i don't think snes games ever got bigger than 4MB.
most of that cost was for the actual cartridge. when games went to cd's atd then to download all the production costs just went away. so the profit margins skyrocketed with the xbox 360 generations, and they're only now starting to come down to 1990s levels.
They may mean megabits, of which there are 8 in a megabyte. Some games advertised how large their ROMs were as a measure of the value of the game. So 128mbit would be 16MB, which I certainly believe could have been a thing.
What about buying the same game for 3 or 4 times on different platforms for $20 each because I've enjoyed hundreds of hours playing it and the dev is a gigachad who developed it entirely by himself, pouring his heart and soul into it while continuously providing free updates?
Edit: I found Balatro more engaging than Slay the Spire, but both are pretty damn good. Definitely got more than 200 hours in both, but Balatro is just so much more convenient to play on mobile.
These specific images may be recreations but typically it’s the same artwork with more color because the adapter can do more. Or shading colors or things like that.
Whenever you go to buy (or rent from gamepass or something) an expensive AAA game, stop for a minute to consider all of the banger indie games you could buy for the same amount of money!
i met a guy once who could hold his breath for 10 mins. we kept locking him up. but he escaped and fed cheese to our lactose intolerant God. what a total douche
That's $50 USD or just shy of $70 Canadian in 2026 money. I usually don't spend more than $30 Canadian thanks to steam sales so I'd say we're doing pretty well.
i only pay for video games that is <=30-60 usd.
Tbh most of my video games i play nowadays dont even reach 30-60 usd.
i praise my "avoiding these types of video games" list for it.(does not include that my brother played a game that is on the "avoiding these types of video games")
49 Comments
Willy@sh.itjust.works · 34 pts · 178d
funny cause most commercial games back then were 50 bucks. Some, like civ were 60. Adjusted to inflation that's kinda nuts.
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 178d
It is pretty wild that a 128 MB SNES cartridge in 1992 was selling for the same price as something like Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.
lime@feddit.nu · 18 pts · 178d
i don't think snes games ever got bigger than 4MB.
most of that cost was for the actual cartridge. when games went to cd's atd then to download all the production costs just went away. so the profit margins skyrocketed with the xbox 360 generations, and they're only now starting to come down to 1990s levels.
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 178d
My bad, but whatever, you get the idea. The size difference between either and a 120 GB game is basically the same.
thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 178d
Not sure where you pulled that 128MB figure from…
The largest games ever released on the SNES were ~48 Mbit, or about ~6MB.
Heck, even the N64 was limited to 64MB ROM sizes.
sploosh@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 177d
They may mean megabits, of which there are 8 in a megabyte. Some games advertised how large their ROMs were as a measure of the value of the game. So 128mbit would be 16MB, which I certainly believe could have been a thing.
yucandu@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 178d
128mb SNES??? were they puttin hard drives in those things or what?
grue@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 178d
It's 1980 and a reasonable price for a new [what would later be called] AAA computer game is $50.
It's 2000 and a reasonable price for a new AAA computer game is $50.
It's 2020 and a reasonable price for a new AAA computer game is $50.
...
It's 2100 and a reasonable price for a new AAA computer game is $50.
village604@adultswim.fan · 6 pts · 178d
Nah, they're trying to make $70-80 the new "reasonable" price for an AAA game.
grue@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 178d
Key word: "trying."
village604@adultswim.fan · 4 pts · 178d
People are paying it, so it is working.
happydoors@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 178d
Something something buying power?
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 178d
Look it buys so many atoms. You aren't stealing atoms are you? Turn out your pockets
pressedhams@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 28 pts · 178d
Ask me about LoomTM!
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 178d
I'm selling these fine leather jackets
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 178d
How appropriate. You fight like a cow!
jballs@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 178d
That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 178d
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 178d
Wait is that where... Of course that's where I started saying "that's the second biggest [thing] I've ever seen!"
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 178d
iamthetot@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 178d
Genuinely my favourite video game of all time.
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 178d
What about buying the same game for 3 or 4 times on different platforms for $20 each because I've enjoyed hundreds of hours playing it and the dev is a gigachad who developed it entirely by himself, pouring his heart and soul into it while continuously providing free updates?
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 178d
Stardew was 15,wasn't it tho
v4ld1z@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 178d
Me but with Slay the Spire. Can't wait for Thursday
dubyakay@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 178d
What's on Thursday?
Edit: I found Balatro more engaging than Slay the Spire, but both are pretty damn good. Definitely got more than 200 hours in both, but Balatro is just so much more convenient to play on mobile.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 178d
I bought Factorio way back when for $20. That $20 has wasted more of my life than any other $20 I've spent.
UnspecificGravity@piefed.social · 15 pts · 178d
Its in competition with the (i think) $10 for Stardew and the $15 or so for Minecraft. This guy is right.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 4 pts · 178d
Man... I remember when Minecraft was only $5.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 178d
Oh man, I remember buying stardew for my other half, and her enjoying it so much I bought it myself.
one_old_coder@piefed.social · 12 pts · 178d
Bad filter. Raw pixels rules!
The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world · 16 pts · 178d
It does look filtered, doesn't it? I saw so many versions of it when looking it up. For example:
prettybunnys@piefed.social · 22 pts · 178d
Video adapters had different capabilities back in yon day.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 178d
Kind of crazy that they had to do the art again for each video card type. Like 3x the work.
prettybunnys@piefed.social · 3 pts · 178d
These specific images may be recreations but typically it’s the same artwork with more color because the adapter can do more. Or shading colors or things like that.
etherphon@piefed.world · 1 pts · 177d
tabris@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 178d
I went looking and found this article about the art.
UnspecificGravity@piefed.social · 2 pts · 178d
Yeah, but none of them looked like that. (source, played this on an Amiga 500).
Asetru@feddit.org · 12 pts · 178d
VGA, remastered and EGA?
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 9 pts · 178d
I would phrase it differently.
Whenever you go to buy (or rent from gamepass or something) an expensive AAA game, stop for a minute to consider all of the banger indie games you could buy for the same amount of money!
Tudsamfa@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 178d
https://fineleatherjackets.net/monkeyinflation
Dubious Link, but appropriate.
lemonhead2@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 178d
i met a guy once who could hold his breath for 10 mins. we kept locking him up. but he escaped and fed cheese to our lactose intolerant God. what a total douche
jballs@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 178d
And yet Return to Monkey Island is $25 on Steam. Those bastards!
Seriously though, it's a worthy sequel. Worth checking it out if you haven't already.
BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 178d
The sea of thieves tall tale adventure for monkey island was great too! Made me want more Rare 3d adventure style games like that
yakko@feddit.uk · 7 pts · 178d
Silksong took so long to come out even games from 1990 were making references about it
DarkFuture@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 178d
Right ye be, matey! Right ye be!
psvrh@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 178d
I think I paid CAD$60-70 for Shadow of the Beast for the Commodore Amiga in 1988.
Now, it did come with a t-shirt and a pretty cool poster
Sabin10@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 178d
That's $50 USD or just shy of $70 Canadian in 2026 money. I usually don't spend more than $30 Canadian thanks to steam sales so I'd say we're doing pretty well.
trd@feddit.nu · 3 pts · 178d
I'm hooked on you baby, but the sea keeps us a part, and there ain't no eye patch big enough to cover up my broken heart.
whelk@retrolemmy.com · 2 pts · 177d
Well now that music is gonna be stuck in my head
Mwa@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 178d
i only pay for video games that is <=30-60 usd.
Tbh most of my video games i play nowadays dont even reach 30-60 usd.
i praise my "avoiding these types of video games" list for it.(does not include that my brother played a game that is on the "avoiding these types of video games")