Send PM | Track
Jinxstar
 
Role: Contributor
Score: 47010
CRank: (5)
Bubbles: (8)
Tracked by: 17 users
Ignored by: 31 users
Gender: male
Location: North America
Website:
 
 
 
Price Wars
399 days 18 hours ago | by: Jinxstar
I made a post in the forums a while ago about this. I wanted to go into detail on pricing of consoles. What it means to each individual and otherwise.

The main reason I am writing this is because I am very tired of hearing about prices of consoles on this site. I want it to stop but I know there is no end to it. So here I want to break down the basics of all 3 consoles and what you get for each and why one may appear cheaper then the other.

First is the Wii. Most hardcore gamers dislike the Wii but it is a viable next gen platform and is pushing gaming into a more interactive dimension. Nintendo have always had a way of "Nickle and Diming" Gamers. I waited outside of Target in tthe freezing cold for 8 hours to get mine on release day because I wanted to play Zelda. I am a long time fan of the series and have played them all. The first thing I noticed was the console with 1 controller and Nunchuck cost me 250$ It came with Wii Sports which was ok but there is the problem. You want to play with friends and that means 3 more controllers and Nunchucks... 180$!!!! On top of that you need to buy a ton of batteries if you play it a lot. Then to play classic games you need to buy the "Classic" controller... So I am easily close to 450$ by now...

Hard drive space is limited and they plan to fix that one day with another addon... In the end the wii is a very expensive console with limited online gaming capabilities... So for the hardcore it's not a very suitable platfrom price wise and game wise.

Xbox 360. This one to me is a sore spot. It is a good gaming platform. I bought an Elite probably 6 months after it was released. I enjoyed a great many games on it like Bioshock and otherwise.

Now I wont go into costs of the past because there are so many consoles to choose from with so many prices it's irrelevant. but to break it down simply it's a minimum of 200$ plus the price of a game to play something on the 360. So thats 265$. I wont go into what game or how old basically because if you are buying a 360 now you are probably buying it to play new games and not old ones. How long do you plan to keep your console? I would say at least 3-4 years. For the full  experience on the 360 you need to be on Xbox live. Thats 5$ a month for 4 years. so lets just say 200$ give or take a few months.  So now to play 1 game and be on live your up to 465$ for the lowest end 360 model.

Do you want to be able to download a map for your game? Well you need a Hard drive right? the cheapest, new 20 gig HD I could find was 52 dollars. So 517$ total for your lowest end system to play online and have a few maps to go with your game. What else do you need? Well it really is all on the gamer but many people who are invested and hate cables all over their room would need a WiFi adapter... (Why this is not standard is beyond me as I have WiFi on my DS) The cheapest adapter I could find is 83$. That really is a nice round number too as we are now up to 600$ for the lowest end 360 upgraded to play a game you like with DLC. I wont mention the price for batteries for the controller as some people buy an adapter to recharge but this is still additional cost to the the 360 price.

Now many of you will be saying "Wow" at this point. I think so as well because you may notice there is another system with WiFi, a standard hard drive, free online and all these things added in with a game for 400$. On top of that you have a high def movie player too... Which the 360 doesn't have. A standard recharger with every console and all that. Keep in mind that the 400$ is the 80 gig Ps3 with MGS4 included(Also BC compatible). There is a downfall in price however you have the option of buying an HDMI cable which is not needed but may make a world of difference in your viewing pleasure. Those may cost anywhere from 3$ to 80 or 90$ depending on length and all kinds of things. So since I stuck with the cheapest 360 model I will stick with the cheapest for the PS3 as well. so we are up to 403$. Which in the end is nearly 200$ cheaper then a 360 I mentioned above. However with the PS3 you do have a bigger HD and like I said an HD video player.

The comparison I made was to get the lowest end 360 as close as possible to the PS3 in terms of capabilities.

Basically what I wanted to sum up in my blog is to tell people to stop saying the PS3 is "too expensive". Initially it is a little pricey for some but in the end it is a much cheaper investment. I bought the 60gig BC one with no games for 600$ back in the day and don't feel like I wasted any money. However I was dissapointed in the 360 from the start. I had 2 RROD and traded it in when I heard Gears of War was coming to PC with more content, better graphics and a lower price. I upgraded my PC with the trade in money and have a sweet rig now. I just bought Left 4 Dead and have been playing all morning and I am looking forward to free DLC, Player Mods and other things while playing for free online... Not to mention it cost me less then the console version.

Just for the record I am not a hater of the 360. I play whenever I get the chance and even hit up some friends to play Fable 2. I think if it's your thing then thats fine but really my only intention in writing this is to try and get people to understand that you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheap system you will be putting a lot more into it in upgrades then you may want to. So please everyone stop slamming the PS3's price. They are already selling it at a huge loss. If you don't like it don't buy it but really in this day and age I think it's a real good deal especially looking at the competition and how I feel both MS and Nintendo Nickle and dime you to death.

Not to mention the library on actual exclusives on the PS3 is just much more appealing to me then the 360 because to me I can play almost all those games on the PC. Maybe not today like you but I will be able to one day and I can wait.

I really tried to be fair in my views on price. And yes you can play Left 4 Dead or gears 2 on the 360 for as little as 265$ if you like... Is that all you want though? Really? Tell me you don't pay for live and own the 200$ version or show me someone who does just that and nothing else and maybe that 1 person out of every 25000 people may be on to saving money and enjoying just what he/she wants... Otherwise you are being a fanboy. I know that sounds like "Pot calling Kettle" but I at least owned a 360 for a long time and this is the conclusion I have come to on my own. Thats a lot more then most fanboys who just pick one and despise the other.

Either way if you like what I wrote or hate it thanks for reading it and game on!

<< Back to Jinxstar's Blog - Comments(7)


 
| Info | Report
 
About N4G
N4G is a social game news site that covers the game industry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
More Info... | Submit News