Is it Weird that Games cost more than some very cheap smartphone/tablet and PC?

[froggyboy604]

I find it somewhat weird that new games don't drop in price like smartphones, tablets, and some PCs like the Raspberry Pi 3 which can be bought for $35 or less.

I notice that there are now mobile games from SquareEnix which cost close to $30 which is cheaper than some unlocked Android smartphones and tablets.

There are some Android smartphones, tablets, and cheaper Linux and Android computers which can be bought for $20-50+ on websites like Amazon and eBay, and sometimes at Wal-Mart which sells a lot of cheap stuff.

I know of a few Windows 10 mini-computers and tablets which sells for $60-100, so these PCs cost the same price as 1 to 2 new games made by bigger game studios like Ubisoft, EA, and SquareEnix.

 

[Shortie]

I too find it weird that some smartphones are less than games, yes. I find games to be overpriced nowadays as it is as all they are is data on a CD. If people will buy though at those prices they will keep selling at those prices.

 

[2045]

I don't think it's weird because it takes a lot more effort to create games than to mass produce hardware.

 

[froggyboy604]

I don't think it's weird because it takes a lot more effort to create games than to mass produce hardware.

I agree it takes a lot of effort to create games from using different computer programs to make the video, audio, game levels, and characters depending on how complex the game is. Games like Grand Theft Auto 5 take a lot of time to make.

Game workers may also be better at making a deal with their boss for a better wage because it is worth it to pay them more money to make original big games like Call of Duty compared to some electronics makers who sell their electronics for low profits like a few dollars like average laptop profits which a laptop averagely make less than $15 in profits according to an article I read on BGR. A lot of laptops which cost the same as other laptop brands do the same tasks, run at similar performance levels, and have similar reliability records, so they sell their stuff at similar or slightly lower prices as other electronic brands to get more buyers.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

What 2045 said, it takes more to make a game than anything else. If anything games are made and sold at a loss.

 

[2045]

There's also the fact that people can pirate games but can't pirate hardware (because hardware theft is more likely to be prosecuted than software theft).

 

[froggyboy604]

There's also the fact that people can pirate games but can't pirate hardware (because hardware theft is more likely to be prosecuted than software theft).

I read blog posts like http://kotaku.com/why-people-pirate-video-games-1716103981 which says some people pirate games to see if the game can run on their computer before they buy it, or if the games are any good. Not all PC games have a free demo. There are also people who lost the PC game disc for their game which they paid for, so they feel that it is okay to pirate the game disc to play a game which they already paid for, or lost.

There are also not a lot of game rental stores these days, so people can't try out the game by renting them before they buy.

I think game piracy can help make less popular games more popular and have more buyers around the world like how a lot of international fans watched pirated anime from Japan on sites like YouTube, and Dailymotion, and some of them eventually buy anime DVD/Blu-Ray and toys.

Hardware piracy maybe less common these days now that buyers can buy cheaper electronics brands like RCA, Proscan, Hauwei, ZTE, Micromax, etc if they don't want to buy electronics from Apple, Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic.