Yup. As expected the industry is following Nintendo lead thanks to gamers.
Microsoft wants you to not buy retail games so they can lock you into a game subscription and milk you for eternity.
Don’t fall for it.
Who knew we’d live to see a world where consoles increase in price 5 years in to the generation.
I hate this timeline.
Yeah, increasing old ass console prices seems like a bit of a dick move but at least for me, I was expecting the games and peripheral price increases.
Companies never miss an opportunity to raise prices on people and with Nintendo leading the way with their price increases and the global turmoil caused by the Republican US government, it’s a ripe time to gouge gamers with a built in excuse.
I still also think they’re increasing prices on games not only because of Nintendo’s lead but also to further try to push gamers onto the game pass service because they want that guaranteed monthly revenue with microtransactions as a whale bonus.
Unfortunately it’s a shit timeline and it’s never been a better time to be a patient gamer or get a VPN.
Nintendo leading the way is a bit far fetched. Besides the 80 dollar price tag you only existing on a handful of games, it’s not a new setpoint.
Companies have been “hiding” that price point for years by stripping games of features and including them in the “deluxe” or “ultimate” version.
It was fully expected that one of the big three would finally cement it, at least they’re saying “here’s the full package and this is what you pay for it”.
Wow, you really think that these companies are going to not continue to have deluxe and ultimate editions because of the 80 dollar price point and just include that all in?
Tell you what, I’ll bet a hundred USD that with this 80 dollar increase, you’ll definitely be seeing 100+ dollars deluxe and ultimate editions.
Wait, what?
Are people buying things in-game if they play a game on game pass?
For example, I signed up for and made sure to cancel recurring subscription just this last month. Wanted to play the new oblivion remaster and get further in the Indiana Jones game.
That $20 is all they’re going to get from me anytime soon. They are for sure increasing prices following Nintendo’s lead, I’m with you there.
Edit: buying the game seemed silly cuz I just don’t have enough time currently to get lost in oblivion again.
As expected the industry is following Nintendo lead thanks to gamers.
What do you mean by “thanks to gamers”?
Because they keep paying the raised prices
Switch 2 isn’t even out yet. We have no idea how the raised game prices will affect sales numbers.
I know how it effected my personal sales commitment. I’m not pre-ordering a switch 2. I’ve got a PC and a steam deck with a huge catalog of affordable games in my future.
I think gamers have all but cemented this new reality.
Who the fuck is going to be paying the $1200 or whatever for a switch 2?
Dude. The preorders literally “sold out.” My brother messaged me last week asking why there was a huge line out the door at GameStop, and I had to look it up because that was also the day Switch 2 preorders started.
G*mers are the bane of other gamers’ existence. Also, most people have literally no self-control.
Because gamers keep buying and giving record sales to these gouging companies with each and every price increase, with every new microtransaction scheme, with every battlepass FOMO, with every new loot box, with every new gatcha game, with every new premium currency, with every new psychological manipulation.
But that’s just one man’s opinion.
I don’t really agree that gamers should be blamed for this. Especially when it comes to lootboxes, battlepasses, gatcha etc. Those mechanics are tailor-made to exploit common psychological weaknesses in humans. The companies using these tactics and the lawmakers not stopping them should be blamed, not the people being exploited.
Going back to simple price increases, it’s not true that these always work out well for the companies or result in record sales. Remember the 3DS Ambassador program? Nintendo has already faceplanted pretty hard with their pricing strategy before. Since the Switch 2 isn’t even released, we have no idea how well the more expensive games will sell.
I mean at the end of the day, it’s the gamers opening their wallets though, right? That’s the biggest behaviour that’s leading to this, when the chips fall. It’s like when people complain about preordering, well thats got a super simple solution: just don’t do it.
I’ve never bought a lootbox or a gaming pass. That sort of stuff irritates me, like sell me the game or fuck off. I’m ok with a DLC that expands a storyline or a new world or something, that comes a couple years later. I’ve always viewed that a bit differently, as long as the content of the core game isn’t affected. But even when companies are like buy the deluxe tier of our new game that has the Broken Road Protagonist Best DLC ever, releasing June of this year, that pisses me off because it’s like you purposely held that back to sell as additional content. I don’t tend to buy games that do that, and if I do, I never purchase nor participate in the additional content.
Your gears would stop grinding if you stopped reading news/social media. You’re doing this to yourself. That’s the biggest behavior leading to this.
Stupid. Why the fuck do you think a world in which buying something is blameless exists?
Wild to see a 5 year old console with cost saving revisions internally- continue to go up in price.
Another reason to avoid consoles and microsoft all in one easy to hate package.
Thanks microsoft!
looks at the state of nvidia, amd, and intel (ever increasing prices, stagnant price to performance…)
What are you talking about?
You’re kidding yourself of you think this is going to stay within the bounds of console gaming.
Interesting that they’ve been carrying on about having an “affordable” option with their console that has devalued both offerings, yet they’re going to increase the price of the hardware and games.
