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[-] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 55 points 8 months ago

I would never pay that much for a game. I just wait a couple of years and buy them when they go on sale for under $20. I'm not going to pay a premium just to be a beta tester.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 16 points 8 months ago

For context, here's what prices ran for NES games:

https://www.33rdsquare.com/how-much-did-the-nintendo-entertainment-system-cost-in-1986/

Here were some of the most popular titles and their prices in the mid-1980s:

  • Super Mario Bros – $40-50
  • The Legend of Zelda – $45 when new
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $42 initial price
  • Metroid – $35 at launch
  • Kirby‘s Adventure – $39.99 original MSRP

I'm going to adjust for inflation to 2024:

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

  • Super Mario Bros - $115.36-$144.20
  • The Legend of Zelda - $129.78
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $121.13
  • Metroid - $100.94
  • Kirby's Adventure - $115.33
[-] usrtrv@lemmy.ml 30 points 8 months ago

Comparing prices directly like this is almost irrelevant imo. And doesn't really dictate what the price of games should be.

Reasons old games should be pricier:

  • Hardware involved (cartridges/electronics).
  • Total number of customers were smaller, you have to subsidize development with less total sales.

Reasons why new games should be pricier:

  • Development has inflated to hundreds of people and multiple years (instead of dozens of people and multiple months)

But at the end of the day, business just price what the market will bear. It's only indirectly related to the cost of production. The margins on some games are insanely high compared to others.

[-] mister_newbie@sh.itjust.works 10 points 8 months ago

Don't forget distribution. It costs money to make a nice cartridge. It costs money to stamp a CD and put it in a pretty box. And that cost applies for every. single. copy.

Now compare that to digital distribution...

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this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2024
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