The war of the price point

[DaytonaUSA]

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/microsoft-store-website-lists-kinect-for-149-99/#comments

 

So Kinect's price has just been revealed at $150. It's more expensive than the Move, but then supports 4 players. Then again, most Wii onwers have controllers for just 2 people, so take that for what you will.

 

That's all debatable, but here's the kicker. Move games are $40 while Kinect games are rumored to be a whopping $60. Unless this changes, no matter how "cheap" the accessory is for 4 player action, it's going to face some heavy competition from both Move and the Wii IMHO.

 

It's going to be interesting how this whole motion bit plays out. Nintendo could easily kill off both as it already has the market, or any one of them could bite the dust. Is there really room for 3 companies worth of motion products, and since Kinect is most like the Wii in it's games, can it compete at that price point per software disc?

 

 

What price point would each Sony and Microsoft have to be in it's accessories and software to win YOU over?

 

 

 

Thoughts?

[Bilnick]

"Whopping" $60? $60 seems to be a typical price point for most new 360/PS3 games. If a game is fun, then $60 is an acceptable price point. I recall paying that much for some SNES and Genesis games 20 years ago (Virtua Racing, Star Fox, etc.)

 

$150 is fine if I don't have to spend $40-$60 per extra controller setup. If kinect is ready to go for 4 players right out of the box, $150 isn't bad. If Move costs $60-$80 for the for the first player, then $40-$60 for each additional player (extra PS3motes and nunchucks) then it is not really cheaper. That being said, if there is still a game I gotta have then I will still probably buy it.

 

Ultimately it is the games available that will determine how much I would pay for the new motion controllers. None of the new motion controllers really excite me all that much. I see nothing right now that would entice me to buy any of them on day one. If something amazing comes along, then I will shell out the money.

[Mendon]

"Whopping" $60? $60 seems to be a typical price point for most new 360/PS3 games. If a game is fun, then $60 is an acceptable price point.

 

I find $20 to be a much more acceptable price point.... I just wish the game companies and retailers agreed with me!!

 

 

Mendon

[+HammR25]

The only price point that would get me to own any motion controller would be free. There's a reason I don't own a Wii and why I won't buy Move or Kinect.

[Reaperman]

bargain shoppers can get a whole wii for just $10 more ($159) right now. Then they could browse through the hundreds of motion games from developers who have spent years perfecting the system's control scheme. ...or there's the $150 kinect with none of those. I really don't like coming down on wii's side on anything but if it's just a bargain in comparison and it just looks like there's more fun to be had on it.

 

In the history of gaming, has a $150 attachment ever been a success? The colecovision expansion module maybe (I don't know how much that was). I sure know the systems in the mid-90's with expensive expansions all flopped dreadfully. I predict kinect will be clearanced at $60 by this time next year, and in total I predict there will be all of about a dozen titles for it. At that price I still won't pay attention unless it starts showing me something I like.

 

ps3's system I can go either way on. There are a lot of cameras already out there (I have 3), but just few titles that use it as a controller. I'd pay a lot of attention to sony's new motion controller if the basic wand came with a game for under $60...and then was clearanced to $25 or less. That's the price I generally pay for all my silly accessories with game bundles. ...eyetoy, microphones, ps3 eye, gametrak, dance pads, guitar junk. I have a real solid history of buying this kind of stuff.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Reaperman

[moycon]

I find $20 to be a much more acceptable price point.... I just wish the game companies and retailers agreed with me!!

 

Just wait till 20011 when the bargain bins are overflowing with $20 Move and Kinect software.

[DaytonaUSA]

"Whopping" $60? $60 seems to be a typical price point for most new 360/PS3 games. If a game is fun, then $60 is an acceptable price point. I recall paying that much for some SNES and Genesis games 20 years ago (Virtua Racing, Star Fox, etc.)

 

$150 is fine if I don't have to spend $40-$60 per extra controller setup. If kinect is ready to go for 4 players right out of the box, $150 isn't bad. If Move costs $60-$80 for the for the first player, then $40-$60 for each additional player (extra PS3motes and nunchucks) then it is not really cheaper. That being said, if there is still a game I gotta have then I will still probably buy it.

 

Ultimately it is the games available that will determine how much I would pay for the new motion controllers. None of the new motion controllers really excite me all that much. I see nothing right now that would entice me to buy any of them on day one. If something amazing comes along, then I will shell out the money.

 

Yes, $60 for games for the Kinect.. ie: for games that were shown that work on their system, which are very "casual" compared to most of the Move's collection, is far too much. Especially if you're competing againts the Wii, who's games are 50 or less.

 

Ask yourself. Would you really pay the same amount of money for Joy Ride as you would Mass Effect 2? I sure wouldn't.

[godslabrat]

In the history of gaming, has a $150 attachment ever been a success? The colecovision expansion module maybe (I don't know how much that was). I sure know the systems in the mid-90's with expensive expansions all flopped dreadfully. I predict kinect will be clearanced at $60 by this time next year, and in total I predict there will be all of about a dozen titles for it. At that price I still won't pay attention unless it starts showing me something I like.

 

 

That's my attitude as well. These might be great controllers, but they're too little, too late. Attachments rarely become successful when they're priced at $40, at $150 it's as good as dead. The time for MS and Sony to get in on motion control was when they designed the system. Now that they've missed that boat, they might as well take their lumps and work them into the next gen of hardware.

 

MS and Sony won on graphics, they lost on motion control. End of story.

[moycon]

I agree $59.99 is pricey for these games. (On either system)

Luckily I don't have to worry about the price of any these games, I have no intention of buying them at full price.

[xg4bx]

i'm reminded of this quote i read

 

"You can show off as many new motion-controlled, family-friendly games as you like, but as long as they still set consumers back to the tune of $60 each, most will probably be just as happy to spend a day at the movies or buy a few new DVDs for the family to watch instead."

 

and it's true. nobody is going out to spend $300 on a console plus the $100+ for these peripherals. it just isn't going to happen. peripherals and peripheral-only games have a horrible history of failure.

 

as much as i may like move i know it's going to bomb. the kinect is going to bomb. theres simply no real compelling reason to own them nor do i think there ever will be. i know i'd enjoy sorcery but i doubt i'll nod with satisfaction at money well spent.

 

now that my e3 euphoria has dimmed and i have my clarity back all of it's looking like a bad idea. i went to gamestop the other day intending to preorder move but when it came time to pull the trigger i couldn't. i need to see more games. ii've gotta start saving for a wedding, i can't justify what amounts to a new console to buy games for.

[Lord Helmet]

The only price point that would get me to own any motion controller would be free. There's a reason I don't own a Wii and why I won't buy Move or Kinect.

 

And that reason is??

 

There are plenty of Wii games that use the motion controls intuitively and effectively. Sure there are lots that have a tacked on feel, and those aren't worth owning (usually), but there are some GREAT games that do use them well.

[jeremysart]

Looks like Sony and Microsoft are jumping on the Sega bandwagon and releasing addons that are likely to fail and cost to much at the end of a consoles life-span. And just like Sega addons, by the end of the consoles lifespan, there will not be enough games (good ones anyway) to justify dishing out the money over a Wii, which already has fun and intuitive games.

 

They should have saved their efforts for their next console. I want to see 3D and motion control combined with VR. That would be ULTIMATE.

[MagitekAngel]

Me and my lady-friend have already spent enough money amassing all 3 consoles for this generation. Neither one of us has a particular interest in investing in either Move or Kinect, especially given that either may flop in an increasingly crowded market. Nintendo's E3 performance has got me interested in the Wii for the first time in a good long while, so that's going to be all the motion control I need for the foreseeable future.

[chrisbid]

natal/kinect = 32Xbox

 

all that R&D money down the toilet, at some point investors are going to revolt against the lackluster ROI for the entire xbox line

[Mord]

Looks like Sony and Microsoft are jumping on the Sega bandwagon and releasing addons that are likely to fail and cost to much at the end of a consoles life-span. And just like Sega addons, by the end of the consoles lifespan, there will not be enough games (good ones anyway) to justify dishing out the money over a Wii, which already has fun and intuitive games.

 

Based on everything coming out of Sony and MS that I've seen, they seem to consider this the mid-point of this generation rather than the end. If that's the way it'll be, although I'm sure we'll be seeing talk of next gen consoles in a couple years, then there's still plenty of time to jump on Nintendo's bandwagon. Probably would have been more suicidal for them to attempt these addons near the start of the console's lifespan right after they saw Nintendo take off like a rocket. This due to how expensive their consoles were on their own without expensive addons.

 

They should have saved their efforts for their next console. I want to see 3D and motion control combined with VR. That would be ULTIMATE.

 

While it would be pretty intense, that's something that will have to wait another 5 years or more, and would probably be best to wait. Give them that time to iron out their various motion controller setups and for the population to adopt into 3D TVs.