Obviously there is all this hype about console gaming rivaling computer gaming these days (at least in the Western world), but how well does M'sia fare?

It seems the M'sian console market is stuck in some sort of time warp outside major cities. It's all PS2s. And if you want one of those current gen consoles, you have to order, which is a bit of an inconvenience. The only things in stock are PS2s.

Even the PS3, which is supposed to be a successor to the PS2, is nowhere to be seen in you local mom-and-pop video game store. It's all PS2s. Back in 2000, it only took less than half a year for the PS2 to appear on store shelves, when the PS1 was still king. It's been a year since the PS3 was launched.

Neither have I seen any GameCubes, Xboxes, Wiis or Xbox 360s in said places. It's all PS2s.

Rented consoles? It's all PS2s. All the kids and teens play are WWE, Naruto, Digimon, and football, football, football games. I have never seen anything besides a PS1 or PS2 for rent in backwaters.

It's all PS2s. We should be switching to next-gens by now. WTF.

For the record, I live some 20km from Kuala Lumpur.

Well things aren't too bad, you know. We have a sizable Xbox 360/Wii/PS3 community here. Stores like Gamers Hideout in Cineleisure have been providing next gen goodness for a while now - with Halo 3 large screen events at cinemas to boot.

Then there are the other shops around KL who have Wiis/360s/PS3s...so you sure you've been looking, bro?

I do have to add that outside of KL it makes no financial sense for sellers to sell these next gen consoles. For one, while you CAN get pirated Wii/360 games outside KL the price for the console itself is much too high. Parents in the heartland don't wanna spend RM 1500 on a console for their 12 year old. A PS2 is RM 450-500 these days, and as gaming is still a luxury hobby is it a surprise it's not high on our MUST HAVE list?

This post has been edited by Lord_Ashe: Nov 15 2007, 06:50 PM

oh....no wonder u said so...i assumed u live in some kampung area sorry if i'm wrong, but in kl,wii,x360,ps3,psp,ndsl is everywhere...i can say kl has caught up with the market,slow but not delay too much

Things will never change. The reason why the PS2 was/is king is the great abundance of pirated games. Same with the PS1. The average Malaysian believes that the rightful price for a game is RM5.

This post has been edited by madmoz: Nov 15 2007, 06:51 PM

madmoz is right too..from rm3 till rm10 is acceptible price for a game..better yet free

So my question is, since the console couch has been active in LYN for a long time, has brother parrot noticed that SOME of us ARE catching up, or is he waiting for the whole country to have next gen consoles?

I was referring to places outside major cities, such as a satellite town within 30 km of such place. A sizable distance away from major development areas clearly indicate that interest towards console gaming is reduced to very simple entertainment. Besides, from where I live, PS2s used to show up on display and operation faster after launch than any following consoles, including the PS3. I also found it odd the PS2 is currently the only console immediately available in places like these. That's really boring.

---

Added on November 15, 2007, 6:58 pmWatching a person play a PS3 or Xbox 360 game in my town should satisfy my need. My town isn't exactly a kampung. In fact, it's within Klang Valley.

It's more like old Kuala Lumpur. Lots of pre-war shophouses, and lots of pariahs.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Nov 15 2007, 07:00 PM

Well, this will start a flame war but unless brother parrot buys original games then he has nothing to gripe about. You reap what you sow afterall

I think then madmoz's reply will fit the bill.

Gaming is a luxury hobby, and will continue to be seen as such because most Malaysians have other er, priorities. You want to see next gen consoles in your hometown, you can - when the pirates win.

Until it is proven to be a need rather than a want - M'sia will remain backwards on games.

I couldn't even afford a console. That's why I'm a PC gamer (who recently earned a decent salary to buy originals).

Please don't kill me.

PC gamers are a lucky lot. Enough of you guys buy originals, hence the prices have come a tumbling down. Good for you.

Blame it on the insane cost of getting a next gen. I still recall the 360 and PS3 costing above M$1000 this month. If you try selling something like that in a smaller town or kampung, you'll probably get pelted by rocks instead. Few lower-income folks would want to spend a cent on a thousand dollar entertainment machine for kids. Some of them are even having a hard time earning a living, so why spend their hard-earn cash on something of little use? To me, next gens will probably be stuck in KL for a while.

That's why its called a " Luxury " Hobby

This post has been edited by aiyish: Nov 15 2007, 07:14 PM

^Agreed. The problem in Malaysia is that it's such a bloody expensive hobby. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets shocked looks from friends when I tell them how much I pay for a PS3 game.

Matters are made worse by the fact that our population has a fairly low average income level, allowing pirates to thrive and discouraging companies like Sony from even officially launching the PS3 here.. it seems at the moment it's just not worth their time and effort

this statement is ridiculous.. u're saying as if other parts of the world is cheaper thn it is here in msia. its either u dont know a thing about exchange rates.. or u're jus jumping the gun.

it memang is a luxury item man.. get use to the economic terms.

LOL it is expensive as it is imported ..do know some facts about the exchange rates...USD 1 = RM 3.25..so, no wonder lah, it's quite expensive, but it's better than buying cheap "ahem" games...u get what u paid!!

on XBLM and PSN, there are hundreds of downloadable game demos - free & legal. i think any "mom-and-pop video game store" can set it up for customers to try. i can see Wii with its casual games and easy piratability slowly inheriting ps2's position as local favorite

This post has been edited by acougan: Nov 15 2007, 09:12 PM

nope, isn't it the DS and the PSP that's on top at the moment?

whats too hard to think about?
if you cant afford one, dont buy it
ofcourse ppl here want cheap or free games, who doesnt? ( dont aswer )
if you think games are expensive, wait and buy it 2nd hand here lol.

all i can see Gamescubes and Wii support is not that much when
you compared with PS3 and the 360. i myself having a hard time
finding gamecube games here.

i totally disagree with you TS, which shop are you looking at?
i can find all of them, especially Wii in KL.

AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT,

We console gamers get enough shafting by the PC gamers...

+ Local tournaments: PC oriented
+ Original games sold by legal distributors: PC gamer oriented

i know i may sound...for the lack of a better word...territorial...i have all 3 current gen consoles. You may think of me as some sort of rich guy who has all the games, but bro Parrot i like everybody in this thread work for our games, either we perform well on our exams or we get allowances, it still boils down that a considerable amount of funds go to our console games.

I agree its a LUXURY HOBBY, but saying that console gaming in Malaysia is struggling is kinda of cold.

Ask yourself this....How many "kampung folk" play Crysis?
How many have the latest nvidia graphics card?
How many have Hellgate subscription?
As far as I know, in the village areas of Malaysia, gaming there is dominated by old but very reliable game consoles like the PS1 Or microgeniuses ...

Duh, I'm fully aware of this.

T'was the reason I complained months ago about the unreasonably expensive price of original games and ended up resorting to buying Jack Sparrow copies instead. And I'm also aware there a more unfortunate nationals who need to fork up even more of their local currency to buy said consoles (you can include China, India and most African nations for one). In the Western world, this isn't always the case. So reading about Yanks, for example, who complain about the PS3's US$500-600 price tag, is annoying. They don't know how good they have it.

Clearly not in KL or other major urban centres. I live in a fairly developed town/city with extensive links to KL, exactly 200 years of history, and a 6-figure population.

Uggh, for goodness sakes, the reality is that;

When you have modded consoles up for sale/distribution and especially the PS2 in abundance (as mentioned by yours truly Parrot) and with a price below the RM450 bracket, people will opt for it rather than the next gen.

And all of us, come on... who hasn't had their PS1's and PS2's modded and even got the 'ahem' and original games in their library (or dare I say it all of them 'ahem' and no originals?)? What land hasn't been touched by rain before you tell me?

Of course it is a luxury hobby to own next gen cause its frickin' expensive plus the support for original software and hardware is almost non existent; thanks to the guys at Gamers Hideout for bringing the light.

So obviously the ones who are catching up ARE the ones with a decent pay check or you are born with a humongous inheritance (read: rich kid). Good on them for sticking to originals but please, please spare the elitism. It doesn't help when one looks down upon another. Rather, it should be the adopters to help encourage new comers in embracing the trend of original gaming.

But as the factors of price, official support, rampant piracy, and the mindset of cheap consumerism impedes the advancement of console gaming in M'sia, the future looks bleak BUT not entirely hopeless.

im of the opposite...
i cant afford a kick ass pc,so i go for the cheaper and lesser hassle option: consoles


on a more serious note,and somewhat off topic ,if i were to splash money on a game,it would have to be a console game.
bought a couple of ori pc games with the intention of playing online,but got nowhere.
hundreds of ringgit gone down the drain.

owwh, well, my local game store is bankrupted.
they tell me the whole story on how to get pirated game stocks.
they said the suppliers identity must remain hidden, like buying drugs.
they said most of their friends who selling pirated goods are captured by
undercover police. now the shop is filled with dusts and no new games.
and they're selling Gameboy too, yes.. legendary. lolx

totally agree!!! i can hog my friend's PC to play crysis later. muwahahahha :evil:

I'm not insulting console gaming. In fact, I have had a long history with it. I had played and sucked on the SNES during the 1990s (the type that loads games off multiple floppy disks), glanced at people playing Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis, watched a shop owner play Final Fantasy VII and VIII on the PS1, completed Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast, had my first taste of GTAIII, GTA:VC, GTA:SA on the PS2, and tried out Jet Set Radio Future, the only Xbox game I ever played. The games and consoles came out very shortly after their release, and were all available to see or play from my town alone during the 1990s and 2000s. I started this thread because this was no longer the case, even with the more popular consoles.

I have interest in both PC gaming and console gaming, but the way the latter is being marketed and distributed is disappointing as of late.

Cybercafes at my town may outnumber places to play rentable console by 5 to 2, but most PC gamers in CCs still play Countstrike:CZ and Warcraft III:FT, or Chinese/Korean MMORPGs. The hardware are generally behind the times. Patrons aren't very demanding for new games from Western developers either. I grew tired of those places the past two years because there was nothing much to offer. Even CCs close to my former uni had better facilities and games.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Nov 15 2007, 11:00 PM

I'm just gonna come in here and say this:

Based on the above statement by the thread-starter, his entire rant/argument/thread is rendered null and void.

In any console's life-cycle, its actually CHEAPER to game on consoles than on a PC.

So please re-think your entire rant/argument/thread and actually come up with something decent to actually debate over. Cause right now, its an epic fail.

I know one store remaining in my town that still sells Jack Sparrow PC games, and it's in a shopping centre. I'm surprise town council haven't raided the place yet.

Jack Sparrow console games are still everywhere in town though.

It isn't as if PCs were built strictly for gaming. Besides, PCs are more versatile, have a longer lifespan and are more customisable, albeit costing several times the amount of an individual Wii, 360 or PS3. I'm just being practical.

And FFS, I'm not a console basher or PC fanboy. It's just a rant about how inaccessible it is for me to try out new console games (not buy!) in my town; it wasn't supposed to be a very serious discussion. I need to up my dosage of booze.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Nov 15 2007, 11:21 PM

I think those who think that piracy drives the gaming industry is much out of context. I rather think that Malaysians as a whole does not have what it takes to strive alongside the gaming industry.

First, there is no effort to establish any form of game rental infrastructure. Second, majorities of Malaysian does not know how to see value in used goods. Everything has to be brand spanking new to be at the money. Stop for a second and ponder, if there's game rental and flee markets for genuine games, would things be as bad as it is now? Think Westerners, they see value in everything.

So stop blaming the pirates. If people are really so passionate about games as they claim to be, how about someone step up to the game and make us a rental?

This post has been edited by redken: Nov 15 2007, 11:12 PM

you know...we console gamers are tired of you PC gamers saying that your platform is better...

leave us alone, because i dont go into the gamers hideout thread to cause trouble do i?

just leave us poor console gamers alone please.

Thank You

yup, most of my games are 2nd hand, but i dun mind. AS long its original and affordable, i'll just get 2nd hand.

@TS, you do realize that PC gaming is pretty much well-established compare to console gaming in Malaysia?
That isn't entirely piracy fault but the fact that console gaming are so used to family-couch gamer, no online, no multiplayer, no interaction among community or whatso-ever. Let's put aside the lack of understanding in Intellectual Property for a sec, what matter most is Malaysian just can't see the value of purchasing original console games...yet

That changes only in recent years after the introduction of next-gen console whereas online gaming is possible, multi-tasking on console is possible, downloadble content, tech support during the game lifespan etc etc.

If you think nobody step up for the local console gaming scene, then take a look around...it isn't as bad as you thought. Things are finally coming along nicely...also the used to be PC game oriented distributor are now very much interested in console gaming.

It takes time for local gaming industry to grow, just as fighting piracy. Even with the help of law enforcer is not sufficient, people need to understand the value and why first.
If people do not understand it, killing the piracy this early would subsequently hurt the entire console gaming in Malaysia too.

Just give it some time....maybe in 5-10 years time as you look back at Malaysia console gaming business, you would think "ah...i was wrong"

Why not you start contributing abit by purchasing legitimate console games and be proud of it?

I tot PJ was going to deliver the Hammer of Dawn to this thread

same here...

i dont appreciate the sarcasm.. for a sec there u seem to be ignorant of what u;re trying to mention. dont worry ill bring u back to earth in no time.

the reason why msia isnt very well in "catching up with the console gaming" is due to the fact malaysia have citizens such as yrself "i quote yr jack sparrow" and further more going about complaining why arent we as advance as our neighbours...

hei its not tat i am saying i dont consume it myself.. difference between u and i is tat i realise we here are wat we are due to atleast part of my contribution.. reason why microsoft didnt wanna launch the 360 here is because of the high piracy consumption. go figure why i still conclude yr statement on prices is still total nonsensical. there are allot of factors that governs the prices here and in the states. the yanks complain alllot and the media as u know is over hyped. the comparison of past PS versions and to the xbox360 is amongst the main factors. (and for the record, there are many "other" things besides the consoles tat the value of the green bags can purchase?? so why hit on jus the consoles?




This post has been edited by ruztynail: Nov 16 2007, 02:22 AM

BANHAMMER PLEASE...

Oh please, elitism again? We've argued forever about this to no end. I am hardly rich, but you will never find a bootleg copy in my library, which is as a direct result much much smaller than what i would like it to be. Please, just as those who chose to look down on bootleg users annoy you, people who brand me 'rich sombong *******' annoy me too
There are games I've always wanted to play (cannot wait to get my hands on Disgaea PSP, finally ) but due to the almost complete lack of support for English PS2 games here (again no thanks to the rampant piracy) I've not been able to get them. I fear that the DS and Wii are already going down that route, with the availability of new games dwindling
I actually care not about the game companies' respective bottom lines, but when piracy affects my supply of gaming goodness...

I would be surprise if this topic will go to page 3....

i say that people who talk mostly in other threads have no right to come to our thread just to cause trouble.

I mean everybody is welcome here in the consoles thread but i hate it when a person calls me a rich elite...i aint one, i work for my games and i tire of the people who come here and act like smart asses.

Ori stuff can always go to PA to buy what.
The unable-to-buy-ori-is-due-to-pirates is just an alasan.

It is easy for someone who has NOT been involved in an internet scam to say that.

If there's an 'alasan', then saying that games are too expensive hence I go the pirate route should be the one.

Boy do i miss walking into either GAME LTD and EB, browsing the shelves, reading the covers and having the freedom to take as long as you want before taking the game to the counter and paying

This post has been edited by madmoz: Nov 16 2007, 01:21 PM

True, but not everyone knows about PA, and not everyone owns a credit card, nor a debit card.

Like myself, cept' that I don't opt. to go pirated just because of my inability to purchase online.

Getting locally, is just much easier.

What madmoz was refering to was, with the rise of piracy affecting consoles(namely, Wii, 360), retailers are reluctant to bring in games that we want. (at least 360 has a strong ori community)

Like yourself, looking for a dance mat for DDR, but I have not even seen DDR game on the shelf before! A game that came out back 2 months ago(MLB Power Pros) is non-existent, a 'AA' Battallion Wars II, which came out last month isn't even here. But hey, I got Galaxy and pretty soon, RE:UC.

Not blaming or pointing fingers at any retailers here, it's just a bit hard on the retailer side to actually invest in products, people aren't gonna buy.

Where else do we look to? Assuming one doesn't have interweb connection, and a CC.

Ya. Sensible argument. I do not see any proactive action from game houses, well cept for fighting piracy and crying till their profits come home. Buying online is just a desperate measure by the consumer, whose main priority is life is nothing but gaming. There's no financial gains by marketing their way in that direction. They should instead create gaming awareness at a national scale, to create new markets. Hence driving up demand, and down goes the prices. Just like what Nintendo is doing, well just not here, in Malaysia. I presume, we are just not good enough for them.

"Have no right"? Thats already elitism on your part and it shows how much diplomacy you lack. You can't stop everyone from voicing out or contributing their opinions. If you disagree with their comments, give them a properly constructed rebuttal.

And then "everybody is welcome here..." - contradictory?


I would like to believe that what Nintendo is doing by setting up those consignment counters in MidValley Jusco and further on in Jusco, Cheras, is to create the awareness slowly. The products sold via these counters are to be coupled with official warranty and (perhaps?) after sales-support from the brand itself. If this couldn't encourage more people to embrace originality I wonder what else would *exasperation* after all, old habits die hard.

As of today, a modchipped Xbox 360 still costs around M$1,600 while an unmodded PS3 is around M$1,400 (I presume a Wii is the cheapest, but it's still over the M$1,000 range). What's worse is most console game stores, including mid-profile malls like Mid Valley, no longer offer renting of games and consoles to play on the spot. This is a problem since I want to try out GTA IV in a week's time.

And all I see still playing console games outside are little rempits with their football games (mostly) and WWE wresting, and ah bengs with their Naruto fighting games; all are PS2 games. Such low expectations. No wonder parents still believe consoles are for little kids.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 22 2008, 10:32 AM

i think there was a dude here somewhere who offers the rental services for games, mango what the name.

And I thought you didnt own any console, so how does the 'current trend' affects you?

I don't own any console still (except 17-year old old NES clone). But GTA IV is coming very soon and I'm tempted to play it on either the 360 or PS3, whether or not a PC version will be announced (the same way I started playing GTA III on a rented PS2 just a few weeks after its release in 2001). If consoles were any cheaper (below M$1,000), I would gladly buy one just to play the game at home.

I'm very interested of this rental service you mentioned. If it's based in a well-known shopping centre in KL, I'll look it up.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 22 2008, 01:33 PM

Malaysia is a third world country.

do you know what that meaning is?

Malaysia is a growing developing country and many analysts say that its on the path to growth...

that term should have died along with communism in the USSR..why?

1st world- countries fully developed and have close relations with the USA.
2nd world- Communist countries that are under the USSR's sphere of influence
3rd world- everybody else.



This post has been edited by Hitman190: Apr 22 2008, 03:20 PM

Well the PS2 is the best selling console of all time.
Besides it is still the most affordable console in the market right now.
Things will not change until the PS3 gets hacked and be able to play pirated games.
Anyway games such as MGS4, both FFXIII AND FFVXIII, and GOW3 needs to get released first to get things rolling for Malaysia in my opinion.

But some impatient people have already opted either the Wii or 360.
So this time around the competition will be tougher and there ain't no certain future that PS3 is gonna win this generation anymore.

A very insightful comment.

I do not believe in the the statement that a console or any form of gaming can only be popular when there's a pirated option to it. Until and unless we get over this form of thinking, we'll always be stuck in the dark ages of gaming with all major companies ignoring this part of the market.

I pretty much like the idea to start off gaming as a niche like what we have here in LYN. It doesn't have to be the masses that's involved in gaming but just a small group of dedicated "evangelist" of true gamers. I guess game shops/ companies have to do their part here by running nationwide promotion and roadshows to show the true form of gaming, not to mention also the need for a game rental setup/outlet. At the end of the day, it's a win win situation (win for retailers, win for consumers) rather than fighting over who has the lowest price item.

What's the problem with that?
When the kampung folks cannot afford PS3, of course they will play PS2 and PS1. Low expectation? As long as they are happy with playing the games I don't see how "expectation" is even relevant. After all video game is a form of entertainment.

I can play a PC game (RTK2) released in 1983 for hours!
I am also planning to play PS2 game FFX (released in 2000) for the 4th time in near future.
What's wrong? I truly enjoy it.

Playing a PS3 game on a HDTV does not mean you are fully enjoying it. It just looks nice.
Many PS2 and PS1 games are much enjoyable than PS3 games.

I think is that our price of gaming is well over earning compared to developed countries such as USA and Europe. If you compare 1 to 1 since our earning to their earning is 1 to 1 ie. RM40k=$40k per annum, you will see why Americans get to buy every console out there and original games.

Aw, sorry about that. I'm just a bit cranky that I've haven't been able to play or watch anyone play any Xbox 360, Wii or PS3 games this whole year; all I see are boxes of the consoles.

I do hope we shall see that in the near future. More people playing PS3 will mean I can get games easier and cheaper too.

---

Added on April 23, 2008, 10:56 pmTotally agree with that.
In US, the big stores such as Wal-Mart, Target (Tesco, Carefore equavalent) all carries console games on their shelves. Generally the newer games are ~USD60 each. In Malaysia we have to go to the "speciality shop" to buy Ori games, and most shops are in Klang valley.

The average income for a US fresh grad is abt USD3,000
Meaning they can buy 50 games a month if they don't spend on other things (just for the sake of this discussion).

The Malaysia fresh graduate, if lucky, can also get MYR3,000
and WE can buy... err... (say MYR200 per game) .. 15 games a month.

I have worked for 9 years. And today I have a PS3, PS2 and a PSP. I can only afford to buy 1 new game a month (usually from play asia), and a couple of discounted old titles.

But, I am happy with that... at least i know that i am better off than a lot of people, who can't even afford to eat or go to school.

This post has been edited by Dark NT: Apr 23 2008, 10:58 PM

If the price of an original game stays this high, then I will see myself buying only one game every 2 or 3 months.

I have not bought a Xbox360 game since June last year..No money to save to buy games..But Im gonna get COD4 second hand at least..

I can only imagine current gen consoles will start getting truly widespread here in malaysia once the price start hitting sub 900 malaysian ringgits. If the constant bumps in the price inquiry thread in the ps3 is any indication, I would say that the sellers here are indeed moving units at a steady pace. I wonder how long did it took for the PS2 to reach the rural areas eh ? Anyone remembered ?

But i believe in US their Tax is extremely high, ithey have to pay for GAS, Social Security, Electric and etc. cuz i know in europe about 60% of their income goes on Gas and electric

It's true that American tax are higher, a person who earns USD3000 a month would pay about 25% taxes (assuming no deduction/rebate).
a person in malaysia earning MYR3000 a month pays about 4% (same assumption).

But when the income bracket moves up, the difference become less. Malaysia max tac rate is 28% while US is 35%.

Just to chip in. Talking about original games, all you have to do is just to invest in 2 or 3 original games (inclusive of 2nd hand ones). Once you've completed them, unless you want to keep them as collection, you can always sell them off or trade them with other games. All you need is some patience, to wait for the right time when the right person sells the games you need. You'll hardly lose any money, maybe a couple of bucks.

The only tough part is getting the console. Game wise, you can rent them as well, or like what I've said above.

If there ever comes a time where Malaysia too will indulge in original games, I think the only games I will buy and keep are the Final Fantasy, God of War, Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Metal Gear Solid series.

I bet some of you can remember malaysia before piracy hit. Remember a time when compasia was still new in one utama?Where hot games were rated 1-10 on the wall on one side and the only price that new games came out were around RM 120-RM160? Before we knew got such thing as CD Writer?

Interesting.

I remember when i was very young, my dad bought a Apple computer. All graphics are shown in green color. There were some really simple games that we own. But i can't remember if they were original.

And when we (me and my brothers) started asking our parents to buy games, the games are in diskette format, so the diskette(s) are sold together with a manual in a plastic bag. Of coz they are pirated. I think I still keep some of them.

When come to the CD days, I was doing college in Subang Jaya, and I remember there was a shop in IMBI or LOWYAT that sells 4 CDS for RM50, that was like the cheapest ever I have seen then. There is always a huge crowd in the shop, the shop keeper will give you a piece of paper where you can write down the CD titles that you want, and the empty CD cases were displayed on the shelves.

Those..were the days.

It's one of the largest too by that time, i think.

Anyway now we still have original only game reseller.
-www.pcgame.com.my
-www.consolegame.com.my
-www.macgame.com.my
-www.tsb.com.my (software boutique)
-www.gamershideout.com.my/
-www.neweragames.com.my (alot of sub-reseller from new era distributor)

That's the only list i can remember. So if you want to see Malaysia gaming industry grow as a whole, start supporting the right channel and prevent the original shop from diminishing.

I used to think back in 96 that the command and conquer that I bought was ori..those days, even pirated goods got a colored manual and a decent casing.

I never knew that the nintendo catridge games that I bought when I was little also got pirated...back then, the apek either said it's local or imported...the imported one got some shiny material on the rom inside, while the local ones just have a cheap soldering on the chip.

Nowadays, I have to admit, I'm still a bit on the grey area, I bought games that i think i will play most of the time (example, killzone, crisis core and phoenix wright), but at the same time, i have the dloaded/pirated version of games which i think i will never hv the time to finish but nonetheless, still wants a taste of it.

whattta eff!!

LOL that's damn expensive!
But the benefits of the 60GB one are definitely there.

because the Ringgit's Power is so weak.

So far there is no any Official Launch of any of these next gen home consoles. M$ Xbox 360 will never make their way here, PS3 probably will launch within this year, Wii not so sure.

Ya some local sales original stuff on the web
but...look at the price...
they wan to send themself to the space with the the profit izzit?

TSB & GH has retail outlet. New Era is mainly a distributor. (TSB is partly EA distributor i think)

TSB used to be very active with their EA games event like BF2 LAN etc. Anyway i do love their game shop interior design, very comfy
GH is very much tied to the 360 community because of their constant effort in organizing LAN & event like Halo 3 big screen in cinema. They might offer something different though for the upcoming GH LAN 08 if there are enough response from both ps3/wii owner.
New Era had been supporting the local pc games community especially for games like Dawn of War. Just go to lowyat gamers hideout section you will see.

I believe pcgame.com.my/consolegame.com.my/macgame.com.my are under the same roof. I am not too keen with the ps3 market price update but for games on all platform and the 360 hardware seem pretty standard to me. Remember, they only sell original item so you can't expect the price to get too competitive all the time. However, that's not to say they never do sales :


Do take note, their cost are higher than ordinary shop because they can't sustain themselves with sales from modded console or pirated games in the land plague with piracy. In other word, I just do not see any "crazy profit" you are seeing here. Asking them to lower the price as much as possible is like asking them to close shop politely.

This post has been edited by PrivateJohn: Apr 27 2008, 03:08 AM

parrot

oi give respect to parrrot

oi dengar tak?

Actually its also the game marketer's fault. They should lower the price of the game here because other than R&D, the disc pratically cost them peanuts. They can come in and sell RM50 per game and then more people will buy. That was what Microsoft did in China when pirated Windows was at an all time high.

Thailand sell ori pc games for only RM30-RM50.

i mean the Console..As i know all the console was imported from the same place (from singapore that is)
So why they are so much different

Exp..for 60GB PS3(sudah pupus and still Back Order status) sell 2k plus and i think that is a rocket high profit

or maybe they (web owner) did not take their time to update
But if that's the reason ,the victim will be people that stay outside the city area
The number maybe minor but a one is still count as one...and not zero.

WTF?

Thats dirt cheap. Sell them around ori cd prices and people will buy.

Now you mentioned it, maybe that explained why its so expensive because 60gb has cease production while other item seems perfectly normal in pricing - supply/demand.
Or like you said, lack of update because whos still selling 60gb now? You can just drop them an email, or message them for more up-to-date info. It just seems unfair to crucify them for a single item when their other merchandise are offer at a very reasonable price. Every shop has various pricing for different item...it's a free market.

There are alot of localize pc games selling at about 60-80 bucks...it still doesnt stop people from getting the pirated version price ranging from Rm20-Rm0. How to combat that?

This post has been edited by PrivateJohn: Apr 28 2008, 12:22 AM

My friend bought Crysis limited edition for RM50. It is cheap there because pc games are localized in Thailand. There have the license to burn ori games.

personally, I prefer online retailers, a good example is beatboyz. good proven track record and crazy low prices too. plus he is a friendly chap humble too. when I buy my games, a good PR from the retailers is a must, even if the one of good PR sells slightly higher, I will go to that shop. Not those kinds who look like people thinking this chap is just loitering around, no money what so ever.pfftt.

If only Malaysia sells games as cheap as that, then I will definitely support original.
But anyway the money still doesn't go to the developers this way right?
I will gladly spend RM100-ish for original games.
The current price is still too high.

Some games are cheap, once they are like a year old? XD

Just wait patiently or play older games first, is another alternative.

If Sony truly wants to get rid of gaming piracy on blu ray, then they better make the first smart move.
Like introducing shops that encourages people to rent games.
It worked well in developed countries, I'm sure it will work here too.
If only every gaming shop starts providing such service, then there wouldn't be much complain about games being too expensive.
We can rent it at a cheaper price and then decide whether we like the game enough to keep it.

More shops have to provide such service for it be a norm in the gaming business and I'm willing to see this through if it is true that the PS3 blu ray will kick start a new era of buying original games in Malaysia.

Console renting is certainly out as far as Mid Valley is concerned. I know of three outlets that sell consoles and console game, but all of them are merely selling, not renting. Two of these outlets used to offer pay-to-play services, but discontinued them for some reason. After all, I was introduced to GTA III, GTA:VC and GTA:SA early because I was able to rent a PS2 to play the games, not to mention exposing myself to GTA:LCS and GTA:VCS via their PS2 versions.

Plus I'm very much bothered to buy an entire console to pay one game (come on, GTA IV is probably the only reason I want to buy a console). I'm not about to spend M$1,600-M$1,800 (game included) just to play one game. Unless I'm planning to resell the console and the game later.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 29 2008, 11:51 AM

Renting a ps3 game is not bad...since bluray games backup can't be played right? so ppl will not copy the game they hv rented.

Playing the game in the store itself is fine enough for me. I've been doing that since 2001, and I've never brought home a rented console before.

Wow so you're a casual gamer I see.

Anyway console renting?
I don't think that will make good business.
I was talking about renting games.
And the PS3 doesn't only have one game for your information.

Only on consoles. When a PC version comes along I'll be more likely to completely explore the game's features.

That's pretty obvious, innit? But as of right now, I can't think of any other console game to play other than GTA IV. None.

This post has been edited by Parrot: Apr 29 2008, 02:20 PM

is there hope for Malaysia with scenes like this?

well, us on the other camp is 100% authentic, so its a yes

Wow can't believe there is such a scene in Malaysia!
Greatness! There is still hope in Malaysia!

We still have a long, long way to go. As far as I know, this trend is only limited to major urban centres in M'sia, mostly around KL and JB.

yes, long way to go. change cant happen overnight. but its a good thing nonetheless.

how do you know that it only happens mostly in kl and jb?

Because only developed cities logically have such a mania.
Not everyone in Malaysia have the money to support original game buying.

assumptions are great but it can also be dangerous

Boleh masuk Malaysia top record.