Historical Console Prices
Via Boing Boing, an interesting chart from Curmudgeon Gamer showing the inflation-adjusted prices of game consoles over the last 20 years.
I'm tempted (but don't have the time) to research and chart the true costs of these systems when fully equipped. For example, as I noted, with wireless controllers, a wireless adapter, a starting set of games, an Xbox Live subscription, and some Microsoft points to spend, an Xbox 360 Premium system approaches $1,000 in total cost. Sony's total cost for a PlayStation 3 will undoubtedly be even higher -- $1,100 to $1,200, I would guess.
At the same time, it would be equally interesting (but difficult) to chart the functionality of game systems over time. Yes, an Xbox 360 Premium system costs about $1,000 when fully equipped -- but how much more does it include and do, objectively speaking, than a system from 10 years ago -- a PlayStation 1 or a Nintendo 64?