We're all in trouble if games become download only. Competition is what drives prices down. MS aren't going to let another company use the GOD service on Xbox LIVE to offer us games at cheaper prices than MS will. MS has started with high prices and they'll keep the prices high.
When digital download of games was first being discussed it was said the games would be cheaper than they are in the shops because the publisher doesn't have to pay for the discs to be produced or cases for the discs or instruction manuals. They also don't have to give the store their fee for selling the game. I find it ironic that downloads save them having to pay for discs, cases, manuals and there's no retailer taking their cut, yet the GOD downloads are more expensive than what you'd pay for a physical disc which you can sell or trade when you get sick of it. I suppose MS will make something from other publishers games being sold on GOD but I'm not sure of the contract details.
I see no point in buying from GOD and I urge everyone not to support this new method. In the end it will only be MS who gains when they control how much every game costs. If there's no competition they can charge whatever they want. If the games only become available through GOD you'll have to pay what MS is charging. No more sales, no more stores competing for your custom and undercutting each other, no more deals like buy one get one free, no more buying used games for cheaper than when they're first released, no more trading your old games to get the new one cheaper, just Microsoft with a monopoly on the games sold for their console and keeping the price high.
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