As someone who has played on every PlayStation console since the original, it goes without saying that the PSN store on the PlayStation 3 was a terrible experience.
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden thinks game prices have actually gone down if you factor in inflation.
maybe
but life itself has never been this expensive i think ha.
where even essential things as food and electricity completely drys u skint.
its easy to talk about these things when ur above middle class ha
And then there's the bloated housing costs because some ultra rich douche from the other side of the country buys homes he will never step foot in, making the prices go up more than it should. We need to cut down on stuff like that. Make a set price for what a basic home should be worth. A 250k house should never be 500k just because corporations keep outbidding each other. That's what Elon should be investigating as well.
"Above middle class". Man, I seriously wonder what people do to think you need to be above middle class to both enjoy hobbies and live. I'm low end middle class in my state and live comfortably. I can indulge in hobbies, save money, afford house payment, bills and groceries. Seriously, what are your spending habits and what kind of jobs do you work?
What a small minded, delusional comment. It's great that you're getting by comfortably but the reality is, more people are struggling now than they have been for decades. Everyone's situation is different.
@gold_drake
I guess it is?
@KyRo
Small minded and delusional because I'm asking what it is you people do that places you into that situation? If you can't answer, you're obviously not the demographic my question is directed at.
Let’s be real: things cost more today than they did 25 years ago, and games are no exception. The standard $60 price tag held steady for over 15 years before bumping up to $70 about three years ago. Now we’re seeing $80 for digital editions and $90 for physical copies—and that’s with discs that don’t even contain the full game anymore. You still have to download the data. So what exactly are we paying for?
I don’t mind paying more when there’s more value, but that’s the issue: we’re paying more for less. Less content, more filler, and increasingly average games. Somewhere along the line, open-world maps stuffed with icons started getting confused with actual quality. Every publisher wants to make the next big open-world game, but few bring anything unique to the table.
Yes, price increases might be justified if we were getting higher-quality experiences—but we’re not. And the bigger issue is that once one company successfully charges more, the rest follow suit, regardless of the quality they deliver. EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two, in particular, have already shown what they’re capable of when unchecked. EA makes more money off card packs and microtransactions in games like FIFA than they do from actual game sales. NBA 2K feels more like a casino than a basketball game at this point. Ubisoft has XP boosters in single-player games. Where does it end?
Fifteen years ago, $60 got you a full game that you owned. Today, you’re paying $70 to $90 for what is essentially a license to access content that may or may not even be on the disc—and can disappear at any time.
What’s even more frustrating is that indie developers are out here putting out creative, polished, and genuinely fun experiences for $20 or $30, while these $80 AAA games often feel bloated, boring, or just unfinished. I don’t even buy $70 games anymore—I wait for price drops. Not because I can’t afford them, but because most simply aren’t worth it.
The publishers say price hikes are for “premium experiences,” but their track record says otherwise. Once they get comfortable charging $80, that becomes the new standard across the board—quality be damned. At this point, it's hard to trust their word when their actions show the only thing that really matters to them is revenue
It held because inflation was relatively low. 60 dollars in 2008 is equivalent of 88.53 dollars in 2025. So knnreal terms games have gone down in value.
What about we don't increase prices at all but instead make better games that people actually want so they sell better instead of releasing slop that flops and doesn't make a good profit regardless of the price?
Yes. Dude is a businessman. Businessmen want more money. Hot news! Stop the presses!
It's hilarious to see how much attention certain clickbait media gives to the hot takes of this dude who works for Tencent. Literally, everything this broken record says can be summarized with "Gamers should give us more money for less!"
His current position is so relevant that the clickbaiters who keep quoting him always call him "Ex-PlayStation CEO" (when he wasn't even the CEO of PlayStation as a whole but only SIEA), instead of his current position.
I imagine Tencent Games Strategic Advisor doesn't sound as catchy, does it?
When everyone calls you "Ex" something, you're a has been, and your opinions are irrelevant.
A game being better doesn't mean they can charge $90-$100. If Nintendo and Rockstar came out and said their games are better so they can charge more, woukd you be ok with that?
No. A game being better means they will sell more copies, so they don't *need* to charge more to make a profit.
Way to miss my point. And here I thought "we don't increase prices at all but instead" was clear.🤔
No. A game being better means they will sell more copies, so they don't *need* to charge more to make a profit.
Sorry, but do you live in some made up world? There are literally numerous good games that have failed and numerous trash games that have sold millions. Better doesn't equate sell more copies.
Sure mate. Games flop because the tooth fairy woke up on the wrong side of the bed, right?
Please, do give us some examples of those great games that have flopped. Come on.
Quality and matching customers with products that they actually want are massively relevant factors in commercial success. This is marketing and economics 101, and denying it is ridiculous.
Incidentally, a quick look at financials across the board shows very clearly that this compelling need to increase prices is simply corporate greed, and defending it is just weird.
The gaming industry isn't bleeding money. They just want more.
@Abriael
Am sorry, are you new to gaming or you are just dying to show off your ignorance?
Sleeping Dogs
Guardians of the Galaxy
Spec Ops
Gravity Rush 2
Kingdoms of Amalur
Prey
Dishonored 2
Titanfall 2
Midnight Suns
Resistance 3
Killzone 3
Sunset Overdrive
Deus Ex
Modnation Racers
Playstation All Stars
Psychonauts
Alam Wake 2
Dead Space(including Remake)
Okami
Outriders
Beyond good and evil
Enslaved
Deathloop
List even gets bigger when you add movies. You can also have a game like Pokémon, that can release completely broken, run at 10fps, glitches and look like it was made 20 years ago and still sell over 20M. Same goes to how people shit on COD, Madden or FIFA, yet these games keep come out as some of the best selling games almost every year.
Lol. 90% of these games weren't flops at all, and those that were did not get the marketing they required. It's still the company's fault that they flopped, not some mysterious force of the universe operating in unknown ways.
You may not be new to gaming, but you're certainly new to the gaming business.
Lol. 90% of these games weren't flops at all, and those that were did not get the marketing they required. It's still the company's fault that they flopped, not some mysterious force of the universe operating in unknown ways.
Are you rətarded are something? Honest question? Would you like me to give you a link to Google? I listed 23 games, you claimed 90% were not flops, so please list the 20 games and their sales numbers that didn't flop. 1st you said, 90% of the games didn't flop, followed by it's the company's fault they flopped.
Maybe companies should just make the consumers pay up front and not release a game for 15 years. They can even have shills constantly creating articles about it every week too.
Real funny seeing you trying to put down developers and talking about click bait.
Developers? we're not talking about developers here. We're talking about a suit working for Tencent running his mouth at every corner.
And imagine comparing reporting about a GAME (whether you like that game or not is irrelevant) and the anti-consumer opinions of said mouthy suit.
Can they bake in the quality of the game? If not, then they can bake in some delusion with that cost.
companies seeing increases in revenue/profit year over year before any of the price increases and you still advocate for this shit? We're getting worse and less complete games and somehow we should just gobble it up like horny turkeys,
Part of the answer has always been to make more focused games. Games filled with a lot of arbitrary areas provide no value to me but must cost more time and money. Games twice or three times as long as they need to be because of padding. I’d rather have 15 hours of joy than 10 hours of meaningful game and another 40 hours of work (then I can buy more games too). FFXVI is a good game that could have been great had it been shorter. Even Elden Ring I feel the same about.
I want to clarify there are rare exceptions to this but it is a common feeling I have had in the modern era.
The former SIE president, Shawn Layden, argues that Nintendo can charge $80 for Switch 2 titles because of its exclusives.
Yeah....no
Such a bad take from him.
Okay so if hypothetically Sony decides to do this then I don't want to see him defending them as some of their games come to PC.
@-Foxtrot 'Such a bad take from him.' Look, I get there is a lot of anger about the NS2 pricing but he's speaking facts. If a publisher has a game that is THAT desirable to the masses then it can charge a high price because there will be an audience who will buy it. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch continues to be one of its bestsellers eight years after release. I make an educated guess that it is the one game with the highest attach rate. So Mario Kart World will be the equivalent of the essential standard game, the killer app for every kid to get.
@VenomUK
MK8 Deluxe was marketed at the right time and place; with the Switch. The casual audience is extremely fickle and will likely not give the next MK game such sales. MK8 on the Wii U is almost the same exact game, but it sold much less.
@nommers, Mario Kart 8 sold 8 million. Thats more than half of the Wii U userbase.
Take 2 was the 1st to do that and who knows, they might be up there with Nitendo leading to charge to $100
The do have the right. And you also have the right not to buy it. If it doesn't sell then that's on them.
I just torrent and don't care anymore on the PC side. Piracy is a pricing problem, and companies are driving more people to it.
Agreed. I have noticed piracy as increased and to be honest, thats the Publishers fault. When the price you charge is greater then the value of the game, people will either not buy it, or pirate it and I don’t blame them.
These Switch 2 games are 9 years old as far as tech. No way the budget for these games match the budget for current gen AAA games.
Can’t wait for Switch 2 emulator
i mean they can, if people are gonna buy them is a whole other thing.
its a big no for me tho.
not for a system that is a gen behind and will be 2 gens behind very soon
Yes, that's the core of the issue.
Nintendo is free to set whatever price they choose. These are non-essential products, so there's no clear moral dimension to the pricing itself, it's simply a business decision.
However, there's the other side of the transaction to consider. Consumers ultimately hold the power. They express their approval or disapproval not through words, but through their wallets. My hope is that, this time, people will take a moment to reflect on what’s being asked of them and respond accordingly by walking away from the console and its games.
But, in the end, it all comes down to consumer choice.
You have the right to charge any number but it doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t mean all of your customers are going to accept it
Good time to find other hobbies. Between GPU and AI and all these hypes, they are overflating themselves. Video Games have only so much cut in a person's life. People should do what they were doing twenty years ago, live life. That's when they will revise the pricing. I do remember when PC and computers were going down. Then they injected these ideas on clouds and connectionto bring new life, and hooked ppl onto online. It's time to put the digital age in line with it's true value. As an add-on, supplement to life not a replacement for the experience.
Nah...gaming on the PC and PS5 is still quite affordable. Unlike Nintendo, there are always sales on the PS Store and Steam that you can take advantage of. PS+ monthly games have been bangers too month after month thus no need for outright payment and these are recent games too unlike N64 and GC games by Nintendo on their service.
Personally, since the PS5 launched I have only paid day 1 price for 3 games, R&C and Spider-Man 2 and Astrobot. Other games will have their price dropped not too long after launch and that's how I have been getting my games. I have been waiting for Stellar Blade to be at the pricepoint I'm comfortable with for awhile now, hopefully there'll be a massive discount soon or fingers crossed, it might become a monthly game some time this year? Looking at you Robocop haha. You can this waiting game with Sony because you know it will happen sooner or later buy good luck with Nintendo. Seeing as how BoTW is still sold at full price since 2017, it's just not right and I'm happy I was never a Nintendo's fan.
Be smart with your purchases.
Sadly, they will accept it. Today is different than 20 years ago. Today, people are addicted digital information and visuals.
Doesn't mean I'll buy it at such a high price, Shawn.
If games are $80 as standard, then I'd just never buy any game new again unless it got heavily discounted.
The former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden believes Sony won't abandon physical games with the upcoming PS6.
Probably not. Many countries infrastructure still can't support all digital. Jesus, even some of the US are still on data caps. It'll be an optional disc drive extra
@Crimson
these countries with underdeveloped internet infrastructure usually has a very "developed" pirated software market. they used to sell them on DVDs, but nowadays, you can just bring over your external HDD for them to give you the pirated copies. EASY!
@badz149
Sooooo then they’ll be just fine?
If what you say is true, while throwing out concepts like Internet cafes and other means these underdeveloped countries legitimately play games without having to own a device to play them, why in the hell do they care about having a disc drive?
Here’s a better question, what % of sales do these countries add to physical or digital purchases then with their very “developed” pirated software market?
how do all? they don't only few counties plays them. Europe, North AMerica minus Mexico, SOuth Korea and Japan.
Rest of the country plays through INternet Cafe cause computers and Internet are expensive as f!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While a good 2/3 of the market is able to live easily on digital, that 33% isn't as such and Sony still wants them to be consumers. It's actually getting worse with everyone having to provide more past-gen support and why this generation has been unable to leave behind the past and most games are made for both generations.
This is, IMHO, why talk of next generation shouldn't be up for discussion. It's obvious that moving ahead at this time would likely result in a three generation development cycle rather than 2. We shouldn't be moving onto a new generation until the last generation becomes the smaller market. It isn't.
It all depends on how things break down the rest of this gen. Sony is obviously watching the sales of physical vs digital and will make changes accordingly. They spent all the time and $$ designing the add-on optical drive... I'd imagine that will be the same one used for the PS6. Not much is going to change in the way a disc is used so this is probably the last design they will use.
ps5 was the last disc console. I'm 95% confident in that. the ps6 will have an optional drive you can buy for more money on top of the console. Sony wins either way. Thats two products to sell, each with their own respective markup. even if you consider that consoles are usually sold for a loss at launch, not having a disc drive would reduce the loss. it would be a missed opportunity from a business perspective if they didn't do that. They could produce the console for cheaper, and make more money.
also, physical disc sales are plummeting. Sony offered its (then) next gen ps5 with a disc-less option to warm you up. then the next flagship console, the ps5 pro had no disc drive but an option to buy an external one. Based on these facts, I am absolutely confident the ps6 will NOT have a disc drive.
The PS5 won't be the last disk based console. They tested the water with the PS5 Pro and it was getting torn apart for it not having one. They won't want that bad press again when launching a new machine and potentially alienating a big portion of console players than buy physical media (which isn't as low as you'd think it is).
The day consoles go all digital will be the day I stop buying consoles as much as a prefer them over PC gaming. Imagine being locked to one store front that can charge RRP for every game with no competition...
Nine times out of 10 disk is cheaper than digital in the UK
i see people making that proclamation all the time. As if switching to PC is some sort of 'stick it to the man' way to go... and yet that is a platform that has been all digital for far much longer.
Truth be told, you (like many others) wont quite console if they go digital... you are too vested in the libraries over the generations to just walk away from them. You can join the middle of the road club like many more are doing. that is the club that walks the line between both console and PC spaces. Its like those who sub to more than one streaming service because they know that the stuff they like may be spread across the different services.
These are the hoops we jump through to satisfy our need for entertainment.
Oh Darth, forever with the bad takes. I KNOW myself that I will switch to PC if all digital is forced as much as you seem to think you can speak for me and others.
PC gamers have options when it comes to games. They have many store fronts, launchers, emulators etc. I am not going to sit and play on a potential walled off store front that can charge full RRP without competition. Barely any game is worth £70 in 2025 but will I bite around £50? Yes.
@terry: “ It will be the last generation before all digital.”
Well and it’ll be a bigger failure in the industry since Microsoft purchased the developers of the popular multi platform games thinking of all the new subscriptions and new consoles sales from the future exclusivity.
Personally I have purchased all PlayStation consoles so far but the moment they go all digital it’s the first console I won’t buy.
No one has the balls to make all digital only console. Physical media stills exists for it get media like Blurays. There will always be option for physical media. Any company that makes a console all digital will finish distant 3rd
They better not. I buy physical games and if I buy a PS6, it better be one with a disc drive.
Agree. If there is no disc drive that will be the last nail in the coffin for me and I will finally make the switch to PC.
Yeah but when you buy a digital and then the disc drive, it's the same price as a normal PS5, so it's not that bad really and the design incorporates it really well, you wouldn't tell mine is a digital at all
I am pretty sure that they will be all digital with the option of getting a disc drive separately, which sucks, but at least would be an option
I’m out if that’s the case. Also the lack of a drive did not lower the price.
But it won't be lower...that's the whole con
It'll be the same price and the disc drive will make you pay even more.
It's like those pushing an all digital future thinking that cutting out the middle man means games will be cheaper when they never have been so far. Digital games are just as pricey as retail ones.
the price of GPUs nowadays makes it almost impossible for us to expect another powerhouse at $500 next gen. sorry but when the overpriced and underperforming RTX5080 (the ROG is $1500) are still sold out on launch, the kind of message consumers are sending to the hardware manufacturers are clear.
It lowered the cost for them to produce it that does not mean they pass that saving on to the consumer. More likely it just increases their profit margin. Possibly a cynical view but these greedy corporations are just out of control.
I didn't even notice that.
everything is clunky and slow on the ps3
source: my phatty in the bedroom
I much prefer the PS Store on PS4 compared to PS3. Granted the PS Store on PS3 has improved in design over the years but it's still so slow compared to PS4.
i don't like the PS store at all. I prefer the ps3 slow clunky to the new ps4 one.
I actually like the launch/classic PSN Store version - the one with the blue blocks or whatever... it just had a nice charm to it *shrugs*. Possibly just nostalgic overload, idk...