A Digital Trade System
Although it might sound like some kind of insane pipe dream, a digital trade system actually isn’t all that difficult to implement. All it would require is a system to value and retract game licenses from a player’s account, and provide them with the Xbox Store credit to put towards another digital title.
It’s literally the exact same thing as what you’re doing at GameStop or your preferred brick and mortar retailer, just with a digital code that says you own a game, rather than a disc.
Ever wondered why you can’t play your digital games sometimes when Xbox Live is having technical difficulties? It’s because it cannot verify you own the license. So, essentially, it’s something that Microsoft kind of has the foundations for in-place already.
Digital games are becoming more and more convenient as internet speeds, for the most part, continue to get faster. For many, the notion of leaving the comfort of their own home just isn’t worth the effort, particularly if they’re going to have to install whopping great day one updates once they have the disc, anyway.
Instead, having it pre-ordered, pre-loaded, and ready to go as soon as the clock strikes midnight increasingly makes more sense. No changing discs, no risk of damaging your discs, and another reason not to leave the house –score!
Exactly what kind of trade value you’d get on these digital games would, of course, be at Microsoft’s discretion. Nail this down, though, and it could finally be the turning point that digital games need to become a more viable way to buy games for most players.
