The lack of price cuts makes me not want to bother with consoles

[Mocha Joe]

Yeah it was an eye opening experience for my cousin who needs a new PC. He joked about needing a loan just for the used parts.

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It's insane. Maybe not as bad as the launch window of the RTX 3000 series but god damn. How the hell is a 3060ti and 3070 still holding at their MSRP? At least the last gen CPUs are a bit more reasonable. But still, if you get one of them, you are stuck on an outdated mobo.

 

[Shemhazai]

I mean, at this point, with the margins as low as they are, they cost what they cost. It's a different case if they were making a shit ton of money off of the hardware, but that's just not really happening.

edit: Fucking hell lol, OP is given a free PC and uses that as a comparison point for consoles. I spent £1.6k on a PC in 2018 that was outclassed specwise by my PS5. It's really not a sensible comparison.

 

[SageShinigami]

Where do I fine these $900 gaming PC's that last a decade?

You can apply the same logic to a console except it's cheaper. PS4 was supported by PlayStation since 2013 and was still getting ports up until 2023.

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A decade might be a slight exaggeration, but if you picked up a desktop next year with a 5060 how long do you think it'd be before it'd be outdated?

 

[Doskoi Panda]

Half the reason I even have consoles anymore is because they're cheaper than upgrading my PC, and even that's not enough to keep me from doing just that anymore. Lookin at a PC and Switch 2 future real soon

 

[neoak]

The PS5 was still $499, and everything I've seen tells me that they have zero interest in cutting the cost of their console, and that console price cuts are a thing of the past. Sure there might be a sale here or there, but I'm talking "The PS3 is now $299" price cuts, where that's the standard price going forward.

Frankly, that's a turn off for me. The major benefit of coming into a console generation later is a larger library and a cheaper cost of entry. If the second half is gone, I'd rather just stick with PC. I upgraded this desktop from its 1060 to a 3060 with the same $350 that I would've loved to spend on a PS5 at some point.

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It's still 499, or 399 for a certain digital bundle. Keeping the same price despite inflation has been the price cut. 500 bucks then is around 600 dollars due to the nasty inflation.

Microsoft gave ample warning that this was gonna happen, hence Series S was created. They can't cut prices because they would lose too much money.

MAYBE with the coming of the PS6 my opinion might change, but I think they've lost me this generation and I've owned every other Sony console except the Vita. Is anyone else like this?

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LOL PS6 and all upcoming consoles will be the same. No cuts. Sadly, either get used to it, or you won't own any other console.

 

[Windu]

Microsoft said at the start of the gen that they made the Series S because prices wouldn't be coming down.

 

[CabooseMSG]

I cant imagine buying a PC with similar specs to the consoles is cheaper, though it definitely has a wider breadth of games

 

[Ocean]

What's the difference between "No" (I'm not bothered) and "I don't care" as poll options?

I think console hardware is decent value. Good mid-tier gaming performance + Blu Ray player + a great controller for $500 seems reasonable.

 

[neoak]

I cant imagine buying a PC with similar specs to the consoles is cheaper

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It still isn't.

 

[SageShinigami]

LOL PS6 and all upcoming consoles will be the same. No cuts. Sadly, either get used to it, or you won't own any other console.

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The implication there, would be that I'd just get a PS6 at launch. Not that I'd "wait it out". I'm saying it's just not worth it after launch.

 

[arrado]

I am VERY sensitive when it comes to game pricing, but I don't really care about the prices for hardware. 100 dollars more is nothing over a span of 7 years.

I think you get the best deal by purchasing a console on day 1 so you can enjoy it during its entire life cycle.

 

[MJForum Poster]

This is the one thing that Phil Spencer was right about - the prices of these consoles will not drop like previous generations, hence why they did the Series S

 

[Arc]

Inflation is so high that the PS5 has gotten a price cut from just remaining priced as is. $500 in 2020 is $603.40 in 2024.

The days of $300 consoles are not coming back.

 

[VariantX]

It sucks because it effectively limits how many more people are able to get one even later in the consoles life. Even a next gen model may not lower prices of the older model at the rate things are going

 

[mrmoose]

So is this the new reality ongoing or is this because of covid related stuff like chip shortages making technology not come down in price? Because technology has historically always come down in price. Like surely they are not still losing as much money per console as they were at launch.

 

[ghibli99]

thinking back, buying the PS5 DE for $400 at launch feels like a steal at this point. it's like $400 dollars just to buy some eggs at the grocery store these days

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$400 seems to be our "average" for Costco runs these days. If we get out of there for under $300, we feel like we've really accomplished something. Celebrate with 2 Whoppers w/ cheese and a large drink for $17 afterwards.

 

[neoak]

The implication there, would be that I'd just get a PS6 at launch. Not that I'd "wait it out". I'm saying it's just not worth it after launch.

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Huh? You would get access to a library of games getting it right now, most of which you could get cheap used or on sale digitally.

The appeal of the PS3 at 299, or any console at a discount was that you also had access to a bigger library of games to buy. You're missing half the appeal of the price cuts announcements.

 

[Kyrios]

It's insane. Maybe not as bad as the launch window of the RTX 3000 series but god damn. How the hell is a 3060ti and 3070 still holding at their MSRP? At least the last gen CPUs are a bit more reasonable. But still, if you get one of them, you are stuck on an outdated mobo.

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Yeah I couldn't believe the price hold on the 3060 even. I looked at him and he was like "...yeah" lol

At this point I suggested he just saved up for a pre-built. I know they are the boogeymen of the PC crowd but they make some pretty competent ones now, I think the only thing to watch out for sometimes is making sure they have a good enough power supply.

 

[EvilBoris]

There haven't been big price cuts since the PS3 days.
New models , bigger storage keeps the price around a similar price.

Just like all big brand electronics really - they would rather keep the RRP high and offer retailers sales to facilitate the global sale culture.

 

[neoak]

thinking back, buying the PS5 DE for $400 at launch feels like a steal at this point. it's like $400 dollars just to buy some eggs at the grocery store these days

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It's still 399 with the Spiderman bundle. So no. With inflation that 399 has now the purchase power of 499.

So with that DE money, you'd get a disc edition now.

 

[arrado]

Not really, no. PC parts don't really come down in price either. When it comes to expensive items it seems kinda pointless to wait on a particular potential sale when you might as well get it now and enjoy it.

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They DEFINITELY do. Just check the prices for ZEN 3 chips, those launched next to the consoles and are way below their original MSRP. Even ZEN 4 is much cheaper now. Same goes for GPU's, motherboards.. almost every PC part drops in price

 

[404LinkNotFound]

I dont get it you can say consoles are so expensive and then in the dame breath talking about building a gaming PC

 

[neoak]

Same goes for GPU's,

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You had a point until you added this part.

 

[xch1n]

Based on the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, $499 in November of 2020 has the same buying power as $599 in March of 2024.

For that equivalent time range, the $399 of the PS4 would have translated to $417.37 in March of 2017. When priced at $299 MSRP, you're looking at $118 price cut, only an $18 "better deal" than what you're getting today ($23 adjusted for inflation).

Record low inflation time period vs extremely high inflation time period suggests expecting a price drop isn't realistic - the pricing is in line with historical trends.

 

[fracas]

There aren't many official price cuts but at least in the US, it's pretty easy to get one for cheaper if you know where to look. I've grabbed two slim Spider-Man 2 disc edition bundles for $380ish from Best Buy, and I regularly see secondhand consoles for ~$300 secondhand.

Obviously it's not the same as an overall price cut, but the deal's there if you want one.

 

[Mass Effect]

Well not a permanent cut, but the PS5 Slim was discounted for most of March (in the U.S. at least), that's what made me finally jump in. Included Spider-Man 2 and I bought Ratchet & Clank.

Also, wasn't the 5 sub $400 during Black Friday. I also feel like the Series is always on sale. Like regularly sub $250 for an S.

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No I think the PS5 was mostly around $425-$450 at it's lowest.

The Series X and S on the other hand… the X was down to $350 and the S was sub-$300 in some places last holiday.

But yes, if you're looking for a cheap budget console, well… it's the Series S. You're not going to do much better than that, especially when it's on sale.

 

[Ant_17]

I was gifted the PS5 so i can't complain.

 

[Darkstorne]

So... I'm in two minds about this.

1. I'm now 100% a PC gamer, despite loving consoles when I was a kid. My mum got me a Sega Mega Drive. I asked for a PlayStation at age 11. Contributed months worth of pocket money savings to a PS2 at age 14. Bought my own PS3 and PS4 later in life. At the current price point, and with PC being where I game now, I have zero interest in a PS5 regardless of price.
2. However, I now have kids, and I do think it might be nice to get them into gaming via a console. But at current prices? Absolutely not, no thanks. And I feel like this might be the biggest loss from the lack of permanent discounts and slim revisions. I think there's huge value in a £199 price point for that "first console" market. And that means if I do buy them a console one day, it will be the Switch (or Switch 2) since Nintendo still seems to understand and place value in that market. It's a shame Sony and MS have mostly moved on from that. I mean, where's Knack 3? =P

 

[ghibli99]

It's still 399 with the Spiderman bundle. So no. With inflation that 399 has now the purchase power of 499.

So with that DE money, you'd get a disc edition now.

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Isn't it the opposite? $399 in 2020 is worth like $299 now. 😅

 

[Devil]

I get your point, but you got gifted a used low end PC that was probably still worth ~$500 or more, and upgraded it with a newer lowend $350 GPU. It's not like PC has actually better price/performance than current gen consoles, not even FOUR YEARS after they released at the same price. So your conclusion for your personal case is valid, but not so much the topic itself, I feel.

 

[SageShinigami]

So is this the new reality ongoing or is this because of covid related stuff like chip shortages making technology not come down in price? Because technology has historically always come down in price. Like surely they are not still losing as much money per console as they were at launch.

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Nah bro its over if you're looking for price cuts. Like someone else (rightly) pointed out, Apple made this the new wave. "The price is the price" and you can choose to pay it or not. Even if there were shortages, once those clear up they're not going back to the old ways.

 

[modiz]

It's not really a home console only problem honestly. PC at the comparable performance bracket to what you could have got 10 years ago costs way more than it did back then, switch hasn't had an official price cut in its +7 year run, and obviously these issues apply to much more than games.

 

[arrado]

You had a point until you added this part.

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But it is true for GPUs? RX 6000, 7000, RTX 4000.. they've all come down in price. Nvidia just launched a Super line to cut prices.
RTX 3000 not so much, but that's because production stopped for most models and it's some leftover stock sitting on shelves.

The general price for GPU's has gone up over the years yeah. But GPU's still get price cuts. An RX 6700XT (similar to consoles) is much cheaper now than it was 3 years ago.

 

[AJUK]

Thing is with a console price reduction is all the time you are waiting for the console…you don't have the console, I'd rather not wait and actually be playing it and getting value from having it. Say you wait a year for a 50$ reduction it's like a dollar a week that you've paid to play it if you didn't wait.

 

[Saikyo]

No because I play on PC lol.

 

[StarPhlox]

MY PS5 was $400 at launch and that felt like and still feels like a steal. Consoles are incredibly cheap compared to a comparable gaming PC (which are great in their own way but not how I want to play)

 

[Xeonidus]

It does suck for people waiting to jump in. Like, I got my PS5 day 1 and it was actually cheaper back then than today. That's insane

 

[giapel]

I get them near launch so not really bothered. I would be annoyed getting a switch now at the current price.

 

[Thrill_house]

This is the first generation I have skipped in my 30+ years of gaming. The value just isn't there for me on many levels. I don't see myself ever going back from full pc and cost of the console is just one of those factors.

 

[ShineALight]

Yeah, a console is going to seem pretty expensive compared to a free gaming PC.

 

[St. Elmo's Fire]

I don't care. I buy my Sony and Nintendo consoles day 1.
But Sony needs to cut the price very soon. The PS5 needs it. Especially now that the PS5 Pro is coming.

 

[--R]

Not really bothered by it, no.

 

[Sword Familiar]

Never been as low as 499 in my country, and it got at least one price increase already. I could have bought it, but the PS5 library isn't there yet.

 

[SageShinigami]

I don't care. I buy my Sony and Nintendo consoles day 1.
But Sony needs to cut the price very soon. The PS5 needs it. Especially now that the PS5 Pro is coming.

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They'll price the PS5 Pro at $600. And everyone knows it'll sell, too.

 

[DJ_Lae]

It definitely curbed my purchasing this generation, although I've also gotten back into PC gaming a lot more too.

The PS5, for example, is more expensive now in Canada than it was at launch (ignoring scalpers). With their big titles now coming to PC (eventually) there really isn't much of an incentive to nab one, especially at that gross price point.

 

[a Master Ninja]

I think the lack of price cuts is a major factor as to why fewer young people and children are getting consoles. So many price sensitive families would get consoles for their kids back when they used to hit $150 or $99.

 

[The Artisan]

yes, it actually really bothers me. in my opinion it's overdue for price cuts for current generational consoles.

also OP, what exactly is the difference between the poll choices of "no" and "don't care"?

 

[IvanSlavkov]

OP was lifted a PC, how about buying/building one and the create such threads?

I buy PS consoles day, coming from one of EU's poorest country it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[Kenny_Blankenship]

I buy within the first ~18 months of launch so price drops don't factor into my decision.

After being in PC gaming for ~22 years the price of graphics cards (and graphics card market in general really) over the last few years pretty much killed my interest in it. I'll maintain the rig I have now but have no plans to upgrade.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

but I was told gaming is not that expensive of a hobby
(it is and that's why console sales have stagnated or peaked)