OT: Video Games/Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos

[ReasonablySober]

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LOL yea nah I'm good.

[humanrefutation]

I ain't buying that ****. Insanity.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm no fancy industry expert, but if I were interested in selling a crazy expensive piece of hardware, I'd probably want to show off some really cool new games instead of a bunch of ports of games from console generations ago.

[MikeIsGood]

I'm no fancy industry expert, but if I were interested in selling a crazy expensive piece of hardware, I'd probably want to show off some really cool new games instead of a bunch of ports of games from console generations ago.

This is taking over the industry right now. Major studios, including Sony and Xbox themselves, sticking with tried and true instead of innovating because they "can't afford" to fail - even though they totally can afford it, just not with enough zeroes.

It's annoying.

In any case, I think this very well be the last generation I buy a console for. There aren't enough games anymore that are even Sony exclusive, let alone Xbox (which has always been on PC); I'll just play them on PC.

[Ryan5UW]

I'm no fancy industry expert, but if I were interested in selling a crazy expensive piece of hardware, I'd probably want to show off some really cool new games instead of a bunch of ports of games from console generations ago.

This is taking over the industry right now. Major studios, including Sony and Xbox themselves, sticking with tried and true instead of innovating because they "can't afford" to fail - even though they totally can afford it, just not with enough zeroes.

It's annoying.

In any case, I think this very well be the last generation I buy a console for. There aren't enough games anymore that are even Sony exclusive, let alone Xbox (which has always been on PC); I'll just play them on PC.

Going the way of the movie industry - reboots, remakes, sequels stacked on sequels.

[Ryan5UW]

Astro Bot game of the year.

I actually thought the one that came preinstalled on the PS5 was pretty fun.

[MiltownMadness]

At that point do yourself a favor and buy a PC instead of shelling out $700 on inferior hardware

[emunney]

It used to be that the consoles represented a ton of bang for the buck hardware wise. Companies made it back on software. That no longer the case? How much would you have to pay for a PC/peripherals to get a comparable gaming experience?

From my deeply outdated knowledge, it seems like 700 wouldn't get you close, but if that's changed I may have a new project on my hands.

[MikeIsGood]

It used to be that the consoles represented a ton of bang for the buck hardware wise. Companies made it back on software. That no longer the case? How much would you have to pay for a PC/peripherals to get a comparable gaming experience?

From my deeply outdated knowledge, it seems like 700 wouldn't get you close, but if that's changed I may have a new project on my hands.

It doesn't. But you aren't locked into one platform, either. Microsoft puts almost literally everything on PC day one, and Sony is starting to put games there too (Spiderman, Horizon, God of War, Helldivers, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal to name a few). You get access to all the PC exclusives to boot...and have an actual computer.

You're right, though. $700 doesn't get you close to parity. I'm not approaching it from a budget perspective, personally. I already have the PC I need and am committed to the upgrades.

[emunney]

It used to be that the consoles represented a ton of bang for the buck hardware wise. Companies made it back on software. That no longer the case? How much would you have to pay for a PC/peripherals to get a comparable gaming experience?

From my deeply outdated knowledge, it seems like 700 wouldn't get you close, but if that's changed I may have a new project on my hands.

It doesn't. But you aren't locked into one platform, either. Microsoft puts almost literally everything on PC day one, and Sony is starting to put games there too (Spiderman, Horizon, God of War, Helldivers, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal to name a few). You get access to all the PC exclusives to boot...and have an actual computer.

You're right, though. $700 doesn't get you close to parity. I'm not approaching it from a budget perspective, personally. I already have the PC I need and am committed to the upgrades.

Super helpful answer, thank you for indulging me.

The PC is obviously a far more versatile machine -- if there's a DAW on a PlayStation, I probably wouldn't want to use it -- but I hadn't considered that versatility specifically applied to gaming. I'll have to price it out but it might make sense to me to put $700 *more* into a computer than I otherwise would have to unlock those libraries. I'm a very casual gamer though, so I'd probably personally be better off spending that money on something else entirely or just, like, throwing some emulators on a raspberry pi, or even getting a Switch.

[MikeIsGood]

It used to be that the consoles represented a ton of bang for the buck hardware wise. Companies made it back on software. That no longer the case? How much would you have to pay for a PC/peripherals to get a comparable gaming experience?

From my deeply outdated knowledge, it seems like 700 wouldn't get you close, but if that's changed I may have a new project on my hands.

It doesn't. But you aren't locked into one platform, either. Microsoft puts almost literally everything on PC day one, and Sony is starting to put games there too (Spiderman, Horizon, God of War, Helldivers, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal to name a few). You get access to all the PC exclusives to boot...and have an actual computer.

You're right, though. $700 doesn't get you close to parity. I'm not approaching it from a budget perspective, personally. I already have the PC I need and am committed to the upgrades.

Super helpful answer, thank you for indulging me.

The PC is obviously a far more versatile machine -- if there's a DAW on a PlayStation, I probably wouldn't want to use it -- but I hadn't considered that versatility specifically applied to gaming. I'll have to price it out but it might make sense to me to put $700 *more* into a computer than I otherwise would have to unlock those libraries. I'm a very casual gamer though, so I'd probably personally be better off spending that money on something else entirely or just, like, throwing some emulators on a raspberry pi, or even getting a Switch.

Yeah, you got it.

I think the bolded point is the key way to think about it - but IMO, only if you're going to utilize the system, right? To your point about being a casual gamer, if you don't need that much variety or don't have xyz games, studio, or genre to focus on, then it probably is overkill.

Switch is a great casual game platform, but it's also close to EOL and its performance is starting to wane on even lower-end games. Something you may want to consider is something like the Steamdeck, which would give you the vast majority of a PC game catalog, without the non-gaming parts of a PC, and in a handheld form (though it can connect to a TV, with less power than a full PC).

[jschligs]

Right, with Xbox Game Pass and all the other avenues to play games on PC (emulators included), shelling out double what a console costs is well worth it. I still have my Xbox, but even if I didn’t I could still party up with my Xbox friends and chat or game together cross platform.

[ReasonablySober]

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This, from a guy at Digital Foundry, was a good read and broad overview of the direction of console gaming (yikes) and why it's still not as simple as switching to PC if you're a console gamer.

Personally, this part was pertinent to me:

Speaking of PC, I'm seeing some commentary suggesting that users may be better served by investing in PC hardware instead. You'd need a Core i5 or Ryzen 5 system with something like an RTX 4070 to produce a technologically superior PC, which may well be a challenge. However, I feel these arguments miss the point. PS5 Pro is aimed at an enthusiast PlayStation enjoyer. Inevitably, this user has an existing library that they want to keep as opposed to starting from scratch on PC.

More to the point, the console still plays a different role: until Microsoft provides a new version of Windows that provides as seamless an experience as a console does, we're nowhere near comparing like with like. The PC still lacks the out-of-the-box experience that works with a joypad on a living room display. I expect either Xbox or Steam - or both - to address this in the fullness of time and at that point, we may well be looking at the final convergence of PC and console hardware.

Since I know I probably won't ever give up gaming on the couch with a big ass TV, my ideal setup is a PC in console form that I can upgrade when needed. I'd pay a **** boatload for that setup right now. But short of that, maybe cloud gaming gets us there in the next five years.

[Siefer]

There had been rumbling that this was going to be the rough shape of the PS5 Pro reveal, but it's still pretty dispiriting to see such a moderate hardware upgrade, missing features*, with no new games to showcase, and at a higher price. This is a fairly complicated topic that's been talked about here in the past, but the state of AAA gaming is dire to begin with, and the situation is even more troublesome for consoles where the hardware is more limited, and exclusivity is no longer of much value.**

My favorite single-player games of the last 5 years are 13 Sentinels, Hades, and Disco Elysium. All three games run on a Switch, and prioritize writing, mechanics, and style over fidelity and scale. Nintendo continues to look like the smartest guy in the room for getting out of the fidelity arms race nearly 20 years ago. Traditional video games are not obviously better for the increase in fidelity, scope, and scale, but they have gotten much more expensive, harder to make and support, and the user base continues to shrink. I'm not sure where the industry goes from here, but I don't know how many console generations the industry has left in it.

*I can't really figure out who an add-on disc drive attachment appeals to.
**The exception is always Nintendo.

[FrieAaron]

Never played an Uncharted game and see the Legacy Edition is on sale on steam. Should I start with 1-3 on console or can I jump straight to 4?

[humanrefutation]

Console gaming is plug-and-play. I don't need to wonder if the game I want will work on that console. I don't need to worry about whether my console will be obsolete in two years and require upgrades - read: money - to keep up. I don't need to worry about how to play it on my big ass TV. It's easy. Straightforward. Dependable.

I will not deny that PC's are more versatile, have huge libraries, and offer superior graphics. I've long wanted to invest in a really good PC (and probably will at some point) because I work from home so often anyway and my 8 year old laptop is starting to show its age. But the idea of having to spec out a PC, find the components I need, spend a couple grand, etc, just comes off as overwhelming by comparison to just firing up the PS5.

[Ryan5UW]

Console gaming is plug-and-play. I don't need to wonder if the game I want will work on that console. I don't need to worry about whether my console will be obsolete in two years and require upgrades - read: money - to keep up. I don't need to worry about how to play it on my big ass TV. It's easy. Straightforward. Dependable.

I will not deny that PC's are more versatile, have huge libraries, and offer superior graphics. I've long wanted to invest in a really good PC (and probably will at some point) because I work from home so often anyway and my 8 year old laptop is starting to show its age. But the idea of having to spec out a PC, find the components I need, spend a couple grand, etc, just comes off as overwhelming by comparison to just firing up the PS5.

This, exactly.

[Siefer]

Oh yeah, I've primarily been a console gamer for the reasons described above - I've worked in tech for the last 12 years and I have less and less patience when it comes to my own stuff - I often just want my games to work in my comfy living room with as little hassle as possible. The problem is that the hassle is growing, the prices are increasing, and the games are having more and more technical problems.

[MikeIsGood]

Also, I (personally) have not found hassle or friction in PC gaming. I've "only" been a PC gamer for about eight years now, and the stated reasons (and Windows 7) were why I wasn't one, too.

In those eight years, I have upgraded my system once. You need to be more on top of it if you want to constantly have the best graphics on the market - which would be basically yearly updates then - but your console wouldn't update/upgrade that often either.

It's not one size fits all, and y'all have valid points. I'd just say that it'd been a lot less scary and a lot less hassle than I expected.

[MiltownMadness]

Console gaming is plug-and-play. I don't need to wonder if the game I want will work on that console. I don't need to worry about whether my console will be obsolete in two years and require upgrades - read: money - to keep up. I don't need to worry about how to play it on my big ass TV. It's easy. Straightforward. Dependable.

I will not deny that PC's are more versatile, have huge libraries, and offer superior graphics. I've long wanted to invest in a really good PC (and probably will at some point) because I work from home so often anyway and my 8 year old laptop is starting to show its age. But the idea of having to spec out a PC, find the components I need, spend a couple grand, etc, just comes off as overwhelming by comparison to just firing up the PS5.

I get it that most people love how casual and easy a console is, but $1300 (not talking peripherals) and you'll be able to run any game beautifully for the next 5 years if you take care of your PC. I don't really understand the two years and obsolete thing, maybe you will want to upgrade a part 3-5 years later or something. I've had more issues with consoles than my PC's, so PC's are more dependable in my experience. As they should be as the hardware is superior and better optimized, not so cramped in a tiny box with bad airflow. Putting together an affordable PC is super easy with all the help online.

Not trying to sway you but these issues aren't as overwhelming as you may think, but I work in IT and have been PC gaming for 15~ years now so def a little biased. I just think you would be happy you made the investment eventually