Game News 2.0

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120557939#Comment_120557939

I'm in gorey as well. You'll be grand!

johnny_ultimate

Smyths is usually extremely reliable for release day delivery. Last few times I've ordered from them I've got the game a day early, but no guarantee that'll always be the case.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120558036#Comment_120558036

Skip adverts, I'll just trade you an iPhone 4 and 80 quid cash for it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120557879#Comment_120557879

Don't Ken Black sell games?

Sorry, beaten to it.

It really is a sad state of affairs and I'm finding it's not just.games that are hard to find in physical stores.

The amount of.cables I've sent back to amazon lately is ridiculous. And it's a major hassle to send stuff back. I just want a shop I can walk into, pick up a certified cable, get home and be sorted.

Went into a clothes shop last week and they had no clothes for a 7 year old. All the ages before and then teens onwards but a big gap for 7-12 years old. I asked them whst the story was and was told they don't sell for that age group because nobody buys them. I left scratching my head.

I also need a new set of headphones. My LS30 headband snapped and for some reason glue doesn't stick to the plastic. My heart sank at the thought of having to buy a headset online, pining for the days I could just pop into a shop and be sorted.

I know Harvey Norman sells some and smyths too. But not a good selection and my god the prices 😯

I'm tempted to just gaffer tape it back together, I'm sure I can get gaffer tape in a shop, maybe!

keane2097

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120558342#Comment_120558342

I had you pegged for way older than 7

super_furry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120557735#Comment_120557735

Would love to think that the lads behind Chapters, having rescued it, might try something similar with Games World, and stick one down the back of the store in the same way the original Chapters and Games Worlds worked. If I remember rightly, Gamestop actually bought out Games World to get their foot in the door of the Irish market.

quokula

I don't know if there's that much of a market for bricks and mortar game shops anymore with the rise of digital sales and the availability of online delivery for those who still want hard copies. It's not like a clothes shop where you want to try it on or any other product where you might want to physically inspect it before buying - it's just data and there is absolutely no advantage to buying something in store when it comes to games.

Personally I haven't bought a physical game in a shop in at least 5 years. Any time I've wandered into Gamestop it's just full of crap overpriced merchandise. It's surprising it's lasted this long really.

super_furry

Yeah I think the only way it could work is if you combine a retro game shop with somewhere that also sells new releases.

RedXIV

I think at this point any place that's going to have a physical presence needs to lean more into the opportunities that affords. Retro gaming tournaments, maybe an arcade machine in the shop that could have it's games changed regularly, trying to tap into the retro and modern markets, basically a decent community hub for gaming. Maybe a gaming area to rent out a couch for co-op gaming by the hour or to try out VR headsets or headphones. Hell you could combine with a place that does painting classes and you can do bottomless prosecco while painting Sonic arm wrestling Mario.

I think at this point, the only thing that's going to keep a game store competing with online is to have real gamers run it who know what they can take advantage of by having a physical presence

Grumpypants

I still love a good browse. If I'm in the UK I'll still find a Game and spend an hour in there. GameStop didn't have that. 2-3 year old second hand games were still too expensive to take a random punt in due to liking the box art.

But I would love a game store that was built around the old record store model when I was young, where you went in and chatted about music for hours. Got excited about things, they would order you in special versions.

The new Zelda is coming. There is a limited edition. Pay it off over the weeks. Have buying games be an event.

johnny_ultimate

Smyths obviously has the benefit of being not just a games shop, but you can still stroll in there and actually browse. Fairly frequently they have sales where a good range of recent games are steeply discounted, to the point I’ve been surprised a few times at how good the deal is even compared to digital prices. That’s something GameStop lacked - even beyond the extra fiver/tenner slapped on new game prices compared to Smyths, the sales and deals were almost always terrible. Their hilariously terrible 10% off sale is a perfect final testament to that, assuming the discount won’t ramp up as they get more desperate to offload stock.

I do still miss that wonderful period around 10-15 years ago where you had the likes of HMV aggressively competing in price - often a full €20-25 cheaper than the GameStop next door. Obviously it wasn’t sustainable, but was fun while it lasted 😅 That period also felt like a last hurrah where you could browse a relatively broad selection of games in a shop like Game or HMV, even if that was itself a step down from the glory days of the 1990s. I can’t quite recall whether Game Grafton Street was really that good or I was just young and easily impressed, but the PC big box game selection in particular was always a source of true joy to browse.

Zero-Cool

I wonder where you can get a psvr2 when GS closes? Same as above, I loved browsing in Game and it was always a good atmosphere in there with customers and staff. GS was depressing between the awful choice of games, the high prices and half the shop being funko pops and toys. 90% of my purchases in there also had some kind of back and forth with the staff as well like trying to charge me more, new release never came in and don't know when, promised discount wasn't going through on system, i always slightly dreaded getting a purchase from there as i knew it wasn't going to be straight forward.

Anyway, bring back xtravsion where you could rent games a tenner for a week, the glory days.

johnny_ultimate

It goes without saying that thoughts with the hundreds of staff impacted by the closure. I’m sure the forced upselling was as awful for them as it was for the customer, but that was the company policy they had to endure.

Just looking on social media threads about the closure and there were a lot of parents in particular praising individual staff members in GameStop stores for their friendliness, and how kind they were when dealing with their excited kids (in some cases kids with autism or additional needs). That’s a benefit of in-person retail that it’s easy to forget. I know my local store had some bad managers and long-time staff back in the day, but also plenty of decent people just doing a day’s work in the often deeply unpleasant world of retail, and doing their best to dig up working discs in a chaotic filing system.

RobbingBandit

Smyths will be starting to sell the VR2 soon.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120560531#Comment_120560531

Not sure if they're going to stock it. I think the exclusivity period for Playstation Direct/Select retailers expires later this month though so we'll see.

RobbingBandit

Yes Smyths are stocking it

I wouldn't post here saying so if they were not.

I think there is still room for a bricks and mortar gaming shop even in the age of digital. There are 2 target markets, parents and enthusiasts.

Official cconsole cables and accessories for the parents. Also needed by enthusiasts.

PC parts for enthusiasts. Quality cables, accessories and peripherals.

They just need the stock. There isn't a single person who wouldn't prefer to walk into a shop, buy what they need and have it in their hand there and then rather than having to order online from a foreign website.

I don't work in retail and I have never understood why Irish retail is so enept at competing on price with foreign websites. It shouldn't be the case. If that can be addressed then I think there is definitely still a very strong business case for a gaming bricks and mortar.

pixelburp

No more than music shops, it could just be gaming shops become as niche, little independent stores for physical media or communal spaces of that ilk. Ala those vinyl record stores et al. Tangential but somewhere like the restaurant Token in Dublin showed there's appetite (no pun intended) for arcade machines and gaming centric establishments - even among young demographics you'd not have thought would care for old arcade machines.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120561429#Comment_120561429

It's not Irish retail, all retail struggles to compete with online because of the huge amount of physical overhead a physical store demands. Wages, outfitting, marketing, electricity, rent; on and on compared with a warehouse that just plugs into a commercial delivery option. There's just no way a retail store could realistically ever compete with prices online - let alone random sites in countries with lower cost of living where that warehouse setup is even less costly.

Retr0gamer

Humanity has gone gold. 16 May release date.

Zero-Cool

I was in my local Gamestop today (picked up Saints Row for 8 euro) and it was buzzing. Packed with parents and kids. Heard parents saying "you can pick any game but only because there's a discount". Had me wondering are they only there for any bit of a deal or genuinely that GS would get more custom if they sold their games for a tenner less like Smyths. Anyway, was actually nice having a bit of atmosphere in there.

Jordan 199

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120563177#Comment_120563177

Did you buy any Funko Pops? 😃

Mr Crispy

And did you immediately throw them in the recycling? 😁

RobbingBandit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120561674#Comment_120561674

Looks amazing love the dog immediately makes me want to play

Mr Crispy

SF6 open beta is happening next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMAao7ooWhY

petes

Played the demo for ten minutes, soon as it got to the 'hub' that was enough for me for a 'fighting game' 😂

marcbrophy

Yeah, it opens out into GTA 😁

Mr Crispy

Game Freak are working on a brand new IP, which will be published by Private Division. It's a long way off but going by the piece of concept art they revealed, it'll be a far cry from Pokémon.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/private-division-signs-a-new-action-adventure-ip-from-pokemon-studio-game-freak/

Retr0gamer

Theyve made the odd non pokemon game and they've all been a lot of fun with really inventive mechanics. Looking forward to another game from them.

Mr.Saturn

Gonna go out on a limb and guess it's not Pocket Card Jockey 2. It definitely should be, mind you. Genius game.