Los Angeles: It's more expensive than ever to be a hard-core gamer as Microsoft Inc and Sony Corp add costly upgrades to their new high-powered video game consoles, and those higher prices may keep some fans on the sidelines for a while.
The 28.5 billion dollars global video game market is undergoing a transition as new consoles with eye-popping graphics and paid online services roll out.
The industry is again depending on fans, who wouldn't be caught dead with anything but the best of what's new to get it through the early days.
Those players are almost always willing to pay big money for bragging rights bestowed on those who are first to take the plunge.
Their price insensitivity appears to be holding this time around, even as retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc warn that high-energy prices could slow sales.
"Early adopters are price insensitive, period," said Michael Pachter, video game analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, who added that some hard-core gamers may be forced
to wait to get in the game due to more expensive consoles that require users to upgrade their televisions to take advantage of advanced graphics technology.
The high-end version of Sony's Play Station 3 will cost 600 dollars, two times the 2000 US debut price of the PlayStation 2 when it hits stores later this year.
Microsoft's premium Xbox 360 costs 400 dollars, but unlike the PS3 does not include a next-generation high-definition DVD player.
"With the new systems, it seems all across the board more expensive. They're going into uncharted waters with the price points they're looking at now," said David Cole, President of market research firm, DFC Intelligence.
In the last cycle, Sony and Microsoft's consoles debuted at 300 dollars and the magic number for attracting fans outside the hard-core realm was 200 dollars and under, Cole said.
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