Conference rusure::nintendo

    Just like most other high-tech gadgets - the prices might come down a
    bit more as production methods improve. 
    
    My opinion is that one of the real barriers to Nintendo cartridge
    prices coming down is that They are the only folks releasing the
    software to play on their system, and have put most of the software
    production houses under exclusive agreements to write for them and no
    competitors. 
    
    One other note - here in the US, it takes a team of 3 to 8 programmers
    working at least 50% of the time on one game to write the software.
    So you DO have to pay for their talent, and it isn't cheap, given
    the complexity of the better games.
    
    just my 2�.
    
    jack

    Production costs are not the major factor in prices.  When the Nintendo
    system first came out, I was getting games for $22, $25, and sometimes
    $30.  The prices are high today because of the great many people that
    want them.
    
    Prices will come down if Nintendo increases production enough to meet
    demand or other companies start large-scale production.  If Nintendo
    cannot or does not invest in increased production, prices could stay
    high.
     
    
    				-- edp

    $40.00 ???? I saw wrestlemania at a local department store last
    night for $55.00.......Way out of my league...
    
    

    Supply in demand.
    
    If we're nuts enuff to pay $15.00 for a compact disc that costs
    under $5 to manufacture, than we're probably equally as nuts to
    pay $40.00 for a game cartridge that costs 6 times less to manufacture.

    What ever the cost of creation, from programming to packaging/shipping,
    (I'm sorry I don't swallow it..) can't cost $39.00 per.
    
    Problem for the kids is that their allowances do not keep up with
    the cost of all the goodies kids want.  Causes the kids frustration,
    and the moms and dads of this world to go broke when Xmas, birthdays,
    etc. roll around.    
    

    Someone is making a killing with the "toys of the 80s"

    I recall a number of years ago when atari,intellivision were big
    that a game cost about $7.00 to bring to market (according to an
    exec. of Imagic Corp.) but the competition was fierce for shelf
    space so game prices were sometimes $10-$12 a copy to buy.
    Today Nintendo has NO COMPETITION (aren't all games licensed
    through Nintendo?) so they sell you the box at almost giveaway.
    (Atari 2600 originally sold for $200 and Intellivision boxes sold
    for $300)and then Nintendo gets you on the software. That is a
    brilliant piece of marketing in my humble opinion.
       I believe the $20 game would  still be profitable but why should
    they do that when parents "line-up" for a $45.00 game and the abscence
    of competition?! 

    I've had my nes since last xmas and i've still got my smb and that's
    it. The rest I rent for now. Hey, at those prices I'll sit back and
    wait a few. I mean what the h*ll those prices can't stay up there
    forever (can they??). I doubt that...I mean look at what happened
    to for i.e. cabbage dolls, c.d. players...etc. Sooner or later they'll
    have to come down at some point. Right now there's a huge demand
    for a lot of the games right now and people scoffing them up like
    crazy and paying big bucks for them. I, myself will probably get
    one every once in a while...hey at $20 - $50 bucks a pop I have
    to take it easy!!!
    
    
    Just my opinion...
    
    rl
      

    Until there is competition, the prices will remain higher than they
    should be. The fact remains that if enough people keep buying the
    control box each year there will always be a new supply of potential
    purchasors (sp) of the games who will continue to pay the price
    asked. The other unfortunate thing I've noticed is that if a game
    has been out awhile and there doesn't continue to be a high demand
    for it (ex: Castlevania) then the company doesn't make any more.
    Rather than make some to satisfy the smaller demand and/or mark
    down their prices, they just stop production. I was told that by
    the people at TRYSOFT.
    
    While I would like to see some competition to bring those prices
    down and also generate a wider variety of games, I also want to
    see some kind of minimum standards to be met to keep the quality
    from going down the drain as with the old Atari games days. How
    that will happen I'm not sure. It will be interesting to see what
    comes out of the suits filed against Nintendo stating they are 
    monopolyzing the market.
    
    Aloha
    
    Hawaii_Harry
    

    i agree - 36.99 and up to alot to pay for a game...
    
    i thought i really wanted Paperboy... can't find it anywhere.. but
    my husband rented it last nite.. IT STUNK!!  40.00 (if you can find
    it) for that???!!!  no thanks... good thing i didn't find it!!!
    
    we have Zelda (great game..) and smb and duck hunt... that's fine.
    
    what gets me is that all games are outrageously priced.. even the
    yucky ones.. XENOPHOBE... what's going on in that one.. no way..
    someone would have to give me 40.00 and the game!!!  same with 
    Karate Kid... terrible!!
    
    i like the games that last and get better and harder as it goes.......
    not this.. mindless-no_brain-throwing_newspapers-hit_the_tombstone
    stuff.. not for me..... (who has tombstones in their front yard
    anyway??)
    
    so, i will continue to rent movies, check out the new games by renting
    them (i only lose a couple bucks, not my grocery and heating bill
    money!!)
    
    talk to me when the cartridges are 20.00!!
    
    toni