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Right, this is serious now so take this post as a personal expression from me because it's about time I let it all out.
Consoles, consoles, consoles...we love 'em and can't get enough of them, but there's one fact that always crops up when you want to get one - the asking price! We look back at consoles that appeared last century and we can see the prices ranging from £300 - £400 on the day of release.
R.R.P. on release
-----------------
Playstation - £350 without any games or memory card - 1 controller.
N64 - £250 without any games - 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £300 without any games - 1 controller.
Ridiculous!
As you look at the facts you can see that the prices are too off-putting. This is the main reason that some people don't buy consoles and I'm not sure developers notice that.
What do you do? Do you pre-order or wait? Well, if you're really desperate and you can afford it I say go for it, but if you're not sure, leave it and wait until the price goes down - often occurs!
Now look at the prices of those consoles today:
Playstation - Some don't even want to buy it for £50!
N64 - £60 without any games and 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £80 without any games and 1 controller.
All these consoles have reduced their prices so more people can afford them, but those who do buy theirs on the release tend to have second thoughts, whether they should've just waited because some consoles reduce their prices quite early.
PS2
---
I pre-ordered mine for maximum enjoyment and when I received it I wasn't disappointed at all, mainly excited. I payed a whopping £300 without any games, controller or memory card. I spent an extra £90 on three control pads with a memory card, and another £120 on three games - ISS Smugglers Run and DOA2. I played these games to the full, but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2 and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Now, after just about seven months from the release date PS2 had reduced their price to £199.99 with a control pad and memory card. If I had waited that extra time I could've saved £310! This is what I think now, but last year I wouldn't have had the same thought. All I wanted was to get it and play, play, play...which I did, but now all that money I could've saved could have got me more games and more peripherals. That is the thing when buying consoles. You have the urge to get it immediately and whilst this is going on you rarely think of waiting until the price goes down. Still, it's not a foolish mistake because you wouldn't get it if you really weren't in that chirpy, anticipating mood!
When rush hour hits for people to get their brand, newly released console we all pile down our local games shop totally oblivious of patience - just wait and you could save a lot of money. But not a lot of people are that patient. We want it now, so we get it now, that's that! As GameCube and Xbox are slowly, but gradually making their way closer to our reach think carefully before you rush out and get one. For all you know they could reduce the price a week after you payed a hefty price for yours! So just be very cautious, but if you're really that desperate as I am, get it immediately, and from my recent experience I enjoyed it more than I would have if I waited!
Take care
Rld
Consoles, consoles, consoles...we love 'em and can't get enough of them, but there's one fact that always crops up when you want to get one - the asking price! We look back at consoles that appeared last century and we can see the prices ranging from £300 - £400 on the day of release.
R.R.P. on release
-----------------
Playstation - £350 without any games or memory card - 1 controller.
N64 - £250 without any games - 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £300 without any games - 1 controller.
Ridiculous!
As you look at the facts you can see that the prices are too off-putting. This is the main reason that some people don't buy consoles and I'm not sure developers notice that.
What do you do? Do you pre-order or wait? Well, if you're really desperate and you can afford it I say go for it, but if you're not sure, leave it and wait until the price goes down - often occurs!
Now look at the prices of those consoles today:
Playstation - Some don't even want to buy it for £50!
N64 - £60 without any games and 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £80 without any games and 1 controller.
All these consoles have reduced their prices so more people can afford them, but those who do buy theirs on the release tend to have second thoughts, whether they should've just waited because some consoles reduce their prices quite early.
PS2
---
I pre-ordered mine for maximum enjoyment and when I received it I wasn't disappointed at all, mainly excited. I payed a whopping £300 without any games, controller or memory card. I spent an extra £90 on three control pads with a memory card, and another £120 on three games - ISS Smugglers Run and DOA2. I played these games to the full, but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2 and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Now, after just about seven months from the release date PS2 had reduced their price to £199.99 with a control pad and memory card. If I had waited that extra time I could've saved £310! This is what I think now, but last year I wouldn't have had the same thought. All I wanted was to get it and play, play, play...which I did, but now all that money I could've saved could have got me more games and more peripherals. That is the thing when buying consoles. You have the urge to get it immediately and whilst this is going on you rarely think of waiting until the price goes down. Still, it's not a foolish mistake because you wouldn't get it if you really weren't in that chirpy, anticipating mood!
When rush hour hits for people to get their brand, newly released console we all pile down our local games shop totally oblivious of patience - just wait and you could save a lot of money. But not a lot of people are that patient. We want it now, so we get it now, that's that! As GameCube and Xbox are slowly, but gradually making their way closer to our reach think carefully before you rush out and get one. For all you know they could reduce the price a week after you payed a hefty price for yours! So just be very cautious, but if you're really that desperate as I am, get it immediately, and from my recent experience I enjoyed it more than I would have if I waited!
Take care
Rld
A good post, you make some interesting points... However, I'm not defending the console makers, be they Sony, Ninty or Sege, but they spend a lot of Cash on R&D to create consoles and sign Developers up to making games for them.
Consoles are expensive at first because there are always the "early adopters" who will pay through the nose for the latest technology. The companies charge lots because they can capitalise on the newness of the machine. Then, as production ramps up, the company soon discover how to make the console cheaper, I think the Playstation went through 4 or 5 hardware revisions whilst it was on the market, those who bought a Playstation towards the end of it's life, probably bought a PSOne, but with the old-style case. The hardware inside had shrunk so much, it cost less to produce, Sony then capitalised on that an re-launched it as the oh-so-cute PSOne for a bargain basement price. Not bad eh?
The same thing applies the Videos, DVDs, music albums, old games, new stuff will attract a higher premium, after about a year, that album you paid £14.99 for will be on sale for £9.99. They have to make lots of money to break even on the product, then they drop the price.
Consoles are expensive at first because there are always the "early adopters" who will pay through the nose for the latest technology. The companies charge lots because they can capitalise on the newness of the machine. Then, as production ramps up, the company soon discover how to make the console cheaper, I think the Playstation went through 4 or 5 hardware revisions whilst it was on the market, those who bought a Playstation towards the end of it's life, probably bought a PSOne, but with the old-style case. The hardware inside had shrunk so much, it cost less to produce, Sony then capitalised on that an re-launched it as the oh-so-cute PSOne for a bargain basement price. Not bad eh?
The same thing applies the Videos, DVDs, music albums, old games, new stuff will attract a higher premium, after about a year, that album you paid £14.99 for will be on sale for £9.99. They have to make lots of money to break even on the product, then they drop the price.
Son Of Liberty wrote:
> I remember the N64 costing £300 with a controller and £350 with
> Mario
When N64 was really hot in the press I remember looking through catalogues to see what PSX things I could get, but then I stumbled over N64 and saw games for £60, some £70!
That's damn expensive, and I thought Nintendo were quite linient when it came to gaming.
> I remember the N64 costing £300 with a controller and £350 with
> Mario
When N64 was really hot in the press I remember looking through catalogues to see what PSX things I could get, but then I stumbled over N64 and saw games for £60, some £70!
That's damn expensive, and I thought Nintendo were quite linient when it came to gaming.
I remember the N64 costing £300 with a controller and £350 with Mario
Reload wrote:
> but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2
> and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Well I probably spent over 2 grand on my N64 and everything related. Jesus, that's a lot!
> but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2
> and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Well I probably spent over 2 grand on my N64 and everything related. Jesus, that's a lot!
big_slow wrote:
lucky gamers, im
> cheap and order off SR to save a few bob and have to wait 48hours+ for
> delivery.
Exactly! SR rules. Any of you wanna pre-order GameCube or Xbox(for some strange reason) I strongly recommend SR. Retail prices totally rip you off. They ripped me right off!
lucky gamers, im
> cheap and order off SR to save a few bob and have to wait 48hours+ for
> delivery.
Exactly! SR rules. Any of you wanna pre-order GameCube or Xbox(for some strange reason) I strongly recommend SR. Retail prices totally rip you off. They ripped me right off!
Reload wrote:
> big_slow wrote:
> why was this called rushour?
'Cos that's when all
> gamers hurry down to their nearest games shop to buy a console before actually
> looking ahead. They buy without realising that the price would probably reduce
> after a couple of months.
lucky gamers, im cheap and order off SR to save a few bob and have to wait 48hours+ for delivery.
> big_slow wrote:
> why was this called rushour?
'Cos that's when all
> gamers hurry down to their nearest games shop to buy a console before actually
> looking ahead. They buy without realising that the price would probably reduce
> after a couple of months.
lucky gamers, im cheap and order off SR to save a few bob and have to wait 48hours+ for delivery.
big_slow wrote:
> why was this called rushour?
'Cos that's when all gamers hurry down to their nearest games shop to buy a console before actually looking ahead. They buy without realising that the price would probably reduce after a couple of months.
> why was this called rushour?
'Cos that's when all gamers hurry down to their nearest games shop to buy a console before actually looking ahead. They buy without realising that the price would probably reduce after a couple of months.
Right, this is serious now so take this post as a personal expression from me because it's about time I let it all out.
Consoles, consoles, consoles...we love 'em and can't get enough of them, but there's one fact that always crops up when you want to get one - the asking price! We look back at consoles that appeared last century and we can see the prices ranging from £300 - £400 on the day of release.
R.R.P. on release
-----------------
Playstation - £350 without any games or memory card - 1 controller.
N64 - £250 without any games - 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £300 without any games - 1 controller.
Ridiculous!
As you look at the facts you can see that the prices are too off-putting. This is the main reason that some people don't buy consoles and I'm not sure developers notice that.
What do you do? Do you pre-order or wait? Well, if you're really desperate and you can afford it I say go for it, but if you're not sure, leave it and wait until the price goes down - often occurs!
Now look at the prices of those consoles today:
Playstation - Some don't even want to buy it for £50!
N64 - £60 without any games and 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £80 without any games and 1 controller.
All these consoles have reduced their prices so more people can afford them, but those who do buy theirs on the release tend to have second thoughts, whether they should've just waited because some consoles reduce their prices quite early.
PS2
---
I pre-ordered mine for maximum enjoyment and when I received it I wasn't disappointed at all, mainly excited. I payed a whopping £300 without any games, controller or memory card. I spent an extra £90 on three control pads with a memory card, and another £120 on three games - ISS Smugglers Run and DOA2. I played these games to the full, but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2 and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Now, after just about seven months from the release date PS2 had reduced their price to £199.99 with a control pad and memory card. If I had waited that extra time I could've saved £310! This is what I think now, but last year I wouldn't have had the same thought. All I wanted was to get it and play, play, play...which I did, but now all that money I could've saved could have got me more games and more peripherals. That is the thing when buying consoles. You have the urge to get it immediately and whilst this is going on you rarely think of waiting until the price goes down. Still, it's not a foolish mistake because you wouldn't get it if you really weren't in that chirpy, anticipating mood!
When rush hour hits for people to get their brand, newly released console we all pile down our local games shop totally oblivious of patience - just wait and you could save a lot of money. But not a lot of people are that patient. We want it now, so we get it now, that's that! As GameCube and Xbox are slowly, but gradually making their way closer to our reach think carefully before you rush out and get one. For all you know they could reduce the price a week after you payed a hefty price for yours! So just be very cautious, but if you're really that desperate as I am, get it immediately, and from my recent experience I enjoyed it more than I would have if I waited!
Take care
Rld
Consoles, consoles, consoles...we love 'em and can't get enough of them, but there's one fact that always crops up when you want to get one - the asking price! We look back at consoles that appeared last century and we can see the prices ranging from £300 - £400 on the day of release.
R.R.P. on release
-----------------
Playstation - £350 without any games or memory card - 1 controller.
N64 - £250 without any games - 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £300 without any games - 1 controller.
Ridiculous!
As you look at the facts you can see that the prices are too off-putting. This is the main reason that some people don't buy consoles and I'm not sure developers notice that.
What do you do? Do you pre-order or wait? Well, if you're really desperate and you can afford it I say go for it, but if you're not sure, leave it and wait until the price goes down - often occurs!
Now look at the prices of those consoles today:
Playstation - Some don't even want to buy it for £50!
N64 - £60 without any games and 1 controller.
Dreamcast - £80 without any games and 1 controller.
All these consoles have reduced their prices so more people can afford them, but those who do buy theirs on the release tend to have second thoughts, whether they should've just waited because some consoles reduce their prices quite early.
PS2
---
I pre-ordered mine for maximum enjoyment and when I received it I wasn't disappointed at all, mainly excited. I payed a whopping £300 without any games, controller or memory card. I spent an extra £90 on three control pads with a memory card, and another £120 on three games - ISS Smugglers Run and DOA2. I played these games to the full, but when reality hit me I realised that altogether, I spent £510 on my PS2 and peripherals. Too expensive for a console!
Now, after just about seven months from the release date PS2 had reduced their price to £199.99 with a control pad and memory card. If I had waited that extra time I could've saved £310! This is what I think now, but last year I wouldn't have had the same thought. All I wanted was to get it and play, play, play...which I did, but now all that money I could've saved could have got me more games and more peripherals. That is the thing when buying consoles. You have the urge to get it immediately and whilst this is going on you rarely think of waiting until the price goes down. Still, it's not a foolish mistake because you wouldn't get it if you really weren't in that chirpy, anticipating mood!
When rush hour hits for people to get their brand, newly released console we all pile down our local games shop totally oblivious of patience - just wait and you could save a lot of money. But not a lot of people are that patient. We want it now, so we get it now, that's that! As GameCube and Xbox are slowly, but gradually making their way closer to our reach think carefully before you rush out and get one. For all you know they could reduce the price a week after you payed a hefty price for yours! So just be very cautious, but if you're really that desperate as I am, get it immediately, and from my recent experience I enjoyed it more than I would have if I waited!
Take care
Rld