Comment on Nearly 5 years in, PS5 sales remain neck-and-neck with PS4 | VGC
Oneser@lemm.ee 10 months agoSystem based exclusives meaning you might not be able to play a game you want to in the future, expensive subscriptiona needed to play online, push to digital DRM controlled games… it’s almost like consoles killed themselves?
Well the alternative is PC gaming, and building a competitive PC aint cheap. I remember on launch people were building computers with similar performance to the xbone/ps4. But now that entry level dGPUs aren’t a thing, and even mid range GPUs are expensive you get fucked either way.
The PS5 is at least powerful on launch. The 4 was on par with like a regular APU.
Mini pcs are a thing and they get better every year.
Building a PC that can compete with current console IS cheap
Entry can exceed the cost of the console but if you upgrade your existing one, especially using used gpus it is dirt cheap.
Now factor in:
and even a pc double the cost of a ps5 will be cheaper very quickly.
If you’re not too stuck on modern AAA titles, PC gaming is cheap. Possibly the cost of the electricity coming out of the wall.
Personal anecdote. My PC cost me £900 in 2017. I haven’t upgraded it since. I have saved a significant amount of money in that time that would otherwise have been spent on PlayStation Plus for the benefit of playing multiplayer and the general higher price of games.
Even if you accept the argument that consoles are significantly cheaper in the first place, the point that PC ownership saves money in the long run is often overlooked.
I’ve never owned as many games for as little cost as I do now.
And the games that really demand the high-end hardware tend to be pretty rare in the grand scheme of things, not to mention less likely to be as good as the low spec games. I always joke with my friends that I might buy a killer new PC in the next year or so, but my most-played game will still be a 2D game from 2012 that absolutely doesn’t need it.
A certified refurbished ps5 can be had right at this moment for $399, $450 new. I game on PC for many other reasons but the performance for value is pretty amazing on the ps5
You can also buy a used PC or laptop or CPU/GPU/…, buying them new when you want good performance for value is nonsense.
It used to be easy to build a PC that was double the performance of a console for the same price. And it was even easier if you sourced slightly used current hardware. Now you’re lucky to get last gen hardware for a decent price used. The market is garbage.
Back in 2014 you could get brand new motherboards for ~$50, where it’s difficult to find any under $150 that provide decent features. I think the most expensive thing at the time was NAND due to flooded factories but everything else was super cheap.
I think more and more people have done the math on what your break-even is with a PC up front compared to noncompetitive digital console storefronts, needless forced obsolescence, and subscription fees.
SolidShake@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I haven’t payed to play online in years. Like mid PS4 life. Online only games don’t require a subscription.