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by leakycap 261 days ago
I wonder if this would be well-known if it was free instead of a nominal cost of $5?

When I put this much work in, charging a tiny/nominal fee feels like a barrier without a clear reason.

Younger users without payment methods and those on a budget will not engage with what you built.

At $5, the income stream has to be miniscule, so why choose a $5 license instead of free with donations?

If you want to make money on this, all the thrilled users you currently have would have likely paid 2x or more the current price, so if making money from it is the reason for the cost, $5 is confusing. But $5 is also confusing as a cost of entry to something that could be widely enjoyed at no extra cost to you, and might bring you something good in return if it was free and not paid.

At $5 a pop I can't imagine you're getting much of anything, including attention or widespread usage.

4 comments

There are free demos available on the store page for Windows, Linux, and Nintendo DS, so Cobalt can still be used by people who can't afford $5. Charging a higher price would make the program a lot less accessible, and charging nothing would be unsustainable, I can't live off attention alone.
Young users without payment methods do not sideload binaries on a Nintendo DS.

If you’re hacking with a Nintendo DS in 2025 you were most likely a teenager in the 2000s/early 2010s, and you most certainly have a payment method.

Agree that OP is underselling their work at $5 - the next big psychological barrier after $0.99 is at $9.99, might as well go there

An old DS you find in your parents' stuff from years ago is exactly the sort of thing a young hacker might be messing about with.
$5 is value price for me. No way I'd spend 10. 5? Sure. I feel like I won't miss 5, but 10 is food money.
Actually, when I saw the $5 price, my first thought was: thank you for not making this a subscription.