Will the prices ever drop? (Semi-Rant)

Gamer Bhoy 89

Thief released today, and it's €69.99 in Gamestop. Come on, now that's taking the mickey a little bit is it not? I remember buying my PS4 in Gamestop back in early December and I asked the lad in there "will the prices come down eventually?" he said "more than likely". I've been taking his word on it ever since.

I had to laugh at the price of Thief though, seriously. 70 quid?

Handy rant for the morning done and over with now.

Retr0gamer

People have short term memories. On release 360 and PS3 new releases were 70-80 euro. It will stay this way for a while until the install base grows and the game stores start competing against each other.

Either that or get a PC where you can get it for 25 euro or look for a better deal online (if it's region free look into importing).

RaZzZz

I have a PS4 but opted to buy Thief for 19.99 for the PC.

Vyse

I wouldn't expect to see an in-store game price drop for a minimum of 12 months. I remember when Call of Duty 4 was released at seeing it in HMV for 57.99 and thinking "Wow, what a bargain". Even at that stage of the 360 lifecycle (2 years in) games were generally €70 new.

F1ngers

From Playstation.

gimli2112

I bought Battlefield 4 and Premium for the PS4. Cost €100 plus but I still consider it good value. Gone out for a few beers before and spent an awful lot more and came home with no shoes!

hallo dare

have a look on www.videogamesplus.ca and be prepared to be sick. Way cheaper that the rip-off merchants here. you do have to wait the best part of 10 days for the game, but i know i'd be happier waiting that paying a hell of alot extra.

muppetkiller

I presume the cost is down to the PS4/XBONE probably selling at a loss initially until it becomes cheaper to manufacture. They'll recoup millions on the price of the games for at least a year I'd imagine.

VinLieger

Also would people please stop buying from Gamestop FFS? Brick and mortar overheads are also causing these big prices

gizmo

Might be a good idea to change the thread title to a more specifc "Will the initial close-to-RRP next-gen console game prices ever drop? (Semi-Rant)" since they're essentially separate and very different questions depending on platform.

Kiith

I remember thinking "I can't wait for games to be available on digital download and be much cheaper since they can cut out the middle man".

Yeah, good luck with that (sales excluded of course).

Vinz Mesrine

I have a copy of Madden 08 for the 360 here that I bought in Virgin, I always leave the stickers on my games and movies. It was €79.99.

Blue Dragon on the 360 was €74.99 around the same time.

gizmo

Kiith wrote: »

I remember thinking "I can't wait for games to be available on digital download and be much cheaper since they can cut out the middle man".

Yeah, good luck with that (sales excluded of course).

As did most people it seems. What these folk seem to have misunderstood is a) the percentage of the final retail cost devoted to covering packaging and distribution costs and, more importantly, b) third party digital distribution services are still middle men.

DeVore

physical media.... oh wow, nostalgic.


Seriously though, PC's pay for themselves when you consider the shocking cost of console games compared to Steam. I'm playing through some awesome classic games at the moment (Splinter Cell Chaos Theory etc) for the cost of like, 3 dollars. Multiple indie games like Brothers, Dungeon of the Endless and Banished for less than 20 dollars. Even the big releases like Battlefield 4 were cheaper in digital form.

I dont hate consoles btw, I have one of each type, but the prices for the games are shocking. My advice is pick and choose your games, and stop buying the "big releases" when you can get 5 recent hits for the same price.

penev10

I got my PS3 a year after launch and all of the games at that stage were 59.99 - 69.99.

I think it was at least another year until the sub €50 price mark was the norm.

krudler

Retr0gamer wrote: »

People have short term memories. On release 360 and PS3 new releases were 70-80 euro. It will stay this way for a while until the install base grows and the game stores start competing against each other.

Either that or get a PC where you can get it for 25 euro or look for a better deal online (if it's region free look into importing).

I (well my parents) paid something like 70 pounds for Street Fighter 2 on the SNES, it might have been even more, games have always been pricey unless it's on pc.

Grumpypants

Here is my rant: Stop shopping in the most expensive shop that has a really bad history of jacking up prices and then complaining that they are so expensive.

Gamer Bhoy 89

Retr0gamer wrote: »

People have short term memories. On release 360 and PS3 new releases were 70-80 euro. It will stay this way for a while until the install base grows and the game stores start competing against each other.

Either that or get a PC where you can get it for 25 euro or look for a better deal online (if it's region free look into importing).

Well consider this; The PS4 was the first time I ever bought a console straight away after it launched. I got an Xbox 360 in Christmas 2007. Not so much short term memory but I was only 16 when the 360 came out.

So, this is the first time I've learned of such high price of games for a new console.

In regards to your advice, I'll stick to using the console and I will wait on the prices to go down. Thanks

lmimmfn

DeVore wrote: »

Even the big releases like Battlefield 4 were cheaper in digital form.

yeah, BF4 + Premium cost me a whopping 45euro a week after release on PC

johnny_ultimate

gamercfc wrote: »

In regards to your advice, I'll stick to using the console and I will wait on the prices to go down. Thanks

Or just buy it online now if you really want it and are not willing to wait out the bricks and mortar price drops? Even Amazon has it for around fifty euro (although the ever reliable VGPlus is almost always the cheapest option), which isn't 'cheap' but certainly significantly more reasonable than GameStop will charge.

New console games are always costly, especially in GameStop, and that's always to be a given if you're an early adopter for a new machine. Never been fewer reasons to put up with it though: much better offers for those who are patient or willing to go online

penev10

krudler wrote: »

I (well my parents) paid something like 70 pounds for Street Fighter 2 on the SNES, it might have been even more, games have always been pricey unless it's on pc.

I paid IR£70 for an import of SFII Turbo and another 20 for the adapter! I remember Hellfire for the Megadrive being some stupid price like £65 also.

We've never had it so good! You can easily get top notch games for €10 for PS3/360, how can anyone complain.

Vyse

DeVore wrote: »

Seriously though, PC's pay for themselves when you consider the shocking cost of console games compared to Steam. I'm playing through some awesome classic games at the moment (Splinter Cell Chaos Theory etc) for the cost of like, 3 dollars.

I got splinter cell, splinter cell: pandora tomorrow and splinter cell: Chaos theory on PSN, all for €4.49:p

NeVeR

hallo dare wrote: »

have a look on www.videogamesplus.ca and be prepared to be sick. Way cheaper that the rip-off merchants here. you do have to wait the best part of 10 days for the game, but i know i'd be happier waiting that paying a hell of alot extra.

Will these games work in Irish machines ?

Will customers hit ya with a fee ?

Whats the shipping to Ireland ?

Gamer Bhoy 89

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Or just buy it online now if you really want it and are not willing to wait out the bricks and mortar price drops? Even Amazon has it for around fifty euro (although the ever reliable VGPlus is almost always the cheapest option), which isn't 'cheap' but certainly significantly more reasonable than GameStop will charge.

New console games are always costly, especially in GameStop, and that's always to be a given if you're an early adopter for a new machine. Never been fewer reasons to put up with it though: much better offers for those who are patient or willing to go online

I do take all of your advice and I am aware I can buy online for a cheaper option. The price of Thief was just used as an example since it just came out today, I wasn't going to buy it. I don't intend on buying it, not a fan of the series but I digress.

I think most people replying misread my post. I wasn't looking for the cheapest option to buy games I was mainly just asking, in general, when the prices will drop for the RRP of the games.

hallo dare

Will these games work in Irish machines ?

Yes, plus you get to use the DLC (again, way cheaper) if you make a US account. This can be then used on your Irish psn account.

Will customers hit ya with a fee ?

Minimal chance, as vgp mark the package as low cost, dvd

Whats the shipping to Ireland ?

€5

krudler

penev10 wrote: »

I paid IR£70 for an import of SFII Turbo and another 20 for the adapter! I remember Hellfire for the Megadrive being some stupid price like £65 also.

We've never had it so good! You can easily get top notch games for €10 for PS3/360, how can anyone complain.

That's the thing, if you play catchup or wait even a few weeks you'll get stuff way cheaper, I know it's nice playing things at launch when there's a buzz and people are chatting about it like GTAV or something but there's plenty of games I missed out on and got months later really cheap, happy days.

TimeToShine

RaZzZz wrote: »

I have a PS4 but opted to buy Thief for 19.99 for the PC.

What's the point of having a PS4 then? I'm all for PC gaming but this kind of confuses me. What games would you choose PS4 over PC for aside from the exclusives?

COYVB

Kiith wrote: »

I remember thinking "I can't wait for games to be available on digital download and be much cheaper since they can cut out the middle man".

Yeah, good luck with that (sales excluded of course).

They work out approximately $7 cheaper to buy digitally in Canada

Gamer Bhoy 89

TimeToShine wrote: »

What's the point of having a PS4 then? I'm all for PC gaming but this kind of confuses me. What games would you choose PS4 over PC for aside from the exclusives?

I would imagine Thief having full gamepad support for PC if it registers into Steam, and if his PC runs it I wouldn't see why not? He would get the same experience plus Steam do achievements aswell if its compatible with Steam in the first place (this is based on what i would do if i had the above options, but I would save that conversation for another thread)

ShadowHearth

TimeToShine wrote: »

What's the point of having a PS4 then? I'm all for PC gaming but this kind of confuses me. What games would you choose PS4 over PC for aside from the exclusives?

I got a beefy PC and PS4. I want my ps4 for when I am having a lazy day in recliner chair with gamepad in hands.

I am a huge fan of Diablo 3 and most likely I will be getting it on both platforms. To be honest I am more excited about ps4 version.

super_furry

People need to stop shopping in Gamestop. They're the most expensive place you can buy games, have terrible customer service and rip-off trade-in deals.

witnessmenow

super_furry wrote: »

People need to stop shopping in Gamestop. They're the most expensive place you can buy games, have terrible customer service and rip-off trade-in deals.

In fairness there isnt that many options any more if you want to walk into a shop and buy something.

I would prefer to give money to Gamestop than Xtravision at the moment.

Saying that I dont tend to buy anything in shops, but just saying

calex71

NeVeR wrote: »

Will these games work in Irish machines ?

Will customers hit ya with a fee ?

Whats the shipping to Ireland ?

Xbox one games are region free,

Possible but they mark as dvd media and declare value on the outside as 16.99

$7 I think it was.

Took my games exactly 14 days from dispatch, but at those prices well worth the wait. Be warned though I recall some saying gamestop wouldn't take them as trade ins, I can speak from experience that xtravision will however, I actually got back what I paid on one I traded to them :pac:

Captain Chaos

I find prices are coming down already. I got Thief 4 on the PS4 from Amazon for €52. People have to shop around and stop buying from GS here or online through the PSN store unless there is a sale on. Seeing as how every one now has a Visa Debit card via their ATM card it's easier than ever.

PS4 and X1 games are all region free so try VGP.ca to cheap games.

VinLieger

witnessmenow wrote: »

In fairness there isnt that many options any more if you want to walk into a shop and buy something.

I would prefer to give money to Gamestop than Xtravision at the moment.

Saying that I dont tend to buy anything in shops, but just saying

This we need to just get rid of brick and mortar stores altogether, i know its peoples jobs and its sad and all but the idea of physical media is so close to being obsolete can we not just declare it dead and move on?

Captain Chaos

VinLieger wrote: »

This we need to just get rid of brick and mortar stores altogether, i know its peoples jobs and its sad and all but the idea of physical media is so close to being obsolete can we not just declare it dead and move on?

No, because not everyone has broadband speeds and caps that they can get 40Gb+ games when they want. And because of that physical media will be around for a while yet. At least with region free we are free to choose what country to send our money too.

MS want the X1 to be a download only console but quickly discovered how poor broadband speeds are around the world for a very large percentage of their potential customers.

gizmo

VinLieger wrote: »

This we need to just get rid of brick and mortar stores altogether, i know its peoples jobs and its sad and all but the idea of physical media is so close to being obsolete can we not just declare it dead and move on?

Unfortunately for the platform holders, I think people are still quite attached to their physical consoles.

While I've never seen any figures on the subject, I'd wager the majority of hardware units are still sold in specialist retailers in many parts of the world. While this generation will more than likely see a shift in these supply chains, it's going to have to be a slow process to ensure there aren't any major issues along the way.

MadYaker

If console gamers want cheaper games ditching brick and mortar stores would be a good start. They are going to die out anyway.

johnny_ultimate

We need bricks & mortar shops, if only for competition. When HMV closed, you could actually see a notable increase in the prices of games and DVDs on Amazon because their major competitor was removed from the picture. Even if you don't buy your games anywhere but online, you'd see the prices on Amazon and other sites shoot up quickly if the high street stores were to disappear tomorrow.

That, and sure we'd all miss the unique joy of browsing and finding a genuine bargain

MadYaker

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

We need bricks & mortar shops, if only for competition. When HMV closed, you could actually see a notable increase in the prices of games and DVDs on Amazon because their major competitor was removed from the picture. Even if you don't buy your games anywhere but online, you'd see the prices on Amazon and other sites shoot up quickly if the high street stores were to disappear tomorrow.

That, and sure we'd all miss the unique joy of browsing and finding a genuine bargain

Websites that sell games compete against each other just like brick and mortar stores do. Its just a different marketplace.

calex71

Just to throw it out there as a rarity, but today plant vs zombies garden warfare came out on consoles and it's 29.99 on 360 and 39.99 on XBone from the digital stores, for once cheaper to buy digital !!!!

Everything else is overpriced on the stores but if they undercut B&M I'd move to digital, but that will never happen as has been discussed in several thread over the years,

Vinz Mesrine

That was going to be my point.

I can walk to a local shop and buy a new release for €59.99, I will have a physical copy which I can then trade in if I want or else download it on the ps store for €69.99, where is the sense in that pricing?

Taltos

I picked Thief up yesterday in Smyth's for under 60 euro - very happy with that price and still prefer sometimes having the physical media.
Especially when in the Sony Store it is 69.99.... Not sure how they can justify that price when there is no shipping, no packaging just a download.

http://www.toys.ie/Thief-PS4-!134713-prd.aspx?qwSessionID=daded832-9e7d-4312-a8d9-811d82aaf711
Reduced from 69.99 to 59.99...

Captain Chaos

Taltos wrote: »

I picked Thief up yesterday in Smyth's for under 60 euro - very happy with that price and still prefer sometimes having the physical media.
Especially when in the Sony Store it is 69.99.... Not sure how they can justify that price when there is no shipping, no packaging just a download.

http://www.toys.ie/Thief-PS4-!134713-prd.aspx?qwSessionID=daded832-9e7d-4312-a8d9-811d82aaf711
Reduced from 69.99 to 59.99...

And it was/is €52 on Amazon delivered, and that's the PS4 version. The PS3/360 version is a little cheaper at about €47.

The only game I ever bought full price from the PSN store was BF4 because it was the same price as any of the shops at the time and the weather was sh1te and couldn't be arsed going out to the shops for it. Any other time I only get digital downloads if there it a PS+ discount on it and it's cheaper than everywhere else.

Taltos

7 euro is not a huge difference, I still prefer to be able to walk into a store, especially Smyth's when they have the games. But 7 euro over say 10 games does rack up - get your point

SamAK

Whenever I think about the price of games I like to do a bit of maths. For example -

GTAV - 65 euro (special edition)

Gameplay: 60 hours single player, another 100 online play (at least, these are low estimate)

65 divided by 160 - 0.40625

So, that's 40 cent an hour for 160 hours of top quality gameplay...seems alright to me.

Compare that to going to the cinema, up to a tenner (before ridiculously overpriced snacks) for max three hours of entertainment = roughly 3 quid an hour...

Not all games are online or have as much longevity as GTA, but you get my point. If you're one of those people that burn through a new release a week...well maybe you need to find other things to do with your time, like getting a job

super_furry wrote: »

People need to stop shopping in Gamestop. They're the most expensive place you can buy games, have terrible customer service and rip-off trade-in deals.

In all my time shopping at Gamestop i've experienced nothing but friendly, helpful and knowledgeable service from them.

VinLieger wrote: »

Also would people please stop buying from Gamestop FFS? Brick and mortar overheads are also causing these big prices

So let's all shun physical shops and give all our money to internet companies and further contribute to kicking the sh1t out of retail stores and in turn reducing employment opportunities....plus accelerating the decline of high streets around the country...

Captain Chaos

Taltos wrote: »

7 euro is not a huge difference, I still prefer to be able to walk into a store, especially Smyth's when they have the games. But 7 euro over say 10 games does rack up - get your point

€7 is almost 2 pints of the black stuff in some pubs.:) Can also be used to pick up a nice few bottles for a Friday or Saturday night gaming session. Better in your pocket than theirs.

Friend Computer

Vinz Mesrine wrote: »

That was going to be my point.

I can walk to a local shop and buy a new release for €59.99, I will have a physical copy which I can then trade in if I want or else download it on the ps store for €69.99, where is the sense in that pricing?

The reasoning I've heard is that publishers have to keep retailers sweet; if they try and undercut then brick and mortar stores will just stop stocking their products. Since digital distribution hasn't taken off outside of the PC, many customers still rely on physical shops to buy games.

Until we see a wide-scale increase in broadband speeds and access we'll be stuck in the current situation.

krudler

SamAK wrote: »

Whenever I think about the price of games I like to do a bit of maths. For example -

GTAV - 65 euro (special edition)

Gameplay: 60 hours single player, another 100 online play (at least, these are low estimate)

65 divided by 160 - 0.40625

So, that's 40 cent an hour for 160 hours of top quality gameplay...seems alright to me.

Compare that to going to the cinema, up to a tenner (before ridiculously overpriced snacks) for max three hours of entertainment = roughly 3 quid an hour...

Not all games are online or have as much longevity as GTA, but you get my point. If you're one of those people that burn through a new release a week...well maybe you need to find other things to do with your time, like getting a job




In all my time shopping at Gamestop i've experienced nothing but friendly, helpful and knowledgeable service from them.




So let's all shun physical shops and give all our money to internet companies and further contribute to kicking the sh1t out of retail stores and in turn reducing employment opportunities....plus accelerating the decline of high streets around the country...

Bingo, games, well not all of them,can give a massive return for what you spend on them.

Like what do people spend on an average weekend night on the beer? 60-80 quid? last time I went to the cinema I paid and cost me about 30 odd quid for two people, for a 2hr movie.

I spent 20 quid on Dark Souls and have been playing it consistently since October, paid full price for MW2 and had something like 20 days playtime racked up on it by the end. 50 bucks a year gives you a ridiculous level of value for money on PSN+

Is gaming an expensive hobby? it can be, but the returns it gives for what you invest in it are huge

Pac1Man

krudler wrote: »

That's the thing, if you play catchup or wait even a few weeks you'll get stuff way cheaper, I know it's nice playing things at launch when there's a buzz and people are chatting about it like GTAV or something but there's plenty of games I missed out on and got months later really cheap, happy days.

Agreed and eBay is the place for this. I recently purchased Heavy Rain, The Darkness, Enslaved, Resistance 2 and Mirror's Edge all on PS3 for €35 delivered. They were second-hand but in near perfect condition.

CiDeRmAn

A games length does not equate to value for money I'm afraid.
Yes, there are titles out there that have masses of content and it's delivered well, but I wonder how many people ever see even to the end of the main campaign of the likes of GTAIV or Skyrim?
More likely people invest some 10/15 hours of their life into something, consider that a lot and move on, many games it might even be half of that figure.
Some games simply aren't built around that type of thing, preferring a fixed time or fixed lives, such as the likes of Outrun 2006, and asks to you do as well as you can in the time alotted, to see as much as the game has to offer.
A 4 hour game session of Dark Souls may only get you a relatively short distance past your previous save point, you might even be more likely to see yourself back at the same save point as before, but with more knowledge of what needed of you up ahead.
Owning Metal Gear Solid on the PS, I spent a fair few euro on it and the game only lasted a few hours really before the end, but in that time I had a great great time.
Same with Tearaway, Vita, that I'm playing now, such a short game but exquisite.
Prices then?
Tearaway is such an amazing title it's easily worth any number of Battlefield 3's and COD:Blops2 games, and that's the only metric you have to keep in mind, is the game giving value for money?
If a new console title is hitting €70 is it worth the dough?
If not why consider buying it?
Buy something else for less and pick the one you want up at a later time, maybe on Adverts when it's far cheaper, or just suck it up and buy the thing.
Games will always come down in value, unless it's a rare title with a limited run, like Metroid Trilogy on the Wii, in which case they can stay at or exceed rrp after launch and stay that way or get more expensive over time, everything else inevitably gets cheaper.