PS3 game pricing

mutelight

SCEA president Kaz Hirai isn't promising a $59.99 price tag for PS3 games this fall. In an interview with PSM, the Sony leader explained. 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" I don't think the consumers expect the software pricing to suddenly be double," he told the magazine. "So, if it becomes a bit higher than fifty-nine bucks don't ding me, but, again, as I said, I don't expect it to be a hundred bucks."

In other words, consumers should expect PS3 games to cost somewhere between $59.99 and $99.99. He doesn't expect them to be a hundred dollars, but it's only a "stretch" to expect it. Have we moved back to the cartridge ages here? Wasn't disc-based media supposed to make everything cheaper? I don't want to remember how much my parent's paid for several of Square's older SNES releases during Christmas.

Sony's cocky enough to price their hardware above the competition, but we don't seriously expect them to change consumer expectations for software prices. We hope.

Source

Its thought that the prices will be as follows:
$79.99 for Blue-Ray titles made by EA.

1st party games will be $59.99

The rest, $69.99

After the $599 price tag too...
What's next?

Demiurge

Failure.

tommyboy

Sony went way over their heads with the ps3. Right now in the U.S, less than 20% of the country have an HDtv. So for those who don't have it, why would they spend $300 dollars more than a ps2 (when it was first released) and have to spend prolly another $800 at least for an HD set. My point is most people really can't use the blu-ray's potential anyways.Maybe this is Sony's plan to sell more HD sets.

Im not paying $600, $1000 for a tv, plus an extra $70 just to play MGS4, thats for sure.

cheddar

Well,

I guess everybody should pre-order their stuff now then, lol:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat92300050000

I completely agree that $69.99 is a lot to plunk down for a game. But then again, I thought that $49.99 was way expensive for a disk that costs a few bucks on margin to make. They've been squeezing us for two decades now, and people are only starting to notice?

VR3

I hope Sony gets kicked in the balls by their confidence...

I would love to see a Micro$ and Nintendo gaming world in the future...not like Nintendo would really be a competitor...but none the less...haha

krabby5

cheddar wrote:

Well,

I guess everybody should pre-order their stuff now then, lol:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat92300050000

I completely agree that $69.99 is a lot to plunk down for a game. But then again, I thought that $49.99 was way expensive for a disk that costs a few bucks on margin to make. They've been squeezing us for two decades now, and people are only starting to notice?

yer not paying for the price of the actual disk...yer paying for the costs in making the game ON the disk...

but ..I agree...Sony may be in trouble here...

and I loved the PS1 and PS2

Demiurge

How comprehensive are the games? If they don't offer more content than your XBox 360 titles I just don't see this working. It seems like a huge disaster waiting to happen. First the console will cost $200-300 more, and now the games are going to be at least $10 more. Good luck to them, but it's not a horse I'll be betting on.

VR3

I think Sony is missing a big market...

You know the market where the parents buy their kids a console for their birthday or christmas or something.

No parent (particularly the Mom) is going to spend 2-3 hundred more on a console for lil Timmy...

The real question is, would the Wii dominate this market or would Mommy and Daddy feel the 360 is for their older son/daughter...? HMMM

I just dont see Sony having a big market share with their prices...

tommyboy

cheddar wrote:

Well,

I guess everybody should pre-order their stuff now then, lol:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat92300050000

I completely agree that $69.99 is a lot to plunk down for a game. But then again, I thought that $49.99 was way expensive for a disk that costs a few bucks on margin to make. They've been squeezing us for two decades now, and people are only starting to notice?

that why you wait a couple monthes and buy the game when is $19.99:).

The only people who are going to buy a ps3 are sony fanboys and upper class. I can't see the ps3 getting the mass market.

ohskigod

that price will prevent me from buying it when it comes out, but when the price drops (and you know it will) then I'm in.

Demiurge

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote:

I think Sony is missing a big market...

You know the market where the parents buy their kids a console for their birthday or christmas or something.

No parent (particularly the Mom) is going to spend 2-3 hundred more on a console for lil Timmy...

The real question is, would the Wii dominate this market or would Mommy and Daddy feel the 360 is for their older son/daughter...? HMMM

I just dont see Sony having a big market share with their prices...

You're right. This is what I have been saying all along. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Shizelbs

Yep, thats pretty much going to keep a lot of people with their 360s and nothing else. Real smucking **** Sony.

cheddar

krabby5 wrote:

yer not paying for the price of the actual disk...yer paying for the costs in making the game ON the disk...

but ..I agree...Sony may be in trouble here...

and I loved the PS1 and PS2

The actual media probably costs less than a buck...;)

cheddar

You guys should be hoping that enough fanboys drop out to split the market 50/50. It's amazing that no one has brought up the real reason to hope the 360 pulls through. At 100 million ps1s and 100million ps2s sold vs only 25million xboxes, it's Sony and its 3rd party vendors that set the $49.99 retail price for games. And it's Sony that set the magic $299 price for consoles that you'all seem to think is a magic number.

Both M$ and Sony seem to think that the market will bear higher console and software prices. And with inflation:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_bi_ge/mortgage_rates

who's to say they're wrong.

But only a stalemate will bring prices to the lowest levels the market will bear and prevent the next gen console from getting even more 'outrageous' in just four years or so...

tommyboy

cheddar wrote:

You guys should be hoping that enough fanboys drop out to split the market 50/50. It's amazing that no one has brought up the real reason to hope the 360 pulls through. At 100 million ps1s and 100million ps2s sold vs only 25million xboxes, it's Sony and its 3rd party vendors that set the $49.99 retail price for games. And it's Sony that set the magic $299 price for consoles that you'all seem to think is a magic number.

Both M$ and Sony seem to think that the market will bear higher console and software prices. And with inflation:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_bi_ge/mortgage_rates

who's to say they're wrong.

But only a stalemate will bring prices to the lowest levels the market will bear and prevent the next gen console from getting even more 'outrageous' in just four years or so...

what happended to the good old days when actual video game companies owned the market, not multi-billionare companies looking to earn even more money. I hope nintendo sticks around for this reason alone.

cheddar

tommyboy wrote:

what happended to the good old days when actual video game companies owned the market, not multi-billionare companies looking to earn even more money. I hope nintendo sticks around for this reason alone.

Yep, I remember when coffee used to cost the change in your pocket. Now there are THREE starbucks and a peet's within a mile of my house. Gotta be careful, tho, such talk makes us sound like geezers on front porch rocking chairs...;)

PhantomOG

I remember having to pay $74 for Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES when it came out. :P Yes, that was the initial retail pricing.

Shizelbs

PhantomOG wrote:

I remember having to pay $74 for Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES when it came out. :P Yes, that was the initial retail pricing.

Yeah, but, that game was worth it.

PhantomOG

Shizelbs wrote:

Yeah, but, that game was worth it.

That was the ONLY game I actually owned at the time. I just rented the rest from Blockbuster.

I could play through that game with Ken and hardly get touched.

PolkThug

Street Fighter II > *games

mutelight

krabby5 wrote:

yer not paying for the price of the actual disk...yer paying for the costs in making the game ON the disk...

but ..I agree...Sony may be in trouble here...

and I loved the PS1 and PS2

Yup, that is the problem though. Developers are being turned off by the PS3 since it is very costly to develop and program for. The system itself is a powerhouse, there is no doubt about that, it is just like the PS2 except even more difficult to take advantage of the hardware. It wasn't until the end of PS2s lifespan they actually pulled of close to pre system release spec renders. Kuturagi was saying the PS2 was capable of Toy Story like graphics and it would be like "jacking into the Matrix" every time you power up. Smoke and mirrors...

The good thing on the other hand is this all might take Sony off of their high horse and bring them back to reality. The whole reason PS2 did so well is because it was affordable and the casual gamer (even people new to gaming) bought one and developers had a reason to publish games for it. They were the new Nintendo. As others have said there is no way 95%+ of parents are going to drop $500 on a console alone for their kids especially with all the stereotypical bad rep games are getting nowadays. I would LOVE to see the Wii and 360 gain some major ground in the market. The Wii I think is really going to change the way we game and possibly even draw in an older demographic due to its revolutionary control scheme. The 360 and PS3 are almost equal in processing power yet you could buy a 360 and a Wii for the price of one PS3.

I really would love to see the PS3 do well if their prices weren't so rediculous, partly due to their trojan horse of pushing their format into households. (It also makes you wonder if they are going to strip down the Blu-ray player capabilities. I mean why pay $1000 for a standalone player when you can get a PS3 for $600?) There are some great exclusive titles that Sony has their hands on but I think their prices are absolutely out of hand.

ledhed

Well, my Dad has already expressed desire in the PS3 simply for the HD capabilities. Add in the factor of Blu-Ray and suddenly, alot of people just hopping onto the HD bandwagon are in for the ride too.

But personally, I want to see Microsoft and Sony fall on their asses and go back to the good old Sega vs. Nintendo. Sonic 4 Life!!

mutelight

ledhed wrote:

Well, my Dad has already expressed desire in the PS3 simply for the HD capabilities. Add in the factor of Blu-Ray and suddenly, alot of people just hopping onto the HD bandwagon are in for the ride too.

But personally, I want to see Microsoft and Sony fall on their asses and go back to the good old Sega vs. Nintendo. Sonic 4 Life!!

I really hope that was meant to be a joke.

ledhed

mutelight wrote:

I really hope that was meant to be a joke.

Which part?