When did everything become 59.99?

[Thundercrack85]

Since I just made a thread about blu ray prices, this seemed only a logical followup.

Maybe it's because of the new consoles, and the new titles that I am noticing this more and more, but who decided that every game was automatically worth 59.99?

I don't know about you guys, but I don't think most games are worth 59.99. And given the rapid devaluation of video games, a lot of people clearly agree.

I do wonder if this is actually inadvertently hurting the video game industry. Video game prices drop 60% in a year. Presumably in large part because people are bringing their games back in hope of recouping some of their loss. But since they're being greedy, maybe it's karma.

Is anyone else here annoyed with the "59.99 rule"?

 

[Tanin]

I been paying 50-60$ for video games since the 1980s. I am not annoyed that I getting more for the same price.

 

[Tron Bonne]

$59.99 became the standard for console games during the PS3/360. The Wii games stayed at $49.99. It's always been assumed it was a bump up due to HD development costs. The prices are generally set by publishers from my understanding. It's why you have the odd titles that less or more than the standard set by everyone else.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Since I just made a thread about blu ray prices, this seemed only a logical followup.

Maybe it's because of the new consoles, and the new titles that I am noticing this more and more, but who decided that every game was automatically worth 59.99?

I don't know about you guys, but I don't think most games are worth 59.99. And given the rapid devaluation of video games, a lot of people clearly agree.

I do wonder if this is actually inadvertently hurting the video game industry. Video game prices drop 60% in a year. Presumably in large part because people are bringing their games back in hope of recouping some of their loss. But since they're being greedy, maybe it's karma.

Is anyone else here annoyed with the "59.99 rule"?

Well for starters, we have decided that games should be 59.99 as we keep buying them at that price. We are all telling the industry, hey, we're cool with that.

Also, compared to whats come before us, games and consoles are extremely affordable.





As for paying that particular price, iv never cared. I feel 60 bux and some change is more than reasonable for the 30 plus hours I get out of the avg game I purchase.

 

[Thundercrack85]

While that's certainly true, games do depreciate much faster now, so I question that. It seems more like the companies know their games aren't worth 60 bucks, but they are trying to see how much they can make for as long as possible.

Except Nintendo, but I'm told that's because they release their games in relatively limited amounts. Ocarina of Time 3DS is a great example. I bought it for 40. Two years later, it's still 40 bucks new. Well, you could probably get it for 35 if you look hard. But I don't mind paying 40 bucks for a great game.

If that was a Vita game, it would be in the bargain bin now.

 

[Tron Bonne]

If it were just about trying to make as much as possible, then I'm sure we'd see a bump in price for the PS4/One gen, but we didn't. There's monetary gain, of course, they are out to make money, but I'm sure there's more rationale behind that price point than just gouging. Nintendo also jumped from $49.99 to $59.99 from Wii to Wii U, so that makes me think there's a lot of creditability to the idea that HD development helped to drive up the price.

 

[James]

$59.99 is a steal back in my home country, New Zealand. In NZ new games are either NZ$100 or in some cases NZ$120, which at today's exchange rate works out to US$87.12 and US$104.55 respectively. 15+ years paying that kind of money for new games, I'll happily pay $59.99 these days.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

While that's certainly true, games do depreciate much faster now, so I question that. It seems more like the companies know their games aren't worth 60 bucks, but they are trying to see how much they can make for as long as possible.

Yea I don't think every game that comes out is worth 60 bux and those that aren't, at least those I feel that aren't worth that price, I pass on. But clearly gamers don't have an issue spending that kind of money when you look at the early sales of Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, GTA, Madden, Battlefield, Uncharted etc. Games sales haven't decreased enough to warrant publishers dropping the price.

Then you have the argument that places like Gamestop and the used game market is actually keeping costs high.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Nintendo also jumped from $49.99 to $59.99 from Wii to Wii U, so that makes me think there's a lot of creditability to the idea that HD development helped to drive up the price.

Well its a fact that games development costs increased last gen, but now did it just get more expensive to make a game, or was it because companies like Activision and EA want to spend 200 million advertising their game?

 

[Thundercrack85]

If it were just about trying to make as much as possible, then I'm sure we'd see a bump in price for the PS4/One gen, but we didn't. There's monetary gain, of course, they are out to make money, but I'm sure there's more rationale behind that price point than just gouging. Nintendo also jumped from $49.99 to $59.99 from Wii to Wii U, so that makes me think there's a lot of creditability to the idea that HD development helped to drive up the price.

Actually, that was an issue going into E3. I remember people were ready to scream bloody murder. Given the negative backlash against the Xbone's crap, I think both (Sony and Microsoft) would have been reluctant to inflate the price any more. Plus then that could devolve into a price war.

I think Nintendo gets away with it, because they're really just matching Sony and Microsoft.

 

[Thundercrack85]

$59.99 is a steal back in my home country, New Zealand. In NZ new games are either NZ$100 or in some cases NZ$120, which at today's exchange rate works out to US$87.12 and US$104.55 respectively. 15+ years paying that kind of money for new games, I'll happily pay $59.99 these days.

I feel for you man. I used to live in Europe. But hey, at least it ain't Brazil, where a PS4 costs 1,840 USD (that's 2,112 NZD). Actually I have no idea what games cost.

 

[runawayboulder]

I remember NES and SNES games being $50 for the major titles. It went up to $60 with the last gen consoles.

 

[Quasimod0]

The high prices of games definitely makes me more choosy about what I purchase. Even then, I rarely do a day one purchase. I find that I can usually save twenty bucks by waiting a couple of weeks and buying used.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Only games I buy at full price on day one are GTA, Zelda, Mario (main titles only), and the occasional rare standalone game that I have been waiting for intently, like say The Last of Us.

Halo was on that list until Halo 4.

 

[Soapy]

As far as I can tell, $59.99 has been the standard price for games in the US since the 360 came out.

 

[Tanin]

I bought Wildstar and Diablo 3 first day. Other then that I haven't gotten a day one title since Chainsaw Lolipop

edit: paid for one

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I purchase around 2 titles per month, day one, full price. Altho, come fall that number usually goes up. I rarely buy used and I never wait for sales on games im anticipating.

 

[Solidus]

I remember NES and SNES games being $50 for the major titles. It went up to $60 with the last gen consoles.

No. That's not true at all. During NES/SNES/ and the N64 cartridges were usually (especially new) 70-80 dollars (with N64 titles). And that was back then, adjusted for inflation that would be around 100 today. I remember it was a huge difference between 64 games and PS1 games back then. NES Games were like 40-50 but again with inflation they were the equivalent to 70-100 today.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

No. That's not true at all. During NES/SNES/ and the N64 cartridges were usually (especially new) 70-80 dollars (with N64 titles). And that was back then, adjusted for inflation that would be around 100 today. I remember it was a huge difference between 64 games and PS1 games back then. NES Games were like 40-50 but again with inflation they were the equivalent to 70-100 today.

The difference then was there was a lot more leeway with game prices. Now its pretty much a flat 59.99. N64 games could wary wildly, from 49.99 to, like you said, 80 bux.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Well for starters, we have decided that games should be 59.99 as we keep buying them at that price. We are all telling the industry, hey, we're cool with that.

Also, compared to whats come before us, games and consoles are extremely affordable.




As for paying that particular price, iv never cared. I feel 60 bux and some change is more than reasonable for the 30 plus hours I get out of the avg game I purchase.

Gotta love that SNES. Best system on there and one of the cheapest.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Hah I didnt own one until late in its cycle. Looking at that list though and i owned a lot of damn systems. Iv got or have owned 13 of those systems.

Had the SNES, Genesis, Playstation, Saturn, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4

 

[Thundercrack85]

I didn't buy them all myself, obviously. But I had the Atari 2600, the Nintendo, the SEGA Master System, the Super Nintendo, the Genesis, the Playstation, the Nintendo 64, the Saturn (is that on there?), the Dreamcast, the Playstation 2, the Xbox, the Gamecube, the Wii, the Xbox 360, and the PS3.

I have also had the Gameboy, the Gameboy Color, the GBA (and all variants except the Micro), all variants of the DS, and a 3DS. I also had a PSP which may have been my least played console. And last but not least, the SEGA Game Gear.

 

[TheBat812]

It's the value of the development. And it's up to the consumer to decide if it's worth it. But think about it, a movie is 15-35 bucks for bluray and 2/3 hours of content. Games are typically at least 6 hours long. Seems justified to me.

 

[A Dollar Short]

There are very few games I buy for full price. In the last few years, I have been waiting until Gamefly sends me the $1/month offer (happens 1-2 times a year) or until it ends up on PS Plus. Then there are games like Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet which I'll not only pay full price, but upgrade and get the collecter's editions.

 

[KevanG]

I almost never buy games until the price goes down to at least $40 or less. The few times I do is something I really want otherwise I'll just play my older games or pick up some bargain bin ones.