The following list details the most incredibly expensive consoles at launch. This is not including special editions or inflated prices; this is the honest to goodness retail cost for consumers. Some of the early entries are fairly reasonable, but further on down the list the sticker prices skyrocket for obscure platforms most modern gamers do not know.
Shelling out several hundred dollars for a piece of hardware only to have it discontinued a year or two later is devastating, especially when the competition is thriving. This list is also not adjusted for inflation, otherwise many older consoles would populate the list.
10 Wii U (Deluxe Set) ($350)
The Wii U was a misstep for a variety of reasons. The confused marketing left less savvy consumers confused as to whether or not it was the company's next generation hardware or simply an upgraded Wii. Additionally, the 2012 release was poorly timed, since the PS4 and Xbox One would come out just a year later. The basic set came in at roughly three-hundred dollars, but the three hundred and fifty dollar price tag for the Deluxe Set ended up being the most expensive Nintendo console ever released.
9 Sega Saturn ($400)
Shadow drops are a great way to announce a game, but it is difficult to believe a company would ever do the same for a console. Sega did just this with their follow up to the Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn. Unfortunately, releasing an expensive platform without prior notice gives consumers no time to save up the money. Even the most ardent Sega fans were unlikely to waltz out of their house at a moment's notice and spend four hundred dollars. With the PS1 close behind and one hundred dollars cheaper, the timing was also disadvantageous.
8 Xbox 360 (20GB HD Package) ($400)
The Xbox 360released in two models, one of which held twenty gigabytes of storage. At the beginning of the generation, this was plenty, but as game downloads and installations started becoming more normal, fans were in quick need of an upgrade. Considering the release year of 2005, it is difficult to call this an overpriced machine, especially compared to the competition from Sony. The decent launch lineup and titles released shortly after encouraged a purchase early in the generation.
7 TurboGrafx-CD ($400)
The TurboGrafx-16 launched for a reasonable two hundred dollars, though this is still expensive for the late '80s. However, a CD attachment later came out and was priced at almost four hundred dollars by itself. While this is certainly exorbitant, compact discs were still new tech and this was the first home console to use it.
Eventually, a bundle came out for four hundred dollars packaging the two together. In the states, the TurboGrafx-16 only lasted five years, so it is difficult to say if it was worth the price.
6 PlayStation 4 ($400)
After making numerous mistakes with the PlayStation 3's launch, including a ridiculously high price tag, Sony made sure to start off on the right foot with their next console. The reveal was jam-packed with new games and showcased several launch titles on release day with no smoke and mirrors, and the plan paid off. Four hundred is no small pile of change for most people, but people were willing to shell out this amount for a new console without complaining.
5 Xbox One ($500)
The Xbox One put itself at a severe disadvantage by costing one hundred dollars more than the PS4. This was due purely to the inclusion of the Kinect with each console. This high price combined with a poor console reveal gave Sony a significant lead at the start of the generation.
Fortunately, the console went back on the right track under Phil Spencer's leadership, with numerous versions of the console available at all different price points.
4 PlayStation 3 ($600)
After the immeasurably successful PS2, Sony let hubris get the best of them. Not only did the best edition of the PS3 cost just one dollar shy of six hundred, but the initial games reveal wrote checks the hardware simply could not cash. The messaging was also unclear on whether the demos shown were pre-rendered or even representative of what the games would look like. Fortunately, price cuts came shortly after release, opening up the console to more consumers.
3 Neo Geo AES ($650)
Neo Geo knew they had a luxury console on their hands they could not sell for anything less than six hundred and fifty dollars, yet high demand caused them to release the system to the market anyway. Considering this was the early nineties, it was not wholly unfair to price a system this high when it can replicate arcade games. Few would ever spend that much money at an arcade in their lifetime, but convenience is also an important factor.
2 3DO ($700)
The 3DO, or 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, did not have a lot going for it in terms of games, and the astronomical seven hundred dollar price tag did not help matters any either. While it may have been the most powerful console at the time, it was usurped in just a couple of years by other 3D platforms like the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, both of which were significantly cheaper. At least it is big enough to prop doors open, making it a multi-purpose machine.
1 Philips CD-i ($1,000)
The first edition of this dramatic failure came out with an astonishing thousand dollar price tag. What did one receive for purchasing such an expensive piece of hardware? None other than several of the least celebrated entries in both the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises. It is unfair to call them a part of their franchises because they were not developed by Nintendo. Due to deals, Philips was allowed to use the characters and took full advantage of this permission to make the console more appealing.