Episode #525 - Uncharted: The Brick Wall

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  PC games are, on average, $5-10 cheaper than on console and the reason is licensing. For a game to appear on the PS4, Sony charges a $5-10 license fee just to publish a game for the system. Even Indie games on the PSN network are more because Sony gets their cut.

  The other question was why do digital games cost so much if they don’t have to print a physical copy. A published game costs about $4 to print and ship to a wholesaler who buys it for $35. The wholesaler sells the game to the retailer for about $48. You pay $60 at Best Buy. You would think that cutting out the middle man would let us buy games for $40 or less direct from Sony (or MS). Contracts with manufacturers keep direct sales inflated to guarantee shelf space in the retail stores. Some states even have laws against direct physical sales without going through a wholesaler. Retailers pay for good lobbyists.

  Bmullz Reply August 29, 2017 at 11:34 pm
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    “PC games are, on average, $5-$10 cheaper than on console.” I’m sorry, but that’s just not the case anymore. It USED to be the case when retailers regularly stocked physical PC games along side console games, for the reasons you mentioned (licensing to console holders). Now that PC games are more or less ubiquitous with Steam, Steam acts as it’s own platform holder and the prices are the same without sales or buying from third party key sites. Just look at the “Top Sellers” from Steam and compare the prices to PSN:

    -XCOM 2: War of the Chosen; $39.99 (Steam), $39.99 (PSN)
    -Sonic Mania; $19.99 (Steam), $19.99 (PSN)
    -Rocket League; $19.99 (Steam); $19.99 (PSN)
    -Absolver; $29.99 (Steam); $29.99 (PSN)
    -Prey; $59.99 (Steam); $59.99 (PSN)

    And so on. Doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s AAA or indie, the prices are the same. The most baffling one is Grand Theft Auto 5 is still $60…

    AbsoluteDeicide Reply August 30, 2017 at 8:54 am
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      Don’t know, steam sales seem to hit a lot more than ms/ps sales, and we can’t forget code sites… triple A games like Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege also give you 40 dollar (and 15 dollar) options on PC vs 60 only on console.

      Michelle Madison Reply September 5, 2017 at 12:24 am
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        I mentioned the code sites and sales, I’m just saying: standard, buying direct from Microsoft/Sony/Steam, regular price there is USUALLY no difference where you buy from. There’s nothing about PC games that make them inherently cheaper (anymore, since everything has gone digital).
        If you want to get in the weeds about options to buy games at lower prices, yes: PC has more because of the nature of PCs. But then you get into the whole mess of PS Plus (Rocket League debuted “free” there…), Games With Gold, etc. etc…. and both Xbox and PlayStation have “Rewards” programs where you get 10% back from what you spend, and on and on…
        To keep it as simple and clear as possible: new game, buying direct = little to no difference.

        AbsoluteDeicide Reply September 5, 2017 at 12:00 pm
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  As much shit as John gets for being gay for Mario, it sounds like Michelle might have had some hedgehog awakenings in her impressionable days…

  I keep hearing how much cheaper PC games are than console games, but generally if they’re brand new and you buy them directly from Steam or wherever, it’s usually the same price; AAA games are $60 regardless with few exceptions. You see the big discrepancies with the code sites, but the bulk of that is not because of free or stolen keys (John), it’s a combination of taking advantage of regional pricing and currency exchange rates: http://www.pcgamer.com/the-weird-ecomomics-behind-steam-prices-around-the-world/

  And Matt’s game looks cool. The underwater/Lovecraftian vibe is right up my alley.

  AbsoluteDeicide Reply August 24, 2017 at 12:58 pm
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    Men liking something childish is more gay than a woman liking something childish. Also I don’t have sonic underwear. 😉 Sidenote: I consider Overwatch an AAA game and it was 40 on pc and only the 60 dollar versi0n on console. -Michelle on phone and not logged in.

    Anonymous Reply August 24, 2017 at 5:56 pm
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      Ehhh… at least Mario is a human. It’s because of people like you that they sell furry costumes at Walmart. (Kidding; I was a scummy Sega kid, too.)

      AbsoluteDeicide Reply August 25, 2017 at 11:48 am
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        Haha. “Ewwwwwww”

        Michelle Madison Reply August 25, 2017 at 10:47 pm
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  I didn’t know Matt was a gingerbeard. That explains a lot.

  Bmullz Reply August 23, 2017 at 5:21 am