Development costs are higher than ever. With the progression of technology, it takes more time and effort to take advantage of that extra power. This is especially true with Nintendo games who are specifically known for putting a "Nintendo polish" on all of their games. That polish doesn't come cheap. And this is despite their consoles being less powerful than other modern consoles, meaning they have to put additional resources into overcoming technological obstacles.
Now add in inflation and wage increases (in Japan where these games are being developed) into the equation and you start understanding why they need to raise prices on their games.
We have hit a pretty big soft cap in regards to game technology. Monitors only get so big. This isn't like the rush in the 2000's where every game had to push graphics boundaries to make sales. We have been at that point for a few years now. There is little desire or use in 8k+ monitors outside marketing. You just can't see it really unless said monitor is massive. Game engines are rented vs developed for the game by the studio.
It relates to detail. Only so much detailing needed. I could also bring up file size - it is no longer really a limiting factor as consumer electronics have excess space to throw things together. There are a lot of reasons why we have hit a soft plateau.
You're thinking of diminishing returns. There's plenty of room for improved graphics, but the processing power (and development man hours) to achieve similar gains will continue to significantly rise going forward.
No, the human eye is limited in its resolution. There is only so much detail people can actually see. Once you get to that point then it doesn't matter anymore. That limit has already been reached for consumer monitors and tv's. Plenty of high resolution textures out there and the computing power to use them.
There's plenty of room for improvement in graphics and I'm not really sure if you're serious in thinking there isn't. We're pretty far from photorealism, and even then complex photorealistic scenes are still a lofty goal. If you think it's a limitation of displays I just can't help you.
meanwhile 1 dude made stardew valley. pretty obvious u can make games that sell for less and then use the income to fund big games that are risky. or u can ignore that for ur shit argument defending huge companies making millions off u.
You're comparing a pixel graphics game from a decade ago to fully 3D games using the full power of the console. Obviously they can make simpler games to fund bigger games and Nintendo absolutely does that too. Part Time UFO, Snipperclips, BoxBoy + BoxGirl, Good Job, the "99" series of games... all low cost games that were released for the Switch.
But you're gonna ignore that because you want to desperately shit on a company that compensates their employees fairly since it goes against your narrative. When was the last time you heard about abusive practices or unfair pay at Nintendo? Oh that's right, never, and they've been around for far longer than most developers. In fact, Iwata cut his own salary when the Wii U failed to meet expectations.
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u/Digitalion_ 22h ago
Development costs are higher than ever. With the progression of technology, it takes more time and effort to take advantage of that extra power. This is especially true with Nintendo games who are specifically known for putting a "Nintendo polish" on all of their games. That polish doesn't come cheap. And this is despite their consoles being less powerful than other modern consoles, meaning they have to put additional resources into overcoming technological obstacles.
Now add in inflation and wage increases (in Japan where these games are being developed) into the equation and you start understanding why they need to raise prices on their games.