With the announcement that Final Fantasy Dimension will cost $30 and the recent announcement of an HD Remake of The World Ends With You at $20, I've been hearing a lot of vitriol about how these prices are absurd... because it's on iOS.
There are some passable and even decent arguments to be made about the price of games on iOs. Among them are that touch controls are sub-par for many iOS ports. The strongest argument is is against SE not making their gaming apps universal. For those who aren't aware. You can buy apps for iPod, or iPhone, or iPad. Often the iPad versions will cost more. But many app developers just make a universal app, meaning that you buy it for one price and it works on all of your devices (and generally syncs across them) so you don't have to buy multiple versions. This is something SE should certainly do. I love playing FF III on my iPad, but sometimes I wish I could just pull out my iPod for some quick grinding while I'm waiting for a short period somewhere.
While there are some decent arguments against the pricing, I rarely hear those. The ones I'm hearing the most are basically arguments of "Other apps and games on iOS are cheap, so that means your game should be cheap too." This argument that the price should match the ecosystem is ridiculous.
Some people have even gone so far as to argue that they would gladly pay $40 or $50 for the same game on 3DS or Vita, but on iOS suddenly the value is inherently less.
So let's like at Final Fantasy Dimensions. This is a new game. In a world where many people are clamoring for nostalgic, sprite-based RPGs, this seems like a godsend. And if SE had released it for $40 on the 3DS you'd hear nary a whimper, but for some reason, the same game game being released on iPad at $30 is insane to them and suddenly not worth the price for a brand new, fully functional, probably 30+ hour game. A team of developers spent time on this. Their work doesn't have less worth just because it's not on the 3DS.
Now look at TWEWY. This isn't even just lazy remake (which is another fairly reasonable argument someone could make). This has remixed music and has improved graphics. The game has obviously been reworked to function on a single screen. Honestly, I think the game would be more playable on a device with multi-touch than on the DS. The argument that the controls suck falls mostly flat (as it does with practically every RPG SE has released with menu-based combat on iOS).
So I don't really understand all the hatred towards SE's pricing model for their high quality iOS ports. I actually am willing to pay because of the convenience of portability. My iPad, which is practically always with me for either work or a host of other reasons, is currently the optimal device for me to game with on the go. I still play my DS and PSP with plans to get a 3DS XL within the month (and a Vita after a price drop or at least some more games), but I play these mostly at home in bed because it's hard to justify carrying them around on top of my other devices that are actually multi-purpose. And honestly, with games I've been playing lately (like Trauma Center) it's hard to imagine playing them on the go. My iPad not only has my whole library of iOS games on it without the need to switch cartridges, but also has a lot of games that are really suited for quick play like Angry Birds or Tiny Wings. I can't really say that for most of the best DS, PSP, Vita, and 3DS games.
So what is the issue between people and the SE pricing? Is it just entitlement?