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[64gigabyteram]

10 years ago, we waited for a price drop on consoles before we decided to buy in. We'll get the console at a lower price and enjoy the new games added as well as a later revision with less bugs and potential hardware defects. It was a good deal for all involved.

Nowadays, the concept has been flipped on its head. Companies are now using price INCREASES in order to sell consoles. Now, you either buy in with all the defects and lack of games, or you wait 3 years for a system with a decent library, less defects and whatever else.... for them to sell it to you at a 25-50% markup from launch price. They effectively use price FOMO in order to goad you into buying now.
It's a genius and evil inversal of the previous way of selling consoles.

I also fucking hate it.

Gaming's gonna get real expensive folks.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Prepping us for the fucking we are about to receive for next gen

 

[LakeOf9]

unfortunately the case with all tech. TV, phones, laptops, prices of all consumer electronics are going up.

 

[A.Romero]

I think pricing is a matter of perspective.

It's expensive compared to what?

Inflation hits everything. If anything I'm surprised they kept those prices for so long. Personally, I don't care. I don't buy that many games anymore, gamepass and other freebies provide many games. I buy full price games maybe 3 or 4 times a year and in my country they were already 70 - 80 usd on launch.

 

[calico]

 

[R3TRO]

Maybe streaming is the future...As gross as that sounds.

 

[Rush2112]

They raise the prices because enough people are willing to blow their whole disability checks on games.

 

[rm082e]

This is not a "console" issue, and it's not something Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo are trying to do to us. They don't want to be in this position because they know they can't sell as many units having to raise prices like this.

It's a consequence of the value of GPU chips, combined with the realities of the current business environment (no politics!). It would be great if GPUs were only useful for animation, and some other type of chip was needed for AI and crypto mining. But that's not the world we live in. And when the underlying rules of business that you've built your company on change, you have to adapt to the new rules. That's not their choice.

 

[64gigabyteram]

They raise the prices because enough people are willing to blow their whole disability checks on games.

Gaming has become so popular, and gamers so braindead, that companies can pull shit and we'll all still buy in like lemmings walking towards their doom

 

[rm082e]

Maybe streaming is the future...As gross as that sounds.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

. The market will decide

 

[ResilientBanana]

Which is why I go PC and wait for the game prices to fall instead. Maybe they should make it affordable.

 

[Magic Carpet]

eBay, garage sales, flea markets will gain popularity.
I've got a bunch of old crap that will soon become less crap and wanted.

 

[simpatico]

My other hobbies got hit way harder than gaming. Surprised it took this long. I'm fascinated by some of the reactions. Spyderco PM2 goes for $200 now at the cheapest places. Not even exaggerating. Gaming has gotten off incredibly easy. Aqua Terra? Try 6 fucking K. It's a warzone out there lads.

 

[adamsapple]

Gaming's gonna get real expensive folks.

Gonna? It isn't already?

 

[DeepEnigma]

Prepping us for the fucking we are about to receive for next gen

All those "I'd pay $1000 for a more powerful <insert console here>"

A lot of us did ask for it, but only if said power translates. Which sadly, I have doubts.

 

[64gigabyteram]

All those "I'd pay $1000 for a more powerful <insert console here>"

A lot of us did ask for it, but only if said power translates. Which sadly, I have doubts.

more power just means more unoptimized schlock for the majority of devs. Doubt we'll see much of a difference going into next gen beyond better image quality and more raytracing

 

[Unknown?]

I disagree. Consoles are actually getting cheaper! *

*Priced in gold.

 

[Rat Rage]

Just stop buying new consoles and play your backlogs instead. There has never been a better time to actually PLAY your backlogs.

If you execute this GIGABRAIN 175 IQ consumption strategy, you'll win massively.

A) You've actually played the games you payed for in your backlog.
B) By the time you've finished them all / or a good chunk of them, hardware and game prices will probably have gone down (or you'll be able to find good deals out there).
C) By not engaging in all this pricing madness, you actually increase the chances of the companies backtracking their price increases (provided, a big enough number of consumers follow suit).

 

[Schmendrick]

Oh boy I'm very very curious what next gen will be like. Consoleros will either be getting ridiculously expensive hardware or the smallest jump in power ever. ....Or maybe even both.

 

[ReBurn]

Stop being poor

 

[Fbh]

unfortunately the case with all tech. TV, phones, laptops, prices of all consumer electronics are going up.

The price of products when they are brand new is going up, but we are usually still seeing consistent price drops.
Like if I check on Amazon, flagship phones that launched last year for $1200 now go for around $900 (even cheaper when on sale). An OLED Tv that launched for $2k last year is around $1300 now (cheaper when on sale), etc.

Meanwhile consoles that launched 5 years ago are going up in price.

I know it's not exactly the same since console work with a lower profit margin. But it's still pretty crazy.

 

[reinking]

Oh boy I'm very very curious what next gen will be like. Consoleros will either be getting ridiculously expensive hardware or the smallest jump in power ever. ....Or maybe even both.

You think this is just going to apply to consoles?

 

[Schmendrick]

You think this is just going to apply to consoles?

Yep, because we are already there with pc components, GPUs at least.

 

[gooner4life_uk]

As long as a console is cheaper than a flagship mobile phone then they're really not expensive.

 

[reinking]

Yep, because we are already there with pc components.

I don't think we know the final destination yet.

 

[San Dan Glokta]

The only console I ever bought brand new was the PS2. Every other console I got good condition 2nd hand for a good deal that I could sell for a profit. Try having some discipline regarding your purchases. Same goes for videogames; I only buy them for a fraction of their price and can count on hand probably the number of times I paid full price for any.
The price increase is only ever bad if you let it be. Don't be a sucker.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

global foundry capacity should increase quite a bit over the next 5 years, provided stuff stays more or less on track (pours one out for the homies)
tsmc vs intel gonna be interesting

 

[64gigabyteram]

As long as a console is cheaper than a flagship mobile phone then they're really not expensive.

Stop being poor

unfortunately the case with all tech. TV, phones, laptops, prices of all consumer electronics are going up.

I get what you guys mean and some of these are jokes. This is less about the price and moreso about how fucked the industry has become in just 5 years where people are going "Buy now, because it won't be cheaper in the future!"

We've never experienced anything like this in the 2010s.

 

[bender]

The writing has been on the wall for a long time. The PS4 only reduced by $100 over its' lifetime.

 

[Humdinger]

Well, I don't think this has been their plan, per se, they are just adapting to market realities like any other business. Prices are going up across the board on everything. We've been screwing the economy for decades, and now we're paying the piper. Consoles and games aren't going to be exempt from that process. Demand is still there, at least for the Switch 2, so a modest price hike isn't going to hurt Nintendo. I suspect the price hikes will hurt MS sales but help profitability overall (as they were previously losing money on each console sold, as I understand it).

 

[ProtoByte]

It's a genius and evil inversal of the previous way of selling consoles.

Many have already explained what's actually going on. You just don't know what you're talking about.

 

[BlackTron]

If I knew things were gonna get this crazy, I might not have sold my Series X when I did, breaking even on it around the Starfield implosion. With just a few more years, maybe I could trade it in for a diamond ring.

 

[Barakov]

Maybe streaming is the future...As gross as that sounds.

I think it's more like they're trying to make streaming the future.

 

[ReBurn]

I get what you guys mean and some of these are jokes. This is less about the price and moreso about how fucked the industry has become in just 5 years where people are going "Buy now, because it won't be cheaper in the future!"

We've never experienced anything like this in the 2010s.

Unfortunately the days of massive console price cuts as the generation goes on seem to be over. Price drops last generation were modest. This generation is showing that there's no benefit in waiting for price cuts anymore because apparently they aren't coming. There really is no benefit to waiting to buy consoles these days.

 

[Three]

10 years ago, we waited for a price drop on consoles before we decided to buy in. We'll get the console at a lower price and enjoy the new games added as well as a later revision with less bugs and potential hardware defects. It was a good deal for all involved.

Nowadays, the concept has been flipped on its head. Companies are now using price INCREASES in order to sell consoles. Now, you either buy in with all the defects and lack of games, or you wait 3 years for a system with a decent library, less defects and whatever else.... for them to sell it to you at a 25-50% markup from launch price. They effectively use price FOMO in order to goad you into buying now.
It's a genius and evil inversal of the previous way of selling consoles.

I also fucking hate it.

Gaming's gonna get real expensive folks.

It's been a perfect storm of scenarios that has led to this.

The rise of f2p and service type games, the death of moores law, chip shortages, high inflation, tariffs. Everything is against falling hardware prices.

 

[Dacvak]

The leg grab in this clip always fuckin sends me

 

[Dorfdad]

I mean they seen how wells it's worked for nvidia so why not!? We let them do this to ourselves

 

[CrustyBritches]

The writing has been on the wall for a long time. The PS4 only reduced by $100 over its' lifetime.

Yeah, but you'd definitely have to take the yearly Black Friday deals into account:

-PS4 Slim 500GB for $250 with Uncharted 4, Last of Us, and Ratchet & Clank in 2016
-PS4 Slim 1TB for $199 in 2017
-PS4 Slim 1TB for $199 with Spider-Man in 2018
-PS4 Slim 1TB for $199 with Last of Us, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn in 2019

You pretty much knew for 4 years running you'd be able to pick up a PS4 for around $200 with a game or 2 or 3.

 

[mckmas8808]

This is not a "console" issue, and it's not something Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo are trying to do to us. They don't want to be in this position because they know they can't sell as many units having to raise prices like this.

It's a consequence of the value of GPU chips, combined with the realities of the current business environment (no politics!). It would be great if GPUs were only useful for animation, and some other type of chip was needed for AI and crypto mining. But that's not the world we live in. And when the underlying rules of business that you've built your company on change, you have to adapt to the new rules. That's not their choice.

They will not listen to you. Don't ask me why. They just won't.

 

[WoJ]

Just stop buying new consoles and play your backlogs instead. There has never been a better time to actually PLAY your backlogs.

If you execute this GIGABRAIN 175 IQ consumption strategy, you'll win massively.

A) You've actually played the games you payed for in your backlog.
B) By the time you've finished them all / or a good chunk of them, hardware and game prices will probably have gone down (or you'll be able to find good deals out there).
C) By not engaging in all this pricing madness, you actually increase the chances of the companies backtracking their price increases (provided, a big enough number of consumers follow suit).

Quoted for truth. My PS5, Series X and Switch (which I just picked up last year) will last me a long time. These price increases suck and are emblematic of bigger problems in the industry. Companies just think they can raise prices to offset their bloated budgets, I have my doubts.

Either way, I'm enjoying what I have.

 

[consoul]

Nobody in their right mind is buying an XBox Series X 2TB for USD $730. I don't understand why they even announced this new price. Just withdraw the product from sale.

 

[Puscifer]

My other hobbies got hit way harder than gaming. Surprised it took this long and fascinated by the reactions. Spyderco PM2 goes for $200 now at the cheapest places. Not even exaggerating. Gaming has gotten off incredibly easy. Aqua Terra? Try 6 fucking K. It's a warzone out there lads.

Dude I'm debating buying another bike right now with these tariffs just in case something happens to my Trek and Breezers I use.

 

[kevboard]

 

[CrimsonTide]

Covid BEGAN all of this. We've now been indoctrinated to it

Tech used to become cheaper. Now I'm being told 6-7 year old tech (PS5/XS) is costing more. Don't blame Trump. They hadn't decreased their price a single penny prior to him

Unheard of and we're all the sheep who will pay and pony up and ensure their bottom line grows

Use your wallet folks. That's how you vote

 

[CrimsonTide]

Folks. Folks.

The Nintendo Switch. 2017. The old mobile garbage chip. Launched at $299

Right now. Today. 8 years later. Guess how much it is?

$299

We're being raked over the coals. That piece of shit mobile tech cost $70 to make on a GOOD DAY.

 

[ZehDon]

What you're seeing are the death throes of the subsidised platform model.

Xbox can't compete with Sony, so there's no point in Xbox sinking billions into pushing hardware anymore.
Xbox can't compete with Sony, so there's no need for Sony to sink billions into pushing hardware anymore.
Nintendo sells outdated hardware at today's prices and laughs all the way to the bank.
The console space isn't growing in terms of sheer platform adoption. Anyone who wants to buy a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo console already knows what they are, and what they're buying. There's not need to sink billions into enticing new users, because there aren't any.
It's not about hitting pricing "sweet spots", its simply about selling to people who already want what you're selling. The result is hardware that simply doesn't need to be cheap to be successful.

I imagine next-gen is gonna rival pre-built "Gaming PCs" in prices.

 

[DavJay]

Obviously this is a one of because of circumstances. Materials and parts always go down as time passes.

 

[CrimsonTide]

Obviously this is a one of because of circumstances. Materials and parts always go down as time passes.

That piece of shit tech in 2017 Switch is Pennies on the dollar

Nintendo still sells it for launch price of $299

It's beyond madness how that trash garbage tech hasn't decreased a single cent since it released damn near a decade ago

 

[Sooner]

Maybe streaming is the future...As gross as that sounds.

Nah. The biggest cost is the cost to make AAA games. Streaming doesn't change anything about that.

Stadia has the best streaming service. But, it charged just as much to "buy" the games and failed hard. Streaming is just inferior when it comes to gaming and always will be.