I was browsing the PlayStation Store and saw that there was a Gold Edition (game plus some downloadable content) available for pre-order. The price? 1179 Swedish Krona, which translates to around $160 / €127 / £102. This is outrageous. In the high street, new games cost about 599-699 SEK, and usually a little lower online. In the case of Assassin's Creed III, there's even the "Join or Die" Collector's Edition which includes a medallion, George Washington's Notebook, and a number of downloadable content, all priced at 799 kroner.

Let's presume the normal edition is 699. That means you're expected to pay 480 extra (current average pre-order price for Anarchy Reigns), for what? Some DLC and the 'convenience' of getting the game on release day? How long would it take to download and install if it's around 9-10 GBs? Is there even enough space on the hard drive? Plus after you finish the game, you can't lend it to a friend or sell it used. I'm seeing more disadvantages than advantages here. Plus without all the manufacturing and postage costs you'd think the game would cost less.

Anyone else find this trend annoying? Is there a particular reason why downloadable versions are almost always priced like this?