yeah that's true, people rather like to take a "pay 99€ upfront and then 20€ per month for the next 24 months" offer instead of a "pay for this 500€ product with 24 installments of 21€" lol.

US-centric and Euro-centric argument doesn't fly with me. As long as currencies float relative to each other, and vary in value, using any particular currency will suffer the same problem - if you tell me that something costs US$100, most of the time I'll have to load up google and ask it what 100 USD is in AUD. Just because US dollars are easier for YOU to think of, doesn't mean it's true of everyone.

Yes it will without a single problem. All the extra costs will be charged on the client anyway. Trust me, I'm a lawyer, I know how it works, this is everyday stuff for us. There are special simplified procedures when you have a contract and the other party doesn't pay, in many coutries such cases are dealt with even without a meeting in the court.

That's just your problem. You guys know what US $100 tranfers into in Australia, you know that say a US $50 game is AU $80, right? I don't know the relations in your country and I don't care about them. Even if in real world US 1$ = AU 1$, that tells us nothing, cause as you said earlier in the topic you guys include tax and like us Europeans, you get ripped off for games and consoles, so people outside of Australia really have no clue as to what AU$ 100 actually means. That's why you should use a currency that is widely used, recognised and that allows everyone to understand what a given price actually means. I'm not giving you prices in my currency, you shouldn't be using yours, cause it means nothing to people outside of your country and this is an international forum. It's a manner of basic respect for other users.

The only reason I know the US$50 thing is because I often argue the point, and like to point out how badly Australia has been ripped off. Most Australians wouldn't have a clue. And in the end, much of the time, I'd have to look up what the equivalent is, because it's not always consistent. NSMB U, apparently, costs US$60... it costs AU$80. But some of the US$60 games cost AU$90, and many cost AU$110 (although that's for 360 and PS3 games). It does not equate directly.

And I really don't see why the US currency should get priority. Why not use the yen? After all, two of the three major companies involved in these discussions are Japanese, as are about 70% of the major publishers. I take great umbrage at the idea that the Euro or the US dollar should get some sort of special treatment.

It's not like the article didn't provide a reference point to help you - it quite clearly refers, further down the page, to a $600 console. To me, it's a much bigger mark of respect for other users to NOT treat them like children who can't handle alternate currencies, because the vast majority should be capable of either deducing the equivalence through context or opening up google and checking it for themselves.

It could be an attractive option for many people depending on the price. The bad part is just like phones or cable, you're stuck with services or equipment you don't want but have to pay for. The 360 contract plan was actually a good deal when you factored in the extended warranty, but if you don't give a crap about extended warranties, then it would seem less like a good deal. So it depends on whether Sony would go a similar route as MS, charge an upfront small fee and then after all is said and done you pay a reasonable amount... or if they go Rent-A-Center or other rent to own businesses route and for a $500 console you end up paying $1800. **** that.

And btw MS still does that contract thing, you can do it at Gamestop. I think they have even added a 250GB non-Kinect option.

It doesn't matter what average Australians know. It matters what people using this forum know. It's a standard here that we talk about prices in US$ or Euro and that these are the reference points. When you talk about PS4 costing AU$600 I have no idea what it means, to what price it may transfer in other markets and knowing the exchange rate doesn't help me at all, unless you're saying PS4 is going to cost US$600, cause this is what we'll end up after "searching in google".

In this very post you yourself said that a game that costs US$60 is sometimes AU$80, sometimes AU$90, sometimes 100 or 110. So what kind of reference point can your price be for us? Your numbers tell us nothing and it's not because we don't know the exchange rates, so stop using that stupid argument about searching something in google! US$250 Wii was AU$400, US$300 Wii U is AU$350 - what can I possibly search in google to get any kind of reference to what a given price means to the world market or to my market? The prices in your currency mean and tell nothing to people outside of your country so just face the facts - Australia is a tiny market and gets pretty much random prices (and I feel sorry for you because of that), so can't be considered any kind of a reference point and giving prices in your currency is pointless. Just try to control your ridiculous patriotism and bear with the facts. The reason we stick to US$ and Euro is because these are the two biggest markets and 1$=1 Euro when it comes to consoles and games, so it's easy for everyone to understand what is going on and the relations between prices of different things. A price given in US$ or Euro is the price for pretty much 2/3 of the world's market, so this is the single most important number for us. Prices in other markets are derived from this one, not the other way round. Moreover everyone knows more or less the relation between his/her currency and at least one of the two. Just respect that and make everyone's life easier or stick to Australian forums if you feel so offended when asked to use a currency that other users actually can refer to and understand.

And may I remind you - in my country we use neither US$ nor Euro, still I use these currencies and don't act like an a-hole trying to force other people to google the exchange rate to my currency and search for all the other subtle-yet-affecting-the-price differences between my market and the US/Euro market.

Ah, but what kind of reference point can US prices be for us, when it fluctuates so much? That's the problem - no matter which currency you choose, it's not going to provide a solid reference point for everyone.

As for your comment about it being a forum, I'm going to point out something really important again: This came from an article. Pezus didn't come up with the OP, he copied it from a website (and provided a link to said website). Are you suggesting that Pezus edits somebody else's article? Or that a person writing an article doesn't have the right to use whichever currency they want?

I'm in the same position as you are and the US price is a very good indicator for me. When I hear the US price, I know what to expect in my country and I'm pretty sure you feel more or less the same. It's not the case when I hear the AU price - this number tells me absolutely nothing and that's the biggest difference and reason why we all should stick to something everyone can relate to. And if you're not buying this, then just accept the fact, that Australia is tiny and has it's crazy ways, while the rest of the world is huge and in this forum we're focusing on world sales, not just the fickle Australian market.

I didn't notice it was an article, my bad. But he could at least include a rough explanation as to what these prices mean in the rest of the world, something understandable for other people - that's what I would do. Still, the OP wasn't the only post in which you were talking about AU$, hence my postulate.

You might think, but the phone business doesn't work that way, and they're not only more profitable, they draw in more customers because of that model, even customers who really have no business having smart phones based on their needs and use ( i worked in cell phones) .