With the PS4 vs Xbox One console war far from over among fanboys, Microsoft has once again shot itself in the foot. This doesn’t help the “Xbone” image they have created since the console’s official announcement, or change Sony’s status as the clear winner in pure sales numbers this year.
The new development has arrived in the form of a rise in the prices for first-party Microsoft games in the UK such as Forza Motorsport 5 , Ryse: Son of Rome , and Dead Rising 3 and will most likely further impact Xbox One sales. PlayStation 4 sales will probably rise even further after currently undecided gamers notice that PSN’s digital download prices in the UK have dropped while Xbox One digital downloads have gone up by five pounds.
This doesn’t look good for Microsoft as it nears the end of 2013 with a loss in the Xbox One vs PS4 console war, only to raise its first-party prices. With the Xbox One initially selling at a higher price than the PlayStation 4 in the consoles’ respective cheapest bundles, this new move makes no sense at all.
@AceyBongos @majornelson Do you know why the Digital Downloads for Xbox One have increased by £5 recently in the UK Xbox Live Store???
— King Tones (@Deftones1210) December 5, 2013
Not even zombies can conquer the PS4 sales with Dead Rising 3 now costing even more to download. What is Microsoft thinking? Digital downloads of PlayStation 4 games were higher at the beginning, with the same price as retail copies at £54.99. Xbox One games available in the same format were £44.99, and now sit at £49.99.
PlayStation 4 digital downloads are still five pounds more expensive, but at least Sony is listening to its gamers.
It is still unknown whether or not the US prices will be affected the same way in the future, but the outcome of the PS4 vs Xbox One console war does not look good for Microsoft.
A digital download costs less to produce than a physical disc, so the reason for such high prices isn’t clear. Transferring a game from a server does not include burning a disc, printing the game sleeve and instructions, supplying a case to contain it, or shipping everything. The process of creating a physical disc probably doesn’t cost much for materials and labor in bulk, but it still costs the producer less to simply transfer the game digitally.
Why are digital download prices so high on both sides? Could Sony and Microsoft be trying to convince us to just abandon the disc entirely and turn to digital downloads exclusively? That was Microsoft’s original plan, if you remember, and they’re still planning on it eventually.
Even though PlayStation 4 games still cost more to download over a reportedly still unstable network, Sony has dropped their digital prices while Microsoft raised theirs. The “Xbone” still has a long way to go before it turns the tide in this PS4 vs Xbox One console war.