PlayStation 4 Price Rises By $50 in Canada

[Fanghawk]

PlayStation 4 Price Rises By $50 in Canada

PlayStation consoles, cameras, and DualShock 4 controllers are all seeing price hikes within the Canadian North.

Imagine the following: You are (a) Canadian and (b) <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129780-PS4-Supply-Will-be-Sufficient-For-The-Holidays-Says-Sony-Exec>among the many who couldn't buy a PlayStation 4 at launch. Nursing your disappointment over a Tim Horton's coffee and some maple syrup, you try to cheer yourself up. "It's not so bad," you say, "I'll just wait for the price to drop! Until then, I'll pass the time reading about Mayor Rob Ford's antics in the newspaper." Then you open up the Toronto Sun and see that <a href=http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/14/sonys-playstation-4-going-up-50>Canadian PS4's are getting a price increase from $399 to $449, and your legendary politeness is suddenly shattered to pieces.

You see, for the past seven years the relatively strong Canadian dollar allowed game and console prices to be identical to what our American neighbors paid. Now, thanks to "changes in the market environment", Sony is raising Canadian next-gen console prices by $50. The PlayStation Camera and Dualshock 4 controller will also see $5 increases, while new games like Infamous: Second Son will be priced at $70.

This isn't the first time Sony has raised Canadian console prices (there was a $40 PS3 increase in 2007), but it's especially frustrating given that many stores still haven't fully stocked their shelves with PS4s. Outlets like Best Buy are already noting the price adjustment, so if you're Canadian and haven't paid a deposit, you'll probably need to pay a little extra for the immediate future.

Thankfully, Sony's price increase doesn't appear to affect the PlayStation Vita, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127038-Sony-Confirms-Vita-Price-Cut>which finally saw a price cut last year.

Source: Joystiq

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[Roxas1359]

Well that sucks for Canadians that's for sure. Really I think it'd be interesting to actually see some stock of the PS4 in general. I'm reminded of how the Nintendo Wii was last gen in that there were pretty much none in stock for the longest time.

 

[Ninmecu]

Well then, Fuck You Too, eh? It's bad enough they charge 60 dollars for games that feel incomplete or purposely cut out content(Looking at you Stick of Truth) but now you expect me to pay more because I'm 100 km north of the border? Fuck off.


*Puts polite Canadian hat back on and returns to his Ice Cap with a shot of Hazelnut*

Twenty bucks says Rob Ford gets re-elected, unless he's unable to for "reasons". Anyway, on topic, seriously, screw that. I'm glad I went with PC, I'm now re-evaluating my desire to purchase a ps3 to see that backlog of games(About 20 or so in total) that I was keen on getting, but not anymore. The CAD to USD is not worth that much of a hike and on top of which I get to pay the gov 13% in taxes on the sale. So no, Sony, you will not get my money.

Edit: I did the math, currently if I buy it from steam, it costs me 66.59 post conversion, non taxed since Steam is based in the US. If I buy the game locally for the Ps4 now, it costs me 79.10$ In what world is that acceptable? Seriously, I'll just stick to pc gaming. Sure it's not the "Pc Gaming Master Race" as we all so lovingly call it, sure sometimes games bug out, but at least it's got a lot more options available and isn't held in a stranglehold like that....Not yet anyway.

 

[Flutterguy]

Well. Guess I won't be buying a Playstation 4 then. Good for them.

 

[Smiley Face]

Dammit. The console price bump isn't that big of a deal - it brings it closer in price parity to the X1, so it just means there's less of a relative discount. What gets me there is the price bump on the games - a lot were already being bumped to $65, now they're up to $70 - that's going to add up over time, it'll beat out the $50 price bump pretty quickly, and while the console price will drop down over time, if they get to selling games at $70 dollars, that'll become the new standard, regardless of any realities in currency parity across borders - books are regularly priced higher here than in the US, and despite the fact that for a good few years, our dollar was actually stronger than its American counterpart, pricing policies remained the same.

Now the interesting question is whether Microsoft will do the same. If they don't, they might actually get a price advantage, or better yet, force Sony's prices back down. But seeing as how it's Microsoft, I very much doubt that's a move they'd make.

 

[Compatriot Block]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

 

[The Pink Pansy]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

Because they were selling it for less. It doesn't matter that it works out to be more or less even with the dollar conversion, they released a product at a certain price point. Raising the price above that price point without adding value for the customer will cause backlash, regardless of what the product is.

It also doesn't help that we're already paying above US cost for pretty much everything else, so 'Adjusting' games and consoles upwards 'Because Canada' feeds on existing resentment. As noted above, how is it fair for us to pay $70+ for a game retail if we can buy it off steam for $10 less.

 

[rasputin0009]

The CAD to USD is not worth that much of a hike and on top of which I get to pay the gov 13% in taxes on the sale. So no, Sony, you will not get my money.

$0.90 to $1.00 is a pretty big difference when it's across $400. I understand why Sony is hiking the prices just for that reason, but they can also get away with it up here because the huge demand for PS4's. Microsoft will probably have to keep their prices the same because their boxes are on the shelves still.

This and Titanfall has made me rethink my next-gen purchase anyways. Playing around with my friend's Xbox One was cool and frustrating at the same time. It has probably the worst user interface among all technology, but it can switch between certain programs rather fast. Also the dirty advertisements hidden everywhere ("Did I just accidentally buy an over-priced CoD skin-pack? I was just trying to find the achievements!"). And Kinect is probably the worst thing I've ever used. So counter-intuitive. It focuses on the dog when turning on a second controller. "Is this you?" Fuck off Kinect, I just want to play co-op. But that Titanfall is so good. It's definitely not up to the hype that IGN was giving it (Ermahgerd! BEST GAME EVAR!!), but it's really fun. Simple fun.

 

[Compatriot Block]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

Because they were selling it for less. It doesn't matter that it works out to be more or less even with the dollar conversion, they released a product at a certain price point. Raising the price above that price point without adding value for the customer will cause backlash, regardless of what the product is.

It also doesn't help that we're already paying above US cost for pretty much everything else, so 'Adjusting' games and consoles upwards 'Because Canada' feeds on existing resentment. As noted above, how is it fair for us to pay $70+ for a game retail if we can buy it off steam for $10 less.

I really have no interest in Canadians paying more, so it's not like I'd rather there be price bumps like this.

But the fact you pay less on Steam doesn't make it unfair that it costs more in physical form. That just means you get what is essentially a discount on Steam, and should take advantage of that. If I could do that I absolutely would.

This price bump will definitely cause backlash, but I think that people forced to pay a 1:1 dollaround ratio has a better argument for it being unfair. This example just happens to be an unfortunate balancing.

 

[Sanunes]

I am not upset that they are charging more for a PS4, for like its been said currency issues will cause changes, but from past experiences they are going to leave the price high even if the dollar values reach polarity again. If Microsoft doesn't change the price of the Xbox One, I wonder what is going to happen for then the two consoles are only $50 apart and I know from my friends that was one of the reasons they were looking at a PS4.

 

[Ninmecu]

The CAD to USD is not worth that much of a hike and on top of which I get to pay the gov 13% in taxes on the sale. So no, Sony, you will not get my money.

$0.90 to $1.00 is a pretty big difference when it's across $400. I understand why Sony is hiking the prices just for that reason, but they can also get away with it up here because the huge demand for PS4's. Microsoft will probably have to keep their prices the same because their boxes are on the shelves still.

40 dollars. That's not that big of a difference.(Yes, I'm aware of the seeming double standard. But I'm the consumer, the guy who gives the money in exchange for the product.) The console shouldn't be held ransom for more money since it's the games being sold en masse that in turn allows for profit margins through the sale of liscensing fees and popularity of the product. If you make the product harder to acquire "because reasons"(Which is what most people will see when reading "Changes in the market environment" as the listed reason for the price hike. As for the dollars to pounds argument, yes, I agree, you should most definitely get up in arms regarding that, it doesn't however make this any less of a pain in the arse and doesn't detract from the fact that it shouldn't be promoted as an accepted cost. The imaginary line separating us in the dirt shouldn't mean I have to pay more for a product that is used to use OTHER PRODUCTS that only work WITH THAT PRODUCT. A product I wouldn't even be remotely interested in (At this point, I'll admit I was keen on it in the past) if weren't for the fact that it holds games ransom by having "Console exclusive deals" that ignore the PC market(Of which I'm a part of.)

Dammit. The console price bump isn't that big of a deal - it brings it closer in price parity to the X1, so it just means there's less of a relative discount. What gets me there is the price bump on the games - a lot were already being bumped to $65, now they're up to $70 - that's going to add up over time, it'll beat out the $50 price bump pretty quickly, and while the console price will drop down over time, if they get to selling games at $70 dollars, that'll become the new standard, regardless of any realities in currency parity across borders - books are regularly priced higher here than in the US, and despite the fact that for a good few years, our dollar was actually stronger than its American counterpart, pricing policies remained the same.

Now the interesting question is whether Microsoft will do the same. If they don't, they might actually get a price advantage, or better yet, force Sony's prices back down. But seeing as how it's Microsoft, I very much doubt that's a move they'd make.

The part in bold is the part that's most important to tackle in my opinion, we're always getting the short end of the stick, I used to pay 20 bucks for 1400(ish, I forget the actual amount) ms points and would have to go out and buy another card to use the last few points because I didn't have the 80 points needed for a 1 dollar game. Despite the canadian dollar being worth almost 25 cents more. So what they're saying is that when the dollar is in OUR favor, too bad, you get stuffed and deep fried because reasons. When your dollar isn't as strong as ours? Oh, well, sucks to be you, you get to eat shit and pay more for games that have gotten shorter and weaker as time has gone on.


Edit:

But the fact you pay less on Steam doesn't make it unfair that it costs more in physical form. That just means you get what is essentially a discount on Steam, and should take advantage of that. If I could do that I absolutely would.

That's not a discount. That's the current accepted price value. They've artificially raised the price on the exact same product to the point where I have to drop nearly 100 dollars on EACH NEW GAME before taking into account ANY dlc costs, or download on limited bandwidths with Canada's legendarilly shitty internet infrastructure because our government hasn't realized yet that a powerful and well built internet infrastructure=economical boosts where everyone wins. This is why I wait for steam sales, I was born into poverty and have to put in more effort to get any kind of financial freedom because of it. Stupid little price hikes like this on my one hobby are slowly pushing me elsewhere, wallet included. The way things are going, I'm just going to buy myself a WiiU, at least that has local gaming ability and Nintendo hasn't decided "Blame Canada for our profits not being as high as they could be."

Captcha:Cheese Smuggling Ring. Yes, that's what's going on, their taking all my cheddar.

 

[Robert Hilliker]

Hey Microsoft! Remember last year when Sony was drinking your milkshake with the PS4? Just saying there's an opportunity here!

 

[The Abhorrent]

It's annoying, but there is at least a little bit of justification in this case; the Canadian dollar dropped in value quite a bit (relative to the American dollar) shortly after the PS4 launched. The decline was already in progress at the time of the launch, probably a few weeks into it, and the overall effect (relative to the current value, which seems to be relatively stable) was around 10%; to apply the inverse is a 11% increase from the current value, and the PS4 price increase is 12.5%.

In essence, the price jump is pretty close to the relative decrease in the value of the currency... though edging slightly in Sony's favour, probably because a $50 price increase turns into "may as well" compared to a $46 increase. Not fun for someone looking to buy a PS4 at the moment, but the reasoning is more or less sound and the amount is understandable.

The other thing to keep in mind is that a stronger currency isn't always a good thing, particularly for those looking to sell their products. It's something which shows up in the (Canadian) news from time to time, businesses struggling to generate revenue when they're forced to sell their products at a lower price due to a stronger currency; the inverse applies to consumers, who can benefit from a stronger currency. It does depend on the product in question, some are more stable while others are volatile... however, electronics rarely jump up in price due to their tendency to depreciate in value rather quickly (new technology and all that). With the PS4 being new (for a console life-cycle, which will be several years), that's a bit of a defense; a year or two down the line is a different story, that's when you should be talking price drops.

---

Meh, it is what it is. Even though I own a PS4 already and can see the reasoning, I'm not too impressive with Sony's decision; it's a business decision, not a PR decision. Anyhow, you can be certain Sony won't be so quick to drop the price if the price of the dollar increases to parity again (or higher); at the most, they'll chance the price to match that south of the border (people going across the 49th parallel to buy stuff for a cheaper price happens on a daily basis).

Still, it's better than gas prices. Long weekend coming up? Expect to see a price hike of 10 cents per litre, minimum... which takes a full month to go back down.

 

[Robert Hilliker]

yes! lets increase the price too! - microsoft executive


as if microsoft have made good decisions lately...
----------

well, its not like you could just drive over the border since there is so much sea between the two countries whatsoever.

Sadly I CAN see MS doing this, Though hopefully memories of last year will stay their hand. They can at least not look like relative jerks to my fellow North Americans.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

Well the earliest I would buy the PS4 would be 2015. In fact I would wait until the second version came out, like the elite or slim or some bullshit like that and then I would wait for THAT to go down in price a bit.

Oh and haha Canadian jokes, that NEVER gets old, nope...

 

[-Dragmire-]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

Just out of curiosity, would you say the same thing if the US prices were raised to match Europe's? Fair's fair right?

 

[Compatriot Block]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

Just out of curiosity, would you say the same thing if the US prices were raised to match Europe's? Fair's fair right?

Luckily I already addressed that in my next post, 4 comments down. I'll go ahead and link it for you.

snip

This price bump will definitely cause backlash, but I think that people forced to pay a 1:1 dollaround ratio has a better argument for it being unfair. This example just happens to be an unfortunate balancing.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.

$400 US is approximately equal to $443.92 Canadian. Is there something I'm missing? Because I don't see how people could be too upset, unless it's over that ~$5.08.

Don't let me get in the way of you getting pissed, though.

Just out of curiosity, would you say the same thing if the US prices were raised to match Europe's? Fair's fair right?

Luckily I already addressed that in my next post, 4 comments down. I'll go ahead and link it for you.

snip

This price bump will definitely cause backlash, but I think that people forced to pay a 1:1 dollaround ratio has a better argument for it being unfair. This example just happens to be an unfortunate balancing.

Didn't mean to sound snarky, I reread my post and it doesn't sound as docile as I had intended it, I was merely curious.

I'm not really miffed since I don't have a horse in this race but the general feeling associated with being charged more for the same value of product is not a positive one.