How do you feel about more expensive ported games?

[RCBH928]

I am sorry, the title might not be clear
In recent times and due to the magic of technology
current computers(almost all) can run all older games from Atari to Dreamcasts,
we are constantly seeing older games being released/ported as a digital copy, for all kinds of devices on the 360, iphone, iPad, ps3 , Wii, steam and I don't know what else.

But the prices on these games are not really "fair" in my opinion. A lot of the time the digital re-released copy of a 10 year old game is HIGHER than the price of the original game in the market.

Suppose I wanted to download Street Fighter alpha 3,
On amazon it is sold for $7. If it was a digital copy for xbla it would be something like $10.

What is the problem?
How can a game be released for a higher price than its tangible copy, that has more value given you can resell it or make a collection out of it. Plus its the original! So more value for less money.

At other times, things just don't seem to make sense.
World of Goo was being sold for "pay what you want" and people paid as low as $0.50 or maybe less. Now its being sold on the iPad for $10.
Not only that but look at this comparison ,
World of Goo(a digital copy on the iPad) , sells for $10 , yet a triple A titles likes Gears of War and Assassin's Creed are being sold for less than that !
And those are tangible , collectible, triple A full HD, "best of the year" games.

I don't mean to pick on World of Goo, just an example of many out there. You probably know better than me.

I want you to know that I believe that any one can sell whatever they own for whatever price they want. If Nintendo wants to sell a digital copy of Super Mario bros. for $500 its up to them, or the whole brand names for $1 its their own decision. I also believe in paying the developer for obviously putting in the hard work and taking the risk in providing a game for our own entertainment. but...

I want to know how these prices and options affect your buying decisions. How do you feel about it? Will you buy the more expensive digital copy or the less expensive more value tangible game?

[yomomma1]

Well, I would assume it is more on the Ipad because they have to pay apple money to sell it on there. Look at it this way. (With the release of radiant silvergun on xbla being soon) You can pay a couple hundred dollars in order to play it... or buy it for less than 20 dollars on xbla(that is an estimate)

[Soloman]

The fact of the matter is that more people own and play current technology more than the older ones. A copy of SFA3 may run for $7, but how many people are still interested in playing it on orignial hardware? An updated version may be more expensive but it's guaranteed you'll always own it, it won't ever break or get damaged, you'll find people other than your closest friends playing it, and some of them are updated to allow online play with no fuss.

As for World of Goo, video games have very little real value so a game with a production run in the millions is practically worthless and digital games depreciate in value quickly. World of Goo on the iPad may be $10 now, but that price point will last until sales slow down. I guarantee it'll be half that price in 6 months.

The prices don't affect my buying because I'm a retro collector. If I have an original copy of Game A, then I don't want a new copy unless there are additions like online play. I, like everyone else on this website, are a minority in that regard. Most people don't want to horde 10+ year old machines.

[dsheinem]

An updated version may be more expensive but it's guaranteed you'll always own it

Don't be so sure...

[Soloman]

An updated version may be more expensive but it's guaranteed you'll always own it

Don't be so sure...

Even if the company's servers go down, the magic of the internet and a huge harddrive will ensure anything digital lasts forever (or until people stop caring).

[dsheinem]

An updated version may be more expensive but it's guaranteed you'll always own it

Don't be so sure...

Even if the company's servers go down, the magic of the internet and a huge harddrive will ensure anything digital lasts forever (or until people stop caring).

because hard drives never die. especially not proprietary ones.

[thelolotov]

because hard drives never die. especially not proprietary ones.

Err... The only console with one is the Xbox 360, so don't buy on XBLM.

[AppleQueso]

It's probably because these games aren't priced based on the aftermarket collector value of the original, and that's probably a good thing.

For every 'overpriced' Street Fighter Alpha that's $10 compared to $7 for a copy of the original, you've got a DL version of Final Fantasy VII that sells for $15 instead of like, $35 or something. It balances out pretty evenly and fairly imo.

[Erik_Twice]

The price is as high as they think they can sell it. No more no less.

The general public will never buy an old console, much less something as old as an Atari. This stuff gets sold on nostalgia, impulse and brand recognition no because of the content itself.

Also consider that the original hardware is expensive. Consoles may be cheap now, but just for the price of a Megadrive I can buy a compilation for the PS2 or other modern console I own. Somtimes it is even worth it for gamers like us, paying for an Atari and the hassle of controllers that work well and that stuff is not worth it if I'm just going to play 4 games that I can play on my GBA.

[Croooow!]

My thoughts might be in the minority, but with your Street Fighter example I might buy the more expensive port because I could support the publisher and developer that way. I don't do it all the time when the price difference between new and used is fairly large but I like to support publishers and developers for their quality products when I can.