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Are people who whine about console prices a bit ridiculous?

Are people drama queens when it comes to cost?

  • Total voters
    219
Cliff Underside said:
And from that line of thought you can start a debate about some of the problems of late stage capitalism and how the creation of artificial necessities that 98% of the global population can't afford in the name of market growth leads to widespread debt and crime (Don't quote me on that percentage, I'm just talking out my arse).
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No. It is a hobby. You aren't entitled to play videogames. It isn't a necessity like shelter or food.
Cliff Underside said:
Why do you think piracy is so common in the third world, not even businesses use legitimate software down here when they can get away with it.
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Entitlement.
 
Quality costs money. If you want it, suck it up and buy it. If you feel it costs too much, wait for a sale or price cut. If no price cut comes, you made the choice to hold out on a console that is clearly still selling great without one.

And if you genuinely cannot afford one, understand that gaming is a luxury and not a right.
 
Joon said:
Are you implying that it would be healthy for the video game industry if consoles became overpriced and defunct so that PC and mobile were the only gaming hardware available?

Make your point.
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Personally I wouldn't mind as it wouldn't affect me.
 
kiphalfton said:
All the soccer moms I've seen drive around brand new SUV's that cost $60k+... so no amount of money is going to stop them from buying their kid a console. If anything, it would be the other way around (i.e. it would be too expensive for us plebs).
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True, True! But thankfully their IQ in gaming is below Zero and end up buying something else. Have hope!
 
If price didnt matter why is Ms coming out with lockhart? Or the Digital S? Or the Ps price cuts? These companies anit making money on launch. The money comes in mid gen when they start getting all the discounts for parts. Hence price/Lower price launch gets more people in their ecosystem whether its gamepass, now, +, live, software sales. thats where the money is at.
 
Glad to see the yes camp winning.

Save up your money for a purchase you know is coming!

Mriverz said:
If price didnt matter why is Ms coming out with lockhart? Or the Digital S? Or the Ps price cuts? These companies anit making money on launch. The money comes in mid gen when they start getting all the discounts for parts. Hence price/Lower price launch gets more people in their ecosystem whether its gamepass, now, +, live, software sales. thats where the money is at.
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The profit aint comin from hardware period. Sony and especially MS are all about service revenue now.

Nintendo yes they make money on the plastic.
 
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Sub_Level said:
Glad to see the yes camp winning.

Save up your money for a purchase you know is coming!



The profit aint comin from hardware period. Sony and especially MS are all about service revenue now.

Nintendo yes they make money on the plastic.
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Ps4 was 19$ in the green at launch. Its not far fetch to say as the years went and the tech became older they was making profit for each console sold. That will most likely not be the case this gen though lol

But yes i fully agree the real money is in the service
 
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I guess.
If you're so concerned about price just save up 60 bux each month.
 
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I'd go with ridiculous, yeah.

If you want a machine which is ready to last the next 5+ years, you should expect a hefty price. And even those hefty prices aren't much, compared to other forms of technology. The most expensive console in the past few generations is cheaper than your typical phone, nowadays.

The one I'm thinking of is the PS3, which was famously expensive.
The PS3 released in 2006, and the PS4 released in 2013.
Less than a hundred bucks per year is a pretty good price, as far as I'm concerned, for something that so prominently takes up a person's time.
 
If consoles were subsidized over 2-3 years, then nobody would say shit.

If people actually had to pay the entire phone cost before buying one, there'd be a lot less people with phones.

And yes... $500-600 for the technology you're getting is sweet fuck all, imo.
 
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Oh man please go to the official next gen thread and follow my meltdown with some total loosers.


To repeat the people with their 299 expectations should get a job.

500 for a console is cheap.
The pros are already listed.


But as i said it many times i do understand people who say its a lot of money.
You see 500 us will cost in other countries 700-800-900 with exchange tax duties etc. so people look at that and say fuck no.

And so i agree with them that in their eyes 400 is max. Cuz again for them its what that translates to and the hell would i pay 900 for any console. Been there done that mr. 3do . Will never do it again.

But also consider that it doesnt end just with console prices around the world.
I share my games with a buddy of mine in the uk.
I log into his account go to his store jist to look what they have on sale and man the prices over there are stupid.
We also get a lot of cheap stuff like just recently divison2 for 3 bucks but us only.
Gaming here is by far the cheapest in the world.

Even i went overboard by shitting on people who say 500 is insane.
But we have to be more open minded and explore where they are coming from.
 
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Vawn said:
That is NOT how inflation works. Otherwise, no one would be able to afford even basic groceries.
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Come live in Argentina.
Annual inflation rate of 57% in 2019.
Salaries are updated quarterly. In the meantime, inflation keeps going. So, by the time a salary is updated to the quarter behind it, it's already behind the current inflation.
Everyone gets poorer by the month.
Simple as that.
Last month we had 2.3% inflation rate.
Imagine that every thing you bought today is 2.3% more expensive next month.
Now tell me things get cheaper instead of more expensive with inflation.
 
The issue is parents. Parents don't want to pay more than $500 on a game console for their kid unless they got a ton of money. If a parent is at the store and they see a cheaper option they will pick the cheaper console
 
no. the same thing that happened to diamonds is now happening to the video game industry. the sellers are putting all these new techologies to marginally improve gaming experience, they mass produce it, and the demand just keeps going up. then they tell the public that since these new consoles are so much better they need to be so much more expensive. its basic economics, the demand base has increased drastically but instead of lowered prices for consoles and games we are seeing them raised.
 
DynamiteCop! said:
Do you think Canadian funny money is the equivalent of USD? Their money and the costs associated with products are offset accordingly...
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Do you think Canadians wage's went up to compensate for the dollar dropping? We make the same and are paying more for products, if a console launches at $800-950 its gonna be seen a high end luxury item and very few will buy it. That's the last thing a console should be seen as. Like I said before this is a worldwide product, not a US only product. A $50-100 price increase over last gen will be tolerated, a $200-300 price increase like you suggest that is only amplified in other countries is ridiculous.
 
Those filthy casuals are the one would maintain moving the units anyway after the launch blowout, the one who would buy only FIFA or COD games at most for the entire console lifespan. They just need to reach certain thresholds for this to holds smoothly, they sure AF won't bought it $600.

If either companies doesn't care about that, well they have their online services to coup back the costs, then sure make it a little bit higher than their build costs.
 
Well i bought the One X at the gamestop with the preorder,with 100€ per month until the day one
I can't afford 500€ in cash in one day
 
Firmly yes. As long as there is value for that cash (and often these things have been sold at a loss) then of course yes. Even as a teenager I had enough foresight and self control to pay cash for these things at launch. Make money and don't waste it on garbage.
 
I really feel like some of you don't live in the same world I do. $500 to $600 for a console is really expensive. A $750 phone is super expensive, but people need a phone and it's spread across 24 to 30 months of payments. You almost can't get a job without a phone at this point. With iPads at $279, and the Nintendo Switch at $299, I think Sony and Microsoft are in for a rough time. I know the markets are different, but if you're a non-gamer, you're not going to buy the $600 console. You're going to buy a Switch and an iPad, or maybe neither and upgrade your phone.
Consoles need a mass market appeal. I have coworkers who waited until the PS4 was $199 with a game. The value proposition for consoles has only gone down for the mainstream.
 
EHuntingon said:
I really feel like some of you don't live in the same world I do. $500 to $600 for a console is really expensive. A $750 phone is super expensive, but people need a phone and it's spread across 24 to 30 months of payments. You almost can't get a job without a phone at this point. With iPads at $279, and the Nintendo Switch at $299, I think Sony and Microsoft are in for a rough time. I know the markets are different, but if you're a non-gamer, you're not going to buy the $600 console. You're going to buy a Switch and an iPad, or maybe neither and upgrade your phone.
Consoles need a mass market appeal. I have coworkers who waited until the PS4 was $199 with a game. The value proposition for consoles has only gone down for the mainstream.
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Not to discount what you're saying elsewhere in your post but how has the value proposition gone down when gaming is more popular than ever and more people are engaging in it?
 
AGRacing said:
Firmly yes. As long as there is value for that cash (and often these things have been sold at a loss) then of course yes. Even as a teenager I had enough foresight and self control to pay cash for these things at launch. Make money and don't waste it on garbage.
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Is more hard when you are an adult, something Always happen...in this two months i have payed almost 600€ for my shitty car.... goodbye to the money that i save every month :D
 
Joon said:
No. Cost is important. People value their money and don't want to spend more than what is nessescary.
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This. But also i find gaming to be the most insanely afforable hobby : My 399$ PS4 i played over 800 hrs of Destiny vanilla!
 
DynamiteCop! said:
Not to discount what you're saying elsewhere in your post but how has the value proposition gone down when gaming is more popular than ever and more people are engaging in it?
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Maybe it's my experience and it's all anecdotal, but I work with a bunch of 20 to 40 year olds and they talk about games all the time. Some have kids, some don't, but they're not buying PS4's or Xbox's. Their kids are playing on an iPad or a Switch. They're just messing around on their phones/tablets or playing lightweight PC games. By the end of last gen, it seemed like everyone had a PS3 or 360. The new hires coming in aren't playing consoles, and the older range aren't buying PS4's or Xbox One's. Even my immediate family isn't playing consoles the way I did when I was younger. None of my kids or nephews and nieces really care about console gaming besides the odd Nintendo game on the Switch (or Wii U in some cases.) Maybe it's just the people I'm around, I can't speak for everyone, but console gaming is low on everyone's list.
 
Considering how long I keep/use a single console, I would say they are a bargain, so the bitching about cost makes zero sense to me. That being said, I think Microsoft has the right idea this gen, a ghetto version for the masses and a high end version for those who care.
 
DynamiteCop! said:
Do you think Canadian funny money is the equivalent of USD? Their money and the costs associated with products are offset accordingly...
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A console is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. People will buy their products accordingly. At $700-800... no Xbox is going to do well in Canada... especially in light of the competition.
 
This talk of smartphone cost is strange to me. Those are different markets and serve different purposes. All my family members have one, but only one family member I know plays video games. A smart phone is a lifestyle choice for a lot of people, while video gaming is a hobby for those into it.
 
Will somebody think about the children!?

Mom is not buying little Stevie a $450 device
 
I mean kind of if they could buy $100's(or more) worth of gaming or anime merchandise. But can not afford a $300,$400,or $500 console.Or even a $60 game.
 
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Mostly, yes

With PS4 and Xbox One, that people freaked out because "it's old hardware", they still holds up today. Your US$500 PC from 2013? I don't think so
 
EHuntingon said:
I really feel like some of you don't live in the same world I do. $500 to $600 for a console is really expensive. A $750 phone is super expensive, but people need a phone and it's spread across 24 to 30 months of payments. You almost can't get a job without a phone at this point. With iPads at $279, and the Nintendo Switch at $299, I think Sony and Microsoft are in for a rough time. I know the markets are different, but if you're a non-gamer, you're not going to buy the $600 console. You're going to buy a Switch and an iPad, or maybe neither and upgrade your phone.
Consoles need a mass market appeal. I have coworkers who waited until the PS4 was $199 with a game. The value proposition for consoles has only gone down for the mainstream.
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Why would Sony or Microsoft want a "non gamer" to buy their console if they're potentially selling it at a loss? They can wait.

Look - in the first couple years of a console's life it's not about casual or mainstream users. The early adopters swoop in and buy maybe 10,20,30 games in the first year... offsetting any loss or justifying their only breaking even on the hardware. The "non gamer" can stop by Target on Black Friday 2023 and get the thing for 200 dollars off what I paid bundled with Spider Man 2 or something. Until then they can enjoy their iPad.

if they sell something only worth 299 today they "whales" like me aren't even going to be interested in the thing and it would never get off the ground. It wouldn't be a big enough jump from the last one.
 
personally, $700 isnt a big deal but to many many many people it is, especially the kids who have to convince their parents to blow $700 on something that will steal all their time and interest away from other things (like the parents themselves, school, physical activities, ect)
 
Man, I bet you bought that cheap to manufacture $180 controller and complained that the PS3 is overpriced.

Customers budgets are based on perception.
 
cyber69 said:
Never understood this comparison. The amount of utility a phone brings over a console, it just isn't comparable.
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Its comparison because people whinging about price could easily buy a $50 phone that completes the same utility purpose of a $1,200 phone. The same people don't need $50 worth of plan, they could use $20 worth of prepaid and gather the same result, but they just can't bare to be seen with a subpar phone oh people will judge me!


A launch console is a fucking luxury item, it isn't required nor needed in life. It provides no use other then joy and fun. People complaining about price can continue to play their last generation console or wait for a price drop. I don't walk into Mercedes and complain their $50,000 car isn't priced with Toyotas down the road for $20,000. The same is said with difference between a $500 TV and $5,000 TV that will even be the same in size. I'm not going to go in their and rage about the latest TV being $5,000. It provides an option for early adapters and those looking to spend money for the latest and greatest but at the end of the day it isn't needed, and people that are worried about a console costing $500 bucks you have larger financial issue at play in life that you should be addressing first.
 
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I suppose it really depends on why people are "whining".

If Sony announced PS5 at 1500 dollars at launch then I feel like the community would be outraged because this price tag probably comes with a danger that the console will flop as they fail to shift units.

Then of course you would have the people who had been so hyped and so active online that suddenly are faced with the prospect that they can't actually justify the purchase at that price level.

Gaming seems to be a relatively inexpensive hobby to be honest. So long as you are not building up massive backlogs of games etc.
At some point people need to just commit to not paying if they think the price is too high.

In the end, yes, it is a bit ridiculous to get worked up about the prices of non-essential items.
You either can afford it or you can't.
 
Some people seem to think we are gonna get the equivalent of 2080 gpu, high tech SSDs, competent CPU power, all this power and functionality for 400 bucks of less and I continue to assert I just don't see how it's possible

I don't care if it's mobile versions of PC hardware, so it's cheaper/less power hungry or whatever. I don't care. If it's allegedly gonna rival a mid-range gaming PC how will it do so for less than half the price?

CPU bottleneck, general ease of use, and underdelivered performance/resolution promises were the norm talk all this gen, people want more power but don't want to pay?

I'll be happy with 499, am expecting 599
 
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In the grand scheme of things, yes. You're talking about an item which is an absolute luxury. If you're worried that your precious brand new shiny games console costs $50 more than you expected, you aren't really in a position to be worried about money. If you give that much of a shit about saving pennies, or you "just want to play games", there's thousands and thousands of older games you can play for a fraction of the cost. You just want the latest and greatest and you want it now, but you want it cheap.
 
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