Series X Refresh and Next Generation Xbox Hardware
- Thread starter Shortbread
- Start date
I don't think cheaper games would be a great selling point because Game Pass has, in many ways, nuked single-game purchases on XB hardware. For good or bad, GP is the better option for XB users wanting hundreds of games at their fingertips at a reasonable cost.
Frenetic Pony
Veteran
Game price is set by publisher, all the console maker can decide is % they take.
Also Gamepass is exclusively for people that want the games on game pass. You want to play Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate 3 or some other mega (non MS published) hit? You're outta luck.
Now, competing the Epic Gamestore way, by lowering the % they take, that would be interesting.
As seen elsewhere, where the publisher cut is lower, the pubs still charge the same and take a larger amount. Consumers are used to a price and the pubs will maximise return on that price.
Frenetic Pony
Veteran
It doesn't help that Steam has both a controlling market share and a price parity rule. Drawing conclusions that Xbox vs Playstation would be the exact same as Epic vs Steam seems wooly.
That being said I wouldn't expect prices to change most of the time, yay economic theory, but publishers could be more willing to put things "on sale" on Xbox than Playstation, and possibly for prices for older games to lower more often (efficient market hypothesis would discount this, but markets aren't efficient, making "more" money on Xbox per unit sale would incentivize price changes more often), it would also incentivize things like Gran Blue Fantasy Relink and other "Japan first!" games to come to Xbox.
Really though what would be most helpful is if Xbox (and everyone else) ditched their proprietary developer SDKs and made putting games onto their console far easier. I don't know how anyone with just a console even considers gaming a "hobby" anymore, so damned few games come out versus say 14 years ago. The Steam Deck is "winning" because you can play Horizon (Forbidden West/Forza) on it sure, but you can also go play Last Epoch, Balatro, Enshrouded, etc. etc. while modern consoles barely have a release list.
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Maybe this is a European thing but in America Steam games are $70 just like consoles.
Tbh the narrative about consoles having more expensive games compared to PCs hasn't really been a thing for a while, at least in the US. It used to be that Steam sales were way better than console sales/GameStop used prices, now Steam sales have calmed down a bit and console sales (at least on Xbox) are essentially equivalent. I've seen 90% off recent-ish titles on the Xbox store.
If only someone had the powers to move their posts...
Edit: yes I know. lol. Sorry I will move it. Haha. Just so overwhelmed at the moment. Need to get to my PC.
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