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General discussionGame prices significantly greater on PC than mobile devices(13 posts)(13 posts)
(13 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted May 24, 2018
Can someone please explain why the price of a game for the PC is often significantly greater than the price for that same game on mobile devices (I'm specifically looking at Apple's App Store)? I'm not looking to debate whether this price difference is right or wrong; I'm just trying to understand why there is such a significant difference.

Examples:

Gorogoa is $14.99 on GOG and $14.99 on Steam, but only $4.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 33% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 200% more expensive than mobile version.

Oceanhorn is $14.99 on GOG and $14.99 on Steam, but only $7.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 53% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 87% more expensive than mobile version.

Sanitarium is $9.99 on GOG and $9.99 on Steam, but only $3.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 40% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 150% more expensive than mobile version.

Linelight is $9.99 on Steam (not available on GOG), but only 1.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 20% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 400% more expensive than mobile version.

Tangled Up! is $4.99 on Steam (not available on GOG), but free on Apple's App Store with $1.99 "No ads" in-app purchase. Mobile version is 40% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 150% more expensive than mobile version.
Posted May 24, 2018
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cmclout: Can someone please explain why the price of a game for the PC is often significantly greater than the price for that same game on mobile devices (I'm specifically looking at Apple's App Store)? I'm not looking to debate whether this price difference is right or wrong; I'm just trying to understand why there is such a significant difference.

Examples:

Gorogoa is $14.99 on GOG and $14.99 on Steam, but only $4.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 33% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 200% more expensive than mobile version.

Oceanhorn is $14.99 on GOG and $14.99 on Steam, but only $7.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 53% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 87% more expensive than mobile version.

Sanitarium is $9.99 on GOG and $9.99 on Steam, but only $3.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 40% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 150% more expensive than mobile version.

Linelight is $9.99 on Steam (not available on GOG), but only 1.99 on Apple's App Store. Mobile version is 20% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 400% more expensive than mobile version.

Tangled Up! is $4.99 on Steam (not available on GOG), but free on Apple's App Store with $1.99 "No ads" in-app purchase. Mobile version is 40% cost of PC version; put another way, PC version is 150% more expensive than mobile version.
I don't know about those games specifically, but I think in many cases it's because there is some functionality that isn't available on mobile devices that is available on PCs. Basically you're getting a crippled product on mobile. Anyway, that's just a guess though.
Posted May 24, 2018
My guess is that since mobile games tend to be cheaper you have to price them cheaper to be competitive. Over the past few years I have noticed the price gap is shrinking though. Mobile games have been inching up in price.
Posted May 24, 2018
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cmclout: Can someone please explain why the price of a game for the PC is often significantly greater than the price for that same game on mobile devices (I'm specifically looking at Apple's App Store)?
PC > Mobile. The PC version / experience is usually always better. Better graphics, better controls, sometimes even unique features. It's also a different market, mobile users are accustomed to not paying much for mobile games.
Posted May 24, 2018
I'd like to see a side by side.

Would the visuals been noticeably different?
Posted May 24, 2018
Q: "Game prices significantly greater on PC than mobile devices"


A: Game performance, controls, and visual quality significantly greater on PC than mobile devices.
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tinyE: I'd like to see a side by side.

Would the visuals been noticeably different?
I personally can say that the visuals (and controls) are noticeably different between the PC and mobile versions of The Bard's Tale (2004).
Post edited May 24, 2018 by TARFU
Posted May 24, 2018
For a good while people got used to that mobile apps are free. Most-played mobile games still are free, with either adds or microtransactions to bring in income. So the games that don't rely on those methods of gathering revenue had to start competing with other means to lure in punters and one of the methods is a cheaper price.

Then there's the thing that people usually play mobile games for short periods at a time, so those who are looking for something casual to play while waiting for a bus or something, aren't very willing to spend a lot of money on those games.
Posted May 25, 2018
To those who say "PC is superior," some games on mobile and PC are virtually indistinguishable in graphics and gameplay and may have controller support on top of that. Yet they are priced lower on mobile. For example, Tomb Raider I, Retro City Rampage DX. Ys, VVVVVV (I don't remember its price), to name a few that I can recall.

It is probably as some said, the mobile landscape has people who expect free, so paid games are priced lower to cover more demand.
Post edited May 25, 2018 by PookaMustard
Posted May 25, 2018
it is a difference in markets.

The mobile market is mostly 'free' and simple games, while pc market is more technical. publishers will price to the markets
Posted May 25, 2018
On PC, if you buy a game you can reasonably expect to still be able to play it in a decade or two. On mobile, there's a 50/50 chance it'll be delisted in six months and incompatible with any current hardware in two years.
Posted May 25, 2018
On a device that's over-saturated with 'free' games (just gives you ads and micro-transactions) the numbers who are willing to pay 99 cents on a game is fairly low, but there's more who will dump $20 into micro-transactions.

Second, most users are probably going to be kids, those with very little money (although new studies show people will pay their for their cell bills before their cars, so tells you what priority that is).

Also since you're replacing your cell phone every 2 years, how many of those games do you get to keep? Especially when they keep changing the Apple API and it breaks games and apps all the time?

Sounds like a pain to me...
Post edited May 25, 2018 by rtcvb32
Posted May 25, 2018
I haven`t looked at mobile games for a while, but in my experience, mobile games tend to be significantly lacking compared to the pc.

For instance, Xcom mobile version may look and appear the same, but on closer inspection you`ll see the graphics\animation quality is less, the control system is incredibly clunky as with most mobile games and there are slowdowns in even the simplest scenes. Often the Ui is difficult to view and shortcuts are made in the gameplay which isn`t made on the pc version.

Even Talisman, which is almost identical, is still far more enjoyable on a pc desktop or laptop than a mobile.

So PC prices should be higher to be honest.

But like some have said; some of these other `free-to-play` mobile games are rip offs money sponges and that`s where they make their REAL money, gouging kids out of cash through addiction. The `free-to-play` is a trick. They sucker you in on Free then get you addicted to something and you make one, just one, small payment for something, then more and more and suddenly you`ve paid the price of a full pc game 3 times over. In the end, the mobile game is far more expensive than any PC one-off payment game.
Post edited May 25, 2018 by Socratatus
Posted May 25, 2018
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MobiusArcher: My guess is that since mobile games tend to be cheaper you have to price them cheaper to be competitive. Over the past few years I have noticed the price gap is shrinking though. Mobile games have been inching up in price.
This. For whatever reason, the mobile market is absolutely cutthroat.
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General discussionGame prices significantly greater on PC than mobile devices(13 posts)(13 posts)
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