We’re well into the 8th Generation of gaming. With the high price-tags on consoles today, many have wondered how our prices compare to consoles of the past. Well, it turns out, consoles have always been expensive.
Below is a complete list of major gaming consoles along with their launch year, launch prices (USD), and the gaming generation they belong to.
| Console | Launch Date | Launch Price | Gen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnavox Odyssey | Aug 1972 | $99.99/$561.48 | 1st |
| Farichild Channel F | Nov 1976 | $169.99/$701.07 | 2nd |
| Atari 2600 | Sep 1977 | $199.99/$774.62 | 2nd |
| Intellivision | Jan 1980 | $299.99/$854.54 | 2nd |
| ColecoVision | Aug 1982 | $199.99/$486.45 | 2nd |
| Atari 5200 SuperSystem | Nov 1982 | $269.99/$656.71 | 2nd |
| Nintendo Entertainment System | July 1983 | $199.99/$471.31 | 3rd |
| Sega Master System | Oct 1985 | $199.99/$428.30 | 3rd |
| Atari 7800 | June 1986 | $139.99/$299.81 | 3rd |
| TurboGrafx-16 | Oct 1988 | $199.99/$413.22 | 4th |
| Sega Genesis | Oct 1988 | $189.99/$376.96 | 4th |
| Neo-Geo | Jan 1990 | $649.99/$1,167.31 | 4th |
| Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Nov 1990 | $199.99/$359.16 | 4th |
| Phillips CD-i | Dec 1991 | $699.99/$1,206.34 | 4th |
| Atari Jaguar | Nov 1993 | $249.99/$406.08 | 4th |
| Neo-Geo CD | Sep 1994 | $299.99/$475.13 | 4th |
| Sega Saturn | Nov 1994 | $399.99/$633.51 | 5th |
| PlayStation | Dec 1994 | $299.99/$487.30 | 5th |
| Nintendo 64 | June 1996 | $199.99/$299.18 | 5th |
| Dreamcast | Nov 1998 | $199.99/$287.99 | 6th |
| PlayStation 2 | March 2000 | $299.99/$408.91 | 6th |
| Nintendo GameCube | Sep 2001 | $199.99/$265.21 | 6th |
| Xbox | Nov 2001 | $299.99/$397.82 | 6th |
| Xbox 360 | Nov 2005 | $399.99 – $299.99/ $480.73 – $360.54 | 7th |
| PlayStation 3 | Nov 2006 | $599.99 – $499.99/ $698.57 – $582.14 | 7th |
| Wii | Nov 2006 | $249.99/$291.06 | 7th |
| Wii U | Nov 2012 | $349.99 – $299.99/ $357.81 – $306.69 | 8th |
| Ouya | June 2013 | $99.99/$100.75 | 8th |
| PlayStation 4 | Nov 2013 | $399.99/$403.02 | 8th |
| Xbox One | Nov 2013 | $499.99/$503.78 | 8th |
Moral of the story? We probably shouldn’t be complaining so much about console prices. It seems as though consoles have always had a relatively similar price range, but when considering the adjustment due to inflation, today’s consoles are drastically cheaper.
This is especially true when compared to the Phillips CD-i and Neo-Geo, which take the first and second place for most expensive console, respectively.
The cheapest of all, with inflation considered, is the OUYA micro-console. This makes sense, as it has relatively low specs and was designed to run processor-light Android-based games.
However, when focusing on base-price alone, Ouya ties with the first home console ever released, the Magnavox Odyssey. It’s nice to see that $99.99 price point has returned, even if it was attached to a micro-console. Could we see this price re-adopted into traditional home consoles in the future? I sure hope so.
Published: Apr 4, 2015 11:09 pm