E3 exhibits to open in 30 minutes, but we've been ripped off twice already

by Vladimir Cole { May 18th 2005 at 12:19PM }

E3 Parking We have arrived. The E3 exhibit floor opens in just 30 minutes, but we've already been gouged, first by the nice gentleman in the parking lot nearby ($40/day) and then by the providers of the WiFi access ($25/day) in the cafe where we now sit with the rest of the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed journalists, fans, and industry folks.

We're hoping that this isn't a harbinger of what the industry has in store for us, but it just may be, with prices of new-generation titles reportedly headed towards the $70 mark.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tony @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

JESUS! Next time get room in North Hollywood and take the train.

Jamaicanbwoydre @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

I heard the power went off at the convention center and people were just there twiddling their thumbs.

GamerHeaven @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

That's harsh.

Even more harsh is we pay the relative amount of $70 dollars per game as it is, are us UK'ers in for �50/60 games now (that's $100 odd!) - if so whoever expects me to pay that can stick it. 3 games would cover my bike insurance for a year.

Well fingers crossed this doesn't transpire, cause I simply aint going for it. Hey if so at least the Revolution, the console I'm most interested in, wont be trying to rip us all off with such prices - surely?

nipsey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

Welcome to your first conevtion/concert/sporting event?

Try picking a lot further away or if you were there early enough, the actual CC parking lot. (Or park on a side street as we always do)

David @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

Wow, that's pretty step. If there are any starbucks around their I suggest just using them. For 25 dollars you can get a months worth of WiFi access I believe.

matt @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

you shouldve drove a little farther to the south hall and only pay $10.

Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

that's not the "industry" doing that to you, that's two capitalists, one that owns a parking lot and one that owns a cafe. "moral" or not, it's supply & demand.

and with that unreal ps3 demo being made in 3 months by six people, i don't see where this theoretical jump in game prices is coming from, except from a cynical comment made some months ago.

games have been $50 since the NES, and the PS3 seems really easy to program for, since most all the effects are taken care of by the hardware.

Vladimir Cole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM

Jason: it was a popular topic at this year's GDC (which I attended) and it's also a feature in next month's EGM. Game prices are expected to rise.

As for the parking lot, sure. Charge what you can make 'em pay. I'm all for capitalism, but as an individual, I'm selfishly interested in holding onto my money. In an ideal world, I'd park for free. $40 parking is painful, no matter how well-constructed the economic justifications.