Here's a topic we will all have an opinion about.

How much is too much when buying a console?

Personally, I do all my gaming on the computer, so console's are an after thought. I find consoles to be WAY over priced upon release! I always waited until a system reached the $100-$150 range before I would even consider it. This normally meant that I waited until the next generation of consoles was either out or about to be released before I would buy the cheaper system.

So, how much is too much? Do you have a ceiling? Do you buy all the systems regardless of cost? Do you buy one system (sony/microsoft/nintendo fanboy) regardless of cost?

Thoughts?

Did you know that most consoles cost more to make than you pay to buy them? This is especially true for Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's X-Box 360. To make up for their losses the games have to sell well.

The Wii on the other hand actually nets profit for Nintendo with each console sold. And it's the cheapest of the 3!!!

I guess when it comes to the console wars, it's almost always the console with the lower specs that comes out on top. Well, that's what I'm getting anyway.

That's a way subjective question, I guess.

When I was in college I could really only afford to have one of the latest consoles, but now that I'm out and employed I have all of them.

However, even if I could afford it, I refused to pay $600 for a PS3. I waited until it was $400, and at that price it felt like a good value. That's also how much my Xbox360 cost because I got the Elite model. At $250, I didn't feel bad about buying a Wii at all.

When you think about it, the real cost comes in the games. And I've bought a LOT of games, most of them new.

That's exactly the type of response I was expecting. When the newest consoles come out, I'm always shocked at how much they cost. I agree that the $600 price tag blew me away!

At the same time, I can't afford the newest tech so I wont pay more than I have to. Unless the console is used, it's rare to find a price cheaper than 100-150

Same goes for games, most of the games I own are in the "Greatest Hits" category and so I only pay $20-25 for them.

Wow, I sound like a cheap skate...

Am I alone...
:(

Erad
Same goes for games, most of the games I own are in the "Greatest Hits" category and so I only pay $20-25 for them.

Wow, I sound like a cheap skate...

Am I alone...
:(

I usually buy games from the bargain bin if I can't afford them at the time of release. There's no shame in buying games that are cheap.

It really depends on the person. For me, I'm happy with my cheap Wii and Nintendo DS that I got from scraping money together around my senior year of high school. Since then, I've gotten into PC games, and I've also gotten a part time job at my campus, so I'm holding out on getting an Xbox 360, PS3, or PSP until I get the PC I'm saving up for built and the games I want for it bought up.

I'm sure the current prices of console games aren't too much for someone who has a decent full-time job and nothing else to really spend it on other than your basic bills and savings. Unless they're as cheap as I am.

Erad
Wow, I sound like a cheap skate...

Am I alone...
:(

Nah. I only buy my games used, unless it's something I really, really want to get the day it's released. And one of the reasons why I started to pick up PC gaming is because you can get some really good, really cheap games. Twenty bucks for Team Fortress 2 and five for Plants vs. Zombies? Full Half-Life pack for only twenty odd dollars? Hells yeah. And I'm crossing my fingers for more Steam deals after the holidays.

Edit: Oh, and I have a rule. If I don't think I can get two hours out of every dollar I've spent on a game, I'm probably not going to get it, and if I don't think I'm going to get two hours out of every dollar I've spent on the combined cost of the console and the games I'm going to get for it, I'm probably not going to get that console, either. It's actually why whether I'm going to get a PS3 or Xbox360 nor neither is still up in the air, since I don't see too many games I'd really like for them. And Monster Hunter 3 is coming out on the Wii instead of the PS3, soooo...

Honestly, I usually wait when a console has it's release and if the price is reasonable I buy it. For the games, I buy them usually, but not the ones that have JUST released.




Do the best for your money!

For me, it's not a matter of price so much as it is one of waiting to see which one will have the games I want. I'll only buy one console of any generation. This time around, the xbox360 had all the games I wanted to play (and happily Costco had the elite for £180, I didn't buy it til October 08). Before that it was a PS2, and before that an SNES. I guess I've made the rounds. :]

For portables I would have just chosen one (and not paid more than 100)... but I do have both a DS and a PSP, but the PSP turned out to be a waste of money because there are only three games I ever liked to play on it. The DS was both cheaper and has 10x more fun games.

skoolmunkee
But the PSP turned out to be a waste of money.The DS was both cheaper and has 10x more fun games.

Amen, freakin amen!

I won my Xbox. So I think I got a pretty good deal on it. ;)

Then again, I still had to buy games, so they suckered me in that way.

The most I've ever spent on a console was the $250 I spent on my 360, and that's plenty high for me. The biggest factor for me, though, is whether or not enough games that interest me have already come out for the console and will continue to be released for it. I considered getting a Wii, but decided that there just weren't enough games for it that caught my eye to justify buying it. Same with the PS3. There are some, sure, but nowhere near enough to justify the price tag.

On that note, my Gamecube was the best console I've ever had. I still play it and actually built up a decent library when things were still being released for it.