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Failing Manufacturers Are Pushing the Narrative That Consoles Are Dying, Says Ex-Xbox Exec
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this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2024
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People have been telling me that consoles are dying and everyone will play on PC instead for over 30 years. The convenience factor of the all-in-one hardware, and the supported lifetime of the platform, can't be understated. I can see docked phones being a replacement at some point. But I'd be surprised if PCs ever squash out consoles.
Aside from convenience, the price really is a lot cheaper than equivalent PCs. An RTX 4070 alone costs as much as a playstation 5 (with disc), and that comes with a controller too.
But you don't really need a 4070 for gaming. Just like you don't need a F150 to drive to work (most people don't at least). Plenty of lower end hardware does the job well. Over the course of the systems lifetime a PC can be very competitive in terms of prices for games. And it can be used for more than just gaming.
Yeah, it's the wrong generation and has a little too much power, the closest would probably be a 3060 which was available shortly after the launch of the PS5. But it was still more than half the price of a PS5 and you need more than a GPU for a computer.
But you also don't have to pay for online monthly you get better deals on games and or free if you're one to sail the seas imo they save you money in the long run and you can do so much more then just play games on it compared to a console
That's not really a fair comparison though. The ps5 has nowhere near the gpu power of a 4070. The PS5 is equal to like a low-mid range PC. Also console players are paying yearly subscription fees to play multiplayer. Plus you can think of the display as a cost as well. You need a monitor or TV, just like a PC. PC is likely more expensive overall, but not by as much as people think. Plus PC gives you so many perks over consoles. So you're getting a ton more functionality for your money. It's really not a HUGE DEAL to get a console once you factor these things in. Deal, sure. But not a huge deal.
Im a lifelong PC enthusiast, but I recently bought a PS5.
The amount of games you can play instantly with 14€ a month is overwhelming!
I could never build A equivalent Pc for the same price.
I came to realize that I prefer picking up the ps5 controller and get a game started in less than 30~ seconds instead of gaming on my PC.
I don't understand this at all. You can get game pass or something on PC as well. That isn't a console only benefit.
I have about 100 games at this point I've gotten for free from Epic alone. Add in a few every year from steam and GOG, yeah not a great argument against PC...
My argument is that gaming on ps5 is cheaper and more convenient than on PC.
I referenced the game pass because games tend to be cheaper on PC in general.
The availability of a game pass equalizes the price for gaming and makes buying games on PS5 obsolete for me.
But game pass is available on PC too... Are you not understanding that?
I guess I see your argument? I don't really agree though - read my other comments.
I think we have a misunderstanding. I will try one last time:
My Argument: Gaming on Ps5 is cheaper and more convenient than gaming on PC.
Why more convenient?
(See my first reply above)
But why cheaper?
Not because of games (a gamepass exists on both pc and ps5)
But because of hardware!
Ps5=~550€
PC (with the same specs)=MB+CPU+GPU+SSD+RAM+Case+Mouse+Keyboard+Gamepad=More than ~550€
Do you disagree?
Eh I'm not sure I really do agree on the cost. Because like you need to add another $400 onto the ps5 cost for 5 years worth of online fees to pay miltiplayer (assuming they don't raise prices in 5 years, which they most definitely will) so now you're up about $1K USD or more. I just used 5 years of fees since i figured new consoles come out every 5ish years. Could even be longer. No one seems to factor this in when describing console prices. Rember, there are NO online fees with PC (unless it's a MMO with a subsciption fee or something but 99% games do not charge for online play.)
Also again, remember that a ps5 is a low-mid range PC. I think you can build a low-mid range PC for $1k or a bit higher, (crazy how expensive it is these days. $1k used to be a high end PC lol.)
Lastly, you'll need to buy another controller for ps5 probably. So that's another $50 or $60 or whatever the hell they cost these days. Maybe even a headset/microphone - not sure if those come with the ps5.
A comparable PC is probably still more expensive, but not really by that much....
Do you see what I'm saying now?
I do see your point.
But Your calculation also proved my point that gaming on a PS5 is indeed cheaper.
Sure. It's probably like 20% cheaper with much less functionality, like none to little customization/modding, and gives an inferior HDR presentation. But it's cheaper yes. so your point is proven, but it's badly wounded.
Game passes exist for PC as well, and offer even more variety there.
Boot time should never take 30sec on PC as well. But most consoles are actually not much faster in boot and loading times. People tend to compare a PC booting from cold with a console just booting from sleep/hibernation mode.
Boot times on PC however can easily be further optimized, especially when not using Windows for gaming. A gaming Linux distro will be faster by leagues, even in a cold start.
Game Pass owners fired the people who made Hi-Fi Rush, so I wouldn’t expect many bangers from them in the coming months.
I think in the near future, game-passes will cost one AAA game per month. Otherwise, I don't see how it will be sustainable business. Microsoft has already started increasing the price. I hope it doesn't happen though.
I agree.
People dont deal with more freedom, I know I dont. I have a pc and ps5 and prefer the simplicity of the ps5 setup which is a big selling point.
Yea fair enough. That's a completely valid point.
PC is already larger than active users on both PlayStations combined, and it didn't used to be that way. Given the Steam Deck and what Microsoft have been saying about handhelds and their next console(s), you're looking at a very real possibility that the next Xbox is just a PC with a different UI, like the Steam Deck.
isn't the steam deck much closer to a console than a PC?
It's honestly the best of both worlds. A well built and tested hardware platform with well known specs and manufacturer support, that's capable of running any third party software at the drop of a hat
Not really? Conceptually maybe. But if you can install whatever OS you want and aren't forced to use official distribution methods then that seems pretty PC to me
Steam Deck is just Linux... It's the same as installing Linux with Steam. And run Proton via Steam.
Now we're in philosophical territory with questions like, "What is a console?" It runs PC games, but you can navigate it with a controller. It has most console features but is malleable enough to have most PC features.
sure, it's a spectrum. but to me the biggest defining feature of a console is being a self-contained wad of hardware, unable to be upgraded or repaired piece by piece.
Then it arguably isn't that either. They give you full instructions on how to repair and upgrade it, and they partnered with iFixIt. People have modded in more storage, battery life, and better screens. Personally, I think I draw the line at the part where it runs the same executables as any other PC, so I'll call it a PC.
Wow, it's been 40 years since I played on a spectrum.
Those are two different things
Steam Deck checks this, but so do laptops, raspberry pis and smartphones.
Again Steam Deck is almost as upgradable and repairable as a laptop, and more repairable than a raspberry pi or a smartphone.
So that definition of console doesn't work, otherwise raspberry pies, laptops, and especially phones would also be consoles. The differentiating factor is locking of the system with the hardware, in that sense Apple is more "console-like" than non-Apple competitors. Also The primary function of a gaming console must be gaming.
With those two extra points the Steam Deck hits one but misses the other. It is primarily for gaming, but the system is not locked down, you can change it how you want and even remove it entirely and put a different one.
So with any definition you can find the Steam Deck is not quite a console, but it does provide a console experience, so it's in a weird space.
I upgraded my Steamdeck joysticks to a 3rd party with hall effect sensors, the ssd to one with double the capacity, and the fan to one that is silent. There's people that have upgraded even more things, to the point of using a pcie flat cable to connect a full pcie GPU card.
The steam deck is a PC in a handheld form factor. It simply runs Linux and defaults to steams big picture mode (a console esque interface). You can still enter a desktop mode and use firefox and a word processor
Yeah, but now you can buy an all-in-one convenient PC to plug on your TV with almost 100% retro compatibility, it's called the Steam Deck and it's awesome.
I left my steam deck but it's no replacement for an actually high-end PC
But it is a replacement for a console like I told the person I replied to.
It may not be a replacement, though they can work hand in hand amazingly.
I've found that as long as I leave my pc running at home, I'm able to just hop on 4G mobile data through my phone and stream the vast majority of games.
I wouldn't try this for multi-player games, but when I want to play Warhammer when I'm away this does the trick!
Or even at home, no more hauling the pc to the TV. Stick it in the corner, and simply stream over wifi.
Personally the only games not able to played on my deck are games like Starfield, which thankfully doesn't bother me one bit. (Though it worked perfectly being streamed from my 1660ti).
Now if you're a graphics snob then no, the deck can not compare to a pc. But neither can a console.
Can't if they don't sell in your country
Does the deck dock to TV? I always thought the Switch should have a pro dock to upscale when docked.
Yup, you can buy the official dock or really any usb-C dock. Resolution can be set, so you can even do 4k on it if the tv supports it and the deck can handle it for that game
Im with you except for the "supported lifetime," I have a PC that can play the original Doom alongside Cyberpunk 2077 with raytracing, and literally everything in between.
My PS3 can play at most a decade worth of games. It is obsolete.
Sure, but so is the PC that someone bought around the time the original Doom was released.
Right. Fair enough. But, as another user said, I can upgrade that PC. I've technically had the "same PC" since like 2015. At this point, there are no pieces of the original left, but I never went out and spend $1000 on a new rig up front.
Also, that still doesn't make consoles look amy better. Because, when the PS3 became obsolete, and I went and got a PS4, what happened to my PS3 library? It's still locked to my PS3. Even if we did have to go buy new computers every 7 years, they's still all run the original Doom as well as newer games, and everything in between. All this, while also being able to file my taxes.
Not necessarily. You can incremently upgrade your pc over time. Typically for cheaper than a brand new console. Generally as long as you have a nice enough mobo, you could just replace the GPU and suddenly "be able to play next gen games"
I still believe mobile PC's (like the ROG or Deck) will be the new consoles of the future. Why the hell would I trap myself to a room every time I want to play a game? Now I can walk to any random forest, lake, area, and go play Cyberpunk 2077 for 4 hours with nothing but nature.