Would Gardiner pay more '” as retailers are asking customers to with Portal 2 '” for a console version of a game? 'Probably,' he said, noting although he would be happier if all game distribution moved to the internet, buying games on disc for his Xbox 360 felt right. However, Gardiner noted that the price for all versions should be about the same '” as development costs shouldn't change between the three different platforms.
In general, Gardiner said the most he would pay for any game would be about $100. In comparison, he said, he took his children to see the new Thor film in 3D over the weekend. By the time his family parked and bought its tickets, the outing cost between $110 and $120 all up. 'Buying a game for that price seems about right,' he said of the $100 watermark.
Even so, however, Gardiner noted if he did need to buy an Xbox game, there were other options for doing so than going direct to the major retailers on launch day. For example, he noted launch day prices would come down significantly after just a few months '” and he also bought games through an online retailer on eBay, where he paid 'about 20 percent less' than the big retailers would charge.
Curry said digital distribution '” where games are bought and downloaded directly online through services like Steam or XBox Live '” did reduce the cost of distribution, although it could vary between different business models, with the cost of doing business in Australia still hitting some.
However, he noted that in general, over the long term, game pricing in Australia had remained fairly static or even dropped a little in the long term. Brand new games had tended in the past to cost between $99 and $119, he said, whereas now they could be between $79 and $99. In one example, the eagerly anticipated Gears of War 3 game is currently available for pre-order from EBGames for $98.
