Poll: Games prices in Australia

[irequirefood]

This is why I don't buy the game on release unless I am a big supporter of the developers/really, really want the game. It really sucks having to pay more, but at least for PS3 games I can order from the US, as long as I don't want to get DLC for it.

 

[Cazza]

I was just bitching about that a few hours today when I saw the exchange rate. Also petrol. It's probably done because they can get away with it. People complain but not everyone then shop online for games.

 

[Woodsey]

i saw a ps3 verion of GTA4 in Game a few days ago.

$100.
Still.

Holy shit, that's like £60!

I thought Activision were being ridiculous leaving MW2 at £40 even after Blops has been released which is also £40.

OT: Surely it's to do with inflation or something?

 

[mew1234321]

So an important point to note the Australian dollar and the US dollar are almost 1 for 1.
That said most games here are expensive, Fable 3 is $120 AUD yet a quick search online shows in the US it is $60. Given exchange rate wise this means if I was to fly to the US I could pay about half what I pay here I was curious. Would you guys who live in the US still buy games if they cost twice as much?

Many countries around the world get charged exuberant amounts and Australia is one of them. They charge that much simply because they can. I would recommend importing region free copies or buying them from the UK.

What really annoys us Australian gamers (and some other countries) is when someone cries about a game being $60. I mean... wow. It's like an Emo complaining their life is too hard when there is an African aids-ridden starved corpse next door.

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel.

Everytime someone goes, 'AWW COME ON MAN! I JUST PAID $65 FOR THIS NEW GAME, THAT'S LIKE, $5 MORE.' I just stop in my tracks and weep.

Then I go firebomb the closest EB Games. It's good for the soul.

25 and counting.

 

[Timmibal]

Why is everyone so stupid?

The exchange rate between Australia and the USA is currently in our favour. 1AUD>1USD. This does not translate to game prices for quite a few reasons, I'll give you a fun one.

Australian's get paid more money for the same work that Americans. Our minimum wage is significantly higher, thus, the value of an American dollar is higher.

This doesn't just apply to video games. We pay a larger amount of money for the same goods and services. We make a larger amount of money.

Now, to exploit this, import games from overseas. Pay the same price as what an American pays, get paid more money from your job. If you do this, you win.

So I can blame the trade unions for my games being more expensive?

As much as I'd love to do that. I think there must be a little more to it than a simple case of inflation.

Also, the price disparity doesn't stretch to luxuries dude. Go to the states and have a look. There's very little difference. Games, Booze, and smokes are the only exception. The latter two are due to an absence of obscene government excise... Makes me wonder about the true nature of pricing on the former.

Edit: Also, importing only works for PCs, or if you have modded your console (Breaching your TOS and justifying your ban from online services). I cannot vouch for the veracity of claims, but I have heard stories of customs actually turning away foreign region consoles at port.

Region locking, DRM, Bans for modifying hardware... And you still expect me to think filesharers are the bad guys?

 

[Judgedread]

I'd really suggest Steam mate, their prices are (afaik) universal. But yeah, that pretty much sucks, unless you standard is somehow twice the one in US, which I kinda doubt... seriously don't get why else they'd ramp up the prices that much for Aussies, outside the usual "because we can".

Actually the prices on steam are not universal and will charge us Australians about 40% more for games when we to buy them. It's a huge rip off...

 

[likalaruku]

Do Australians generally make enough money compared to Americans to make that look like a decent price? How much do they pay for games in the UK? How much cheaper ar PC games in Australia & the UK compared to console games?

If the answer to the first question is "no," then is shipping a purchace from America or Canada cheaper? There's always buying used games, but the developers don't get a cent of that money.

Wait, I'm going to answer this myself.

Okey, Red Dead Redemption on Amazon.com.

UK: £24.99-£49.99 new. (AUD $40.37-$80.77).
AU: There is no Amazon.au
CA: CDN$ 59.83. (AUD $59.52).
AM: $39.99-$59.99. (AUD $40.48-$60.74).

http://www.game.com.au/search?search=red%20dead list the AU price as $68.00-$109.95.

(Is pissed that there is no PC release). Okey so yeah, you're paying more than people in the UK, so your country is getting the raw end of the deal.

 

[SirDeadly]

I was comparing the prices of stores and off EBay today. It's often $40 cheaper to buy a new game from EBay, including postage and handling...

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Most games are not worth $50 let alone $120...

 

[likalaruku]

Most games are not worth $50 let alone $120...

He's got a point there.

 

[Timmibal]

Do Australians generally make enough money compared to Americans to make that look like a decent price? How much do they pay for games in the UK?

I can't think of an income bracket in this country outside of 'stupidly fucking super rich executive doing coke off a school girl's arse' where paying $100+ for vidya makes sense.

So in short, no.

If the answer to the first question is "no," then is shipping a purchace from America cheaper? There's always buying used games, but the developers don't get a cent of that money.

$70 on the outside, including shipping? Hell yes it is. But, region restrictions prevent it for consoles. So that shoots that in the arse. Your best bet is to find region free releases out of hong kong. And people wonder why non-chain game stores are dropping like flies.

Most games are not worth $50 let alone $120...

Especially when the 3 big releases this month have basically expected their players to be free beta testers.

 

[Avelestar]

See the underlying reasoning for the stupid price hikes here is that despite our internet being what 5 years behind everyone else (the average home has 1-2mb/s speed, and a download cap, not a glorious 20mb/s of uncapped goodness), and we're so afraid for the children that we couldn't possibly consider having an R rating on games to stop children from ever legally obtaining said games without their parents buying it for them, Australia is actually 100% behind digital distribution.

Think about it...when L4D first came out, I paid (I think, memory is a bit fuzzy) $60 Aus on steam for it, but in stores it was $100. Alot of PC games are much cheaper to get digital distribution on than go buy it in stores (but given the previously mentioned backwards-ass internet this can be a cost in itself)...you console gamers are being shafted so hard, but you just keep bending over and begging for it. Black Ops in Eb Games? $118 on PS3/360, $98 on the PC! (or $80-85 if you're not an idiot and go to JB Hi-Fi ).

tl;dr Australian conspiracy to promote digital distribution + PC > console, also: Australian internet is powered by hamsters.

 

[Dys]

Do Australians generally make enough money compared to Americans to make that look like a decent price? How much do they pay for games in the UK? How much cheaper ar PC games in Australia & the UK compared to console games?

If the answer to the first question is "no," then is shipping a purchace from America or Canada cheaper? There's always buying used games, but the developers don't get a cent of that money.

::Uses an online currency calculator:: Wow, I had no idea our currencies were that close, Canada too. I haven't looked into stuff like that since math class in the 90s. I hope that $120 price tag comes with kobe steak & a jar of caviar.

No we pay for the atmosphere, everytime an Australian buys a game we can hear the publishers laughing merrily, the jolly clinking of our hard earned cash as we trudge away with what is inevitably going to be an almost polished game...Oh well, at least the DRM systems we fund are flawless, oh wait....

Steam and Direct2Drive are your friend.

Stop supporting Australian businesses and they will either reduce their price or die.

They really aren't. Steam are one of the worst offenders...They expect $90au for fallout new vegas still....I can import a boxed edition for the US for closer to $60...I very much doubt the retail stores are responsible for the high cost of games, I expect that a fun combination of publisher greed, opportunity and lack of information the cause, I don't imagine valve like selling third parties games for 50%+ more than they sell their inhouse products.

 

[Erubadhriel]

I was just bitching about that a few hours today when I saw the exchange rate. Also petrol. It's probably done because they can get away with it. People complain but not everyone then shop online for games.

Yeah, I remember some time ago that the price of petrol was blamed on the gap between the AUD and the USD, which has been proven to be a load of bullshit since the AUD reached parity with the USD and we're still paying $1.20 or more per litre.

It's a load of crap, I don't know why we keep putting up with it. Us Aussies get screwed over several different ways when it comes to games. Price, classification (fuck you Michael Atkinson. Stephen Conroy can go suck a fat one too.) and release dates. I know our beaches are good, but fucking hell.

 

[[Insert Name Here]]

I shouldn't have to pay $120, but I do anyways. Australia, Y U NO ACCEPT GAMES YET???!!

 

[Bellvedere]

A lot of things in the US are cheaper. Go live there if you think you're being ripped off and enjoy cheaper games, a lower minimum wage and no free healthcare.

It's not the retailers that are overcharging, the stores where you can get games cheaper come very close to cost price and rely on quantity of sales to make up for the low profit margin. That's why you can get them cheaper at bigger retail outlets that sell products other than just games.

As far as the reason, it probably has to do with shipping, customs and a smaller consumer base. Relative to prices in the US and the UK games aren't the only thing that are more expensive here. Besides even if the dollars are 1 to 1 it doesn't really mean they have the same value. Cost of living in Australia I'm pretty sure is actually higher than in the US. It's all relative.

Most places don't even really sell for full RRP anyway except to chumps and jerks. If you've paying $120 for Fable III you're getting ripped off. There's definitely ways to get games cheaper legitimately if you're sensible about it.

 

[Jewrean]

YAAAR!

Ahem... I usually just rent stuff.

 

[Cazza]

I was just bitching about that a few hours today when I saw the exchange rate. Also petrol. It's probably done because they can get away with it. People complain but not everyone then shop online for games.

Yeah, I remember some time ago that the price of petrol was blamed on the gap between the AUD and the USD, which has been proven to be a load of bullshit since the AUD reached parity with the USD and we're still paying $1.20 or more per litre.

It's a load of crap, I don't know why we keep putting up with it. Us Aussies get screwed over several different ways when it comes to games. Price, classification (fuck you Michael Atkinson. Stephen Conroy can go suck a fat one too.) and release dates. I know our beaches are good, but fucking hell.

I don't even use the beaches. Where's the wholesaler. I want to buy my oil for the proper prices per barrel. Now I just need the skills and equipment to make it into the petrol I need.

Every country has it's issues. Ours could be worst.

 

[Reeves88]

the thing i find strange is our prices are high yet australia as a hole didnt go into a recession of almost anykind yet our prices still keep going up, we dont have debts to pay off like other countries so please someone explain that one?

 

[SpaceMedarotterX]

Why is everyone so stupid?

The exchange rate between Australia and the USA is currently in our favour. 1AUD>1USD. This does not translate to game prices for quite a few reasons, I'll give you a fun one.

Australian's get paid more money for the same work that Americans. Our minimum wage is significantly higher, thus, the value of an American dollar is higher.

This doesn't just apply to video games. We pay a larger amount of money for the same goods and services. We make a larger amount of money.

Now, to exploit this, import games from overseas. Pay the same price as what an American pays, get paid more money from your job. If you do this, you win.

THAT IS NOT WHAT INFLATION IS! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation