GameStop Starts Selling DLC; Ready to Take on PSN, XBLA?
Don’t like entering your credit card information on the console of your choice? Don’t HAVE a credit card? Prepaid cards not for you? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, GameStop is here to help you.
You know how it is. You go onto the PSN to buy something, but you don’t have enough funds in your account. You don’t keep your credit card information on the console because you don’t trust your roommate, your roommate’s friends, or your children to have a console with YOUR money.
Or there is just a specific game that you want to buy on the store but the prepaid cards are just another piece of plastic that are hurting the environment. Or something like that. Well Game Informer has just announced that GameStop will be opening up Downloadable Content Centers in every one of their 4,400 stores. In addition to selling digitally distributed games, these centers will also sell various types of DLC, such as maps, expansions, skins, etc. You pay for the game however you want to in the store, through either cash, trade-in credit, or credit card, and GameStop prints you out a code that you can redeem at your leisure.
What do you think about GameStop’s foray into the world of console downloads? (They have been offering full-game downloads for PC-users for a while.) Digital distribution looks like it is going to be the way of the future, and as a mostly physical business GameStop doesn’t look like it wants to be left out. Will this plan succeed, or hurt irrevocably hurt the used-game giant? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: At the moment this new incentive being put on by GameStop seems to be for Xbox Live Arcade only. However, considering both PSN and XBLA codes are available for purchase on Amazon.com, we can only assume that GameStop will follow suit and offer DLC from both console’s network services.
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14 Responses to “GameStop Starts Selling DLC; Ready to Take on PSN, XBLA?”
I don’t think it will hurt them but it won’t help them much either. Most people don’t want to go out and buy DLC when they can just use a credit card or a prepaid. I mean I wouldn’t want to go to gamestop everytime I wanted to download something. When I could just go out once a buy a card with a decent amount of money on it to cut down on the amount of trips I’d have to take.
I like it because I hate how you can’t buy something that’s 19.99 on the store with a twenty dollar pre paid car because of TAX.
Sound great
@gtamaster503
TAX?? You have to pay taxes on the playstation store? What state or country do you live in?
I would only do this if they offer it cheaper. Other wise it is no different than the cards.
I live in Ontario, Canada and I have to pay taxes. It’s still a great idea though if Canada can get this at EB Games/Gamestop as well because then we don’t have to worry about being a few cents or dollars short.
DarKnightT_0_9 – what state do you live in that you don’t have to pay tax? I live in Minnesota and have to pay tax on PSN purchases.
Quite honestly I will never choose to purchase DLC from GameStop instead of the PS Store. I have no problem having my credit card info on my account, but I also don’t have to worry about roommates, etc. so I can understand how that might be an issue for some. If my PS3 would ever get stolen it just takes a quick change of the password to secure my credit card info. I have only used one prepaid card since I have owned a PS3 and that was because I got it free for buying something at BestBuy. Other than that I find the prepaid cards sort of a pain in the a$$ having to enter all those codes anytime I want to get something. If you get $50 cards you don’t have to enter them as much but then you are just as likely to have someone use up that if they have access to your PS3 than you are to have someone charge something to your card.
@DarKnighT_0_9
Bloody America.
Could it possibly be a state tax? I live in WV and I don’t believe that I have to pay a tax to buy anything of the PSN.
I live in North Carolina and do not have to pay any taxes on PSN purchases either. Anyway, the only time I might use this is when I’m actually planning on going out to get a new game, and there is some DLC for something else that I might have been on the fence about. Easier to get all in one place instead of having multiple charges spread around.
I as well do not have to pay taxes on my PSN cards.
And I’m in Indiana.
It’s really based on state, though there was going to be a tax on the cards last year, but it never happened.
And I’ve also been told that Canada isn’t suppose to get taxed for them, but a lot of stores do.
That I’m not to sure on.
@Topic:
Funny, didn’t Amazon just recently stop selling XBLA stuff?
xD
Well this doesn’t really effect me, since PSN suits me fine. However, given a reason to choose otherwise, I’d go to amazon well before I’d go to gamestop. Amazon has proven time and time again that they provide an all around better and more reliable service for purchasing nearly anything, and I’d rather support that type of business.
I would never buy DLC from Gamestop, If I want DLC I’ll use my credit card instead as its easier than driving to whatever store to pick up a $20 card. Also Amazon sells the point card for XBLA for 1600 that you can get the code for the points emailed to you. I think Gamestop selling DLC is only for those who have no idea what its about. I just wonder how it works though? I remember reading that they’ll get the DLC and have it ready for them when they get home.
@Iyashii
Stores can not tax the cards themselves, it is just on the PSN itself where the tax is paid. I have had one store try to charge tax on the card, and I pointed out that it is illegal to charge tax on something twice. I chalked that up to the person not knowing how to do their job. I think some people have had that happen to them and didn’t know they didn’t have to pay tax at the register. When buying a card, you are not actually buying anything, but just converting currency from one form to another.
However, personally I would rather pay the tax at the register so I didn’t have to get two $20 cards to buy something for $19.99. But the way the tax laws are set up, it is Sony (or anyone else selling goods and /or services) that has to collect the tax on a sale transaction.