GameStop to start selling iOS devices?
GameStop, one of the biggest game store chains in both the US and other countries, might start selling iOS devices soon. The word got out during a Las Vegas trade show last week which would indicate that it’s the US side of GameStop that will do this first and foremost, but GameStops in other countries are likely to follow suit as well.
While this won’t make much of a difference to consumers, it’s a pretty solid acknowledgment that tablets and other smartdevices are strong competitors in the video game market – though the failure and subsequent price drop of the Nintendo 3DS already made that clear. What I don’t quite get though is how GameStop expect to make money off of these things. The console market has always been about selling the console as cheap as possible in order to make people buy games, to such a degree that several retailers refused to sell the PSP Go when it came out because it was completely download based. No physical games means each customer only buys the “console” (which for Apple devices means practically no profit), no trade-ins and no reason at all to come back to the store – not to mention that it will help steal sales away from the consoles that do have those perks. I guess they can sell accessories and make money off that, but it’s still a financially peculiar choice if you ask me.
Either way, more places that sell the iPad is certainly a good thing as some places (like where I live) you’re a bit limited if you want to go buy it in a store. GameStop will also be selling the iPod touch and the iPhone, and the same goes for those.
[9to5mac]
