Unexplained 20% price increase

Microsoft increased the price of Live by like 20% and made the dashboard suck and full of ads.

CEX are amazing. Who else would have the foresight to increase the price of their 20 used copies of BO2 by £3, thereby guaranteeing they will sell!

Hey Christian,

I understand your sentiment but the simple answer is convenience. Digital games require no physical copy. So, the first convenience is you don't need to get up to change discs. The second convenience is the comfort of buying from your home. You don't need
to get dressed, travel to the store, waste gas, etc.

Because of such convenience, the prices may remain higher for longer than usual. However, Xbox has very generous sales throughout the year. Especially during holidays like Christmas. There are so many games over the year that I have been able to purchase
the ultimate editions for 50% off. There are positives to digital games. I'm sure eventually everything will be digital. It is just more convenient.

Best,

Nozzle

€69.99 here for digital. Some discs are €74.99

Hi,

Firstly, generally speaking, publishers sell their digital versions for higher prices on the Xbox Live Store. This is so that Microsoft and the game publishers don't tread on the toes of retail stores. After all, Microsoft relies on these stores to help
sell it's consoles.

Secondly, you're not taking tax (or VAT) into consideration. In the U.S, the price displayed on the store page on the Xbox Marketplace, isn't the final price. A $60 game isn't a $60 game at checkout. The tax is added later, plus it varies, from state to
state. A currency conversion won't help with this omission.

VAT in Norway is 25% is it not? I'm from the United Kingdom, so you're paying 5% more VAT on your game purchases than I am as here it's 20%. I'm pretty sure, like mine, your Xbox Store shows prices including VAT.