The cost of games in the 90’s

[KidJSoul]

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.

I wonder why that's the case.

Obviously more is expected out of a game nowadays. Fully featured voice cast, online capabilities, etc.

But in terms of graphical fidelity/gameplay fidelity and the like, I feel like that shouldn't cost as much. Are we still using the same programming engines and languages to make games as we've been using since the 90s? Because I read about how these big open world games have hundreds of engineers and coders and I'm like yo, can't they create higher level engines/libraries? lol we should have those by now.

 

[O³ (O cubed)]

Problem with this comparison is that cartridges were itself pieces of hardware. Considering that motherboards, capacitors, resistors, fuses and then the software had to be administered as well it made sense. Imagine buying a harddrive for each game.

 

[Animal House]

I don't think I owned a single RPG/JRPG during the entire 16 bit era

I was renting games back to back to back beating
Chrino Trigger/EVO/Secret of Mana etc in 10 or so days

To add on this post my brothers knew all kinds of ways to pull the jux on Blockbuster and essentially keep mad games

 

[Khalil's_Black_Excellence]

I wonder why that's the case.

Obviously more is expected out of a game nowadays. Fully featured voice cast, online capabilities, etc.

But in terms of graphical fidelity/gameplay fidelity and the like, I feel like that shouldn't cost as much. Are we still using the same programming engines and languages to make games as we've been using since the 90s? Because I read about how these big open world games have hundreds of engineers and coders and I'm like yo, can't they create higher level engines/libraries? lol we should have those by now.

Well, time is one easy to pinpoint factor. It takes more time to utilize those tools, no matter how advancement and simplified they may ultimately be over the past. And with that, also means more manpower just to meet those longer time constraints. You bill up the hours of all that alone and it expounds exponentially.

 

[Superkick Party]

I barely wanna pay $60 for Nintendo games but yall was spending $90 on them???

 

[Mr Rager]

The pawn shop had em for cheaper

 

[Fctftl]

blockbuster had a steaming service too was still too late for Netflix

 

[5n0man]

Problem with this comparison is that cartridges were itself pieces of hardware. Considering that motherboards, capacitors, resistors, fuses and then the software had to be administered as well it made sense. Imagine buying a harddrive for each game.

This.


Cartridge prices varied based off the cost of the hardware needed to develop them, the cost were always fluctuating.

 

[Doctor Wily]

To add on this post my brothers knew all kinds of ways to pull the jux on Blockbuster and essentially keep mad games

32-bit/CD era was much easier

so I guess they knew about the first day game included in the rental box trick huh? That was the easiest way to steal games outside of swiping games off the return ledge/box