If you happen to be both a gamer and an Amazon Prime member, then we have good news for you: Amazon is now offering a 20 percent discount off of game pre-orders for all Prime subscribers.

According to Amazon, the new discount will be automatically applied to all existing pre-orders for current Amazon Prime members, and for new pre-orders, the discount will be applied during checkout.

Since it is always a gamble on whether or not a pre-ordered game will actually turn out to be good, the new discount will make it slightly easier to take the risk.

And, as if that is not already good enough, Amazon has said that the discount will still be available for two weeks after release, meaning that more wary consumers can wait for reviews to avoid a repeat of the whole Batman: Arkham Knight PC version debacle.

Aside from offering a 20 percent price cut on pre-orders, Amazon also promises release day shipping for Prime members and offers a pre-order price guarantee, meaning that it will charge users for the lowest price on a pre-ordered game in the event that the price changes before release.

Good for consoles, so-so for PC

There is one catch to Amazon’s new pre-order discounts: it only applies to physical copies of games.

This is likely not a big deal for most console users, but it is a whole different ballgame for PC gamers. PC games are increasingly purchased primarily through digital platforms like Valve Corp’s Steam Store or Electronic Arts Inc’s Origin, and there are many PC games that exist solely as a digital product.

Even during a Steam Sale, newer PC games rarely receive discounts of more than 10 to 15 percent, if they receive any discount at all, so the price cut for Prime users gives Amazon a definite advantage.

Steam does have one big advantage over Amazon however. Even if Amazon’s promise of release day delivery, users who pre-order on Steam are still able to play slightly sooner since they can often pre-install games before release and begin playing the moment they go live.

There are also many games, such as Fallout 4, which still require a Steam download even if you purchased the physical disc, and since Steam servers are often bogged down at big release days, it could take quite some time before the game is actually playable.

Still, a 20 percent discount is nothing to sneeze at, and since Amazon offers cheaper Prime memberships for students, Valve will likely be keeping a close eye on how this will affect pre-order numbers on Steam.

Image credit: Amazon.com Fulfillment Center RNO1 Fernley, Nevada, August 8, 2007.
(IMAGE BY Ken James)