Topic: Not enough bang for your buck!

youre right i guess. and its a new console to work on, developpers arent used to it yet, and development must be a little tougher. i dont know much about the software kit they work with for this 3DS neither. might be similar to the Wii and DSi.

but in any way, creating something mediocre or simply bad isnt an excuse. its a matter of doing your job right. You're hired in a game company, lucky you, then do your job ! At least make something edible, not just something frustrating.

From what I see, I'm betting on enough quality for my quid. Pun most definitely intended.

I understand that handheld development costs are similar to home console costs. Regardless, $40 seems like a cap price/market price for handheld games, especially with IOS game quality increasing (such as Dead Space for only $0 - $7). Sony could shoot themselves in the foot if PSP2 games retail above $40.

Perhaps, perhaps. But NGP development will, clearly, be significantly more costly than 3DS development. The difference between the 3DS and NGP in this department is about the difference between the Wii and PS3. Some people have been complaining about the costs associated with the 3DS, but Sony is clearly going for a significantly more powerful console with the NGP and, there's no way around it, you'll have to pay the higher costs associated with that. It's not like hardware sales where it's a viable strategy to sell at a loss; you can never afford to sell software at a loss.

Will Sony potentially find some challenges selling portable games for $50 when compared to prices on iOS devices? Sure, I can definitely see that happening. Dead Space is an anomaly though, and remember that the original game debuted at $60 retail as well.

I feel like quoting myself as this is a problem far bigger than just the 3DS.

PWR and SSF4 are worth $40

Sigh. Thanks to the app store, a lot of people think they're getting ripped off because real, retail games don't cost $5, but you aren't really getting ripped off. Retail games have a lot more content than downloadable games, and as such a lot more work is put into them. A typical iOS game can be made by at most a handful of people (note that I said "typical," and that there are exceptions that are made by full teams, but can usually cost $10), whereas a retail game is made by many people, and $1 per game can't make enough of a profit for everybody who worked on the game to get paid enough to make a living. Also, let's not forget that packaging makes up part of the price too, so don't forget that that plastic wrapped around your game isn't free.

Yes, packaging and shipping, as well as the production of the physical game media, all cost something.

Funny thing: I was watching a review of an iOS game on Youtube today. It was for a game that's apparently very popular right now. The reviewer said he didn't understand why, because while it was a very fun game, it was somewhat repetitive and only fun for a little while, without much replay value. At one point he said, "I don't see why I would want to spend $.99 on this." Seriously!? It's $.99 guy! Apple has some people completely brainwashed. Good for them I guess.

@Destroyer360 - There's more than just the packaging to consider.

For an iOS app the money goes to:
Apple.
The developer.

For a boxed 3DS game the money goes to:
Nintendo.
The developer.
The publisher.
The distributor.
The retailer.
The manufacturer.
Localisation companies (ok, some iOS games are localised, but all Nintendo games have to be localised)
The shipping company (the one that gets the games to the countries of sale).
ESRB, PEGI, USK, BBFC, OFLC (the ratings companies have to be paid as part of the dev process).
Insurance companies (publishers have to have indemnity insurance, which is not necessary for iOS).

So the problem goes way beyond the actual development costs of the game. For Nintendo games, you have to be a proper company with business premises. For iOS, you can be one guy in a bedroom. The games are simply more expensive to make for Nintendo and unless they can find a way to change that, then they'll never be able to compete on price with the iOS stuff.

However, this thread is about whether the 3DS games are worth £40 / $60 US, and in my opinion, they are not so far. In PWR, I've got 3 star ratings on all missions, perfect on all missions in the first two classes after just 4 hours of play. I expect a lot more play time for my £40.

I stand by me previous statement that gamers often focus too much on how long a game is as opposed to how enjoyable it is.

@wobee - I agree, OutRun takes 5 mins to play through but if I added up all the hours I have played that game and many other arcade style retro classics of the 80s and 90s... Its all about the gameplay.

You might have an amazing narrative in a game, but its unlikley you would replay it immediatley just for the story, that would be like watching the same movie over and over again.

On the matter of price, wow, I remember Street Fighter 2 on the Megadrive retailing at £60 when it was released in the UK.

This was already touched on, but I guess if retailers in Europe are the ones deciding the prices for software, then it really has nothing to do with Nintendo or the developers and how they make their game. So I question whether this topic is about the way the games are developed or about the prices European retailers are charging.

@DiggerDan I'm surprised to realize that iOS apps aren't rated at all by the ESRB and other ratings boards. That really doesn't seem right. I read the other day about an app that was released about shaking babies to death (seriously), which was available for a few days before a public uproar caused Apple to take it down. And people compare Apple's approval process to Nintendo's...

What's worse? A game about shaking babies to death being made, or a company saying "Yup, this looks fine," and selling it. Incredible.

At least if the game didn't work there would be no shaking babies to death.
Incredible.
_{The problem here is the content; not the playability}

Apple looks for more than just if the game is broken or not. As an example, if something is outright racist, it isn't allowed. So why something about murdering babies was passed is beyond me.