The Console Gaming Demographic
by Anand Lal Shimpi on November 14, 2005 10:11 AM EST- Posted in
- Anand
Just one week to go before Xbox 360 launches, and I'm sitting here trying to figure out whether my ridiculously overpriced pre-order bundle will ship on time or not.
The idea offering pre-orders only in bundle format is particularly interesting, mainly because I wonder what it does to the accessibility of these new generation of consoles to younger gamers. Take the bundles that ebgames offered: you had two options, you could get the core 360 bundle for $599 or the premium bundle for $699. I remember back to when I was a kid, and there was no way I'd be getting a $700 present for any day of the year. I've proposed the same question to a number of others, and no one seems to have a good response other than "my parents wouldn't have bought me a $700 console bundle when I was a kid." So I truly wonder, who is going to buy the supposed 1 million Xbox 360s that will be available in the US on November 22nd?
There is the possibility that expectations for parents have changed in the past 10 - 20 years, and that if your child wants a $700 Xbox 360 bundle, that it is a reasonable expenditure. I tend to find that hard to believe, as $700 could very well be two car payments, a rent check or pay all utilities for a month, and I do find it hard to believe that parents today would easily spend that on what essentially amounts to a single present.
The more likely option (in my opinion), is that unlike what I had originally expected, console gaming isn't hitting the new generation of kids like it did previous generations, rather it is growing up and getting to kids later on in life. Once you hit your early teens then the possibility for folks to at least start contributing to the price of a $700 bundle becomes possible. Is it just that gamers these days are forced to start later in life because of the sheer cost barrier?
Or am I totally off base here and is $700 just not considered a lot of money anymore? Hmm, if it is the latter option then that would make this the very first "I remember when _____ used to cost _____ in my day" post of my life. Not good.
The idea offering pre-orders only in bundle format is particularly interesting, mainly because I wonder what it does to the accessibility of these new generation of consoles to younger gamers. Take the bundles that ebgames offered: you had two options, you could get the core 360 bundle for $599 or the premium bundle for $699. I remember back to when I was a kid, and there was no way I'd be getting a $700 present for any day of the year. I've proposed the same question to a number of others, and no one seems to have a good response other than "my parents wouldn't have bought me a $700 console bundle when I was a kid." So I truly wonder, who is going to buy the supposed 1 million Xbox 360s that will be available in the US on November 22nd?
There is the possibility that expectations for parents have changed in the past 10 - 20 years, and that if your child wants a $700 Xbox 360 bundle, that it is a reasonable expenditure. I tend to find that hard to believe, as $700 could very well be two car payments, a rent check or pay all utilities for a month, and I do find it hard to believe that parents today would easily spend that on what essentially amounts to a single present.
The more likely option (in my opinion), is that unlike what I had originally expected, console gaming isn't hitting the new generation of kids like it did previous generations, rather it is growing up and getting to kids later on in life. Once you hit your early teens then the possibility for folks to at least start contributing to the price of a $700 bundle becomes possible. Is it just that gamers these days are forced to start later in life because of the sheer cost barrier?
Or am I totally off base here and is $700 just not considered a lot of money anymore? Hmm, if it is the latter option then that would make this the very first "I remember when _____ used to cost _____ in my day" post of my life. Not good.
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n yusef - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
I'm 19 now, turning 20 on Xbox360 launch day. I had originally tried to pre-order the $400 premium system, but EB Games decided that they wanted me to pay $700 for their bundle. I was having a hard time justifying buying it as a birthday gift to myself already, but I don't have $700 to burn like that.I've decided to wait until all three systems are released to buy one.
WW2Planes1 - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
I grew up in the Virginia suburbs of DC, where people own million dollar houses and buy thier kids BMWs. I was not one of the kids to recieve a BMW, but knowing there are parents who will buy their kid that kind of car (most likely with a minimal contribution from the child, these are high schoolers), makes it easier for me to believe that there are parents who will buy their child a $700 gaming console for Christmas.Josh7289 - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
Hey, Anand.I'm only 16, but I do think that $700 is still way to much for a console. Don't worry, though, Nintendo will come through with a much cheaper (better) console. ;P
CheesePoofs - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
I'm 16 also, and I my parents would never buy me, or my younger brother, a $700 console.gnumantsc - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
Just like the subject suggests consoles are going up yet the price of computers are going the opposite.I mean come on sheesh. Get the kid in front of a computer maybe he'll learn. I had NES and ColecoVision and when computers were starting to get popular in the early 90s I focused my energy on that learning tricks and stuff about Windows.
Where do consoles get you besides nowhere. If consoles and stuff weren't bloated like they are now, maybe families will have 1 working parent who can support a family and not let the kid be at home alone eat the junk food and say he's happy.
It's quite pathetic and it has to stop somewhere... Since when did Anandtech go with consoles besides this past year? I want laptop review thinking about Acer Travelmate 4400 series nice AMD Turion 64 X700 graphics....
Bona Fide - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
A bit much if you ask me. Microsoft is just milking consumers now with this. I guess their marketing teams established that $700 was the threshold of sanity for most people. Any less and they would be losing profits. Any more and people would be thinking it's too expensive.Calin - Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - link
They take the cream out of the market - they sell first a limited number of consoles for a lot of money - so that the ones that really really wants them will buy them at whatever price. Then, they reduce the price a bit and sell a bit more consoles. Then, they reduce the price again and sell even more. In the end, they will have an "unlimited" supply of consoles at a price that gives them the profit they want.This way they keep their profit margin on the consoles near the max - if there are people that would pay $700 to have the console the day it launches, why should disappoint them?
Insomniac - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
You can still get the core system for $300. Add a game and that is $350. The price is exactly the same as it was 4 years ago when the Xbox came out. The ridiculous thing is all this bundling, which seems to have come with the last generation of systems, mostly with online retailers. Unfortunatley, the pricing continues to go up. Can't get a system, 2 controllers and a game for $80 any more. :)Pannenkoek - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
A quick google gives me an average inflation rate of 3.17 for the past 20 years, 1.0317^20 = 1.87, $700/1.867 = $375. Prices are relative and we remember the past, some people think everything is expensive. ;)Quiksel - Monday, November 14, 2005 - link
I see parents buying this stuff as an easy remedy to the holiday shopping. ONE STOP! :D And it's guaranteed to be a hit. All the friends will want to come over, etc., etc. :)And I only ever see <10 year-olds playing the 360 at the BB's and WalMart's out there, so I know they've got one at home... They just gotta. :)
Older crowd games out there, but there's still the younger kids playin em. IMO. I definitely think it's growin' them up quicker. Everything's (that's popular, that is) an FPS! :D