Deus Ex 3

[Majek]

Hang on, so the region lock applies to online purchases as well? Doesn't the official statement say it's only for boxed copies? I was going to buy mine from UK online.

Digital versions are all international.

[Morgoth]

Digital versions are all international.

Correct. And boxed versions used to be too, at least where I'm living.

 

RPS confirms this

[Pidesco]

That region lock is how to make sure I don't buy a game.

 

Also, this strikes me as illegal within the EU. The EU is supposed to be an open market.

[Morgoth]

Exactly. It is against free trade, violation againt EU consumer rights and it is price discrimination. I hope the EU commission will notice and put pressure on Valve, just as they did with Apple.

[Bendu]

I don't think so. You can still buy a copy from the UK. You just can't use your copy. Free trade is ensured, the the latter doesn't matter. And price discrimination? I wouldn't say that. The consumer from outside the UK is paying the same for the game like an UK consumer.

[Pidesco]

So allowing a client to buy a product but forbidding the same client from using it is legal?

[Bendu]

I wouldn't say it's forbidden, but the UK version has just different requirements. After all, the manufacturer can decide how he wants to offer a product. And he is not obligated to offer one and the same product within the EU.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Bendu

[Drowsy Emperor]

Next thing you know they'll be asking for DNA verification. Keep one finger on the pad while you play! If not, EA special forces will drop through the window and shoot your dog.

[Nepenthe]

Agreed. This whole thing has been pretty unimpressive, my trusty normal retailer (verkkokauppa) only got the different versions like 2 weeks ago, so I caved in and ordered it from Gamestop... Now I have to go there and see if I can upgrade to the aug ed... and I'm really close to not caring enough to go. (Un)happily, I have business in the same block today, so... Still, not a happy customer!

 

I'm not even sure if VPD had the augmented edition when I pre-ordered my Limited edition on sunday. Just noticed that there's even better version available for few euros more. Oh well...

Managed to change my preorder. Now, I can have the augmented edition for PS3 for the low, low price of 84,90e. :D

 

I don't think so. You can still buy a copy from the UK. You just can't use your copy. Free trade is ensured, the the latter doesn't matter. And price discrimination? I wouldn't say that. The consumer from outside the UK is paying the same for the game like an UK consumer.

Well, it's a good thing the people who apply these rules in the EU aren't as [ad hominem insult deleted]... have a broader view of things.

 

Also, your other comments on the matter were also really, really wrong.

[Raithe]

Or.. as they say on the Deus Ex forums.. you can activate a UK version of the game within the UK..and it'll be playable outside the UK.

 

So if you really, really want that UK version, you just have to come over to blightey for a weekend trip and activate it then..

[Majek]

Or you could be a very good Samaritan. xD

[Malcador]

Or you could pay him. In any event, this fuss about region locking has been pretty amusing.

 

Also, wonder if you use a proxy in the UK, would that work ?

Edited August 17, 2011 by Malcador

[Majek]

Well yeah, nothing is free these days.

 

And the fuss hasn't even started yet. Only Amazon.co.uk is sending out emails about Region lock, other stores don't yet. So **** will really hit the fan once the games arrive and many find out that they don't work.

 

edit: if you use a proxy, Valve can ban your steam account and you're fu-ed, especially if you have many games there.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Majek

[Malcador]

Lovely Well ok, proxy was an idea.

[Majek]

It's still going to be used by some. But i think more will just use a crack once the calm down.

[Malcador]

It's still going to be used by some. But i think more will just use a crack once the calm down.

 

Hm, maybe, I'm just guessing they'll cancel orders if locked and just fork out the dough for a lesser version or something.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Malcador

[Gorgon]

I don't get it. Don't they still get paid if you buy an imported version. Games typically come out first in the US and then Europe. I don't see how parallel imports hurt the publisher in this case. It would be a problem if it came out in eastern Europe where prices have to be really low to try and compete with everyone being thieving bastards.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Gorgon

[Tale]

I don't get it. Don't they still get paid if you buy an imported version.

Speculation from the uninformed and uneducated here (talking about me, not you).

 

The problem with the greymarket is that, despite what it looks like to those of us who spend too much time on the internet, lots of the world isn't both centralized and global. They still have staff at local offices, local marketing budgets, local lots of of stuff. And they decide how much these local operations get paid and funded based off local sales.

 

If German sales fall and UK sales rise, the thing they see is that the UK operation is doing swimmingly, but the German operation is doing poorly. Germany gets less funding for things like localization and commercials. Then, that causes UK sales to fall as well and they're like "fudge!"

 

Now, I think Steam could go a way towards resolving that problem. But they may not be quite up to allocating resources based on stats that aren't money just yet.

[Pidesco]

I'm guessing publishers get paid more by mainland European retailers than by UK retailers, considering European retailers charge much more for games.

[Nepenthe]

I don't get it. Don't they still get paid if you buy an imported version.

Speculation from the uninformed and uneducated here (talking about me, not you).

 

The problem with the greymarket is that, despite what it looks like to those of us who spend too much time on the internet, lots of the world isn't both centralized and global. They still have staff at local offices, local marketing budgets, local lots of of stuff. And they decide how much these local operations get paid and funded based off local sales.

 

If German sales fall and UK sales rise, the thing they see is that the UK operation is doing swimmingly, but the German operation is doing poorly. Germany gets less funding for things like localization and commercials. Then, that causes UK sales to fall as well and they're like "fudge!"

 

Now, I think Steam could go a way towards resolving that problem. But they may not be quite up to allocating resources based on stats that aren't money just yet.

The problem is that the publishers still view it as a grey market, they want to have all the good parts of the freedom of movement, but not live with any of the downsides. EU expects you to accept the fact that your product will be sold cross-border as a part of the package.

[Raithe]

Didn't Apple already have trouble with the EU over region locking the UK seperately from Europe for Itunes?

I seem to have some distant memories of something along those lines..

[Bendu]

I haven't read anything about this. But that would be something different, because in this case it would be the retailer who tries to lock out the consumers.

[Nepenthe]

Didn't Apple already have trouble with the EU over region locking the UK seperately from Europe for Itunes?

I seem to have some distant memories of something along those lines..

IIRC, there are some differences in the legislation re: digital sales, due to specific language requirements for products made available at certain regions. Which is why the whole "digital sales are universal" is hella confusing in this case.

[Gorgon]

What localization. The most you can expect is a manual printed in your language, and that's getting rare too.

[Nepenthe]

What localization. The most you can expect is a manual printed in your language, and that's getting rare too.

Since I was replying to a post about itunes, I was obviously referring to movies/tv series, not games.