Xbox One and PS4 digital game prices are laughable
Last week Microsoft revealed how much it would cost to download games from its Xbox One digital store. The results were - sadly - unsurprising. Blockbuster third-party games have been given a huge markup from their retail equivalents, which is surely enough to discourage anyone who isn't made of money. Worse still, Sony later confirmed that the prices on its PlayStation 4 digital store were even higher.
A stellar title such as Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will end up setting you back £54.99 GBP on the Xbox One should you choose to download it. The PS4 digital download is £57.99 GBP. Compare this to your other option of actually going to stores or looking elsewhere online, where you can pick up a copy for around £45 GBP. It's a no contest.
Why such a discrepancy in price? At the moment Microsoft, Sony and third-party publishers are remaining quiet. It should be noted that the platform holders don't set the prices of third-party games like Assassin's Creed 4, in this case it's up to Ubisoft to decide how much it wants to sell its game for. But on the PS4 even the first-party games like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack will set you back more than they would in traditional outlets.
Wasn't this the generation where everything was supposed to start going digital? Where players were apparently going to buy their games online and play them while they're downloading? It sounds great in theory, but at the moment that scenario appears to be a long time away.
One publisher who has reacted to the grumbles over digital pricing is EA, who lowered the prices of its PS4 games after they were much more expensive than their Xbox One versions. Originally a digital copy of Battlefield 4 cost an eye-watering £62.99 GBP from the PS4 store, now it's only £59.99 GBP. That's still £5 GBP higher than what you can find on the Xbox One store, and still no comment has been made over pricing.
Publishers need to give us some answers. Why are the prices for digital versions of games so much higher, when basically you're paying for less? You don't get all the packaging and manuals like you do with a boxed version, you're basically just paying for convenience. And even that is negated when you consider that most games are around 40GB, so for a lot of people walking to the shops and picking it up themselves is a quicker option than downloading.
Something needs to be done in the near future, otherwise the switch to digital will never happen. Players simply won't stand for the inconsistencies in price, especially when we're not even given a reason why there's such a difference.