These dumb ass consumers also complain about how games are too expensive and don't drop in price fast enough on consoles. Why can't they see that's directly because of the retail environment. The sooner that middleman is cut out the sooner prices will drop. But I guess gamefly and GameStop are too tempting for people to give up on.
GameStop and gamefly aren't the only ways to buy sell and swap physical games, but they would have been if MS' "only approved retailers" shyt went into effect.
But on the real, if the online service MS was providing was so great and innovative, why not just keep it intact for downloadable games? Why trash the whole online infrastructure? Why not just offer consumers the CHOICE of online or physical gaming, each with its own benifits and limitations?
Also, in regards to your comment about cutting out the middleman to cut the costs of games, well the middleman isn't GameStop, the middleman is the console company. Sony, MS, Nintendo are the biggest middleman between publishers and gamers. That's why PC games are far cheaper, because there is no console company taking a vig.