Computer Games VI, More bruised thumbs Options

[GundamGuy_UK]

The release price of the PS3 was just under £250 in Japan. And this is for the 60Gb version. And it was the same price (give or take a fiver) in the US, too.

It was £425 here, if I remember correctly.


What possible justification is there for the PS3 coming out nearly half a year after the rest of the world, and costing nearly double?!

And it's not like there was a shortage of them and they had to open new factories or something, they were stuck to the shelves in the US and now selling at the lower price there.

I suppose if you were happy to pay double then so be it. Maybe when the PS3 is priced a little more reasonably I'll get one, if it has some decent titles for it.


Apparently you can somehow stream PC games onto a PS3, including any emulators you may be naughty enough to own. I'm not sure how that works, but it sounds interesting.


EDIT: On the subject of Sony taking money, does anyone else here have a PSP and use the Sony website to download content? Only I paid for a bunch of PS1 games and it won't let me download them for some reason. There's no method of contacting Sony other than a hotline that's rubbish according to some forums I found by searching error codes on Google, and there's no option for refund. So it seems they've just taken my money.

This post has been edited by GundamGuy_UK: Jan 17 2008, 02:56 PM

[Atara]

The 360 Elite was much cheaper over there when released too. The equivelent to $320 o thereabouts... so what, £170- £180. Same as how much the original 360 cost over there too when that was released. So we paid double the price for that too.

Looks like things are just cheaper over there. Just like, especially since the dollar is worth sod all here, America is to us.



Anyway, I really want Haze when it comes out, it looks and sounds awesome.

This post has been edited by Atara: Jan 17 2008, 02:58 PM

[GundamGuy_UK]

The 360 Elite was much cheaper over there when released too. The equivelent to $320 o thereabouts... so what, £170- £180. Same as how much the original 360 cost over there too when that was released. So we paid double the price for that too.

Which is odd, because I thought the stereotype was things costing loads there.

I know DVDs are expensive. I was looking at importing some DVDs, but the £400 price tag for a 26-episode series was more than a little off-putting... and that was just the amazon.co.jp price, not like it was for shipping or anything.

[Nonus Aequilibri...]

Which is odd, because I thought the stereotype was things costing loads there.

I know DVDs are expensive. I was looking at importing some DVDs, but the £400 price tag for a 26-episode series was more than a little off-putting... and that was just the amazon.co.jp price, not like it was for shipping or anything.

I think Atara meant the US, not Japan (Edit: Or maybe not, having re-read it... but anyway). To be fair, the price thing is irrelevant, a company is entitled to charge whatever it wants for its products, if customers will pay a certain price for a product, that's what it's worth. If you don't like the price, don't buy it, and if everyone does that, it won't sell and the price will drop. Just because it's being sold at one price in a country doesn't mean the market's the same in another country. Everything's more expensive here than in America. When the exchange rate was a bit closer, like £1 -> $1.6 or something, you could usually expect to see a product that cost $200 in america to cost £200 over here.

If a company decides to drop the price in a country where it's underperforming, that's just a strategic decision to increase sales and make better profits by shifting higher volumes rather than higher profit margins for smaller numbers. It's not a stab at other countries, it's just business. If you don't think a PS3 is worth its asking price, don't buy one.

This post has been edited by Nonus Aequilibrium: Jan 17 2008, 04:01 PM

[Atara]

I meant both, really. I looked up the old prices and most of them compared yen to dollars, ten I compared dollar to sterling.

You are right though, it's basically what I was trying to say, but you did it better.

[GundamGuy_UK]

I've been playing on my PSP so much in the past 2 weeks that I've actually taken the skin off my thumb.



If ever there was a positive review of Sony... I wouldn't use it so much if I didn't like it.

[Omniscia]

I believe the technical term for that is "Nintendo Thumb."

[NiteFall]

What have you been playing? I've just had Tekken and Final Fantasy Tactics on mine for aaaaaaages now and I think I need a change.

[GundamGuy_UK]

Gundam Battle Chronicle. It's not out (read: never coming out) over here, but it's on eBay for about £30.

If you ever saw/played Federation Vs Zeon on the PlayStation 2, it's like a vastly improved version of that, made by Namco instead of Capcom.

This is what it's like, but there aren't any videos of good action-packed levels on YouTube.

[monkeyman]

Mildly off-topic, but seeing as Sony invented BluRay, are other companies allowed to make players? Or is Sony going to end up holding a monopoly on the HD market, using that position to boost sales of its console?

Don't quote me on this but I believe Blu-Ray was an invention of many companies, and it is also "Open Source". Which I believe means any company can release products on the format.
As well as make players for it. In the past I believe Sony made some of their formats SOny exclusive which was the death of them.

What have you been playing? I've just had Tekken and Final Fantasy Tactics on mine for aaaaaaages now and I think I need a change.

SIlent Hill was damn good, if a bit short.

If you;ve never played it I can't recommend LocoRoco enough, it's a fantastic puzzle game.

Worms Open Warfare 2 is great as well, and has an online Infrastructure mode, so you can play....well online with anyone.

Crush looks like a brilliant puzzle game as well, you can change the world from 3d to 2d and back again, and it effects how you see and utilize platforms.

I was thinking of getting the Street Fighter Alpha 3 for the PSP, it has some great modes on it, but it has no Online play, I don't know anyone who owns a PSP so I doubt I will.

[GundamGuy_UK]

Ace Combat X and Tales of Eternia are great, too. Wipeout Pulse is worth buying.

[Atara]

Don't quote me on this but I believe Blu-Ray was an invention of many companies, and it is also "Open Source". Which I believe means any company can release products on the format.
As well as make players for it. In the past I believe Sony made some of their formats SOny exclusive which was the death of them.

Meh, maybe not.

This post has been edited by Atara: Jan 17 2008, 07:07 PM

[GundamGuy_UK]

No, Sony invented Blu-ray.

No, he's right on this one.

"The "Blu-ray Disc Founder" was founded in May 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung, and Sony."


Minidisc and UMD are Sony-exclusive, I believe.

This post has been edited by GundamGuy_UK: Jan 17 2008, 07:05 PM

[Atara]

No, he's right on this one.

"The "Blu-ray Disc Founder" was founded in May 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung, and Sony."
Minidisc and UMD are Sony-exclusive, I believe.

Already checked and changed

[Sir_Robin_the_br...]

Is is just me or is Mass Effect riddled with tiny bugs?