...compared to now. Take a gander at some of these catalogs for video game stores during the late 1980s and 1990s. (https://huguesjohnson.com/scans/)

Keep in mind, $59.99 today = $33.08 in December 1992. That's a typical price for a new video game now. $100 today is $55.14 then; a majority of new games on SNES were going for more than that. Genesis games were slightly cheaper on average but still considerably more expensive than today's games. Even NES games were normally $40-50 ($72.54 - $90.68). New games on a dying console.

For instance, in the Christmas 1992 Electronics Boutique (EB) catalog, not many games were available for near or under $33.08. Super Mario World was $44.99, but it was a year old and if you had an SNES, you probably already had it. That's $81.59 in today's money. Zelda: A Link to the Past? $49.99 then = $90.66 now. LJN games like Terminator 2 and NBA All Star Challenge were $59.99 then = $108.80 now.

Street Fighter II would set you back $74.99 then. That's $136.00 today! You could also get a Capcom-designed joystick for $79.99 then = $145.07 today. I don't think very many people today would blow $136 on the latest hit video game, let alone $283 for the game + a special controller. No word on how the controller sold, but SFII flew off store shelves. The Miracle Piano is my favorite. $399.99 then = $725.41 today for a piano that works with your SNES!


I'm working on getting the statistics together, using the Christmas catalogs from 1988-1999 to get an average price for the games on each system. I could use all the catalogs, but that would take too much time, so I'm limiting my analysis to what the games were selling for in the Christmas season of each year. A game launched early in the year may be cheaper than its launch price, and video games sell best during the holiday season anyway.