Support NeoGAF

[Blond]

I don't know. With Humble Bundle, Steam, GOG and other sales/deals, I'm drowning. (in a good way )

But I rarely bother with playing new releases, unless it's just something I have to have immediately - which is very rare.

You still have options and choices.

Eventually this will all get funneled into one or two platforms. I want the 4K Version of the Midsommar Directors Cut, I can't get it for anything because Apple bough exclusivity.

I just bought The Division 2 for $3.

That's more of a Beta let's be real. The base version is garbage since there's so much content you have to buy, it's like buying the base version Siege.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Wal Mart sells new games at a discount. $60 games are $50 at Wal Mart and $40 games are $32. These aren't sales but everyday prices.

Dang, if I bought more games Day One I would go to Wal Mart.

I was bummed when Amazon discontinued their pre-order discount but I had already slowed down my buying habits.

Yes, but if they leave, you lose all that advertising, sales. Parents and grandparents are much less likely to be buying digital.

Of course, digital games should be cheaper, but the publishers can't risk pissing them off, as they still need them.

Whether it's a good reason for the formats having the same price or not, it IS the reason.

I acknowledge all of these reasons have been given to explain why, I'm just questioning how valid these reasons are. Would retailers really leave? Do they really care as much as publishers insist they do? The last time a retailer got in a huff about digital was when Game Stop spoke up about Microsoft implementing their Xbox One used game scheme. Didn't hear a peep from Best Buy or other big retails (though it is just as likely they spoke up and I missed it).

Having worked retail, they generally don't pull products due to a particular business move someday possibly down the road affecting the viability of that product on their shelves. They evaluate how profitable that version of the product is and they shelve it. In spite of digital music storefronts, I am seeing more stores (Barnes & Nobles, Target, Best Buy, to name a few) offering physical vinyl records for sale, and clearly they are profitable enough or they wouldn't be offering it.

 

[Gavin Stevens]

I feel I have to say this, as people loke Zog , NOLA_Gaffer and imsosleepy will keep on replying else.

My original post should have been more about what “should” happen, as thats been the narrative for years. Digital can’t be cheaper because it would upset the retail chain, and they wouldn’t stock your inventory. At least that’s what has been said for a long time.

I, like many of you, know fully well that any well people will get more money, they will. And even if all retail stores closed tomorrow, they likely wouldn’t drop prices. Which is insulting, because digital has none of the over heads that a retail product does other than data bandwidth, which is pennies for these people.

The original post never made any of these thoughts clear so apologises, it was essentially a simple comment that, looking back, wasn’t really reflective of my own thoughts.

 

[Griffon]

Games on PC are super cheap. I preorder AAA games on cdkeys or gmg for less than 45€ (sometimes a lot less).
Indies are still very cheap, and sales are very generous for patient gamers.

As far as I'm concerned, the lower prices digital future actually happened and is right here.

Yes I'm a little sad for the people who play games on consoles. They have much less generous pricing options.
But then again, we're talking about people who happily pay 50€ a year for the right to connect their multiplayer games to the internet...

 

[Hulk_Smash]

What is with this obsession with wanting $60 games to cost less? I swear video games are the only evolving electronic technology where the customers expect each new iteration to cost LESS.

I for one wish games started costing around $70 at the beginning of the PS3 era. We might have avoided or at least put off the piecemeal DLC that we accept without question now- not thinking maybe that’s how most publishers need make a profit?

Besides, when was the last time you thought you HAD to pay full price for a game?

I have not had to pay $60 for a year and a half. The next time I will pay for a game full price for a game will be FF7R. And after that probably be about a year from now.

Only the most impatient people can’t wait a few weeks before a sale hits.

 

[Zog]

But then again, we're talking about people who happily pay 50€ a year for the right to connect their multiplayer games to the internet...

Not all console gamers pay to play online.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

What is with this obsession with wanting $60 games to cost less? I swear video games are the only evolving electronic technology where the customers expect each new iteration to cost LESS.

I for one wish games started costing around $70 at the beginning of the PS3 era. We might have avoided or at least put off the piecemeal DLC that we accept without question now- not thinking maybe that’s how most publishers need make a profit?

Besides, when was the last time you thought you HAD to pay full price for a game?

I have not had to pay $60 for a year and a half. The next time I will pay for a game full price for a game will be FF7R. And after that probably be about a year from now.

Only the most impatient people can’t wait a few weeks before a sale hits.

Patience would solve a lot of problems but I think any entertainment hobby is going to suffer from that. I mean, getting hyped up is a part of the culture of entertainment. Not saying we should get hyped, only pointing out that we do.

 

[sunnysideup]

the only time new pc games are cheaper than consoles are on keygen-stores.

Retail console is the cheapest for new games.

 

[magnumpy]

 

[Gargus]

An industry that sells billions of its products every year and they won't lower prices when sales numbers aren't going down?

I'm not trying to be a dick but I can't even begin to imagine why you would think they would go down. Why would any company that is selling lots of its products lower its prices and make less money?

And no one ever promised is digital would cost us less money. No one made that guarantee to us.

As soon as brick and mortar stores close down digital prices will drop.

Until then, no chance, sadly.

So you believe that if retailers go out of business then digital will be cheaper? Taking away competition does not lower prices.

Incase you didn't know retail is cheaper than digital 99% of the time. And worst case scenario they are the same price but retail will be the one to drop first everytime. Not to mention I can buy used retail games for less.

Case and point.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Play the epic fantasy in stunning detail, including add-ons and new features

store.playstation.com

And

Robot Check

Note the prices.

 

[A.Romero]

I'm sure it compensates the decade + of no price increase on the base game prices.

 

[RedVIper]

I setle for prices not increasing.

 

[Fbh]

Hey at least in the US and some major European countries prices are the same. Sony actually charges more around here for digital than physical which is just ridiculous. It makes absolutely no sense, they'll sell me a physical copy with Free shipping to my small town 1900km away from their storage for less than a digital copy on PSN.

But to your point, it's the same as with paid multiplayer on consoles, consumers had a chance to say no but ultimately a large part of them didn't care so it just became standard. And publishers are obviously not going to lower prices if they see that the majority of the market is ok with things as they are.

I have to say though, despite launch prices staying the same I do feel like games are cheaper now than ever. It used to take like a year for many games to see any substantial price drop, now you can often find new releases down to $40 within like a month or 2, and down to half price in less than 6 months (at least during sales).

On PC it has also become even cheaper thanks to third party stores like CDKeys and some nice regional pricing on places like GOG and EPIC (at least in my country)

 

[iconmaster]

This is a great topic for discussion.

It's true that new games from major publishers are usually still released at the $60 price point. I definitely think there's an argument to be made that games which depend heavily on post-purchase paid content (read: microtransactions, season passes or subscriptions) ought to demand a lower entry fee. For some reason they don't, and I can't fault publishers for charging what the market will bear. I can fault you all, though.

On the other hand, I continue to find great deals on digital storefronts for not-new but still current games. Most of mine would be indie game examples, though right now I see Mario + Rabbids on sale for $15. That was originally $60.

I think maybe the price benefits are there, just not everywhere we might hope.

Since the topic is specific to digital pricing, I'm leaving aside the matter of physical titles tending to crater in price within weeks of release. I like it, though.

 

[brap]

It's pretty funny that every time I google a game I want to but it's usually 60 burger bucks digitally and like 30 or less physically.