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[Kandrick]

Meh i dont know.

I hope more stores do some good deals like that. One thing is sure is that i am going to wait for the best deal (bundle) to appear, and not jump the gun

 

[Bojanglez]

This is outrageous!

A quick look at amazon shows that most electronic devices/games sell for roughly 25-40% more in the UK, than in USA. This is expected as our prices include the EU import tax and UK VAT. However Rock band is about 140% more expensive?

Words fail me, but stats don't lie


Product US Amazon Price UK Amazon %Increase
Rock Band Bundle $147 $354 (£180) 140% (Price not on amazon so I used the RRP)
IPod Touch 16GB $340 $450 (£229) 32%
PS3 40GB $399 $560 (£285) 40%
Guitar Hero 360 Bundle $99 $125 (£64) 26%

 

[mrklaw]

I'm not sure if this has been posted, BUT...

For those of us in the UK, get the Rock band instruments AND the game for £140 (free delivery) PLUS, if you use this code (or so I am told) 'experience08' you get another 5% off. So it roughly comes down to about £133 quid. All from http://www.play.com/Search.aspx?sea...ock+band&page=search&pa=search&go.x=31&go.y=9
EDIT:

just ordered it myself and the code worked. Came to £132.98

thats besides the point. thats an online retailer doing a discounted bundle. If the RRP had been eg £130 for both, you'd have still had discounts, bringing the cost closer to £100-110. discounts that make it almost what you hope the RRP would have been after they announced it way higher, even though the 'lower' RRP is still really expensive isn't much of a reassurance.

 

[McBradders]

C'mon Gameplay

 

[acm2000]

haha i just emailed watchdog, just cause i wanna see them harass EA :lol

go send the story to them watchdog@bbc.co.uk

edit: also, this thread fills my heart with warmth, im glad so many others are joining the hate of EA <3

 

[Ubersnug]

thats besides the point. thats an online retailer doing a discounted bundle. If the RRP had been eg £130 for both, you'd have still had discounts, bringing the cost closer to £100-110. discounts that make it almost what you hope the RRP would have been after they announced it way higher, even though the 'lower' RRP is still really expensive isn't much of a reassurance.

I do agree thats its besides the point and if the game had retailed at £130 we would probably be paying about £110 - £120 but I'm willing to pay £133 despite the fact that it had to be heavily discounted to that price.

I paid £130 for Steel Battalion and I fully expected Rock band to retail for that price as well. When it was announced at £180 I thought 'fuck that'. But now I have the chance to purchase the game at a price that I personally deemed acceptable I'm going for it.

Hopefully, if Play sell more copies than any of the other retailers then it will send a message back to EA and they will take the hint and cut prices. This is assuming that the outcry from all the online communities go unheard by EA's PR department. Who knows, perhaps they will drop the price, highly unlikely knowing EA, but you never know.

 

[Psychotext]

This is outrageous!

			US Amazon	UK Amazon	%Increase
Rock Band Bundle	$147		$354 (£180)	[B]140%[/B] (RRP)
IPod Touch 16GB		$340		$450 (£229)     32%
PS3 40GB		$399		$560 (£285)     40%
Guitar Hero 360 Bundle  $99		$125 (£64)      26%
Nintendo Wii		$249		$352 (£179)	41%

Coded, quoted and added the Wii. It's pretty much the perfect way of showing just how much we're getting ripped off here.

 

[zoukka]

The sad thing about that price is, is that it's still going to sell out everywhere. Count me out.

I just hope one of my friends get it.

 

[burnfout]

Wait, the 23rd is UK only?

Dutch site claming this:
http://games.fok.nl/news.php?newsid=24451

 

[Kandrick]

Wait, the 23rd is UK only?

Dutch site claming this:
http://games.fok.nl/news.php?newsid=24451

I think it said it will be available in uk-france-germany first then in other places a bit after. I think i read that somewhere in this thread or a link.

 

[Kafel]

The 22nd in France.

 

[Xater]

I think it said it will be available in uk-france-germany first then in other places a bit after. I think i read that somewhere in this thread or a link.

So basically it will be the worst game release ever. What a huge clusterfuck...

 

[Hammer24]

22nd for Germany too. Spielegrotte.de lists it for 230€, shipping on the 20th.

 

[Bojanglez]

Coded, quoted and added the Wii. It's pretty much the perfect way of showing just how much we're getting ripped off here.

Cheers, would have formatted it better myself but I am in work and have to post quick, saying I already spend at least 15 mins looking up the prices.

It just shows how much of a difference there is, when I first saw it was going to be £180 I thought it must have been a typo.

 

[Tntnnbltn]

Fresh from resident rumour-mill Kotaku:

Hey, Australia. All that fuss over Rock Band that went down last night? You know, about the release, and then the price? Don't worry about it. None of it applies to you. While European and Australian release dates are normally in-step, for Rock Band they're not, with EA Australia only telling us "There is no announcement on Rock Band for Australia yet". Bummer. Now's as good a time as any to remind you that over Christmas I heard rumours from retailers that thanks to fears over its price the game may not be coming here at all, so between that and the inevitably astronomical price, I'd be getting intimate with the online importing scene if I were you. Just in case.

 

[Johnkers]

Australia lol

 

[Ikopi]

So basically, they just don't have the production facility to make enough of them, but they can't wait to launch, so they just horribly overprice their products so that almost no-one will be buying it AND they launch in only three countries AND only on one system.

This will be recorded at the end of the year (and all years after this one) as number 1 worst product launch. They have all the good reviews because of the American release, but they screw it all up like this. Terrible word of mouth will spread and after a few months Rock Band will be forgotten. Europe is now officially Guitar Hero land for years to come.

 

[Roxas]

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY GREAT BRITISH POUNDS

Fuck off EA you bunch of twizzlesticks.

 

[Xavien]

yeah, this is going to flop like a fat woman's titties.

Good Job EA, Good Job.

 

[iapetus]

This will be recorded at the end of the year (and all years after this one) as number 1 worst product launch.

Interesting. Maybe it wasn't Microsoft who paid them off to do this - it was Sony, in an attempt to erase the fiasco that was the PS3 launch from history. Devious.

 

[iapetus]

Coded, quoted and added the Wii. It's pretty much the perfect way of showing just how much we're getting ripped off here.

I ran the numbers on some other items, comparing either RRP or price at a major game shop (EBGames vs GAME) and the markup in the UK over the US ranged from 12% to 50%. RRP markup for Rock Band is 108%.

 

[Alpha_eX]

I just ordered Rock Band for £133, all instruments and the game.

Play.com and use the experience08 voucher.

EA are bastards but £133 is a steal.

 

[Linkified]

This is outrageous!

A quick look at amazon shows that most electronic devices/games sell for roughly 25-40% more in the UK, than in USA. This is expected as our prices include the EU import tax and UK VAT. However Rock band is about 140% more expensive?

Words fail me, but stats don't lie


Product US Amazon Price UK Amazon %Increase
Rock Band Bundle $147 $354 (£180) 140% (Price not on amazon so I used the RRP)
IPod Touch 16GB $340 $450 (£229) 32%
PS3 40GB $399 $560 (£285) 40%
Guitar Hero 360 Bundle $99 $125 (£64) 26%

Is that included the tax on the american system for 17.5%, to make the comparison fair, if it is I may have to import, but I want the dlc, decisions decisions.

 

[Ninja Kn1ght]

That's a great price on PLAY. I hope I can find a place that will ship it to Ireland for a similar price.

 

[iapetus]

Is that included the tax on the american system for 17.5%, to make the comparison fair, if it is I may have to import, but I want the dlc, decisions decisions.

That doesn't include tax on the US system, but the expected markup of up to 50% accounts for that. The point isn't that there's a markup, it's how much higher it is than for any comparable product.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

That's a great price on PLAY. I hope I can find a place that will ship it to Ireland for a similar price.

Just order it from Play:

Export countries we deliver to
Our FREE export delivery usually takes 7-10 days to the following countries

* Andorra
* Austria
* Belgium
* Cyprus
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Gibraltar

* Greece*
* Greenland
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Liechtenstein
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Monaco

* Netherlands
* Norway
* Portugal
* San Marino
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Vatican

 

[iapetus]

EA are bastards but £133 is a steal.

If by that you mean you've been robbed, I fully agree. £130 should be the starting price before discounts.

But, you know, thanks for telling EA you're happy for RRP on UK products to be double the US equivalent.

 

[Alpha_eX]

If by that you mean you've been robbed, I fully agree. £130 should be the starting price before discounts.

But, you know, thanks for telling EA you're happy for RRP on UK products to be double the US equivalent.

Well I just see it as a saving from £180.

I paid £200 for my import and think it's worth every penny, so for £130, in my eyes, that's a huge bargain considering how happy I was to pay £200 for an import.

 

[Kandrick]

Well play.com is offering a huge discount. Dont know how they manage that.

Anyway, without the play.com discount, its the normal (by normal i mean the fucked up euro price) price.

To people buying this, you are part of the problem why europe has fucked up high prices, because they know they can get away with it.

 

[Ninja Kn1ght]

Just order it from Play:

Thanks but they don't ship anything heavy outside of the UK. I'd say the instruments would be beyond their weight limit.

 

[seanoff]

given that pricing i'm fully expecting a price between $400 - $500 in Australia.

they will sell 2. Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Don't know how they manage that.

If Play hold this price, other on-line retailers will be forced to offer similar value.

Thanks but they don't ship anything heavy outside of the UK. I'd say the instruments would be beyond their weight limit.

You're right, I missed this:

Unfortunately, we cannot delivery electronics, personal computers, gadgets, or mobile outside of the UK.

 

[Alpha_eX]

To people buying this, you are part of the problem why europe has fucked up high prices, because they know they can get away with it.

I see it this way, for every person that doesn't buy the game in protest, another 10 will buy the game. We're screwed, we have no off the shelf alternative.

 

[Kandrick]

given that pricing i'm fully expecting a price between $400 - $500 in Australia.

they will sell 2. Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer

Dont worry, Australia doesnt even have a release date yet, you can start saving up!

Ah, the joy of living in PAL land

 

[Linkified]

That doesn't include tax on the US system, but the expected markup of up to 50% accounts for that. The point isn't that there's a markup, it's how much higher it is than for any comparable product.

Okay then. I'm a novice when it comes to understanding how these intruments work but do any or all of them contain 'shakey' controls, can't actually think of the word. But don't they all have to be approved and certified by a department in Europe, I'm just wondering if theres a cost there as well. That could justify this huge increase in the price.

 

[iapetus]

But don't they all have to be approved and certified by a department in Europe, I'm just wondering if theres a cost there as well. That could justify this huge increase in the price.

Not a cost that isn't incurred by other console hardware and games like Guitar Hero III.

 

[seanoff]

Dont worry, Australia doesnt even have a release date yet, you can start saving up!

Ah, the joy of living in PAL land

not at that price.

there's a lot of stuff i can get for $500 that i would find more useful and fun. jesus i can get to singapore with decent hotel for a few nights for less than that. if i really shop about hong kong

 

[McBradders]

Do Play.com charge your card before they ship?

 

[Doc Evils]

Do Play.com charge your card before they ship?

no.

 

[McBradders]

no.

Fuck, do I risk waiting for Gameplay to list and get it launch day or before, or go with Play and save a few quid?


SHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

*flails*


EDIT: Eurogamer interview up!

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=131097

 

[neorej]

anyone who buys this is part of the problem, IMHO. Basically you're saying to EA: "Hey great pricing dudes, keep it up. And while you're at it, could you shove that broomstick just a bit further up my butthole? kthxbye."

 

[Kestastrophe]

Not a cost that isn't incurred by other console hardware and games like Guitar Hero III.

Very true. Also, I wonder if EA takes into consideration the potential for sales of the higher margin DLC? EA could stand to take a loss on the Rock Band bundle, but make up for it in higher profit DLC sales. EA should also consider the potential future sales of sequels and future iterations before they think about profiting immediately.

 

[Tntnnbltn]

EDIT: Eurogamer interview up!

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=131097

Thanks.

Eurogamer: But we're talking about a price difference of nearly GBP 100. A mark-up of more than 100 per cent. VAT is only 17.5 per cent - how do you explain the rest?

Rob Kay: I can't talk to the explicit pricing - how it gets split down between retailers and distributors and the whole chain - because I don't actually know that much about it. But I can say for sure, we've tried to set up a situation where people can not feel ripped off playing the game, and actually feel like it's well worth their investment. I'm going to sit here and say I think it's well worth the money.

I'd love to hear an actual answer to that question.

 

[iapetus]

For anyone planning on contacting Watchdog about this, the relevant form is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/contact_computers.shtml

 

[Alpha_eX]

I hope a lot of people contact watch dog about this, It must suck being a parent with a kid who has been waiting months for Rock Band.

 

[Ubersnug]

It must suck being a parent with a kid who has been waiting months for Rock Band.

Yep, especially with all the whining the kid is going to do because they ain't paying £180 for a set of fisher price toys :lol

 

[65536]

.

 

[McBradders]

Just because one or two retailers are discounting it to ~£130 doesn't mean it's then ok to buy it, you're missing the point entirely.

*sigh* Gamers never ever stick to anything.Who cares if EA are ripping us off, we'll just buy it anyway!

£200 import? £130 domestic?


The choice is clear.

 

[McBacon]

Just because one or two retailers are discounting it to ~£130 doesn't mean it's then ok to buy it, you're missing the point entirely.

*sigh* Gamers never ever stick to anything.Who cares if EA are ripping us off, we'll just buy it anyway!

Girls just wanna have fun.

Gamers just wanna play games.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Does anybody have any experiences with Play? If I order from them, I NEED that instrument bundle on release day. Nothing else will do, I'd rather pay more and get it from the shops if they're not reliable.