The cost of games in the 90’s

[The Mad Titan]

This thread has been made before, but it is truth that gaming is cheap compared to historical prices and the cost for other entertainment.

but we all know this is just a stealth returnal defense thread @Gizmo_Duck

The conversation around returnals price is comparing it to other recent/modern games.

Historical game prices have absolutely nothing to do with that convo.

Do better Sony stan brehs

 

[-DMP-]

Luckily, I didn’t start buying my own games until ps1/2 era. I think games were like 50-70 bucks then.

I honestly can’t remember cuz I was so broke I hardly bought anything on release day.

 

[Rekkapryde]

Nah it costed alot based on videos from devs and companies, and it varies heavily depending on what chipset was used for games also

not for those prices still. prime reason why NIntendo still sitting good

 

[DJ Paul's Arm]

I remember pops coppin us Street Fighter 2 for SNES. When he saw that $89 price he said that this will be both of our Christmas and birthday gifts and also ain’t gettin shyt for the remainder of the year. Favorite food included.

we agreed

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

I remember pops coppin us Street Fighter 2 for SNES. When he saw that $89 price he said that this will be both of our Christmas and birthday gifts and also ain’t gettin shyt for the remainder of the year. Favorite food included.

we agreed

I would have made the same deal

 

[Allen Poe]

Now let's post Neo Geo system and game prices from back then

 

[DJ Paul's Arm]

I would have made the same deal

problem was we thought he’d forget and we got bored of that shyt after a month.

when Christmas came through, all the gifts under the tree were for my sisters and moms only.

Pops looked at us like

while drinking his coffee.

My brother and I knew wassup

 

[MeachTheMonster]

I remember pops coppin us Street Fighter 2 for SNES. When he saw that $89 price he said that this will be both of our Christmas and birthday gifts and also ain’t gettin shyt for the remainder of the year. Favorite food included.

we agreed

Man, me and my bro used to get 3 games a year. One for each of our birthdays and one for Christmas.

Used to be one of the biggest decisions of our lives, and we would play them shyts for years to come.

Kids got it so easy these days. My kids spoiled as fukk they literally got all the Mario games(and everything else)I played for 20+ years at their fingertips. They don’t even know how good they got it

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

problem was we thought he’d forget and we got bored of that shyt after a month.

when Christmas came through, all the gifts under the tree were for my sisters and moms only.

Pops looked at us like

while drinking his coffee.

My brother and I knew wassup

 

[KidJSoul]

The high cost of gaming in the 90s was largely because of the cost to produce cartridges. Printing games on a CD was significantly cheaper , so when the PS1 came out in the mid 90s, the pricing reflected that.

Yeah I think a cartridge cost like over $10 to produce - and Nintendo would take a large as cut of the game revenue. Plus shipping costs were expensive as well.

While CD's would cost I think literal cents to make - and Sony took a lower percent of the cut. While shipping costs were way lower.

That's why PS1 games were like what, no more that $52 at release? and many even at $39? And went on sale quicker? And quicker to make copies and develop for so it had more games?

That, plus the fact that at that time, you could still make a high-quality game with a team of like 15 people - PlayStation was always going to dominate.

 

[daze23]

no matter how you slice it, selling games on CD for a little less was a bigger rip-off. it probably cost at least 10x more to manufacture a cartridge

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Yeah I think a cartridge cost like over $10 to produce - and Nintendo would take a large as cut of the game revenue. Plus shipping costs were expensive as well.

While CD's would cost I think literal cents to make - and Sony took a lower percent of the cut. While shipping costs were way lower.

That's why PS1 games were like what, no more that $52 at release? and many even at $39? And went on sale quicker? And quicker to make copies and develop for so it had more games?

That, plus the fact that at that time, you could still make a high-quality game with a team of like 15 people - PlayStation was always going to dominate.

I remember a lot of PSX games being 39.99

 

[Khalil's_Black_Excellence]

Can't really compare prices back then to now because memory (EPROM, etc.) was expensive as fukk in the 90's and manufacturing costs and retailer cuts were a lot higher back then.



The reasons I just said, especially the memory thing.

Fred.

True. But the costs of developing a game are astronomically higher now than then. I think that's a bit of a trade off, at least.

 

[hex]

True. But the costs of developing a game are astronomically higher now than then. I think that's a bit of a trade off, at least.

Over all I agree but the main difference now is somebody can make a game with no backing and a small team and create a hit. Due to how accessible technology is, the internet, etc.

That was impossible in the 90's.

Fred.

 

[Khalil's_Black_Excellence]

Man, me and my bro used to get 3 games a year. One for each of our birthdays and one for Christmas.

Used to be one of the biggest decisions of our lives, and we would play them shyts for years to come.

Kids got it so easy these days. My kids spoiled as fukk they literally got all the Mario games(and everything else)I played for 20+ years at their fingertips. They don’t even know how good they got it

Same. I'd get 2-4 at most a year. Maybe 5 if I got honor roll. I'd get like 1 for birthday and 2-3 tops for Christmas. I'd start to get a lil more during 3d/cd era, as the game price did get more consistent and slightly cheaper, so I'd get maybe 5-6 games a year. I definitely beat a game dozens of times back then, as opposed to now.

In some ways, due to all that, I felt more appreciative of a single game back then. But I also find a greater sense of appreciation of games as a whole now.