Wasn’t it bad enough that gamers in Australia had to pay $999.95 AU (871.16 USD) to get their hands on a PlayStation 3 at launch?
A new trend seems to be arising in the land down under to charge extra cash for the PS3 version of a multiplatform game. Generally the cost is about an extra ten Australian dollars added to the already absurdly priced product.
What is it that makes game companies think they can charge 150% of the normal price just because it’s sold on a different continent?
The most recent example of this practice comes from Capcom, who have decided to charge $109.95 AU (95.79 USD) for the PlayStation 3 version of Devil May Cry. Which is compared to $99.95 (87.18 USD) for the Xbox 360 version, and $79.95 (69.65 USD) on the PC.
Your guess is as good as ours as to why this practice has become common. No company has been willing to comment on why the PS3 version must cost more. Some theorize higher licensing costs, others that the Blu-ray disc simply costs a lot more to produce. However, I think that some companies see the extravagant price point of the PS3, as a precedent for exploitation.
I hope this trend dissipates over time, but if not, then I simply hope that it stays in Australia. Rather than spread to the rest of the world. I like my PS3, but I simply can’t imagine continuing to buy games for it if they get even more expensive than they already are…unless it’s Metal Gear.
