crissindahouse said:
the difference is that you get a much better gpu for 100 more (that's what microsoft could spend more so it's much better than you buying two gpu's with 100 difference) and for 100 less the gpu is a joke...the gpu costs 80 dollar nowadays what do you think what the production costs are and what they will be in a few years? 10 dollars or so? oh man yeah what a great gpu... it's not like you would need 1000 euro gpu's but the console should be at least not outdated one year before release wtf? and i still have no clue why everyone thinks the next 100 years the consoles have to have the same price which makes no sense and is not possible but yeah i had this discussion so many time with inflation, higher income and blabla it makes no sense to talk with console gamers about that. do you know how much less it would be in 2013 to pay the same price than we had to pay in 2005? if the prices were too high in 2005/2006 for the new consoles than the same price in 2013 should be ok. for example i will get like 22% more loan than i got in 2005 if my boss will increase my loan the next time like he did the last years. i mean if game prices will stay the same this will be even crazier. paying the same for games and console like one gen before? wow gaming is getting much cheaper then! |
The price of gaming hardware has consistently gone down which falls in line with the entire tech industry's "get more for less" trend that is as consistent as Moore's Law. Last year's laptop may have the same price as this year's, but it will have better specs and adjusted for inflation, will actually cost less.
Sony set the bar at $299 with the PS1 in 1994, and the Dreamcast set the bar shortly at $399 over ten years ago before dropping it back to $299 in an attempt to match the $299 PS2. MS stuck with the $399 price, offering a $299 option for the Xbox 360 and then Sony deviated wildly with a $599/499 price that didn't go over well with anyone even though with a price adjusted for inflation, it wasn't that much more than a $299 Playstation 1 back in 1994.
It's already proven that the majority of consumers aren't willing to pay more than $299-399 for a gaming console, regardless of what else it does.
That leaves it up to the hardware designers/manufacturers to come up with new hardware using available technology (rather than paying for the R&D for all new technology) that can be sold at the same price as the previous models. Just going off the laptop analogy alone, it's not that difficult unless you're introducing some previously non-existing exclusive technology that was paid for by the company releasing the console. The R&D goes into optimization and customization of the existing technology and working out how all those components work together as an integrated design.
So yes; gaming hardware is getting cheaper to produce as it always has. Software is where the real profits and revenue lie, same as always. Peripherals and controllers will remain big profit makers, same as always. And now platform producers also have online services as a major source of revenue and profits.
So don't feel bad for asking more for less from any of the console manufacturers when it comes to hardware. That's just Moore's Law in effect.
