Australian Government to Probe Reasons for Expensive Software
53 replies, posted
[quote]
The Federal Government is planning an inquiry into why it costs more to download software and content in Australia than in many other countries.
Labor MP Ed Husic, a member of the committee that is likely to carry out the inquiry, says the details are still being finalised.
But he says the inquiry will examine whether taxes play a role in making downloads more expensive in Australia.
He says it is unreasonable for companies to blame Australia's isolation for higher costs.
"Certainly you can understand if companies have costs to bear in getting a product to Australia, you'd certainly appreciate that those costs will be passed through," he said.
"But if you're downloading software, and there are no bricks and mortar costs, people are just left scratching their heads."
Mr Husic says consumers are increasingly complaining that they are paying too much for internet products.
"The minute they jump onto the internet and check those prices they can see that they're really getting a bad deal," he said.
"Over the past year I've been trying to get answers out of IT companies.
"Now we're hoping that we can get those answers to why they price Australian consumers differently to those overseas."[/quote]
[url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-29/government-to-probe-cost-of-software-downloads/3978558[/url]
It's because they have to flip all the code upside when they send it.
I was actually expecting The Onion. It just has that vibe of common sense. Good to see it's real though.
I've always felt bad for Australians. Those prices are always so extortionate.
Wouldn't higher download costs mean people have to buy stuff locally therefor supporting local businesses?
>Saw "Australian Government" in title
>Thought they had banned something else
v:v:V
new game in different country, $50 about
new game in Australia? $80-90
I thought it had to do with cost of living
like why video games are so cheap in russia
[QUOTE=Araknid;35752518]new game in different country, $50 about
new game in Australia? $80-90[/QUOTE]
New Call of Duty game, $140.
PS3 games are about AUS$120 new, Xbox games are about AUS$100. No idea what PC games are, I always buy on steam
With the way the US to AUS dollar is, that's about US$130 and US$110
[QUOTE=download;35752718]PS3 games are about AUS$120 new, Xbox games are about AUS$100. No idea what PC games are, I always buy on steam[/QUOTE]
Modern Warfare 3, $100 regular price on Steam. It's not that much better than retail (in fact I've seen retail Modern Warfare 3 PC going for $80).
I don't really understand all the butthurt about our prices; sure they are more expensive than other places in the world but our pay is also significantly higher, so we're paying the same proportion of our income for new releases pretty much. And then you can import games at foreign prices (such as through cdwow, ultimatum or ozgameshop) so you're actually getting a better deal than the rest of the world. Eg pre-ordered Battlefield 3 through ultimatum for $45AUD when I'm guessing retail prices for Battlefield 3 in the US would have been $50 or $60 (oh yeah of course don't forget the USD and AUD are pretty much on par with value).
They price it differently because they assume that we're used to things costing twice as much, despite the fact that if it's digital you don't have to count manufacturing and shipping costs, among other things.
In other words, they assumed that we'd just take their shit.
[QUOTE=Reds;35752783]They price it differently because they assume that we're used to things costing twice as much, despite the fact that if it's digital you don't have to count manufacturing and shipping costs, among other things.
In other words, they assumed that we'd just take their shit.[/QUOTE]
Digital pricing is often done so a digital copy costs the same as a physical one, so that retailers don't miss out on sales and then go all sue-happy on the responsible publishers (or maybe because retail is still relevant today, probably is a bit).
[QUOTE=download;35752718]PS3 games are about AUS$120 new, Xbox games are about AUS$100. No idea what PC games are, I always buy on steam
With the way the US to AUS dollar is, that's about US$130 and US$110[/QUOTE]
Actually ps3 and xbox share the same price these days and new games cost $70-$90($110-$200 for Collector's editions. Above $110 if it comes with statues and stuff, and $120-$130+ for console collectors).
I too would like to know what I have to pay more for software... even if it is a digital download I shouldn't have to pay more. :/
[QUOTE=Captain Forever;35752561]I thought it had to do with cost of living
like why video games are so cheap in russia[/QUOTE]
I don't think that the cost of living in Australia is that high. Isn't it comparable to the UK in the cities?
[QUOTE=Antdawg] don't really understand all the butthurt about our prices; sure they are more expensive than other places in the world but our pay is also significantly higher, so we're paying the same proportion of our income for new releases pretty much. [/QUOTE]
Our minimum wage is around about double America's, so I think it works out ok as it is.
[QUOTE=download;35752718]PS3 games are about AUS$120 new, Xbox games are about AUS$100. No idea what PC games are, I always buy on steam
With the way the US to AUS dollar is, that's about US$130 and US$110[/QUOTE]
When the PS3 first came out games were priced at about $180, they said they had to do it because bluray is new technology and other stupid bullshit.
That was from EB by the way
You have to lay longer pipes to get internet to Australia. It only makes sense.
I went to South Africa last year and things like Call of Duty were (after conversion) $20-30 cheaper. It's about time that they look at changing it.
[QUOTE=Captain Forever;35752561]I thought it had to do with cost of living
like why video games are so cheap in russia[/QUOTE]
Partially that.
People are just able and willing to pay these prices.
Piracy is massively rampant in Russia, and the low game prices make sure at least some people buy them.
If Australians stopped buying games for $130, they would sell them cheaper.
[editline]29th April 2012[/editline]
Realize that on one side you are saying "no please don't sell them so expensively" while sucking on their retailer dicks eagerly with your wallets wide open.
That's not even rape, that's consensual.
Cant you buy stuff on steam using a proxy? Or have a friend in europe gift it to you.
[QUOTE=taipan;35754642]Cant you buy stuff on steam using a proxy? Or have a friend in europe gift it to you.[/QUOTE]
As said above, Australians shouldn't use Steam and instead use other sites, such as cdwow and ozgameshop for physical copies and others such as Ultimatum for keys for digital download. Really, if someone here (in Australia) buys typical AAA games at release on Steam, he or she is a bloody idiot. There is no justification, you can buy keys that you can activate on Steam that are cheaper than what Steam offers, and often you can get physical copies cheaper than digital if imported and still have them activate on Steam.
[QUOTE=MadDog986;35752393]Wouldn't higher download costs mean people have to buy stuff locally therefor supporting local businesses?[/QUOTE]
We have some of the cheapest residential data plans in the world now. Regardless, the issue is with geographical pricing. There's no reason why many of them are priced the way they are, especially when the product is substantially less overseas.
In a globalised economy, such as Australia, there's no reason why the prices should be over 2 times the price of our major trading nations.
High Game Prices = Increase on Piracy.
A fair amount of people in Australia pirate Video Games because they cost so much , it's fucking stupid how high they are.
Can the government set a standard maximum price that retailers have to follow when selling?
Right now it seems like pretty much every product is 2x in Australia and it's not going to change because people are making money.
[QUOTE=ThisIsTheOne;35753293]Our minimum wage is around about double America's, so I think it works out ok as it is.[/QUOTE]
According to Wikipedia, The annual minimum wage for Australia is 20k in international dollars, while in the US its 18k
[QUOTE=DanTehMan;35757879]According to Wikipedia, The annual minimum wage for Australia is 20k in international dollars, while in the US its 18k[/QUOTE]
No it's not - the US's minimum wage is $15,000 per annum, however even that doesn't give an accurate measurement (according to Wikipedia). However, the minimum income for someone working full time in Australia is ~AU$48k.
Australia's average household income is about US$70,000 per annum, whereas in US, the average household income is US$49,777.
Due to the high cost of living in Australia, due to the high standard of living, things are generally much more expensive in the United States.
[QUOTE=lunarwalrus;35756818]Can the government set a standard maximum price that retailers have to follow when selling?
Right now it seems like pretty much every product is 2x in Australia and it's not going to change because people are making money.[/QUOTE]
But that's [i][b]COMMUNISM!1![/b][/i]
[QUOTE=AWarGuy;35754996]High Game Prices = Increase on Piracy.
A fair amount of people in Australia pirate Video Games because they cost so much , it's fucking stupid how high they are.[/QUOTE]
I know friends who had to do that purely because they couldn't afford it with how much games costed but always bought the game when they had the money, it's sad that most of us have to do that because we get fucked over.
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