Some PS3 Games to Cost $75 in Japan

Gamasutra reports on pricing for PS3 games in Japan, where some titles may rise as high as (equivalently) $75. From the article: "Japanese game prices can vary considerably across even a single format, depending on the title. Higher profile games, such as the recent Nintendo DS title Final Fantasy III, are often sold at an increased price. Similarly, Xbox 360 titles Dead Rising and Lost Planet will be priced at ¥8,379 ($72) when they are released — ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 ($9 to $17) more than usual. Tecmo's Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 will be sold at an even more excessive ¥9,240 ($79)."

Wii games still $50?

[Maul]

It is not uncommon for some games to be more expensive in Japan, especially if there is bonus stuff that comes along with the game. This also holds true for DVDs and other such items.

If the $75 games make their way to the US market for the PS3, however, Sony could be shooting themselves in the foot. Their console is already pricey by itself.

This could be another boon for Nintendo if thy can keep the $50 price they generally maintained for GC games. This is definitely possible since they don't need to make up the same loss on hardware Sony does.

We'll see how this plays out. I can imagine them getting away with $75 for MGS4, FF13, GTA6, and other high profile titles, but not every title.

dear sony

[blackcoot]

i was willing to cough up the $600 for your console because i really was looking forward to the new final fantasy games. i was willing to shell out for more controllers so that friends and i could play together. but between your (frankly ridiculous) up front costs and discovering that the new gran turismo is going to nickle and dime me to death (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060921-780 2.html [arstechnica.com]) after already having raped my wallet (see above article), i think i'm going to give this round a miss --- i can't bring myself to buy an xbox (one of the more joyful moments this week has been discovering that i have prior art that will sink a number of ms patent applications) and there's really nothing on the wii that excites me. even just saying "wii" turns me off (i don't care what nintendo's marketing execs think: there's no way to make "i'm going to play with my wii" sound wholesome). it's a pity: i'd like to play, but you've priced yourself well beyond what i'm willing to pay.