Are gaming handhelds overpriced?

[wraggster]

In the wake of the PS3 Slim price-cut landslide of news, one small wound still lingers, and has now gotten worse: The PSPgo is still US$249.

Now that the PS3 Slim is US$299, and the Xbox 360 Elite is well on its way to the same price, the ceiling for console gaming is finally coming down. This isn't a surprise; it happens every gaming generation. But, considering the components of multipurpose systems like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this generation of consoles has hovered at higher prices than consoles of the past. Now, however, all three home consoles are within US$50 of each other.

The next sensible step would be for the Wii to take a price cut as well, and it most likely will happen this holiday season in some form (be it a real cut or a new bundle with Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort, for instance).

However, while consoles have been seeing price drops, handheld game systems have been seeing an odd recent trend--price increases. The PSPgo, which was seen as Sony's handheld comeback, actually costs more than a regular PSP, despite having fewer features. At US$250, it's not just the cost of the original PSP; it's also only US$50 less than a PS3. The Nintendo DS Lite, which costs US$129, received a revamp in the form of the improved camera-equipped DSi, which can also download more affordable games... at an increased price of US$170. Nintendo's DSi.


Handheld game systems aren't just taking hits in terms of system costs, either. While DS cartridges and UMDs at US$19.99 and US$29.99 a pop once seemed like affordable alternatives to US$50-$60 console boxed games, downloadable games on PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, and WiiWare are routinely being released for US$15 and less.

As our own Jeff Bakalar reflected, handheld game systems are dinosaurs, in a sense. They hearken back to a time in the early 1990s when there were no smartphones or cell phones at all, no MP3 players, no portable video outside of a Sony Watchman. A handheld like the Game Boy afforded portable entertainment that nothing else could. Now, DSis and PSPs have to compete with iPhones, iPod touch units, a flurry of other handhelds, and even the occasional Zune. Many of these can also play games now, forcing Nintendo and Sony to include features like cameras, MP3 playback, and video downloads to justify the cost of purchase.

Maybe we're calling this flatline too early here at the CNET emergency room, but are dedicated handheld game consoles on their way to extinction? We hope not. Hopefully they'll eventually be cheaper, play downloadable, affordable games from a nearly infinite back-catalog library, and be portable jukeboxes of retro gaming. We'd appreciate that, and we'd also appreciate if those systems got a little cheaper, too.

We will credit Sony for its new "snackable" mini game releases that will be on their way to the PSP's online store, as well as the DSi's more affordable US$5 Art Style titles. But this trend needs to continue, and quickly--especially since high-quality titles for the iPhone, like Real Racing, cost US$10 or less.

Would you like to see handheld systems lower their costs even more? Do you even use handhelds, or has the iPhone already conquered that territory? As time goes on, our phones are becoming our handheld game systems of choice here at the office, and this trend doesn't look like it's going anywhere. Should Sony and Nintendo turn their systems into smartphones as well, or simply admit the challenge and price-drop accordingly?

All we know for sure is one thing: US$250 for a PSPgo has become even more absurd than before.

http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/08/2...s-overpriced-/

[ojdon]

They're getting far too expensive and the extra features are getting far too less. Sony especially are a company who abuse this "Over priced new models" business.

If they continue to do this, I'm pretty sure they'll eventually be doing a Sega. Since they are doing the exact same thing, bring out new consoles too soon and too expensive.

[JDvorak]

Your right the PSPgo is so overpriced, I mean come on we can't play our UMD's so we have to download our games again or hack it to play them. If they are going to take away features for more portability fine but it should be priced at the NDS-Lite level and not near double the money.

[CoderX]

I love my PSP, though I have to say sony is heading south. Their products offer no clear direction and are simply being marked as over priced do anything devices.

Microsoft just cut the Elite to $299, and buyers are being asked to decided between the lowest model PS3 or the Highest model XBox360 at the same price point, & frankly most consumers are going to choose the one that gives them the most bang for the buck (# of Titles, Disk Space, Accessory).

Unless Sony can pull off an upset they are on their way out of the video game market. Because Studios aren't going to make games for a device they can profit from with out making emulated ports.

[apex05]

The NDS and Psp are reasonably priced at £100 and £130 but Sony's trying to directly compete with the Iphone on price and features but without the phone built in £225 is just far too much.

[CoderX]

The NDS and Psp are reasonably priced at £100 and £130 but Sony's trying to directly compete with the Iphone on price and features but without the phone built in £225 is just far too much.

iPhone 3G - $99
iPhone 3GS - $199

PSPGo - $249.99

Lol... They're actually over apples price range on the iPhone

[apex05]

Not in the uk.. and we pay over the odds to subsidise the low US prices.

[Hiei311]

iPhone 3G - $99
iPhone 3GS - $199

PSPGo - $249.99

Lol... They're actually over apples price range on the iPhone

yeah but u see

99$ is when its a iphone 3g that has 8gb WITH contract
itll be 199.99 with out

iphone 3gs 199 with contract and 16gb
but with out is 399 theri froth sony is cheaper then a iphone

dont get me wrong i luv them both seeing as i have a iphone

and if u look on their website it say 199 with a small 2 over the 199 and that means with out contract it will be doubled

and rember guys the psp 3000 and psp go are selling together, the psp go isnt going to phase out the psp 3000, and besides hasnt sony stated that they will have a umd exchage to software exchange for the people that want the psp go?

and besides atleast u r able to doublethe psp go to 32gb

but ither way isnt everything way to priced?

and i think the ps3 is more highend then the 360 in what it has built in (blu ray wifi and u dont need a charge kit since the ps3 already has a charble battery)

and ps3 basicly has the same games on it as 360 aside from halo gears of war, but its alright. but still at least the pspgo games r really cheap to get and their will be alot of games on the psn for the pspgo when it hits stores. and the iphone games arent that great mostly all mini games but good mini games i gotta say i enjoy them better then the ds games, and i gotta say i enjoy psp games more then iphone and ds games, but thats just me, each system is for a diffrent user like a mac and a pc is for diffrent users.

and no im not a rich asshole im actually quite poor and i get stuff from craigslist so please dont say i dont understand money and stuff becuz i really do but if u guys just atleast look at the specs it well worth the money

and havent people not want umds anymore? i rember people saying we want know umds in the past and now complaing it dosnt have it?

besides itll most likley have a price drop befor xmas so we shouldnt worry so much

[ojdon]

iPhone 3G - $99
iPhone 3GS - $199

PSPGo - $249.99

Lol... They're actually over apples price range on the iPhone

You're forgetting the huge contract that goes with it.

[WhizzBang]

Not in the uk.. and we pay over the odds to subsidise the low US prices.

No we don't. The US pays less because of the economies of scale, lower rates of VAT, and shops having smaller profit margins due to cheaper costs (e.g. staff costs, rent).