Quoted from John_in_NC:I said it before and I'll say it again, If I were Gary, trying to maximize my profits, I'd play games with my games as well. As a consumers, we're getting the short end of the deal. He's enjoying a temporary Monopoly on new pins right now but thankfully that reign is coming to an end with JJPs entry into the market. Set one of Stern's best efforts side by side with JJPs and the market will determine who's providing real value at a fair(er) price. Looking forward to the adjustment. I really want to buy Sterns again (and I can afford it) but I have a major heartburn with being taken to the cleaners so for now, I'm out and I'm not alone.
The only true way to force Stern to lower prices is for another manufacturer to enter the market and produce a same quality and feature rich game for a lower price.
Quoted from jrivelli:If you complain about price, you can't afford it. Just like at high end retail stores, if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it.
I completely disagree with this statement. Its a value/$$ ratio issue. The value just isn't there at current NIB prices, in my opinion, and even though I can afford to buy NIB I choose not to.
I completely understand that Stern is selling fewer pins than back in 2008 and earlier, that makes sense. It also makes sense that Stern had to raise prices to become more profitable and anyone can see the whole LE strategy is just a way for Stern to increase prices across the board. It was a smart business strategy and its working well.
What I find funny is looking through the posts I have seen people say say I will never buy another Stern LE NIB again, that is unless they make <Insert Fav Theme Here>, then I will buy just one more and that's it. At the same time these same individuals are stating they don't agree with the pricing, are not a fan of Stern's lack of code updates, etc. It just shows how well Stern's strategy is working.
Either you agree with the strategy and buy or you don't and stop buying NIB. I admit I got caught up in the NIB hype for a theme I wanted and bought Transformers LE. I made the mistake of buying sight unseen and without playing the end product first. I learned my lesson, hopefully some of the new guys out there looking to buy their first NIB game take the advice of those that have been there and think carefully about what they are buying.
You have to accept the high risk of buying NIB. Just don't come back posting that you are unhappy with Stern because of code issues or problems with build quality. Those issues have been discussed in great detail here and on other pinball sites. The code issue is a given. Build quality varies.
Back on topic, I also will not buy a Pro. The LEs are the only way to go in my eyes. For example say what you want about the XMEN's moving ramp, the Nightcrawler mechs or the spinning disc, what sets it apart for me is the lighting. I can't imagine playing the game without that feature and buying the Pro eliminates that.
I also wonder who this whole Pro/LE configuration affects tournaments. You can't compare a LE game to a Pro since they score differently.
