Any UK gamer who has ever felt that their tech prices seemed high compared to their peers have found their vindication.
A watchdog group by the name of Which? compared the prices of 13 identical products for sale in North America and in the UK ranging from software to consoles, and found that prices in the UK were much higher than the prices available over seas.
For example, their research showed that a Samsung television was £407 (~$695) more expensive; consumer costs for consoles like PS4 and XBOX One were found to be £57 (~$97) higher.
Which? concedes that different labor costs in the two countries may play a big role in the discrepancy, but the group also mentions that manufacturers might not be playing fair. Many of the companies in the study were reached for comment, but Microsoft and Adobe declined to comment. Amazon blamed the difference on “different operating costs in each country”, while Apple and Samsung cited exchange rates, the country’s import policies, and taxes.
Published: Jul 22, 2014 02:01 pm