Some people think the price of Labo is too high because the development costs must have been quite low. But there are two major flaws with this logic:

1) We don't know how high the development costs are. Simple as that. Guessing and comparing to other titles won't work here because Labo is not comparable at all.

2) It doesn't even matter how high they have been in the end, because the only thing that matters is the price and the perceived value the consumer expects from a purchase. If the perceived value doesn't match the price tag, then you simply don't buy it. End of story. If you think that the price is okay and you will enjoy many hours with it, you buy it.

Production costs have nothing to do in this thinking process because the consumer should never be the one who needs to iron out how little a developer can handle money. The consumer should never feel the need to help the developer recoup on the production costs. The consumer shouldn't care if the oh so poor developer spent oh so many work into this game and it cost oh so many big piles of money. Because if we applied this method of thinking to other games, we would see that Destiny, FFXV or Duke Nukem Forever must had a price of several hundreds of $. But they don't. Strange, isn't it?

Back to Labo: yes, there is a correlation between the price and the sales volume. Everybody understands that. Labo sells, but it doesn't set the world on fire. If the price was lower, it could sell more units, obviously. But all I'm saying is that if you really want to lament on the price, then lament on the content and not on the production values. And even then, the content and the value you get out of it is completely up to you. It gives you the tools, you just need to use them by yourself.

That is precisely my point hence why I gave the example of GOW. Value is in the eye of the beholder. Let those willing to pay for Labo do so and simply say  it is not your own particular kind of gravy. Not try to say people are stupid for their pricing of something an individual has no interest in.

At the end of the day, Labo is outselling GOW in Japan which would suggest they believe it is worth that amount more than GOW is worth its price.

Labo might not be doing as well as some currently think it should but there is no basis to attack it on its pricing. Anything can be attacked on pricing because our value systems are different.

So as a customer you never looked at any product and thought the price was to high because it didn't look like it costed a lot to make it? May surprise you, but that is the main thing in consumer electronics and reason me and a lot of people avoid iPhones.

So if we can let those willing to pay why shouldn't we let those willing or wishing to complain or label it a rip-off do it? He didn't say people are stupid, he said Nintendo is ripping them off.

Yes sure, GoW have sold so much every entry in Japan right?

Some? You are pretending to live under the rock to not see the high expectations not being met in several places as reported in VHC?

There is basis for attack and you just ignored it. Or do you see production cost and value put in those softwares to validate the pricetag?

No, I compare the price to how much I want to have a certain product and what alternatives there are.

Doesn't surprise me anymore since you've already mentioned that like a thousand times. Funny side note: I avoid iPhones, too. High Five. For different reasons, though, but still.

No, I compare the price to how much I want to have a certain product and what alternatives there are.

Doesn't surprise me anymore since you've already mentioned that like a thousand times. Funny side note: I avoid iPhones, too. High Five. For different reasons, though, but still.

1.

I don't recall saying anyone who wants to complain should not. I have only questioned the basis on which their complaint is made. Those who feel they are being ripped off already have a recourse.......They should not buy the product.

I do like your spin on the claim that Nintendo ripping people off though, from where I stand Saying those who buy Labo are stupid and that Nintendo is ripping them off are exactly one and the same. It assumes a patronising position that those people buying Labo are not smart enough to figure it out for themselves that they are being ripped off.

2.

You say GOW have sold so much every entry but then overlook the fact that Labo is not only a new game but is also a totally new concept as to its creative aspect which will take time to be understood and accepted hence why it shouldn't be judged hastily.

3. Yes, 'some' meaning 'not all'. Need I explain that any further ? If you wan't to believe that everyone believes that Labo has underperformed, then you are very welcome. If you need specifics on the spread of those who believe it has underperformed and those who believe it is well on track, you are welcome to put up a poll.

4. There is a basis to attack 'anything' so that isn't saying much really. And yes, I do see production costs and value in the software to validate its price tag even if I am currently not interested in it myself, furthermore you don't need to ask me that question, you can ask all those who have bought it in Japan to put it above GOW sales or those who have bought it in the US to make it one of the top selling software for the month according to NPD.

Different customers thinks differently. So the fact that you don't look at estimate cost before thinking you got a good value for your bang doesn't make that true for majority of the market.

Different customers thinks differently. So the fact that you don't look at estimate cost before thinking you got a good value for your bang doesn't make that true for majority of the market.

1 - By saying they have ONE option you basically are removing them the right to complain, you know that on a free market everyone is both free to buy/not buy and also complain/props any product right?

You reach to make both the same, that is on you not on anyone else. No one said customer are stupid for buying something just because they are saying Nintendo is ripping them off. There are several types of customers and reasons to buy something, and sometimes a person even thinks is being ripped off buy will buy anywway because wants to have. The OP is saying he was ripped off, do you think he is also saying he is stupid?

2 - You are mixing points in there. GoW have sold low on Japan on every entry so no one was surprised that this entry also done low on Japan. But sure for the Japanese market they don't see value on the game even if they were to see the cost. If the ones that bought or not felt ripped off I can't tell since I'm not in Japan to ask.

3 - A lot of unmoved inventory WW shows that the ones that matter (Nintendo and stores) for projections had higher expectations. If you had lower and is positively surprised by the sales it isn't of my concern.

4 - It wasn't a month of high sales in NPD for SW and you can see the very low if any impact it had for the Switch. But if you want to believe it sold incredible good for you.

Next are you going to say CoD is a failure compared to Splatoon because it sold less in Japan?

Same goes to you. I just pointed out that production costs never justify any price.

1. Read my post again, and take note of the part that says everybody has a right to complain but also others have a right to challenge them on what they are complaining about since they additionally have an option to spend their money as they wish to buy or not to buy.

2. That point is irrelevant, the point is that if a person uses the fact that they consider Labo to have sold low numbers as a reason to say it is a rip off, then the verdict is loud and clear from Japan that GOW (the entire series) is a rip off. That point is solely about the concept that the value one attaches to something is largely based on the utility it provides for them. In this case 'Enjoyment and Relaxation'.

3. That is your own assumption on the stock inventory situation, I have also heard alternative explanations for example that inventories are based on retailer projections. Labo is new, so it is well within the realm of possibility that projections are off some people's expectations.

4. Another assumption on your part, that the generally low sales affects every single game SKU which you cannot actually be definitive on until you have actual numbers for sale. In terms of relative performance though, in the month Labo has done well.

I am not in the business of saying a game is a failure until it has enough time in the market to make such judgements. I can make a distinction between outstanding sales, middling sales and a flop. I would call neither Splatoon nor COD a flop. I leave that to those who are prone to questionable judgements based on their platform affiliations.

Where did I say production costs justify any price? What I said is that if I see a price that is much higher than the cost I won't buy because I would feel ripped-off.

1 - Unfortunately you phrased it much more as they shouldn't complain, they should just not buy it. But last I remind opinions aren't facts to be challenged. Or do you expect people to say you are feeling wrong whenever you say a feeling you have?

2 - Your point makes zero sense, the product isn't restricted to Japan and almost every full game release for 60USD. Labo isn't a full game, and is 80USD.

3 - My own assumption? Funny that you agreed with me that their projections were over what they actually sold, so that basically agrees with the relevant parties having higher projection than the sales.

4 - What assumption? I have talked about Switch not having a bump in sales, check NPD and see how much it sold (almost on pair with X1 and a lot lower than PS4), Labo didn't spring Switch sales on the month it released.

I haven't seem anyone here say it is a flop, so are you reaching much? First month sales in VGC is usually considered enough time to put expectations in perspective and see that WW Labo didn't took-off, sure it can in the future.

1. Anyone who puts an opinion on  a public forum should expect such opinions to be challenged. That is precisely what makes forums tick. You cannot put up an opinion and expect everyone to concur with no dissent. You should be fine as long as such dissent is logically reasoned and respectably communicated. It is very okay to agree to disagree.

2. It is your point that makes no sense actually. Labo is a game/collection of games that can be integrated with cardboard and other physical components (some of which are supplied).

3. Depends what you term relevant parties and the term 'some' is still very accurate because you have no data to say All Retailers or Nintendo had higher projections in all circumstances. Like I said, there have been other explanations. It is left to you to accept them as relevant or not. Personally, I do.

4. Assumption in the sense of your post that I was responding to which suggested something I can present as a simple equation as follows:

April was a generally low month=Labo sales was low despite being one of the highest sellees in the month. 

That is an assumption.

As to whether Labo bumped up sale noticeably, even though you are only just pointing that out and it wasnt originally what I was responding to, I would agree woth you that certainly it didnt do so immediately but I would also  point out to you that we had only 2 or 3 days sales data to go in the month of April for Labo and the general consensus is that Labo is a new concept that will take time to gain traction with sales expected to be more towards the holiday periods.

If you read back from where our discussion started, I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out that you were the first to use the term failure and that I only used the term flop as a synonym to failure to answer a question you posed.

As to whether Labo took off worldwide, while we await data from Europe, I would say it has taken off reasonably well in the US and Japan with the information we have so far.

1 - Except you were more challenging he giving his opinion than what he was saying.

2 - The physical components are cardboard, the games are minigames, so please show the cost of it.

3 - Of course you do accept explanations that say it done great and that it wasn't common for retailers to have over projected.

4 - I wasn't talking about April being a general low month, you are the one assuming and pushing that to others. There wasn't much big sellers this April so it is natural for Labo to appear. Are you sure Labo only had 3 days? Not that it matters much since a very big size of the impact happens on the first weekend of release.