Blockbuster - Another one bites the dust...

[rich_tech]

game are circling the plughole again I think - I hate how in both HMV and this shop PC gaming is like a dirty word, they got rid of it in HMV and have just a single rack of it in the local Game

 

Maplin - I think that they will be around for a bit, they fill the niche of a couple of fields sound equipment / electronics and replaced shops like Tandy/Radio Shack though they are expensive for some things

 

Smiths is another wierd one I think thats quite right that they will be concession only stands eventually, our local one here gave away its upstairs floor space to the main town post office and I personally think that book days are numbered, but hardbacks even more at the prices these places charge.

[CAM]

The games industry is a funny one though. Consumers will happily let themselves be ripped off for the sake of convenience online and then ripped off again as companies go for the double dip. Some of the products aren't even finished and publishers are actively seeking to force consumers to use their distribution platforms and shut down the second hand market which makes up such a large portion of the brick and mortar retailer's income.

[localzuk]

What do you reckon...

 

• Arcadia Group (BHS, TopShop, TopMan, Miss Selfridge, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Evans etc.) « This would wipe out a good chunk of the high street!
  
• GAME (for the second time)
  
• Maplins
  
• W.H. Smith
  
• Build-A-Bear Workshops
  
• Games Workshop
  
• Holland & Barrett / Dr & Herbs
  
• La Senza
  
• The Perfume Shop
  
• The Works Bookstore
  
• Thomas Cook and/or Thomson
  

 

Arcadia are safe IMO. People still like buying clothes on the high street.

GAME - quite possibly. They have *still* yet to update their business model, even though Game Station was killed by them.

WH Smith - I dunno, they're always pretty busy. People still like buying magazines and the like.

Build-A-Bear - how is this business still alive!?!

Games Workshop - nah, they'll survive. They're niche, and expensive but still sell a lot of stuff. The company will be fine, even if they end up closing a load of shops.

Maplins - not sure, its possible they'll disappear. They are expensive and kinda niche too.

[synaesthesia]

How on earth did Blockbusters not pioneer the LoveFilm or Netflix route of internet-streaming movies... talk about fall on your own sword!

 

The same reason Game will fail (again). Both had the ability. Game actually had something already completed that would almost certainly have been what we now call "Steam". But they didn't see the market for it yet. Now, they've had it. Hindsight is wonderful but it's also proof that sometimes you need to take the risk and read the future. Blockbuster were no different.

 

If you make mistakes, you can expect to fall onto the sword, be it your own or someone elses. These companies need to accept that and stop dragging on public resources to attempt survival.

[sonofsanta]

What do you reckon...

 

• Games Workshop
  

 

GW will be fine, their business plan is pretty sound as there's always more middle-class-adolescents to sell to, and where else are they going to get that particular brand of crack from? I say all this as someone who went through all that 10-15 years ago. GW's stock has gone up over the last year, and their shares are still at 657.50 each, which is quite frankly obscene.

 

There'll be a travel agent or two go down yet, though, who buys a holiday in a high street store anymore?

[localzuk]

The games industry is a funny one though. Consumers will happily let themselves be ripped off for the sake of convenience online and then ripped off again as companies go for the double dip. Some of the products aren't even finished and publishers are actively seeking to force consumers to use their distribution platforms and shut down the second hand market which makes up such a large portion of the brick and mortar retailer's income.

 

Very true. The PC second hand market has never been overly amazing though to be honest. I can't think of anyone I know who has ever sold on a PC game. So, things like Steam are taking that market. But the main reason, IMO, that GAME will be suffering is the way the console market now is.

 

The console market has shrunk over the last couple of decades, going from the wild days of old where there were loads of consoles, to the current day when there are 2 main contenders really, plus a cheaper one too. The game prices for them don't help either, nor do the online purchase of those games now being a possibility. Not to mention, the PC games market has gone back into growth quite significantly, while the console market has been shrinking consistently over the last few years - but GAME have failed to notice or do anything about it.

[sonofsanta]

Very true. The PC second hand market has never been overly amazing though to be honest. I can't think of anyone I know who has ever sold on a PC game. So, things like Steam are taking that market. But the main reason, IMO, that GAME will be suffering is the way the console market now is.

 

The console market has shrunk over the last couple of decades, going from the wild days of old where there were loads of consoles, to the current day when there are 2 main contenders really, plus a cheaper one too. The game prices for them don't help either, nor do the online purchase of those games now being a possibility. Not to mention, the PC games market has gone back into growth quite significantly, while the console market has been shrinking consistently over the last few years - but GAME have failed to notice or do anything about it.

 

I'd be interested to know which of the three multi-million selling consoles you don't consider a main contender...

 

GAME will be truly stuffed once the next gen comes out - normally that provides a boost, but with Sony having bought Gaikai, even the consoles are going to move much more towards online-streaming and -purchasing.

[CAM]

XBox360 and PS3 are still going strong despite their age. I think they are suffering from the Windows XP effect, they've been around so long that no-one wants to move on from them. The Wii was already subpar in comparison to the two lead contenders and the Wii-U has seen slower then expected uptake. Recycling the name of a console with a bad rep amongst gamers probably wasn't the best idea!

 

Handheld might hang around a bit longer as Nintendo's DS family still have a strong lead over Sony's Vita in price and back catalogue, plus Microsoft have virtually no sniff at this market. The main threat will be tablets and mobile phones for gaming but thankfully they are still seen as Zynga profit pits then full fledged games machines despite a number of proper titles being released for tablets. It'll be interesting to see if Nintendo expand the 3DS store.

[localzuk]

I'd be interested to know which of the three multi-million selling consoles you don't consider a main contender...

 

GAME will be truly stuffed once the next gen comes out - normally that provides a boost, but with Sony having bought Gaikai, even the consoles are going to move much more towards online-streaming and -purchasing.

 

The Wii. As far as I know, their game sales have not been as high as for the Xbox 360 or PS3 afaik. Of the half dozen people in our school offices who bought them, only 1 has continued to use theirs past the first couple of months, as an example. Only that person bought any more games than they did at the original purchase time also.

[dave.81]

What annoys me from the story on Blockbuster is the assumption that every streams there movies now. No the fecking well dont!!! In the evenings i'm lucky to get 0.3m no streaming going on here. I use Blockbuster postal service and it's great latest films in HD, better range than lovefilm and i dont have to watch some poor quaility blocky streamed film.

 

I hope someone buys them out and keeps it going or my lovely TV and surround sound will be left watching crappy telly.

[localzuk]

What annoys me from the story on Blockbuster is the assumption that every streams there movies now. No the fecking well dont!!! In the evenings i'm lucky to get 0.3m no streaming going on here. I use Blockbuster postal service and it's great latest films in HD, better range than lovefilm and i dont have to watch some poor quaility blocky streamed film.

 

I hope someone buys them out and keeps it going or my lovely TV and surround sound will be left watching crappy telly.

 

Or you could use iLoveFilm?

[sonofsanta]

The Wii. As far as I know, their game sales have not been as high as for the Xbox 360 or PS3 afaik. Of the half dozen people in our school offices who bought them, only 1 has continued to use theirs past the first couple of months, as an example. Only that person bought any more games than they did at the original purchase time also.

 

I'll agree that the Wii should be considered differently to the the others, but only in the respect that it sound sold gajillions more in hardware terms than the others. It certainly didn't have the attach rate of the PS3 & 360, but with Nintendo making a profit for each Wii sold, not a loss as MS & Sony did (and Nintendo in the past), I'm not sure they minded.

 

It does feel weird going back to the Wii now as well - just powered mine up for the first time in god knows how many months to play Skyward Sword, and by god the waggle controls are annoying me.

 

Wii-U is a bit too new to see how it pans out, but I think its problem will be that the concept is not so straightforward to grasp. A remote that could tell how you were moving, easy. A tablet that's a controller that one person has while the other four have Wii Remotes and it also has tilt and it can play without the TV - not quite as straightforward to explain to non-gamers, that.

 

I reckon mobile gaming is dead on it's backside now mobile phones are so powerful as well; they'll get pushed out in the same way as compact cameras are, except even more dramatically and with a smaller initial base to go down from.

Edited January 17, 2013 by sonofsanta

[dave.81]

Or you could use iLoveFilm?

 

I'm guessing you mean Lovefilm, i was with them for years but when Amazon bought them they lost a range of new realises due to a feud between amazon and universal films. Outcome being no new universal film releases on lovefilm. So i left

[X-13]

I reckon mobile gaming is dead on it's backside now mobile phones are so powerful as well; they'll get pushed out in the same way as compact cameras are, except even more dramatically and with a smaller initial base to go down from.

 

Ninty just announced Pokemon for the 3DS. Mobile gaming is still going strong.

[localzuk]

I'll agree that the Wii should be considered differently to the the others, but only in the respect that it sound gajillions more in hardware terms than the others. It certainly didn't have the attach rate of the PS3 & 360, but with Nintendo making a profit for each Wii sold, not a loss as MS & Sony did (and Nintendo in the past), I'm not sure they minded.

 

It does feel weird going back to the Wii now as well - just powered mine up for the first time in god knows how many months to play Skyward Sword, and by god the waggle controls are annoying me.

 

Wii-U is a bit too new to see how it pans out, but I think its problem will be that the concept is not so straightforward to grasp. A remote that could tell how you were moving, easy. A tablet that's a controller that one person has while the other four have Wii Remotes and it also has tilt and it can play without the TV - not quite as straightforward to explain to non-gamers, that.

 

I reckon mobile gaming is dead on it's backside now mobile phones are so powerful as well; they'll get pushed out in the same way as compact cameras are, except even more dramatically and with a smaller initial base to go down from.

 

Nintendo are making heavy losses, so they aren't doing too well...

[LosOjos]

@mmoseley @Oaktech @gshaw @rich_tech I use BitsBox - UK based, extremely helpful and quick to respond to email, very cheap and have the vast majority of stuff a hobbyist needs.Like you all said, it is handy to be able to grab a part from Maplin but how often do you need a part in an emergency as a hobbyist? The way I see it, Maplin are aimed at hobbyists due to the fact the likes of Farnell and RS have much better prices, especially on bulk, for businesses. Edited January 17, 2013 by LosOjos

[sonofsanta]

Nintendo are making heavy losses, so they aren't doing too well...

 

They've still got an enormous war chest to keep them going for years yet, though - most recent figure I can see is $10.5 billion reported last February. Rumours of their demise have been premature in the past (GameCube vs PS2), and even if they really do, finally, fall out of hardware in the style of Sega, they'll continue to have enormous success selling us all Mario & Zelda games for decades yet.

 

Anyway, all entirely off topic and irrelevant besides, because clearly PC gaming is best

Edited January 17, 2013 by sonofsanta
WHY CAN I NOT TYPE THIS MORNING

[localzuk]

Anyway, all entirely off topic and irrelevant besides, because clearly PC gaming is best

 

Totally agree. I hate consoles. Just can't be doing with them. I fear I have an addiction though, to buying games on Steam.

 

Maybe there needs to be a support group set up?

[sonofsanta]

Totally agree. I hate consoles. Just can't be doing with them. I fear I have an addiction though, to buying games on Steam.

 

Maybe there needs to be a support group set up?

 

"My name is Matt, and I first gave my card details to Steam in 2009. Since then, I... I just can't stop :Cry:"

[X-13]

I hate consoles. Just can't be doing with them.

 

I like consoles. It means I can just sit down and play a game without worrying about whether my graphics card can handle the game without blowing up [i didn't want to play Chrysis anyway...] or whether game A conflicts with software B.

[Rawns]

I like consoles. It means I can just sit down and play a game without worrying about whether my graphics card can handle the game without blowing up [i didn't want to play Chrysis anyway...] or whether game A conflicts with software B.

 

Never known or worried about games to conflict with software? (Unless you play on a Mac or Linux I guess)

 

I'm fickle with consoles. I like the idea of them but then 3 months down the line, they are never touched so sold on eBay!

 

PC gaming FTW.

[pcstru]

@mmoseley @Oaktech @gshaw @rich_tech I use BitsBox - UK based, extremely helpful and quick to respond to email, very cheap and have the vast majority of stuff a hobbyist needs.Like you all said, it is handy to be able to grab a part from Maplin but how often do you need a part in an emergency as a hobbyist?

 

Not so much emergency, but sometimes I just want a part now, rather than waiting. I've found Maplin less and less useful for that (last one was bead thermistors with a range up to 300 deg C). Often even when they have a component they only have one or two. On the other hand, they can be useful - their mixed boxes of components (caps, resistors etc) are actually good value and surprisingly useful to have around. Online I find Rapid little better than Maplin, Farnell is generally my first port of call with very reasonable and quick delivery.

[jinnantonnixx]

WHSmith are profitable (>£80m), always busy. Besides, they have an exclusivity on the Kobo Arc which I want for my birthday.

Maplins? Again, they have a high mark-up, they stock a lot of staple stuff which doesn't date or subject to trends and fads, so these will probably last the course.

Edited January 17, 2013 by jinnantonnixx

[X-13]

Never known or worried about games to conflict with software? (Unless you play on a Mac or Linux I guess)

 

I've had issues before.

 

I can't remember what it was [it was that good...] but all I remember was that it was a nightmare to run.

 

Another game I had installed used the same files and when you ran one it locked out the other until you did a repair install for the one you wanted to play.

 

I've also had to uninstall flash to get an indie game running before [And install a much older version] because the game seemed to check for a specific version and refused to load if it wasn't EXACTLY the same. Strangely... it didn't even NEED flash as far as I could tell.

Edited January 17, 2013 by X-13

[tmcd35]

The console market has shrunk over the last couple of decades, going from the wild days of old where there were loads of consoles, to the current day when there are 2 main contenders really, plus a cheaper one too. The game prices for them don't help either, nor do the online purchase of those games now being a possibility. Not to mention, the PC games market has gone back into growth quite significantly, while the console market has been shrinking consistently over the last few years - but GAME have failed to notice or do anything about it.

 

To the contrary, I actually thing the console market is entering it's most exciting period. It could almost be the wild frontiers of the pre-83 crash years or early 90's all over again. Both the big players have noticed this to and in some ways are actually leading the change with Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. Wii has Wiiware, the steam console is on the horizon, as is Ouya. OnLive is somehow still hanging in there. Ouya could give them a shot in the arm. Sony have Gaikai lined up for PS4 (an OnLive rival). Even the Apple-TV and iPad make an interesting gaming combo. Over the past year or so it's indie games like (the excellent) Limbo that seem to be attracting the attention. A change pretty much bought on by the iPad and is what Ouya appear to be aiming squarely for.

 

For Game this is bad news as all these business models revolve around cheap (£5-£10) downloads or monthly subscriptions. Triple-A titles will still sell but even they (if somewhat over priced) are released in online stores now.

 

Back on topic, I think bricks and mortar video shops have been struggling against Sky and Virgin for years. Digital TV (more channels) and then VoD has left pretty much Blockbuster and Choices as the only players left. Lovefilm and Netflix have since come along and put the final nails in their coffins. Same as iTunes to HMV really.

 

I Love my streaming only Lovefilm subscription. I find I watch a greater variety of movies on a whim now.

 

The silver lining on the cloud is that they will have a closing down sale - maybe I can get some cheap games