As if we needed more fuel for the console wars, the news that Xbox Series games are about to get more pricey will undoubtedly reignite the embers that refuse to die completely.
This isn’t about game graphics or console looks – the usual fodder – but about the cost of simply purchasing the games we want to play. In truth, purchasing video games has never been cheap, but in recent years the cost has increased substantially.
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Now that Microsoft has announced it’s shut down its physical video games division, the cost of video games is set to increase and be more expensive than PlayStation. In terms of value for money, digital copies of games are more expensive – you have no means to exchange or sell your copies to get some money back, with few digital sales inclusive of newer releases.
Even if Xbox decides to “outsource” as some have suggested, physical units are on the way out and have been for some time. It’s a part of the industry I don’t like; for me, and many others, there’s nothing quite like owning a physical copy of your favourite game.
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“If digital games were cheaper then I’d be more swayed towards buying them over physical but they aren’t,” commented one gamer. “Having discs even if there’s no data on them anymore means I can get a bargain once in a while, and that stores have to compete for sales against each other so that means price drops.”
Even games like Alan Wake 2, which cost less due to being digital, are an exception to the rule because, as one gamer pointed out, “when it's all digital and the only option, they'll [publishers] jack the prices back up.”
No matter how you slice this one, it’s us, the gamers, who are going to feel the sting of having to fork out more money just to do what we love.
Topics: Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Sony