I still remeber getting games at 300 escudos, back in the 1980s.
Direct conversion to euros would be about 1.50 €, adding the inflaction to 2025, would be about 10 € if being generous.
Playstation 2 titles were already quite expensive hence why so many gamers started only buying 2nd hand, or getting them at local libraries, workarounds that digital distribution has killed.
What will change is that studios will keep getting closed, because most people cannot afford more than one or two games a year at that price level.
Games are suffering with the same issues as movies: the missing middle.
There are indie games with 1-5 devs doing it on a shoestring budget. Sometimes they hit big, sometimes they still need a day job. These can be sold for any price, since any income is still income.
Then there are the AAAAA games with 500 people making it on a $100M+ budget. And these MUST make money or they can bankrupt the whole studio. Some are massive franchises (CoD, GTA) and can ask any price and people will STILL preorder the most expensive set.
But there are very very few if any mid-price games. Some Paradox strategy games perhaps?
All firmware is "a set of hooks" if we're being reductive. Regardless, the Switch also has an alternative bootloader that you can use to run "real" CFW like Linux and Android so it's kinda a moot point.
Looking at Nintendo's recent behaviour, it is only viable as long as they haven't sent a legalesque threat to the developers. Legal usage has not been a deterrent to the threats they send out, because they've been successful at shutting other projects down.
How can the EU work on "building things" if the companies with the most resources and the greatest capacity for "building things" are actually making copycat software propped up with policies that exclude competition?
Not sure why you're being downvoted, this is right. And every other console company has been charging for it, too. For longer, at a higher price.
There's this recurring theme I'm seeing where when Nintendo does something price-wise people act like it's the end of the world. And, almost every time, the other big dogs have already done it, and typically worse.
The reality is 80 dollars is about expected for a flagship game. 450 dollars is the cheapest console around. And, NSO is the cheapest subscription. I think people percieve Nintendo as making kiddy games so they expect kiddy prices. The problem is, that doesn't mean the games are cheap to produce.
The entire launch feels like a cash grab. $80 for game downloads?
The digital edition of Baldur's Gate 3 is 80€, nothing has changed.
More like Nintendo has caught up to the pricing of other companies.
It's always been €60 on steam (and often discounted to €48)
https://steamdb.info/app/1086940/
I still remeber getting games at 300 escudos, back in the 1980s.
Direct conversion to euros would be about 1.50 €, adding the inflaction to 2025, would be about 10 € if being generous.
Playstation 2 titles were already quite expensive hence why so many gamers started only buying 2nd hand, or getting them at local libraries, workarounds that digital distribution has killed.
What will change is that studios will keep getting closed, because most people cannot afford more than one or two games a year at that price level.
Games are suffering with the same issues as movies: the missing middle.
There are indie games with 1-5 devs doing it on a shoestring budget. Sometimes they hit big, sometimes they still need a day job. These can be sold for any price, since any income is still income.
Then there are the AAAAA games with 500 people making it on a $100M+ budget. And these MUST make money or they can bankrupt the whole studio. Some are massive franchises (CoD, GTA) and can ask any price and people will STILL preorder the most expensive set.
But there are very very few if any mid-price games. Some Paradox strategy games perhaps?
Well that's okay, then!
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EU should add them to their DMA gatekeepers list.
The Switch does have alternative Open Source firmware: https://github.com/Atmosphere-NX/Atmosphere
It's a set of hooks on top of the Nintendo's firmware. It's a jailbreak, not an alternative.
All firmware is "a set of hooks" if we're being reductive. Regardless, the Switch also has an alternative bootloader that you can use to run "real" CFW like Linux and Android so it's kinda a moot point.
I'm not "being reductive", it's what it aims to be.
Of course, only jailbroken Switches can run either of these things.
Looking at Nintendo's recent behaviour, it is only viable as long as they haven't sent a legalesque threat to the developers. Legal usage has not been a deterrent to the threats they send out, because they've been successful at shutting other projects down.
The EU should work on building things and not trying to regulate things to death.
How can the EU work on "building things" if the companies with the most resources and the greatest capacity for "building things" are actually making copycat software propped up with policies that exclude competition?
EU companies should work on building things. EU government is there to regulate (and encourage via regulation).
I'm all for weakening regulations, but not when doing so would strengthen the regulation of copyright.
I hope they have a Discord app, Discord allows you to chat for free and all the PC Gamers use it.
I doubt it. Kids use the ipad with discord to chat while playing on the current switch
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What do "all pc gamers" use to communicate then? Teamspeak? Ventrilo?
Webex
Communicate? With whom? Why?
Stop gatekeeping.
Seems fair. They charge for online collaboration through NSO. This is another online feature.
Not sure why you're being downvoted, this is right. And every other console company has been charging for it, too. For longer, at a higher price.
There's this recurring theme I'm seeing where when Nintendo does something price-wise people act like it's the end of the world. And, almost every time, the other big dogs have already done it, and typically worse.
The reality is 80 dollars is about expected for a flagship game. 450 dollars is the cheapest console around. And, NSO is the cheapest subscription. I think people percieve Nintendo as making kiddy games so they expect kiddy prices. The problem is, that doesn't mean the games are cheap to produce.
Yeah, this seems like a non-issue, as a player would already need NSO to play online in the first place.
Interesting given the timing of the tariffs. These subscriptions are not subject to those, right?
So tariffs really encourage subscription models to subsidize goods …