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[Tabris]

One thing Sony is accredited with is releasing a mass standardized budget line into consoles (Yes, I know Nintendo had something similar with the N64 first, but it wasn't really that standardized or much of a budget, so let's not get into that arguement).

So with Sony entering the handheld market, do you think the trends of both A) Game price dropping after a couple months of release, and B) Games being added on to a standardized budget line will become common place in the market?

Right now, the handheld market prices are pretty static, and when there's ever a change, it's an increase for games like Pokemon (that whole $34.99 change).

I'm really hoping so. Because all the GBA games I've been waiting to drop in price, just haven't, and won't. Yet any time I don't buy a console game right away, I can wait for a couple months and it will be down by 10, 20 or even 30 dollars.

...and do you think Nintendo will change accordingly if Sony adopts a handheld budget line?

 

[radioheadrule83]

Well its already been starting if you take into account the various budget developers moving in on Arcade compilations and things like that on GBA... plus Nintendo themselves sparked off the whole 8bit release fest with the NES re-releases at less than half the price of a usual game. I've got a feeling that yes, we'll see Platinum and Player's Choice titles.

Hopefully anyway.

 

[Meier]

I hope so. I refuse to buy games that have been out for more than a few months at full price so I've yet to buy just about any GBA titles that came out prior to the SP's launch. I'll buy a number of the Mario Advance titles if they drop... but not a second before then.

 

[jarrod]

One thing Sony is accredited with is releasing a mass standardized budget line into consoles (Yes, I know Nintendo had something similar with the N64, but it wasn't really that standardized or much of a budget, so let's not get into that arguement).

So with Sony entering the handheld market, do you think the trends of both A) Game price dropping after a couple months of release, and B) Games being added on to a standardized budget line will become common place in the market?

Right now, the handheld market prices are pretty static, and when there's ever a change, it's an increase for games like Pokemon (that whole $34.99 change).

I'm really hoping so. Because all the GBA games I've been waiting to drop in price, just haven't, and won't. Yet any time I don't buy a console game right away, I can wait for a couple months and it will be down by 10, 20 or even 30 dollars.

...and do you think Nintendo will change accordingly if Sony adopts a handheld budget line?

Unfortunately, due to rising development costs, I don't see PSP or DS games coming in under GBA MSRPs. If anything, I see increased retail pricing actually (probably $39.99 standard). Media costs being lower for PSP & DS might keep costs in line with GBA ($29.99 standard) but I'd say that's best case scenario.

Oh and not to "get into that argument" but Nintendo started it's budget line on SNES/GB in the early 1990s.

 

[Tabris]

Yeah, it's expected that both NDS and PSP games will start at 39.99 or 49.99

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about 3 months down the road from release of the game. GBA prices almost always stay the same, especially first party nintendo games. Yet games on consoles will have dropped 50% by that time.

...but it wasn't really standardized, and it wasn't really a budget So those points are moot.

 

[Deg]

Yeah, it's expected that both NDS and PSP games will start at 39.99 or 49.99

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about 3 months down the road from release of the game. GBA prices almost always stay the same, especially first party nintendo games. Yet games on consoles will have dropped 50% by that time.

...but it wasn't really standardized, and it wasn't really a budget So those points are moot.

GBA game prices do drop but it varies according ot the retailer or publisher. There is no Player's choice on GBA oddly. Although old games are quite cheap.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I could see Sony going 29 with most games and 39 for games like GT4P (basically knock off 10 from the regualr price of their PS2 games).

 

[Deku Tree]

Yeah, it's expected that both NDS and PSP games will start at 39.99 or 49.99

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about 3 months down the road from release of the game. GBA prices almost always stay the same, especially first party nintendo games. Yet games on consoles will have dropped 50% by that time.

...but it wasn't really standardized, and it wasn't really a budget So those points are moot.

Part of the GBA prices staying high is because of the costs of the carts right? So maybe with the introduction of cheaper media we will see budget handheld games.

 

[jarrod]

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about 3 months down the road from release of the game. GBA prices almost always stay the same, especially first party nintendo games. Yet games on consoles will have dropped 50% by that time.

Actually, Nintendo drops GBA MSRPs somewhat regularly to $19.99 after a while (pretty much everything outside Mario/Pokemon/Zelda/Metroid/Kirby/Square Enix games in fact). Plenty of companies do actually (Capcom, THQ, etc) and quite a few publishers release games at $19.99 or less initially too (DSI, Crave, Natsume, NES Classics, etc). GBA pricing isn't as static as you've made it out.

...but it wasn't really standardized, and it wasn't really a budget So those points are moot.

What wasn't, the Player's Choice Million Seler line? Yes it was, though it was only 1st party games.

 

[jarrod]

I could see Sony going 29 with most games and 39 for games like GT4P (basically knock off 10 from the regualr price of their PS2 games).

I could see Sony doing that also... but I'm not so sure EA, Activision, Konami, Namco and others would follow suit. They didn't on PS2 after all.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Part of the GBA prices staying high is because of the costs of the carts right? So maybe with the introduction of cheaper media we will see budget handheld games.

Yeah, I'd think any budget lines would have more to do with this than competition.

 

[Tabris]

Actually, Nintendo drops GBA MSRPs somewhat regularly to $19.99 after a while (pretty much everything outside Mario/Pokemon/Zelda/Metroid/Kirby/Square Enix games in fact).

Maybe because those are only games I actually want to buy on the GBA.

So basically all first party games don't drop, while it's the opposite with Sony. Sony drops all their first party games after a couple months.

 

[jarrod]

So basically all first party games don't drop, while it's the opposite with Sony. Sony drops all their first party games after a couple months.

Er, no... reread what I wrote... Nintendo dropped MSRP to $19.99 for...

-Advance Wars
-Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
-Disney's Magical Quest
-F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
-Game & Watch Gallery 4
-Golden Sun
-Golden Sun: The Lost Age
-Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak
-Wario Land 4
-WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGame$

... pretty much everything but the big hitters gets discounted. Besides, if Sony takes a loss on PSP as some are suggesting, I wouldn't expect cheap/discounted games anytime soon.

 

[Tabris]

but the big hitters gets discounted.

There's the problem. Everything eventually drops price under Sony. Including the big hitters.

19.99 from 29.99 versus 19.99 from 49.99. Hmmm. Oh yeah, great deal Nintendo has going there. That's the same thing as the 29.99 player's choice title scheme before they started changing to the 19.99 scheme.

 

[Acrylamid]

I remember there was something like a "Player's Choice" label for classic Game Boy games (Super Mario Land etc.) in Germany in the mid-90s. Was there something like this in America? IMO it's time for Nintendo to reintroduce it, because I'd really like to refresh my memory of Super Mario World and Bros. 3 and I'm not willing to pay 40 € for each game.

 

[ge-man]

There's the problem. Everything eventually drops price under Sony. Including the big hitters.

19.99 from 29.99 versus 19.99 from 49.99. Hmmm. Oh yeah, great deal Nintendo has going there. That's the same thing as the 29.99 player's choice title scheme before they started changing to the 19.99 scheme.

I don't see much of a change happening even with Sony. Few companies could actually sell something like the NES classic at a 19.99 msrp. This is the main reason why stuff like Mario Advance will NEVER drop in price. Why stop the gravy train, especially when you are the king of the market?

 

[jarrod]

There's the problem. Everything eventually drops price under Sony. Including the big hitters.

19.99 from 29.99 versus 19.99 from 49.99. Hmmm. Oh yeah, great deal Nintendo has going there. That's the same thing as the 29.99 player's choice title scheme before they started changing to the 19.99 scheme.

Point being, GBA pricing isn't as static as you've implied repeatedly, even for Nintendo. And as usual, Sony isn't really the first to do anything in the console market (even if they end up doing things better than everyone else).

I remember there was something like a "Player's Choice" label for classic Game Boy games (Super Mario Land etc.) in Germany in the mid-90s. Was there something like this in America?

Yes. Mario, Zelda, Tetris, WaveRace and quite afew others got budget rereleases.

 

[krypt0nian]

Do we have any concensus on what cost of media is for the DS?

Cheaper than GBA? More expensive?

How about the UMD's? Any estimates?

 

[jarrod]

Do we have any concensus on what cost of media is for the DS?

Cheaper than GBA? More expensive?

How about the UMD's? Any estimates?

Both 3DROM and UMD should be much cheaper than GBA carts. Disposably cheap if Matrix and SCEI are to be believed.

 

[Tabris]

Point being, GBA pricing isn't as static as you've implied repeatedly, even for Nintendo. And as usual, Sony isn't really the first to do anything in the console market (even if they end up doing things better than everyone else).

In general though, the difference between the console market and the handheld market for pricedrops are huge. Pricedrops in the handheld market take much longer, they don't happen enough and it's not for enough.

About the second point, half-ass attempts do not count

 

[krypt0nian]

Both 3DROM and UMD should be much cheaper than GBA carts. Disposably cheap if Matrix and SCEI are to be believed.

Thanks jarrod...then perhaps a blank DS 3DROM will be feasible for d/l demos.

 

[Shoryuken]

In general though, the difference between the console market and the handheld market for pricedrops are huge. Pricedrops in the handheld market take much longer, they don't happen enough and it's not for enough.

About the second point, half-ass attempts do not count

The price of GBA carts made it very hard to drop prices. Both the DS and PSP's media will be much cheaper, thus games will probably be able to drop in price (depending on initial MSRPs)

 

[jarrod]

Thanks jarrod...then perhaps a blank DS 3DROM will be feasible for d/l demos.

3DROM is once write only though... more feasably, I could see blank cards sold at Kiosk's that would write the game directly. It'd drive down distribution costs immesurably (same could be done for UMD actually).

In general though, the difference between the console market and the handheld market for pricedrops are huge. Pricedrops in the handheld market take much longer, they don't happen enough and it's not for enough.

I'd agree, but judging 1st party stuff isn't exactly fair (as Nintendo's brands command a higher premium than Sony's generally). 3rd party GBA games drop pretty quick though to be honest, usually just a few months later like the consoles.

About the second point, half-ass attempts do not count

What's half assed about it? New SNES games were $59.99+ on average, the Player's Choice line more than halved costs. Nintendo's only real misstep was not letting 3rd parties in on it, but then that was greedy Nintendo for you...

 

[Tabris]

What's half assed about it? New SNES games were $59.99+ on average, the Player's Choice line more than halved costs. Nintendo's only real misstep was not letting 3rd parties in on it, but then that was greedy Nintendo for you...

A) Only first party.
B) Took forever for games to be included on it.
C) 19.99 is the sweet spot.

 

[Insertia]

I expect prices to drop faster then they have in the past. GBA has no competition and that keeps the retail prices up longer. With GBA, DS, PSP, and Ngage on the market vying for shelf space, publishers no longer have the advantage of keeping the mark-up prices for extended periods.