By Benedict WeeAlright, this is starting to get on my nerves. The Xbox 360 update was released 2 days ago and it brings with it many improvements and features like a dressing up your Avatar in game-themed clothing, the ability to download full Xbox 360 games to your HDD and a 5-star rating system for all games on the console.
One of those new features is a huge rip off for Kiwis however.
Gamers living in the Australasia region are subject to paying very high prices when purchasing games from the 360's On Demand Service. Based on gaming forum NeoGAF's list of price discrepancies between the different regions around the world, we (and Australia) top the other countries for having to pay the most for the same game. The list compares games by converting the region's price to Microsoft Points (MSP) which are usually used to purchase games from the Xbox 360 Marketplace.
Here is a sample of the list:
Bioshock
US: $29.99 - 2400MSP
CAD: $39.99 - 2600MSP
UK: GBP19.99 - 2400MSP
AU: $49.95 - 3000MSP
NZ: $49.95 - 3000MSP
Call of Duty 2
US: $29.99 - 2400MSP
CAD: $39.99 - 2600MSP
UK: GBP19.99 - 2400MSP
EURO: 29.99Euros - 2400MSP
SWDN: 349SEK - 2400MSP
AU: $49.95 - 3000MSP
NZ: $69.95 - 4400MSP
Mass Effect
US: $19.99 - 1600MSP
CAD: $29.99 - 2000MSP
UK: GBP19.99 - 2400MSP
EURO: 29.99Euros - 2400MSP
SWDN: 349SEK - 2400MSP
AU: $99.95 - 6000MSP
NZ: $99.95 - 6000MSP
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
US: $29.99 - 2400MSP
CAD: $39.99 - 2600MSP
UK: GBP19.99 - 2400MSP
EURO: 29.99Euros - 2400MSP
SWDN: 349SEK - 2400MSP
AU: $49.95 - 3000MSP
NZ: $49.95 - 3000MSP
The only games we seem to be getting at a fair/cheaper price are Viva Pinata and the Xbox 360's launch title (which was 4 years ago) Kameo.
Xbox Australia has responded to the lack of a unified pricing system but does not give any helpful information on why it's costing us in this part of the world so much to pay for a non-physical item:
"No one retailer has the lowest pricing of every product, and our program is about giving people 24x7 convenience and selection when shopping for 360 games.We're incredibly excited about what Games on Demand means for digital distribution, and will continue to evaluate and evolve the service to meet market and consumer demands."
One of the positive aspects of using digital distribution is that it discourages the use of a physical format which helps the environment by using less resources and energy (for discs, lasers to burn the data, game cases, game manuals, shipping etc.) but it defeats the purpose when games remain at such a high price. You're better going off to a videogame store or looking at TradeMe to get a used game which would cost you much lesser than what Microsoft is charging. Giving equally ridiculous prices for a Hard Disk Drive specially made for the Xbox 360 to store the downloaded games in doesn't help either.
Just because we live in a corner of the world doesn't give companies the right to overcharge us for something the rest of the globe is getting at a fairer price.
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That sucks! Look at the Mass Effect price differences. Hopefully it gets better. Quick.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the way consoles/games/mobiles/everything digital is costs around here, I would not hold your breath.
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect reason to resort to piracy.