The Rock Band UK Prices

[gh2masterwellalmost]

Ok then, I must stress this is only my prediction

Right then, using mathematics im gonna make some educated guesses here

As you may have seen, Amazon have posted some prices. $80 for guitar, same for drums, $30 for mic and $50 for game. Those prices make sense. You add em all up, makes $240, with a bundle price of $199.99 being the obvious bet.

Sounds good right? So what does that mean for UK Gamers?

There is no point directly converting it using the conversion rate, since PAL games are a lot more expensive than NTSC, mainly because Europe has a much worse piracy rate (if any of you do plan on buying this, or other games, pirated, it is wrong, and only puts up prices, the same goes for music and films). So, instead there's a simple way (well simple for me not sure bout you lot but ill try to make sense of it)

Average game price in USA: $60 (though many could argue 50 or 55, but im working on RRP here). For guitar and drums, how much is it more as a number?

80(drum/guitar cost)/60(standard game price) = 1.6

So British prices, £40 for a game (yhyh i know supposedly £50 RRP but in an average shop you will not find a 360 game, even brand new, at anything ABOVE £45 and thats pushing it).

40x1.6=£64. Call that, for Guitar/Drums seperately: £60 or £65

For Mic, it is $30

60(standard US game price)/30(mic price)=0.5

So... £40/0.5 = £20

For a Mic, £20

So, bundle prices. Game = £40, Drums = £60 (or £65, but 60 is a more round number for this example) Guitar = £60 Mic = £20. UNBUNDLE PRICE: £180

So, as a bundle, working on what numbers gel best, plus the fact that bundle = cheaper than non bundle, a good guesstimate at between £150-£160

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If I made any mathematical mistake, plz correct me, remember this is only my guesswork, (plus Amazon's), but Amazon's prices seemed about right, and using some basic maths, gives out a realistic price.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback. Thx.

[gh2masterwellalmost]

Sorry, just rereading it, its VERY long. I can shorten it a bit if you want. But hey... im just a kid bored cos his 360s off in 360 ROD Hospital in Germany, stuck here with the internet and the PC Calculator function...

[krzrgator]

It'll be about £180 bundled when you take into account the markup and import tax etc etc. We always pay more than our American counterparts regardless, even on games that come from the Uk.

[gh2masterwellalmost]

It'll be about £180 bundled when you take into account the markup and import tax etc etc. We always pay more than our American counterparts regardless, even on games that come from the Uk.

taxes and "paying more than the americans" was already factored in by using British standard game prices.

I worked the ratio between Standard Game in $:Drums/Guitar in $

then used the same formula for Standard Game in £:Drums/Guitar in £

and the same went for mic.

so if amazon's prices r right, so are mine.

[krzrgator]

Oh yeah don't get me wrong, your maths is right. But I forsee them marking it up further.
Hope I'm wrong though to save me some pennies.

Edit:Also gotta factor in costs with them being shipped over because of the increased size and weight.

[gh2masterwellalmost]

Oh yeah don't get me wrong, your maths is right. But I forsee them marking it up further.
Hope I'm wrong though to save me some pennies.

Edit:Also gotta factor in costs with them being shipped over because of the increased size and weight.

indeed. God im gonna be broke at £180... i mean i dont want mic but considering the bundle will be like a mic for an extra £5 or something i cant complain... but i dunno, might have to buy drums first and use my GH2 controller for a short while.

Its gonna be one EXPENSIVE Christmas, and here's hoping my predictions and krzrgator's are wrong, that we're both WAY overpricing it. Hopefully.

[joetaylor]

Think the prices are about right. Im just gonna buy the drums + game, and use my X-Plorer GHII controller for a while, unless the Strat really tempts me. But i will NEVER buy the mic or sing ;)

[scroll33]

I still think the bundle will come in around £169. Go much past that and you are moving into the price of a console. Game and guitar/Drums I expect to come in around £69.

[NutJobJim]

Yeah I agree with your maths. It'll probably be about £160 for the full package.

[lorddavid]

Think I'll prolly get people to just help fund my Rock Band addiction for Christmas this year :D.

But I'm planning on £200 for it, if it's less, then it means I have left-over cash for spending on DLC as it comes available.

As for the piracy thing, agreed entirely. Tho' I will defend some pirating of music in the sense of how I refuse outright to buy something from an artist I've not heard before. I hadn't heard of Hammerfall, Nightwish, Within Temptation and Edguy, among others, before I downloaded some of their songs... now I own every album by both Hammerfall and Within Temptation, and am likely to be picking up the Edguy stuff when the music store gets them in, while Nightwish I'm waiting for him to restock with.

So I guess it's not really piracy I'm backing, more the fact that bands really need to start allowing completely free previews off albums (Myspace can be quite useful for that I've found), not the entire album, but a few songs, that way we'll know what we're getting rather than mebbe going off a single that's been released or just being told that it's "similar" to another band.

Sorry, went off on a tangent there, lol.

[gh2masterwellalmost]

Think I'll prolly get people to just help fund my Rock Band addiction for Christmas this year :D.

But I'm planning on £200 for it, if it's less, then it means I have left-over cash for spending on DLC as it comes available.

As for the piracy thing, agreed entirely. Tho' I will defend some pirating of music in the sense of how I refuse outright to buy something from an artist I've not heard before. I hadn't heard of Hammerfall, Nightwish, Within Temptation and Edguy, among others, before I downloaded some of their songs... now I own every album by both Hammerfall and Within Temptation, and am likely to be picking up the Edguy stuff when the music store gets them in, while Nightwish I'm waiting for him to restock with.

So I guess it's not really piracy I'm backing, more the fact that bands really need to start allowing completely free previews off albums (Myspace can be quite useful for that I've found), not the entire album, but a few songs, that way we'll know what we're getting rather than mebbe going off a single that's been released or just being told that it's "similar" to another band.

Sorry, went off on a tangent there, lol.

well, even i will admit i've done my fair share of limewireing (if that is even a verb)...

[lorddavid]

Think we all have, it's really more a case of have you just downloaded and kept the downloads, or downloaded, enjoyed it, and decided that you have to go and buy the album.

It's those who download the album think it's "the greatest album ever" then wonder why the band hasn't released a follow up.

Although, by the same token, it's hardly piracy that's raising the prices, piracy is raising the prices now, just as much as it was 30 years ago. 'cause even back then it was just as common, just done differently.

After all, as everyone who I know from then says, they'd be a group of mebbe 5 kids go into a shop, they'd buy the album, and a pack of blank tapes, copy the album 4 times, and next time round, it'd be someone elses turn to buy the full album. So remember, when they say the price keeps rising because of piracy... they're lying.

It's because the majority of chart music today is piss poor, and the only way they can make money off it is to rip off the few idiots who buy it, as less are buying music now than they used to. Not 'cause of piracy, but because there's nothing (at least chart wise... import wise there's tons) worth even looking at.

Same goes for movies pretty much, barring a few (Saw is amazing!), they're just the same story that's been done dozens of times before, and nobody gives a toss (Rush Hour 3 anyone? I'll admit I'll rent the DVD, but I'm not expecting anything that wasn't in 1 and 2).

[gh2masterwellalmost]

Think we all have, it's really more a case of have you just downloaded and kept the downloads, or downloaded, enjoyed it, and decided that you have to go and buy the album.

It's those who download the album think it's "the greatest album ever" then wonder why the band hasn't released a follow up.

Although, by the same token, it's hardly piracy that's raising the prices, piracy is raising the prices now, just as much as it was 30 years ago. 'cause even back then it was just as common, just done differently.

After all, as everyone who I know from then says, they'd be a group of mebbe 5 kids go into a shop, they'd buy the album, and a pack of blank tapes, copy the album 4 times, and next time round, it'd be someone elses turn to buy the full album. So remember, when they say the price keeps rising because of piracy... they're lying.

It's because the majority of chart music today is piss poor, and the only way they can make money off it is to rip off the few idiots who buy it, as less are buying music now than they used to. Not 'cause of piracy, but because there's nothing (at least chart wise... import wise there's tons) worth even looking at.

Same goes for movies pretty much, barring a few (Saw is amazing!), they're just the same story that's been done dozens of times before, and nobody gives a toss (Rush Hour 3 anyone? I'll admit I'll rent the DVD, but I'm not expecting anything that wasn't in 1 and 2).

Yes, piracy is another excuse for capitalist record making pigs to raise prices. But, in the game business, it truly does drive the price up. Where piracy is worse, prices are higher. (Look at 360 prices, UK and USA, even pre price drop). And, piracy also funds much more serious forms of crime.

But hey, back to the topic... £150 is my official prediction. HMX got anything to say?

[zankfrappa]

if the US bundle is $200, at the current exchange rate it works out at near enough £100, add to that the import duties and and transport costs itll probably be nearer £150-160. so your prediction seems pretty good.

[lorddavid]

I tend to laugh at the "piracy funds serious crime" information... mainly because the people I used to know who would make pirate copies of games... weren't going out a week later dealing drugs on the street, or robbing old ladies, or murdering people and whatever... all of them were geeky kids who copied/downloaded the game, and sold copies on to just earn cash to buy other stuff (Normally just food, or money to go out and have a drink).

Plus I can't see many gangsters having a huge network of shops selling pirated games, when they'd make next to nothing off them, compared with the other stuff they'd be doing... most of the time it's a way for them to say "you hate terrorists, so why fund them!?" Just to scare people away.

I prefer to just say "you enjoy the game, help them make more, give them the cash and not your neighbor."

But yeah, I've taken this topic way off track (In fact, I think we're in another county now... lol) so let's get on with the plot!

[Terranova]

We can make a more realistic answer for individual controller bundles, if Harmonix release them this way..

Ok for RB Guitar and game if we take the 360 Version of GH2+ Guitar controller (£65) and add £10 on top seeing as the RB guitar seems of better quality that makes it around £75

Add say £10 on top for Drums and Game that's £85

And for Mic and game i would say £45 seeing as Singstar for PS3 is being sold for £40 with mic on Play.com

The game on it's own no more than £40

The whole bundle guess no more than £150