Microsoft screwing over UK gamers further

[BurpleMan]

According to engadget Microsoft have confirmed what UK gamers had long feared, a rise in prices. The Article reads as follows:

 

"Take the $59.99 official price for first-party Xbox One titles in the States, run it through your favorite currency convertor and you get something like £39. But add in Royal Baby taxes, incomplete globalization and whatever else, and it seems the final amount comes to £49.99 -- a price tag that has appeared on games like Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5 over at Microsoft's UK web store. It's not a surprising figure, and not too dissimilar to current Xbox 360 RRPs either, but it still seems high in a world that has seen Steam's sales model bring prices down for PC gamers. Anyway, maybe it's better not to get into all that again."

 

 

Source link  - Engadget 24/7/13

 

I for one am sick of these international (ultimately American)  companies screwing over the rest of the world through flawed currency exchange rates. As a Playstation fan I hope Sony continues its goodwill gestures towards the gamer and doesn't follow suit.

 

Will it affect your decision on which console to buy? Thoughts?

 

[Samdb]

I don't care about the Xbox One, but this is a bad move made my Microsoft. They are charging us about £100 more for the same console, then charging us even more for the games? This approach will send more customer to either the PS4 or PC.

[EChondo]

Wow. EA and now Microsoft?

 

Great, just great.

 

You guys need to boycott this kind of pricing, if you guys accept it, then MS will try to push it to everyone else as well.

[Samdb]

Wow. EA and now Microsoft?

 

Great, just great.

 

You guys need to boycott this kind of pricing, if you guys accept it, then MS will try to push it to everyone else as well.

Thank god for Steam! I am so glad I moved away from consoles, it turns out it is just a money cow, with overpriced non sense.

[BurpleMan]

Yea but I think the problem with the xbox is the fact its bought by people who want COD and Madden and who dont value the Hardcore gamer enough to vote with their wallets

[Samdb]

Yea but I think the problem with the xbox is the fact its bought by people who want COD and Madden and who dont value the Hardcore gamer enough to vote with their wallets

You could play the all of the current CoD's on a toaster, there's no need for the consoles.

[EChondo]

Thank god for Steam! I am so glad I moved away from consoles, it turns out it is just a money cow, with overpriced non sense.

I stopped paying for Xbox Live around December. Now my console is either collecting dust, or my sister uses it, but she plays her 3DS more than the 360.

 

Yea but I think the problem with the xbox is the fact its bought by people who want COD and Madden and who dont value the Hardcore gamer enough to vote with their wallets

The problem is Microsoft is only catering to one market, the U.S. market, while trying to charge more to everyone else.

 

If you're not from the U.S. and you're not interested in the Kinect, then don't buy the Xbox One. You'll be wasting money.

 

Being in the U.S. my entire life, I love American Football, I've played it on the field and have watched it, but to have a console be centered on it? That's what my TV is for and when I move out of my parent's place, I won't be paying for TV since it's a waste of time. CoD is an over-saturated market, Madden is the same. They are only appeasing to a set amount of people, plus it doesn't help them that they have the whole NSA thing going around as well.

 

I can see the Xbox One being a huge success in the U.S. market, but everywhere else, the WiiU and PS4 will dominate.

Wahhhhh, we pay $118 for new release games in Australia. Even games like CoD4 are still $50-60 at most places.

No offense, but then do something about it. Don't buy games for $120, buy only on Steam sales. If you Aussies keep buying games at full retail price then you have no one to blame but yourselves. If you boycott the prices, then good, that's the best you can do.

[BurpleMan]

Wahhhhh, we pay $118 for new release games in Australia. Even games like CoD4 are still $50-60 at most places.

I think when you weigh up wages in Australia compared to the low wages in UK we are still getting shafted more

[Samdb]

I stopped paying for Xbox Live around December. Now my console is either collecting dust, or my sister uses it, but she plays her 3DS more than the 360.

 

I was using my Xbox for 4 solid years until I bought my PC and stored it. Took it out of storage to play some Forza and it broke, not being touched for a month... Good job build quality.

[EChondo]

I think when you weigh up wages in Australia compared to the low wages in UK we are still getting shafted more

No offense, but wages shouldn't be the deciding factor on pricing and I doubt it is.

[BurpleMan]

Agreed MS are only catering towards the US market, thats my main gripe. The TV thing cant even work in the uk as 9 out of 10 people have their digital encoder built into their tv and thus dont have a HDMI out to route to the Xbox One. Apple do the same with their products. Business should not claim to be international when they clearly are not 

[Anubikai]

im so glad i sold my old pc made a gaming rig instead of buying a console....i can just as easily play all the new games on my pc and i use my controller when i get lazy or want to play on my tv....

 

-Anubikai

[BurpleMan]

Oh bull. You get a 10 pound mark up and we pay double US retail. Average wages here are not that good.

$118 Aus dollars in terms of pounds is £70. Not too far off £50.

 

The average Aus salary is $72800 which = £43000

The average UK salary is  $44100 which = £26500

 

So as you can see the wage structure is highly relevant in the who should feel more aggrieved scales

[BurpleMan]

No offense, but wages shouldn't be the deciding factor on pricing and I doubt it is.

 

Well yea im not saying its a deciding factor im just speaking in terms of straight Value. £50 in the UK in value terms is alot more than the $118 quoted by the Australian poster

[Samdb]

im so glad i sold my old pc made a gaming rig instead of buying a console....i can just as easily play all the new games on my pc and i use my controller when i get lazy or want to play on my tv....

 

-Anubikai

For racing games, a controller or a racing wheel is a must! 

 

@Ssoele

[Lyons]

I stopped paying for Xbox Live around December. Now my console is either collecting dust, or my sister uses it, but she plays her 3DS more than the 360.

 

The problem is Microsoft is only catering to one market, the U.S. market, while trying to charge more to everyone else.

 

If you're not from the U.S. and you're not interested in the Kinect, then don't buy the Xbox One. You'll be wasting money.

 

Being in the U.S. my entire life, I love American Football, I've played it on the field and have watched it, but to have a console be centered on it? That's what my TV is for and when I move out of my parent's place, I won't be paying for TV since it's a waste of time. CoD is an over-saturated market, Madden is the same. They are only appeasing to a set amount of people, plus it doesn't help them that they have the whole NSA thing going around as well.

 

I can see the Xbox One being a huge success in the U.S. market, but everywhere else, the WiiU and PS4 will dominate.

No offense, but then do something about it. Don't buy games for $120, buy only on Steam sales. If you Aussies keep buying games at full retail price then you have no one to blame but yourselves. If you boycott the prices, then good, that's the best you can do.

 

This is regarding console prices, not PC game prices. Why are you going on about Steam?

 

The new release console games will be at least $120 in Australia, which at the moment works out at £72. Keep complaining Brits....

[EChondo]

$118 Aus dollars in terms of pounds is £70. Not too far off £50.

 

The average Aus salary is $72800 which = £43000

The average UK salary is  $44100 which = £26500

 

So as you can see the wage structure is highly relevant in the who should feel more aggrieved scales

Average US salary is $42,979.61 which = £28,020.05

 

So why did prices increase for the UK?

 

 

A number which is widely blown out of proportion by the fact that in Australia there is a small number of people that earn ridiculous amounts such as mines workers. It's pretty well documented too and agreed upon that without this phenomenon Australian's wouldn't be earning much more than other countries at all.

 

This is also why companies feel the need to shaft us on prices too. Because we 'earn more' 

Which is complete BS. You guys are being shafted for something completely different I bet. It could be a multitude of things.

 

 

This is regarding console prices, not PC game prices. Why are you going on about Steam?

 

The new release console games will be at least $120 in Australia, which at the moment works out at £72. Keep complaining Brits....

I'm saying Aussies should stop buying into the console market and go to Steam, where they can actually get the game for what it should be(at least on sale).

[Lyons]

I'm saying Aussies should stop buying into the console market and go to Steam, where they can actually get the game for what it should be(at least on sale).

 

tell that to the average family or teenager who wants an idiot proof media device in their living room that requires minimal setup and effort to maintain and will last for 6 or 7 years. There is probably a higher per-capita ownership of consoles in the US... Gaming PC's and consoles are two completely different markets with completely different audiences.

[Esivo]

Europeans have been screwed for years now, join the club UK. I mean 60$ = 60€

Well F****K YOU PUBLISHERS!

That also counts for PC games, and distributors like our "beloved" Steam.

[BurpleMan]

This is regarding console prices, not PC game prices. Why are you going on about Steam?

 

The new release console games will be at least $120 in Australia, which at the moment works out at £72. Keep complaining Brits....

 

Look everybody outside of the US is getting shafted. This one happened to be about the UK. Wasnt supposed to be a 1 upping session. 

[EChondo]

tell that to the average family or teenager who want an idiot proof media device in their living room that requires minimal setup and effort to maintain and will last for 6 or 7 years. There is probably a higher per-capita ownership of consoles in the US...

I bet there is, but that could change over time if companies like Microsoft continue to impose these things onto us.

 

If this pricing sticks and spreads in the UK, then U.S., Euro, and Aussie pricing could also increase.

 

And there is no way in hell you would ever catch me buying a brand new game for $80 USD and I doubt many other people would either.

[Anubikai]

For racing games, a controller or a racing wheel is a must! 

 

@Ssoele

 

i agree completely......keyboard buttons dont give you that incremental power control you get from triggers or the joysticks.....thats what ultimately is needed for racing/most simulation games

 

-Anubikai

[Lavi]

So it's the US price + VAT. Want this to change? Write to your MP and MEP.

[Nort]

Wait, so the game prices are normal but the taxes make them high? Unless I'm missing something, that isn't Microsoft's fault.

[BurpleMan]

Wait, so the game prices are normal but the taxes make them high? Unless I'm missing something, that isn't Microsoft's fault.

 

Nope the tax rate has been the same for 5 years now (20%) The change in price has only came with the new generation. So its MS not Tax thats responsible