Okay, so I was really looking forward to the Ouya release in the UK, and while it won't stop me developing for the Ouya in general, I'm concerned by the £99 price point that it seems to be targeting over here.
I know that 20% VAT doesn't help, and that there is shipping as well, but I can't imagine that shipping Ouya consoles in bulk can be that expensive (they're tiny!), but a price point of £99 seems to me to push the console out of the budget sweet spot that the $99 US price captures.
Exchange rates between the two currencies has been a bit wonky lately, but a direct conversion of $99 to pounds, plus 20% VAT puts it in at closer to £79, which seems more likely to capture attention for a UK market. I know £20 doesn't sound a lot, but for a budget console I think the two brand-new games price point makes it a lot more appealing. The way it is now though it's only a little under a third of the price of a PS4 which out-specs the Ouya by a very significant margin, which makes the buying decision for customers a lot more difficult. Obviously for me the big draw of the console is its Android base and much more open nature; the dearth of emulators alone is a big plus, but these aren't easy ones to explain to people :)
I dunno, I'm just concerned that the conversion of the price is going to make it a lot less popular over here, which would be a shame. We're used to paying more thanks to weird price conversion decisions, but for its price point the Ouya seems (comparatively) over-priced even by UK import standards.
Haravikk
Posts: 3Member
Comments
Even with lower VAT and stronger currency back in 2007, I remember manufacturers such as Sony selling several electronics devices at the same numerical figure as the US counterpart. When we had $2 for every £1 - £399 definitely didn't match $399.
This point could be especially important for Ouya though,which has a fight on its hands to become a real player. The console has sold out in the US online (no info on units) but its quite plentiful in the UK. Aggressive pricing is so important.
That said, could do worse than £99 either way.