XZero Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 http://ps2.ign.com/articles/104/1048252p1.html Here's the rundown. Sony's officially releasing the PS2 in Brazil, presumably for the first time ever. It's also releasing a number of excellent games, including God of War II and Gran Turismo 4. Nothing wrong with that, right? They're charging R$ 799 (USD $445) for the system. The games range from R$ 99 (USD $55) to R$ 119 (USD $66). So I guess my question is twofold: wouldn't you expect most Brazillian people who wanted one to have simply imported PS2s by now, and even if they didn't, who on earth would shell out $445 USD for a console that costs $99 USD in America and is 9 years old? Never mind the ridiculous prices for the games. Quote
Deathtank Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 It doesn't surprise me, big companies always try to rape poor countries like ours. =/ Quote
Poke'G Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 That's pretty ridiculous, but it's been done before. Some countries just get left out for economic or political reasons. China never got the N64 until the iQue, seven years later and well into the GameCube era. It sounds stupid, but apparently this pays off for game companies somehow. Quote
Schwaltzvald Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I'm not surprised at the jacked up pricing, but what I am suprised is that Brazil had actually been left out of the gaming scene for a good while. Had no brazilian over there EVER imported stuff or read gaming websites? That's what I want to know. Quote
DarkeSword Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I'm not surprised at the jacked up pricing, but what I am suprised is that Brazil had actually been left out of the gaming scene for a good while. Had no brazilian over there EVER imported stuff or read gaming websites? That's what I want to know. They are too busy playing NEO GEO ROMS. Quote
KyleJCrb Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Brazil is a haven for piracy, so the price of game software and hardware is ridiculous there. I'm not surprised. Quote
Bahamut Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Brazil is a haven for piracy, so the price of game software and hardware is ridiculous there. I'm not surprised. I don't understand that - wouldn't it make a bigger incentive to make it cheaper? Quote
Bleck Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 They are too busy playing NEO GEO ROMS. NEO GEO ROMS??? a Quote
Thalzon Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I don't understand that - wouldn't it make a bigger incentive to make it cheaper? Maybe in your fancy-pants, logically run REAL WORLD, but this is BUSINESS WORLD here, and when people steal things that means a price hike to make up for lost revenue! Which, y'know, only encourages more stealing, but at least we're making more on each unit sold! Quote
atmuh Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 They are too busy playing NEO GEO ROMS. and stealing steam accounts Quote
NNY Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 No one's forcing Brazil to buy these games anyway. Quote
Sinewav Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Whoa. NNY. Where the hell have you been? Unfortunately though, this really isn't just a game industry thing. If you ask me, it's the reason behind DVD region coding, and those "not for sale outside of X country" labels on a lot of textbooks. There's really little reason to pay that kind of price tag... just import it. Quote
BardicKnowledge Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 They are too busy playing NEO GEO ROMS. hahahahaha, this will never get old for some reason. Quote
cobaltstarfire Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I'm not surprised at the jacked up pricing, but what I am suprised is that Brazil had actually been left out of the gaming scene for a good while. Had no brazilian over there EVER imported stuff or read gaming websites? That's what I want to know. If you saw how much it costs to import anything into Brazil you wouldn't import either. Quote
Schwaltzvald Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 If you saw how much it costs to import anything into Brazil you wouldn't import either. So how much is it? Quote
cobaltstarfire Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 I don't know actually I'd have to ask my friend in Brazil, we talked about it once but that was long enough ago that I don't remember, all I remember is being indignant that he had to live with it, and wishing he could get out of the country but he can't even manage that because of the costs sort of tie him down. The government taxes you an arm and a leg to import anything (it also taxes the sender an arm and leg to ship anything into the country). Which is probably one of the reasons the PS2 costs so much in Brazil, Wii's also cost a ton, and I don't even want to imagine how much it would cost to get your hands on a 360 or PS3. Quote
1337 1 Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 The government taxes you an arm and a leg to import anything (it also taxes the sender an arm and leg to ship anything into the country). Which is probably one of the reasons the PS2 costs so much in Brazil, Wii's also cost a ton, and I don't even want to imagine how much it would cost to get your hands on a 360 or PS3. I imagine after buying one, they wouldn't have any hands left Quote
Deathtank Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 Poor Blanka can´t play anymore games... :´( Quote
Brycepops Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 and stealing steam accounts and playing on private mmo servers. Quote
Arcana Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 Brazil is a haven for piracy, so the price of game software and hardware is ridiculous there. I'm not surprised. Brazil is a haven for piracy BECAUSE everything there is so expensive. When I went there about three years ago, wireless mouse and wireless routers were like a huge thing there because they're just so damn expensive. The fact that I had a Mac was like "HOLY CRAP" to most people. Quote
LuketheXjesse Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 They are too busy playing NEO GEO ROMS. hahahahahahahaha Quote
LuIzA Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 Brazil is a haven for piracy BECAUSE everything there is so expensive.When I went there about three years ago, wireless mouse and wireless routers were like a huge thing there because they're just so damn expensive. The fact that I had a Mac was like "HOLY CRAP" to most people. Right. By this time, everyone who wanted one has modded ps2s, and those who don't can probably buy one for about the same price or less than the official R$799 already modded with tons of games to go with it. Besides, there ARE "other ways" to get stuff from overseas without officially importing, and that's what many of us do. Import taxes are INSANE, to the point it's not surprising at all that a $99 USD console would cost more than 4x the price here. Quote
Schwaltzvald Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 I'm not familiar with the economics behind Brazil so what's the deal with the high taxes on incoming/outgoing products? Quote
Bahamut Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 I'm going to guess it has to do with protectionism. Quote
Devyn Posted November 23, 2009 Posted November 23, 2009 That sucks. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just import it? Uh, yeah. I'm kinda tired of ripping on Sony, but that's just weak. Quote
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