Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/3232

The Console Gaming Demographic

by Anand Lal Shimpi on November 14, 2005 10:11 AM EST


Just one week to go before Xbox 360 launches, and I'm sitting here trying to figure out whether my ridiculously overpriced pre-order bundle will ship on time or not.

The idea offering pre-orders only in bundle format is particularly interesting, mainly because I wonder what it does to the accessibility of these new generation of consoles to younger gamers. Take the bundles that ebgames offered: you had two options, you could get the core 360 bundle for $599 or the premium bundle for $699. I remember back to when I was a kid, and there was no way I'd be getting a $700 present for any day of the year. I've proposed the same question to a number of others, and no one seems to have a good response other than "my parents wouldn't have bought me a $700 console bundle when I was a kid." So I truly wonder, who is going to buy the supposed 1 million Xbox 360s that will be available in the US on November 22nd?

There is the possibility that expectations for parents have changed in the past 10 - 20 years, and that if your child wants a $700 Xbox 360 bundle, that it is a reasonable expenditure. I tend to find that hard to believe, as $700 could very well be two car payments, a rent check or pay all utilities for a month, and I do find it hard to believe that parents today would easily spend that on what essentially amounts to a single present.

The more likely option (in my opinion), is that unlike what I had originally expected, console gaming isn't hitting the new generation of kids like it did previous generations, rather it is growing up and getting to kids later on in life. Once you hit your early teens then the possibility for folks to at least start contributing to the price of a $700 bundle becomes possible. Is it just that gamers these days are forced to start later in life because of the sheer cost barrier?

Or am I totally off base here and is $700 just not considered a lot of money anymore? Hmm, if it is the latter option then that would make this the very first "I remember when _____ used to cost _____ in my day" post of my life. Not good.

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