Why are console prices an issue when phones cost so much? And you replace them every 2-3 years.

[lightchris]

I get I for people who only play casually. Paying over $500 for a device you only use once a week is just too expensive for many.

I absolutely do not get it for people who consider games their hobby. Even if you are short on money, the least you can do is shift your expenses from an overpriced phone to one which actually has a good price/performance ratio.
A $200 phone will do pretty much all tasks that typical users throw at them just fine. The only thing you really lose is it as a status symbol.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

The majority of consumers see consoles as toys, phones as an essential utility.

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This.

And if not "toys," game consoles are way more expendable to overall quality of life versus phone. You can be passionate about gaming but it's hard to argue that it's a true necessity to anyone.

 

[Deleted member 51848]

Also games consoles are primarily bought for children. Whereas phones are usually handed down.

 

[TrueSloth]

Can you live without your phone?...
Can you live without your console?...

There's your answer.

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Because consoles are not essential. Smartphones are.

Lets be honest, a smartphone can do a lot more than consoles so its value reflects that. Consoles can't do a lot so its value and price reflects it.

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The majority of consumers see consoles as toys, phones as an essential utility.

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I don't know. I understand why people feel like they need one, but I wouldn't call them affordable by any means. The only reasonable answer I see is that the monthly payments disguise the true cost for many.

 

[Mechaplum]

I use my phone for work and personal activities for at least two hours a day.

I use my console maybe five hours a week solely for leisure.

Consequently, I am willing to pay 5 times the price of my console for my phone, though my iPhones only costs maybe 2.5 times and lasts me 5 years.

 

[Kieli]

Real talk, I don't understand how there can be 60M people every year that can afford a $1000+ phone.

There's no way there's that many wealthy people alive on Earth right now.

 

[Ruby-Eyed Witch]

My smartphone is a tool that I use for multiple purposes on a daily basis, and it's worth it to me to invest in a quality product. I still don't need the bleeding edge.

A console, on the other hand, lets me play a handful of games that I can't get on PC. That marginal access is not worth $500 to me, let alone several times that to own every current platform. My PC is my primary platform. Consoles are something I might pick up down the road for a much lower price.

 

[TacoSupreme]

This feels like a stealth "kids glued to those damn screens all the time" kind of thread. Mostly because of the "but do you really need those phones? Makes ya think, huh?" kind of responses.

 

[Kingasta]

I don't know. I understand why people feel like they need one, but I wouldn't call them affordable by any means. The only reasonable answer I see is that the monthly payments disguise the true cost for many.

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One thing to note is the cost of subscriptions and most importantly the cost of games.

 

[nextgeneration]

Real talk, I don't understand how there can be 60M people every year that can afford a $1000+ phone.

There's no way there's that many wealthy people alive on Earth right now.

Click to shrink...

Most of these people probably are in debt.

 

[Bookman]

I don't want to be that old man yelling at clouds and perhaps phone price discussion isn't what Op was after but still:

There was a huge sale on Huawei honor 8 when pokemon go was at the hight of its popularity. I think its more than 2 years ago, maybe 2,5 (?). I bought a phone for 1000 Swedish kr, roughly 103 Us dollars. Best phone I ever owned (still have it). I'm a bit curious what other people do with their 600$ phones that I can't? The camera is great btw (for a cheap mobile).

And it does play pokemon go :)

Just to try to be on topic:
You can choose your own price range with phones without feeling that you miss out. Many people like phones all over the world and are willing to pay a lot of money. People like me are satisfied with cheap models. There are seldom that choise when it comes to consoles.

 

[Sande]

I cannot even begin to justify a new high-end phone every couple of years. I spend about as much on phones as I do on consoles, so 100€ a year on average at most.

Real talk, I don't understand how there can be 60M people every year that can afford a $1000+ phone.

There's no way there's that many wealthy people alive on Earth right now.

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It's pretty crazy how many people living paycheck to paycheck need to have the latest iPhone.

 

[TrueSloth]

I don't want to be that old man yelling at clouds and perhaps phone price discussion isn't what Op was after but still:

There was a huge sale on Huawei honor 8 when pokemon go was at the hight of its popularity. I think its more than 2 years ago, maybe 2,5 (?). I bought a phone for 1000 Swedish kr, roughly 103 Us dollars. Best phone I ever owned (still have it). I'm a bit curious what other people do with their 600$ phones that I can't? The camera is great btw (for a cheap mobile).

And it does play pokemon go :)

Just to try to be on topic:
You can choose your own price range with phones without feeling that you miss out. Many people like phones all over the world and are willing to pay a lot of money. People like me are satisfied with cheap models. There are seldom that choise when it comes to consoles.

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As a communication tool, I would think any phone works fine for any business. In my experience, phones tend to shit the bed over a few years no matter how high end it is. So I'm not quite sure why one needs to justify a $800 phone as affordable though.

 

[NameUser]

Well a lot of people don't even buy flagship phones. We've gotten to the point to where a $160 Samsung a20 is good enough. Like seriously—budget phones are insane now.

 

[Madao]

i'm in the minority but the phones i get last me as long as consoles. also, i got relatively cheap phones since i don't see any point in spending an assload of money if i can get the required functionality with a low end phone. i entered this decade with a phone i got in 2007 and replaced it in 2014. then i replaced that in 2017 and that replacement is my current model and i don't have plans to replace it anytime soon and it was a sub $200 phone.
i've replaced my TV more often than my phone this decade and i've had 4 TVs this decade so far.

 

[Chamon]

I paid 260€ for my phone and I don't think I'm gonna need to replace it in a long, long time.

 

[Deleted member 49535]

Real talk, I don't understand how there can be 60M people every year that can afford a $1000+ phone.

There's no way there's that many wealthy people alive on Earth right now.

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You underestimate the amount of people wanting to pretend they have more money than they actually do.

This is also why you'll see people using old iPhones that run like shit over a modern mid-range Android phone that runs great.

 

[IIFloodyII]

I haven't replaced my PS4 in almost 6 years and phones have much more use than console and even then I get almost all my phones through a contract, not outright buying them.

 

[Spark]

Real talk, I don't understand how there can be 60M people every year that can afford a $1000+ phone.

There's no way there's that many wealthy people alive on Earth right now.

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You don't have to be wealthy (by western standards) to be able to afford 1 or 2 luxury items a year. For the vast majority of people, phones are at the top of the list.

 

[Bookman]

As a communication tool, I would think any phone works fine for any business. In my experience, phones tend to shit the bed over a few years no matter how high end it is. So I'm not quite sure why one needs to justify a $800 phone as affordable though.

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Well, I'm not using it just to phone people with. I watch YouTube (but not I 4k), actually takes some photos, writing this, use social media, answering mail, pay my bills and even played that gears of war pop game etc..

Im genuinely curious what people do with their 600$ phones. I get the better camera thing. 4k on YouTube?
My wife has a iphone x and it's not that "faster" surfing the webb or using daily apps , at least thats my feeling when I just try it out. There are probably benchmarks and so on.

 

[Windu]

Phones, like PCs do a lot more. Consoles are just entertainment devices.

 

[Seraphis Cain]

My current phone has 512MB of RAM, and the one I'm looking to upgrade to next month costs a whopping $70.

Living that low-income life over here.

 

[Manggei]

I say it's also because people have somehow become mentally and even physically dependent on their phones. Even if they wouldn't need to be available 24/7 (most of them don't need to), they are convinced that they have to be. And not only being available, but to be able to share their lives almost without taking a break and to have access to non stop distraction. Many people would rather eat low quality food than use low quality phones. The phone has almost reached a state of an extra body part, an additional sense. The amenities are so tempting and grew indespensable. People are fully convinced of the need.
I've just returned from a beautiful and relaxing holiday in a tropical paradise. I encountered a lot of people there, tourists, which I dare say have seen that amazing place more often through the lense of their smartphone camera (or their own faces, because, you know, selfies) than with their own eyes.

So when something has become as needful as this in people's perception, well, they pay that phoneprices without hesitation. Consoles haven't reached that status by far because they don't provide that functions that have become so important in every day lives. And of course being able paying them over a period of two years helps with 800+ bucks devices.

 

[Akumatica]

I'm still using a Galaxy Note 3 and I didn't get a PS4 until 2016 when I had gift cards saved up. I probably won't get a next gen system until they've been on shelves for awhile or until the 1st Yakuza game isn't also on the PS4. By then I should be able to get a bunch of games that came out in the meanwhile for cheap. I'm still not paying more than $300 for a system though.

 

[jroc74]

1. Lots of people bitch about phone costs, wtf you on about OP. The entire reason Android exists was to give us lowly peasants a smartphone.
2. Phones are a lot more important in a lot of people's lives. They do a lot of different things. Some flat out need them for their jobs.
3. A lot of phones tend to be paid over time

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[Omnistalgic]

Is this even a serious thread?

Phones offer a lot more functionality than consoles...

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First posts nails it...

I say your questioned has been thoroughly answered OP

 

[Bookman]

My current phone has 512MB of RAM, and the one I'm looking to upgrade to next month costs a whopping $70.

Living that low-income life over here.

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I'm really struggling with want I'm suppose to do with all my money. I used to have a low income jobb it really doesn't seem to be that much off a difference for me personally. Except that instead of a ps4 have all consoles. Less time to play and enjoy them though.

We have a new kitchen, I liked our old one better.
We bought a new car but I don't really care about what vehicle I drive (as long as it works)

I don't think I enjoy money.

I'm sure your phone is fine :)

 

[Why would you do that?]

I've never spent over $400 on a phone precisely because I think they're way too expensive. I always buy phones used. I got a used LG V35 ThinQ for around that price around 4 months after it came out. (LG flagship phones drop in price super fast.)

I would definitely spend that kind of money on a PC, though I would probably spend less money on one than many enthusiasts.

 

[TrueSloth]

Well, I'm not using it just to phone people with. I watch YouTube (but not I 4k), actually takes some photos, writing this, use social media, answering mail, pay my bills and even played that gears of war pop game etc..

Im genuinely curious what people do with their 600$ phones. I get the better camera thing. 4k on YouTube?
My wife has a iphone x and it's not that "faster" surfing the webb or using daily apps , at least thats my feeling when I just try it out. There are probably benchmarks and so on.

Click to shrink...

Of course, I'm not purposefully leaving out the other uses of a phone, and I agree. Phone technology has advanced significantly, so the differences really have to be marginal.

I say it's also because people have somehow become mentally and even physically dependent on their phones. Even if they wouldn't need to be available 24/7 (most of them don't need to), they are convinced that they have to be. And not only being available, but to be able to share their lives almost without taking a break and to have access to non stop distraction. Many people would rather eat low quality food than use low quality phones. The phone has almost reached a state of an extra body part, an additional sense. The amenities are so tempting and grew indespensable. People are fully convinced of the need.
I've just returned from a beautiful and relaxing holiday in a tropical paradise. I encountered a lot of people there, tourists, which I dare say have seen that amazing place more often through the lense of their smartphone camera (or their own faces, because, you know, selfies) than with their own eyes.

So when something has become as needful as this in people's perception, well, they pay that phoneprices without hesitation. Consoles haven't reached that status by far because they don't provide that functions that have become so important in every day lives. And of course being able paying them over a period of two years helps with 800+ bucks devices.

Click to shrink...

Ive come to the realization over the past year or so that having a smart phone isn't as much of a necessity as I believed it to be. I'm sure it's important for many businesses, but usually they just buy their employee a work smartphone.

I really shouldn't impose my beliefs on the value that others hold a phone to be, I guess. Sure a console has less utility than a phone, but I enjoy using it more. If that makes sense. Having this feeling that I need to constantly be connected just stresses me out.

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

People buy 2080s and 2080tis just to play games. So that level of commitment for gaming is not unseen. Just so much smaller that you couldn't maintain it if it was your sole product. GeForce couldn't stay profitable on flagships alone, so if there were console flagships of similar price there would also need to be models that cost half the price.

 

[MegaMix]

I mean this is one of the big reasons why the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X exist. For people who want to upgrade/want to pay extra for something more powerful. Also, it's not like all cell phone users have an iPhone X. There is a huge sub $200 phone market.

 

[TrueSloth]

People buy 2080s and 2080tis just to play games. So that level of commitment for gaming is not unseen. Just so much smaller that you couldn't maintain it if it was your sole product. GeForce couldn't stay profitable on flagships alone, so if there were console flagships of similar price there would also need to be models that cost half the price.

Click to shrink...

This makes sense to me.

 

[GamerJM]

Honestly phone prices and expected frequencies of purchase are bullshit. My friend recently basically offered to buy me the new iPhone and I told her no because I specifically buy phones as infrequently as I can without taking a severe hit in my quality of phone usage to sort of protest this.

 

[GameAddict411]

It's an absurd comparison as smartphones are considered to be essential these days. Also not all phones are $400+.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

This is a wild false equivalence. You pay for your phone once, and that's it. You use it everyday for all kinds of things. They're nigh on essential in this day and age.

Your console is next to useless unless you stump up £50 on new games every time, and you use it what, 5-10 hours a week?

It's not the same thing, at all.

 

[GymWolf86]

I'm with you op.

You don't need a 1000+ dollars smartphone to do a lot of things, a 300-500 dollars model is more than enough for 90% of people, but still apple or samsung top tier phone sells like hotcake...
And nobody has the same phone for 5 to 7 years, nobody...

But a console that you use INTENSIVELY for 5-6-7-8 years for more than 400 dollars is crazy talk...fucking lol...
And then people whine because the framerate is not solid, the resolution is from 10 years ago, the anisotropic filter is shit, the loading times are long, etc. Etc. Etc.

Spend your goddamn money people or shut the fuck up...

A 1000+ dollars phone is a luxurious thing like a console and nobody can convince me of the contrary.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

It's a status symbol, that's why.

It's not a perception of value, it's a reality of value. Your phone does infinitely more things than your console does, so spending $800 is absolutely worth it.

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Not really when you can have a 150-250€ device that does the same job.

 

[StrappingYoungLance]

I can't afford phones either.

 

[Terbinator]

Mobiles help generate money to then spend on consoles. It's really not that hard.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

They are not an issue though.

 

[Deleted member 49535]

Mobiles help generate money to then spend on consoles. It's really not that hard.

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What makes you generate money on a $800 phone that you can't have on a $300 phone?

 

[ElephantShell]

To me, getting brand new phones all the time is for two types of people: people who are into tech stuff and devices as a hobby which is fair enough, it's certainly not a cheap hobby but neither is gaming, and people who see it as a status thing. In no situation is the latest phone functionally "essential".

 

[Paquete_PT]

Phones get a lot (and I mean a lot) more usage from the normal user than a console. The amount of stuff you can do with your phone is insane and a phone is with you and being used at all times. I love gaming and don't have a problem paying 500€ for a console, but I can see why others might. And a huge part of the userbase is still kids, that need parents to buy the console for them. And for most of the territory where consoles are sold, 500€ is still too close to minimum wage. It's insane how they take the US price and just convert it to €

 

[Terbinator]

What makes you generate money on a $800 phone that you can't have on a $300 phone?

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I'm on a OnePlus 5T which is two months short of being two years old and cost £500 on PAYG.

If you're going big these days and getting an S10 or 11 Pro on contract at say 45/month, as an example, 540 pounds over two years is essentially what the phone is costing you as you're covering line rental off with the other cash too which is absolutely needed.

This is without getting in to absolute usage factors.

 

[Alexandros]

It's a status symbol, that's why.

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Yup. Beyond the extra functionality of a smartphone compared to a console and the fact that most people use it constantly as opposed to a console, a smartphone is a fashion item and a status symbol.

 

[Deleted member 49535]

I'm on a OnePlus 5T which is two months short of being two years old and cost £500 on PAYG.

If you're going big these days and getting an S10 or 11 Pro on contract at say 45/month, as an example, 540 pounds over two years is essentially what the phone is costing you as you're covering line rental off with the other cash too which is absolutely needed.

This is without getting in to absolute usage factors.

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You didn't answer my question.

 

[Bob Beat]

I'm with you op.

You don't need a 1000+ dollars smartphone to do a lot of things, a 300-500 dollars model is more than enough for 90% of people, but still apple or samsung top tier phone sells like hotcake...
And nobody has the same phone for 5 to 7 years, nobody...

But a console that you use INTENSIVELY for 5-6-7-8 years for more than 400 dollars is crazy talk...fucking lol...
And then people whine because the framerate is not solid, the resolution is from 10 years ago, the anisotropic filter is shit, the loading times are long, etc. Etc. Etc.

Spend your goddamn money people or shut the fuck up...

A 1000+ dollars phone is a luxurious thing like a console and nobody can convince me of the contrary.

Click to shrink...

Most people use their cell phones a lot more than a gaming console. I use my phone 5-7 hours a day. 365.

Two, console makers have suggested 200 dollars was a good price since the 80's. The market has presented it that way. It's that price because the industry has set that price. All the growth had happened around that price. The one console to get close to phone prices lost every gain made by Sony over it's first two generations. Lost all the money.

Those aren't arbitrary prices.

Oh yeah, I forgot: I have largely not used a computer for the last two years because of my phone. So it's basically all of my computers rolled into smaller than a tablet.

Word processor, email, collecting all of my contacts, internet, every reservation, calendar, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, note taking device, walk man, DVD player, storage device, my maps and my map maker, reminder to take my meds, calculator, journal, all my credit cards, now including the ability to lock every card, if I misplaced one and restore functionality to that card if I find it.

Full stop. My phone prevented me from calling an 800 number and wasting 10 minutes on the phone. That might be worth the price alone.

All my plane tickets, allows me to check in to every flight and keep track of my luggage, call a taxi and see how many people have used that taxi and how many people like that driver and specific feed back and it tries to select the best one for me and a game system.

Can your console do that and make phone calls and fit in your pocket?

 

[Terbinator]

You didn't answer my question.

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Performance is generally insufferable once you start bouncing between multiple apps and the lower RAM limits get hit over the duration.

This is aside from the other stuff people may value like a better camera, screen etc.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Outside of plans, phones are used everyday even by the most casual owners. While a console for a lot of people is likely played far less than some assume here.

 

[ABitAshamed]

Because every people use their phone almost 24h/24h every day, for basically every thing, while they use their console sometimes the week end, if they have the time to do so, and if they want to (for the people who like video game , while every one have/need a phone)