Shuhei Yoshida Defends Growing Prices of Video Games
There's a huge debate going on in the gaming space right now centered around the price of gaming. Specifically, whether gaming itself is becoming 'too expensive.' We've seen 'ripples' of this discontent happen over the last several years, with games going from $50 to $60, to $70 with the Xbox Series X and PS5, and now, with the Nintendo Switch 2, some games will be $80. There are even rumors that GTA 6 could be the first true $100 title. Many fans are raging against Nintendo and others because of this. However, former head of PlayStation Studios Shuhei Yoshida has a different view on things.
Shuhei Yoshida was chatting with Critical Hit Games and was asked about the price of gaming going up and here's what he had to say:
'When you look at life in general, other products in price have increased, you know, way more than the game price. So I think it was almost too late for the video game companies to start looking at the pricing structure. I don't believe that every game has to be priced the same. Each game has different value it provides, or the size of budget. I totally believe it's up to the publisher – or developers self-publishing – decision to price their product to the value that they believe they are bringing in.'
Most would agree with this in certain ways, and even now, we see games like Clair Obscur Expedition 33 being $50 instead of $70, and that's likely part of its success. That being said, Yoshida also felt that gamers were being too hard on developers/publishers for the pricing:
'In terms of actual price of $70 or $80, for really great games, I think it will still be a steal in terms of the amount of entertainment that the top games, top quality games bring to people compared to other form of entertainment. As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money,' he continues, 'I don't think they should be complaining.'
READ SOURCE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
an hour ago
- Digital Trends
Games weren't better when you were younger, you've just experienced more
Despite what you might believe, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time isn't the greatest game of all time. People often say games were better when we were younger, but that isn't the case. Ocarina of Time might be your favorite game of all time, and that's fine; it's mine, too. But it isn't inherently better because it's older or more original compared to the games of today. You've just seen a lot more. Recommended Videos When you're young, you have less experience — not just in gaming, but in everything. You aren't as familiar with storyline structure. You haven't seen a wide range of mechanics. The jump from 2D games to 3D games was huge, but graphics have improved in smaller and smaller increments since then. Your 100th ray-traced scene is a lot less impressive than exploring the castle in Super Mario 64 in three dimensions for the first time. In short, those games from back in the day that you view as perfect experiences? You're looking at them through rose-colored glasses. Bear with me, though. Just because your memory of a game is tinted with nostalgia doesn't make it any less valid or important. I have a clear, distinct memory of when I was roughly eleven years old. I'm walking down the street with a close friend on a crisp autumn morning. The sun is shining, and we're brimming with excitement over The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask's Goron Racetrack sequence and how much fun it was. It was a single-player game, experienced together. Watching videos of the course, it doesn't look anywhere near as good as I remember. The mechanics are clunky, and the N64 controller was better suited to being a home defense tool than a game controller. But to an eleven-year-old who had stayed up all night playing the game with his best friend? That experience is unforgettable and unbeatable. Ask yourself, is it the games that stand out so much to you, or the memories forged around those games? Final Fantasy VII is another example. It was the first JRPG I played that had an overworld map I could explore. Unlocking the Highwind and flying around the world absolutely blew my mind, and finding the secrets hidden around the map felt as rewarding as finding real-world treasure. Every day at recess, my friends and I would talk about what we found (and then we started trading notes on Chocobo breeding). I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my first playthrough of Pokémon Blue. No other gaming experience has quite enthralled me like the ten-hour binge I undertook with my first Charmander, pausing only long enough to replace the batteries in my Game Boy. It was a formative experience in my formative years — but there's no way I can argue that Pokémon Blue is a better game than later Pokémon titles. I wouldn't have the patience for its slow battle system today. And therein lies another key reason why older games seem better: Nostalgia tends to filter out the negative. Things annoyed you about your favorite games as a kid; you just don't remember them as clearly as you remember the positive memories. Social media also loves to talk about nostalgia without acknowledging the downsides. Again, to use Ocarina of Time as an example, I can name two parts of the game you likely despised: the Water Temple and anytime Kaepora Gaebora showed up to chat. Let's not even talk about how freakin' buggy some games could be back then (although, let's be honest: most Bethesda titles can still give them a run for their money today.) I don't write all of this to disparage Ocarina of Time. Like I said before, it's my favorite game, and the most influential thing I've ever played. It made me want to tell stories that left an impact on someone like Link's adventure did on me. Without that experience, I probably wouldn't be here writing this article. A young gamer today might get the same experience from Breath of the Wild that I did from Ocarina of Time, or from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that I did from Final Fantasy VII. My feelings on those games are the result of timing and circumstance, not some inherent magical quality that video games have since lost. Yes, there's a discussion to be had about a perceived lack of risk in games today versus yesteryear and the factors that surround the industry today, but there have been plenty of games launched in recent years that show the magic is alive and well. Clair Obscur is the most recent example that comes to mind (Sorry, Gio, I can't be normal about it). I began playing it to find out what all the hype was about, and I'll be honest: I expected a run-of-the-mill RPG. Not much surprises or impresses me these days, especially working in games journalism. So when its story, characters, and gameplay essentially reached through my TV screen and grabbed me by the throat, I was caught off guard. Clair Obscur has that special element in spades. A sort of je ne sais quoi, you might say. Every theory I had about the story? Wrong. At no point did I know what was coming next. The graphics and cinematic elements made me think of Final Fantasy VII in the best ways (the fixed-camera shots especially), and the music? Chef's kiss. Now that I've finished the game, optional sections and all, I still want more — and that doesn't happen often. But what also made it special was the interest my wife took in the game. She sat beside me and became just as invested in the story as I was, and we would discuss what we thought was going to happen long after I'd turned off the console. The experience is a precious memory. A single-player game, experienced together. It made me realize that every key memory I have about my favorite games involved other people, whether that was playing Majora's Mask with a childhood friend, battling for the top spot in Halo 2 clan tournaments, or spending too many tokens trying to beat each other's Dance Dance Revolution score at the arcade. Games haven't lost their magic, nor have they gotten worse over time. It's still there. You just have to look for it.
CNET
5 hours ago
- CNET
Best Handheld Gaming Consoles Right Now
Phones and tablets already do a fine job of playing tons of great games and streaming games from consoles or the cloud. Dedicated devices can provide unique features, exclusive games or extra power to do things your phone can't. The difference between types of game handhelds at the moment can feel vast, but let's break it down into some clear categories. Handhelds can be full TV-connectable consoles, tinier versions of full PCs, or smaller, purpose-built ways to play retro games, indies, or even novelty experiences. Some are, like PCs and phones, built on more standard OS forms. Others are locked down. The Nintendo Switch 2. Scott Stein/CNET The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 Nintendo's consoles are a platform all unto their own. Nintendo locks down its hardware to only work with games bought in physical game card format or on Nintendo's eShop, and the Switch and Switch 2 also require subscriptions for online play. The Switch 2 can play nearly all the games that work on the Switch, with the exception of ones that either needed the original Switch dimensions (Nintendo Labo, if you can find it) or the original Joy-Con's IR camera (Ring Fit Adventure, which works with Switch 2 if you pair original Joy-Cons to it wirelessly). It does have its own accessories and added functions: GameChat for talking to other Switch 2 owners, USB-connected camera support for games and chat, and the new Joy-Cons can work as optical mice with supported games. It works the same way the Switch does, but has better graphics and a larger screen, and worse battery life. To expand Switch 2 storage, you need to buy microSD Express cards, which are different from standard microSD. Lori Grunin/CNET PC game handhelds A growing number of beefy handheld systems can run either full Windows OS onboard, or specific Linux-based SteamOS software. The Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are the best current options and come in several forms and flavors. Most of these handhelds run similar-performing types of AMD-based processors with integrated graphics which deliver surprising functional gaming on the go provided the games you're playing are properly optimized. Valve makes this super easy on Steam Deck and on the new Lenovo Legion Go S with Steam OS, making it very clear on its Steam store which games are optimized to play well. On Windows handhelds, you gain the freedom of full Windows OS, and its complications. You could run any game from any source (and on SteamOS handhelds, with some tinkering, you could do this too), but your mileage will definitely vary. I've often had some games not run at all, or run so badly they were unplayable. Indie and smaller games are often great choices on handhelds for this reason. Still, games like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Spider-Man 2 and No Man's Sky are a few of the games that are great to play on the go with these handhelds. Expect battery life to vary based on the type of game, and many of these handhelds are pretty heavy, too (up to 1.5 pounds). They can connect with monitors and accessories, too, but don't come packaged with docks. The ModRetro Chromatic. Numi Prasarn/CNET Retro handhelds The Analogue Pocket and ModRetro Chromatic are remastered Game Boys for playing classic cartridges you might still have or buy. The Pocket can also play other game cartridges, and even emulations of games that can be sideloaded. The Evercade series of handhelds, alternatively, plays rereleased compilations of games on custom cartridges. While the Pocket and Chromatic and Evercade models are geared towards physical cartridges, there are also tons of small handhelds that can play ROMs and emulated games. CNET doesn't review those at the moment, but know that there's a big space there to explore. There's also the weird stuff: the Panic Playdate is its own beast, a custom mini-handheld that plays its own library of games. There's nothing else quite like it, but Nintendo's limited edition Game & Watch re-releases come to mind. The PlayStation Portal. Scott Stein/CNET Streaming handhelds While Windows handhelds can stream games from sources like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now, so can your phone or tablet. Another streaming option to consider is the PlayStation Portal, which only plays either PlayStation Plus streaming cloud games or streaming games via your PlayStation 5, but also adds haptics and force-feedback triggers. The future of gaming might be increasingly streaming, but for now, it's a tool that lots of devices are throwing in the mix. The Backbone Pro controller on an iPhone. Lori Grunin/CNET Your phone, or tablet Tablets and phones are extremely valid game consoles: The iPad has tons of games on the App Store, and hundreds more on Apple's subscription-based Apple Arcade. The iPad can pair with Bluetooth game controllers, too. iPhones and Android phones have tons of games as well, obviously, and a number of great game controller cases are available, including the Backbone and the Razer Kishi. Phones and tablets also offer other advantages, including an ability to cloud-stream games on a growing number of services including Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus.
Washington Post
18 hours ago
- Washington Post
Trail Blazers see 7-1 Chinese center Yang Hansen as a unique and versatile talent
PORTLAND, Ore. — Yang Hansen is going to fit into American culture just fine. The Trail Blazers' 7-foot-1 Chinese center was introduced to Portland on Friday, and was asked about his interests. Turns out, he's already a gamer. 'Sometimes I sleep. All the time, sleep. I like to play PS5. And I like to eat,' Yang said, laughing.
