DS and PSP game prices

[rustyjaw]

I was messing around at EBgames.com when I noticed menu entries for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. I was a little surprised to see list prices for the games set at $49.99. Is that just a kind of default number before the pricing is officially set, or can we expect these games to retail for $50?

[Camp]

I've seen retailiers offering guesses of $49 as well. I suspect $39 initially but hope for $29 (especially for the DS). The DS info will be released pretty soon, I suspect.

[The Daisy]

My guess would be $30 to $35 for the DS. That seems to have been Nintendo's price point for portable games for quite some time now.

 

Sony is anyones guess. I'd probably bet $39.99 for their first party titles, but who knows?

 

Glen

[JFo]

I'm extremely interested in the price point for these two systems, both in terms of hardware and software. My gut feeling tells me that if a game runs on a system that's almost as powerful as a PS2 (as with the PSP) or a little more powerful than the N64 (as is the case with the NDS) we should expect to see games at the $50 mark, even if it is just a handheld system.

 

Still, I can't help but think that prices like that would be bad for both systems. Unless there's been a dramatic shift in who plays handheld games, the market has favored handhelds with less impressive technology and cheaper software. Hence, the Game Boy has continuned to reign supreme for over 15 years against numerous competitors with better technology. We'll see, I guess.

[rustyjaw]

Originally posted by gwhinwi@Aug 2 2004, 08:53 PM

My guess would be $30 to $35 for the DS. That seems to have been Nintendo's price point for portable games for quite some time now.

 

Sony is anyones guess. I'd probably bet $39.99 for their first party titles, but who knows?

I agree Glen that Sony would likely retail PSP games for more, afterall haven't they said they are going after an older audience with the PSP (meaning those on average with more cash?).

 

But then I wonder how desperate Sony is to try and get a big chunk of the handheld market. Enough to low-ball game prices? Probably not, but it's fun to imagine, briefly

[Sam P]

afterall haven't they said they are going after an older audience with the PSP (meaning those on average with more cash?).

 

That's exactly what I take it to mean. I doubt they will low-ball any PSP prices (hardware or otherwise). They justify it with movie/music capability and see it as a sort of premium portable entertainment thingy. That's the vibe I get, anyway.

[Big Daddy Bling Bling]

I'd be dissuaded from buying either system if software was at the $49.99 price point. I find the current $29.99 on GBA games to be too much anyway, and the only time I'll buy a new release is when it's on sale for $24.99 and I can knock it down to $19.99 at Best Buy with a coupon.

 

If the GBA software is any indication, I think we'll see a lot of retreads of N64 games on the DS, and PS2 games on the PSP. Considering how hard it already is to keep up with the releases as an Xbox/GC/PS2 owner, it would be pretty tough to make a tradeoff and buy a portable game that's the same price as a new release console game.