i can't believe games are this cheap!

[meme]

really! I'm new to iPhones, and to this forum, but I find it SO crazy that games are actually this cheap! I remember when I was buying for PC or PS2 (now, this was 5 or so years ago) and spending between 20-75$ for a game. It seems like such a great deal to me, compared to buying games for PC or any other platform.

Anyone else find that $.99-$5.99 is a great deal for a game? Or am I just living in the stone age? ;)
How do the developers make any money?

[Aurora]

It's the iPhone. They're not supposed to have prices like $50 because of the following reasons:
- They're all electronic, no physical discs required, no marketing costs, no packaging costs, just plain development costs
- They're not in the same league as console games; you can't fit games like the real Resident Evil 4 onto a cellphone, it doesn't have the memory or graphics capabilities
The current prices are mostly reasonable. There are occasionally the over-optimistic indie developer trying to push for a price tag like $4.99 for a minigame that could mostly be worth $0.99, but those usually end up being ignored by the audience anyways.

[Balu`]

Yup, games are cheap, but I'm happy, because otherwise, with my low budget, I'd have to play MUCH less games, lol.

[Grubjelly]

Many devs skimp on the beta testing, resulting in apps that appear in the app store before before being sufficiently tested on each of the officially supported devices

That means you're taking a bigger risk with both money and your time whenever you click the buy button. The game may not load at all, have sound glitches on your model, have inconsistent performance from device to device, erase your saved games and stats, or crash just as you finish a level. It doesn't help that devs are always adding new features without fixing all existing bugs. Some devs have admitted to not even having access to certain devices such as a 3rd gen itouch, or 2g iphone for testing purposes. Or, they have exactly one of a given model lying around, and conclude from experience with a single unit that a build is stable on that class of device.

Add control and memory management issues of many apps to the above, and what you have is value somewhat compromised by aggravation. Ideally, a person should never have to pm or email a dev unless to clarify instructions. As soon as such an action is required to get something working, then that effectively increases the price by whatever that amount of one's time is worth.

Example of correspondence with dev:
I: "Game keeps freezing at such and such a point..."
Dev: "I've had no such problems on a variety of devices"
I: "Ok that sucks for me. For what it's worth, I'm using OS 3.12 on a 2nd gen itouch"
Dev: "OOOHH.... I didn't test it on OS 3.12....I'll have to do that for the next update....Have a nice day buddy:) ;) :D "

[Quorlan]

it doesn't have the memory or graphics capabilities

When you're talking about the iPhone this doesn't apply quite so strongly as for most other mobile phone platforms. The iPhone/iPod Touch have some pretty hefty (especially the most recent models) graphics capabilities as well as a decent amount of device memory to work with.

Yeah, you're probably not going to be able to fit as much content as you can in a console or computer based game, but you can come significantly closer that with most other mobile phone platforms.

In the iDevice world the problem isn't lack of capabilities in the device. The low prices themselves are becoming a part of the "games lack depth" problem. Many many games for the platform could easily include significantly more depth in both content and gameplay, but development studios choose not to go that far simply because the development cost to sales revenue scale quickly tips in a negative direction. Developers have to carefully consider how much they can afford to develop in light of the consumer demand for dirt cheap games.

I firmly believe that if the consumer mind-set on the platform was geared more toward considering $10 to be an average price for a game, instead of wanting every game to be $.99, you'd see a lot more of the releases contain significantly more content and gameplay depth than we are seeing at the moment.

Q

[Faeryan]

Also take a look at your iPhone screen. Then take a look at your computer screen.
Divide your computer screen size with your iPhone screen size. Then divide your regular PC game price with the result of the previous calculation and what do you get? Your ordinary iPhone game price. :D

Well, maybe not exactly, but that could be one explanation.

[tsharpfilm]

As I've said elsewhere, the iPhone may have some nice games, but it's not an ideal platform for gaming. The screen is smaller than the average display, and virtual joysticks / d-pads are still a problem for most people because their big thumbs cover too much of the screen. Many developers started offering their games at low prices to compensate for these, and other, drawbacks.

I'm not complaining, however. I've spent at least $90 in the app store. :)

[mrkgoo]

Developers don't need to buy packaging, pay for distribution, shipping to retailers, organise a way for payment, etc.

The appstore is simple, and people trust Apple so there's no qualms about clicking 'buy'.

Also volume. The sell in volume. You know, the louder you can make your game, the more it will sell.

[MidianGTX]

Trust Aurora to argue against the only sensible topic I've seen in weeks.

Yes, they are cheap, but that won't stop all the poor malnourished little kiddies from complaining that $2.99 is way too much to trade for the hundreds of hours poured into the making of a decent app.

Just because you take away packaging and distribution doesn't suddenly mean the devs don't need money. How is anyone supposed to live off the shit pay they earn on the App Store? It's ridiculous.

I still maintain that $4.99 should be the minimum price for a game. If a game is submitted that really isn't worth just five measly bucks (which isn't many at all, unless you ask freedog), it should be rejected for not complying with standard quality regulations. If the kids wanna moan, let them. The iPhone is an expensive device, generally aimed at the kind of people who can afford to spend five little dollars on a game.

[eeenmachine]

really! I'm new to iPhones, and to this forum, but I find it SO crazy that games are actually this cheap! I remember when I was buying for PC or PS2 (now, this was 5 or so years ago) and spending between 20-75$ for a game. It seems like such a great deal to me, compared to buying games for PC or any other platform.

Anyone else find that $.99-$5.99 is a great deal for a game? Or am I just living in the stone age? ;)
How do the developers make any money?

Most of them don't! :eek:

[goldglover411]

Most of them don't! :eek:

but a select few do pretty good. For example the pocket god team is probably closing in on 1 mil in profit from a .99 game. Doodle jump creator probably does pretty good, and the big devs like EA and gameloft make huge money. The indie devs are the ones that stuggle to make cash.

[Outkast1]

It's funny because these cheap prices actually make me end up spending more money than I do on console games. I take notice when I spend $60 or $120 on a PS3 game or two.. I quickly lose track of what I spend on these appstore games because they're all just a few bucks... but so many of them can add up very quickly. I just got my itunes receipt in email today, it was 60$ for about 20 games I dl'd over the course of 3-4 days this past week. I know it's the price of only one console game but if someone had asked me what I spent over the last week, I'd have figured around $20-30. If I hadn't seen that today I'd have probably spent another 10-15$ today as well. There is a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend on TA and how much money is in my bank account :)

[eeenmachine]

but a select few do pretty good. For example the pocket god team is probably closing in on 1 mil in profit from a .99 game. Doodle jump creator probably does pretty good, and the big devs like EA and gameloft make huge money. The indie devs are the ones that stuggle to make cash.

My guess is that less than 10% of iPhone developers are able to make a living from it.

[cranker]

It's funny because these cheap prices actually make me end up spending more money than I do on console games. I take notice when I spend $60 or $120 on a PS3 game or two.. I quickly lose track of what I spend on these appstore games because they're all just a few bucks... but so many of them can add up very quickly. I just got my itunes receipt in email today, it was 60$ for about 20 games I dl'd over the course of 3-4 days this past week. I know it's the price of only one console game but if someone had asked me what I spent over the last week, I'd have figured around $20-30. If I hadn't seen that today I'd have probably spent another 10-15$ today as well. There is a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend on TA and how much money is in my bank account :)

Agreed. I spend 60-80+ a month on games. I love to try lots of them. I do feel that they are very cheap and there are alot of great games in the .99-2.99 range. Overhead or no overhead, it's cheap :)

people just like to complain and whine too much.

[meme]

I guess a lot of it has to do with people's income too. For me, $4.99 for a game is a super bargain. if I get 10 hours of fun out of it, I feel really satisfied. But, then, I am a kept woman :D I can see how people (teenagers, mostly, maybe?) without incomes, could find $4.99 to be a lot. $1.99 almost seems like theft from the developers... honestly!

It's true that the devices are geared towards people who have the money to buy one. Certainly you don't spend $300 + on a device if you can't afford to spend any money on it once you have it.

I also agree with Quorlan that the lack of effort put into the games is directly correlated with the fact that no one wants to pay more than .99 for an app. That wouldn't really motivate me if I were a developer.

I think the low prices also make it unfeasible for a lot of indy developers. I think that there are SOO many amazing games that have come out from indy developers, in different platforms, that are just very creative. I like being able to support independent devs because then you get a wider array of creative ideas on the platform. If that means spending $5.99 instead of $1.99, it seems worth it to me, for increased quality and diversity.

[Hodapp]

That wouldn't really motivate me if I were a developer.

I don't think it's an issue of motivation as much as it's an issue of not being able to tell the bank you're going to be missing this month's mortgage payment because you need to beta test. I think a lot of the loudest price whiners live in insulated environments where the only thing they have to worry about is running out of iTunes credit- Which obviously doesn't give much perspective when it comes to realistic pricing and the worth of goods/services.

[BlinkerZ]

I still maintain that $4.99 should be the minimum price for a game.

Then it's lucky you're not in charge of anything.

[MidianGTX]

Then it's lucky you're not in charge of anything.

It's $5. If you're not living in a third world country you deserve a slap.

Besides, devs would still have the option to put a game on sale. They'd set the lower price and the maximum sale time would be a week or something, after which it'd automatically revert. Perfect for cheapskates like yourself who are quite happy to rob the people providing your entertainment.

[Hodapp]

It's $5. If you're not living in a third world country you deserve a slap.

Boy is your face going to be red when he reveals he's posting from Somalia!

[goldglover411]

It's $5. If you're not living in a third world country you deserve a slap.

is the us a third world country? :p

[MidianGTX]

Boy is your face going to be red when he reveals he's posting from Somalia!

:p

If he's from Somalia I'll buy him a game myself.

[acidshaman]

really! I'm new to iPhones, and to this forum, but I find it SO crazy that games are actually this cheap! I remember when I was buying for PC or PS2 (now, this was 5 or so years ago) and spending between 20-75$ for a game. It seems like such a great deal to me, compared to buying games for PC or any other platform.

Anyone else find that $.99-$5.99 is a great deal for a game? Or am I just living in the stone age? ;)
How do the developers make any money?

I dont know about others, but Im waiting to drop 30-40 dollars on an AMAZING game, and even 60 bux if the game is seriously console quality

Like a 300+ hour ravensword

[BlinkerZ]

Perfect for cheapskates like yourself who are quite happy to rob the people providing your entertainment.

I thought this forum had rules about insulting other posters, but I guess you're one of the favoured elite who they don't apply to.

I've spent over $500 on games since I bought my iDevice this year, so take your "cheapskate" and your "rob" and stick them where your iPhone won't fit. But I'll tell you how much I'd have spent in that time if games were a minimum of $5 - zero. Chances are I wouldn't have bought an iPod at all, but if I had I'd almost certainly have jailbroken it, because there's no way in a million years I'd be risking $5 a time. $5 isn't much in itself, but $5s add up helluva fast when you're buying new games every day, like I do.

In your world, there would only be four companies making iDevice games, and the charts would look exactly the same as the 360, PS3 and PC charts do - nothing but FIFA and The Sims and crappy cut-down versions of big-name franchises. Which would probably suit you fine, because you sound like the sort of pompous ass who sneers at quick, simple five-minute games of the sort the iDevices do so well, (and which are so enormously popular that Apple are having to build huge underground vaults to keep the money in) for being "immature" and lacking "depth", and wants to turn the iPod and iPhone into the PSP, which shifts software like an Alaskan ice-cream seller.

Luckily, Apple know which side their bread is buttered, so we don't have people like you wrecking everything. We still get to play scores of different games every month for less than the price of one bloatware 360 "blockbuster", and indie developers get to make money creating fun, inventive and original games instead of just churning out formula crap.

Long may they continue to ignore you.

[Outkast1]

I thought this forum had rules about insulting other posters, but I guess you're one of the favoured elite who they don't apply to.


Meh, don't worry you can go ahead and insult him right back :p
From the way you spelt 'favoured' perhaps you're British yourself? I'd love to see a civilized exchange of British insults back and forth :D

Edit: didn't even read your whole post before I quoted... looks like the exchange is already underway!

[BlinkerZ]

Meh, don't worry you can go ahead and insult him right back :p

From what I've seen, that's sadly not true. Round here, if you're not one of the admins' pet posters you seem to get different rules applied to you...

[Aurora]

Trust Aurora to argue against the only sensible topic I've seen in weeks.

Yes, they are cheap, but that won't stop all the poor malnourished little kiddies from complaining that $2.99 is way too much to trade for the hundreds of hours poured into the making of a decent app.

Just because you take away packaging and distribution doesn't suddenly mean the devs don't need money. How is anyone supposed to live off the shit pay they earn on the App Store? It's ridiculous.

I still maintain that $4.99 should be the minimum price for a game. If a game is submitted that really isn't worth just five measly bucks (which isn't many at all, unless you ask freedog), it should be rejected for not complying with standard quality regulations. If the kids wanna moan, let them. The iPhone is an expensive device, generally aimed at the kind of people who can afford to spend five little dollars on a game.
It's so nice to have fans like you following my posts around. :rolleyes:
Oh and by the way who died and made you the boss of all opinions? All games should be at least $4.99? Well unfortunately for you and fortunately for everyone else, you neither own Apple nor have any say in it.


I thought this forum had rules about insulting other posters, but I guess you're one of the favoured elite who they don't apply to.

I've spent over $500 on games since I bought my iDevice this year, so take your "cheapskate" and your "rob" and stick them where your iPhone won't fit. But I'll tell you how much I'd have spent in that time if games were a minimum of $5 - zero. Chances are I wouldn't have bought an iPod at all, but if I had I'd almost certainly have jailbroken it, because there's no way in a million years I'd be risking $5 a time. $5 isn't much in itself, but $5s add up helluva fast when you're buying new games every day, like I do.

In your world, there would only be four companies making iDevice games, and the charts would look exactly the same as the 360, PS3 and PC charts do - nothing but FIFA and The Sims and crappy cut-down versions of big-name franchises. Which would probably suit you fine, because you sound like the sort of pompous ass who sneers at quick, simple five-minute games of the sort the iDevices do so well, (and which are so enormously popular that Apple are having to build huge underground vaults to keep the money in) for being "immature" and lacking "depth", and wants to turn the iPod and iPhone into the PSP, which shifts software like an Alaskan ice-cream seller.

Luckily, Apple know which side their bread is buttered, so we don't have people like you wrecking everything. We still get to play scores of different games every month for less than the price of one bloatware 360 "blockbuster", and indie developers get to make money creating fun, inventive and original games instead of just churning out formula crap.

Long may they continue to ignore you.
Just ignore MidianGTX. See how he replied to my post for an example of why you should.
Apparently some people have too much spare time, and they spend it by tracking down other people's posts and achieve great pleasure by either openly attacking their opinion or insulting them. Maybe the concept of opinion didn't really get wired into their heads.

[eeenmachine]

I've spent over $500 on games since I bought my iDevice this year, so take your "cheapskate" and your "rob" and stick them where your iPhone won't fit. But I'll tell you how much I'd have spent in that time if games were a minimum of $5 - zero. Chances are I wouldn't have bought an iPod at all, but if I had I'd almost certainly have jailbroken it, because there's no way in a million years I'd be risking $5 a time. $5 isn't much in itself, but $5s add up helluva fast when you're buying new games every day, like I do.

You've spent $500 on iPhone games but you would pirate any game over $5? :confused:

[Hodapp]

From what I've seen, that's sadly not true. Round here, if you're not one of the admins' pet posters you seem to get different rules applied to you...

Dude, he called you a 'cheapskate', that's not exactly some high-end insult that deserves a ban.

[BlinkerZ]

You've spent $500 on iPhone games but you would pirate any game over $5? :confused:

No, I wouldn't pirate any game over $5. I've bought several games over $5. But if EVERY game was over $5 then I'd probably never have bought an iPod in the first place, and if I had the first thing I'd have done would have been jailbreak it.

[sam the lion]

really! I'm new to iPhones, and to this forum, but I find it SO crazy that games are actually this cheap! I remember when I was buying for PC or PS2 (now, this was 5 or so years ago) and spending between 20-75$ for a game. It seems like such a great deal to me, compared to buying games for PC or any other platform.

Anyone else find that $.99-$5.99 is a great deal for a game? Or am I just living in the stone age? ;)
How do the developers make any money?

You'll end up buying about 30 games instead of just 1 or 2 each month and therefore spending roughly the same amount of money.
Or at least, that's what happens to most of us :p

[BlinkerZ]

Dude, he called you a 'cheapskate', that's not exactly some high-end insult that deserves a ban.

He called me a cheapskate and a thief and said I needed a slap, which is somewhat excessive in response to a one-line post that didn't insult anyone. But don't worry - I know the score and I don't expect equal standards here.

[MidianGTX]

I thought this forum had rules about insulting other posters, but I guess you're one of the favoured elite who they don't apply to.

No they apply to me, but I think you'll find on the scale of things "cheapskate" is on the slightly-less-harsh end of the list. Besides, I'm willing to bet a good deal of people thought it was a perfectly accurate word.

I've spent over $500 on games since I bought my iDevice this year, so take your "cheapskate" and your "rob" and stick them where your iPhone won't fit. But I'll tell you how much I'd have spent in that time if games were a minimum of $5 - zero. Chances are I wouldn't have bought an iPod at all, but if I had I'd almost certainly have jailbroken it, because there's no way in a million years I'd be risking $5 a time. $5 isn't much in itself, but $5s add up helluva fast when you're buying new games every day, like I do.

Isn't that a good thing? You'd have saved a ton of money and you wouldn't be addicted to the App Store. I'm sure you've bought a game for another console before, do you consider them risks at $50 a go? Of course they are, you win some and you lose some. You're "risking" more than $5 every time you go to the cinema or eat at a restaurant.

In your world, there would only be four companies making iDevice games, and the charts would look exactly the same as the 360, PS3 and PC charts do - nothing but FIFA and The Sims and crappy cut-down versions of big-name franchises. Which would probably suit you fine, because you sound like the sort of pompous ass who sneers at quick, simple five-minute games of the sort the iDevices do so well, (and which are so enormously popular that Apple are having to build huge underground vaults to keep the money in) for being "immature" and lacking "depth", and wants to turn the iPod and iPhone into the PSP, which shifts software like an Alaskan ice-cream seller.

The total opposite if you ask me. In my world all these indie devs would be getting paid for doing what they enjoy. They'd have enough money to fund their next project and build us a quality game. We've heard several stories of developers simply giving in because they can't sell their game at a reasonable price and ended up losing money. As for sneering at quick, simple five-minute games... is it not obvious that those are the ones I'm trying to defend? The bigger companies like EA and Gameloft aren't in any trouble at all, they're getting their money, and since you're interested, the one single big name game I own on the iPhone is Driver by Gameloft, the other 200 or so are (as far as I know) all from indie developers.

Luckily, Apple know which side their bread is buttered, so we don't have people like you wrecking everything. We still get to play scores of different games every month for less than the price of one bloatware 360 "blockbuster", and indie developers get to make money creating fun, inventive and original games instead of just churning out formula crap.

Long may they continue to ignore you.

Yeah, if only the indie devs did get to make money. The whole point of this discussion is that they don't. Apple sure do know which side their bread is buttered, the side that means they make a ton of money without spending a dime, seemingly the same side yours is too. I'm sure they will continue to ignore me, and I'm sure over the coming months and years we'll see more and more great developers drop off the list.

[eeenmachine]

No, I wouldn't pirate any game over $5. I've bought several games over $5. But if EVERY game was over $5 then I'd probably never have bought an iPod in the first place, and if I had the first thing I'd have done would have been jailbreak it.

You would be sure to jailbreak for what purpose?

[MidianGTX]

It's so nice to have fans like you following my posts around. :rolleyes:
Oh and by the way who died and made you the boss of all opinions? All games should be at least $4.99? Well unfortunately for you and fortunately for everyone else, you neither own Apple nor have any say in it.

Give it up Aurora, I'm not the only one around here who thinks you enter topics with the sole intent of either correcting someone or bashing a perfectly decent game.

[da shiz wiz 19]

Blinkerz, you got to think about the people trying to make a living out of this. Honestly these game prices are ridiculously low. Whens the last time a cookie has given you as much enjoyment as doodle jump (or most other decent 99 cent games)? You have a valid point with the 5 dollars adding up to a large sum, but relative to 'real life' (not the app store) five bucks is nothing. Once again you guys are arguing about different things. Blinkerz is comparing the money relative to the app store, while Midian is comparing it to 'real life'. I believe we had a discussion like this in the canabalt thread too.

[da shiz wiz 19]

Give it up Aurora, I'm not the only one around here who thinks you enter topics with the sole intent of either correcting someone or bashing a perfectly decent game.
I'm with him on this one. While Aurora uses good grammar and proper puncuation, he only bashed games/people. While he doesn't ALWAYS do it, I've seen him blow off a perfectly good game because it's $10. Said something about it being based off 'brand name' rather than gameplay, and then admitted he knew nothing about the 'brand name' game.

[MidianGTX]

Once again you guys are arguing about different things. Blinkerz is comparing the money relative to the app store, while Midian is comparing it to 'real life'. I believe we had a discussion like this in the canabalt thread too.

I totally understand what he means about it all adding up, I've been unpleasantly surprised more than once myself. I just don't think I'd suffer that much if I was forced to buy a few less games because the prices went up.

[Hodapp]

He called me a cheapskate and a thief and said I needed a slap, which is somewhat excessive in response to a one-line post that didn't insult anyone. But don't worry - I know the score and I don't expect equal standards here.

Hello SpugoMcGee.

Goodbye SpugoMcGee.

[S.I.D. CrAzY]

That was SpugoMcgee? lol

What an idiot.

[Outkast1]

Hello SpugoMcGee.

Goodbye SpugoMcGee.

Holy Crap I frickin' knew it!

But don't worry - I know the score and I don't expect equal standards here.

Right after I read this I started having a feeling...

[MidianGTX]

Blinkerz, I'm gonna avoid quoting that mess 'cause the size of my post would probably blow up the forums.

I'll just sum up what your post says to me:

1) You really are cheap, considering you don't want to give console developers any money either.

2) You spend too much on the App Store. Ten times a day is an addiction and if raised prices meant a chance to cure you then I'm all for it.

3) You seem to think that just because you've never heard tell of indie developers suffering, it doesn't exist. For a start, one has already posted in this topic, seemingly questioning your morals, and secondly... just do some revision. There are articles/topics/blogs everywhere by indie devs who aren't at all happy with the way the App Store is run, and the pricing scheme is a big part of the problem.

[da shiz wiz 19]

Blinkerz, you're really pissing me off. Call him a name, I'll bet my account you wont be banned if it is even CLOSE to cheapskate.
as for devs giving in... you'll find a LOT of them. A LOT. Plenty devs here with great game that are going unnoticed just because they arent some big brand. Compare asphalt 5 to JCS. Which one has more sales? Asphalt 5. Which is more fun (in most people opinion)? JCS.

Now I'm out of this discussion because rereading both your responses shows huge contradiction in both of your logic. Soon this'll be flame war.

[da shiz wiz 19]

Oh wow blinkerz/whateverhisnameis is a douche. OH NO! I'm not gonna get banned am I?
Wheres aurora?

[Outkast1]

Hello JazzaQ!
Goodbye JazzaQ!

Edit: Damn Hodapp is fast!

[starmonkey101]

yea iphone games are cheap

[psionic]

okay here's a question to anyone who's still left after all the flames are clear..

how much would you pay for a title like FF: Tactics (a new "version", not just a port) from Square? Would you ever buy it at 34.99? (day-of-release price of course)

[kingkong120]

Give it up Aurora, I'm not the only one around here who thinks you enter topics with the sole intent of either correcting someone or bashing a perfectly decent game.

I have to agree with this.

[cranker]

Trust Aurora to argue against the only sensible topic I've seen in weeks.

Yes, they are cheap, but that won't stop all the poor malnourished little kiddies from complaining that $2.99 is way too much to trade for the hundreds of hours poured into the making of a decent app.

Just because you take away packaging and distribution doesn't suddenly mean the devs don't need money. How is anyone supposed to live off the shit pay they earn on the App Store? It's ridiculous.

I still maintain that $4.99 should be the minimum price for a game. If a game is submitted that really isn't worth just five measly bucks (which isn't many at all, unless you ask freedog), it should be rejected for not complying with standard quality regulations. If the kids wanna moan, let them. The iPhone is an expensive device, generally aimed at the kind of people who can afford to spend five little dollars on a game.


I agree that 4.99 is a fair price for games but there is ALOT of garbage that would have to be given the boot from the app store....like at leat 50%+ of the games that are released are complete garbage. Without TA or a site like it, it's very hard to find the "hidden gems" out there.

[Outkast1]

okay here's a question to anyone who's still left after all the flames are clear..

how much would you pay for a title like FF: Tactics (a new "version", not just a port) from Square? Would you ever buy it at 34.99? (day-of-release price of course)

I'd pay 35 bucks for it among others if they were same as console versions... If it was new IP at least. For a complete port of FF: T, I'd pay ~20/25 or so

[Gadm]

It's $5. If you're not living in a third world country you deserve a slap.

I am writing from a "third world country", sorry if you dont understand my BAD english cause I am from a third world country:, why dont you just say your ****ing opinion without bringing up countries comparison?

[MidianGTX]

I am writing from a "third world country", sorry if you dont understand my BAD english cause I am from a third world country:, why dont you just say your ****ing opinion without bringing up countries comparison?

...because third world countries are poorer? Which is the point I was making?

[doublezz]

I agree with the people that "$5 is a reasonable price for a game" and for the people is saying "Will go for a jailbroken if it is more than $5", I feel it is really unbelievable since by doing this is equal to steal something.

However, you cannot ignore that even you feel $5 is reasonable (low enough for a payback), THERE ARE people, and lot of people who are willing to sell their product for $0.99, or even lower but with quality.

The reason is simple: They want to sell more copies. I know it is stupid and understand exactly how it will going to be at the end but you cannot stop them by doing this.

Then I've proposed an article that Apple should update the policy that the minimum available price for an application is $4.99 then I posted it into a Chinese iPhone dev forum but can you guess what's the result? It is a big shock to me:

Thousands of the response comes back to me to expression their strong disagreement, and among those response, quite a few people are stating that even $0.99 is way too high and they hope there could be an option for $0.5 or $0.2 (Seriously!).

I posted this article in a dev forum and you can understand that most of those guys are developer who are making money on selling their products (Besides that, I want to remind you guys that actually there are tons of stuff in app store are made by Chinese instead of Indie).

As a result, they come up with a new idea which is putting many many games into a simple box to sell that's now everybody knows what it is: 15 in 1 (Recently becomes 16 in 1)

So that's the fact and now you know why the price is so cheep and I'm going to tell you: It won't become better, the situation will only getting worse. I think the only (probably the best solution) is to let apple to change the pricing policies.

Cheers,

[JRavey]

I would be OK with a $5 minimum and tighter quality control. Yes, I realize the irony of me saying this.

[Gadm]

...because third world countries are poorer? Which is the point I was making?

We can afford the same priced games, u have a wrong point of view.

[MidianGTX]

I think they're probably quite big on microtransactions over in China. Them wanting $0.5 and $0.2 options is probably so they can do stuff like release an RPG and charge for...(really quite pointless) individual items. It's also quite a shame they like the idea of sticking 15 games in one app, 'cause those are usually terrible.

[MidianGTX]

We can afford the same priced games, u have a wrong point of view.

Not really... if he lives in a country where he can easily walk out of his house, get a job and then buy 10 apps a day... he's alright. It's not that simple in other countries, hence the term. Maybe you're alright, but you can hardly speak for the entire third world.

[Hmar9333]

really! I'm new to iPhones, and to this forum, but I find it SO crazy that games are actually this cheap! I remember when I was buying for PC or PS2 (now, this was 5 or so years ago) and spending between 20-75$ for a game. It seems like such a great deal to me, compared to buying games for PC or any other platform.

Anyone else find that $.99-$5.99 is a great deal for a game? Or am I just living in the stone age? ;)
How do the developers make any money?

And yet still people bitch about prices... possibly even moreso than other consoles.

[Hmar9333]

Not really... if he lives in a country where he can easily walk out of his house, get a job and then buy 10 apps a day... he's alright. It's not that simple in other countries, hence the term. Maybe you're alright, but you can hardly speak for the entire third world.
Dude, if you can afford to buy an iPhone, you're hardly impoverished.

[MidianGTX]

Dude, if you can afford to buy an iPhone, you're hardly impoverished.

My point exactly. BlinkerZ really was just being cheap.

[Outkast1]

Lot of "third world" countries are really starting to catch up, India and China are prime examples. Plus, most 3rd world countries generally have subsets of areas and populations that are well off... the economic disparity is often much more prevalent.

Regardless of where you are from, I agree that if you can afford an iDevice, you should not be bitching about a couple bucks for apps.

[bomber]

Actually the iPod touch is the same prices as a XBox 360 (at least in europe), but the games are much cheaper in price... and you get the advantage that you can play them everywhere. Additionally you can buy once and put the game on 5 devices without additional costs.

The reason why games are so incredible cheap or often even free is that Apple wants it like that - the goal is to sell as many devices as possible. That's why everything in the App Store is sorted and ranked by downloads, the minimum price is 0.99 and you can even sell free games. In my opinion it's a similar strategy as with iTunes - Apple said that they don't want to make money with iTunes: they want to make money by selling iPods.

[MidianGTX]

Lot of "third world" countries are really starting to catch up, India and China are prime examples. Plus, most 3rd world countries generally have subsets of areas and populations that are well off... the economic disparity is often much more prevalent.

Alright, unless he lives in a poor area of a developing country then :rolleyes:

[CyberData4]

I think piracy on the iphone is a major hurdle for this industry to overcome. The VAST majority of people that are developing iphone games aren't EA or Activision or some huge conglomerate. For the first time in a long time there's a platform where two kids in an apartment with a little start up scratch and a concept can put their game toe to toe with the "big boys" and more often than not their games are great as well with some innovation via touch screen.

What concerns me is when you have small companies and then you have people that pirate their games. This does nothing but hurt everyone as those guys aren't getting paid meaning their apps don't sell the way they should which means less fund for further development. It's a downward spiral. A company like EA can take the financial hit of piracy. Two guys trying to keep the lights on may not be able to stay in business because a large chunk of jailbroken iphone are running their stolen software.

As far as price goes it's really a double edged sword. While I enjoy the occasional two dollar potato chip game (i.e. I'm currently in LOVE with OMG! Pirates) you typically can only get so much production value out of a game that sells for less money than a can of redbull. So while we I enjoy the cheap prices we end up with a VAST majority of iphone game being cheap trash. Hell, the main reason I come to Touch Arcade is so I can wade through all the crap to find a single rare gem of a game.

Personally, I'd like to see games by larger companies with higher production values. I see the potential on the iDevices for this to be really amazing. Problem is, and this is where the double edged sword comes in, there are a BUNCH of cheap bums that have hundreds to spend on a iphone/touch but scoff at paying 10, 15, 20 dollars for a GOOD game. If Blizzard made Starcraft, Diablo, Warcraft 3 for the iPhone with custom controls, full campaign and wifi multiplayer I'd be all over it. And I'd be more than willing to spend 20 bucks on it. But people would flip out and scream bloody murder about how they'd never spend that much. Not realizing that it costs money to make these games and these companies don't exist as a charity, they're trying to make a profit. That's personally the problem I see with the iPhone as a successful portable gaming device: Piracy and everyone expecting a fully featured game for 99 cents.

[Outkast1]

Alright, unless he lives in a poor area of a developing country then :rolleyes:

Still shouldn't be bitching about it. If you're poor, living in a developing country, and are bitching about $5 apps, I still cut you no slack. However much money was spent on the iphone, could very likely have been better spent.

[meme]

So, about the devs making more money if they sell it for $.99 because they are getting more volume. A simple comparison (at least in the Canadian App store) between the top 25 paid apps and the top 25 grossing apps can show the info quite clearly. It is pretty obvious when you:
a) do not see any of the top $.99 apps in the top grossing apps and
b) when almost all of the top grossing apps are over $4.99

that seems to show me that the people who are making the real money off the apps are actually charging more for them, instead of making more money off selling more of the cheaper apps.

I can totally understand not wanting to spend more than $.99 on an app if you are downloading several/day or even /week. However, there should be no complaining over quality. I mean, if you go to a dollar store and the thing you bought there either a) doesn't work, or b) breaks within two days or c) really freakin sucks then you're not surprised. If you want quality then you have to be willing to pay for it.

[doublezz]

So, about the devs making more money if they sell it for $.99 because they are getting more volume. A simple comparison (at least in the Canadian App store) between the top 25 paid apps and the top 25 grossing apps can show the info quite clearly. It is pretty obvious when you:
a) do not see any of the top $.99 apps in the top grossing apps and
b) when almost all of the top grossing apps are over $4.99

that seems to show me that the people who are making the real money off the apps are actually charging more for them, instead of making more money off selling more of the cheaper apps.

I can totally understand not wanting to spend more than $.99 on an app if you are downloading several/day or even /week. However, there should be no complaining over quality. I mean, if you go to a dollar store and the thing you bought there either a) doesn't work, or b) breaks within two days or c) really freakin sucks then you're not surprised. If you want quality then you have to be willing to pay for it.

Exactly. Currently the situation is the customers are expecting too much but they forget that they have only paid $0.99. As everybody knows that when you pay $50, you get a $50 game, and you pay $1, then you get $1 game. Expecting paying $1 but have the same quality as $50 game is unfair. However, no matter how much we have explained, the fact is under our nose. So a solution is required to be discovered to resolve the problem.