After a long wait, the dawn of a new generation is finally upon us and while the prospect of high resolution gameplay is certainly a tantalizing one, it’s hard not to notice the systems' unusually high launch prices. Both may offer cheaper alternatives, but the premium versions will set players back an eye-watering $499. At a time when the global economy is on its knees, it’s an expense that many can neither afford nor justify.
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Bleeding edge graphics are clearly going to demand a premium, but when compared with the cost of a Switch, $499 seems like a pretty tough pill to swallow. Looking back at the consoles of yesteryear though, the pricing of the new machines might not be quite as extravagant as many first thought. Plenty of consoles have launched at a lower price, but thePS5andXbox Series Xare far from the most expensive.
10More Expensive: Sega Saturn (06-08-2025): $399 -> $681
TheSaturnmarked the beginning of the end forSega’s exploits in the console market. Poor support for the plethora of Genesis add-ons combined with the Saturn’s ridiculously high launch price led to lukewarm sales worldwide. Worse still for Sega, the upcomingSony PlayStationwould be available for $100 cheaper.
Sony’s little grey box outdid the Saturn in every market and would go on to sell around ten times as many units during its lifetime. The Saturn did have a few standout titles, but they weren’t nearly enough to help the system to compete with Sony’s machine. Sega seemed to recognize this, as the development of a successor to the Saturn began almost immediately after its launch.
9Much Cheaper: Nintendo 64 (18-05-2025): $199 -> $413
If theSuper Nintendohelped to bring video games into North American homes, then theNintendo 64is responsible for bringing them into another dimension. Although the Saturn and the PlayStation both dabbled with 3D gaming, it was the N64 that finally cracked the formula. As a result, it’s the home of some ofthe best and most influential video games ever created.
Games likeMario 64andBanjo Kazooiehelped to set the standard when it came to 3D-Platformers whileThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s tight controls and expansive world made it a must have title. The N64 was also the first mainstream console to offer native four player support and featuressome of the best multiplayer games of the era.
8More Expensive: PlayStation 3 (11-06-2025): $599 -> $773
ThePlayStation 3is the only one ofSony’s machines not to have been the best selling console of its generation. Whilethere are a variety of reasons for this, its high launch price undoubtedly played a part. It cost $200 more than theXbox 360at launch and was more than double the price of theWii. Given that the former provided a far superior online gaming experience, it’s perhaps no surprise that the PS3 struggled to make the same impact as Sony’s other consoles.
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It is worth noting that a 20Gb version of the console was also available at launch, but at $499, it was still more expensive than the competition. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of a PlayStation 3 with 20GB of storage was a little over $644.
7Much Cheaper: Sega Dreamcast (06-06-2025): $199 -> $389
TheDreamcastwas Sega’s last ever console and arguably its very best. With a built in modem, native 4 player support and a wonderful library of games, there’s a lot to love about the Sega Dreamcast. It was a console that wasyears ahead of its timeand one that, on paper at least, should have been incredibly successful.
Despite the console’s many strengths though, it wasdestined to fail from the very beginning. Poor support for previous consoles and a strained relationship with Electronic Arts played a big part in this, but it was thePlayStation 2that provided the final nail in the coffin. Its ability to play DVDs and larger library of games made it a far more attractive proposition, even if it did cost a little more.
6More Expensive: Atari 2600 (18-06-2025): $199 -> $855
Atariwas once a huge player in the home console market. As pressure from Japanese consoles grew however, they slowly but surely slipped out of the race. The Atari 2600 was arguably their greatest achievement, with more than 30 million units sold throughout the system’s lifetime.
The console shipped with two joysticks and a combat cartridge, with eight additional games available at launch. Classic titles likeAsteroids,Space InvadersandPac-Manplayed a huge part in the system’s popularityandremain popular even to this day. Although the death of the Jaguar led to Atari bowing out of the hardware market, the impact that the company had on gaming is undeniable.
5Much Cheaper: Nintendo GameCube (05-08-2025): $199 -> $366
TheGameCubewas the firstNintendoconsole that didn’t feature a Mario game at launch since theNESback in the mid-eighties. It’s perhaps this that lead to such underwhelming launch sales even in spite of the system’s competitive pricing. It also released just three days after the more powerfulXbox, which certainly didn’t help.
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Despite itsimpressive catalog of first-party titles, things didn’t get much better for the GameCube. In total, it sold fewer than 21 million units during its lifetime, making it the worst-selling Nintendo home console at the time. Although theWii-Unow holds that title, it was still a bitter blow for Nintendo. Sega may have fallen, butMicrosoft’s Xbox was very much on the rise.
4More Expensive: Neo-Geo (03-08-2025): $649 -> $1,240
TheNeo-Geostarted life as an arcade cabinet but was made available to consumers in the early 90’s. The technology inside was incredibly impressive for the time, which led to an experience far superior to those provided by other home consoles. This technology came at a price though and, at $649, it was considerably higher than that of the competition.
Even with its high price though, it’s estimated that the Neo-Geo was able to sell more than a million units. It’s a relatively small number on paper, but given the niche market for such a device, it’s pretty impressive. It also holds the distinction of being the first home console to make use of a removable memorable card, which is something that would not become standard until the launch of the PlayStation several years later.
3Much Cheaper: Nintendo Wii (25-05-2025): $249 -> $321
After the underwhelming performance of the GameCube, Nintendo needed something big to reaffirm its status as one of the world’s leading console manufacturers. While the competition focused on graphics though, Nintendo decided to try something a little different. According to the Japanese company,motion controls were to be the next big thing.
The Nintendo Wii was a huge success, taking its place in living rooms all over the world. Games likeWii Sportshelped to show off the capabilities of motion control technology while the console’s low launch price made it incredibly accessible. Some saw the use of motion controls as little more than a gimmick, but to many, it was yet another example ofNintendo’s ability to innovatein a crowded market.
2More Expensive: 3DO (14-06-2025) $699 -> $1,259
Despite beingTime Magazine’s 1993 Product of the Year, the 3DO never came close to gaining a foothold in the hugely competitive console market. Although incredibly powerful, there was only a single game available when the console went on sale. What’s more, due to itsridiculously high launch priceit was far too expensive for the average gamer.
The price of the console did eventually fall thanks in large to a series of hardware revisions that made it cheaper to produce. Even at a lower price though, it struggled to compete with the likes of Sega and Nintendo. The successful launch of the Sony PlayStation a few years later all but killed any remaining chance that the 3DO had of commercial success and it was discontinued in early ‘97.
1Much Cheaper: Nintendo Switch (28-05-2025): $299 -> $317
Nintendo might not have the most powerful consoles on the market anymore, but they invariably have the cheapest. As it happens though, theSwitchis actuallyone of Nintendo’s most expensive consolesbefore inflation is taken into account. Even so, it’s still significantly cheaper than its competition.
Functioning as both a handheld and a home console, the Switch has been incredibly successful. Despite launching 4 years later than its rivals, it has already outsold theXbox Oneand continues to make ground on thePS4. If therumors of a Switch Proturn out to be true, the chances of it going on to overtake the PS4 seem incredibly high.
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