PlayStation 4 Price Rises By $50 in Canada

[Caiphus]

It makes sense that the price would increase if the Canadian dollar has depreciated. Import prices will tend to do that.

The one cause for frustration is that the price is unlikely to return to nominal parity even if the Canadian dollar appreciates back to its mid 2013 level. Companies are, naturally, quicker to raise the price than they are to lower it. But maybe that's just cynicism on my part.

 

[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.

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.

Absolutely, and I completely agree with Canadians who are frustrated by this. I don't get a piece of Sony's profits, and if it's cheaper then more people will choose PS4 over the XBone.

I just think that, unfortunately, this isn't a case where currency values mean the consumer is paying more unfairly like it is with the dollaround exchange. This is simply marketing deciding that they want Canada to pay the same amount more than they want that $50 Canadian's worth of good will.

 

[kaizen2468]

Still won't be buying one until the deal is better and the library is better. I'm in no hurry to shell out that kind of money for one or two games I'd want. Maybe next year or the year after. There's still plenty I haven't played on ps3, vita, 3ds and pc.

Sad thing is, if the Canadian dollar tanked to .60 cents American, there wouldn't be any price drops.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

In the spirit of friendship and solidarity; Canada, welcome to Australia!

 

[Souplex]

Some Canadians were wise enough to stock up on PS4s beforehand though.

 

[rasputin0009]

$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.

$40 lost over 100,000 units is $4 million. Over a million units is $40 million. That's a decent amount of cash to make up for somewhere else and it's definitely not peanuts. Retailers and shippers don't want to lose that $40 so Sony has to take the brunt of that exchange rate.

 

[Ninmecu]

It makes sense that the price would increase if the Canadian dollar has depreciated. Import prices will tend to do that.

The one cause for frustration is that the price is unlikely to return to nominal parity even if the Canadian dollar appreciates back to its mid 2013 level. Companies are, naturally, quicker to raise the price than they are to lower it. But maybe that's just cynicism on my part.

Nah, Sony and MS have frequently shown that they don't care how strong the Canadian Dollar is, we still pay more for less. Every time. We just don't complain about it nearly as much as everyone else. (Though, granted, I'm somewhat an exception, it irks me to no end.)

$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.

$40 lost over 100,000 units is $4 million. Over a million units is $40 million. That's a decent amount of cash to make up for somewhere else and it's definitely not peanuts. Retailers and shippers don't want to lose that $40 so Sony has to take the brunt of that exchange rate.

Yup and should the canadian dollar ever rise(Which it will, as inevitably as the tides.) that loss diminishes greatly and then reverses itself into profit at the cost of consumer goodwill. Like I said in the other part of my post, consoles are almost always a negative sale value for the vendor in question. It's the games that they sell and the PS+/XBLIVE fees they turn a profit on. But again, raising both by that(especially the games one, which is 1/6th of a price increase as opposed to a 1/8th of a price increase on the system, is ridiculous. You'll be buying a shit ton more games than consoles. Unless you burn PS4's for heat or something.

 

[Vivi22]

Cry harder, Canada. We folks from the old world pay 399?, which equals $555,05 US. We need several price drops to even reach the price tag you're complaining about after the raise!

Oh yeah. People definitely shouldn't complain about a price increase that directly affects them when someone else has it worse. What awful cry babies they must be.

 

[Eric the Orange]

Some Canadians were wise enough to stock up on PS4s beforehand though.

Darn you got to it before I could.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

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

Me either. I don't appreciate being gouged and I was only considering picking up a PS4 next year. Let's see how long they keep the price higher. In the meantime I'll spend my money at Tim Hortons and buy some timbits for my friends!

 

[HellsingerAngel]

This makes me sad. I could understand a price increase for the sake of reaching parity, but there are a couple things that make me a little skeptical on that being the true reason.

1. If Sony has such a good grasp on the Canadian economy, they'd know we discontinued the penny by this point. Pricing everything at X.99 is just plain stupid and shows either their ignorance of the market or their obvious underhanded ploy at trying to trick Canadians with their pricing model.

2. Games are where Sony's margin is. While I can sort of swallow a 12.5% increase on the console, I can't see a proper justification on a 16% increase on games and accessories over the past months aside from Sony wanting to get more profit.

This is only compounded by Sony giving no specific reason for the change. For all we know, PS4s are just selling like hot cakes and Sony wants to cut deeper to hopefully get a little more cash. Regardless of what their reasoning is, I can't see it being justifiable for putting the largest hike on the product that makes them the most money. Feels like a cash grab built into reasonable logic to try and obfuscate their greediness.

In the meantime I'll spend my money at Tim Hortons and buy some timbits for my friends!

This sounds like a more worthy investment.

 

[Brian Tams]

Hopefully this will be a reminder to gamers that Microsoft doesn't have a monopoly on the "dickish behavior" market.

 

[Roxas1359]

Hopefully this will be a reminder to gamers that Microsoft doesn't have a monopoly on the "dickish behavior" market.

Microsoft had a monopoly over being a dick? I thought that was EA, with Microsoft treading in 2nd, sometimes third when Activision or Ubisoft decide they want to be a Saturday morning villain again. XD

Also, you're avatar has been broken for me for about 2 weeks now. >.<

 

[TomWiley]

Hopefully this will be a reminder to gamers that Microsoft doesn't have a monopoly on the "dickish behavior" market.

You kidding? Sony has absolutely mastered the art of dickish behavior. This is the company that openly supported ACTA, the most notoriously anti-consumer and ethically questionably initiative in recent memory, the company that sued a 13-year old kid for tempering with his PS3 OS and was recently in the spot-light for using child labor to manufacture PS4s.

And Microsoft are the bad guys because they offered you to buy a console which requires Internet connection?

 

[Brian Tams]

Hopefully this will be a reminder to gamers that Microsoft doesn't have a monopoly on the "dickish behavior" market.

You kidding? Sony has absolutely mastered the art of dickish behavior. This is the company that openly supported ACTA, the most notoriously anti-consumer and ethically questionably initiative in recent memory, the company that sued a 13-year old kid for tempering with his PS3 OS and was recently in the spot-light for using child labor to manufacture PS4s.

And Microsoft are the bad guys because they offered you to buy a console which requires Internet connection?

Oh, I know that. Its just that after MS's XBone debacle, I've been getting a major "Sony can do no wrong!" vibe from the more vocal gamers.

Also, you're avatar has been broken for me for about 2 weeks now. >.<

It was an MM avatar the Frappe made me, but I could never get it to work right. I've just been too lazy to change it back.

 

[Weaver]

Then when the dollar goes back up, they'll just keep prices here the same. Like how books are twice the price here.

 

[TallanKhan]

I just checked the current conversion rate on Google.
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 agree overall that this price hike was a poor decision but I would raise two points in response to this particular point:

First of all, while I am aware that often they are pegged at the same price, digital distribution should logically be cheaper than physical media. For digital distribution there are no shipping costs, no costs associated with producing the physical media, and Steam sits in the same supply chain position as a wholesale distributor so the costs of the end retailer are also removed. What I am saying is that it costs less to distribute a game digitally so with the developer and publisher receiving the same take and Steam making the same margin a wholesaler would the price to the consumer should be less. The real outrage here is that often this isn't the case.

Secondly I understand (and do correct me if my understanding of Canadian tax law is incomplete)that in Canada your sales taxes vary from state to state and that you pay somewhere between 5% - 15%. As Steam is based in the US a purchase from Steam would incur no sales tax at all.

 

[Roxas1359]

Also, you're avatar has been broken for me for about 2 weeks now. >.<

It was an MM avatar the Frappe made me, but I could never get it to work right. I've just been too lazy to change it back.

Okay, I thought it might of been something like that. Cause all of a sudden I saw your avatar was broken and thought it might have been Google Chrome screwing up again.
As for the whole "Sony can do no wrong" that's stupid. Really both Microsoft and Sony have done very underhanded things, and just because of one debacle one should not label another company that they can do no wrong. Hell, all 3 console manufacturers have garnered themselves some bad negative PR last year.

 

[RicoADF]

Cry harder, Canada. We folks from the old world pay 399?, which equals $555,05 US. We need several price drops to even reach the price tag you're complaining about after the raise!

Bugga me, I'm surprised your paying Australian prices.

OT: To those that don't want to pay that much just do what I do, wait. I only buy games at top price if I consider them worth the premium price, otherwise I wait till they drop to $20 or get them on a steam sale, it's actually quite easy to do too as you end up with far more games to keep you busy while you wait (warning: you may end up in my position of having too many games vs time available to play)