Because console manufacturers can rely on their customers buying stuff at their store.
MagnificentSteiner@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
The real question here is if console manufacturers can sell consoles at a loss expecting to make up the shortfall with game sales, why can’t Steam? Gabe/Steam have billions and could easily do this. The only answer I can think of is greed.
jeeva@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
- MagnificentSteiner@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
The game store that has so much of the PC market that people call it a monopoly can’t?
That doesn’t make any sense.
gila@hexbear.net 5 weeks ago
Vendor lock-in. Nothing preventing you getting games for your Steam machine off GOG etc or simply pirating them.
That’s the whole basis for subsidising consoles… Which is also a thing of the past. Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo are not less greedy than Valve in any way.
- MagnificentSteiner@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
Sure, but the vast majority of people aren’t going to do that. I don’t think it makes sense to say they can’t do it because 5% of buyers may act in a certain way.
I agree that all these companies are super greedy, the point was that even though they’re greedy they still sell at a loss on the hardware as it ends up making them even more money.
andho@lemmy.zip 5 weeks ago
I thought so too, but the most likely scenarios is this: It’s not that people who wants Steam machine will do it. It’s that people who want PC’s will buy out super cheap subsidized PCs. Gamer’s won’t benefit from this.
TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today 5 weeks ago
If it’s cheaper to buy a steam machine than it is to buy another pc with the same or weaker specs companies would just buy out all of the steam machines to stick in their offices with windows booted on it. Games consoles don’t have a use outside of gaming but a pc does. Not to mention the lack of vendor lock in to recoup costs by selling the games at a higher markup.