R1,000 for a video game has become a normal expense for South African gamers

[Jamie McKane]

R1,000 for a video game has become a normal expense for South African gamers

The overall decline of the South African rand means gamers have become used to the prices of video games, consoles, and other hardware increasing over time.

Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have affected prices even more, with the cost of PC hardware components increasing notably since the beginning of the year.

 

[|tera|]

I don't see how pricing of games reflects "acceptance" of prices.
Many gamers currently would settle for one "good" game if money is tight. Whereas if it was more affordable, more games, services etc. would be bought.

I do see a trend in PS4 games dropping by price though.
I hope this continues, so that people could get a PS4 once the PS5 is released. (those with tight budgets).

 

[genetic]

Most AAA titles have been around R1000 for a few years already.

 

[|tera|]

Most AAA titles have been around R1000 for a few years already.

Denuvo is the btch that keeps PC gamers buying these days

 

[Bryn]

EA Play's PC subscription service is R1.2k a year and you get all their games incl. premium versions. Uplay+ is €15 a month, also for the premium editions of all their games. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is R150 a month and includes a metric ton of games for Xbox and PC.

You don't have to spend a lot on games.

 

[hj007]

Uh... No. Using a combination of Steam, free Epic game store releases, and deal websites you pay so little for legitimate games on PC. In fact there are more games to play than time. It used to be that pirating or going to the flea market resulted in a huge saving, but these days games are so cheap on PC its unnecessary. Unless of course you cant wait for a release and you need to pre order

 

[CataclysmZA]

With the way things are going, I only buy games on sale now. New releases aren't as big of a draw as they used to be, except when we're talking Playstation exclusives.

 

[wizardofid]

I refuse to pay more then R200 a game, I am still waiting for shadow of the tomb raider to drop in price before getting it.They still want R800 bucks for it here, so they can Foff nearly 2 years later and almost zero price decrease.I can wait another year if I have to, dying to play, but not at at that price nearly 2 years later.Might go hunting on 3rd party websites next year and get it in dollars which is some times cheaper then the whacked steam pricing we get.

Same thing happened with both 2013 tomb raider and rise of the tomb raider only got it several years later or on a really good special.

Last game I got new was borderlands presequel at preoder price of R399.00.

 

[Swa]

It's not the exchange rate. Take a look at the Dollar prices as well. We were told that prices would come down to buy in to digital distribution but instead the opposite happened with publishers seeing another market that would be wiling to pay their excessive prices.

 

[Bryn]

I refuse to pay more then R200 a game, I am still waiting for shadow of the tomb raider to drop in price before getting it.They still want R800 bucks for it here, so they can Foff nearly 2 years later and almost zero price decrease.I can wait another year if I have to, dying to play, but not at at that price nearly 2 years later.Might go hunting on 3rd party websites next year and get it in dollars which is some times cheaper then the whacked steam pricing we get.

Same thing happened with both 2013 tomb raider and rise of the tomb raider only got it several years later or on a really good special.

Last game I got new was borderlands presequel at preoder price of R399.00.

All the Tomb Raider games were included in Game Pass for PC - you should have just subscribed to that. Each one was also given away in Humble Monthly, so I had them both in Steam and the Xbox app.

 

[wizardofid]

All the Tomb Raider games were included in Game Pass for PC - you should have just subscribed to that. Each one was also given away in Humble Monthly, so I had them both in Steam and the Xbox app.

I am not going to subscribe to monthly humble bundle, I would just collect a bunch games I will likely never play I have over 500 games on steam already I don't need more, I am extremely selective on games these days.

I basically want two games shadow of tomb raider and ori and will of the wisps which I am getting month end reasonable price of R175.00 bucks.Don't even care about borderlands 3 which I will wait for as well.

 

[Bryn]

I am not going to subscribe to monthly humble bundle, I would just collect a bunch games I will likely never play I have over 500 games on steam already I don't need more, I am extremely selective on games these days.

I basically want two games shadow of tomb raider and ori and will of the wisps which I am getting month end reasonable price of R175.00 bucks.Don't even care about borderlands 3 which I will wait for as well.

Humble Monthly used to be a must-have. At least one AAA title worth owning every month. But I cancelled earlier this year when it was clear that the glory days were gone. It's been crap ever since.

Ori is in the Game Pass for PC as well. You really should just stop stressing about how and when you can play games and just get on with playing them. R150 a month is a steal for what you get, especially if you own/buy an Xbox. There's no need for waiting and sales and all that. You could have long since finished all the Tomb Raider games, but they've been removed now.

If you haven't subscribed before you'll get your first month for $1 on top of all that.

 

[|tera|]

All the Tomb Raider games were included in Game Pass for PC - you should have just subscribed to that. Each one was also given away in Humble Monthly, so I had them both in Steam and the Xbox app.

I'm still numb/dull about Game Pass.
Are certain games free in the sub, and others you need higher access on GP?

Do you get a special price, because it's on GP?
Do you actually 'own' any of the games on GP?
Are games just part of the sub, but you can only play them while you sub?

It may sound like a bunch of daft questions, but I think the entire GP portal needs a revamp.

The actual site and sales pitch looks as if it was contracted to be done by an :engrish' developer. The grammar, tenses, explanations and FAQ are ridiculous beyond belief. There's so many mistakes, I would be embarrassed to be MS.

 

[My_King]

I refuse to pay more then R200 a game, I am still waiting for shadow of the tomb raider to drop in price before getting it.They still want R800 bucks for it here, so they can Foff nearly 2 years later and almost zero price decrease.I can wait another year if I have to, dying to play, but not at at that price nearly 2 years later.Might go hunting on 3rd party websites next year and get it in dollars which is some times cheaper then the whacked steam pricing we get.

Same thing happened with both 2013 tomb raider and rise of the tomb raider only got it several years later or on a really good special.

Last game I got new was borderlands presequel at preoder price of R399.00.

Be glad you are not a Nintendo fan.

 

[|tera|]

Be glad you are not a Nintendo fan.

I Nintendo.
Wish I had a Switch

 

[My_King]

I Nintendo.
Wish I had a Switch

Then I think you know, their first party titles hardly goes on sale.

Still hoping for a massive decrease in Mario Oddesy. I want to see what the hype was about.

Only the crap goes on sale like:

Pokémon Ultra Sun (3DS)

Click here to buy Pokémon Ultra Sun for 3DS and find more of your favourites video games in Raru's Online Video Games Store.

raru.co.za

 

[wizardofid]

Humble Monthly used to be a must-have. At least one AAA title worth owning every month. But I cancelled earlier this year when it was clear that the glory days were gone. It's been crap ever since.

Ori is in the Game Pass for PC as well. You really should just stop stressing about how and when you can play games and just get on with playing them. R150 a month is a steal for what you get, especially if you own/buy an Xbox. There's no need for waiting and sales and all that. You could have long since finished all the Tomb Raider games, but they've been removed now.

If you haven't subscribed before you'll get your first month for $1 on top of all that.

I am not subscribing to a game service, when half the games I haven't even played, this is my main steam account I have a secondary steam account as well with a few stuff.When I say I am selective and do not subscribe to game services it is for a very good reason.Even if I end up paying more, or have to wait, I am not going to waste R150.00 a month and some times not using it, I want a copy in my library when I am good and ready for it.

I do game development, currently busy with a major project the last 3 months so averaging 10-12 hours a day little less in winter because it is fing cold, and this project will keep me busy for the next 3-4 months. So end of the day I don't want to play games because I have been working with them the entire day.Weekends I chill, it is only after I have completed projects that I have some time to play a few games in between smaller projects, and that time is getting less and less. I have not completed a single game this year, played about 4 ish games.

So a subscription service is a waste, as I don't have the 6-7 hours at a time to play games any more to get money's worth from the subscription service.

Sign In

steamcommunity.com

 

[|tera|]

Then I think you know, their first party titles hardly goes on sale.

Still hoping for a massive decrease in Mario Oddesy. I want to see what the hype was about.

Only the crap goes on sale like:

Pokémon Ultra Sun (3DS)

Click here to buy Pokémon Ultra Sun for 3DS and find more of your favourites video games in Raru's Online Video Games Store.

raru.co.za

Yep.

I've got a Wii.
I've had 2 3DS'.
Pricey, but worth it.
I might look for a cheap Switch though.
If I could play BOTW I'd be sold.

 

[wizardofid]

Be glad you are not a Nintendo fan.

I am a nes fan lol. I have a PSP with NES homebrew, the new switch stuff couldn't be bothered.The last time I touched a console was a PS2 about 12 years ago or so, wasn't mine and just assisted a friend with need for speed underground at the time changing the camera angle.

The last consoled I owned bar the PSP was a NES machine back in the 90's, I haven't touched or seen any of the new consoles since the PS2. lol

 

[Bryn]

I'm still numb/dull about Game Pass.
Are certain games free in the sub, and others you need higher access on GP?

Do you get a special price, because it's on GP?
Do you actually 'own' any of the games on GP?
Are games just part of the sub, but you can only play them while you sub?

It may sound like a bunch of daft questions, but I think the entire GP portal needs a revamp.

The actual site and sales pitch looks as if it was contracted to be done by an :engrish' developer. The grammar, tenses, explanations and FAQ are ridiculous beyond belief. There's so many mistakes, I would be embarrassed to be MS.

You get special prices for game upgrades, where special editions exist or DLC, but otherwise you don't have to spend any additional money. The only game I've spent more on was Forza Horizon 4, because it's one of the best games I've ever played and I wanted all the available DLC (as well as a standalone copy).

Like all subscriptions, you can access Game Pass games whilst you have an active subscription. You can subscribe for $1, with normal billing resuming from the second month. It will cost you almost nothing to check it out.

I am not subscribing to a game service, when half the games I haven't even played, this is my main steam account I have a secondary steam account as well with a few stuff.When I say I am selective and do not subscribe to game services it is for a very good reason.Even if I end up paying more, or have to wait, I am not going to waste R150.00 a month and some time not use it at all a month, I want a copy in my library when I am good and ready for it.

I do game development, currently busy with a major project the last 3 months so averaging 10-12 hours a day little less in winter because it is fing cold, and this project will keep me busy for the next 3-4 months. So end of the day I don't want to play games because I have been working with them the entire day.Weekends I chill, it is only after I have completed projects they I have some time to play a few games in between smaller projects, and that time is getting less and less. I have not completed a single game this year, play about 4 ish games.

So a subscription service is a waste, as I don't have the 6-7 hours at a time to play games any more to get money's worth from the subscription service.

Sign In

steamcommunity.com

But you've already described a personal shopping scenario that leaves you substantially worse off than just subscribing to Game Pass. You're not acting in your best self-interest here.

R150 is only $8.63 atm. About the cost of a Slack account. And you get an absolute ton of games, and soon even xCloud for streaming your games to any device. With the first month being R15.

At almost any time over the last year, you could have paid R15 to play all the Tomb Raider games. The Ori games are still available. And once finished, you wouldn't dwell on them because there would be such a vast assortment of excellent games to move on to from there. It's basically impossible to stand still with Game Pass. If you don't play much in a given month, it really doesn't matter. You need to play so little to justify R150, and the months where you're able to hammer the service would more than make up for quiet months.

There isn't any product in the world of gaming with the value of Game Pass Ultimate. It's so insane it will single-handedly drive Xbox Series X sales. It's the only reason I'll be buying one ahead of the PS5.