Gaming is one of the most expensive forms of entertainment..

To be able to play all games this gen you'd need

• Nintendo Wii-199.99
• Nintendo DSi- 169.99
• XBOX 360- 199.99
• PS3- 299.99
• PC- 500.00
• PSP-169.99
• TOTAL=1539.95

That doesn't include such platforms as the iphone either. Or the fact that you would probably need to spend a little more on your PC to get it to play most games. PLUS you have all the hidden costs (Online, controllers, etc.) Compared to the other forms of entertainment gaming is EXPENSIVE. I can buy a $30 DVD player and be able to watch EVERY movie that comes out or spend $30 a month on cable TV and still only spend $1800 in five years. I dunno i was just adding up all i've spent on gaming over the years and it easily is well over 10x what i've spent on any otherform of entertainment and i don't even buy that many games really!

you dont need that pc , ,im sorry, not any more ,, maybe back in 98-2004 , the golden age of pc gaming

but nowmost of the stuff pc gets is ported to or from console ,

and the 2 handheld thing is out ragios youdont need them maybe 1

also , one main console for your 3rd party and 1 for first typically the wii and whos ever you chose next

i own all 3 but i did not buy them all at once thats another question

are you buyign them all at once .

Trading card games are more expensive. Good cards cost like $50 then times that by 4 and thats $200+ just for that one card and that doesnt count the rest of the 54 cards you still have to buy.

On the contrary I find it to be one of the most cheapest options for entertainment, I mean really I brought Disgaea 3 for how much like 50.00 ( not in U.S money, so it's really cheap ) and I've gotten over 300 hours of game time. Pretty good if you ask me

Apparently you've never been to a strip club.

Compared to what?

It's all about perspective.

And the best too, for the most part.:P

Not necessarily. I mean, if you stuck to just one console, the 360 for example (most people do, though I have all three consoles this gen), that's not too much money. And the games are relatively cheap compared to other forms of entertainment. You pay what, 10 bucks to see a 2 hour movie? I have about 360 hours (give or take) logged into MW2, which I spent 60 bucks on.

Seems like a deal to me. ;)

Well, entertainment isn't cheap.

you dont need that pc , ,im sorry, not any more ,, maybe back in 98-2004 , the golden age of pc gaming

but nowmost of the stuff pc gets is ported to or from console ,

and the 2 handheld thing is out ragios youdont need them maybe 1

also , one main console for your 3rd party and 1 for first typically the wii and whos ever you chose next

i own all 3 but i did not buy them all at once thats another question

are you buyign them all at once .

mariokart64fan

you dont need that pc , ,im sorry, not any more ,, maybe back in 98-2004 , the golden age of pc gaming

but nowmost of the stuff pc gets is ported to or from console ,

and the 2 handheld thing is out ragios youdont need them maybe 1

also , one main console for your 3rd party and 1 for first typically the wii and whos ever you chose next

i own all 3 but i did not buy them all at once thats another question

are you buyign them all at once .

you dont need that pc , ,im sorry, not any more ,, maybe back in 98-2004 , the golden age of pc gaming

mariokart64fan

But yes, I love those years of PC gaming, I was such a big PC gamer back then.

You get back what you put into it. Depending on the type of person, this could be considered cheap:

• The $500 PC is fine if you plan to use it only for games. It should run every game you throw at it. It is also great for online play.
• The PS3 can act as a Blu-Ray player and DVD player when not in use for games. With a normal player, you can only play movies.
• The 360 is good for several multiplatform games and multiplayer games, given you pay for XBL.
• The Wii is good for its first party support and its virtual console.
• Handhelds are good for games on the go.

I probably just listed the pros of each system more than anything else, but only because it is beneficial to the consumer. You do get some disadvantages with each, but none of them outweight the pros or price from each system. The only variable that may determine if a system is good or bad is the consumer.

Actually gaming saves you a ton of money compared to other forms of entertainment. Sporting events, movie theaters, etc charge so much that if go to any of them on a regular basis, you would save yourself money by getting a console/PC that lasts for years and smartly buying/renting games at the lowest price available.

you dont need that pc , ,im sorry, not any more ,, maybe back in 98-2004 , the golden age of pc gaming

mariokart64fan

Huh? PC has the most high rated exclusives this generation, if you're spending that much money on gaming and you haven't bought a PC you're simply missing out. If anything you should skip out on one HD console as getting both consoles and a PC would be a waste of money if you don't have much disposable income.

It's a relatively cheap hobby in comparison to other things.

Remember Janurary of this year? We were all crying because our wallets were going to be empty.

Remember Janurary of this year? We were all crying because our wallets were going to be empty.

LegatoSkyheart

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

Remember Janurary of this year? We were all crying because our wallets were going to be empty.

mitu123

Mine is not totally gone either.

[QUOTE="mitu123"]

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

Remember Janurary of this year? We were all crying because our wallets were going to be empty.

LegatoSkyheart

Mine is not totally gone either.

Good thing I don't need all of those to enjoy gaming

To be able to play all games this gen you'd need

• Nintendo Wii-199.99
• Nintendo DSi- 169.99
• XBOX 360- 199.99
• PS3- 299.99
• PC- 500.00
• PSP-169.99
• TOTAL=1539.95

That doesn't include such platforms as the iphone either. PLUS you have all the hidden costs (Online, controllers, etc.) Compared to the other forms of entertainment gaming is EXPENSIVE. I can buy a $30 DVD player and be able to watch EVERY movie that comes out or spend $30 a month on cable TV and still only spend $1800 in five years. I dunno i was just adding up all i've spent on gaming over the years and it easily is well over 10x what i've spent on any otherform of entertainment and i don't even buy that many games really!

VideoGameGuy

Apparently you've never been to a strip club.

ImaPirate0202

[QUOTE="ImaPirate0202"]

Apparently you've never been to a strip club.

designer-

Entertainment can sure cost some pretty pennies, that's for sure.

Like everything in life, it can be as cheap or expensive as you want. You don't HAVE to buy all the systems to enjoy gaming....you just need A system. Any one of those will do to allow you to game. Now, it's the games where you'll probably blow the most money (unless you use PC DD sales...then you can be rather chintzy). But even then, you just have to put some thought into games to get good value.LongZhiZi

Exactly. The flaw in the OP's argument is that you have to buy all the systems. Most people just buy one or two systems at most, why do you think there are all these rabid fanboys here.

I have to disagree, all forms of entertainment come with such barriers to entry and very few people actually buy everything related to gaming. If you want to start golfing you don't exactly go out and buy five sets of clubs do you?Konxumer

Agreed.

if you think gaming is expensive, then you should try amateur racing. my brother has spent so many thousands of dollars on that its mindblowing, and he does most of his own maintainence.

Huh? PC has the most high rated exclusives this generationhypoty

Please name them.

Last time I checked, the highest rated exclusives this generation are Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Uncharted 2.

[QUOTE="hypoty"]Huh? PC has the most high rated exclusives this generationRocky32189

Please name them.

Last time I checked, the highest rated exclusives this generation are Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Uncharted 2.

The most high rated exclusives, which is AA quality and up.

Actually gaming saves you a ton of money compared to other forms of entertainment. Sporting events, movie theaters, etc charge so much that if go to any of them on a regular basis, you would save yourself money by getting a console/PC that lasts for years and smartly buying/renting games at the lowest price available.

tempest91

You should try playing golf. Clubs alone can run you anywhere from $250 to over $1000 a set (some drivers cost over $200 each). And green fees start at about $20 a game for about 3 hours of entertainment.

Gaming is one of the cheapest hobbies out there, the only one cheaper is books.

EDIT: I also forgot to add in the cost of getting to the courses themselves, considering if you don't live in an area with nice courses, you'll have to travel long distances, and stay in hotels to play the really nice ones.

Well for a start I agree gaming is one of the most expensive forms of entertainment. But, I must say that you shouldn't add all the costs of the consoles to calculate that it's expensive, as you only need one. That's like saying you need to buy every care to consider it an expensive hobby to work on cars. You don't need every type of something to experience it.

Myself for example, I get a LOT of game time and I only have a Wii.

But even owning just one console I'd say it's a very expensive form of entertainment.

$200 for a Wii. Add a couple hundred for controllers. $50 a game. Usually by the end of the generation a gamer would have between 20 to 50 games. That's a few grand right there.

Yes, gaming is quite expensive. Luckily I can afford it. At least now I can. I always search for deals and only buy when knowing I'm getting the best price at that moment in time.

To be able to play all games this gen you'd need

• Nintendo Wii-199.99
• Nintendo DSi- 169.99
• XBOX 360- 199.99
• PS3- 299.99
• PC- 500.00
• PSP-169.99
• TOTAL=1539.95

That doesn't include such platforms as the iphone either. Or the fact that you would probably need to spend a little more on your PC to get it to play most games. PLUS you have all the hidden costs (Online, controllers, etc.) Compared to the other forms of entertainment gaming is EXPENSIVE. I can buy a $30 DVD player and be able to watch EVERY movie that comes out or spend $30 a month on cable TV and still only spend $1800 in five years. I dunno i was just adding up all i've spent on gaming over the years and it easily is well over 10x what i've spent on any otherform of entertainment and i don't even buy that many games really!

VideoGameGuy

Let's compare that to other forms of entertainment.

Movie tickets: $10 for ~2 hours. Double if you take a date. Plus $10 more for drinks and popcorn = $30, or $15/hour.

Concert tickets: same as above, except ticket prices can range from $10 to upwards of a hundred each.

Sports tickets: same again.

Sure, you could sit around just watching basic network television for cheaper, but that's about it. 11 cents an hour is not expensive. Even if you buy games, assuming you get roughly 10 or more hours out of it, that's only $6.04/hour (the 4 cents is the price of a launch ps3/8 hours a day for 5 years). For games like Fallout or Oblivion, or competitive online games, you could easily get hundreds of hours out of one game, dropping the price per hour of that game (plus the hourly cost of the launch ps3 again) to around 10 cents or less.

In conclusion: gaming is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment.

No, gaming actually has the highest entertainment/money ratio. In other words, you get more entertainment for less money.

When talking about console prices, you have to take into account that a console lasts 6? years. There are 72 months in 6 years. Take the Wii for example, 250$/72months ~ 3.5$/month.

I disagree. In terms of hours of entertainment per dollar, gaming is one of the most cost effective modes of entertainment out there. Where else can you say that you bought a product for 5$ or 10$ and you got hundreds of hours of entertainment out of it, and can play it online with your friends? (talking about PC gaming here)? Movies are anywhere from 12$-15$ or more for 2-3 hours of one time entertainment, and even dvds only give you a certain number of viewings before you get bored. Books can be just as bad, with prices ranging from 6$-40$ for what amounts to 5-10 hours of entertainment (at least for me, fast reader) on average.

Games are awesomely cost-effective.

Expensive, maybe. Worth the cost? Yes. Consider the amount of time you're entertained by a single game. Now apply that to other forms of 'entertainment'.

And to whom said you don't need a PC cause consoles have most of the games. I issue you the ignorant post of the day.

Apparently you've never been to a strip club.

ImaPirate0202

[QUOTE="Rocky32189"]

[QUOTE="hypoty"]Huh? PC has the most high rated exclusives this generationhypoty

Please name them.

Last time I checked, the highest rated exclusives this generation are Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Uncharted 2.

The most high rated exclusives, which is AA quality and up.

Dont you know that in order for a game to count it must

1. Be AAAE anything less means nothing ( even so PC still has more AAAE )

2. Must have a budget of at least 5millions and more or else its crappy, bad looking and buggy ( despite Sins of a solar empire a game with 1million budget looks stunning its one of the best and its one of the most stable Pc games )

3. Must look good . Anything looking worst than Unreal Tournament 3 level = fail ( despite braid one of the best games this gen its 2d )

4. Must not be MMO or RTS or Adventure or Sim or City building or Management because Pc dominates on those genres by far ( i might forget 1-2 genres )

5. Must have a certain level of Hype. Means it must have at least 6889439 threads created in system Wars and have Sony Microsoft or Nintendo saying its the best thing since sliced of bread

6. Must not be WOW because apparently its to big for its own good

7. Must not be free ( despite trackmania nation its one of the best if not the best online arcade racing game )

8. Must not be expansion even though most of pc expansion dont require the original game, last longer than most "fully fledged" console games and incorporate more changes than most sequels ( for example Dawn of War 2 chaos risisng )

After you apply all these rules its obvious Pc gaming it doesnt stand a chance compared to consoles

yep

i've spent close to $4000 on games alone since the beginning of 2007

Trading card games are more expensive. Good cards cost like $50 then times that by 4 and thats $200+ just for that one card and that doesnt count the rest of the 54 cards you still have to buy.

slipknot0129