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Some PS3 Games to Cost $75 in Japan
Gamasutra reports on pricing for PS3 games in Japan, where some titles may rise as high as (equivalently) $75. From the article: "Japanese game prices can vary considerably across even a single format, depending on the title. Higher profile games, such as the recent Nintendo DS title Final Fantasy III, are often sold at an increased price. Similarly, Xbox 360 titles Dead Rising and Lost Planet will be priced at ¥8,379 ($72) when they are released — ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 ($9 to $17) more than usual. Tecmo's Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 will be sold at an even more excessive ¥9,240 ($79)."
I know it's fun to bash Sony and all lately, but the caption below the title is talking about XBOX 360 games being $72. Is that $3 newsworthy?
We Europeans are paying the equivalent of 75$ for PS2, Gamecube and XBox games and MS (and presumably Sony) still insist on a price hike for next gen. So Japan is paying as much for next-gen as we are paying for current gen and that's suddently outrageous?
By the way, aren't games already past the optimum price? I can't imagine that the higher price won't hurt the sales enough to decrease the profit for the whole game. Even a first semester business student knows that more expensive does not necessarily equate more profit.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
The way Sony is acting, it really comes down to fanning some sort of "digital divide." It's not about affordable gaming, it's about status -- as the PS3 will serve as the nerd's bling the way iPods used to be before they went a bit more economical.
Let's recap, shall we? High price point, Wii-mote ripoff added in, features I can't use without upgrading my TV, entertaining the thoughts of micropayments for Gran Turismo, press blunders, delays...oh and the Sony rootkit that made them scummier than usual.
The way things are going, the only place you'll find a PS3 is when you're watching MTV Cribs.
but the caption below the title is talking about XBOX 360 games being $72.
If a game is priced 72 bucks in a country where no one will buy it, does it make a cash-register noise?
You can't take the sky from me...
How did you come up with $75 for Europe...this article talks about Japan. I'm sure you'll unfortunately have to pay more than "ONLY $75!!" when the time comes.
Europe always seems to get screwed...and yes Zonk is a troll.
This is just a personal example someone in the UK definite knows more than me. But my sister when to work in London for 7 months.
My parents when over to visit her and said that all the food and stuff was expensive. Like 5 quid for a MickieDs value meal? which would be more than 7-8 dollars here. But the thing was that my sister was making about 7-8 quid/hr which is definitely more that minimum wage here. The argument this many yen = this many dollars should not hold up as a direct transfer to here in the US. Alot of things in Japan are more than here in the US and somethings that are cheap here are more expensive there. I need a little more detail than OMG there paying 9000 yen what are we going to be paying.
"If you like Battlestar Galactica, you're probably a huge nerd." -Stephen Colbert
It is not uncommon for some games to be more expensive in Japan, especially if there is bonus stuff that comes along with the game. This also holds true for DVDs and other such items.
If the $75 games make their way to the US market for the PS3, however, Sony could be shooting themselves in the foot. Their console is already pricey by itself.
This could be another boon for Nintendo if thy can keep the $50 price they generally maintained for GC games. This is definitely possible since they don't need to make up the same loss on hardware Sony does.
We'll see how this plays out. I can imagine them getting away with $75 for MGS4, FF13, GTA6, and other high profile titles, but not every title.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Sony fans, don't worry. The PlayStation 3 isn't doomed.
I'm planning to buy a PS3 at launch, along with whatever games and accessories are available, including redundant things like different types of Sony-branded connection cables. Also, I heard that Sony is selling PS3s at a loss, so I'm planning to mail them a check to try to help cover the difference. I've personally spoken to literally trillions of gamers, and every single one of them is planning to do exactly the same as me.
Based on my completely plausible and irrefutable anecdote, Sony's profits this year will obviously dwarf the GDP of most countries.
It should be noted that most things are more expensive in Japan. The minimum wage and median salary are also higher. In general, the standard of living in Japan and the US is comparable, even though prices in Japan seem somewhat higher, it's generally balanced by higher wages. Relative scarcity makes some things (like fruit and real estate) much more expensive in Japan, but prices on a lot of consumer goods (particularly those produced domestically, like video games) generally scale with Japan's higher average wages.
Occasionally, you can get crazy bargains in Japan as well. At a hyaku-en (100 yen store) a couple of years ago, I got an 8-pack of the longest-lasting double-A batteries I've ever used for under $1.
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I remember paying $80 in the mid 80's for Tecmo Bowl and Zelda on the original NES...the rest of the games were around $50...bumping the price for the bigger titles has been around for a long time now...no surprise here