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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Is the era of Console Price Cuts Over?

I don’t follow gaming news like I used to, and CAN exchange rate might be blinding me too...but does it seem like console price cuts have come to an end?  3DS had one early on because it was flopping, but I don’t think it’s gone down $1 since then; did PS4 and XBox One get cuts when the “pro” versions came out? And, even if so, remember the days of nearly-annual price chops, or the $99 GameCube?



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couchmonkey said:

I don’t follow gaming news like I used to, and CAN exchange rate might be blinding me too...but does it seem like console price cuts have come to an end?  3DS had one early on because it was flopping, but I don’t think it’s gone down $1 since then; did PS4 and XBox One get cuts when the “pro” versions came out? And, even if so, remember the days of nearly-annual price chops, or the $99 GameCube?

The $99 Gamecube happened because stores were carrying so much unsold inventory of Gamecube consoles that Nintendo actually suspended manufacturing of new consoles for a couple of quarters. Don't expect that with the Switch, which is flying off store shelves at $300 almost as fast as Nintendo can ship them.



Console pricing in Canada has sucked for over a decade now. We get hosed when it comes to more than just consoles. Deals aren't as regular here either. If you want a big deal, it's going to be one of the typical deal days and that's just about it. Canadians getting more spineless have gone along with it, and so why should retailers offer anything more if they don't have to? Not to mention the retail competition here is quite poor and getting more and more monopolized.
It's getting so bad, that when selling used stuff online, especially anything electronic, I've been receiving very little in the way of bargaining. Almost everyone just pays whatever I'm asking as long as it's not completely ridiculous. The few who do dicker, want the deal of a century and we never come to terms, because I can just wait a few days and I know I will get what I'm asking. My family and friends have noticed the same thing, which is kinda sad. Used PS4 prices, even launch units, is nuts, and they sell fairly quick once they go up, and this was happening well before covid.
PS4 msrp hasn't helped. The fact it's been able to hold it's price and keep selling worthy amounts, has led to MS and Nin following suit. Whether or not they could sell for less isn't the point anymore, it's how much is the public willing to pay for their products. Each console gaming company also going it's own direction has made this even worse, since they aren't all trying to compete directly, they can afford to keep the hardware prices higher than they would be otherwise.



there will always be price cuts,
when a new console is about to arrive that is haha
or a new version of the console its a given



SanAndreasX said:
couchmonkey said:

I don’t follow gaming news like I used to, and CAN exchange rate might be blinding me too...but does it seem like console price cuts have come to an end?  3DS had one early on because it was flopping, but I don’t think it’s gone down $1 since then; did PS4 and XBox One get cuts when the “pro” versions came out? And, even if so, remember the days of nearly-annual price chops, or the $99 GameCube?

The $99 Gamecube happened because stores were carrying so much unsold inventory of Gamecube consoles that Nintendo actually suspended manufacturing of new consoles for a couple of quarters. Don't expect that with the Switch, which is flying off store shelves at $300 almost as fast as Nintendo can ship them.

It's weird though that Nintendo never dropped the Wii U price... Is it because they would have lost much more per console than gamecube?



1doesnotsimply

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FarleyMcFirefly said:
SanAndreasX said:

The $99 Gamecube happened because stores were carrying so much unsold inventory of Gamecube consoles that Nintendo actually suspended manufacturing of new consoles for a couple of quarters. Don't expect that with the Switch, which is flying off store shelves at $300 almost as fast as Nintendo can ship them.

It's weird though that Nintendo never dropped the Wii U price... Is it because they would have lost much more per console than gamecube?

But Nintendo dropped Wii U's price, but not as low as the Gamecube.



I know... my English sucks.

I miss 99€ consoles.



You know it deserves the GOTY.

Come join The 2018 Obscure Game Monthly Review Thread.

As long as you can afford it (commercialy), from the manifacturer's perspective is better the release incremantal upgrades and keep the price point higher. Also, bundling is more convenient than a price drop, and with digital deliver bundling is easier than ever.



Prices are down from the first launch, just not as dramatically as in the past... The way that hardware is manufactured these days is different. Chips are outsourced to massive third-party fabs who will charge a fixed price per chip. These fabs won't be sitting doing nothing if your console is selling less, they have other customers they can service instead...

The cost savings would come if you want a faster, better CPU.... or merge multiple chips into one. If you want five chips that basically do the same thing as last year, you'll pay the same amount as last year.



FarleyMcFirefly said:
SanAndreasX said:

The $99 Gamecube happened because stores were carrying so much unsold inventory of Gamecube consoles that Nintendo actually suspended manufacturing of new consoles for a couple of quarters. Don't expect that with the Switch, which is flying off store shelves at $300 almost as fast as Nintendo can ship them.

It's weird though that Nintendo never dropped the Wii U price... Is it because they would have lost much more per console than gamecube?

They weren't desperate enough to unload their inventory to drop the price. But another issue is that manufacturing is much more expensive these days. Components are likely expensive as well. At some point, you're going to be hard pressed to find $200 consoles.