More Reviews
REVIEWS Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Review
Gamers have gone bananas for Nintendo's 3DS, but can this port of Retro Studios' 2010 Wii game make the jump to your portable?

Pandora's Tower Review
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but swords and chains excite me. Should you climb the towers in Xseed's JRPG/adventure hybrid to save your cursed (and tragically whiny) girlfriend?
More Previews
PREVIEWS The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot Preview
Ah, the joys of destroying your friend's castle and the pains of your friend destroying yours. Alas, such is friendship.
Release Dates
NEW RELEASES GRiD 2
Release date: 05/28/13

Fuse
Release date: 05/28/13

Remember Me
Release date: 06/04/13

The Last of Us
Release date: 06/14/13


LATEST FEATURES GR Showdown: Are There Way Too Many Remakes And Reboots?
Gamers continually complain about the lack of innovation from publishers and developers, but in this tough economy, it would seem that sequels and remakes are their bread and butter. Are there not enough new IPs?

Tips For Surviving Metro: Last Light's Mutants And Men
On higher difficulties, 4A Games forces players to utilize stealth and combat planning, but with these tips and the right tools, you'll make short work of the opposition.
MOST POPULAR FEATURES 7 Best Video Game Franchises Of All Time
Gaming is home to some incredible IPs. Here you'll find a slightly objective, yet heavily biased, list of the absolute best of the best.
 
Coming Soon

LEADERBOARD
Read More Member Blogs
FEATURED VOXPOP nick_olsen
Welcome home, Mario; we’ve missed you!
By nick_olsen
Posted on 05/13/13
[ Editor's Note: As Nick Olsen is a writer for Theory of Gaming, this won't be counted in the monthly Vox Pop prize. However, it is very much a worthy read. ] By Nick Olsen Co-founder, Theory of Gaming In 1985 Nintendo started a revolution when it...

GAMING NEWS

Amazon Estimates Wii U Software Will Be $100

Posted on Wednesday, June 13 @ 14:14:38 Eastern by

Amazon's listing for New Super Mario Bros U has the launch software for Nintendo's next-generation console estimates a $100 price tag. Is it possible that next-generation software could really cost that much for the consumer?

Let's take note of Amazon's fine-print before launching into full fanboy freak-out:

Official pricing and release date have not been announced by the publisher. These are estimates only and subject to change. Pre-orders will be covered by the pre-order price guarantee and only be charged the lowest price avialable during the date the order was placed and the final release date.

That's a nice safety-net Amazon uses to cover their asses, but I can't help but question this initial price. Is there some validity to it? Why would Amazon, one of the largest retailers IN THE WORLD, set such an exorbitant price, even if it is early?

Amazon's game is to sell product, right? And perhaps it's a better move to charge a consumer more only to lower the cost later (rather than the opposite), but why would you price a game a full $40 more than the norm?

Would you buy games at $100 a pop?
Related Games:   New Super Mario Bros. U
Tags:   Nintendo, Wii U, Amazon


More from the Game Revolution Network




Comments
  • 213EDD
    213EDD

    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
    If this is the case? Fuck this I am going to PC... Ohh wait.
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous

    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
    Come to us, we welcome more to the group. Me and Tiny will make you a hat.
  • 213EDD
    213EDD

    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
    The joke is I already Play PC >.>
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
    He know's he just likes making hats.
  • StringerBell86
    StringerBell86

    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
    I want a hat .... and a lanyard since you're so crafty =D
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous

    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
    Hats are the clothing equivalent to someone hugging your head all the time.
  • shandog137
    shandog137

    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
    They may be just hedging the pricing. The first console to come out with software priced at $100 is going to be victim of the PS3 launch curse. They will spend the next two years revising pricing structure to stay competitive and then spend the next 5 years trying to catch up with console sales. IT would have to be an industry norm across the big three or the individual company would fail woefully. Also, consider the rash of development houses closing and merging in recent years and developers aren't going to want to take the risk. I wouldn't worry too much about this at this point. I see them pushing the $60 games for quite some time longer with micro-transactions for DLC pushing you over the $100 game price point softly. Reduces the consumer backlash still end up increasing the bottom line.
  • shandog137
    shandog137

    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
    One more thing, the prices of games may go up incrementally with the next generation especially upon first console release to test the market tolerance. You may hear something to similar to what Sony's PS3 marketing focused on, "These are bigger games, it takes more resources, etc..." not necessarily true but acceptable to the masses to some extent because it sounds logical. But take loss from reduced game sales for a few quarters and then having developers jump ship to a competitor will quickly lead to pricing structure revisions. But there is the chance that gamers would be okay with a $70 or $80 price point. Look at those collection editons which pilot test what you are willing to pay for primary content and then often times superficial marketing materials.
  • TurinAlexander
    TurinAlexander

    Joined: Sep 2006
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
    No way in hell I'd buy a game for hundred bucks a pop. I have a hard time justifying my once a year special/collector's edition purchase. Lately, the only games I've been buying are the games I missed out on when they were new that are on sale. Even then, if it costs more than ten bucks, I might wait a bit. Yeah, I'm cheap, deal with it.
  • WILLS_COOL_MODE
    WILLS_COOL_MODE

    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
    It doesn't even make sense to charge that much. I mean the most effort a developer could possibly put forth is for a PC game, and charging almost double what PC games are worth for something developed on something less powerful than current consoles (and therefore requiring less graphically) is silly. Unless it's just because the Wii U is phenomenally hard to code for, in which case the console will fail anyway just like the PS3 did for the majority of its lifespan.
  • ShadeTail
    ShadeTail

    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
    There is absolutely no chance games will be $100. This is just a placeholder price Amazon is using until they know the real one, and then they'll change their listing.

    As for why they're making their placeholder price so ridiculously high, I'm guessing it's so the real price will seem reasonable, no matter how high it turns out to be. Just dropping in a (hypothetical) $70 price tag might induce sticker shock. But lowering the price from $100 to $70 could make people think, "Cool, I'm saving $30!"
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
    I think your right, but what does a $10 price hike for WiiU games mean for everybody else?
  • Lethean
    Lethean

    Joined: Jan 2001
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
    Kinda what Shade said. Or if they set it at say 49.99 but Wii U games end up being 69.99 people won't complain and be all "nope! You said 49.99. I'm paying you 49.99".
  • LawnGnome
    LawnGnome

    Joined: Apr 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
    Amazon will lower that pre-order price when the actual prices come out, but if they set it at $50 and then the game was actually $60 they wouldn't be able to raise it, hence the high estimate. My knee-jerk reaction is to say I would never pay $100 for a video game, but if the game was exceptional, had special & unique features, and/or was extremely long I might actually pay that much. Afterall, I paid $180 a year for several years to play WoW and it hasn't really been all that special for quite some time now, but the $$/hour of gameplay was always very cheap.
  • wildmario
    wildmario

    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
    All I can say is WTF? And if the price was real, I'd quit buying games ever again.
  • elmoreoocyte
    elmoreoocyte

    Joined: Apr 2012
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
    Basically just echoing what everyone else said. No, I don't think they'll launch software at 100 bucks a game. Yes, I can see a minor price increase to the next gen like we've already seen.

    Would I buy a 100 dollar game? Fvck & No. I've gotten to the point that I wait for damn near everything to drop to at least 30 or 40 bucks before I'm willing to buy, if I buy at all now that everything seems derivative as hell. The only game that's been bought full price in this house in the last 2 or so years has been Diablo 3, and that's because I wanted it as soon as it was announced and have waited years. I also regret buying it at launch, at full price, because of how buggy the first month has been.
  • Bras
    Bras

    Joined: Jul 2008
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
    I would not buy $100 games.
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
    I don't think many will, but your in Peru don't you pay more anyway? Many places outside the US pay more than we do.
  • Bras
    Bras

    Joined: Jul 2008
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
    Stores will sell them at around $100, if you know where to go you can get them from $60 (legal btw). The thing is they don't depreciate much. God of War III is still between $55-90.
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
    O U C H !
  • sli
    sli

    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
    Games don't depreciate much here in Taiwan either, not even the second hand games. Chinese people are stingy by nature.
  • Crucial-Kenny
    Crucial-Kenny

    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
    There's no way they would try that. Nintendo games are $50 now, they know they can't get away with doubling the price, nobody would pay that. By the way, am I the only cheap ass that never pays full price for games? Between amazon sales, their warehouse deals on used games, and gamefly sales, I usually pay like $10-$20.
  • Alex_Osborn
    Alex_Osborn

    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 10:13 pm
    No thank you. It's going to take more than an HD New Super Mario Bros. to get me to shell out $100, and that's assuming Nintendo's managed to convince me to drop $300+ on the hardware.
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous

    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Jun 13th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
    For $100 the game better come with a peripheral controller that vibrates and has a suction device. Use your imagination Ill go into no further detail.
  • madster111
    madster111

    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posted: Jun 14th, 2012 at 4:00 am
    Welcome to Australian pricing, Americans. Enjoying it yet?
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jun 14th, 2012 at 4:48 am
    No :-(

Post a Comment
LOGIN or REGISTER to post a comment or rate this article.
More On GameRevolution