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Topic: Nintendo Gaming on a Budget

Posts 21 to 26 of 26

Grumblevolcano

@skywake: It's not really a surprising concept if you think about Steam.

Grumblevolcano

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JusticeColde

My family's finances have fluctuated a lot over the years which put me in long periods with little money to actually buy games and consoles. Hell, I didn't even get a PS3 until this year.

One tip that I can give that's always stuck with me for the longest time. Always look at and compare prices to maximize your purchase, buying plenty of really good cheap titles over a single expensive title.
Plus looking for retro games on Wii Shop/eShop/PS Store is highly recommended.

Edited on by JusticeColde

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CM30

Yeah, the Virtual Console (and its other console equivalents) are a good bet when it comes to saving money. You won't get the latest games, but there are still plenty of classic titles from previous generations going for a cheap price.

Look for deals as well. Sometimes, sites like Amazon will sell games for far below the normal retail price (sometimes via errors in their pricing systems), and you can take advantage of that. And those Nintendo select games could be a good choice too, since they're sold at about half the normal price.

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Darknyht

@skywake: There was an article on Kotaku a few days ago that had a picture of an old game advertisement from around the time that DKC3 released. The SNES console (no game) was $79.99, and Donkey Kong Country 3 was $69.99. The myth about games once being cheaper is just that. What people mostly remember is that you were able to purchase "Player's Choice" or "Greatest Hits" games for $34.99 in the SNES era and as low as $19.99 in the PS/PS2 era.

The issue is that for the most part, Nintendo has discontinued the program and instead leaves their three year old games at the $59.99 price point and occasionally marks them down to $29.99 digitally. Since the price never drops, the number of copies in circulation stays low and that keeps the used pricing high which then makes those crappy $29.99 digital sales look great. So Nintendo sells copies that cannot be traded and the used market just gets worse for Nintendo titles. A fine example of this is found in most Wal-Marts where Metroid: Other M is still being sold for $49.99 or higher and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword still demands $59.99 new.

Darknyht

Nintendo Network ID: DarKnyht

skywake

@Darknyht:
I never said that games are more expensive now than they used to be. All I said was that the used market raises the prices of games by removing revenue from publishers/devs. The reason games are cheaper now than they used to be is because the volumes are larger and distribution is cheaper. Things which are thanks to digitial distribution and games on disks. Not the used market. Remember, the used market has always existed but digital distribution has not.

As for your points about RRP well I think your issue is that you're quoting prices from Wal-Mart. Now I don't know about pricing in the US but I know of plenty of Australia stores that did what you're talking about. Well into the Wii U era they had Wii games sitting at full RRP. And often there was no other place to get the game other than the used market. This generation? I haven't seen that to the same degree. I don't know if it's just an Australian thing but retailers rarely charge full RRP for Nintendo games anymore. I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that Nintendo now sells all of its games digitally.

Here's a comparison for you about how things have changed. When the Wii launched and I got one for Christmas I naturally wanted to get Twilight Princess. So I went to some of the regular places in late December and all of the stores were sold out. No luck. No used copies even because it was brand new. A few days later I was going down to my brother's place and decided to stop by at the shops down his way. No stock in any of the stores but one. They were charging $99AU (RRP) but I got it because I had no other options.

Compare that to Splatoon this year. Before the game came out I saw a list of everywhere that was selling it and at what price. EBGames was $79AU, eShop was $72AU with the 10% promo Nintendo had for Splatoon, JBs were $59 and Target were $58. Technically the eShop was also $58 when I factor in the 20% discount I got for eShop credit but I don't so I think of it as $72. The day before the game came out I was at JBs and they already had the game on the shelf. So I paid $59 and got it there and then. If I hadn't? If the game had been out of stock everywhere other than the one dude selling it at full RRP? I would have downloaded it instead. These guys know this and I susspect that's why most stores don't charge RRP anymore

Edited on by skywake

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Atomic77

Games are never cheap these days unless you use the e shop or get pre owned games at like a GameStop. The best you can do is save up or wait for sales and discounts.

Atomic77
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