Will the price point hurt next generation consoles?

My friends, I do not speak of the actual console hardware, I speak of the game price.

Example... a pc game is £29.99 in the UK. The Xbox360 version is £39.99. The Xbox One Version is £49.99.

This seems to be the pattern that has formed. While this is obviously a cash grab with no reason to raise the price other than "because money, give". Do you think in the grand scheme of things this will be heavily counterproductive to getting people on these consoles? (the PS4/Xbox).

Unlike last generations, games on a mass scale (almost all of them) are being co-produced in tandem for last generation as well as this new generation. This could perhaps continue for many years to come.

As an average Joe I think "**** that" might just be the response to the asking price.

Also, given how they wish to push the price point up, will this negatively impact the PC? It seems it's already happening.

What is your point?

Every new gen has expensive games at first. It takes a year or two before they drop back down to $60 or less. This has been the norm since the NES. I hate little kids/new gamers using the internet for the first time.

If you were born earlier you would know NES/SNES/N64/Genesis/PS1/PS2/PS3/xbox 360 and tons more games were originally priced at $79.99. Then they eventually dropped after a year or so and hit that sweet spot of $60 which most people are willing to pay. This is not new. Quit complaining.

the elevated price of console games is necessary in an ecosystem which has used games

its just a compromise

Weren't game prices standarized around the 6th gen?

A few years into generation 5, PSX games were standardized at $39.99 USD. N64 Prices fluctuated because of varying hardware contained inside each game cartridge.

Generation 6 was standardized accross the board at $49.99 USD. Generation 7 at $59.99 USD, and as of generation 8, I have yet to pay more than that for a game.

This topic is no more relevant this generation than it was last generation, at least in the US.

It's in the first post my friend. It was typed out via a K120 logitech keyboard.

Get a Nintendo system or build a good PC and enjoy being part of the master race, looking down on sony and microsoft peasants.

Problem solved.

Sadly, this is completely wrong. As pointed out, this generation, unlike last generations have practically every title in development, co-developed with last generation at a cheaper price.

Also my dear fellow, this may be surprising, but this isn't the 90's. Gaming has changed beyond the point of recognition. To say it hasn't is Franky a luscious statement. This can primarily be attributed to the wii, mobile and facebook style gaming. The ecosystem as a whole has far more diverse options. Even in the realm of purely gaming specific consoles (as mentioned in my excellent opening post) (which was great).

Hopefully it will help send more people to PC.

@uninspiredcup: It's been like this for 15-20yrs now. The PC games are cheaper mainly because they don't have any resale value. Earlier before there was all this DRM, you could but PC games and then resale them for a small profit. Today if you pay $39.99 or $49.99 for a physical PC game, getting a return sale on it is pretty much nil. With console games, I can buy a brand new game like Titanfall or Infamous SSfor $60, play them for a month or two and still sell them on Ebay for $30-$45. In the end, the most I paid for the game was $30. It's obviously a bit cheaper to make games on PC because there is no licensing fees, that are charged by Nintendo, Sony & Microsoft. For these the games are cheaper, but their resale value is pretty much dead after purchase.

PC games in the UK vary.

Last 5 PC games I bought:

• Titanfall = £37 (sale price)
• Diable 3 expansion = £32
• Thief = £26 (sale price)
• South Park = £40
• Insurgency = £11

Unless they are on sale PC games are £40 these day's.

Frequent sales is what makes PC gaming a little cheaper but then again console gamers have pre-owned games so it evens it self out.

For example by the time Thief is a £5 steam sale game chances are you can get Thief pre-owned for a similar price on the consoles.

My memory is shocking, but I think games were priced around about:

• ??? (5th Gen)
• £30 (6th Gen)
• £40 (7th Gen)
• £50 (8th Gen)

Why do games mostly never seem to have different prices?

No. I don't know why people think there is this magic bullet that will kill consoles.

Hopefully with more emphasis put on buying digital companies are more flexible with pricing after a games release. Games typically make most their money in the first few weeks of release, with exception for some of the best sellers that continue making money over time, but after the first few weeks that's pretty much all she wrote for most games. Hopefully companies get smart and get flexible with their pricing, dropping prices for digital copies to keep up sales, and eventually for older titles selling them for bargains here and there. Anyhow, if the initial price is too high, simply wait it out, most games get cheaper, some games won't though and you'll just have to bite the bullet.

This is bullshit. Aside from a half dozen games that publishers think are "hot" all pc games are £29,99. Or even cheaper.

The rise in price can primarily be rested on the shoulders of Call Of Duty (and the Call Of Duty fans ruining gaming as we know it). Since then, other opportunistic cunts have had a punt. The usual suspects.

Not to be a negative Nancy but I disagree. While theoretically this should be the case, the reality is, Publishers are trying to jack digital prices well beyond the price of retail. EA and Blizzard for example attempt to sell software for almost (and in some cases) double the price of retail.

Thankfully, no one gives a **** about Origin.

But, steam has it's problems as well. In the old days, Alpha's use to be free. It was a service, from you, to the developer. Now, yet again, chancing cunts are using the gimmick of early access (we can't be bothered finishing it before selling it) as an excuse to jack up prices, as if you helping them, is a privilege.

No doubt Valves intentions are pure harted (the hero we deserve). The actual other publishers on steam, are huge knob heads attempting to take the piss.

Console publishers are 100 times worse. We have already seen the shit they attempted to pull by attempting to make microstransactions the standard. Just wait and see what happens next.

I can't speak for the UK as I live in the U.S.

Game prices have been pretty consistent for the last two gens (including this one of course). $60 for a new title.. $45-50 for a used one (Amazon, Gamestop, Best Buy ect..). Of course savvy shoppers will always find discounts (as Tomb Raider & Thief III both were on sale for $29.99 on PSN last month).

I don't see how this negatively effect the market.

The only real issue I currently have are digital titles on PSN. Day One digital titles should NOT cost the same as a retail box copy. These titles forgo the costs of distribution, packaging materials, and retail mark up. Why are they still charging retail prices?

[I'm sure you'll chime in with "Bu..but the PC doesn't have those mark ups.. it's teh superior!!! blah..blah..blah.. slurp..slurp.."]