[quote name='NSYNC']Props to
Brainberry,
Mirmo and
rams81 for actually using the thread to buy something under the new limitations! Looks like Sonic Generations will be a success, and it only took a day! Kinda reminds me of the "old" days. They deserve a cookie and a star next to their username, haha.
I got resellable slots of MotorStorm Apocalypse and Sonic Generations off the UK store for $33 this week. I'd say deals are still possible if we'd get back to business and stop trying to keep a secret we never use. Yes, it's more than what I would've paid pre-18th, but it's still really good even considering future retail price drops.[/QUOTE]
Really glad to see these groups worked out. I felt really bad for turning you down for both games but I had little to no interest in them.
I'm the complete opposite of you in thinking that the future of gamesharing will be alright. When the existing 1/5 shares have been passed around like the village whore-cycle and people get tired of them and finally accept that 1/5 pricing for anything with demand has gone the way of the dodo, their expectations will finally adjust to reality. So their two options will then be to either 1) wait for disc games to go on sale (jamehze) or 2) realize that the lower cost benefits of 2-slot accounts is still better than any other alternative.
If they were to buy a phantom share, they would pay between 1/6 to 1/8 the total price, giving them instant access to a $60 game for $7.50-$10.00, without having to wait 1+ years for the disc version to go on clearance. Now, for the thrifty and impatient gamers, they could choose to buy the disc game at retail, speed through it, and sell it at a minimal loss of say $10 of their cost. Why do that, when they can instead grab a phantom share, play the game at the pace they desire, and retain access to that game for as long as they desire? Seems like a no-brainer to me.
So what about the pricier sellable shares? At 1/3 to 3/8 of the total price, these cost considerably more than anything from the 1/5 days. $20-$22.50 for a $60 game? That's outrageous! Only if you think about it with the $12 share of days past in mind. Stop living in denial! It's time to accept reality and move on. NSYNC has been disbanded and is no longer cool! :lol: These new sellable shares are geared towards the speedy players, who go through games at a quick pace. Essentially the idea is the same as buying retail disc games at release, playing through them as fast as possible, and selling them at a minimal loss. But instead, the potential risk of incurring heavy losses is minimized. At worst, the most you could lose is $22.50, and that's only if you're the worst gamer in history and never manage to finish the game. And even then, you could lend the share to friends or allocate timeshares to better gamers who can finish the game quickly and compensate you for a fraction of your cost. After 6 months, and if you still somehow have the share in your possession, you now have even more possibilities at your disposal. (More on this later)
Just as an example, I and a few other CAGs recently tested out this system of phantom/sellable shares out on Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. I purchased a sellable share for $22.50, had fun playing co-op aka tossing people to their deaths, platted the game, and sold it to someone else for $20 a week later. This is a game that
sold poorly even on disc until they bundled it with PS3s. Consumer interest in this game is abysmal but it still only cost me $2.50 to get rid of. I doubt you could rent the game for that cheap anywhere. (Note: Do not live in the U.S. so I have no clue what awesome renting deals you guys have available to you) The guy who bought it from me for $20 will only have an easier time selling it for $17.50, and so on. Games with higher demand (pretty much any game), will retain resale value much easier, potentially letting the owner of sellable shares play the games for free.
Oh man, in my exhausted state, I accidentally posted this instead of previewing.. I'll just leave it here unfinished and go to bed. meeek will probably come along and yell at me but I think it's pretty much out of the bag at this point and hopefully this post will inspire at least a few of you to try the new system. I'll make a second post some other time because I feel there are still benefits and potential advantages that haven't been covered with these 2-slot accounts and the systems we are trying to implement to make the most of them. If you're a true CAG, or you miss the excitement of gamesharing, or you just want to stick it to Sony, then you owe it to yourself to at least try and participate in these new 2-slot groups.