> panyan wrote:is it possible to reseal or buy ps3 sleeves for games that come in shrink wrap?
Sure.
> panyan wrote:where can you get reshrinking machines from in the uk?
Shrinkwrapping can also be done on a per-unit basis with a more basic set of equipment. You could probably get the equipment you need for about £100. Try eBay. Heck, you could always just buy shrinkwrap bags and us something like a paint-stipping heatgun, or even an oven (NOT a microwave!) if you're prepared to risk it. But, you'll usually have to buy the plastic that you use to shrinkwrap, in bulk. So that could cost a bit.
> panyan wrote:do all uk retailers sell y-fold games or also shrink wrapped?
It sometimes varies from store to store. It depends on their policies, which might come from their corporate parent, but might be just their own. If you usually shop at one store, and often enough that you know the staff there, and buy the games that you want sealed at launch, you might be able to ask them to put one aside for you when they unpack their incoming stock.
> bassman8866 wrote:What is a Y-Fold?
A Y-fold is a seal where a single plastic sheet is cut to exact size and wrapped around the case, then folded at the top and glued.
This is different to shrinkwrapped, which is the other main style used for sealing console video games, in that shrinkwrap starts out as an oversized sheet or bag, which the case it wrapped in plastic and which is then sealed at by using a heated element, which causes the plastic to shrink around the case.
Both styles are typically completed during the manufacturing phase, and are automated.
A Y-fold is two edges overlapping and being glued between. Y-folds can come apart if the glue deteriorates, so they're more fragile. However, they're much harder to imitate, making a resealed Y-folded article a ridiculously rare thing (for now- it'll only get cheaper and easier over time).
Almost all CDs/DVDs and - at this point in time - almost all non-PC video games - use Y-folded plastic wrap. You'll know one once you see one - it's basically the only other kind of seal other thank shinkwrap these days.
Shrinkwrapping is cheaper, so sometimes some publishers try to save a buck by shrinkwrapping. Although rare, sometimes they will not bother with any kind of seal at all (this is rare because it aggravates retail tremendously, even if they just unseal the games themselves).
> panyan wrote:p.s. i already emailed infinity ward and they said they have nothing to do with it because of some lame reason
Yeah, the Publisher (EA in this case, I think) makes those choices. Developers program the games, publishers do almost everything else (and so get most of the actual money from the sale of the game). Some developers are big enough to also be publishers; becoming a publisher requires a very large investment in infrastructure - machinery and personnel - it's not something you usually do unless you have a lot of money and know a lot of people in the industry.
Publishers usually organize things like printing and manufacturing, advertising and marketing, negotiating with (for example) the console vendor for the right to publish the game, making submissions to ratings boards to get classifications, cross-licensing with strategy guide makers or companies making action figures or cartoons or whatever, organizing pre-release builds for trade shows and reviewers, convincing games and department stores to stock the game and promote it in their catalogs and display it on more visible shelves, handling after-sales support including returns, etc. Developers are usually just a bunch of programmers, and they are typically not interested in doing any of those things! :-)
