Are consoles getting too expensive??

I am a hardcore gamer.

I buy the latest games.

I beat the latest games in a week or less dependant on time.

So how come I'm not satisfied??

I am like you, I love the best graphics, the quickest of first person shooters, and the most enthralling of stories. However, I am also like you, as I cannot afford either of the two next gen console systems.

The Ps3 is retailing for right at $500 and the new ELITE Xbox 360 is about the same. Sure there are base versions of the 360, but when it comes to getting absolutely everything out of your system, and doing it for many years to come, why not buy the best versions hmm??

The fact of the matter is, with Launch # consoles still sitting on the shelf for sony, and quite a few systems for 360 still floating around, who has the cheese to buy one of these systems when you can still get a ps2 for less than half what it launched for?

That is the tough question. I have read that current technology trends and inflation on parts/materials has actually kept the console wars even across the board. While an atari 2600 may have only been about $100, it too was still advanced for it's time, and with current inflation rates, in our current economy, would have been equal to a Ps3 in terms of cost and quality.

So my question is to you. With all the current tech going into a console and the graphic quality boundries being systematically destroyed with each release, Do you think consoles are getting too expensive? More importantly, would you still buy one?

I stopped buying consoles years ago, in fact, the last one i got was SNES. I just liked computer games and the controlling systems better.

Now with the fast paced change in high-end technology, and the advances in gaming engines (U3 anyone?) i dont see a point in spending $500 every year or so just to be able to play the latest.

Best part about PC is you can still play new games, even if you dont have the latest hardware. I build my PC a year ago and it still smokes most games.

On top of that, game prices are, on average, $60. And there are so many good ones out there. Why pay $60 a title that may completly suck, when you can just d/l any game, and decide if its worth the purchase afterwards?


Anyway i got off topic, my opnion, consoles are not worth it, even with the advent of Cross-platform gaming.

PS1 , 2 and 3 owner along with a built for gaming PC, lucky boy I know.

If you are a hardcore gamer then you should also play online yes, or maybe no (you didn't say), if not then play the games that give online gaming too, so you compete against other real people and not just AI.

It does give you a whole new gaming experience and extends a games life for as long as you want it to. I thought I was pretty good at Motorstorm (PS3) till I went online with it, now I realise there is a world of better players than me, doesn't stop me going back though

To answer your question, I had my PS3 on the UK release date, didn't buy just for the "latest games console" bought for the Blue Ray player too, as I see it, a tad expensive for a console but damn cheap with the Blue Ray included.

Good Luck in what you decide
Wolfie

Well you only have to buy a new console every 5-6 years. Now think about how often you have to buy upgrades for a pc ps2 got a 6 year run not try playing the pc games coming out today on a pc built 6 years ago. Assuming the games would even start the pc would probably china syndrome straight through the floor of your house and this could be hazardous if you live in an apartment block or a multi story house

yes. console prices seem to have skyrocketed over the past 10-15 years.
although, as long as there is a demand for such high-end gaming consoles these prices will continue.
but i also think that the core problem is simply the cost for games for the gaming consoles; along with controllers and extras (live on-line play (or should i say live on-line pay!) themes, i-toys and peripherals, face plates,
wireless devices, and a wide array of other not needed but so wanted necessities)
so on top of the console itself assuming it actually comes with a hard drive (isn't being able to save your gameplay supposed to be included!!!) the video games, and an extra controller for your friend, your probably going to spend quite a chunk out of your wallet, heck you might even have to trade-in your wallet!

I do think that the ps3 while it seems expensive, that you're right, the blue ray player makes it cheap comparably speaking.

Sony is actually losing money on every console they sell right now until sales surpass their forcasted year[s] mark so they can start turning a profit.

My ps2 has been great for many years, and just recently, in the last 2 weeks has it taken a dump on me. It started getting picky about what dvd's to play, then ps2 games were hit and miss, now dvd's won't work at all, and ps2 games only work after the 6th reset, maybe more.

Online gaming is really where it's at, I agree. Human players just cannot be anticipated when playing. They will do things that are cheap, shady, or more skillful than any current AI has done. There are some great games with learning AI, but in the end, even that has it's patterns as it's based off of a set line of code.

So now is my dilemma, which console should I get? Grand theft auto is coming out soon, so is Halo 3, Resistance and Lost planet are both supposed to be good, as is Motorstorm. The blue ray is incredible for its capabilities, and the market is starting to move that way, I'm sure dvd's are just as much on their way out as VHS.

So which console will give me the most longevity and future potential?

PS3 or the Elite 360?

Either console would serve you equally as well IMHO, I know I lean towards the PS3 because I have been a Sony fan since the PS1, but what is the kicker for me is the the blue ray player.

I'm starting to think that the blue ray ability of the PS3 will be what saves this console from low and slow sales and will help the PS3 finally regain the top slot.

Consoles should be no more than £250. When you think you can buy a good computer for £600 why would you want to buy a console thats near that price.

I notice that ps3 went down in usa to the equivalant of 250 pounds, and its starting to sell.

Originally posted by Wolfie_UK
I'm starting to think that the blue ray ability of the PS3 will be what saves this console from low and slow sales and will help the PS3 finally regain the top slot.

I disagree. I believe both Blu-ray and HDDVD will be flops as hard drive space and internet connection speeds increase. PVR-like devices are the future. I saw one made for the kitchen and it was basically a small LCD monitor hooked up to a PVR and the cable signal. It was pretty sweet. I believe it's a MAJOR mistake of the big three to ignore this capability. PVR's are not going away and as net-casts become more popular you'll start to see a convergance between old TV media and new Net media. This will all happen in the next 5 years if the past is any guide. Just look at the difference between 2001 and today. We went from Napster to Bittorrent and crappy streams to pervasive and embedded social networking sites.

Originally posted by andy1033
I notice that ps3 went down in usa to the equivalant of 250 pounds, and its starting to sell.

250 pounds? more like 100 dollars(for a limited time only).

Ahh, give em a brake, he's across the pond, either way though, I've never heard of PVR, what is that and how does that apply to the current console market?

Not that it shouldn't, just that I've never heard of it.

Originally posted by sardion2000

Originally posted by andy1033
I notice that ps3 went down in usa to the equivalant of 250 pounds, and its starting to sell.

250 pounds? more like 100 dollars(for a limited time only).

no you misread whaqt i said. sony dropped the price of the ps3 to the equivilant of £250 in the usa, not dropped the price 250pounds.

Too expensive and too complicated hence why the Wii has wiped the floor with the others when everyone thought Nintendo would be out of the wars.

You should feel lucky
In england PS3's cost about £400-£450 and in dollars thats between $800-1000
and games cost between £40-£50 and thats about $80-90
it is very annoying, but you don't have to buy a new one every year, it tends to be nintendo that releases more consoles and they tend not to be no where near as expensive as the PS3 and the Xbox 360

Originally posted by SR
Too expensive and too complicated hence why the Wii has wiped the floor with the others when everyone thought Nintendo would be out of the wars.

I saw a news video where nintendo they claimed is worth more than sony now. Interesting, what a last generation console can do with a bit of novelty.

Originally posted by XxXzombieXcoreXxX
You should feel lucky
In england PS3's cost about £400-£450 and in dollars thats between $800-1000
and games cost between £40-£50 and thats about $80-90
it is very annoying, but you don't have to buy a new one every year, it tends to be nintendo that releases more consoles and they tend not to be no where near as expensive as the PS3 and the Xbox 360

Errrm I reckon you have got your prices for the US confused with the exchange rate, like two dollars to the pound, I cannot envisage anyone from the states shelling out over 500 bucks for a console, hell they even griped when the petrol (gas) went up lol.

Originally posted by Wolfie_UK


Errrm I reckon you have got your prices for the US confused with the exchange rate, like two dollars to the pound, I cannot envisage anyone from the states shelling out over 500 bucks for a console, hell they even griped when the petrol (gas) went up lol.

yeah sorry
but does that mean if i was to order the ps3 from the US because of the current exchange rate i would infact be getting a ps3 for about £250
because if i get $500 for £250 that means its a hell of a load cheaper then england

XxXzombieXcoreXxX

In a sense yes it would be cheaper to buy, what would matter is how much our beloved UK would slap on it for import duty etc.

Is the PS3 like the two models before, I mean would UK games play on a imported console, certainly the warranty I would expect would be shafted from day one.

Look at it from this point of view, a UK PS3 would cost you over $800 US.

Wolfie