The original price of the ninth generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles was 500 euros. It is not anymore. We can debate whether that amount was a lot or a little depending on the technology used to stand out from its predecessors, but we are talking about a lot of money. What is truly unheard of is that, instead of reducing that number over time, three years later PS5 and Xbox Series X are more expensive than when they went on sale.
There are many elements at play, but the key behind this strange adjustment is inflation. Put wrong and fast, the general increase in prices derived from a huge number of factors that began to manifest themselves since the console generation began. Which brings us to the original question: Is it normal to pay 550 euros for a console today? Believe it or not, the figure is not only very reasonable, but compared to what an Atari cost in its day, they are almost a bargain.
And if I told you that if we applied the 200 dollars that the Atari 2600 cost at launch to current inflation, its current price as we have collated in VidaExtra through calculator.net, would be $1,003.72. And be careful, if we adjust the original prices of other game consoles to our time, we are not even talking about the most expensive console. Which does not take away from the fact that those 200 dollars that today do not seem such an exorbitant amount It was a lot of money in 1977.
Starting from that idea, in VidaExtra We wanted to share and compare the prices of the most expensive consoles to date in order to have a complete and well-founded view of the current price. Not only PlayStation or Xbox, but also a Nintendo Switch that has held up since its launch in 2017. The result you can see it below.
At the time of making this graph we had several very important considerations. From the outset, we have used the dollar as the common currency and the price and year of launch that of the United States. Among other reasons, to have a fairer and more homogeneous vision: not only because in Japan they had the Super Famicom several years before, but because the 500 euros with which the 2020 consoles were launched was not equivalent to the change of 500 dollars, although years then both currencies were paired.
In fact, while Nintendo Switch launched in the United States for $299 in 1997 as a commercial strategy, the console debuted in the old continent for something else. That said, and according to the parameters applied, those 300 dollars from six years ago today would be equivalent to about 372 dollars if we apply inflation.
With the figures ahead, it is time to establish the five most expensive consoles in history if we adjust prices for inflation. And the numbers are spectacular:
5 – PS3 and the extremely complicated generational leap of PlayStation
- launch price: 600 dollars in 2006
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $905.14
The PS2 Sony was overconfident when making the generational leap by offering its third console a year after Xbox 360 and a price of 600 dollars difficult to assimilate. Even when it included a Blu-Ray reader. Of course, it did not take long to lower the prices.
4- The Atari 2600, the luxury of having video games at home
- launch price: 200 dollars in 1977
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $1,003.72
We are in 1977. Buying a 150 m2 apartment in Madrid, in the Plaza de Castilla area, cost 2,500,000 pesetas. That is, some 15 thousand euros without applying inflation. Only then can it be understood that having Atari video games at home, such as Pong, cost as high as $200 at the time.
3- Intellivision, the price of surpassing the Atari
- launch price: $300 in 1979
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $1,256.72
Mattel wanted to compete head-on with Atari in the field of video games, and its technology was amazing: its controls were futuristic, it had its own online service called PlayCable and it did not sell badly despite the 300 dollars it cost at the time.
2- The Neo Geo, the Rolls Royce of consoles
- launch price: $650 in 1991
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $1451.41
The SNK console has been the object of desire for entire generations of video game enthusiasts and, at the same time, an unattainable dream: the most affordable option in Spain was 79,990 pesetas without game. But that was another matter: each cartridge shot cost approximately 24,000 pesetas. Crazy? Yes… and no: almost literally, you had the arcade games in your house.
1- The 3DO is the most expensive console
- Launch price: $700 in 1993
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $1,473.28
In VidaExtra We talked about the revolution that 3DO wanted to be and the shock of reality that occurred: more than a desktop system, it was a kind of standard that any company could license with compatible games regardless of manufacturer. The problem, of course, is that instead of offering an attractive price and recovering the investment with games like SEGA or Nintendo, it became a label based on the hardware offered. Of course, many cult classics were born there.
Bonus Ball: Phillips’ CD-i
- Launch price: $400 in 1991
- Price adjusted for inflation in 2023: $893.18
Technically, the Philips CD-i is not a console. It really is a multi-purpose media station that has hosted video games, including some of the very few titles from Nintendo’s stars released outside of their consoles. A deal with the Big N stemming from a disc player for the SNES that never was and which led to the worst Zelda games ever made. That machine was amazing, but it wasn’t made for gaming.
Seen in perspective, we find that Nintendo consoles have always had an added appeal related to its price and brand presence. And despite the fact that the label of its current games does not go down, they are blockbusters whose commercial cycle lasts for years. Some leaving a huge mark on entire generations. Yes indeed, consolones SEGA Mega Drive and DreamCast had a price as unbeatable as irresistible.
Last but not least, it is noteworthy that with the exception of PS3, the prices of PlayStation consoles after matching the dollar value to the different years in which they were released They are practically identical including the one on PS5. Will these readings be maintained for PS6? Well: who knows what a loaf of bread costs us by the time the next generation of Sony comes out.
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