The Sega Dreamcast was actually one of the cheapest consoles ever released while the Neo Geo would cost almost $1,200 going by current inflation
Going by the numbers gaming has never been cheaper in many cases
Video games are not a cheap hobby. New consoles release every five-years or so, we need to buy extra controllers to play with friends, we obviously need to buy the games themselves and many of us in the FGC spend hundreds of dollars on our own custom arcade sticks or pads. With all of that said though, video gaming is actually getting cheaper for the consumer in most cases.
Home video game consoles kicked off all the way in the 1970's with the Magnavox Odyssey and especially the Atari 2600 with the former launching at a price point of $99 USD and the latter $199. Those might seem like a bargain by today standards, but they were a ways more expensive than even the Xbox One X after adjusting for inflation and buying power.
The Odyssey actually cost over $600 going by our current rate of inflation, and the Atari 2600 would cost almost $860 according to the US Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator.
It's true we do have DLC and things like season passes to go with our $60 retail games, but an Atari game like Space Invaders sitting on store shelves in 1981 with a price tag of $39.99 would cost us around $110 today though buying big content packs and things like loot boxes can bring you up to that price range as well.
That SNES copy of Street Fighter 2 was expensive even by today's standards launching at $69.99, seemingly at its cheapest, equalling about $125 for those in the United States today.
You can take a look at the full breakdown of consoles and prices after the jump along with more info on the systems tied closely to the heart of fighting games.
| Console | US Year Released | Original Price | 2018 Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnavox Odyssey | 1972 | $99 | $606.01 |
| Atari 2600 | 1977 | $199 | $855.83 |
| NES | 1985 | $199 | $474 |
| Sega Master System | 1986 | $199 | $456.81 |
| TurboGrafx-16 | 1989 | $199 | $413.43 |
| Sega Genesis | 1989 | $189 | $392.65 |
| Neo Geo | 1991 | $649 | $1,198.83 |
| SNES | 1991 | $199 | $371.96 |
| 3DO | 1993 | $699 | $1,207 |
| PlayStation | 1995 | $299 | $500.50 |
| Sega Saturn | 1995 | $399 | $658.25 |
| Nintendo 64 | 1996 | $199 | $324.26 |
| Dreamcast | 1999 | $199 | $304.72 |
| PlayStation 2 | 2000 | $299 | $445.64 |
| GameCube | 2001 | $199 | $285.93 |
| Xbox | 2001 | $299 | $429.61 |
| Xbox 360 | 2005 | $299/$399 | $394.47/$519.32 |
| Wii | 2006 | $249 | $313.54 |
| PlayStation 3 | 2006 | $499/$599 | $628.34/$754.26 |
| Wii U | 2012 | $349 | $381.39 |
| PlayStation 4 | 2013 | $399 | $431.25 |
| Xbox One | 2013 | $499 | $539.33 |
| PlayStation 4 Pro | 2016 | $399 | $421.55 |
| Nintendo Switch | 2017 | $299 | $308.55 |
| Xbox One X | 2017 | $499 | $508.96 |
Data sourced from IGN and US Department of Labor
It's interesting to note that the most popular price point for the longest time was launching a console at $199 which Nintendo did an impressive job at being consistent with that price from the NES all the way through the GameCube and meaning their consoles became easier for consumers to actually pick up. Their sales numbers don't exactly reflect that though.
Sega was able to keep up with or beat Nintendo with their pricing (aside from the expensive Saturn) culminating in the Dreamcast launching at $199 making it the second cheapest console on this list after adjustment behind the GameCube.
The Dreamcast had a rough and brief lifespan, but it was able to give fighting game fans the best arcade to console experience with titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter 3 Third Strike and more... at least next to the machine that was built specifically for that job.
SNK's Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System console had the same specs as its MVS arcade counterpart meaning it was the true arcade to home experience in the early 90's (huge cartridges and all), but it came at a price. $650 was and still is a large sum of money to ask players to spend on especially when compared to its competition priced around $200.
That price point makes the Neo Geo the second most expensive readily available, arguably mainstream console ever with an adjusted price of almost $1,200 (only slightly behind the 3DO) which could get you an Xbox One X, PS4 Pro and a Nintendo Switch all together for that price or a high-end gaming PC.
For how advanced, complex and expensive large games are to make today, it's interesting to see that many of those costs are not being placed directly on the consumer -- not up front at least.
There is downloadable content, micro transactions, loot boxes and other practices that many view as not very consumer friendly, but it's also met with retail game prices that have not increased since the end of the PS2 era (in the US at least) and cheaper/ smaller games made widely available thanks to the rise of digital distribution.
Though our current gaming landscape isn't perfect, it's better off than it has been in the past in many regards.
Image sources: PC Authority and Retro Game Supply
