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[IYAOYAS2019]

I made this because i find it incredible odd that people are willing to pay $700-1000 for their phones and seem to be hesitant when it comes to consoles over $399 while in the latter go much more resources and R&D while they last you easily double as long

My phone has a whole lot more functionality to it in comparison to a console.

 

[diffusionx]

I made this because i find it incredible odd that people are willing to pay $700-1000 for their phones and seem to be hesitant when it comes to consoles over $399 while in the latter go much more resources and R&D while they last you easily double as long

People use their phones all day every day.

 

[PontiusFeeb]

This chart would have been much more interesting if it had shown older consoles too. The Atari VCS launched in 1977 at $199, which would be $878.66 in 2020 dollars.

 

[DemonCleaner]

My phone has a whole lot more functionality to it in comparison to a console.

your phone has a lot more functionality to it than your car. yet your car is more expensive.

People use their phones all day every day.

you use your phone more than you use your car. yet your car is more expensive.



different funtionalities can be valued differently. for me the entertainment a console provides is worth more than the functionality of a phone. but that may be a personal preference. the effort that goes into each of these boxes isn't.

 

[diffusionx]

different funtionalities can be valued differently. for me the entertainment a console provides is worth more than the functionality of a phone. but that may be a personal preference. the effort that goes into each of these boxes isn't.

If you want to talk about how much work goes into these boxes.. I'm not sure it is close, smartphones by a landslide. Think about the size of the smartphone industry, the developments in CPU, screen, miniaturization, camera, authentication, etc. Just yesterday I read an article about the work ongoing for a behind-screen camera (so no notch/punchout), it is incredible. Then you get to the operating systems and software to run it all...

Of course that doesn't matter, as you say, the only thing that matters is what it is worth to people personally. I spent far more on my PC than I would a phone, but I have also spent more on a phone than I would a console. Also worth noting these days you can get a good phone for roughly console price as well.

 

[Alexios]

If you want to pay more feel free to send your paycheck to sony/ms/nintendo, people will pay what they think the value of whatever is regardless of your frothing shilling for poor multibillion dollar corporations. How much they value other things and hobbies is completely irrelevant dude.

It's a weird argument to think everyone who opposes higher prices does buy $1000 or whatever phones, does that mean you concede for everyone who buys a $150 or $250 phone or something? You know those markets are huge too, not just flagship monster/overpriced models, right?

 

[Hulk_Smash]

But did wages inflate at the same rate?

yes.

 

[reinking]

Inflation has nothing to do with how much a company should charge for a console. Phone prices have nothing to do with the price of a console. The price the masses are willing to pay for it is the only price that matters.

 

[vkbest]

I made this because i find it incredible odd that people are willing to pay $700-1000 for their phones and seem to be hesitant when it comes to consoles over $399 while in the latter go much more resources and R&D while they last you easily double as long

A month salary in Spain is 900€. PS4 has sold 4 million at 300-400€. PS5 at 700-900€ would be dead on arrival . If Sony wants lose several million of sales, yes can release a smartphone price console for USA market

You have PS4 selling 5:1 vs Pro too because PS4 is 100€ cheaper than Pro

 

[TLZ]

Man what were Sega thinking with that price for Saturn

I know huh. Other consoles people used to were $199, $199 and BAM $399. And that's in addition to the multitude of extra peripherals Sega drowned the market with. And people were supposed to just accept and buy that only months to a year later? Then came the PS with the final nail in the coffin with their $299.

 

[FeldMonster]

I think some of you might find this article interesting:

Is the US market ready to embrace a $500 game console?

A look at history, and inflation, suggests it might be.

arstechnica.com

I also have never understood how people pay so much for phones and moan endlessly about console prices. Consoles last 6-8 years vs. 2. And what do I use my phone for? Texts, emails? That is worth $1000? The amount of time per day I am on my console dwarfs phone usage in a typical day, say 3 hours vs. what, 20 minutes texting, emailing, phone calls, etc.

 

[RoadHazard]

I'm really not sure how useful inflation adjusted pricing is when dealing with an absolutely optional purchase like a games console. Especially in an environment where people have become accustomed to the prices on tech products constantly dropping.

Phones are just getting more and more expensive. 10-15 years ago a really good phone cost like $300-400. Now there are $2000 phones. And yes, current smartphones are very different beasts than the feature phones before them, but even among smartphones the prices have gone up rather than down. Now $1000 flagship phones are the norm, that wasn't the case 5 years ago.

 

[fran.fernandez]

I saw somewhere that in japan they have negative inflation. Lols

 

[Codes 208]

your phone has a lot more functionality to it than your car. yet your car is more expensive.



you use your phone more than you use your car. yet your car is more expensive.



different funtionalities can be valued differently. for me the entertainment a console provides is worth more than the functionality of a phone. but that may be a personal preference. the effort that goes into each of these boxes isn't.

You forgot the part in your argument how most people don't pay 500-1200 up front for their phones but rather a smaller down payment (generally cheaper than a new console) and monthly charges. This is how phones have always been and it works. Same goes with a car, most people pay upwards to $2000 and then pay the rest on a loan via monthly bills.

For someone like me who makes barely above minimum wage, paying $200 for a new high-tech phone with an added $30 to my monthly service is an easier pill to swallow than, say, $500-600 In one go. And that's not even including games or accessories

 

[Futurematic]

But did wages inflate at the same rate?

Purchasing power remains the same across the last 40 years.

 

[Tranquil]

I made this because i find it incredible odd that people are willing to pay $700-1000 for their phones and seem to be hesitant when it comes to consoles over $399 while in the latter go much more resources and R&D while they last you easily double as long

I'm willing to pay $30,000 for a new car. I don't want my Xbox/PS5 to be that much though.

 

[Trimesh]

Phones are just getting more and more expensive. 10-15 years ago a really good phone cost like $300-400. Now there are $2000 phones. And yes, current smartphones are very different beasts than the feature phones before them, but even among smartphones the prices have gone up rather than down. Now $1000 flagship phones are the norm, that wasn't the case 5 years ago.

People keep on bringing up phones - but it's basically irrelevant. Firstly, phones are now seen as basically essential -secondly, the contract sales model typically used reduces the up-front cost and finally having a "top end" phone can be seen as a portable status symbol.

Note of this applies to a games console - which is an entirely nonessential toy and hence can reasonably be expected to have extremely high price/demand elasticity.