Gilgamesh said:
I think $500 is at a resonable price point, I've seen the "average" consumer spend way more on less. $700 is clearly to much thinking back at it I probably could of waited a lot longer, there's still plenty of PS2 games I've yet to play (not to mention my car was worth $500 at the time lol). But still I'd easily go out and buy a $499 console right now without a worry, so most of the average consumers shouldn't have a big problem. |
May I ask your age and how much of your wages go toward bills and the cost of living every month? You're trying to make yourself Johnny Everyman, but you're speaking from a personal perspective. If most people could easily afford a $500 console, then the PS3 wouldn't have had it's issues for the first two or three years, and you never would have made this thread in the first place.
At 26 years old, I'm paying for (half of) an apartment + electric + water, two student loans, a phone bill, car insurance, gasoline, groceries, the tab on dining out at least once a week, and tithe to my church. Oh yeah, I just bought a car and laptop, so I must add a couple more monthly payments to the list. When I was part time, it would have taken me more than half a year to save up enough for a $500 console + one game. And that's assuming nothing else in life gets in the way, like it so often does. Do you think the average person in that position would take 6-10 months to save up for one console when there are cheaper alternatives to entertainment?
Also keep in mind that I don't have a wife or kids to worry about, but many do. Throw them in the mix and a $500 console would be a complete no-no for many, even at full-time employment. All of a sudden, that $350 more family-friendly Wii U looks a bit more attractive.
You've seen the "average" consumer spend more than $500, but on what though? Like others have said in this thread, people are a lot quicker to spend on tablets, laptops and phones because they are actually conducive to being productive and are at the core of our everyday lives. They are largely now seen as things we can't live without, whereas video games always have been and still are seen as high-priced hobbyist toys. When my old laptop went out, I went and got a new one that same day, because I couldn't imagine my life without one. If my video game consoles all die suddenly, I'll be cool for a while.
Oh, and the economy was fine in 2006. It wasn't until mid-2007 that things started getting bad, and late 2007 or early 2008 where things fell off a cliff and really opened people's eyes. A $500 console is expensive no matter how you spin it.
