Consoles are just increasingly bad value for consumers compared to PCs.
Chips aren’t improving like they used to, and it’s killing game console price cuts
Submitted 16 hours ago by j4p@lemm.ee to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
zerofatorial@lemm.ee 15 hours ago
Are they tho? Have you seen graphics card prices?
Toneswirly@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
2060 super for 300, and then another 200 for a decent processor puts you ahead of a ps5 and for a comparable price. Games are cheaper on PC too, as well as a broader selection.
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
You don’t need a graphics card. You can get mini PCs with decent gaming performance for cheap these days.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 hours ago
You don’t need a top end card to match console specs, something like a 6650XT or 6700XT is probably enough. Your initial PC build will be more than a console by about 2X if you’re matching specs (maybe 3X if you need a monitor, keyboard, etc), but you’ll make it up with access to cheaper games and being able to upgrade the PC without replacing it, not to mention the added utiliy a PC provides.
So yeah, think of PC vs console as an investment into a platform.
If you only want to play 1-2 games, console may be a better option. But if you’re interested in older or indie games, a PC is essential.
Skyline969@lemmy.ca 15 hours ago
I mean, for the price of a mid range graphics card I can still buy a whole console. GPU prices are ridiculous. Never mind everything else on top of that.
turbowafflz@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Yeah but remember to factor in that you probably already need a normal computer for non-game purposes so if you also use that for games you only have to buy one device not two
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
Yeah, GPU prices are kinda ridiculous, but a 7600 is probably good enough to match console quality (essentially the same as the 6650XT, so get whatever is cheaper), and I see those going for $330. It should be more like $250, so maybe you can find it closer to that amount when there’s a sale. Add $500-600 for mobo, CPU, PSU, RAM storage, and a crappy case, and you have a decent gaming rig. Maybe I’m short by $100 or so, but that should be somewhere in the ballpark.
So $900-1000 for a PC. That’s about double a console, extra if you need keyboard, monitor, etc. Let’s say that’s $500. So now we’re 3x a console.
Entry cost is certainly higher, so what do you get in return?
- deeper catalogue
- large discounts on older games (anything older than a year or so)
- emulation and other PC tasks
- can upgrade piecemeal - next console gen, just need a new CPU + GPU, and if you go AMD, you can probably skip a gen on your mobo + RAM
- can repurpose old PC once you rebuild it (my old PC is my NAS)
- generally no need to pay a sub for multiplayer
Depending on how many and what types of games you play, it may or may not be cheaper. I play a ton of indies and rarely play AAA new releases, so a console would be a lot more expensive for me. I also have hundreds of games, and probably play 40 or so in a given year (last year was 50 IIRC). If I save just $10 per game, it would be the same price as a console after 2 years, but I save far more since I wait for sales. Also, I’ll have a PC anyway, so technically I should only count the extra stuff I buy for playing games, as in my GPU.
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
You can build a pretty capable PC for about $600. And you won’t have to pay for multiplayer.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 hours ago
GPU prices are ridiculous, but those GPUs are also ridiculously more powerful than anything in any console.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 15 hours ago
Tbh the only consoles I’ve been really interested in lately are the switch and steam deck, simply because they’re also mobile devices.
cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 11 hours ago
The Steam Deck is the only decent console because it’s not locked down.
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
The Steam Deck is basically a PC. You can get mini PCs with APUs of a similar performance for very low prices these days. That won’t perform like a current gen console but it’s a cheap gaming machine with a huge selection of low cost games and you won’t have to pay for multiplayer.
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 hours ago
they can be portable computers built for gaming
heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net 9 hours ago
This article doesn’t factor in the new demand that is gobbling up all the CPU and GPU production: Ai server farms. For example, Nvidia, that was once only making graphic cards for gamers, has been trying to keep up with global demand for Ai. The whole market is different, then toss tarrifs and the rest of top.
I wouldn’t blame moores law death, technology is still advancing, but per usual, based on demand.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 6 hours ago
AI has nothing to do with it. Die shrinks were the reason for “slim” consoles and big price drops in the past. Die shrinks are basically a thing of the past now.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 hours ago
Not exactly, but smaller nodes are getting really expensive. So they could make a “slim” version with a lower power unit, but it would likely cost more than the original.
Auntievenim@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Is it Moores law failing or have we finally reached the point where capitalists are not even pretending to advance technology in order to charge higher prices? Like are we actually not able to make things faster and cheaper anymore or is the market controlled by a monopoly that sees no benefit in significantly improving their products? My opinion has been leaning more and more towards the latter since the pandemic.
ICastFist@programming.dev 10 hours ago
Moore’s law started failing in 2000, when single core speeds peaked, leading to multi core processors since. Memory and storage still had ways to go. Now, the current 5nm process is very close to the limits imposed by the laws of physics, both in how small a laser beam can be and how small a controlled chemical reaction can be done. Unless someone can figure a way to make the whole chip fabrication process in less steps, or with higher yield, or with cheaper machines or materials, even if at 50nm or larger, don’t expect prices to drop.
Granted, if TSMC stopped working in Taiwan, we’d be looking at roughly 70% of all production going poof, so that can be considered a monopoly (it is also their main defense against China, the “Silicon Shield”, so there’s more than just capitalistic greed at play for them)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=po-nlRUQkbI - How are Microchips Made? 🖥️🛠️ CPU Manufacturing Process Steps | Branch Education
Auntievenim@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Very interesting! I was aware of the 5nm advancements and the limitations of chip sizes approaching the physical limitations of the material but I had been assuming since we worked around the single core issue a similar innovation would appear for this bottleneck. It seems like the focus instead was turned towards integrating AI into the gpu architecture and cranking up the power consumption for marginal gains in performance instead of working towards a paradigm shift. Thanks for the in depth explanation though, I always appreciate an opportunity to learn more about this type of stuff!
Coyote_sly@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
Por que no los dos?
theotherbelow@lemmynsfw.com 5 hours ago
No, it turns out that lying to the consumer about old tech is profitable.
kalipixel@reddthat.com 15 hours ago
The consoles unless you root or jailbreak them are too restrictive anyway. For older games you can just use an emulator on your PC or mobile.
ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 9 hours ago
Wtf, that headline is fucking backwards thinking and capitalistic. If you’re not greedy and don’t have unnecessary high standards that doesn’t make a game, you’re the problem. Sorry not sorry but gamers demand and the companies are at fault here.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 6 hours ago
It’s not that they’re not improving like they used to, it’s that the die can’t shrink any more.
Price cuts and “slim” models used to be possible due to die shrinks. A console might have released on a 100nm die, and then a process improvement comes out that means it can be made on a 50nm die, meaning 2x as many chips on a wafer and half the power usage and heat generation. This allowed smaller and cheaper revisions.
Now that the current ones are already on like 4nm, there’s just nowhere to shrink to.
toastmeister@lemmy.ca 3 hours ago
Which itself is a gimmick, they’ve just made the gates taller, electron leakage would happen otherwise.