It used to feel good, walking to the store and waiting in line to buy a new game that you’ve been waiting for. Consoles only used to cost 100$. The box art of games and the discs or cartridges inside them brought you joy. Nowadays you don’t really get the same amount of satisfaction because everything is digital and way more expensive. So how did this happen? Is our nostalgia being sucked away?
Game prices have been rising, including: the consoles, the controllers and the games for them. If we take a trip back to when consoles were first released, you can see consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) with its launch in 1985 used to cost 200$ if you bought the special bundle with Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. The Xbox Series S costed a hefty 399$ to 499$ when it was launched in 2020. Even when we compare new and old gaming accessories, you can see the newer ones being more pricey. A Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is 90$. Older controllers, like an N64 controller, cost around 30$ on release, and are still cheaper to get today. An article from GameSpot talks about the recent increase in prices by different game companies, saying “the cheapest Xbox Series S model, originally positioned as a low-cost entry point in this console generation, will be $499.99 by August 1, 2026.” This is an issue because it shows how companies are causing their prices to shoot up even though their consoles were released at a normal price, inside a 100-200 price margin. Business Insider gives more detail on the recent price raises in all the different gaming companies; “Nintendo’s Switch 2 currently costs $449.99, but will increase to $499.99 in September. The system’s Mario Kart World, priced at $79.99, has become a prominent example of the industry inching toward the era of the $80 game.” This is most definitely an issue, especially if there are people out there who can’t afford either the games that they want or the newest console that they’ve been waiting for. It would also make it harder for newer gamers because of the over pricing of games and consoles, and maybe new gamers don’t have that kinda money.
Now onto the topic of physical media. What even is physical media you may ask? Well, in summary, physical media are objects that are used to store, transport, or play back data and entertainment. In the gaming community we see this as things like game discs, game cartridges, and especially cases and box arts. It’s not just what’s on the inside of the box that matters to the gaming community, it’s also what’s on the outside. Seeing that glorious art on the front and back showing what’s to come with the game fills gamers with joy and nostalgia. NexusHub talks more about the importance of physical media in more detail saying, “Of course, one of the most vital reasons why physical media has a place today is the ability to share the game discs with friends, trade it in, or resell it.” This explains the need for physical media in the gaming industry, because it shows how useful having access to these types of things allows us to build stronger friendships and get money. Another instance that involves physical media has to do with the well-known company, Sony (which owns PlayStation). If you haven’t heard, PlayStation is going to kill off physical discs and media at the start of January 2028. When they made this announcement it made many gamers, not just PlayStation gamers, very angry. IGN quoted Stephen from Sun City Center, Florida, who commented on the choices of PlayStation, saying that, “[He’s] a physical media gamer, and [He] refuses to support any gaming company that tells me [He doesn’t] have the option to own physical media. [He hopes] Sony will reverse this decision, but if not, then they will cease to get business from [him] after January 2028.” This is a great clarification of why PlayStation, and eventually the whole gaming industry, will be in ruins without physical media. It will drive away so many players from wanting to do anything with the company and its games.
