Nintendo Making Peripherals Impossible To Buy Used
from the sneaky,-sneaky,-sneaky dept
An anonymous reader points us to some news concerning the latest skirmish in the battle over used goods in the video game industry. As we've noted, various execs have been freaking out over secondhand sales, despite tons of economic evidence that a robust secondhand market increases the value of the original offerings. In this case, it appears that Nintendo is selling a "Wii Speak" microphone that can be used with certain games, but in order to use it, you need to download the "Wii Speak Channel" which can only be downloaded with a code supplied with the Wii Speak (Update: as noted in the comments, this description isn't quite accurate. You can still use the Wii Speak in the game, but the Wii Channel is needed to use it outside of the game). And here's the sneaky part: that code can only be used once. Effectively, it's impossible to resell the Wii Speak, because you can't use it unless it's been purchased new. This is pretty dumb, as it certainly decreases the value of the device, and will make plenty of folks think twice before committing to it, knowing that it can't be resold.
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Filed Under: peripherals, secondhand sales, used goods, wii, wii speak
Companies: nintendo
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hell what if you only own 1 and it breaks can you reinstall it to the refurb that they send
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In this case, it appears that Nintendo is selling a "Wii Speak" microphone that can be used with certain games, but in order to use it, you need to download the "Wii Speak Channel" which can only be downloaded with a code supplied with the Wii Speak.
This is false. The Wii Speak channel is additional functionality above and beyond chatting in games. A used Wii Speak will let you chat in Animal Crossing just fine; you just won't be able to gather your friends in the Wii Speak channel to chat outside of a game.
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So why have the added functionality if not all people could use it? It becomes useless additional functionality.
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per console
TFA says it appears the mic will still work within games that support voice chat, and the "speak channel" is needed for chat outside of the games, but stil...
And, again, the original purchaser could also be collateral damage if, say, the consumer's console were to go belly up. You can't re-use the original code, Nintendo reps say they will not reissue codes once they are used, not even if they are "lost" or "stolen", and the code is not available through any other means. So if you ever have to replace your console, you better replace your periphial as well.
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What if...
For the break, they MIGHT reset your code. For the two... the answer is obvious.... you buy TWO of them! See... they are increasing their profits already!
Bend Over and Cough!
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Re: What if...
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FUCK THE WHOLE DAMN VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY!
NOT 1 CENT!
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If those books happen to be ebooks, we're right back at DRM or an unability to resell it. :)
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Wow
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Simple Fix
Vote w/your $$ they'll get the message when they have a warehouse full of this crap, same goes for EA and its DRM-crippled list of games.
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Only one problem
Most people could give a rat's ass about the resell possibilities of accessories. Most people won't even think about it and when they do find out, if they do find out, they'll just shrug their shoulders, throw it away, and move on.
We're being trained to expect this, so unless it is a particularly egregious instance of rapaciousness, or someone raises a whole lot of stink, this won't even make a blip.
Remember, you boil the frog by raising the temperature slowly.
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Doesn't matter
Stupid, Nintendo, really stupid, especially for a company who has been trying to build an image of mass appeal and user-friendliness.
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Trade in value
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What second hand market?
I would never / will never buy a console game or accessory with resale value in mind because I acknowledge that they become instantly worthless as soon as I unwrap them. Getting $5 back for my game isn't worth the gas money to go to the store.
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Re: What second hand market?
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Re: What second hand market?
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Thank you Techdirt, This information is key for consumers to get informed on the low-down dirty tricks of so many tech companies.
NOT 1 cent more!
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Okay, someone's confused about the Wii.
This is no different than the WiiWare or Virtual games downloads saved to an SD card. If your console goes out, all your previous downloads are lost and must be repurchased.
EVERYTHING related to online content through the Wii is attached to your console number. It matters not if it's a peripheral using a Wii channel or game.
If you save games to an external memory source, you're greeted with a message "You can not install this download to another Wii console".
So, don't think this is a step in preventing second hand sales of a product, when in fact, it's just the way Nintendo has restricted transferring software to other consoles.
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Are you kidding?
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This is currently happening with games like Gears of War 2. A code is included for a 5 map pack in the hopes that it would get people to purchase the game new, but all this has done is create a huge market of people selling the codes.
It almost seems like by having the codes they are doing resellers a favor. By selling the code and device/game separately, people seem to be making back more money than they would had they just sold a codeless item.
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Increasingly common
Rock Band 2 -- 100 tracks come with the game, but 20 of them are only available after registering the code that comes with the game with Harmonix and getting a download code emailed to you. Single use only.
Gears of War 2 -- extra map pack, downloaded via single-use code that comes with the game.
Fable 2 Limited Edition -- single-use code used to download a file that unlocks content already included on the disc. (The kicker for this was, due to a manufacturing screw-up, they ended up giving away the codes for essentially nothing, meaning non-Limited Edition purchasers could get a code as well [and since there was no difference between "standard" and "limited edition" game discs, the unlock code did work on those, too].)
This, to me, is going the wrong way. If they want to curtail second-hand sales, they should be adding value such that people won't want to sell the game back. Criterion has been trying this with Burnout Paradise -- they've been periodically releasing updates for free for their game (they've added new game modes, added motorcycles to their previously car-only game, and they've been promising new locations for a while).
Instead, they're trying to make the used product less valuable by locking up features behind controlled codes.
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I don't get it...
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Re: I don't get it...
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Nice Reporting
Get over it guys, so you can't use a single Wii channel if it's bought second hand. Besides, selling any peripheral is worth what? Five bucks maybe? Maybe instead of complaining that you can't talk to your friends in the Wii Channel, I've heard they have this new technology. You pick up a receiver, dial a specific set of numbers and you can be connected to whomever you please! And sources say you can sell that peripheral and it can be used by the second hand buyer.
Gamers are notorious crybabies. Maybe we could try to change that stereotype.
NOTE: Everyone who's ever pirated a song, movie or videogane can be thanked for this.
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Re: Nice Reporting
Nice way of jumping to piracy here. This has nothing to do with piracy. Sellers of second hand goods aren't pirates.
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If GM started to suddenly make it impossible to resell their cars, I doubt that would go over well with car buyers. My first car was a second hand, because I couldn't pay for a brand new car. The car market would most likely collapse (though it would mean less traffic on the road), the economy would go down even further, because suddenly all those second-hand car dealers would go bust.
Same would be true for house ware like furniture, TVs, refridgerators and microwaves.
I'm sure a lot of student houses have in a certain degree second hand kitchenware and other gear.
Imagine students suddenly have to pay full price for their furniture.
I doubt many people would be able to pay AND tuition AND furniture. So their goes your knowledge economy.
Now, of course, just a gaming peripheral isn't the end of the world, and there are bigger issues at stake. But if this is the way businesses want to do their business, we're in for a very rocky time.
Nintendo, the secondhand market is not destroying your business. Most stores sell their secondhand stuff at almost the same price as the new stuff. So if you're not selling all that well (Which I highly doubt, eyeing the figures of last month alone), I don't think the second hand market is going very well either.
You only hurt your customers by doing this, and are in fact losing sales over this. (I for one am not buying a Wii microphone for my Wii, just because of this matter, and will think twice, if you keep it up, whether or not I even want any of your machines and games in my house again. And I love my DSlite.)
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And sure, lots of games only require a network connection for online gameplay, which is obvious, but if the game is ONLY online-playable, and they pull the plug, say goodbye to your precious game. It might be pretty tough, if not impossible, to find a way to play those games a decade or two from now. Of course that's assuming the world even lasts that long.....
It's a new world we live in, my friends. Nothing lasts near as long as it used to anymore. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it will all be gone soon.
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Re: Madjo
'Piracy' is such a dirty word. Just call yourself a 'Peripheral Liberator'. You Yanks love 'liberating' things right? lol
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Re: Re: Madjo
The appropriate amount would be ZERO. However, it's not so much that they care about the 2nd hand market...
The problem is that they have taken security measures affecting first sales (an area they care about) and they are simply indifferent to how it affects anyone else.
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Re: Re: Madjo
No of course I do not sent a kick back to Nintendo if I resell my console. It's MY device (There was no EULA stating that I was merely licensed to use the device, though it might come to that later on if companies are really persistent in this trend.), and there is the first sale doctrine.
btw, I'm not a Yank :P nor a Canuck. I'm Dutch.
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Nintendo Making Peripherals Impossible To Buy Used
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whats it to you
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wii speak
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da stupid wii thing
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Re: da stupid wii thing
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