NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – For the past 20 years, the gaming world has had one universal truth: AAA games cost roughly $50. As we close in on the next generation of game machines, though, change is in the air.

Publishers have quietly been testing how consumers might react to higher priced games for a while now, bumping the price of sure-bet titles above the $50 line. Sales of "collector's edition" titles, which offer small perks for anywhere from $10 to $25 more, are also being watched closely.