The price of goods has gotten out of control. Between the tari🍸ffs the U.S. is imposing on itself, the steady hand of inflation, and various world events that disrupt suppliers, it’s been very difficult to feel financially stable over the p💖ast five years or so.
General financial instability hasn’t stopped the games industry from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:showing off and launching new consꦬoles a🐲nd games, but it seems like with each hardware showcase and announcement, things will be more expensive. The majority of gamers are left𒈔 groaning and watching through their fingers🤡, myself included.
As a way of reassuring gaming enthusiasts that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:paying $80 for a game and anywhere from $450 to 168澳洲幸运5𝓰开奖网:$700 for a console is totally fine and normal, many people have shared infographics showing that, when adjuste𒆙d for inflation, most consoles and game prices ar𓃲e pretty fair and a good deal, actually.
While I appreciate the sentiment, stop sharing those images because they aren’t doing what you think they’re doing. They’re not a good representation of the realities of how much money is worth, they don’t prove that the economy isn’t in shambles, and they don’t make me feel any better about being charged $80 plus tax to see 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:what Mario Kart World is all about. They jus💛t grind my metaphorical gears since, apparently, I can’t afford the real ones anymore.
Hey, Everyone, That’s Not How Inflation Works
When looking at these sorts of charts an⭕d price comparisons , there’s a fundamental misun🐼derstanding baked into the core of their arguments about inflation since they’re often shared as a response to public backlash to the high prices of current hardware and software.
Yes, it’s true that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:when calculating for inflation, game consoles like the NES and the original PlayStation would cost over $500 today. One of the problems with viewin✤g that information on its own, however, is that it’s completely removed from the context of the rest of the economic lan🦩dscape.
When examining the price of a single good, we also need to a💝sk ours💙elves about every other piece of relevant financial information for the time to understand if that good is reasonably priced. What was the average cost of living in 1985 when the NES launched? How does a person’s annual wages compare to the $299 asking price for a PlayStation in 1995? What was the average weekly grocery bill in that same year? These questions help us understand the full context surrounding the price of a console.
Now, we have to ask ourselves the same questions but apply them to 2025. When we do that, a very different picture is painted about the affordability of game consoles. Grocery bills are higher than they ever have been, renting apartments costs more, and gas prices have steadily climbed. Some of these things are 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:natural results of normal inflation, 𝓡however, the big difference is t𝐆hat wages haven’t increased at the same rate.
When adjusted for inflation, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which launched less than five years ago priced at roughly $500 each, would cost over $600 now. That’s more than a 20 percent increase, but the vast majority of people buying game consoles haven’t seen a 20 percent increase in their wages. With that understanding, the $450 price tag of the GameCube, when♏ adjusted for inflation, carries a very different weight.
Games As A “Luxury” Good
I’ve seen people respond to arguments like the one I’m making with a sentiment like, “Well, no one is forcing you to buy the Switch 2 or PS5 Pro, games are a lu🀅xury.” Yes, it’s true that video games are not an essential item; however, up until recently, they have not 🌳been seen as a luxury good.
Luxury goods include things like dಞesigner clothing, sports cars, and jewelry made from precious metals. Video games are consumer electronics and have largely not been viewed as luxury goods on account of their affordability. In recent years, however, video games have started becoming luxury items as they’ve edged out of being affordable for many people, thanks to their rising prices.
It’s a frustrating affair hearing from people who can afford to buy new consoles that inflation says I shouldn’♈t be mad about their ever-increasing prices🔯, only to turn around and tell me that I’m being unreasonable for pointing out how expensive they’ve gotten.
If you, like me, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:are upset about being priced out of ga✤ming, let me tell you what I’ve been wanting to hear from everybody else, but haven’t been hearing: this sucks. No matter what any spreadsheet sharing flat product prices adjusted for inflation without providing further ✨contex🎐t tries to tell you, games didn’t used to be this expensive, and you’re not wrong for being mad about it.
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Operating System
- 💝 Proprietary ꧑
- Storage
- 256﷽GB internaꦯl / MicroSD
- Resolution
- 🐎 1080p (handheld) ജ/ 4K (docked)
