Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the $60.00 price point?

[PKerr]

I have been reading articles here and there about this very thing.

What makes be believe we are seeing the end of the $60.00 is all the various discounts I've been seeing at Amazon and Wal-Mart (online) lately. I haven't paid full price ($60.00) for a game all year and everything I have pre-order for the next few months is the same way.

As a matter of fact Amazon is still giving the $20.00 credit with BFBC2, it's not just a pre-order bonus anymore.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002JTX5RK

I've been saying for a while now that I believe these prices are test beds.

I really do think we are seeing the beginning of the end of the $60.00 price point.

I know my wallet sure doesn't mind.

Wadda ya think.

 

[Aragorn]

Weren't N64 cartridges in the $60 range? I remember Sega 32X had insanely expensive prices. Some were $70, I believe. And then there was Neo-Geo. Once the 360 came out and the prices jumped $10 to $60, it was obvious the PS3 would follow suit, though the Wii has kept the $50 price tag.

I haven't bought a $60 game unless the store gave me something. Buy 2, get 1 free is merely an okay deal now since you're just buying three games for $40 each.

 

[FordSVT]

Games were more expensive in the 8- and 16-bit eras because of the expense of manufacturing cartridges and the losses involved in unsold stock. I paid a higher sticker price for games back in the late 80s and early 90s than I do now not even taking inflation into account. I paid $95 for Phantasy Star IV, and most NES and Genesis games were about $70. I only pay about $40-65 for a new release 360 game now.

 

[Mistral]

The gaming industry has been posting losses and slim profits Y-O-Y since late 2008. Reduced game price points may just be a way to boost over all sales.

 

[Aragorn]

There's also the trend of video games not holding their original retail price for very long before they start dropping, with the exception of console exclusives made by said console company.

 

[CorporalClegg]

^
I think that's party due to the super saturation of the market. With five major systems and a handful of titles released for each every week, people have to be a lot more choosy in what they buy--espeically when budgets are tight.

 

[unimatrix7]

I wish games cost $60.

 

[TheBrew]

Weren't N64 cartridges in the $60 range?

$80 originally. I remember because I got an N64 and Mario64 release day.

 

[Hitman]

I wish games cost $60.

Yeah, in my neck of the woods, that's 60/70 euros for the latest games. If it was not for Amazon UK and other on-line vendors, I wouldn't buy any game.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, I remember how few NES/SNES games I got, because my parents didn't want to shell out $80-100 per game. That was a hell of a lot of money at the time. Then again, you had to play each game to death--there was none of this buying a handful of games a month like people do now!

Prices came down to the $40 price point a couple generations ago, I think? And that was likely due to economies of scale, as consoles gained much deeper penetration. Now, inflation has caught up, and game development costs are through the roof, so we've seen a climb to $60.

That said, you can still find bargains if you're willing to play games that are a few years old. It sure doesn't bother me at all. I went bargain hunting at a local computer store and managed to pick up 8 games for $40--two NWN expansions, the complete BF1942 collection, Front Mission (DS), StarLancer, Dungeon Siege, and a couple others.

I haven't paid full price for any game in something like 5 years. Screw that. You'd be hard-pressed to get me to pay more than $20 for any game, ever.

 

[Anthony Sabre]

I've never paid more then $60 and I too have been gaming since the NES days. I certainly wouldn't shed any tears if games dropped back down to the $40-50 range.

 

[Canadave]

I rarely pay more than $30 for games. It's silly to buy them right when they come out, because the price tends to drop so dramatically so quickly.

 

[Hermiod]

This is something I'm not clear on - a big deal was made over here about MW2 being £10 more expensive than a normal game on release day.

The RRP for a new release Xbox 360 or PS3 game is usually £49.99 which then gets cut by most Internet retailers and a good number of high street ones to £39.99. Activision added an extra £10 for that for MW2.

Did the US see a similar price increase ?

 

[Aragorn]

No, regular price was $60, like with most other new PS3 and 360 games. There was a special edition with a hard case for more, and then that special edition with cheap night vision goggles included for even more.

 

[Hermiod]

No, regular price was $60, like with most other new PS3 and 360 games. There was a special edition with a hard case for more, and then that special edition with cheap night vision goggles included for even more.

Yeah, we got that too, but the regular disc in a box edition was more expensive than other games.

IIRC, there was talk about the recession damaged pound-to-dollar exchange rate being a problem, though.

In addition, the previous Modern Warfare games' price didn't come down until after MW2 was released, either as it was still selling very well.

 

[STR]

Only game I paid $60 for, or at least I think it was 60, was the Collector's edition of Civilization 4. Per-ordered it around a week before release. I never listened to the soundtrack CD, I had enough of it in-game. The tin case was really nice. Still use it for stashing important stuff in my drawer.

I was tempted to get the special edition of Mass Effect 2. I'd like to have the art book. Went with the Steam download, because I didn't want to go outside to get it, and my 20Mb web connection hasn't been taxed in a while. I'll probably get the art book on amazon.