Is the price of gaming hurting the industry?

[abigsmurf]

At the moment there are a number of games I want at the moment (two on the Wii, one on the PS3) but I simply can't justify the prices these games are. On the Wii games tend to be around ?35 online and on the PS3 it's ?40-?45.

That's simply more than I can afford, especially when the typical game lasts 15-20 hours at the moment (very few good RPGs at the moment).

It seems to be having a big effect on the prices in general. Ebay purchases of recent games are saving you less and less with at most getting a ?3 or ?4 saving on new online prices after postage. I've noticed games aren't getting reduced as much either, looking at the price of new PS3 and Wii games, if a game has anything more than a tiny reduction in a sale then it's a really bad game. There's been almost no depreciation in decent games, unusual for the new year.

Although you usually get this when a console is new and there's a limited catalogue, it seems to be lasting a lot longer this time.

However you couple this with the DS, games are cheap (?25 typically) and depreciate in value fast (although it seems piracy has once again made ebay a no go zone). Is it any wonder the DS is having such phenominal sales figures? I can imagine countless parents telling their children "you can have one game", looking at the prices of Wii, 360 and PS3 games and telling them it must be a DS one. DS games are impulse buys, next gen games are big decisions. As a result there are endless crap games on the DS somehow managing to make decent sales.

Am I talking rubbish or does anyone else agree?

[jezzace]

I don't think £35 is a particularly bad price for a wii game, and also nintendo seem to realise that some games are shallow or short and offer them for budget prices such as endless ocean. I disagree with you on the ds too, because even though there are loads and loads of crap released which make money it allows lots of games which would normally be niche games in this territory like pheonix wright or trauma center to be realised for a reasonable £30. I actually think, in general, games are as cheap as they've ever been, especially when you consider n64 games costing £50 - £60.

However, I do agree that games aren't depreciating in value but maybe its the shops that are to blame. Game now control pretty much all trade in prices so they can keep the sale of 2nd hand games high and its these games that people with limited funds live on. I've been into game many times with games only to find that they aren't worth much and even traded-in the 2nd hand games are ridiculously over priced. A new trauma center £27 or a 2nd hand one for £20? Not fair, Game!

[elaniel]

While games have gotten more expensive than last gen with the PS3 and 360, I guess it's down to the cost of making the games now. They're a lot more expensive to make than before.

I think the price drops on games never usually happened in it's first year of a consoles life, unless it was crap games. Sony probably can't afford to drop the prices of games that much as that's what they're making money on rather than the consoles, same for the 360 as well to begin with.

I don't think the prices are that bad, I mean ShopTo do new releases for less than ?40, which isn't bad.

In the USA, 360 and PS3 games cost $59.99 which is around ?30, so if anything UK prices are only a few quid more, which has really been helped by the strong pound against the dollar.

[Profit]

Just because of the economies of scale and no license fees, games are never going to be as cheap as CDs and DVDs.

Every new generation there's some scaremongering of the price of games which never emerges, even with the initial criticism of the development cost of HD games. And there's no reason why anyone cannot wait until they start appearing in the x4 for ?20 bargains.

[Profit]

While games have gotten more expensive than last gen with the PS3 and 360

Compared to launch PS2 £60 games they haven't. GAME and GS at the time charged £69.99 for MGS2.

Edit:
I still see PS1 games with old receipts or price stickers with £49.99.

Interestingly, £60 back in 1995 is worth in 2006:
£79.72 using the retail price index
£79.28 using the GDP deflator
£94.40 using average earnings
£103.37 using per capita GDP
£107.84 using the GDP

[AaronBekir]

I think the premise on gaming prices is a little backward, when the ps1 and even the ps2 came out, the games (and console to a point) were expensive, even more so than the price now, but the difference is, 10+ years ago gaming was a luxury, you got the console if you were lucky, then the games only once every few months, whereas now, a new console is a neccessity and buying games is as easy and as frequent as buying your weekly shopping!! People seem to forget when the ps1, n64, saturn all came out the consoles were crazy prices the same as the games! its just gaming is in bigger demand nowadays.

aaron

[Ajay1986]

I think prices are pretty fair tbh when you consider the work that goes in to developing/marketing new games. Developers, Publishers and Retailers all have to make a profit at the end of the day.

[elaniel]

Compared to launch PS2 £60 games they haven't. GAME and GS at the time charged £69.99 for MGS2.

I wasn't sure how the UK market was back then, I was living in the USA. When I moved over here the PS2 games were £39.99 in stores, but that's shocking they were that much at launch. MGS2 in the USA was only $49.99 at launch!

Back in the USA, 64 games were $69.99 for some.
However PS1 and PS2 games were $49.99 and 360 and PS3 bumped it to $59.99.

They have jumped up at least what the standard prices of last gen games were for most of the consoles life, but as I said, there's a reason for that. Making the games is more expensive now.

[jezzace]

I remember my mate paying £74.99 for turok back in the launch days of the n64! Crazy money. And not really worth it, either.

[Salsa Party Animal]

It will be nice to see all games get 19.99 rrp but after 3 months games stop selling in general so they do have short shelf life. Another problem is some game are hard to get hold off after 12 months.

Another problem is backward compatibility and region coding make thing more difficult.

mutli format and limited market make it difficult to sell. I mean if I want new cave shooter I can only buy it for Japanese PS2.

I would like to see 2nd hand market removed as long we can get all games below 19.99 and easy to find so if I want game x released in 2004 I should be able to buy it.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

If you import from US/CAN, you can easily get the majority of new PS3 releases for £30.

As for DS, there seems to be almost no depreciation on PAL games, GS and Game are still selling stuff like New Super Mario Bros for £20 used, because the demand is there for the games at those prices.

[abigsmurf]

It's not entirely fair to compare N64 prices because of the huge portion of the cost taken up by the physical media itself. The PS1 RRP changed to £29.99 once it was an established console.

There are always some games which never go down in value, generally one off games that are always in demand and never released as budget titles which is why the mario games on the DS stay sought after (and Tales of symphonia and Paper mario on the GC)

[EvilBoris]

Compared to launch PS2 ?60 games they haven't. GAME and GS at the time charged ?69.99 for MGS2.

Are you sure? I remember paying ?29.99 for mine on launch day

[wakka]

Compared to launch PS2 £60 games they haven't. GAME and GS at the time charged £69.99 for MGS2.

I remember paying £29.99 or £39.99 on the day of release in Game, DEFINITELY not £69.99.

[Profit]

Must have just been Cardiff then.