Canada getting PSN price adjustment due to strong currency
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Apr 30th 2008 at 12:00PM }
Although it wasn't in the press release, we spoke with Sony and have been told that the adjustment will lead to "price parity" between the United States and Canada. Meaning that something which costs $5 USD in the US PSN will cost $5 CDN in Canada. Enjoy the equality, Canada.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Obie @ Apr 30th 2008 12:03PM
Canada: I am not your friend guy!
PSN: I am not your guy friend!
JJ Rooster @ Apr 30th 2008 12:14PM
They better do this for XBL, buddy!
Tim The Enchanter @ Apr 30th 2008 1:03PM
Agreed... XBL needs to adjust too. In the meantime, many thanks, Sony!
Eh?
JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ Apr 30th 2008 1:33PM
You better do this for Europe. 60$ =/= £30-£40
Jerk Face @ Apr 30th 2008 12:05PM
US Dollar = Epic Fail
PojoMofo @ Apr 30th 2008 12:12PM
Yeah no shit, so much for retirement, my 401K will maybe buy me a tank of gas now.
Soon we will have to have a wheelburrow full of dollar bills to buy a loaf of bread
Jody Anthony (cookingrebels.com) @ Apr 30th 2008 12:17PM
you're telling me
marauder800 @ Apr 30th 2008 12:20PM
You're obviously not in the export business. The weakening dollar has both positive and negative effects, the same as a strong dollar. I'm selling into markets that were unthinkable 3 years ago.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 12:23PM
My retirement account is not in the export business, it is in the import business. I want to import money, not export it because assholes in DC think we need to spend three trillion dollars every year, 25% of it printed out of thin fucking air. Great, some asshole exporter is getting rich. I'm getting screwed.
marauder800 @ Apr 30th 2008 12:35PM
@ Laughingtarget
Ummm...your 401(k) is in the stock and bond markets, which are down globally, not the currency markets. There's little correlation with USD depending on your portfolio. Change your allocations and ride out the storm knowing that you are buying mutual fund shares at reduced prices. I'm assuming you're not 70 and looking to retire soon, so there's really no need for alarm. It looks bad now, but its actually good for you over the course of 30-40 years.
JakubK666 (Ninja Defence Force) @ Apr 30th 2008 1:37PM
PojoMofo:
That's(Wheelbarrow full of dollar bills )what happened in Germany after WW1(and Great Depression).That's also the main reason why Hitler took over with such ease.Either way you guys are fucked.
el serpiente @ Apr 30th 2008 1:43PM
I love it when people talk SERIOUS BIZNESS on a gaming blog. It's like an ignorance parade.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 30th 2008 2:16PM
My 401K is doing wonderful things. You see, I have a company match program and so each period, I put in around $2K which normally would gain roughly a 2.1% interest, of which I'm happy with. But now, for the past year, of the $2K that goes into my 401k, I get to watch roughly $1200 of that disappear. Well, this last period was that bad. Up until this last period, I was basically getting all my match contributions disappearing into the ether. This last period it cut significantly into my personal contributions. But President Bush assured me nothing is wrong with the economy whatsoever so I shouldn't be worried. Good thing too since NOW I have to work until I'm 75 before I can retire with social security benefits... if they are still there.
rv @ Apr 30th 2008 2:21PM
USD down due to subprime crisis. It should be fine soon.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 4:16PM
I make plenty in my investments. A little low this year at 9.5% (estimated for year end). What I'm irritated about is the general expenses of things going up. I'm by no means wealthy. My pre-tax income is $37,000 and I'm already losing $15,000 of that to the State and Federal level.
I don't think I need to explain the concept of compound interest here as I think most of the readers get the idea. Let me use gasoline (petrol for our European friends) for example. The key component of the fuel spike is the weakening dollar. This year I'm going to spend $600 more on fuel than I did last year. Since fuel prices are not going down, that is $600 (give or take any given year, but I'm holding it here) that is gone every year for the rest of my life.
Now, let me use a conservative 10% a year and assume it only increases once a year. I'm 26 and based on family history and lifestyle, I'll probably push 100. If I retire at 66, that gives me 40 years. That loss of $600 each year just to gasoline just because of dollar inflation results in a loss of $265,555 by the time I'm 66. This means I've now lost $26,555 of annual interest income I can use for retirement. This is just because of gasoline. If I add Social Security into the mix, the prime reason why our Government spends way too much money (this is the single largest expenditure at the federal level, it would take 10 years in Iraq to equal one year of this boondogle), assuming that I never make more than $37k, my loss because of the government's fucking stupid socialist programs reaches $1.32 million or $132,000 of annual income lost. Social Security steals $2,405 of usable investment dollars from me this year as well as rapes the value of the money I already have through inflationary practices just to pay off the elderly assholes that were too irresponsible to take care of their own retirement and spent all that money on new cars and houses well beyond their income levels.
This is just OASDI and gasoline, a meager $3,005 a year translates into losses of $1.32 million by 2048 and $132,000 a year of retirement income.
Now compound that with other increase costs because American Congressmen are corrupt and/or stupid. If someone like Obama gets in office and actually gets a universal healthcare system through, my final retirement loss because of Congressmen could reach a half a million a year in final retirement income.
On top of that, the fat cow Nancy Pelosi those idiots in California keep electing thinks my $37,000 a year job makes me wealthy and wants to fully tax all that retirement income to help the poor and, get this, illegal immigrants. Plus, these dickweeds would want to take away all those social security "benefits" I paid $2,405 into each year (assuming I don't ever get anymore money and eternally remain an entry level accountant) because I make too much money and social security is so massive that it needs to be cut back just to avoid total collapse.
No, inflation is a bad fucking thing, anyone that tries to argue otherwise is either stupid or stands to make a ton of money off of it because they get first dibs from the Federal Reserve printing presses. The only good monetary policy is to have a monetary unit that doesn't fluctuate in price over a long period of time. My dollar should be close to what it's worth in 40 years as it is today, not 2% of its current value if we calculate the long term effects of inflation.
rv @ Apr 30th 2008 9:34PM
@Laughingtarger- If you feel that way, buy commodities.
Mark Bennett @ Apr 30th 2008 12:08PM
So does this mean Microsoft will finally drop the 30% premium Canadians pay for MS Points? It's not like I'm not going to use the money I save to buy more MS points anyway. :P
FOXHOUND @ Apr 30th 2008 12:09PM
The day the US Dollar falls to equality with a MEX Peso, is the day I officially renounce my nationality.
Fernando Rocker @ Apr 30th 2008 12:27PM
My principal incomes is in pesos =(
el serpiente @ Apr 30th 2008 1:44PM
There won't be a nation left if the dollar loses 9/10 its value. Just roving gangs of australians wearing football pads hanging off of dune buggies.
Mutant @ Apr 30th 2008 12:11PM
Now if Microsoft would stop screwing us on the cost of MS points I'd be a happy Canuck.
JJ Rooster @ Apr 30th 2008 12:17PM
Sincerely. With this news, I hope it does force MS to fix the points bullcrap. I want cheaper songs for Rock Band, and I would buy some more Arcade titles no doubt.
Rask @ Apr 30th 2008 12:17PM
Wow... This day has come. Sony is listening to gamers more than Microsoft..
Hopefully this will make MS follow suit and adjust the price of MS points appropriately.
I would rent movies off Live were it not for the 30% "I AM Canadian!" tax.
el serpiente @ Apr 30th 2008 1:47PM
Sony is good about listening to gamers, especially when they request systems that don't melt themselves.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 30th 2008 12:20PM
Sony thinks they're being kind yet every other region still takes it up the keaster.
Nate @ Apr 30th 2008 1:08PM
Well, one at a time.
Number_Zero @ Apr 30th 2008 12:28PM
Well crap. I just bought the Warhawk Expansion packs on Monday.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 30th 2008 2:19PM
How is Broken Mirror? I heard the troop carrier is fucking insane.
Hassun @ Apr 30th 2008 1:32PM
How about looking at Europe instead? The price difference is so insane it's almost tragic.
Example:
Xbox Live gold 1 year
US: 50 dollars
Europe: 94 dollars
UK: 79 dollars
FNG @ Apr 30th 2008 2:18PM
Are your prices including the tax? Isn't the tax built into all prices for Europe? How about the UK? My example would be the Europe cost at 94. Does that include the VAT? Isn't that about 17.5% If so, that is 16.45 of the price.
oldest gamer @ Apr 30th 2008 12:36PM
PSN price parity was equal to the US dollar earlier this year. Good to see it return. Also of interst is the store price of all Sony game hardware, that has been on par with the Yank prices for a while. No comment on M$ or Nintendo as they both still over charge us cannucks on EVERYTHING.
Tim The Enchanter @ Apr 30th 2008 1:06PM
All your currency is belong to us...
Nate @ Apr 30th 2008 1:11PM
Man, thats such a great gesture by Sony. Really classy. Given how many other companies screw the Canadians, it's nice to see Sony take the high road and fix it.
I'm not even Canadian and I think it's cool.
Kujel @ Apr 30th 2008 1:16PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqkN8XsYtJI
Belper @ Apr 30th 2008 4:08PM
It's aboot time.
I've been silently grumbling every time I buy Rock Band DLC for $2.99 per song.
I don't suppose they'll give us refunds on what we've overpaid to them in the past, $42 in RB DLC alone for me.
Anyway there's a smile on my flappy head right now, guy.
LAWL @ May 1st 2008 12:19AM
MINUS 50 DKP FOR THE AMERICAN DOLLAR!
Hackangel @ May 1st 2008 9:03AM
Got on the PSN first thing this morning. No price change!