Take this for what it's worth for everybody that's thinking about buying a playstation 3 system.
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PS3 Game Pricing Hints Kaz Hirari hints that hardware might not be the only high expense. by Daemon Hatfield June 29, 2006 - In a recent interview with PSM, Sony Computer Entertainment America President Kaz Hirai suggested that PlayStation 3 games will more than likely cost at least as much as Xbox 360 games. And, unfortunately for those who were hoping to catch a break after shelling out $600 for the system, Hirai went on to note that prices above $60 are not out of the realm of possibility.
SCEA President Kaz Hirai
"Generally speaking, over the past twelve years or so, there has been a consumer expectation that disc-based games are maybe $59 on the high end to $39 on the low end," Hirai said. "So, what I can say now is, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that we could suddenly turn around and say 'PS3 games now $99.99.'"
He went on to say, "I don't think consumers expect software pricing to suddenly double. So, the quick answer is that we want to make it as affordable as possible, knowing that there is a set consumer expectation for what software has cost for the past twelve years. That's kind of the best answer I can give you. So, if it becomes a bit higher than $59, don't ding me, but, again, I don't expect it to be $100."
It has also been theorized that a consumer expectation has been set as to the cost of a console, and that the PS3 could cost more than many people are prepared to spend. Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer recently admitted in an AFP news service report that setting the price so high is a "gamble." Asking consumers to spend more than they've ever spent on a console and then spend more than they've ever spent on games could be, well, asking too much.
Sony has yet to reveal its official price point for PS3 games, so time will tell if gamers will get the urge to "ding" Kaz Hirai.
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
Yowch! If this pans out, there's going to be a whole lot of aching and empty wallets when it comes to Sony devotee's...
This is something I haven't been able to wrap my brain around as of late. Sure SNK charged $200-plus for Neo Geo cartridges, and while it really bit into the funds, at least it was understandable because you were paying for parts, manufacturing, and the fact that SNK isn't some corporate powerhouse like Sony. Now-a-days, since games are printed on little plastic disks at next to nothing, and given print runs that are in high volume, I honestly can't see why any game should be more than $50 at the very most. And if a disk-based game is more than $50, there better be multiple disks in the package and be worth the while! Not some game you can whip in a few hours time...
Posted by Fate111 (Member # 2627) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lou Gojira: Yowch! If this pans out, there's going to be a whole lot of aching and empty wallets when it comes to Sony devotee's...
This is something I haven't been able to wrap my brain around as of late. Sure SNK charged $200-plus for Neo Geo cartridges, and while it really bit into the funds, at least it was understandable because you were paying for parts, manufacturing, and the fact that SNK isn't some corporate powerhouse like Sony. Now-a-days, since games are printed on little plastic disks at next to nothing, and given print runs that are in high volume, I honestly can't see why any game should be more than $50 at the very most. And if a disk-based game is more than $50, there better be multiple disks in the package and be worth the while! Not some game you can whip in a few hours time...
I agree with you, Lou. Although I'm far from an avid video gamer myself, the only reason I can see for Sony trying to justify the added cash for games on their upcoming PS3 is the cost of developing new games. I'm sure there are quite a few programmers involved and many hours logged into each game to make it as good as they can possibly make it, working out glitches, making the games user-friendly, etc.. I would guess that the cost of duplicating a game onto CD/DVD format encompasses somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of the entire expense of developing a game from start to finish (probably closer to 1/3 because, as you mentioned, they duplicate them for sale at such a high volume.... The higher the volume of duplication, the less the cost is per unit.). I think that maybe Sony has spent quite a few hours of game development/programming on their game titles and feel they are justified in charging more for their new generation of video games. It remains to be seen if their gamble will pay off. Personally, I think they might be milking it to some degree. The PS2, and the line of games for the system, was a sucess and Sony definitely made a profit. With the PS3 already being touted as being so much better, I think they may be trying to capitalize on the hype to some degree, thinking that the PS3 will be the next "must have" video game system for the next few years. Of course, if Sony's gamble does pay off and people have no problems plopping down those kind of funds for PS3 and its game titles, then, unfortunately, you can expect Nintendo, Microsoft, etc. to follow suit in their future video game systems.
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: Of course, if Sony's gamble does pay off and people have no problems plopping down those kind of funds for PS3 and its game titles, then, unfortunately, you can expect Nintendo, Microsoft, etc. to follow suit in their future video game systems.
That's what I'm afraid of... Posted by vineofthorns (Member # 1313) on :
To me this is very simple.the ps3 is already 500,god knows what extras they may make us buy(memory or memory cards,extra controllers,etc)so you know right there is an additional 100 bucks,now they may "gamble" on setting higher prices for games???look a cd rom game shouldn't be anymore than 60 bucks if you think about it,and that's the most price I can see consumers wanting to spend ona game.if they decide to charge close to 100 bucks a game,3 things are either gonna happen.either people will buy the games @ that price(I predict the new gta costing 80 btw)and therefor that will become the standard price for all games on all platforms,their game sales will be slow so they will lower the priceing,or noone will buy the games and the ps3 will be this eras version of the jaguar lol.now for the most part from what I herd is ps3 and the 360 will have somwhat of the same game library so naturally if consumers see that and 360 games are cheaper people will go with the 360.now what's funny is a 360 and a wii combined will probably cost around the same as a ps3 by the time you buy extras so I'm prob gonna go with a wii and 360 in the end,and unless somthing groundbreaking comes out from sony,I doubt I will buy a ps3 for a wile
Posted by Ticklingsolesmaster (Member # 14850) on :
This is why i'm still leaning alot towards The Wii. Because of playstation 3's high end prices. Come november we'll see though who comes out better Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii Posted by ElmntEarth1 (Member # 9310) on :
The thing that really irks me about console games nowadays is that there are things like patching to save time and money on debugging and in game ads, yet games are only going up in price! And now games like GRAW and Oblivion make you pay for the additional content that probably should have been in the game in the first place!
Console games are supposed to be simplistic, but that's not the trend I'm seeing here. I'm sticking with Nintendo all the way, but I haven't ruled out the possibility of a 360...
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