2020 also saw the emergence of the next generation of consoles with rivals Sony and Microsoft launching their latest creations, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, to the market. Within 30 minutes, the PlayStation 5 was sold out of pre-order sales showing an increasing demand for the latest tech despite the $500 price tag.
We've taken a look at 40 popular games consoles from the last 50 years to see whether games consoles and video games are getting cheaper or more expensive over time as well as predicting just how much these popular consoles could cost in the future.
The first mainstream console to hit the market was the Magnavox Odyssey for $100. By today's standard, it was a relatively basic console with simple to play games such as Table Tennis and Simon Says built-in. Today, however, the newest generation consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, retailed at launch for $500 but with much more advanced technology to bring the latest games to life for their players.
Continuing the upward trend, consoles in 2040 could end up costing gamers over $700 at launch!
The Price of Games Consoles over Time
(adjusted for inflation)
|
Rank |
Console |
Release year |
Introductory price |
Adjusted for 2020 |
Global sales |
|---|
On the face of things, it seems that consoles are set to get more expensive over the next few years, but when adjusted for inflation, they have, on the whole, actually become a lot cheaper to purchase compared to older consoles.
The Real Price of Games Consoles Over Time
The Price of Games Consoles Over Time (Adjusted for Inflation)
Over the years video games have, on average, been around the same price at launch from $30-$40 per game. Unlike the Magnavox Odyssey which had games preloaded onto the console, in modern times users will need to purchase their games separately, on average forking out up to $70 per game for the new AAA titles.
Interestingly, the price of video games for consoles, on average and accounting for inflation, seemed to level out between 2005-2015 which consistently saw AAA titles priced at $50-$60 but with the new generation of consoles, that average price is rising to over $70 for AAA titles. As time goes on it might not seem too far fetched to predict that video games could cost $90 and beyond if the upward trend continues!
The Price Of Video Games For Consoles Over Time
|
Rank |
Console |
Launch Date |
Average Cost of Game at Launch |
Average Cost of Game 2021 |
|---|
As with consoles, when we looked at video games within the context of inflation, games in the modern era are actually cheaper in comparison to their older counterparts like those for the Atari 2600, which in today's money would cost you $164 per game!
Video Game Real Price Over Time
The Price of Video Games Over Time (Adjusted for Inflation)
