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[manzo]

If you pay a full price for a video game, the joke is on you. It’s on YOU. It’s just the stupidity tax these days; You’re paying premium for a half-working game, when you can buy it for 50% off after 6 months AND get a patched game.

We have much choice these days and the platform is irrelevant. You really don’t need to get games day 1. If you cannot hold for 6 months, then you are stupid and you’re supposed to be gouged.

 

[Panajev2001a]

If you pay a full price for a video game, the joke is on you. It’s on YOU. It’s just the stupidity tax these days; You’re paying premium for a half-working game, when you can buy it for 50% off after 6 months AND get a patched game.

… and we wonder why all publishers are trying to move to live services. What you say is not 100% incorrect, but your solution makes it worse than if you were not buying the game at all if it took 6 months to improve.

 

[Corndog]

It is because on PC, they don't need to pay licensing fee to Sony or Microsoft

They have to pay steam 30%.

 

[Gudji]

simple solution

just wait for a sale and buy the console game at $60

 

[Mr Moose]

Forspoken

FIND YOUR FIGHT

store.playstation.com

 

[Mess]

Yes, I am talking about next-gen games priced at $69.99 on consoles vs. the same games priced $59.99 on PC platform. Noticed that and complained about it when The Quarry came out, but this nonsense is getting worse.

To begin with, tell me why the next-gen version is 10 bucks more expensive than last-gen version? Because you get better graphics, higher frame rate, new features on next-gen version.
If this is indeed the justification, now let's talk about the PC then. If better graphics, higher frame rate and additional features are worth more money, then a player with RTX4090 with all graphic bells and whistles should be charged 10 more dollars for the same game than a player with a 1060 card. You get the most advanced graphic techs!

That's utter bullshit, if they really did this to PC, they would be pushed back to hell.

Then how come those shady pricing strategies get away on consoles? The graphic advancements comes from the more powerful consoles, I already spent the money to upgrade it to get a better experience of games, much like a PC player upgrade their graphic card.

Of course, someone is bond to bring up that price increases because the development cost increases, I get it. For the record, I am not bitching about games' increased price tag overall. It is what it is. I have huge backlog that I can comfortably play and wait the games I am interested in go on sale.
The issue here is the still the disparity. If PC and last-gen versions are priced lower, does that mean PC version uses the last-gen build? Does that mean a PS4 version development cost is effectively 15% cheaper than the PS5 version? Those publishers are just disingenuous and anti-consumer.

I have way less problems with a consistent price overall platform. Forspoken, for instance, is $69.99 on both console and PC. The game is probably gonna flop but I don't hate it in this regard, at least SE is not taking you an idiot.

Just buy a PC with a 4090 and enjoy that sweet sweet feeling of having a better deal on your games. See how easy it is?

 

[64bitmodels]

Just buy a PC with a 4090 and enjoy that sweet sweet feeling of having a better deal on your games. See how easy it is?

Buying a 4090 let alone buying a PC with a 4090 is not fucking easy

 

[Banjo64]

It’s even worse when you factor in that console players have to pay to play online in games like Sea of Thieves, MLB, Gears, The Last of Us Factions.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Sorry, but you are spreading fake news here - the PC ecosystem is not competitive or healthy at all, due to Steam´s absolute domination.
And before you call me a liar - please refer to the official court findings in the antitrust case that is currently happening against Valve.

Words of someone who isn't familiar at all with the pc market. And knowing what the case being made against Valve in that particular lawsuit is, i know it doesn't hold water.

Such sales happen on consoles too, and they have nothing to do with the platform holder!
Those discounts are set by the PUBLISHER and not by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo - unless its their own game.

The reason console games are sold for a higher price is because usually they also have a physical edition which does cost extra to make.
Digital console versions cost the same as its hard to communicate 2 different prices without confusing the buyer.
PC physical has pretty much died, hence the difference between prices.

That could be another factor yeah.

That "convenience fee" applies to all digital games.
If you look at physical console game prices, they drop ALOT faster than digital console and PC game prices.
A game like for example GunGrave GORE still costs 50€ on Steam/PSN/XBS, where the physical versions are already below 30€
So your logic only applies when you buy at launch or during the first few months.

Regional pricing isnt only a PC thing, its just a little easier to do there.

Its in more regions, and its not just "a little easier".

There is nothing stopping you from making a PSN/XBL/NSW account for countries where those games are offered cheaper.
I have done that many times, and yes it is abit more inconvenient having to have multiple accounts - but it is doable.
But why even go to the hassle when physical is way cheaper than digital anyway!

Stop. You're gonna make everyone's life worse on the long run. Those regional prices exist to match the income of more impoverished nations, not to give people like you off-the-book discounts. If people keep doing this they'll stop regional pricing policies, publishers won't be able to sell their games on poorer regions at reasonable prices, and players will shift back to pirating games in said regions.

 

[Skifi28]

Just buy a PC with a 4090 and enjoy that sweet sweet feeling of having a better deal on your games. See how easy it is?

I'd settle for a 4080, I'm not unreasonable.

 

[rofif]

80 euros here, 70 dollars is kinda cute.

80$ here. But in Poland people earn like 1k$ per month if he got a great job

 

[Bonfires Down]

I assume publishers have noticed that console player are less price sensitive which is weird considering the entry price of each system. Either way, I expect that AAA games on PC will also be 70€ in a year or two.

 

[Braag]

It's always been like that. Publishers a lot of times need to pay less to the middleman on PC compared to on consoles so the games usually cost slightly less.

 

[Mr Wonderstuff]

I remember when publishers proclaimed cheaper games would appear due to not printing manuals/boxes.

 

[TGO]

What am looking at here in the OP except the price of games in £ on PC Vs PS5 games in $

 

[The_Mike]

You can thank the people who says "I'll gladly pay 10 bucks extra for quality games"

 

[RoboFu]

Hate to break it to you guys but those same games will be $70 on pc as well in the coming year or two. There has already been some trickle in like the new call of duty and it definitely did not stop pc players from lapping that game up on steam.

 

[rodrigolfp]

When people say:

"Console = exclusives. PC = everything else."

That is 1 of the several reasons.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Words of someone who isn't familiar at all with the pc market. And knowing what the case being made against Valve in that particular lawsuit is, i know it doesn't hold water.

If it doesnt hold water, why did the court find Steam was a monopoly and reopend the antitrust case?

Judge brings dismissed Steam antitrust lawsuit back from the dead

Amended Wolfire suit is now "sufficient to plausibly allege unlawful conduct."

arstechnica.com

In your warped view Steam isnt a monopoly, but reality disagrees!

Twitter

What does this Twitter thread have to do with the selling price?
This guy is talking about marketing and getting his game featured - and yes, that is hard and costs time and money!
But here´s the thing ITS HIS JOB as a publisher, if he complains about that, then he is incompetent and should be fired!

That could be another factor yeah.

Look at this screenshot, it is all Steam keys, with the sole supplier of those keys being Valve.
Steam has an illegal "Most Favored Nation" clause, that forbids anyone to undercut them.
That isnt competition by any defintion, but economy doesnt seem to be your strong point!

Its in more regions, and its not just "a little easier".

It doesnt matter how easy or hard it is, what matters that it is possible.

Stop. You're gonna make everyone's life worse on the long run. Those regional prices exist to match the income of more impoverished nations, not to give people like you off-the-book discounts. If people keep doing this they'll stop regional pricing policies, publishers won't be able to sell their games on poorer regions at reasonable prices, and players will shift back to pirating games in said regions.

And why should I care about? Globalization isnt a one-way street where only companies rake in the benefits.
Regardless, I buy all my games physically where possible anyway.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Hate to break it to you guys but those same games will be $70 on pc as well in the coming year or two. There has already been some trickle in like the new call of duty and it definitely did not stop pc players from lapping that game up on steam.

They might be. In fact I think each Square release is tagged at 70$ already.

Thing is, there are so many storefronts on PC that if you pay 70$ for a game, it's only because you want to.

 

[Guilty_AI]

If it doesnt hold water, why did the court find Steam was a monopoly and reopend the antitrust case?

Judge brings dismissed Steam antitrust lawsuit back from the dead

Amended Wolfire suit is now "sufficient to plausibly allege unlawful conduct."

arstechnica.com

In your warped view Steam isnt a monopoly, but reality disagrees!

Again, you clearly don't know the details of the case.

What does this Twitter thread have to do with the selling price?
This guy is talking about marketing and getting his game featured - which is HIS job, not that of the platform holder!
Why are you linking to someone incompetent that doesnt know what his job is?

Yeah, its his job, and apparently X platform holder isn't letting he do his job with their policies. Policies that do affect the console digital marketplace and makes things worse for costumers. Try actually reading the whole thing first.

Look at this screenshot, it is all Steam keys, with the sole supplier of those keys being Valve.
Steam has an illegal "Most Favored Nation" clause, that forbids anyone to undercut them.
That isnt competition by any defintion, but economy doesnt seem to be your strong point!

This clause is for steam keys only, it doesn't stop anyone from selling their games for cheaper without using said keys, nothing stops them from selling their game on GOG for half of the steam's price, aside from common economical sense. Again, you seem entirely unfamiliar with PC digital ecosystem.

It doesnt matter how easy or hard it is, what matters that it is possible.

I guess economy isn't your strong point either.

And why should I care about? Globalization isnt a one-way street where only companies rake in the benefits.
Regardless, I buy all my games physically where possible anyway.

Definitely not your strong point.

 

[Rendered Tangent]

Jesus. Good gaming PCs cost 3-5x what a console costs. Don't feel so asshurt about games being available cheaper.

I think that's fair to a degree.

The price of admission is, generally, higher for pc gaming and so it feels like a justified counter weight having games be a little cheaper and online play being free.

 

[Aenima]

Is this a new thing in the US?

Cuz games here in Portugal has always been around 10€ cheaper on PC since i remember. Back from the days you could enter a store and find PC games on the shelves. And there was no digital stores on consoles.

I dunno the exact reason why this happen but i always tought it was a way to counter the piracy on PC by having the games a little cheaper.

 

[Fbh]

That's just the way it is. Where I live, due to inflation and exchange rates Ps5 games are literally twice as expensive as Ps4 games were in 2015. Meanwhile on PC thanks to regional pricing the prices haven't increased nearly as much.
Consoles are cheap up front, then they nickel and dime you with more expensive games, paid multiplayer, making accessories incompatible, no regional pricing and a single store digital monopoly.
PC's have a higher upfront cost but software is usually cheaper.

And there is no other reason for why than "because most consumers are ok with it ". Consoles started charging for multiplayer and most people were ok with it so it stayed. Next gen games are $70 and most people are ok with it so it stayed. Next gen versions of cross gen games are $10 more expensive despite only adjusting basic settings to take advantage of the more powerful hardware you already paid for and most people are ok with to so it stayed.

Either way just don't buy games at launch, there's no real reason too. Games are one of the few products that not only drop in price fairly quickly but also become better over time.
I just paid $30 for Horizon Forbidden west less than a year since it launched, and I got a more stable product , with more features and a vastly improved performance mode compared to the people who paid $70 for it at launch.

 

[ACESHIGH]

PC games should be cheaper than console. I'd argue they should be even cheaper. Console has cheaper HW to offset costs, you can't have everything...

 

[BootsLoader]

PC Gamers want only one thing and it’s disgusting!

 

[ksdixon]

All Sony are doing is destroying their console player base.

• I don't need a new ps5, the PS4 still got even the latest GOW and HFW.
• I don't need a Sony console at all if they throw enough of their games on PC, and at some point the focus turns to new PC releases at 20-odd quid cheaper rather than PS versions at all.
• At least Switch offers portability/adaptability, and the only place to play Nintendo games
• MS are available elsewhere like TV's, PC with GamePass, but they obviously have the money to burn for that stretegy.

Sony just seem caught in the middle a little and gun-shy to make any big moves or commitments.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Again, you clearly don't know the details of the case.

If you say so

Yeah, its his job, and apparently X platform holder isn't letting he do his job with their policies. Policies that do affect the console digital marketplace and makes things worse for costumers. Try actually reading the whole thing first.

I did read the whole thing, I had to deal with those things countless times myself.
So what are you talking about? The platform holder isnt preventing him from doing his job!
He complains that the platform holder isnt making his job easier - but guess what?
There is tens of thousands other companies out there that also want their games seen!
Have you ever marketed a Steam game? Its the same damn thing, you want visibility - you pay for it - Valve wont do shit for you!

This clause is for steam keys only, it doesn't stop anyone from selling their games for cheaper without using said keys, nothing stops them from selling their game on GOG for half of the steam's price, aside from common economical sense. Again, you seem entirely unfamiliar with PC digital ecosystem.

HAHA, funny argument there, what stops them is that the market outside Steam doesnt exist - hence the antitrust suit.
But hey, if you think what Valve does is fine, you have nothing to fear, surely the courts will side with them!

Definitely not your strong point.

What I do personally has nothing to do with the economics of companies.
I spend my money how I want, regardless if it makes economic sense - simply cause I can!

 

[T4keD0wN]

Game pricing is stupid, but the reality is that they charge the maximum price that a given market will bear. Simple as that.
If the price was determined by how much resources put into each version or by their quallity then unreal engine 4 games on pc would have to cost 2$.
All of these games are way overpriced since red dead redemption 2 cost 450 in my country, all the other games should cost way less then because they are of lower quality. If games were priced as any other products which is what they ultimately are 99% of them would have to be cheaper, but the customers are willing to pay more so it would be very stupid of them to leave money on the table, that would be very stupid wouldnt it? Companies under capitalism charge whatever they think they can make the most money with, theyd charge you 50000$ per game if they thought enough people were willing to pay that much.
Dont all console owners claim to have multiple 4090s gathering dust somewhere because their magical ssd consoles are so much superior? Maybe you should put them to some use and buy games on pc if you want pc prices.

PC games should be cheaper than console. I'd argue they should be even cheaper. Console has cheaper HW to offset costs, you can't have everything...

Agreed about the costs. The thing is consoles run a marketplace where they collect 30% of all sales so they want as many people as possible to be able to buy things in their store whereas nvidia/amd/intel make money by selling hardware. PC hardware is not that much more expensive when you realize that console users also pay 65eur/year for 7 years.
Console hardware should be way cheaper than it is, but their misleading "500usd machine" marketing easily manipulated people into thinking consoles cost about half of what they actually do.

 

[Rykan]

PC has always been 10$ cheaper than consoles at launch. It used to be 59$ vs 49$.

Consoles have additional licensing costs. It's the nature of the system.

 

[Exede]

I stoped buying at release, max 2 months and games are on sale anyways

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Better QA versions cost more.....

"Runs out the thread"

 

[Guilty_AI]

I did read the whole thing, I had to deal with those things countless times myself.
So what are you talking about? The platform holder isnt preventing him from doing his job!
He complains that the platform holder isnt making his job easier - but guess what?
There is tens of thousands other companies out there that also want their games seen!
Have you ever marketed a Steam game? Its the same damn thing, you want visibility - you pay for it - Valve wont do shit for you!

Curious you ignore the part where he says he cannnot control his own discounts, unlike in other platforms like steam. Or that wishlists have no effect on visibility, unlike in steam. These are things affect the market you know, make it healthier.

HAHA, funny argument there, what stops them is that the market outside Steam doesnt exist - hence the antitrust suit.
But hey, if you think what Valve does is fine, you have nothing to fear, surely the courts will side with them!

"doesn't exist" i wonder what that huge GOG library sitting on my computer with no steam symbols anywhere is then

What I do personally has nothing to do with the economics of companies.
I spend my money how I want, regardless if it makes economic sense - simply cause I can!

Then you'll learn the hard way you'll only get to spend the money how you want - for now.

 

[Jaybe]

Is OP mad because the official publisher PC prices haven’t also been raised yet? Give it time and you’ll get your wish.

 

[DaGwaphics]

simple solution

just wait for a sale and buy the console game at $60

This! Though I recommend holding on a bit longer and waiting for $20-$30.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Curious you ignore the part where he says he cannnot control his own discounts, unlike in other platforms like steam. Or that wishlists have no effect on visibility, unlike in steam. These are things affect the market you know, make it healthier.

I ignored it cause he is lying. If I want to set any of our games on discount I can do that easily, and no platform holder influences that.

"doesn't exist" i wonder what that huge GOG library sitting on my computer is then

Oh I have a huge GOG and Steam library too, but you and me are exceptions to the rule.
GOG´s market share is less than 5% - now compare that to Steam's 75%+
If more people would buy at GOG we wouldnt even have this disussion or an antitrust-case.
I have no problem with Steam as a customer, my problem are their illegal business tactics.

Then you'll learn the hard way you'll only get to spend the money how you want - for now.

I have no problem, I earn enough!

 

[Guilty_AI]

I ignored it cause he is lying. If I want to set any of our games on discount I can do that easily, and no platform holder influences that.

So its your word against his then. Not sure if i'm ready to trust a guy who explicitly disobeys store regulations by bypassing regional filters to get better prices though.

Oh I have a huge GOG and Steam library too, but you and me are exceptions to the rule.
GOG´s market share is less than 5% - now compare that to Steam's 75%+
If more people would buy at GOG we wouldnt even have this disussion or an antitrust-case.
I have no problem with Steam as a customer, my problem are their illegal business tactics.

Describe what these illegal business tactics are then. I'm very interested!

I have no problem, I earn enough!

For now!

 

[MikeM]

I have both PS5 and PC. These prices don’t bother me because the price of entry for both are very different.

Spend $1-3k on a decent PC (ignoring peripherals) to save $10/game new? Get potentially better deals on older games?

Or spend $250- $500 on a console and pay a bit more for games?

For most people, the choice is obvious.

 

[adamosmaki]

Why it should be the same? Ms Sony Nintendo take a cut out of each game sold on their consoles. On top of that on pc you have many DD stores competing and not a monopoly

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

Buy a used physical copy on console and stop crying.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

So its your word against his then. Not sure if i'm ready to trust a guy who explicitly disobeys store regulations by bypassing regional filters to get better prices though.

What I did was perfectly fine! You cant disobey a rule that isnt valid.
Valve´s store regulations were ruled illegal in the EU and they got fined for anti consumer practises:

Valve and 5 Steam publishers have been fined €7.8 million for anti-consumer practices | VGC

European Commission takes action after companies restricted cross-border sales…

www.videogameschronicle.com

It doesnt matter if you trust me - but I wouldnt trust a company that cant follow the law.

Describe what these illegal business tactics are then. I'm very interested!

They were already mentioned. Most favored Nation Clauses to minimize competition and Geoblocking to maximize profits.
Both ruled illegal in the EU - in the US the situation is unclear - but the current anitrust lawsuit will hopefully clear that up.

 

[Freeman76]

I'd rather pay the extra than have to play games on a PC personally

 

[Guilty_AI]

What I did was perfectly fine! You cant disobey a rule that isnt valid.
Valve´s store regulations were ruled illegal in the EU and they got fined for anti consumer practises:

http://[URL][URL][URL][URL][URL][UR...ned-e7-8-million-for-anti-consumer-practices/

[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]
It doesnt matter if you trust me - but I wouldnt trust a company that cant follow the law.

Now explain how that leads to monopoly, especially considering most other stores aside from steam on PC also have geoblocking and regional pricing policies.

They were already mentioned. Most favored Nation Clauses to minimize competition

And these claims have no basis, because they're arguing over the steam keys price parity, a feature valve has no obligation to give to developers in the first place.

The strongest case here would be the claims they'll delist games that sell cheaper elsewhere even without keys, a claim anyone who has shopped around for pc games will find dubious, in which case we'd be talking about under the hood criminal activities that aren't cited in any of their policies. Claims that would need concrete proof, which we do not have.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Now explain how that leads to monopoly, especially considering most other stores aside from steam on PC also have geoblocking and regional pricing policies.

In the case of Geoblocking it is more an abuse of power.
And yes, those other stores acted illegally too, which is why it wasnt just Valve that got fined.
Regional pricing policies arent illegal, blocking the consumer from taking advantage of them is (at least in Europe).

And these claims have no basis, because they're arguing over the steam keys price parity, a feature valve has no obligation to give to developers in the first place.

They do have a basis, thats why the court has reopened the case - otherwise they would have thrown it out.
That Valve doesnt have to do that is correct if they were a normal company, however Valve is not a normal company, they are a platform holder.
And not only that, Valve controls the majority of the PC market with over 75% market share, so different rules apply.

The strongest case here would be the claims they'll delist games that sell cheaper elsewhere key or not, a claim anyone who has shopped around for pc games will find dubious, in which case we'd be talking about under the hood criminal activities that aren't cited in any of their policies. Claims that would need concrete proof, which we do not have.

Their policies might be simply illegal - as we saw in cases in Europe. The outcome of this case will decide that.

 

[VN1X]

"we need to talk" is this twitter/resetera?

Motherfucker you're on a forum. Just make your thread, thank your God and move on.

 

[Fahdis]

Buying a 4090 let alone buying a PC with a 4090 is not fucking easy

Sure it is bud. You just have to sell a kidney and your soul both!

 

[bentanchorbolt]

Yea, but MTX pretty much makes for all the inflation in the last 20y and the userbase pretty much grew exponentially.

You don’t have to buy mtx. Think of it as the stupid tax.

 

[Guilty_AI]

In the case of Geoblocking it is more an abuse of power.
And yes, those other stores acted illegally too, which is why it wasnt just Valve that got fined.
Regional pricing policies arent illegal, blocking the consumer from taking advantage of them is.

And what happens if they're forced to allow it? *poof*, regional prices are gone.

Consumer loses, publishers lose, store owner also loses but they'll be the least affected ironically. Sometimes laws need to be revised too.

They do have a basis, thats why the court has reopened the case. That Valve doesnt have to do that is correct if they were a normal company, however Valve is not a normal company, they are a platform holder.
Valve controls the majority of the PC market with over 75% market share, so different rules apply.

If they somehow rule that valve has to allow developers to set whatever price they want for keys, they'll just start charging fees for selling these keys, since developers can issue them for free without requiring to give any sales cut for valve whatsoever as of now.

Consumer loses, publishers lose, key retailers lose, and steam will still be the dominant marketplace everyone goes to.

BTW, reading on the reopening of the lawsuit, seems they already had ruled out steam key parity as being anti-competitive, since you know its a feature they have no obligation to provide, so it makes no sense to regulate it. What they want to investigate right now are precisely claims that Valve could be delisting games under the hood for selling them at lower prices elsewhere (no keys involved). The magical words here being claims and investigate.

Their policies might be simply illegal - as we saw in cases in Europe. The outcome of this case will decide that.

Lots of might energy here

 

[TropicanaTwista]

It does seem insane to me that people are willing to pay 70-80€ for games. I don’t play games at launch though so I don’t really care.

Same. There are a few from certain developers that I get day 1 for full price but outside of that I just wait. It's pretty crazy how fast games go on sale (excluding Nintendo first party games) that's it hard to justify consistently paying full price.

 

[oji-san]

I don't care how much it's on PC, I do care that they upped it from 60 to 70 bucks, it was already expensive to me at $60, now it means i have to wait longer to buy games when they are finally discounted.