It seems that retro game consoles werne’t as cheap as you thought they were.
£500 for a Steam Deck sure seems expensive. Come to think of it, so does £700 for a PlayStation 5.
If only game consoles were as cheap as they were in the old days, right?
Well, be careful what you wish for. While the prices may have increased, the compatible value has moved in the opposite direction. Consequently, game consoles aren’t as expensive as you think.
Or, to put it another way: game consoles were more expensive in the past. This table (thanks to Retro Crisis), should illustrate things perfectly. It demonstrates the RRP on release and its adjusted price for 2022, taking into account natural inflation in the intervening years.
[table id=18 /]
So, not only are current game consoles cheaper than you thought, those retro systems are also going for far less than they probably should.
Let’s keep that last thing to ourselves, eh?
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.