Hello, PC gaming here: Are the consoles OK?
Hello, PC gaming here: Are the consoles OK?
With sales dropping and confidence declining, how close are we to the end of consoles as we know them?
I still don't understand why would I want a PS5 when I have a PC
I could see the appeal of consoles back in the day, when they were weaker specs but much cheaper and the games just worked right out of the box. But nowadays it seems like they're just as expensive, still not as good for specs and the games are just as bug-riddled as PC games half the time. And Sony has been releasing all their big hits on PC anyway so yeah really no reason for me to get a PS5 that I can see.
But nowadays it seems like they're just as expensive, still not as good for specs and the games are just as bug-riddled as PC games half the time.
No they aren’t ‘as expensive’, LTT did a video a while back where they tried to build a PC that could beat a PS5 for a similar price. They had to buy used parts to match the price and the PC did not include a controller ($69). If you’re going to use used parts, then also compare it to the price of a used PS5.
And Sony has been releasing all their big hits on PC anyway so yeah really no reason for me to get a PS5 that I can see.
Sure, if you want to play old-ass games, get a PC.
Because my pc uses 4-5 times the power to run the same ps4-era game. (Especially nice when it’s hot in summer)
So I play it on my ps5, which offers me quick resume as well.
I love pc gaming, been building pc’s for over a decade at this point, but I do also see the advantages my ps5 has over my pc.
Could I build a more efficient and quiet pc, attach it to my tv and use that? Probably, and it’d be quite good with steamOS on it, but it’d be finicky to get sleep/resume working on it, and it’d probably cost me more.
And then there are people like me who buy all the consoles just to have them and barely use them all and mainly game on the PC.
Same, if only to keep fulfilling a childhood commitment to myself of owning all consoles after seeing some friends of mine having a Sega AND a Nintendo.
Couch gaming.
I'm a technical person and I've tried a lot of different methods to do couch gaming with a PC. From having some sort of lap tray to various wireless mice and keyboard solutions. I've currently landed on having my gaming desktop just stream with Steam Link to my living room. As long as I'm selective about which games I want to play, I can usually get a good experience. But I still have at least 60% of my steam library that isn't a good experience doing that.
Having a dedicated piece of hardware with a custom OS that is designed around a controller is a huge difference maker. Plus you add in how ridiculously expensive it is to get either a USB external optical drive or internal SATA drive to watch DVDs and Blu-Rays. Heck, even just watching Netflix or YouTube in the living room is easier on PS5 than a media PC for the average user.
There's a reason Valve tried to make the Steam Machine.
Exclusives, simplicity, ease of use. I had a gaming PC, but switched to the PS5 only because I realized I've been using my PC like a PS5. I only play like fifa and gta now since most new games don't even excite me anymore.
I don’t understand why I would buy a PC when I can get a PS5.
Seems most don't live near a Microcenter and it shows!
Consoles forever crappy spec PCs.
At least I can stream my Desktop to my Steam Deck OLED with HDR even with Moonlight 🌕 + Sunshine ☀️
I picked up a Steam Deck to get into PC gaming and frankly, I don't get it. So many games not even worth the bandwidth to download much less actually play.
Edit Example:
https://www.polygon.com/gaming/24173617/banana-clicker-game-steam-egg
Steam users aren't known for great taste in games.
And yeah, since Fry's shut down, I haven't thought about building a PC again. No Microcenter around here either.
i'm the exact opposite. all my computers are macs so I've been gaming on PS5 for years. picked up an sd oled mostly to play hades, but have finished dead island 2, ghsot of tsushima and hogwarts legacy on it. the barrier to entry to play a game is so low with the steamdecks suspend feature, I can just pick it up and be playing 5 seconds later.
Maybe you've just grown out of gaming. The Steam Deck has it's issues, but the sheer amount of different great games playable on it is debatably it's greatest strength. Hades, Armored Core, Persona, Dark Souls, pokemon romhacks, etc.
You have discovered sturgeon's law. 90% of everything is crap. Judging a medium or genre by the crap isn't useful.
Steam is a platform that works best for word of mouth. Yes, 90% of it is crap if you just browse around. Hang around gaming forums and YouTube channels that highlight top indy games, and you'll soon have more games than you can play in a lifetime.
Those of us who rave about it have been doing this for years and have a big backlog. Now that I think about it, it would be difficult to jump in cold.
"Console sales are down. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella marked a 26% decline in spending on current-generation consoles this April compared to last April."
We're 4 years into the generation, sales declines aren't uncommon, but this gen has had unique challenges:
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Covid fucked it all up. Supply chain issues screwed availability, software engineering ganked game development.
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Too much emphasis on "Cross Gen". Why would someone scramble to get a hard to find PS5 or Xbox Series when the same game is out on PS4/Xbox One X?
Long generations are kind of the new thing, starting with Xbox 360/PS3. Previously they were around 5 years and people are looking for the next machines now.
And people cry when games like Elite Dangerous drop console support.
Microsoft and Sony force them to develop for the lowest spec gen, so no you cannot play on your PS5/X whatever because PS4 and One X cannot run new game engine.
They were never more than 20% of the player base.
Also get your free PC copy Here 🥹
I somewhat understand what you are talking about but the buggy and poorly maintained Elite Dangerous isn't the best example to support your argument. BG3 getting a pass on some features for the series S is exactly what other games should be able to do if it makes sense for them.
Microsoft and Sony force them to develop for the lowest spec gen
No they don’t. If the developers wanted they could have dropped support for the last gen versions for newer updates (like what cyberpunk did).
Also for what it’s worth they even had a ps4 trailer for the Odyssey dlc.
I think we're too far out to blame supply chain issues. PS5 is lagging behind PS4 at the same point in its life by about 20M consoles. #2 is both a symptom and a cause. Developers across the entire industry have bloated their development timelines. That means fewer games and less reacting to consumer tends. When do you think Concord started development, for instance? And do you think it still would have been made if it started after Overwatch 2 came out?
Plus, consumers seem to be gravitating toward the less restrictive open standard. If you're in Sony land, you need to replace your old controllers, even though they still work; you have to pay for online play; backwards compatibility is a bit of a dice roll, and if you want features as similar as higher resolution textures and better frame rates, they're going to sell you a remaster rather than just letting you turn up the settings. In ruling over their walled garden ecosystem and trying to extract more money from it, they've given players more and more reason to play on PC.
Pretty sure the shortest time between Playstation consoles was 6 years (PS1 > PS2 & PS2 > PS3.) Then 7 years for both PS4 and PS5.
Playstation consoles are weird because Sony just can't let go of old hardware (unless it's the PSP).
The PS1 was in production from 1994/1995 (Japan/US) to 2006(!) So it technically overlapped both the PS2 and PS3(!)
PS2 ran from 2000 to 2013.
PS3 2006 to 2017.
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The money is in the users not selling the hardware. As long as Playstation has hundreds of million daily users they will continue to make insane profit. The people will move up a generation eventually.
I think what we're seeing is that people aren't choosing to move up a generation.
Yea because ps4 is still getting all the releases and ps5 is really expensive. I have friends who still play on ps4 and I went to their house and they're playing games on like 20fps having a blast. It was kinda wholesome I just wish they weren't getting scammed by Sony and chose pc so they could play games that actually run on their hardware.
The one holdout among the console makers is Nintendo, whose PC strategy is still to threaten fan projects with lawsuits. Perhaps I do not have to hand it to Nintendo for this, but as a result of its obstinance, the Switch is the only console I'd consider buying as a PC gamer. Nintendo remains a one-of-a-kind gaming company, whereas Xbox and PlayStation feel less and less distinguishable from gaming at large—aka PC gaming.
I'm not sure about this analysis of the Switch's success. The "lawsuit" argument is pretty irrelevant; the console would sell regardless of whether emulation existed (as it has, for most of the big titles and for much of the console's life). I think the "one-of-a-kind" argument is accurate, but I'd also suggest that the very wide library of games is a major reason why Nintendo has performed so well in this generation. The Switch appeals to almost every single type of gamer - there is so much variety there. Additionally, the portability is clear point of difference: for many, the Switch is more like a handheld that they can occasionally play on the TV, rather than a traditional home console. And finally, the Switch is just a more affordable option and that has mattered a lot since 2020.
Some things to say back to this:
Most people now have the console they prefer, and it’s lasting them. They don’t necessarily need new consoles. This is true EVEN if that console is a PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. They don’t get everything, but a surprising number of major releases still come to all those destinations.
It’s still nicely convenient to have consoles for less setup and configuration. Some people manage really complex problems for their work and home projects already - a desktop computer may be beyond their tolerance.
I’ve never been into this pc vs console cringe fest of an argument. I’ve always been a pc gamer, but guess what, some exclusives only come to consoles. If I want to play that exclusive enough and I have expendable cash, I’ll buy it. I still prefer to play on pc over any of the consoles, but a ps5 is a solid system.
I haven't had a gaming-capable PC for about a decade and I'm very happy with my PS5 (and the PS4 before it). Sony bringing exclusives to PC don't feel like the end times as it's just a way for them to make more money.
I'm genuinely glad that PC players will get to experience some of the great games that have been on the PS5 in the last few years.
It's literally brave of you to come to this community and this thread and say that you love your console. And then to express positivity for PC users! You are exactly what we need more of in gaming.
I own a PS5 and only play Don't Starve together because they only enable couch coop on console. Bullshit lazy PC devs.
If I'm ever getting a PS, then it's only because of Don't Starve split screen gaming.
the real problem for me was paying toplay online games and having no way to install games but the ps store
Can count on one hand the number of times the xbox was even powered on. The ps4 gets more time but my pc is my main platform.
Consoles are great if you want the same thing you can get on your computer but with worse graphics, shittier framerate, and a terrible device for input.
true, but try making a half decent PC for the price of one console
I think consoles are sold at a loss, they make the money from game sales
Speak for yourself I use both controllers and kbm for my PC games. The input method isn't really worth crying over.
Hey come on now that's not fair, at least the games are way more expensive and you have a fraction of the selection to choose from
Eh, I have both and I spend most of my time on the console. I work at a computer all week long. I don't want to be on one after work. The console gives me a very friendly interface to control from my couch, in front of my big screen TV, and the device itself is small enough to fit into my entertainment center