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On September 16, Sony announced new information about the PS5, including the price of the console, but also the new games. But it is precisely the prices of the games that are now being discussed. Because they are too high for many players and Europeans in particular feel at a disadvantage.
What happened? Sony has revealed the price and release date of the PS5 during an event. At the same event, some launch titles for the new console were announced, also including pricing.
But the price is higher than what players expected in some places:
- NBA 2K21 – 79.99 euros
- Remake of the demon soul – 79.99 euros
- Destruction AllStars – 79.99 euros
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales – 59.99 euros – although this is a standalone game from Marvel’s Spider-Man. The content must be smaller than in the original game. A bundle with both games also costs 79.99 euros.
- Sackboy A Big Adventure – 69.99 euros
We have compiled more titles for launch here for you.
What do the players say? Prices are discussed a lot on reddit and other platforms. After all, you pay 10 euros more than the big launch games of the previous generation (via the PlayStation Blog) and the new titles on PC:
- User CreaterOfHell especially complains about Spider-Man: Miles Morales. According to him, a DLC that works independently is offered for the same price as the full titles in the past.
- User solidasrog calls the price of Demon’s Soul “a fucking joke” (via reddit).
- In the comments to a Eurogamer article, there are comments turning their back on the PS5 because Xbox Game Pass should be a better alternative.
There have also been complaints that euro prices are unfair in relation to dollar prices. But are they really? And why do games cost more now?
Development costs and more technology lead to higher prices
Why do the games now cost 80 euros? In principle, external providers can determine the prices of their games themselves. However, prices for console games have remained constant since 2005. At that time, they went from $ 49.99 to $ 59.99. Yoshio Osaki, president and CEO of research firm IDG Consulting, told Gamesindustry.biz.
Osaki also said that the development cost increased by 200-300% during the same period. Therefore, a price increase was foreseeable.
Another factor is inflation. The purchasing power of money decreases over time. What cost € 70 in 2005 should now cost around € 87 after accounting for inflation (via the financial calculator).
What do editors say? Publisher Take-Two (GTA Online, Borderlands 3) had already announced with NBA 2K21 that
- Bring a version for 69.99 euros for the PS4 and Xbox One
- Publish a version for 79.99 euros for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
- Offer a package with both versions for 109.99 euros
- There should be no free updates, like those offered by Rainbow Six Siege or Borderlands 3
The publisher justified this step by stating that the price should be fair for what the game offers in the new generation, including better performance, higher speed and new technologies that are only possible in the next generation (via polygon).
PS5: this is the cost of the new DualSens controller and other official accessories
Are Europeans at a disadvantage?
There is another complaint about the fact that prices in dollars are cheaper than in euros, which seems strange because currently 1 euro is worth 1.18 dollars. So actually the euro price should be cheaper.
However, you pay less in dollars than in euros. There are two reasons for this:
- On the one hand, taxes in Europe are higher than in the United States. You generally pay higher prices here than abroad.
- On the other hand, prices in the United States are calculated without taxes, since each state has a different system. Depending on the location, buyers pay a certain amount of tax in addition to the $ 69.99.
Interestingly, however, this difference only exists in the prices of the games. The console itself costs exactly the same in euros and dollars, each 499.99.
By the way, if you want to buy one of the two PS5 consoles, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Because pre-orders are so chaotic and with many vendors, the PS5 is currently out of stock.
