Is this generation overpriced?

Believe it or not this has nothing to do with the Wii, but PS3 and X360.

Anyway, so the other day I went to shop around for a new PC, since mine being 2 years old is barely able to run some of today's latest games.

I start looking at prices for CPUs, GPUs, RAM, HDD, etc... and suddently I realise I can get a nice system for little more than a 40GB PS3.

Obviously with "nice" I mean it can run the games at playable speeds and with medium/high (not ultimate) graphics, not the kind of quad core, dual SLI monster some guy just spend his entire paycheck on just to play Crysis.

Now the thing is that this budget system is already slightly more powerful than the X360 or PS3, yet is not subsidized since its a PC. This raises a question: is this generation overpriced?.

Is weird to even ask the question since both Sony and MS were losing (if not hemorrhaging) money just some moments ago with their respective consoles. Just recently MS started to turn a little profit on the X360, while Sony is breaking even.

Just one generation ago things were very different. The DC MSRP in 1998 was little more than a stock PC-VR2 like the one it had inside. Getting a PC with the power of a PS2 in 2000 was considerably more expensive than the console, and the Xbox was selling at almost less than half the price of a similar PC.

There's also price cuts: back in the 32bits both Saturn and PSX were selling at half the price less or more than year after launch, while today PS3 has barely cut a third of the price (and several features also) while the X360 after more than two years of being in the market is selling for only $50 less than at launch (premium version).

But today the price/performance of the PC is higher than PS3 and X360, and again we are paying full price for the PC components, not subsidized like consoles.

The only explanation I can find is that PC parts are being produced at such huge levels that the costs are just small fractions of the ones in console parts. This can be explained in the fact that while similar, console parts are still custom made, and their mass production is fair behind of the numbers we see in the PC market.

What this means is that in the next generation we may see consoles that are actually PCs, like the Phantom or the AppleTV (which is not a console either but a PC working as a DVR).

 

Here in Japan games are more expensive this gen than the last one but still cheaper than the golden 16bit days. You maybe too young to know this (I have no idea how old you are) but SFC games would sell for 9800 yen 18 years ago! That's 92 USD by today's rates. Now if you think that's a lot now just imagine what it was 18 years ago.

Yakumo

 

I don't know where you're shopping, but a quality PC that is capable of running the most current games at good quality and will still be able to do that 3 years later (which is pretty close to what the current console life cycle is becoming nowadays) is still around $1200 to $1500 which is the same price point it has been for at least the last seven years. Sure, you can get a bargain PC from even the big companies like Dell for $500 or less, but there are a lot of performance corners they cut to get the price this low, primarily on the processor and graphics card side. In fact, I don't know of any budget PC that even comes with a graphics card, instead relying on the Intel built in graphics adapter.

 

You cant use those terms since the hardware in a console doesnt changes in its entire lifetime either. The lifespan in the later is only due to optimization.

And I'm talking about barebones+parts, not branded PCs...

Indeed, but back then it was mostly due to expensive ROM chips, and in the Snes due to custom chips (FX and such).

 

PC is not optimized software/hardware combination, so you will alway need A more powerful PC to get the result of an game console, so you cannot say that the price of console is reasonable cause PC are more expensive... it's alway the case of course btw

I think that sony and M$ got crazy with high-def, yes the game look realy great for people who are watching, but for the player graphic doesn't matter at all (yes it's nice the first time you see it, but after that, high-def is useless in the game experience overall)

I enjoy more playing metroid prime 3 and mario galaxy, than any other high-def game from PS3 and 360....

My 2cent here...

 

I can't really say, to be honest. If you are like me and buy a bunch of used stuff, then yeah, it isn't too bad. Higher prices also means higher return when you sell it on a site like ebay, so the price does not drop as quickly as other games. The downside is if you want everything new. Typically, there is very little I will buy new nowadays, unless it is something I really want.

 

My Halo skills improved with High Def. I can more accuratly snipe someone at a distance without scoping.

Anyway, shadowlayer you answered it yourself. the chips in consoles are custom. Now darkcloud also hit a point "PC is not optimized software/hardware combination, so you will alway need A more powerful PC to get the result of an game console, so you cannot say that the price of console is reasonable cause PC are more expensive... it's alway the case of course btw" << combine shadowlayers answer about the chips and thats your answer.

/thread

 

For what you get, I don't think so. For kids, yes. And that is key.

 

Show me a blu-ray player that play high def games for the same price as a PS3...

 

I got a 360 Arcade for $255 after taxes brand new. Sure, it was a deal, but I picked up GRAW for $6.30 used and Viva Pinata for $20 new. As long as you know where to look, what to buy and what deals to jump on, you're gonna get great games for great prices. It's been this way every generation: if you buy used, get older games and look around, you save cash. If you don't, you spend lots.

 

Given the features, choice and production value. Are they overpriced; no.

Well actually I'd only include the PS3 and Wii in that category. The 360 productions values are utter shite.

 

Yes your right in some way, but at the same time people that only want to play game have to pay the big price for stuff that they don't need (they often allready have an dedicated unit witch is better)

 

There is absolutely no fucking way I am going to pay $300+ to play a videogame.

This is why I prefer PCs. I can at least use them for [many] other purposes. I understand the newer generation is much more flexible, but at the same time these systems are essentially built for playing games. I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a videogame system.

 

I built a PC last year with a Core 2 Duo and a 7950GT and, all told, it cost $1000. The PS3 costs $400. For $1000, you could almost buy all the current-gen systems together (at MSRP, at least).

How can you say that? Some would pay thousands for systems that don't even have any playable games (e.g. Panasonic M2, SNES CD, the Halcyon, etc.).

 

I can say that because I feel like I have better things to spend my money on (school, food, the occasional dinner for two, etc). In no way am I berating those who have the time, inclination, and funds to spend on videogame equipment.

The "scene" is still pretty interesting, else I wouldn't stick around. I have different interests from many of you on this forum, though, and I just don't care to spend money on something like that.

 

I see. I didn't mean that as an insult, I just wasn't sure if you actually were a collector or not because I haven't followed your posts very much. Sorry.

 

Yay and nay. I mean really consoles have always been a little expensive. Sure game prices went up but it's a far cry from the insane prices for cart games (god i remember when n64 games were going for $80+).

Wii I think should be $200 (with wii sports) period.
360LA (live arcade) I think should be $250 (It's current price is not bad but $250 would be a golden price point)
PS3 I am not sure what to think. Sony kicked them selfs in the balls by going with blu-ray a few years too early but at the same time I think blu-ray is vital to ps3 in the long run. Sony is just now finaly getting ps3 down to cost with the 40GB models. Hopefuly end of 08 they will take a small hit and get them selling for $300 which is their golden spot.

PSP is fantastic where it is. Maybe $150 for a core unit in xmas 08 will be solid, DS price is pretty solid atm. So minor changes needed for handhelds.

PC are just nuts still imo. All new big PS360 titles to PC have insane bench marks to be playable (see Ass-Creed/Stranglehold PC recomendations). Not to mention games are slowly switching to vista which is even more of a hit on your PC HW then XP was.

-- edit --
Also if you wish to do more with the HW. You can always run linux on ps3. If sony gets off their ass and releases a VGA/DVI cable then it could really be a worth wild option.

 

No problem. I used to be a videogame "collector" of sorts, but I've since sold off any development equipment or prototypes I've had. I still have the assortment of Saturn/DC/PSX/etc equipment, though, and they're quite a hit with the roommates. :dance:

I'm still a huge retro-PC dork, though.

 

Obviously PCs are still more expensive (even without taking into consideration the optimization part) but lets face it, they're getting cheaper and cheaper every year.

Back in 1990 when I got my Genesis it went for $190 bucks, which adjusted for inflation would be $297.95 in today's dollars.

Then my dad got a mid-end 486 PC in 1991 for almost $3000, which would be like $4463.40 today.

Today a low-end PS3 goes for $400, while the PC I was talking about was exactly $521.

You cant argue that PC are getting cheaper while the consoles, due to increasing complexity and use of custom components (after all the 68000 in the Genesis was used in some PCs too) makes them more expensive each generation.

Then theres the price cut issue, which I think is a quite important one since we arent seeing any significant drops for a while (the PS3 doesnts counts since it lost critical features) while on past generations most consoles were at least 50% less than launch MRSP at this point.

 

Genesis/Megadrive would only play games (unless you bought the Mega CD) Now consles play dvds cds mp3s ect.