I don' t know about you folks, but if these predictions become reality, I will be keeping my current XBOX for a very lobg time...

XBOX 2 AND PS3 GAMES TO COST A BOMB?

EA' s vice president reckons game development costs could rise from 100 to 200 percent. Best start saving them pennies, then

11:26 Uh-oh, prepare to dig deep if an Xbox 2 or PS3 lurks high on your shopping list - EA' s vice president Jeff Brown has warned that developing games for the new consoles could cost up to 200 percent more than current titles, something that is bound to be reflected in the retail price for individual games.
Speaking to BBC News Online, he explained: " The transition [to new consoles] is a very painful process for every game developer." He then added in very poetic terms: " We look at the transition like a forest fire. It makes the healthy trees stronger, but burns away the weeds."

Shakespeare eat your heart out.

Although the subject of pricing is still some way from discussion - hell, we don' t even know when the consoles will be ready - Brown' s early words will hardly install optimism amongst gamers already loathe at forking out 40 quid for a game.

Another concern from the rising development costs is the inevitable adverse effect on the types of games made, with companies eschewing originality in favour of lower risk franchises and licenses. A quick glance at the All-Formats Top 20 already shows that movie spin-offs and franchise sequels command the vast majority of sales, with EA undisputed kings of the crop.

Brown confessed: " The franchise strategy is good for the company, investors and consumers as this is a hit-driven business."

However, he did explain that the high costs makes it imperative that developers make good games, so as to reduce the risk of failure. " It is good for the consumer," he said, " as video games cost a lot of money to make and have a high price at retail. If you buy three or four games a year, you don' t want to make a mistake."

Finally, the interview finished on the subject of Brit publisher/developer Eidos' ' for sale' status, a company that has been strongly linked with EA.

" I' m not going to tell you that we are not in the hunt for talent, but I would not make any assumptions," he said, leaving us none the wiser just to what the situation is between the two publishers currently.


Stephen Daultrey - Computer and Videogames

Take it with a grain of salt. The same nonsense was released before the PS2; developers " warning" us that it may cost between $100 and $150 for games, and that the system itself " won' t possibly sell for less than $500."

Both Sony and MS know what price they can sell these products at, and if they can' t get the costs down, they' ll keep working until they do...BEFORE they release their new systems. $300 is a stretch, but that' s fine for brand new systems, and $50 is the norm for new games. Going over this significantly could be the equivalent of financial suicide...

Unless they' re both convinced that gamers are SO geared up due to hype that they' ll pay just about anything (which is highly unlikely), neither the PS3 or the Xbox 2 will cost much more in terms of hardware and software...most likely, it will be just about the same as PS2 and Xbox, with perhaps a $5-10 increase in software and a $50 increase in hardware, at the OUTSIDE.

I doubt you need to worry.

With a grain of salt...yes.

But if it does come to pass, I will refuse to buy the newer system until my wishlist game prices drop to a level I can reasonable afford. By then, the console should also have dropped in price as well.

Not everyone is made of money...some of us have families. Those some of us that have families are the one' s who kept gaming alive, when gaming went into a slump back in the late 80' s and early 90' s.

Take heed game and console developers...I am not alone...I' m just one voice that represents ' the many' like me.

These 3rd party developers have been around for a loong time but still show that they don' t know squat about the hardware market, lol.. Sega, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all sell and sold their hardware at a loss.

The gameplan is to make up for it through software sales. I remember reading how Sony was selling the PS2 at a hefty loss. Had they not priced it cheap enough for consumers, it would have likely sold for $450 in order to turn any kind of minor profit.
Microsoft' s Xbox plans supposedly calls for them to lose billions just to get it established and make way for the Xbox 2 where they' ll reap the rewards.

I believe out of all of the manufacturers, Nintendo usually turns a profit quicker on their hardware units than their competitors. I wonder what their business model is.

When it comes down to it I believe the Xbox 2 and PS3 will likely be priced in the $299 range. Sony' s pretty smart about that stuff and I don' t think Microsoft will give them the pricing advantage early on. :)

DaRoosh: They' re aware of you. They know that most people who buy their products aren' t wealthy. I' m not, and I don' t think anyone else in this forum is, either.

Terry: MS took the biggest hardware loss of them all; they were actually still in the black as of January of this year. But they' ll be fine, their business model allows for that. Sony' s is similar, but banks more heavily on pure software sales.

Oh my goodness.... that' s a lot of money for games... I don' t mind the system because it' s the system but if it' s more then $50 for a game I am sure I will not buy it. That' s just too much. I can barley buy a game now. I just bought Pikmin 2 (Lobster cover) That' s all I could afford.. maybe I should start looking for a job again and save up... I don' t know.. please don' t raise up the prices.

I wouldn' t worry yourself too much, Starman Anthony.

This post speaks of pricing predictions, not actualities.

If the prices were to go higher than at present, I would be in the same boat as you (Starman Anthony).