Used game business is out of control and will kill our hobby

[Ed Oscuro]

Microsoft would be recovering their loss on the console very slowly with only one or two full-price games sold to me every year, and indeed I doubt they'd come close to recouping it if I bought all my games off Amazon or eBay

We're talking about the industry, not one specific console maker. By paying for 3rd party memory cards and controllers you're still supporting the industry.

It doesn't matter who you buy your games off of either - the license was paid and MicroSoft got their money right from the get go.
They need to sell a number of games. You don't make $250 back from one game sale, and I think my current buying habits (i.e. get most anything used) wouldn't help that.

Yes, if I get a huge used/secondhand game collection, those games were originally sold to Microsoft...but to another person who had their own system which Microsoft was banking they would purchase original games for to pay off the debt. See what I'm getting at?

[Poofta!]

this is what happens when you let Anthony1 create a flash game:

http://uploads.ungrounded.net/158000/158631_decline.swf

[Nature Boy]

Yes, if I get a huge used/secondhand game collection, those games were originally sold to Microsoft...but to another person who had their own system which Microsoft was banking they would purchase original games for to pay off the debt. See what I'm getting at?

I see what you're getting at, but you're forgetting one thing - the original purchaser *probably* went out and bought more new games after trading in the ones you eventually bought.

Plus MS is a unique case in that (I believe) they're the only ones who still lose money on console sales for Xbox. Presumably they'll be a little wiser with the 360 and they won't lose money for it's entire life cycle, but that's something neither of us can know for sure.

[Diatribal Deity]

Yes, if I get a huge used/secondhand game collection, those games were originally sold to Microsoft...but to another person who had their own system which Microsoft was banking they would purchase original games for to pay off the debt. See what I'm getting at?

I see what you're getting at, but you're forgetting one thing - the original purchaser *probably* went out and bought more new games after trading in the ones you eventually bought.

Plus MS is a unique case in that (I believe) they're the only ones who still lose money on console sales for Xbox. Presumably they'll be a little wiser with the 360 and they won't lose money for it's entire life cycle, but that's something neither of us can know for sure.

Microsoft does not expect to be profitable with the 360 until 2007 at the earliest (they are losing app. $126 on each system sold). They will break even in 2006.

It is estimated Sony will lose at least $200 on each system sold initially. So it will take a few years for them to break even and start making a profit on the PS3 as well.

Difference being Microsoft can easily take the hit, where Sony as a whole...not so much. Bottom line---cheaper parts in subsequent models as is the norm.