applications on, they are all received digitally. Also, both the iPhone and the PSPgo have very little profit to be gained by the retailer from sales the actual device. With that said, when AT&T sells the iPhone they still make money from the consumer for monthly service fees for at least the next two years. Now when EB Games were to sell a PSPgo, that’s where their profit gains cease.
There’s no misconception that EB Games makes the majority of it’s money of the sale of the video games of consoles. And that their highest profits come from sales of used video games. So here’s the question: If you were a company where the majority of your money came from the sale of used video games, would you support a system that if it does well will hurt you financially in the long run? Or would you not support it in the hopes that your company’s shunning is it’s undoing? Definitely a mixed bag of tricks on that one.
One last thing, I will be at SPX this weekend. And I will be keeping up with the happenings via my Twitter account. So if you want to know what’s going on at SPX or just follow me for fun, here’s a good time to do so.
