Sometimes early adoption pays off

[waltzoid]

I think this is the first video game console generation I've ever experienced where the hardware has increased in price across the board since launch. The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and now the Nintendo Switch 2 have all gone up due to economic factors too complex for me to explain or fully comprehend.

My usual game plan is to wait several months for a console to get good games or drop in price before dropping money on it. That isn't feasible this time around since the median prices of almost everything have risen in the past year, so I gave in to FOMO and bought my Switch 2 a few months after launch day, but several months before prices spiked. I'm sure I'll have a rough time holding those Joy-Con 2's when I have several fingers pointed at myself for contributing to this whole mess.

Comments

[meltherandom]

Hoo boy. D: And here I still had the Switch 2 on a "if someone gifts one to me, I won't say no" list.

You'd think if prices on these things go high enough, people won't buy because they can't afford them. So far, though, it hasn't been enough to make the companies go, "Oh, so a high price is actually a barrier to entry, and that can decrease our sales?" It's frustrating.

[waltzoid]

There's still time to get one at the launch price if you want one. September 1 is when the Switch 2 jumps up to "499 US DOLLARS".

[sarajayechan]

I know, right? Simple logic. Like the 3DO in the 90s bombed because it was $800 and people could get SNES or Genesis for 1/8 the price.

[waltzoid]

And let's not even get started on the Neo Geo, which really was a "rich person's" game console.

One Neo Geo cartridge used to cost as much as a Super NES or Genesis...console. (Or one grossly overvalued Action 52 cartridge.)

[sarajayechan]

WOW. I did a quick Wikipedia check and holy shit. Game prices may be going up lately but we've yet to reach $200 for a single cartridge.

(I hope we never do. *knocks every wooden surface available*)

[huxleyenne]

I swear, keeping up with the purchase and ownership of trendy games will soon be as expensive as leasing a damn car, which I had to do recently, so I'm not in a spending mood at all. XP;;

It's not likely that I'll buy any new games this year, except as a birthday or Christmas thing. It is, however, likely that I'll pick at the ridiculous backlog of games we already have. I'm still proud of finding all 10 Kingdom Hearts games at Walmart for only $40 on clearance (they're PS4 games, but still!) That was some crazy good luck. I'm behind the times, but I can't complain.

That said, B and I have a Switch 2 and PS5 already (woo, beat the price hike!), but it's hard to imagine console gaming beyond this point. So much is changing it's hard to say where we'll be when the next gen comes. I'm actually kinda excited that they're remaking Star Fox 64 for the 3rd or 4th time (unoriginal, probably not worth $70 unless the game is packed with good story and/or shit to do, but I'm a sucker for Fox McCloud. I've played, or attempted to play, just about every Star Fox game, so.)

[waltzoid]

I've read (a rumor) that this new Star Fox reboot is being priced at the Switch 1 standard of $60 instead of $70. It's still a pretty hefty price tag, but I'm sure those who've never played any game in the series would find it a good deal.

Me? I think I'll skip this one. I haven't even reached the halfway point of Star Fox 64 yet!

[huxleyenne]

That's fair. I don't know who a new Star Fox is even for other than scattered brand loyalists like me, maybe some people who've seen Fox and Falco in Smash and finally have a Not Wii U SF game to play that doesn't look like it comes from the age of the dinosaurs.

The fact that they're straight up calling it "Star Fox" though, like a revolutionary game called Star Fox doesn't already exist as a SNES title. Is that a statement that Star Fox 64 is the definitive Star Fox experience then? I don't disagree with that, but it's a 1-2 game per campaign, usually. Unless they pull out a ton of stops to justify a $60/$70 price tag for another SF64 game, it's probably going to be a game I get and play eventually, but I'll still recommend the original 64 version above all else. Always have.

[sarajayechan]

I know, right? So much for hoping for a price drop down the line. D:

[majoukoufu]

Great. Have to hurry up and make my mind up in the next few months about the Switch 2, then. I was hoping just booping around with my S1 backlog would let me drag the decision out to the release of an S2 with a better battery life + a price-down on the original. :/