Atari to next-gen pricing: GTFO

[Joust Williams]

Games cost more to make now. First, better voice acting is hired. Second, the art takes longer to develop because there is more of it. Third, levels take much longer to build. Fourth, more money is spent in QA. etc etc etc

A big reason why games sell for much less in the Asian market is because of piracy. Japan isn't cheaper. Companies aren't really trying to make money in Asia...just lose less of it.

[JefmcC]

EVERYTHING that is supposedly new about next gen console games is old news in computer gaming.

Sure, I love the high res textures and awesome lighting effects. But don't tell me it suddenly costs more to develop that stuff.

[Yoshi]

Especially when the PC versions, which still look better than the 360 versions if you have the right hardware, are $20 cheaper too.

[Joust Williams]

I'm not saying the hike to 60 dollars has anything to do with anything other than "new system"...but games cost more to make now.

[Diff-chan]

It does... highER res textures, bettER lighting effects. Require a more advanced engine which requires more programmers. To cite your example, computer games... cost a shitload to make. World of Warcraft cost about $50 million. Half-Life 2? probably not a whole lot less (and the non-tard pack of that over Steam was $60+). And PC games aren't even selling that great.

It's just more of everything. Enough to justify a price hike? Maybe, maybe not - of course we will say no but the companies will say yes and nobody is doing any studies into it so it just becomes ideological.

[Jeremy]

I think the "it's new hardware, so $60 is a fair price" excuse should've died the second stuff came out for the 360 at $40. I'm glad to see $40 become more of a standard price for 360 games, it just gives MS another advantage over Sony for the looming system war, and it'll result in more games for less money (like this gen) if it continues.

[Joust Williams]

You wouldn't have a problem with it if you'd stop spending 30 dollars on "Ass Spelunkers XIX" or whatever it is up to now on PS2.

[Geen]

If it's a game I really want I'll pay the money for it.
The ideal prices for games are thirty dollars or less for handheld games and forty dollars or less for console games.

Both the PSP and XB360 have very small collections on my shelf because I'm less willing to take a risk on a title due to the higher price tag, while the DS and PS2/GC/XB have nice size collections going because I took the chance and ended up liking the title.
I rented Tomb Raider Legends, really enjoyed it, and then bought it thinking there was still a good amount of game play left only to find out I was on the last level while I was renting it. Thank god for hard mode, time trails and achievements to do because a sixty dollar game should keep me busy and wanting to come back and replay more than just once.

[Drewbacca]

No I don't. I think the basic know how for making modern videogames is pretty well established. IMO, the learning curve is not what we are led to believe.

It's actually easier / faster for most modellers to create models for a high polygon count. In most cases they're required to "dumb down" their model in the end for power limitations anyway (which takes longer, and solving the creative problem with steeper limitations also takes longer). It's much harder to render a detailed pirate head in 5000 polygons as it is if you have 20,000. The entire polygon count arguement is bullshit anyway once you get up high enough anyway since the differenciation between 30,000 poly's and 40,000 poly's isn't as big a deal as it is between 5,000 vs. 20,000. Once you have enough of them to work with and you have your main features rendered on the model the rest is just gravy.

I remember reading an article on CG Talk with this. A lot of the modellers were claiming BS on the "better graphics mean more time" claim. It's not exactly true.

They're just referring to the modelling and animation side of things though. Dynamic animations, procedural content, new technology R&D probably eat up the more time for more sophisticated hardware.

I only buy a game if it's truly of value to me. Ten extra dollars isn't going to deter me. I buy like 2, maybe 3 games a year though so I'm considered a very discretionary buyer.

[Joust Williams]

Well maybe the modellers should know that better graphics doesn't just mean "more polygons". It means higher resolution textures, more textures, more models, etc etc.