Reasonable Assessment: Video Game Consoles Are Outdated

65 Comments

1. I went into this article with some arguments, but it seems like you addressed most of them. Good job.

   1. Thanks man! There were some other arguments and things I wish I would have clarified. That’s the one of the hard things about writing these articles. There’s always something you miss, no matter how thorough you are. But that’s what the comment section is for.

2. I absolutely love it. Well done. Honestly the idea of console wars is outdated as it is. The original one had two great mascots going back and forth at each other with multiple games on either system. Sony and Microsoft haven’t even put multiple titles with their flagship mascots on their systems to begin with. Halo only has 5 so far, and the system is inevitably the 2nd place finisher. Then Sony and Naughty Dog decided to retire Nathan Drake with the send off title “Uncharted 4” (absolutely incredible game)

   I’m sure a bunch of people are thinking “But that would mean that the PC Master Race would win!” Ok. Fine. I don’t even play games on PC but this would mean that we’d get all of these huge 3rd party games from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft with NO online service fee.

   Also like you said this will expand the medium to more people and you could experience every franchise on the same system. No longer would you have to beg your friends to buy the same console as you or be forced to use proprietary accessories or overpriced controllers. (Also you can use any controller with PC too)

   This would be a brave new world for gaming, and I think we should be ready to jump in headfirst

   1. Thanks man! That’s the thing, I don’t care at all about “PC master race.” I just like video games, not hardware and tech. Give me ubiquitous and accessible gaming!

3. It’s worth mentioning even if it’s stupid, that you can plug in your PC to your TV, and use a controller.

   I always thought that Nintendo is kinda exempted from the horribleness of exclusives, a bit at least, as you know back in the day when the NES was released, gaming was pretty small, Nintendo wanted to make 1st party games, and it made sense considering the vast difference between consoles, of course as the console generations advanced they made sequels to those games, and they are still being made by Nintendo, so it’s hard to say that they need to make games for other platforms, or at least PC, when it could hurt their business.

   1. “It’s worth mentioning even if it’s stupid, that you can plug in your PC to your TV, and use a controller.”

      It’s amazing how many people never consider this option!

      And yes, Nintendo is a weird beast. They would certainly be the last to move to PC. They are bullheaded, for better or worse, and would have to have several failed consoles before they’d give consider.

4. Here is another reason gaming consoles have been relevant is simple: compatibility and cost.

   First, cost: to build a gaming PC with the hardware needed to play games at the same quality level as a console, you typically have to spend a couple hundred dollars more to get a game to look as good as it does on the current game console. There is quickly changing, though, since the rise of Steam and the Steam Machine market has allowed PC manufacturers to produce PC in console-like shells at large enough volumes to be near price competitive with their console counterparts. See Dell’s Alienware Alpha for a perfect example of this, which has been available as low as $300 and gives the Xbox One and PS4 a serious run for their money. Now, console companies, unless we are talking about the original Wii which largely used recycled hardware components from the GameCube and actually sold at a profiit on launch day, typically sell their consoles at a loss at launch and net their profits from licensing. This is because they often incorporate top-of-the-line next-generation graphics processing units that often cost more than the consoles themselves if you were to buy a video card with that graphics chip in it.

   Second, compatibility: you are guaranteed with a console that you will have X number of years of games that are 100% guaranteed to work without dropped frame rates. With a PC, you may have to upgrade your system as time goes on and developers might not make as much of an effort to incorporate low and minimum settings to ensure playability. With a console, those developers are often required to ensure certain quality standards are achieved so while that developers try to push the limits of high polygon and pixel complexity, they do not make a slideshow out of the game or other else they cannot be licensed to sell on that console. Of course, this does not mean the most rigorous testing is always performed as we have decades of countless examples of games that have been glitchy messes that should have had a few extra months of internal testing (hello Sonic ’06!).

5. I think you are right about consoles becoming a thing of the past. This last generation simply did not sell as well at all as the prior. With the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii generation, there was over 300 million consoles sold around this point in time. We are barely at 100 million consoles sold or less and they are already talking about releasing 4K next-generation consoles. People are just not as impressed since difference in more pixels and polygons is becoming so dang marginal that many are still more than content with the Xbox 360 they purchased a decade ago. I think Microsoft is smart in focusing on the PC market more and allowing cross-platform buying. In the upcoming release Windows 10 Creator’s Update, they are also introducing a Game Mode which can improve gaming performance by dialing down operating system service and background app demands whenever an active game is detected. AMD’s upcoming Ryzen CPU already shows countless leaked benchmarks that show CPUs fit for gaming are about to get a heckuvalot cheaper since them undercutting Intel by a quarter of a price in a few instances (e.g. $259 Ryzen 5 1600X processor either meeting or beating a $999 Intel Extreme Edition Core i7-5960X in performance; yeah, that big of a jump). Countless gamers who have been sitting idly by while Intel dragged their feet with lackluster performance increases with each passing year while current generation consoles seemed lackluster are suddenly excited by AMD and, in a much smaller way, by Windows 10. All of this shows an impending PC gamer renaissance about to burst on the public like it did in 2003. As for the Nintendo Switch, besides the Nintendo diehards like Arlo which aren’t nearly as many as during the Wii U generation, unless Nintendo can up their game library, I do not predict a bright future at all for the Switch which, from what I hear from developers, is actually somewhat worse than Nvidia’s two-year old $199 Shield Tablet K1 in performance and battery life.

   1. Thanks for the insight!

6. Two points in favor of consoles:

   1. *There’s still a lot of nonsense to go through running a PC game.*

   While compatibility isn’t that big problem, you still have to do some fiddling, period, to get some games running on your PC, because the games are stubborn like that. And some people just don’t want to fiddle, period. And with a console, you can always rest assured that the game will always run at the maximum potential on your machine, right out of the box. With PCs, that’s always up in the air.
   And if a game on console runs crappily, you at least know it’s completely the developer’s fault, not yours. Even through all the 24 hour downloads and installs, consoles still have an accessibility edge. Who knows how much money you’ll spend on upgrading your PC with each individual part? With consoles, it’s one big hunk every 7 or so years, than another $170 every 2 years.

   2. *DRM and physical copies.*

   Consoles are a bastion of physical copies. AAA games always get physical copies who’s only DRM is just the console. In your all-PC world, most likely Steam would be required for all games, and the day Steam doesn’t have DRM is when Valve dies and release their DRM-free patch. And goodbye physical copies (or rather, physical copies with a purpose, as opposed to a box with a Steam code with the data being on the disc for some reason)! PC physical copies, these days, are only being carried by sites like indieBox. A AAA publisher probably not even bother with them in a all-PC future.

   I’m sure this has sparked a rebuttal something along the lines of “physical is obselete anyway and another thing we hang onto because of nostalgia.” Well, yes, to consider my argument valid, you have to have the opinion that physical copies are still good and worth preserving. So if not, I’ve kinda lost you.

   But, I also don’t want to get into the “physical vs. digital” debate here, when that’s not the point, so if you have further points on that, I’ll just refer you to Pat the NES Punk’s recent video on the subject for my counter-arguments and views on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxS_pBDRBBk

   One last thing on consoles (it’s kinda a combination of the two points): If I so desire to play PS1 or PS2 games, but own a PS4 which limits me greatly on the PS1/2 games I can play, I can go online, go to certain stores, or hunt in flea markets or garage sales for a PS1 or 2, get one at a dirt cheap price (assuming the seller ain’t an upmarking jerk), just plug it in and play the games I get for it. No need for any DRM worries or compatibility issues. True, you can kinda do the same thing with PCs, with great programs like DOSBox and the like on your current build, or assemble a Windows 98 PC, but it’s never gonna be as simple, convenient, or as cheap (esp. on the Win98 PC option).

   Years from now, the PS4 will have the same position enjoyed by it’s predessors today. And little Timmy will be able to play Uncharted 4 for about $60 easily, without having to worry about compatibility or hardware.

   …He’ll just have to worry if it had any patches.

   1. “True, you can kinda do the same thing with PCs, with great programs like DOSBox and the like on your current build, or assemble a Windows 98 PC, but it’s never gonna be as simple, convenient, or as cheap (esp. on the Win98 PC option).”

      Use VirtualBox and install Windows 98 on it. (The OS is pretty much open source since the key is openly available in plain sight on non-pirate sites.) Problem solved! It can even access your current CD-ROM drive and you can install all your games in a sandboxes virtual operating system. Sonic CD, Sonic R, and Sonic 3D Blast all play perfectly in VirtualBox. For something simpler, just use GOG (Good Old Games). They patch DOS and Windows 95/98-era games to work on modern systems so you don’t need to run a virtual OS. They are also extremely cheap, typically $3, $5 or maybe $10 at most. I have played Heroes of Might and Magic III on my modern Surface Pro 4 using GOG.

      1. There’s always gonna be holes and imperfections on emulators and programs like that. And even if there isn’t, it’s still extra work and fiddling (i.e. downloading, setting up, and running the program in the first place) compared to just putting a disc into the PS1. And GOG can never get every game.

   2. As the PC gaming market would grow, it would become more streamlined. Steam has already helped reduce the fiddling necessary to run games, and I think the industry will continue to cut down on the hassle.

      As for more physical copies vs digital, I don’t have much of a preference either way. But again, if the PC-gaming market were to explode, you bet your bottom-dollar there’d be more physical copies of PC games popping in places.

      The only reason physical PC games are so scare right now is because of the current PC gaming climate. But if the climate changed, so would the amount physical copies.

7. I agree that this is where gaming should go. But PC gaming needs to change and become more consumer friendly before then. The appeal of gaming consoles these days is simplicity. Gaming on your PC isn’t as easy as it is on consoles. The difference of course, is the focus. PS4 and X-Box are solely focused on providing a good gaming experience, so playing games is reletivily straight forward. Put the game in, click on it from the menu, and your in. PC requires a lot more effort from the consumer, and not all of them are going to be willing to put in said effort. In order for something to become mainstream, it has to be easily accessible. PC’s capable of gaming may already be in the home, but the PC gaming environment isn’t inclusive enough for a mass market yet. At the time that it is, that’s when consoles will start to phase out.

   1. Speaking of simplicity, most games in Steam in the last 5 or 6 years have been very simple and plug-and-play in nature. Many already detect your system configuration and automatically do the graphics settings for you in the background so you do not have to think about it. Have an Xbox One controller? Just pair it with your PC via Bluetooth. Have the older Xbox One or Xbox 360 controller with the dongle? Just pair it by tapping the pair button on dongle and then power up and press the pair button on the controller. Done. From there, most games automatically detect and are even specifically designed to work with the Xbox 360/One controller. So it is really quite effortless. You can even now also buy PC games in the Windows store and, like Steam, it is also quite simple to run them. If you are speaking of early or pre-Steam era games, I would agree with you about complexity. However, the PC has now become no more complex than any home console is. Any sense of complexity you see is purely subjective, stigma that has carried over from the early days of PC gaming when that viewpoint was accurate.

      1. I agree, but the fact is, most people still don’t even know that much. Most knowledge that goes into PC gaming is generally esoteric. It’s not in the Public Conscious. While Consoles are. Part of that has to do with time, but also part of it has to do with how they’re marketed. Most people don’t know that an X-Box Controller is the best (standard) Pc controller. They wouldn’t think to. It’s and X-Box controller, not a PC controller. Stuff like that really matters and is what’s keeping people from getting games for their PCs. I agree it’s mostly stigma, but those will need to go before consoles loose their purpose.

   2. “I agree that this is where gaming should go. But PC gaming needs to change and become more consumer friendly before then.”

      Absolutely! I wish I would have made that more clear in the article, but that is absolutely true. As Hifi said, PC gaming is slowly getting more streamlined and inclusive, and I think it will continue to do so. As you said, there is currently stigma around it. But as things progress, the stigma will change.

8. As for the Switch, I am more than content with playing all my Wii and GameCube games in Dolphin emulator at 720P (thanks to them emulating natively rendering at higher resolutions than the original systems themselves!) on my $699 Surface Pro 4 m3. I also just don’t see the hype or excitement anymore or anywhere for the Switch like I did for the Wii or even the Wii U. I just played through Star Fox Adventures in glorious HD graphics and had an absolute blast and I could do it on the go from the very same Windows tablet PC I do all my coursework and employment business. Besides, I really do not see anything coming to Switch for launch (besides one single Zelda game) that I found interesting that was not already on the Wii or the GameCube. Honestly, they should have invested their time and resources in an AR (augmented reality) console like I said a couple years ago, not a tablet. Many people already have a tablet in one form or another and do not need yet another one to haul around and there is nothing particularly striking about the Switch besides that it is Nintendo and it has the Nintendo IP. If Nintendo came up with a cool gimmick like they did with the Wii and its motion controls but instead did something in AR, I think they would be in a far better launch position than they are today. Besides this, all the negative press about the Switch from normally Nintendo friendly game magazines certainly leads me to believe Nintendo might be headed to the same games developer-only future that SEGA found themselves in following the demise of the Dreamcast.

   1. Nice to see Star Fox Adventures getting some love. I wish Nintendo would’ve released with something similar to the Dolphin emulator. I would have gladly sunk money into that.

9. I have a 2012/2013 laptop that ran me like, 400 or so bucks. (I forget the exact price but I knew it was about as much as a new console) and that can barely run Generations, and forget about running Virtual Box properly to play older Win95/98 games. If I want a system that runs the game properly on the level of a new console that’s going to run me far more than the one I got. I just feel I shouldn’t have to change graphical specs on a game for it to run the proper way on my computer. Yet I got a Sega Saturn for my 20th birthday and that ran me about 75 bucks with about 15 or so for each game.
   I understand the reasoning for PC to be the future, but if that’s the case it needs to be easier to purchase. And that’s also not counting how getting a digital copy of a game still costs the same as getting the physical version.
   Then again, it would help if there were actually games worth getting. Tekken 7 is honestly one of the only few games I actually care about aside from waiting on news for Sonic2017 and wanting to get Mario Odessey and the Crash N-Sane Trilogy. Street Fighter V was shoved out as an unfinished game just so it could be at all these Game Tournaments I could care less about, and if Marvel VS Capcom Infinite ends up the same route then the same applies to it as well.

   1. I know the last part is mainly personal preference but I still feel it’s a point. Tbh, I’ve gotten more Dreamcast, Saturn, and PS1/2 games in the past year than I have anything recent, I actually don’t even have a PS4/XBone yet, just a Wii U.

   2. If this PC-centric shift were to ever happen, I think the problems and inconveniences that you’ve brought up would be smoothed over out of necessity. Things would likely become more streamlined as the industry shifted focus.

10. Sorry but this is sounding a little too “PC = Master Race” to me, I’d rather spend $300-$500 on one system once every 5 years rather than spend between that range every other month or year when I need to upgrade my specs. Not to mention, PC gaming is an entirely different lifestyle. What do you think your average consumer is going to be more willing to do? Get a method of playing that requires just simply setting the system up ONCE and install the game ONCE and just play whenever they get the spare time to, or get a system that requires occasional upgrading to be maintained, a technical knowhow of how to do that without breaking anything, and the patience to put up with it? Anyone could probably learn all that stuff if they tried, but these days we want convenience, and the fact is that maintaining a console is a lot less hassle than maintaining a super gaming computer.

    Convergence doesn’t necessarily equal outright replacement. Our phones have essentially taken on the roles of computers and yet we still need and use desktop and laptop computers everywhere. They haven’t been replaced and so far they don’t show any sign of disappearing. The same can apply to consoles. PC has augmented a lot of perks the console experience has, but it also has it’s own issues that console users aren’t willing to put up with.

    Maybe one day everything will converge altogether into one outlet, but it’s not gonna happen that quickly. Nintendo ain’t exactly Paramount, it’s going to try to keep the home console a thing for a long time, and although previous media has had similar starts, not all media follows the same strict path. Things will change and get different, sure, but probably not in the way you’re suggesting, sorry.

    1. You only need to upgrade your specs maybe once every 3-5 years at most, honestly. The ‘upgrade every year’ thing is a myth that only hardcore elitists and ignorant console fanboys believe in. You don’t need a super powerful CPU/GPU for most games to run. The real issue comes with how well games are optimized for PC, since a lot of times devs often don’t put the effort into doing a good port job, and sometimes fans have to take it upon themselves to fix the game via mods.

    2. I agree, this did seem a bit too biased, and the whole exclusives argument can be seen in other ways.

    3. I wish I would have taken the time to talk about the “PC master race” stereotype in this article, because a lot of yall’s comments seem to lump me in there.

       I don’t blame you, though. I can see how this article makes me seems like a typical “all hail PC master race” type of guy. But not that’s actually not the case. I’ve only had a desktop for a month, which is I bought mainly for audio production. My heart is with video games, not with hardware.

       You are absolutely right that PC gaming is a different “lifestyle.” The culture around it is much different. But, I think that culture exists only because of the current state of the video game industry.
       As such, if the game industry were to change drastically, the culture would change as well. (Arcade culture was different console culture). I think that as PC-gaming becomes increasingly streamlined and popular, the culture and market would also stir in a way that is directly proportionate. A PC-centric gaming market would not look like the current gaming market. The hassles and fiddling would peter out as the new industry would necessitate fluidity and accessibility.

       And yes, Nintendo would take twice as long as everyone else to make the jump. lol

11. Not to mention, if there was no high-competitive market to begin with, there would hardly be as much substance, aka ICONIC VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES, as we have today. If everyone was making video games for the same system, Sega might not have had enough incentive to even make Sonic to compete against Mario in the first place, and even if they still did, they certainly wouldn’t be trying as hard to upstage him as they did back in the 90’s. The strive for competition didn’t simply make more consoles for more companies to manipulate us into buying, it also inadvertently gave us all the benefit of having groundbreaking games that might not have evolved the way they had if things were any different. There’d still be competition among developers sure, but the industry would need time to adapt to that radical of a shift. It’s not something that could happen tomorrow.

    1. Great and iconic franchises are not dependent on console wars. Yes, many great games came out of console war one-upmanship. As long as there is a drive to make great games, developers will make great games.

       Yes, this radical shift is not something that would happened tomorrow.

12. I have one big problem with this that you didn’t address: the physical setup. I don’t like playing games on my minuscule monitor, especially with my big screen TV. I don’t like long gaming sessions in my office chair, but my couch is wonderful. And my computer setup certainly doesn’t accommodate more than one person at a time. What, am I supposed to unplug the dozen cables coming out of my PC and lug the whole thing upstairs whenever I want to play Smash Bros. with my friends?

    This article only tackles this issue from the perspective of a long-time, savvy 20-something gamer that is grappling with the question of upgrading their gaming PC vs. getting a PlayStation for the third time. But what about when you started gaming as a kid? What’s a parent more likely to shell out for: a $300-$400 (if that) gaming machine that is easy to setup and buy games for, or a $1000 gaming PC that will undoubtedly be a bitch and a half to setup and maintain, which your child promises is an “investment” (if they’re even knowledgeable about the gaming industry to understand that, which I know I certainly wasn’t). And said PC is unavailable whenever your child wants to play. The barriers to entry may be negligible for you, but for others, it’s quite a different story.

    All I got out of this is that Sony and Microsoft need to start offering better than a low-end gaming PC and should start thinking about what a console can offer that PC’s can’t, which is what Nintendo’s been doing for over a decade (sometimes better, sometimes worse). That’s certainly the most original and fresh opinion I’ve ever heard (in case you couldn’t tell, that was sarcasm. Text is a bitch). Color me unimpressed.

    1. Most Desktop and Laptop PCs today have HDMI cable support, so you can plug them into your TV just like a console. There are also devices that let you stream games from your PC to your TV via Steam. Then there’s the Steam box, Valve’s brand PCs that are made specifically for playing games in the living room. You don’t even need to shell out $1000 for a decent gaming rig. You can always start smaller with a $300-$400 gaming rig and upgrade your specs later, bit by bit. As for controllers, have you heard of bluetooth? Because you can connect multiple controllers to your PC wirelessly via Bluetooth, and the PC officially supports both 360, XB1, and PS4 controllers- plus several others unofficially. You’re really grasping at straws here, lol.

    2. If the game industry were to ever switch to PC en masse, it would not be overnight and it would not look like the current PC market.

       You are picturing how PC gaming looks today, not how it would look in the future if this industry switch actually happened. Therein lies the problem. The landscape would look much different than it does right now. The current landscape looks the way it does because the current industry focus.

       This shift, if it were to happen, would be gradual and the atompshere around PC gaming would become more streamlined, straight-forward and less clunky, essentially taking the advantages of consoles and migrating them to PC. The size of the market would necessitate this.

       That, and some of the problems you have with PCs already have solutions, and Tomoki pointed out.

       As things get more ready-to-play out of the box, I think it’d make it’d easier for parents. I do also think the children’s market would also have a large chunk favored towards portable gaming: tablets, mobile, and Switch-esque devices. Easy stuff for parents to buy.

13. Two issues. 1) more people are going into laptops/tablets/mobile. Having people get a powerful desktop is doing the same thing that consoles do: create a large paywall when more people are going mobile.

    Issue 2) Upgrading a computer is not something your average joe knows how to do. Buying a new console is 1000% easier, plus you get all the added support (i.e. Xbox Live, or PSN, etc.). It’s all just right now, nice and convenient.

    Do you know why movies don’t have this giant paywall? Because they don’t require the sophisticated technology that video games have. And this technology is always growing, which means we always need to update our consoles/PCs/whatever.

    Anyways, we’re getting there. More and more games are becoming multi-platform. Waaay more than the olden console wars days.

    1. It is true that movies don’t require the technology that games do. But the thing that bugs is that gaming-capable technology is all around us, yet software gets pigeon-holed to a certain brand & model because of business, regardless of the tech’s ability.

14. Finally someone said it! YOU WILL GET ZERO arguments from me on this NOAH! Yeah exclusives are total B$ and as we all know…SEGA paid the price dearly for that in 2014. Almost did in 2013 too but they let Lost World loose on the PC thank god! Also going back to my Sonic 10 Commandments. #8: “Thou shalt not have any exclusive contracts with any goliath company!” I said this for that same exact reason! It deprives people of the experience of any certain game that is exclusive to who ever. Now one thing I’ve been very thankful for was Emulators cause my systems aren’t working real well anymore due to having them stored in stuff/places that wasn’t real good but that’s a story for another time. I’m all about emulators on the PC but yeah I know they’re not particularly legal with the roms being played on them (COUGH: “NO COPYRIGHT LAW IN THE UNIVERSE IS GOING TO STOP ME!”) but I’m one who don’t have a large budget to play with and some of the old stuff I have is so ultra rare that people want top dollar for this rare stuff. Yeah I can understand that cause its vintage rarity collectors stuff but sheesh gimme a break. Money don’t grow on trees after all 😆

    Now this cozy little Nintendo Switch console. I really have my doubts about this thing. I don’t know what it is to me but I see this thing tanking within I think two years. I think because A. People will peel this thing apart bit by bit till they figure out what makes it tick. I mean look at the Wii 😆 that thing got really peeled apart. This allowing you to do all kinds of things that system wasn’t “DESIGNED” to do! (COPYRIGHT LAWS BE DAMED!)
    B. This thing is showing strong signs of it being a very suped up tablet. I’ve got serious complain-able issues with tablets right now cause the batteries are not well made and replacing them in some of these tables can be a real SOB to do! Screen replacement too if you end up smashing the screen. Watch the dollars fly away like those question blocks with wings.

    I strongly agreed with your boss “T” on his comments about this being Nintendo’s last console. All I can say for Nintendo is they best start adapting if they wish to survive. Same goes for the rest of the playing field. I think they best start looking at PC development all around. Yeah these console systems are nice and all but I think its time to get behind GOOD PC manufacturers. Just stay away from HP 😆 HP ranks as “THE WORST” 😆 MSI & ASUS are expensive but so far I swear they are the best manufacturers of PC’s and especially Laptops. I’ve not had too much trouble with their systems. This MSI I’m using now is 2011 era and its still ticking. Not too shabby I’d say. The only issue I’ve had is with the hard drive but I’ve beaten the crap out of this hard drive too.

    Not sure if you addressed this Noah but have you looked into these systems that are playing everything but all in one system? Like the RETRON 5? http://hyperkin.com/Retron5/ You might want to address that sometime too 😉 I’m sure there are legalities surrounding this too but its quite an awesome idea. 😎
    If you addressed these before somewhere forgive me on that. 🙂

    1. I have seen the Retron, and it seems like a better answer to the Virtual Console. Legal gray areas though, fo sho.

15. “Everyone owns a PC” I don’t agree with at all. In the age of tablets, I think they’re becoming less and less common. I know loads of people who don’t own PCs. I, myself, have become a Mac user due to my work.

    I’ll always favour consoles because you know any game you buy for it will work without any fannying around.

    I play multiplayer indie games on Steam at my friends house on his shit-hot PC linked to the TV in his living room. It’s great! But it’s not something I could be arsed with.

    1. I do wonder if we will start to see more games on both pc AND Mac as desktop gaming gets more and more popular. The more the merrier I say.

       I think if the industry were to start moving towards a PC-centric environment, things would start become more streamlined with less hassle. The size of the market would necessitate it.

16. I’ll say this, it’s certainly a “reasonable” assessment, but it’s not one I particularly agree with you on this time around. This honestly feels like the most idealistic article you’ve given that I’ve read, which is not to say it’s such a bad thing, but it’s still kind of feels one-sided, as you’ve only addressed a handful of console-users concerns and still approach this from the perspective of a seasoned PC gamer who is at this point used to all the trials and tribulations that come from maintaining a top-of the line or even just below that gaming PC with an adequate budget to support that. Not to mention the patience, aptitude, and willingness to learn how to do the technical gruntwork needed to maintain the device and it’s features. Fact is the market is demanding a more instant and convenient solution to things, and consoles still fit that bill pretty well. Yeah they don’t hit the graphical and technological threshold that PCs own, but they’re getting closer and closer than you give them credit for and they’ll last a good few decades yet, at least.

    1. “from the perspective of a seasoned PC gamer ”

       Actually, I only got a desktop last month. And that was mainly for audio production. I’m a noob as far as PC gaming is concerned. lol

       I could see how this article makes me seem like some sort of hardcore PC-master-race guy, not that’s not really the case. I don’t love PCs; I love video games and hate gross business/corporate stuff. That’s where I’m coming from with this article.

       And yeah, if this ever happens, it will be years in the future.

17. I would only support this movement if and only if steam were to lose 40% of it’s market share to competition.

18. actually i believe consoles don’t make big money for the companies, after all, SEGA said years ago “we make money from software (games) not hardware, or am i misremembering things?

    1. Yes, Sega did say this. I think this was as they were leaving the console market, so that makes sense in their situation.

19. Just gonna leave this here. :^)
    

20. Not everyone can afford to pay for a gaming pc or one good enough to play the current gen games without problems, being approachable to a wider range of people whom can’t spend that much money on gaming is a quality that will never be outdated.

    1. You can get a gaming PC that is as good as a PS4/Xbox One for $300 to $400. See the Alienware Alpha.

       1. With 4 GB of ram? Some games require 6 GB these days.

          1. An 4 GB stick of RAM costs just $30 and the Alienware Alpha is very easily to open and upgrade compared to even consoles. Additionally, the 6 GB minimum requirement has been quite often an overestimate that also takes into account some idiot leaving their Chrome browser (a memory hog in its own right) with 20 tabs and a few other apps and programs left open.

    2. https://www.amazon.com/Alienware-ASM100-1580-i3-4130T-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00MA7AMKY

    3. Hifihedgehog, I appreciate your thoroughness! You got links and everything. *high five*

       1. Thanks for the compliment! 🙂

21. PC performance tends to degrade over time, unless you’re a power user keeping up on maintenance.

    On the other hand, my Xbox 360 still runs as smoothly as it did the day I bought it.

    I’m surprised no one has brought up the living room argument. Sure, you could hook your PC up to the big-screen TV in your living room… if you don’t care about how stupid that looks, how inconvenient it can be if you want to use it for anything other than gaming, or you decide to buy a second PC and hope that someday software is developed so you can navigate a gaming-centric ecosystem using a wireless controller instead of awkwardly clicking through steam using a wireless mouse/keyboard from your coffee table.

    If I have to buy a second PC in order to enjoy games in my living room, at what point am I benefitting from not having to buy a console? Is it the “exclusives” argument?

    Because frankly, I think the fight for killer exclusives is one of the only things keeping the AAA side of the industry fresh.

    1. I think some people have brought up the living room argument, but essentially yeah, that’s another huge deal-breaker for me. I’m uncomfortable enough having to sit at my lousy desk chair just to play PS4 games in my dorm, the last thing I want is most of my immersive gaming experience to be situated in an area that’s more designed for work than it is entertainment.

       At least with a console you can rationalize setting it up in the same environment as your TV, DVR, DVD player, and sound system. Unless you’re a hardcore PC gamer (which at least half of the market isn’t), there’s not enough rational reason to hook your PC up to a TV, let alone spending the money to get a SECOND PC to just devote to your gaming area.

       The computer is popular for it’s multimedia purposes and essentially does everything those other devices can do, but they’re still around and improving. There’s strength to actually having dedicated media devices, not everything has to be forcefully converged, at least not all at once.

    2. PC performance denigration is hardly an issue now with Windows 10 since it performs more maintainance tasks in the background more often. Also, with each semi-annual update that Windows 10 receives, you are effectively getting a cleaning of the slate since it is a clean build without any updates and patches tacked on. These are a few reasons why Windows 10 outperforms Windows 7 in real-world tests where updates are in place, applications are installed and the user has been using their computer for a while. Windows 10 Creator’s Update also introduces a game mode that will increase performance if you have a lot of background apps, services and other clutter on your computer.

       1. I have no experience with which to contradict your claim. You may theoretically strike one reason from the list of why this is not so great an idea as it sounds at first blush.

    3. I agree that it would be a little awkward right now. But in the future, I think it will get less awkward as TVs, consoles, and PCs become increasingly homogenized. We seem to be headed there.

22. This is cute but you didn’t come to this conclusion on your own you had the meme thrown at you as it’s been pushed heavily as a narrative for the past 2 years or so by the crowd that calls the PC platform “Steam”. It’s a pipedream because too many factors are in play that will prevent it from happening and that will only change if the current playing field is completely leveled in a blood bath bigger than the 80’s crash which only gave rise to a even stronger console market, I find it comparable to TNG’s moneyless society in that both are championed as being so superior than the old ways while the inner workings and how it happened is never explained. And above all else the market doesn’t care that game consoles are nostalgia and tradition in a negative sense.

    1. Yeah if anything personal computers as a gaming platform only gained traction due to the 80’s crash anyway. Say what you will about it’s technology, but it only got it’s start back then due to the decreasing appeal in home consoles after the crash and the idea of “why not get something that does it all” slogan that you love to throw around. It gained traction because it was in a prime opportunity to do so, but then once the console market regenerated itself, it went back to being one of may methods to play games. The playing field may be a bit more leveled now, but it would still have to take something as dramatic as the 80’s crash by today’s standards to radically compromise the prospect of having a console and make the PC seem like the only, not just best, option.

       1. This is a grossly inaccurate conclusion. The PC gaming market much greater gained traction also later in the 90s, and for different reasons. One, computers gained traction tremendously with the release of Windows 95, the first operating system that had a graphical user interface that actually looked and felt natural and not like it was something intended for lab technicians or computer geeks. Two, computers gained traction when skyrocketed performance and the price fell below the $2000 mark thanks to the Intel’s Pentium and Pentium Pro processors in the mid 1990s. Before then, a computer could cost more than a used vehicle and was good for practically just word processing. A little later on, PC gaming also further increased when the add-in video card market exploded, having become more relevant as Microsoft and several graphics companies refined and expanded the DirectX standard.

       2. This is a grossly inaccurate recounting of the history of PC gaming. If anything, the PC gaming market much greater gained traction later in the 90s, and for different reasons. One, computers gained traction tremendously with the release of Windows 95, the first operating system that had a graphical user interface that actually looked and felt natural and not like it was something only intended for lab technicians and serious computer nerds. Two, computers gained traction when performance skyrocketed and the price point fell below the $2000 mark thanks to the Intel’s Pentium and Pentium Pro processors in the mid 1990s. Before then, a computer could cost more than a used vehicle and was good for practically just word processing. A little later on, PC gaming also further increased when the add-in video card market exploded, having become more relevant as Microsoft and several graphics companies refined, amplified and expanded the DirectX standard.

    2. Your assumptions are false.

       1. Sorry, but you’re mistaken. I’ve been immersed in PC gaming for quite some time across all genres, and I have spoken with many who were directly involved on the front lines ofthe 80’s PC market at LAN parties, technical venues, Silicon Valley, and so on and I’m quite certain. Myst is a prime example of the 90s PC gaming boom, going on to sell millions of copies with the rise of Windows 95 and Pentium soon after its release. Also others. Doom. Duke Nukem 3D. Quake. Roller Coaster Tycoon. Age of Empires. Half-Life. Warcraft. Diablo. Heroes of Might and Magic. And so many, many more. Then came 2000 and games such as The Sims riding on this 90s PC market boom. Though personal computers did sell in limited quantities the 80’s, generally only the upper middle class and the wealthy had them and among them PC gaming was a very limited hobby. PC gaming was far more of a nitch market prior to the 90s. I can send you some links to some great articles and forum discussions sometime if you’re interested. 🙂

          1. No, not you Hifi. I believe you, I was talking about SSJSONICXX14. His assumption that my opinions are “based on memes” and not from my own thoughts is wrong.

          2. Sorry about the misunderstanding. 🙂 Hey Noah! Sounds like need a Yoshi’s Boxx. Also, RIP TechTV. 🙁

23. My prediction? Console wars are going to devolve into a Nintendo vs. PC duel, because Nintendo isn’t going to give up its main selling brands, like Mario, Zelda and Pokemon, and as long as Nintendo can keep those exclusive to its own consoles (and give said consoles a marketable specialty like the Wii’s motion control or the Switch’s portability), those consoles are going to keep selling. PS4 and XBO, as far as I know, don’t have exclusives that will sell consoles en masse.

    1. Yeah, I feel ya. Nintendo would be the last one to move to PC. Nintendo is stubborn, which is both its strength and weakness at times.They’ve have to have like three failed consoles in a row before they’d consider going 3rd party. lol

Comments are closed.