With sales dropping and confidence declining, how close are we to the end of consoles as we know them?
    •  Random Dent   ( @CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml ) English
      10•5 months ago

      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.

      •  BorgDrone   ( @BorgDrone@lemmy.one ) 
        5•5 months ago

        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.

        •  averyminya   ( @averyminya@beehaw.org ) 
          3•5 months ago

          I think the offsetting cost factor basis is that a PC is a computer that can be used for more than gaming and the console is pretty much useless after 3-5 years (considering the PS4 @ 2013, PS4 Pro @ 2016, and the PS5 @ 2020, and how PS4 Pros are beginning to struggle today, and OG PS4’s being obsolete). Are PC’s more expensive upfront now? Sure. But you also don’t have to re-purchase your games each generation at the whim of the publisher, like you’re likely going to end up doing with Sony and Nintendo, with the added benefit of being able to use it for other projects after its contemporary gaming lifespan.

          Basically, if you built a PC in 2013 you’re probably still able to use it today as a server or hobby project PC (digital art, music, etc). PC’s were also cheaper back then before NVIDIA made GPU’s cost $1,000. Good luck re-using a console.

          I see you don’t replay games, so why even own a console if you only play a game once?

          •  BorgDrone   ( @BorgDrone@lemmy.one ) 
            2•5 months ago

            I see you don’t replay games, so why even own a console if you only play a game once?

            I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here. If I don’t play a game multiple times I shouldn’t play it at all?

        •  0ops   ( @0ops@lemm.ee ) 
          1•5 months ago

          Not sure why you’re being downvoted. Gaming PC’s are expensive and a luxury! It makes sense economically. With consoles there’s an incentive to sell hardware cheap to get people into the ecosystem. With the exception of the steamdeck, there’s no such incentive for PC’s: if the hardware is worth x amount, you can bet your ass you’ll have to pay at least that. Yeah games are generally cheaper on PC, but not by much, and the barrier to entry is much lower for consoles. Hell, the PC I just built from used parts and Amazon deals cost me $800 (not including accessories), and while the processor and ram is almost certainly better than the ps5’s, the graphics are about on par, if anything slightly worse. You can find used ps5’s for less than $400. Is there really a used PC out there that can touch that?

  •  Fizz   ( @Fizz@lemmy.nz ) 
    10•5 months ago

    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.

      •  Fizz   ( @Fizz@lemmy.nz ) 
        4•5 months ago

        Focusing on PC more than ever isn’t exactly a high bar. Consoles (maybe not xbox) are still doing extremely well and consoles are more popular than PC by quite a big margin. I expect Sony and Nintendo to continue to grow their userbase even if the sales on the latest platform drop a bit.

        •  thingsiplay   ( @thingsiplay@beehaw.org ) 
          5•5 months ago

          consoles are more popular than PC by quite a big margin.

          How do you measure this? Steam alone has 130 to 150 million active users, more than Switch customers at a whole. And that does not even include some of the most popular PC games at all. I also expect PC user base to grow, it has more potential than consoles.

          So yes, its a big deal for companies like Sony to open up this big to PC and to be that successful. They don’t even need to sell a console to sell games. Off course consoles will remain popular and for good reason. But most popular games are mulitsystem games and not specific to consoles anyway. In my opinion it is remarkable how much Sony focuses on PC now. I hope they keep doing it; its only beneficial for the players, the publishers and for Sony.

          •  Fizz   ( @Fizz@lemmy.nz ) 
            2•5 months ago

            The stats I could find compared pc and current and last gen consoles so ps4 and ps5 era and the split was basically 50/50. But if you think about it that’s not a fair comparison because pc has people who running on hardware worse than a ps3.

            I mostly take issue with the smug tone of the article acting like it’s over for consoles just because they didn’t meet expectations and decided to bring some games to pc. Consoles are still extremely popular and far more powerful than the average pc according to steam hardware survey. They will still be around and successful no doubt about it.

            •  AmbiguousProps   ( @AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today ) English
              5•5 months ago

              that’s not a fair comparison because pc has people who running on hardware worse than a ps3.

              This is a benefit of using PC, not a downside. Unlike consoles, you aren’t forced to upgrade every few years and you actually have the ability to change graphics settings. Even if you want to upgrade your PC, you don’t need to get an entirely new build.

              That’s also missing the fact that plenty of people don’t need or want to play the latest AAA title.

            •  thingsiplay   ( @thingsiplay@beehaw.org ) 
              4•5 months ago

              I mostly take issue with the smug tone of the article acting like it’s over for consoles just because they didn’t meet expectations and decided to bring some games to pc. Consoles are still extremely popular and far more powerful than the average pc according to steam hardware survey. They will still be around and successful no doubt about it.

              I agree with you here. These articles are stupid telling people it would be over for consoles. It’s just clickbait or they are uninformed. Maybe besides your point that the “average pc” is that weak as you say. Most are at a level of PS4 or stronger. But that is not all you need to compare if you want to an analysis. This topic is extremely complicated. You can’t just take the average. There are far more PC users than console players. Its like taking the Game Boy into account and saying that the average game consoles is weak. That’s not the full story.

              In example most monthly active users on consoles play games that could be played on a potato PC or last gen consoles too and these people probably do not buy newest games. Similar to the situation on PC.

  •  Ilandar   ( @Ilandar@aussie.zone ) 
    6•5 months ago

    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.

    •  orbitz   ( @orbitz@lemmy.ca ) 
      4•5 months ago

      Going back awhile now too for that no install right? Like didn’t PS3 have some installs? My memory is fuzzy on when it exactly started, but yeah it was nice to just pop in the media (cart, disc) and play. That was a great perk of console games, especially rentals,though there was a small time I could rent PC games when I moved to a city in the late 90s. These days I mostly play on PC anyways so always install but it was nice for the first few decades of my gaming to not require it.