DS Daily: Right price point?
by David Hinkle 
{ Dec 2nd 2008 at 9:00AM }
We've asked this question a long ways back before, but with the busy shopping season on us, and the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shenanigans coming to a close, we felt it was appropriate to ask again. What's the right price for you? Do you pick up games when they first release because you absolutely have to have them, or are you a patient consumer, waiting for that certain title to fall in price before snatching it up. What do you think is the proper entry price point for DS games? We know Square Enix likes to toss that $39.99 price tag on their new games (boo!), but usually it's $30 for non-Nintendo games. Is this the sweet spot?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nevsky42 @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:27AM
I'll usually buy a game I'm even remotely interested in if it drops to $20. I recently picked up Rondo of Swords for that, and even with its flaws I'm enjoying it a lot more than the $40 FFTA2...
Sora @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:04AM
like most wise people always patience is a virtue,I have never bought a game or a system the moment they came out, I always wait for a period of 2 years, one for the price to go down, and when it comes to consoles, the price and perfection, example,psp 3000 first came out had problems, xbox360 they knew about the red ring of death they sold it to the public anyways, and that's why they got suit in california, the normal price tag for a ds should be 29.99 if the game is good, square enix even the games they come out with are most of the time breath taking in term of story and gameplay, I find it rediculous to pay basically 41 dollars for a ds game.
Dante G @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:14AM
I usually wait till price drops to $20. The thing is that with Nintendo titles the prices just don't drop. So I've bought Zelda, Mario and Pokemon at launch price, even when the games are 2 years old like the NSMB.
BobTheElephant @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:24AM
depends on the game, for the most part I'll take the 29.99 when the game comes out. However, there are times when I will wait for a game to drop under $20.
Jedi_Liz @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:50AM
I got Pokemon diamond for $27.99 ($7 off) because I got it from CircuitCity.com That was cheaper than the regular price, so I went for it.
Very few games that I want drop to the $20 range, though.
Shirono @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:39AM
The $40 price tag on some of the games has definitely pushed them down on my "to-get" list. I usually buy a new game a month from my list, and FFIV has been on that list for as long as i can remember... (I'll jump at cheap games [N+, EBA] pretty often, even if not on my list.) But $30 I will almost always put out for a game I want.
CPRHOU @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:54AM
I have no problem spending $30 on a new DS game, rather than waiting for price drops. Even if it stays unplayed for awhile because I am working on other games, at least it will be there when I want to break it open. And I don't mind paying an extra $10 for Square games. They are almost long enough and/or have enough replay value to make it worth it to me.
TJF588 @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:00PM
*is too busy "what the crap?"-ing at the pic*
Actually, I got three bucks back from m' Amazon order of CTDS. Haven't check to see if it's in my account yet, but seeing that in my inbox was kinda neat (was worried they'd over-chraged or something, which could've put my at-ends, since my account is rather bare-minimum-y). Couple that with Super Saver Shipping... have I praised Amazon enough in this site's comments? Shame the cover slip seems a but improperly cut (too much front, too little back, making the spin feature a white strip).
Gennataos @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:07PM
It all depends on the game. If I'm pretty hyped up about it, I'll get it at release, but that's a pretty rare occassion. Most of the time, I'll wait for a price drop or a deal.
chispito @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:21PM
Games I'm stoked about I'll pay $30 for at launch or $35 if they're first party. I won't pay more than $30 for Square games, though. I like RPGs well enough, but I don't particularly love the Square formula above all others.
But $20 is the magic price point for games I was interested in but never bought, or that were released as budget titles (N+, Space Invaders Extreme).
Kaitie @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:23PM
It really depends on the game. If I've been waiting for it forever, or if I know it's a game that my friends will be spending ages talking about after it first comes out, then I buy it then. Otherwise, I usually wait for the price to go down--I'm not hardcore enough to need EVERY game when it comes out.
WalkingCarpet @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:52PM
It depends on the game. If it's a game that I kinda want of that I heard was really good and want to play I'll usually wait, but that mostly so I can save my pennies for when games like FFIV and Castlevania come out so that I can get them right away
leonus11 @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:42PM
i usually buy them when they are first released BUT ONLY if i have the money for it. other then that i wait for a price drop.
lasersanchez @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:20PM
I usually wait until I can pick a game up for 20 bucks or less. I used to be fine with picking up games at a higher price, but my backlog has gotten so ridiculous that it doesn't even make sense to be buying any new games at the moment. I've bought more than a few games at retail standard price, but those were usually PSP and DS games at $30-40. I asked for Fallout 3 for Christmas, and I'll probably be asking for full price games for Christmas/birthday from now on if I "have to have them".
BlackDS @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:06PM
Depends.
Some games you have to buy at launch, otherwise, they're OOS everywhere.
I was laughing at all the people who didn't get "The World Ends With You" and were complaining they could not buy a copy (before Square Enix reprinted more copies). Waiting for a price drop on some games is a big mistake (ask all those people who didn't buy Tetris, because they were waiting for the price to drop).
Many Atlus games are OOS if you don't buy them on the release date.
Tetris is a good example of a good game that went OOS, and now is marked up everywhere on the internet that still sells it.
BTW, if I'm not interested in a game, I will not buy it. The price of something like Imagine Babyz can hit $0.01 and I will not buy it.
Peace.
chibi_wings @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:44PM
Depends.
If I feel the game deserves the money, then I'll buy it. Also like BlackDS pointed out, some Atlus titles become rare really fast, so I usually buy Atlus games before other games from other publishers. (That is of course if I think the game is worth it).
For most games, I usually wait because I just don't have the money or time to keep up. And finding a good deal gives me such a nice warm feeling =)
Gewurz Man got equipped with... Guitar Hero! @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:57PM
When it comes to DS games, I don't get many of them at launch. Wii games on the other hand...
Still, I'd say $20 is the magic price point for me. For example, I had no intention of getting DQIV any time soon because I don't have the time for it, but when it was on sale for $20 I grabbed it anyway.
And, I hate to admit it, but I understand Square's higher prices. Square games drop in price relatively soon (e.g. Final Fantasy III) vs. Nintendo's games which stay pretty high for quite awhile (e.g. Kirby Canvas Curse). So, for Square, it pays to cash in on impatient fans, of which there are many. It's still annoying though.
aj @ Dec 3rd 2008 2:07AM
I'll buy some games new, if I really, really want to play them and if I know they'll be overpriced on the secondary market (like Atlus games).
Most games I'll just get used. I've found 90% of games I want to play at EB for 10 to 20 dollars. I just bought Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for 19.99 (and it was worth it, God I love that game), and I got Rocket Slime for 8$ (one of my all time favourite DS titles).
I do the same for every system. I bought Odama for 4$ yesterday, which was as much as 70$ new. Patience really is key. (Odama is, for the record, a really fun game.)
Don @ Dec 4th 2008 12:54PM
$20.00 is my game-purchasing sweet spot.... that's right at the price point where I'll pick up games I'm really interested in, and maybe even take a chance on one that seems ok, but I've heard good things about.
$10.00 is where I'll buy just about any game if I'm interested in it, but I have turned down some at this price point & below.
Itachigo @ Dec 10th 2008 5:10AM
I dont think ANY DS gamer in the US has any right to complain about game prices. $40? I -wish- that was the default prices her. In Australia we pay $69.99, and most of the time, the price -never- goes down.