4 wk. ago • 93%

How Trump's Tariffs Could Cost Gamers Billions

kotaku.com How Trump's Tariffs Could Cost Gamers Billions

The import taxes could raise prices on PS5 Pros and Switch 2s by more than $100

67 comments

In the US.

104
- I was borderline thinking of re-editing the headline to something along the lines of:
  
  Proposed US tariffs may significantly raise gaming hardware costs for US gamers
  
  But then decided against it as I generally think it's best to avoid title edits (other than minor corrections/edits that are explicit).
  
  34
- Companies will find a way to apply this also to the rest of the world, citing some bogus reasons.
  
  21
  
  It's like how back when the Euro or the Pound were worth nearly 2x what the dollar was, a new device or piece of hardware would sell for $399/€399/£399.
  
  27
You guys have much bigger problems to worry about right now tbh

76
- Yeah, if the fascist overthrow of democracy only had tariffs to worry about, we'd be doing well.
  
  30
Not my president 😡

Tap for spoiler

(I live in Germany)

41
- Well to be fair you already went through this shit once. Speaking of which, you're gonna send troops over here to help us out this time, right?
  
  6
- Schwein gehabt!
  
  1
It ain't gonna cost me shit because I'm spending next to nothing for the foreseeable future apart from necessities, and what little I do spend is gonna be bought as locally as possible. Fuck this country.

36
For how much people are worrying about tariffs I've lived my entire life with a 66% alcohol tax, 75% electronics tax, 240-380% vehicles tax and recently even saw 150% inflation.

Let's play a game!

Where do I live?

25
- Turkey for sure
  
  19
  
  DING DING DING DING YOU WON!!!
  
  8
- Ooh I'll play. Australia?
  
  8
  
  Wow Australia has it like that? Nope. A lot less isolated
  
  6
- Argentina?
  
  4
  
  Recently 150% inflation, not Argentina, based on the "Recently"
  
  4
Piracy 😍

19
- Unfortunately, the only hardware component you can actually download is RAM. And increased hardware prices are going to be the primary cost factor.
  
  23
  
  The funny thing is, I believe RAM is actually one component that isn't manufactured as much in China (compared to other components).
  
  10
  
  Oh sorry I didn't read the article. Hardware makes more sense.
  
  5
  
  Then it isn't so much playing games, it's the death of the entire industry. If no one can play anything, there's nothing to sell.
  
  Neato!
  
  Guess I'll have to keep my steam deck in good working order and enjoy gaming in a tribute sense.
  
  3
- Until untracked VPNs are made illegal due to "security."
  
  7
  
  ...make your own. Destroy it and remake it with a new IP once every few months, use headscale or something to make managing it easier.
  
  I am this petty, absolutely.
  
  (Or just get everything now, I mean. You got a month. Sorry if you didn't buy a few hard drives when Trump got elected. Some of us saw the writing on the wall.)
  
  6
We as leftists, must organize in ways that match the fascists. Subversion of their goals is our goal. The class and culture war is in full effect and we must not be complacent.

18
- I'm not at all sure you can assume gamers are leftists. An awful lot seem to be pretty hard right.
  
  28
  
  Yeah, gamer gate was one of the things that lead to Trump being elected in the first place. Plus the outcry that still happens when BIPOC, LGBT, or women protagonists are used. Hell, just look at any steam discussion board sometime and you'll see it.
  
  As someone who games, gAmERs are the fucking worst
  
  11
  
  It’s a shame. Seeing the bullshit companies have done to games for the sake of profit ought to be a pretty easy on-ramp to anti-capitalism. But just like in the real world, racist shit distracts them from any of that.
  
  3
  
  Seem to be pretty *fucking stupid. Ftfy
  
  1
  
  I don't assume anything, I don't give a fuck what an awful lot of um seem to be. Im speaking the truth. The children can to listen and stand up for themselves. Or they can let the billionaires hold em by the balls while forking over their dollars and begging for more games and snack foods, jerking their lives away.
  
  1
- [ignore, need to drink coffee]
  
  4
  
  Apologies, I'm not on Lemmy very much, nor the gaming community. I'm an American distraught by Trump right now. I'm no communist. Just an impassioned and anxious progressive American. Thank you for telling me.
  
  9
- go on Counter Strike
  
  constant n words
  
  "your body my choice."
  
  ...yeah, y'all got this. Lmao. Gamers unite! 😂
  
  1
  
  Omg, are you a professional comedian!!! You could make millions!!! 😂😂😂 thats some original humor right there!!! You genius you
  
  -1
- Won’t the tariffs incentivise domestic production and give work to more regular folks? There’s also less stuff to be hauled around the world so there’s environmental benefits too. Sounds like a leftist idea to me.
  
  -10
  
  If you gave it thirty years and the entire world paused and waited for us, sure,... but, we have a global economy and old people need medications, cars need chips and batteries. We all depend on each other. We can't charge a toll and pretend everything won't see any ill effects
  
  8
  
  We don't have infrastructure to produce a lot of the components in the things we buy, and even if we did, it would inherently cost a lot more to produce than in the countries that are about to have tariffs placed on them. That the US ever was a manufacturing powerhouse was, in my understanding, a very "place and time" sort of deal after World War II. Not only were all of our competitors recovering from being bombed, but we also advanced to a services based economy very quickly, raising the standard of living beyond a point that manufacturing jobs can typically afford to support. I'm no economist though; I just watch one on YouTube, and "the middle income trap" is a frequent topic.
  
  7
  
  Tell me you don't know how the world works without telling me you don't know how the world works.
  
  4
  
  Half right half wrong, would benefit USA a lot more if they were a developing market, not the center of the modern world
  
  1
Gaymers are the most oppressed group, literally 1984

17
'American gamers must return to buying American for their gaming needs. That’s why I have talked to Microsoft and they will lower their prices considerably. You are welcome, nerds.' -DT, probably soon

15
- I think the most made-in-America gaming hardware is probably the mac pro
  
  14
  
  You're forgetting that they have to import all the components that are inside. Also mine says "Assembled in China", check yours, lol.
  
  17
- No amount of tariffs would get me to buy an Xbox lol
  
  6
They targeted gamers

7
*American?

4
- Mostly I suppose - but in the example/hypothetical given in the article of Sony moving it's manufacturing from China to India, it would take 6-24 months minimum to find/develop the space they need and move the equipment. This cost to move all of the equipment half way across the world and the opportunity cost of out of stocks at stores worldwide when your distribution chain finally drys up - the cost was sited at 10%. If they MOVE a facility, I think that cost gets passed on to everybody worldwide.
  
  There may be situations where JUST American production is moved to another country with more favorable tarrifs and worldwide production continues out of the existing facility, and probably in a situation like that, only the American costs would increase to cover the facility/equipmemt costs. But for that to make fiscal sense, this would have to be somehow CHEAPER than the price already elevated by the tarrifs. Companies could even in this case, theoretically hike prices worldwide to subsidize the impact to everybody. More people paying a higher prices mean everybody pays less.
  
  Now, I couldn't say if there's any precident for the last line there. Purely hypothetical. But regardless - it's entirely possible it WON'T be JUST Americans paying higher prices.
  
  1
What’s a better way to build up local manufacturing? The oligarchy says this is a good idea for solar panel & EV imports. What’s the difference?

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