Virtual Console Price Fixing?
I noticed something interesting about the Wii Shop channel today.
Once you have purchased a Virtual Console game from the Wii shop channel you can no longer see the price. If you view the listing for a Virtual Console game after you have purchased it in the area that once displayed the price (in Wii Points) the words “downloaded” appear. I know this is nothing new but I recently pondered the implication of such a feature. Yes it’s good to see what you have already downloaded so as to prevent repeat downloads but what is stopping Nintendo from changing the prices of Virtual Console games later on?
Look at it this way. You download Donkey Kong for the NES for 500 Wii points you play it and enjoy it. Then 6 months later Nintendo changes the price to 250 Wii points. But you will never know because as far as you know it’s “downloaded”. So you go through life wondering why people are snickering at you behind your back. All because you paid 5 bucks for 3 stages of Donkey Kong, what’s up with that anyway.
I’ll give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt though. I have faith that big “N” wouldn’t do business in such a sneaky underhanded way but then again EA was founded on similar principals. Just something to think about before you blow all those Wii points on something you might regret later.
Aside: Stupid Donkey Kong I swear there was more than 3 stages back in 1983.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:17 am
The arcade verion of Donkey Kong had four stages. Every Nintendo console version since, however, has had three.
February 28th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
There was a 4th stage, the cement factory. You can also play it in the Donkey Kong arcade in Donkey Kong 64.
I hope some game prices lower in the future. But there’s nothing worse than buying a game, and 3 months later it’s been heavily discounted.
March 2nd, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Hiding the price of an item after it’s sold isn’t “price fixing.” Price fixing is an agreement among competing vendors to sell an item at the same price.
If Nintendo lowered the price after you bought it, what would you do? Complain. Sure it sucks, but that’s life. You bought it at a certain price and that’s that. If you are afraid of buying a game and then discovering that 6 months down the road it’s 1/2 off then your only option is to never buy a game again because it’s gonna happen!
The main question is “Do you want it now, or do you want it cheaper?” People who want it now are always going to pay more.
March 3rd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
This post seems to have been written while high or something.
It seems logical that the VC games will eventually drop in price after there’s a larger selection.
And as far as people laughing about how you paid 500 pts for DK……people need to get better things to talk about behind peoples backs.
I for one would think it would be nice if I couldn’t see the price drop after I bought something…..why would you look at the price…..you already have it?
(how’s that for a comment?)
March 3rd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
@stretchdog
I’m fully aware of what Price fixing actually is but for the sake of an eye catching title this seemed to work best.
@Brad
I think you obviously missed the fact that I was trying to be funny in regards to DK.