The Great Next Gen rip-off

The ugly side of next gen gaming on Xbox One and PS4 rears its head as early adopters are seemingly "nickel and dimed" every step of the way.

[The_KELRaTH]

I'm not really surprised, the industry just looks at gamers as idiot cattle.

GT6 on PS3 looked like it was heading the nickel and dime way but it seems there's been a big turn about in the last patch (1.02)
You now get more money per race, back is the percentage increase for logging in (5 consecutive days = 200%)

And back are the big seasonal and special event race wins where you can get well over 1m credits.

This game has turned into one of, if not the, best game I've played on the PS3 and in many ways it's hard to imagine the same team that developed GT5 are also responsible for this game as it's such a huge leap forward.

[Spartan119]

Yeah they really turned it around with that last update. Forza 5 had a similar update which reduced the in game cost of cars but I feel the amount you win per race is still a little low.

[bumnut]

I planned to buy both next gen consoles, but after looking at the price of the games I decided to wait.

I might just add a second GTX 780 to my PC instead

I want no part in showing games publishers consumers are willing to pay £50+ for games.

[The_KELRaTH]

I'm looking at adding my 1st :)

The difference in the cost of next gen console v PC games has grown far too wide. With the PS3 there was likely more dev time used to squeeze in as much as possible - even creating lower res textures requires more work but with PS4/X1 this isn't the case so games costs should be closer to the PC.

Then there's the micro transactions; PC = free game pay through micro transaction which is absolutely fine but paying full prices then try and double the cost via micro transactions is just wrong - AND in most cases it's never mentioned on the game packaging.

But my other reason for not opting to grab the next console and upgrade my PC also stems from the forced advertising on the OS frontend.
There was a time when I turned on the PS3 and was greeted with a clean still or animated graphical background but now it's an advert for SINGTAR game, then every column of the XMB has full page links to the PSN store etc etc.
I feel like I've paid full price for a rental machine!

[Prime157]

I understand what you are getting at. The new-gen console games aren't even going on sale competitively (I've seen bf4 for old gen at 40$ but not for xbone and ps4). However, I also understand that supply and demand dictates the new-gen's prices; or more specifically, If I want game for my new system, I only have 25ish to choose from. Business.

However, pc sales on the same game are in the middle of next and current gen (not ps3 and 360).. aka: pc is "always" current AND next gen in my opinion.

Btw, I've never found the ads on xmb to be as intrusive as you are saying. Maybe it's because I find the ads mainly for recently released games, which is pertinent to my interests. Unlike my 360 dashboard.

[The_KELRaTH]

With regards the ads: I just like a clean interface. I have no interest in Singstar so why stuff it in my face over a dynamic back
ground that I've paid for.
I agree it could be worse but what worries me is I think this trend will continue and be more invasive in the future with consoles like the PS4.

I stopped buying movies mainly because at the time I had to go through "Select Language", then the "I'm obviously a thief ad", then ads for other movies till finally I get to the main movie menu and there was no way to skip any of it.

[1nsomniac]

I'm the same, although I've already bought my PS4 I've cancelled all my pre-orders that were above £48 including Watch-Dogs and that was the reason I pre-ordered the PS4 (Watch Dog bundle) in the first place but I'm not paying the current cheapest £55 asking price for it!

As you said, as well as Yoshi said live on stage of the PS4 reveal event back in February - The x86 architecture & huge improvements of developer tools making them far easier/quicker to use & reduces the development cost. He even said specifically there would be no rise in game costs due to this.

The increase in game prices is a scam!

[Angerfist]

Wow ,that price raise is actually criminal, i have to agree there.

[Angerfist]

Here in Germany the games cost no different from 360/ps3 but maybe that's a UK thing so people don't import from you all the time

[1nsomniac]

RRP here in UK..

PS4 = £65

XBone = £60 (although they are now officially talking about raising it to £65 due to PS4 prices)

PS3 & 360 = £45

"Rip-off Britain" as we call it here...

[classic19]

games are that high because retail, i prefer a disc base game, so yea. but the fact that games that go digital on sony&ms platforms still hold a 60 buck price tag is a beat, when that same game for pc probably be 25 to 30 bucks. o well that's life for now.

[Mikelarry]

This is why I fear that the industry will not see a major growth becuase of this nickle and dime approach they all seem to gravitate towards. I though this generation would be more of trying new ways that would favor both the consumers, publishets and game developers but every where I look its a new scheme to screw the consumer to the wall can anyone say FTP. its a real shame that going into this generation we are going to have to lose even more talent before it really sinks in

[WilliamH]

I see nothing about either of them that makes me want one. Still enjoy my PS3 and Wii U

[Angerfist]

As long as I read about 3 Gb patches, microtransactions and such im more then happy with current gen. Maybe next Christmas they have it all figured out better but for now I rather wait. I have like 20 unfinished games anyway.

[esemce]

Err PS3/360 is last gen mate not current gen.

A lack of games and a small used games market also means that they think they can get away with inflated retail prices. It will sort itself out in time just like the start of CD/DVD/BluRay.

[Ol_G]

Isn't this the same as wii u getting mass effect 3 nine months later while other consoles had the whole trilogy on offer or most wanted u half year late or the bad ports of arkham city and darksiders 2 all late and all full price
i don't know why this time it should be any different at least ps4 and x1 owners will get all the dlc even if the console isn't selling

[yesmynameissumo]

I enjoy my PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One. No one is holding a gun to my head to buy anything. Don't want it? Don't buy it. Pretty simple.

[DivineAssault]

I didnt read the whole article but i see & feel a HUGE improvement from PS3 to PS4.. AC4 & BF4 look & play WAY BETTER! Its not just about graphics to me either.. I love the speeds, the controller, the features & everything else on it much better than PS3s.. The heavy hitters that arent ports will come soon enough & ppl will see the power PS4... Xbix 720 will have their gems too but im not paying $500 for a weaker console just because of an enhanced kinect & more robust media selection.. My game machines are for GAMES 1st to me... BTW, KZ was a gorgeous game! I didnt like the platforming in it & the physics werent that great but it was a solid game...Watchdogs, Destiny, Diablo, Tomb Raider are nx on my list of PS4 games... The order looks good too

[R00bot]

AC4 looks exactly the same on the PS4.
The only difference is that leaves move more realistically or something.

[BadlyPackedKeebab]

Clearly not played it at 1080 on ps4 then? Forget the screen grabs and youtube vids, the new gen is of a fidelity that it has to be played and felt nativly. Its the first gen to be fair where I have felt the games looked better than expected rarther than worse.

[toddybad]

BadlyPackedKeebab is living a lie.

Screenshots show a small difference and as I'm currently playing the PS4 version I'll report the fact that it doesn't really look next gen. The water looks quite nice but apparently also does on old gen versions. The world itself and the characters are graphically the same as AC3 on Xbox360/PS3.

[madjedi]

I think the article is primarily bitching about pricing in europe, not sure why it has such a lame flamebait title implying the next gen consoles are a rip off.

Don't have a xbone but i'll assume the jump from to 360 to xbone is just as massive as the jump from ps3 to ps4.

Don't have ac4 but if bf4 is anything to go by robot is dead wrong.

Surprise surprise yellowflash30 is one of the approvers, imagine that.

[Moz]

Trouble is that there are more then enough people willing to pay the price so they'll keep charging it. The corps having nothing to gain from lowering the price at this stage as anyone who can't afford it will carry on buying the cheaper last gen games.

Also comparatively this is one of the cheapest console launches. When N64 came out the games were £50 - £70 which is over £100 in today's money.

It's fairly basic economics of supply and demand when the demand starts to slow the price will drop.

[1nsomniac]

I only remember 1 game being £70 & that was Turok & that price lasted all of about 2 months before it fell to £40 again or £20 I seem to remember some places selling it at not long after release as it flopped big time. Still to this day I have no idea what they were thinking releasing it at that price. It was a complete joke even to the most hardcore gamer.

First game I ever remember saying even if its the best game on earth I'm not paying that for a computer game. Crazy!

[skazwaz]

Really? This got approved?

[Picnic]

Few involved in making games can usually be regarded as ripping people off. They know that any broken promise would be picked upon by the internet and if you hadn't already bought the game how were you hurt anyway? A product is worth what people want to pay for it. If a minority of people want to pay for something that would be deemed worthless by a larger number that doesn't mean that the minority are necessarily fools.
If we are going to point out people, critics and gamers favourite Naughty Dog is one of the studios who charge for every little bit of extra DLC. Walking around The Last of Us in a, I don't know, moose's head, doesn't necessarily add to the atmosphere of the original game. They do it because it makes money, simple. SO ND see a cash cow when they see it but they made that cash cow in the first place- it's not like they've bought out and are exploiting someone else's product.

Retailers selling 2nd hand games and not stocking many new games as a result- they're glorified car boot sale traders not directly adding in to the worth of the industry with that practice.

[level 360]

Most despised word in gaming = micro-transactions

[mhunterjr]

If you don't like something, don't buy it. These are corporations, playing the capitalism game. Consumers can play that game too. Ultimately, price is determined by supply and demand. Guess who control demand?

[fOrlOnhOpe57]

I was in Grainger Games, here in the UK, a couple of weeks ago. A new copy of Knack was priced £40. Two days later it was £42 then earlier this week, £49.

[InTheLab]

Author clearly has never been apart of a new gen of consoles before. Was anyone expexting a massive leap in multiplats so soon? And a lego game is the example of graphics and pricing in this half as forum rant? Didnt even include the WiiU.

[madjedi]

The game will get cheaper over time, and seriously a fucking lego game i am not buying it for it's stellar graphics.

Talk about killzone or ryse if your judging either system on it's graphics value, as far as the european pricing no clue so i ain't commenting on it.

Maybe this is a euro issue because so far i so no rip offs on either the ps4 or xbone, in either pricing or content.

[toddybad]

Gaming is going the same way as music and movies before it. From what used to be a niche with quality games we now have a cynical marketing exercise. It's not so much the prices - next gen prices are ridiculous but will go down once last-gen is out the way. It's the DLC, lack of imagination, reuse of old ideas via franchises etc that makes me think we're going to end up with paint by numbers gaming where the One Directions of this world (i.e. big franchises like Assasins Creed, COD, BF, FIFA) hardly do anything to sell huge volume and slowly the small bands (or for gaming your indies) or anything outside the ordinary (AAA ideas that are different - how few AAA games are made without a number after the name?) doesn't get a look in.
I have the horrible feeling that gaming might be dying as an artform.

[ilovefatgirls]

theres a difference of a tenner here in ireland between this gen and last at retail for new games, cant imagine thered be much of a difference second hand if theres one at all

my only major gripe and has been for a long time is there's no difference between retail prices and digital prices well theres a slight decrease in price for digital but its literally only the price of a pint, your not even saving the bus/train fare

its disgusting.