Cheap Games

[Ochre]

Isn't 35 pound roughly $80 Australian dollars?

Typical EB logic

 

[sacka]

Isn't 35 pound roughly $80 Australian dollars?

Try again Glenno, about $55-$60, still around 50 odd dollars cheaper than Eb's new release games.

 

[Carl Hooper]

****.

EB did a number on me this arvo... Went in to trade NBA 2k11 (Xbox 360), UFC 2 (Xbox 360) and a brand new Madden 12 (PS3). Value of $39 bucks?! Ahhh cheers.

Had to chip in 20 bucks to get myself Fifa 12. Hoping to get Battlefield. Ahh cheers...

 

[Glenno23]

Try again Glenno, about $55-$60, still around 50 odd dollars cheaper than Eb's new release games.

???

What does me asking about the exchange rate have to do with EB's prices?

I really didn't have a clue

 

[Wickzki]

???

What does me asking about the exchange rate have to do with EB's prices?

I really didn't have a clue

He implied that you think like EB in that your guess at the currency exchange rate of what they pay in the UK was a lot higher than what it really is.

The UK 35 pounds is about $55 or marginally higher than one and a half times but not more than double which is what you estimated.

A cheap shot but a somewhat valid one - if not to you then certainly to EB and game retailers (and retailers in general) in this country.

There needs to be a law introduced into this country to stop retailers marking up higher and if there is already one then it needs to be FIRMLY enforced.

 

[sacka]

A cheap shot but a somewhat valid one - if not to you then certainly to EB and game retailers (and retailers in general) in this country.

may of been having a little dig.

There needs to be a law introduced into this country to stop retailers marking up higher and if there is already one then it needs to be FIRMLY enforced.

I guess thats what o/s stores are for.

 

[Glenno23]

He implied that you think like EB in that your guess at the currency exchange rate of what they pay in the UK was a lot higher than what it really is.

The UK 35 pounds is about $55 or marginally higher than one and a half times but not more than double which is what you estimated.

A cheap shot but a somewhat valid one - if not to you then certainly to EB and game retailers (and retailers in general) in this country.

There needs to be a law introduced into this country to stop retailers marking up higher and if there is already one then it needs to be FIRMLY enforced.

I think like EB? I may not have known what the exchange rate was (it was a valid question), but i'm sure the people that buy the stuff are more than aware. Does anyone really think the prices are set by managers? In any company?

Retailers marking up higher? Really? Please show me an example of any retailer selling a game for more than the RRP (which is set by the vendor, not the retailer)

How can there be a law for marking any product at its RRP?

may of been having a little dig.

I guess thats what o/s stores are for.

A little dig for sure. But again, i don't set the prices and was purely asking a question to which i did not know the answer. I thought 45 pence was about $1 in exchange. Hence why i thought 35 pound would be around 80 bucks. I was wrong

 

[Juddy88]

When I was in the UK I was told their games are like 19 pounds (or something like that) for the first week of release. I saw a game that had just been released that confirmed this.

Ripped off so much over here, not just with games though.

 

[Wickzki]

I think like EB? I may not have known what the exchange rate was (it was a valid question), but i'm sure the people that buy the stuff are more than aware. Does anyone really think the prices are set by managers? In any company?

Retailers marking up higher? Really? Please show me an example of any retailer selling a game for more than the RRP (which is set by the vendor, not the retailer)

Perhaps then it is not the retailers who are to blame but rather the individual vendors, if not the entire industry. However, there has to be a reason why retail goods, especially anything electronic, is set excessively high in this country than elsewhere.

A recent example, not related to EB, got my goat. It was on a Foxtel show directly ripped from G4 (no hiding the G4 watermark, etc.). They were discussing gaming televisions and which televisions made the best ones for gaming, which their consumers should purchase. They advertised a Sony brand television that retailed in the United States for $449. Hours earlier, the same day, I saw the same model television (only PAL not NTSC, of course) for $2200. With the strength of the Australian dollar at parity with the United States I don't possibly know how companies can justify a five times higher retail price. The same used to be (or still is) true of computers (more than double what you could get the same item for in the US)

I suppose, from a consumer stand point, it is much easier to blame the 'poor' retailer than it is anybody else as that is who the consumer makes their purchase with. We don't deal one on one with the company.

I, as an Australian who has thoroughly enjoyed my many years living in North America, would dearly love to keep the money that I earn while putting myself through university in Australia. Sadly, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify why I should be ripping myself off to do it. As Internet shopping has played such a powerful role in this Christmas season (Australia Post claiming that they've been slammed by overseas Internet shopping packages) one can only hope that the powers that be (whether that be the vendor or the falsely accused retailer) realize what they've done to the retail market in Australia and repair it before it's too late.

To directly answer your question - I never said you think like EB but rather that it was a shot/dig at both you and EB due to the insane pricing, which as you've pointed out isn't necessarily EB's fault. Still, I'd like to know why EB is often $20+ more expensive than even JB HiFi and Game.

 

[Glenno23]

There was a great research paper on the issue of Australians being ripped off on gaming prices (compared to the rest of the world) in an early issue of Game Informer. I can't remember all the points, but one of the main ones is the potential market

North America has 250 million + people, if 5% of the people buy a game, thats 12.5 million sales, in Australia that number would only be 1 million. So they try to get their costs back by charging the retailers a higher price for the games as the potential sales are so much smaller.

Another excuse the distributors (vendords) seem to use is the cost to ship it over here

EB is not more expensive than GAME in most cases these days. Most stores have identical prices to GAME for the new releases from day 1

JB is not a specialty store, so they can afford to sell games at cost price (in 90% of cases this is what they do) so not comparing apples with apples there

Also look to our 360 deals right now, we are the cheapest at the moment than any other retailer right now, so we're not alwasy the most expensive for everything like the public perception seems to be

I am in total agreement though about the cost of items in retail here. Compared to the rest of the world we get butt ****ed

Edit: i know its easy for the consumer to blame the retailer, and it doesn't help the cause when the owner of Harvey Norman is in the appears constantly whinging about the online GST and such. it doesn't endear him to the genreral public who are just trying to save money in the long run

 

[MarcusP2]

At the beginning of 2009 it was a 2.5-1 exchange rate. The GFC has changed things rather dramatically.

Global availability and the relative strength of the Aussie economy has killed retailers here, as they have a huge amount of fixed costs that aren't decreasing that online stores don't have to deal with.

 

[HBK619]

Well Eb are cheeky *****, Dues Ex is a UK copy with a big fat Aussie rating sticker on it, and it wasn't shrink wrapped like the other 2 games.
If i wanted a UK copy i would of ordered from the UK.

AC:R was the same.

Also a black box, is that normal? Looks horrible.

 

[sacka]

AC:R was the same.

Also a black box, is that normal? Looks horrible.

Some people have contacted Eb customer service and been told to take the game to there local and swap for a Aus copy, might be worth a try if thats what you prefer.

 

[Glenno23]

Some people have contacted Eb customer service and been told to take the game to there local and swap for a Aus copy, might be worth a try if thats what you prefer.

Thats what i would have suggested. Just take in your online receipt and tell them thats what customer service said. Chances are it'll work

 

[Wickzki]

Off question but relating to EU games. I realize the packaging is different but are the UK discs different in looks than the Australian discs as well?

 

[Juddy88]

Anyone know where to get Age of Empires 2 and the expansion for W7 from? Not on steam, unfortunately.

 

[Glenno23]

Anyone know where to get Age of Empires 2 and the expansion for W7 from? Not on steam, unfortunately.

You can get AOE 1 and 2 with the expansions for each from EB for $13

 

[Conan Troutman]

Some vouchers for GreenManGaming.

The LOTR one is currently active, I think for about another 23 hours (unless I've messed up the times?). I just got it myself, so is definitely active.


Lord of the Rings: War in the North - $12.32 (60% Off)
Voucher: WARIN-SNOWY-NORTH
(Valid from 1500 GMT 22nd December until 1500 GMT 23rd December)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north/


Saints Row: The Third - $30 (25% Off)
Voucher: GREEN-XMASS-AINTS
(Valid from 0000 GMT 23rd December until 0000 GMT 26th December)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/saints-row-the-third/


Anything from the Square Enix catalogue (except Deus Ex:HR) for 66% off
Voucher: SQUAR-EWKND-SIXTY
(Valid from 0000 GMT 23rd December until 0000 GMT 26th December)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/search/?q=square+enix&x=0&y=0


Batman: Arkham City - $20 (60% Off)
Voucher: JOLLY-BRUCE-WAYNE
(Valid from 1600 GMT 26th December until 1600 GMT 27th December)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/batman-arkham-city/


Warhammer 40000: Space Marine - $26.99 (40% off)
Voucher: GREEN-SPACE-MARIN
(Valid from 0000 GMT 26th December until 0000 GMT 29th December)
http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/warhammer-40000-space-marine/


* LOTR, Saints Row, Space Marine, and some Square Enix titles can be activated in Steam

 

[Conan Troutman]

PC (US Dollars)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - $12.85
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-DEHR/deus-ex-human-revolution-

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Augmented Edition - $14.68
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-DEHRAE/deus-ex-human-revolution-augmented-edition

*both can be activated in Steam (confirmed - I got the Augmented Edition myself)

-edit-

DLC for Deus Ex:HR is also cheap
The Missing Link - $3.06 (80% off)
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-DD-DEHRML/deus-ex-human-revolution-the-missing-link

plus other smaller DLCs

 

[SpaceCow]

Off question but relating to EU games. I realize the packaging is different but are the UK discs different in looks than the Australian discs as well?

It really does depend. Sometimes you get EU versions with EU, UK and AU ratings and sometimes just EU. I've also seen AU games with one or more ratings too. There's no set way.

Eg: My AU FFXIII has only a German rating on the disc. My AU Killzone 2 has AU and EU ratings on it.

Also shame Batman:AC uses GFWL. I'd snap it up if it was Steam activatable.

 

[Conan Troutman]

PC (can be activated in Steam)

Saints Row: The Third - $19.99 USD ($19.69 AUD)

different voucher to the above one
FIFTY-SAINT-XMASS

http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/saints-row-the-third/

or

if you want to take the risk...

Saints Row: The Third - £14.99 GBP ($23.07 AUD)
inlcuding:
- pre-order bonus DLC
- 1 year Season Pass DLC (currently $20 on Steam)

http://store.thq.com/store/thq/en_GB/pd/Saints-Row-The-Third/productID.233244200

Only thing is with the thq strore, is that you can't select Australia as the address (there is no option for it).
If you choose United States however, it may just work

 

[silverscope]

L.A. Noire (PC Digital Download) from Amazon for $12.49

http://www.amazon.com/L-Noire-Compl...rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1341860322&pf_rd_i=979455011

 

[silverscope]

http://www.greenmangaming.com/?gmgr=didoteye

Greenmangaming have

FEAR 3 - $7.83 (Currently $49.99 on Steam)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine $12.49 (Currently $89.99 on Steam)

Both steamworks games and bloody cheap

 

[Tairy Greene]

L.A. Noire (PC Digital Download) from Amazon for $12.49

http://www.amazon.com/L-Noire-Compl...rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1341860322&pf_rd_i=979455011

Holy crap! That's an amazing price! Might be a stupid question but there would be no issues with downloading from the American site and playing (obviously) with an Australian ISP?

 

[silverscope]

No problem. The only thing is it's not a steamworks game so you can't get the key and activate it through steam. It'll just be a seperate download.