PC vs consoles gaming price wise

[Fobus]

Sometimes i come across discussion about PC vs consoles gaming and it always drives me crazy. In addition to flame wars it inevitably leads to, and consoles fans insisting graphics are not why they game on consoles, the next worst thing for me is PC side conceding price argument. If it's being challenged at all, it's mostly on cheaper games ala steam, no subscriptions, and only needing occasional upgrades. 

 

But i think more important point price wise is taking into account whole ecosystem. 

Console + desktop and/or laptop VS gaming desktop and/or laptop. 

 

If you have console, you dont need gaming laptop or desktop. However you will need and probably have decent PC in addition to console for browsing the web, or doing something more heavy duty. IF you have gaming PC, you dont need pricey laptop, and probably even cheap chromebook is an excellent choice. SO in the end, it's cheaper to have gaming PC than console. 

 

Also, if you're know how (and it's really not that hard) it's even cheaper if you build it yourself, reuse parts from your old pc and buy used parts. So it's beyond me why people consider PC gaming more expensive. Do you guys see any fault in my reasoning? Am i missing something here? Plus i dont even have TV screen as i dont watch television. Biggest screen in my flat is dektop monitor. That's also an added expense. 

 

For me more competitive question is gaming laptop VS console + laptop. 

 

P.s. can someone explain me what are those console subscriptions people are talking about? Do you need them only for multiplayer gaming? For exclusives? Or running some console specific services? And how much does it cost? I cant find it explained well anywhere...

 

p.p.s The only console i used to have was Sega Genesis when i was 5yo . So i guess for a child console is better . Oh, and Sony PSP, but that was before smartphones and when i used to travel abroad more often and went to high-school in different city. So it was useful in those limited circumstances. I dont feel like that's the case anymore. 

[Ian Schmid]

pc master race

[Ostwind]

This will not go well.

[Fobus]

Maybe that last paragraph is a bit too pokey. Oh well..

But i really want know about price of gaming on different platforms price wise. Because i dont get it

 

At least for me, consoles are better proposition only if you have friends who are also into consoles and are from the same city. Or maybe it's about parenting strategy...

[Shylidi]

I guess the way I see consoles is... do I want a box right now, that will last through the ages, until the 2020's, and do I want to take almost 100% of the dust with me as I can't open it to clean it without voiding the warranty.

 

That aside.

 

It is definitely cheaper on the ecosystem side of things. Even when you get a 1000 dollar PC, the consoles cost ~350. Disregarding the monitor, which can vary greatly. Game costs are the killer.

 

On the console side, even ancient games are still full price if you buy them from the console marketplace, ie. PSN or XBL. You can get them for dirt cheap from the local Gamestop. But on the PC side you can get a steam deal, or a humble bundle for next to nothing.

 

For example, where I to build a library of 10 games, 3 of which were AAA, and the others can be just about anything. I could get the AAA games for sale from any of the PC distributors for 30 to 40 dollars. and a humble bundle for 4-5 dollars, coming out to a massive 130ish dollars in the worst case.

 

I could do a similar story on the console side, but you aren't likely to find discounts on new AAA games, so 65 bucks a pop, and you can get an older, decent game for about 10 at gamestop. (I know this varies widely, just a hypothetical example) For 10 games this works out to about 260 bucks. Twice the PC counterpart.

 

This works out to 1130 dollars so far on the PC side, and 610 dollars on the Console side.

 

Then you can look at peripherals, on my PC, I spent about 400 dollars on the keyboard and mouse alone, but I am picky, and that was my choice. In a more modest setup you are looking at a cost of 100 to 150 for a nice mechanical keyboard and a nice optical mouse. However for consoles, you are intended to have extra controllers, so you and the guy who never remembers the controller can play easily. If you go for broke and get the 4 controllers for the system you spend about 70 dollars a pop, and disregarding the first controller, as it should have come with the box in the first place, you just dropped 270 on game pads alone.

 

So totaling this in we come to about 1280 dollars on the PC side, and 880 dollars on the Console side.

 

Now this is where we blow minds, lets factor in multiplayer costs, a prescription to XBL Gold costs 45 dollars a year. In the world of the PC, we have not overlord but GabeN, and he doth not require a monthly fee. Ahem. Sorry, I'll stop that. Let's calculate for the lifetime of the console, which at 45 dollars a year, and multiplied by the obnoxious life of 10 years comes to 450 dollars.

 

So PC remains at 1280 dollars, and the Console comes to *gasp* 1330 dollars.

 

So, I get that these numbers are rounded and that it can all vary. My point is simple. Regardless of the close prices here, this does not factor in quality of life. A PC will have better graphics, and can be used for more then one thing. They are backwards compatibile, infinitely. (You can install DOS and Windows 1.0 on a modern PC, with some hacking to account for the massive RAM and CPU speeds we now have.) Consoles are great for, well, 792p gaming.

[Fobus]

Thank you for counting the price, I was too lazy . And yeah, steam sales are indecent

 

Still, i think I disagree on a couple of points. First i assume 1000USD is lifetime cost of PC? Like initial purchase and GPU+CPU upgrade down the road? If not, it's overkill for a gaming pc. It's much more economical to go for second tiered options like i5s and gtx970 and upgrade later when next generation comes along. You could get by with CPU's like q9650 (which is 8 years old!!) until now which is crazy. If you spend 1k on PC right of the bat, price is already not an issue, so the argument is pointless.

 

Also, i think you spend way more on games. 10 games is on the low side. Although i might be corrupted by steam, when half the games you wont even install... Dont know actually how many games consoles players buy.

 

400 on peripherals is crazy... Mine is 50 max. Although 100-150 is fair, considering at least one mouse is bound to break and you to spill coffee on the keyboard... Also, it could go considerably up if you into car or flight simulators. But then again, consoles dont have equivalent, so pricing non-option is not possible. 

 

If you are patient, you can source parts considerably cheaper, wait for deals. And if you are willing to go second hand, it's cheaper still. Although since by definition you everybody cant buy used, or use discounts, i could let this point go. 

 

But like i said, that's conventional when talking about pricing. What my point was, that if you consider multi-device perspective, you save a lot more money being pc gamer. If you have console, you will still need pc for other things. If you go with laptop, it's pricier. If you go with desktop, for the price of console you could easily add GPU and instead of XBL gold, you get upgrades. This part always gets overlooked. Gaming PC is a multipurpose machine, and desktop form factor has way better price/performance ratio, which will save you money on other devices. So price is not that close in the end..

 

As for quality of life, PC blows console out of the water. Console is non-starter me, since I like Civilization and Total War. 

[Snadzies]

I never factor in used parts or crazy black Friday deals as such things are usually not available to everyone, have a small and unpredictable window of availability and/or get sketchy when you start thinking about reliability and warranties.

I try to figure what an average person is likely spend if you looked around online on any given day.

 

That being the case, consoles are cheaper up front, there is just no way around it.

Consoles don't need Windows and they get their parts at bulk rates and sell their systems in very large numbers and that allows them to make and sell a system for cheaper than the average person can built a PC for.

Even if you were able to get some good deals and build a PC for the same amount or less than a console, would you seriously recommend said PC to someone wanting to build a gaming PC?

I imagine the answer is no.

I usually tell people to start at about $600 US for a gaming PC ($500 if you've got an old PC you can scavenge a few things from) and $700-$800 if they want something that will play more graphically demanding games for a few yours.

 

PC gaming makes up for the initial higher price with things like Steam Sales, Humble Bundles and the like.

Good or bad, games on PC tend to drop in price further and sooner than their console counter parts.

With a little patience you can make up for the up front price of a gaming PC through deals on games but that can take time, possibly years before it evens out.

[Fobus]

I never factor in used parts or crazy black Friday deals as such things are usually not available to everyone, have a small and unpredictable window of availability and/or get sketchy when you start thinking about reliability and warranties.

I try to figure what an average person is likely spend if you looked around online on any given day.

 

That being the case, consoles are cheaper up front, there is just no way around it.

Consoles don't need Windows and they get their parts at bulk rates and sell their systems in very large numbers and that allows them to make and sell a system for cheaper than the average person can built a PC for.

Even if you were able to get some good deals and build a PC for the same amount or less than a console, would you seriously recommend said PC to someone wanting to build a gaming PC?

I imagine the answer is no.

I usually tell people to start at about $600 US for a gaming PC ($500 if you've got an old PC you can scavenge a few things from) and $700-$800 if they want something that will play more graphically demanding games for a few yours.

 

PC gaming makes up for the initial higher price with things like Steam Sales, Humble Bundles and the like.

Good or bad, games on PC tend to drop in price further and sooner than their console counter parts.

With a little patience you can make up for the up front price of a gaming PC through deals on games but that can take time, possibly years before it evens out.

 

Yes, i said that dont really expect everyone to buy second hand or through deals. But its a nice bonus. 

Mainly, through, during the lifetime it's cheaper to game on PC , as was well put by Shylidi. 800 is just overkill. GTX 970 will blow consoles out of the water, and it's only 330USD. And you dont need more than i5. 600-700 is enough to max out current games at 1080p. And that leaves you with 300-400 for upgrades smth like 4 years later. So in 8 years when new generation of consoles comes out, they were really not cheaper. You dont even need to count in game prices. 

 

But that's not even my argument. My argument is this: if you count in all your other computing devices, having a console forces you buy more expensive PCs because console cant provide that functionality for you. So besides not even being cheaper if counting in the long term, it ends up being not even close. 

 

Also, most parts dont even need upgrading. Ram, hdd, case, psu, even modern motherboards will last you whole console generation. The only worthwhile upgrades in recent years were SDD, CPU and GPU. 

 

Edit: one more thing. Windows. New console generation is released every 6 years. Windows has/had extended support of 10-18 years. That's 50 bucks per generation. While i do agree that microsoft makes a killling, OEMs get significant discounts and overtime it's less of an issue. 

[TechSam]

Yes, i said that dont really expect everyone to buy second hand or through deals. But its a nice bonus. 

Mainly, through, during the lifetime it's cheaper to game on PC , as was well put by Shylidi. 800 is just overkill. GTX 970 will blow consoles out of the water, and it's only 330USD. And you dont need more than i5. 600-700 is enough to max out current games at 1080p. And that leaves you with 300-400 for upgrades smth like 4 years later. So in 8 years when new generation of consoles comes out, they were really not cheaper. You dont even need to count in game prices. 

 

But that's not even my argument. My argument is this: if you count in all your other computing devices, having a console forces you buy more expensive PCs because console cant provide that functionality for you. So besides not even being cheaper if counting in the long term, it ends up being not even close. 

 

Also, most parts dont even need upgrading. Ram, hdd, case, psu, even modern motherboards will last you whole console generation. The only worthwhile upgrades in recent years were SDD, CPU and GPU. 

 

Edit: one more thing. Windows. New console generation is released every 6 years. Windows has/had extended support of 10-18 years. That's 50 bucks per generation. While i do agree that microsoft makes a killling, OEMs get significant discounts and overtime it's less of an issue. 

pc gaming now is more cheaper on the long run the initial cost is quite hefty but on the long run you will save alot. back down 8-13 years pc parts were so costly and nowhere to be found that it was really hard to get into atleast in europe or atleast thats what my cousins said(they were hardcore pc elitist all the way back to c64 and amiga days) i was too young to remembe tha era well i was no toddler but i for sure as hell was not old enough. but more on the question this is why console vs pc wars still exist in my opinion many console gamers still today think that pc gaming is really hard to get into and costs ton of money. Sure that was a thing few years back and hardware came so fast that you could not keep up not to mention the performance was not even that good compared to consoles for few years back in the ps2 era. but now days upgrading your pc is a breeze and does not even cost that much. so there is no denying that that pc win the console wars these days price wise but no matter how much we try to show how much superior pc is these days console plebs try to make more and more excuses of why their crapbox is better than pc even prices wise

[Fobus]

pc gaming now is more cheaper on the long run the initial cost is quite hefty but on the long run you will save alot. back down 8-13 years pc parts were so costly and nowhere to be found that it was really hard to get into atleast in europe or atleast thats what my cousins said(they were hardcore pc elitist all the way back to c64 and amiga days) i was too young to remembe tha era well i was no toddler but i for sure as hell was not old enough. but more on the question this is why console vs pc wars still exist in my opinion many console gamers still today think that pc gaming is really hard to get into and costs ton of money. Sure that was a thing few years back and hardware came so fast that you could not keep up not to mention the performance was not even that good compared to consoles for few years back in the ps2 era. but now days upgrading your pc is a breeze and does not even cost that much. so there is no denying that that pc win the console wars these days price wise but no matter how much we try to show how much superior pc is these days console plebs try to make more and more excuses of why their crapbox is better than pc even prices wise

 

I think that applied only to graphics cards. Before 2000's there were no really good dedicated graphics cards for PCs. And what few were, they were a few nodes behind in manufacturing process. PC graphics cards simply didnt used all of their potential. But console counterparts could. Unlike other parts. Consoles have laughably weak CPU. Since they are made for a price point, not performance. Which is not the most economical thing.

 

And electronics are still more expensive here. They are designed and manufactured in USA or Asia, so import fees and local taxes raises cost. E.g PS4 in Lithuania cost 100USD more. Small and fragmented markets also make it more expensive, but not so much that buying and shipping from oversees makes it worthwhile.

[MEC-777]

@Fobus

 

I have been saying for quite some time now, that the whole "cost comparison" side of the console vs PC argument is almost completely irrelevant.

 

Why? Because everyone is in a different situation in terms of financial status, has different personal preferences and has their own perception of "value".

 

-Some people are going to spend more money on gaming, regardless of the platform.

-Some people attach more value to frame rates and resolution, while others attach more value to just pure gameplay.

-Some people play games for hours upon hours, jump from one game to another and enjoy possessing a broad games library, even if they never finish a single game.

-Some prefer to play a handful of games for only a few hours per week and finish them to completion.

-Some people purchase the same game on multiple platforms.

-Some people game on multiple platforms, some on only one.

-Some people who can't afford much game on all platforms, while others who can afford a lot only game on one.  

-Some people will want to upgrade their PC every year, while others will run the same parts for many years. 

 

You see where I'm going with this? You simply cannot break down the cost of each and definitively say one platform is more or less expensive than the other. This can only be assessed and determined on an individual case basis. Do they already have a decent desktop PC that only needs a GPU added, or do they have to build one from scratch? What is their budget? Are they going to use the TV as a display? Do they prefer gaming on the couch or at a desk? The list goes on...

 

Case in point; A friend of mine has an xboxone. I showed him my PC, the superior graphics, butter-smooth and consistent 60fps+ at 1080p+ resolutions. I showed him the vast variety of games available on Steam at large discounts (often 20% or more off new titles within the first few weeks of release). I showed him the flexibility to use the KB+M or any game controllers. After all that, he is still happy with his xboxone and still has no desire to build or buy a gaming PC - and he definitely has the money. See, for him, much of what I showed him doesn't not hold value and wouldn't enhance his enjoyment in gaming. He doesn't play a whole lot but he does enjoy gaming when he has the time. He also prefers to play one or two games and finish them to completion, where as I jump around from game to game and rarely finish any. So even if it did cost him less to game on PC, it wouldn't matter to him in his situation. Cost is not a factor in this case.

 

Another friend of mine owns a $1500 gaming PC and muliple consoles (xbox360/ps3). This guy buys many games on multiple platforms. He values what the PC brings to the table in terms of graphics etc and discounts on games, yet also values a good game, regardless of platform. He also has a lot more time to game than my other friend. 

 

 

TL;DR,

Different situations, different preferences, different perceptions on what holds "value" or what is "worth it" to them. Generally speaking; if you like and enjoy something, you find a way to pay for it. Depending on what each person prefers and puts more value or worth on, that is where they will spend their money, whether it's $400 or $4000.

[typographie]

and consoles fans insisting graphics are not why they game on consoles,

 

They can try to insist that all they want. But everything is about graphics, to the point where publishers and developers will sacrifice framerates, render resolution, even chop hunks off of the screen à la The Order 1886 to give them more room to brag about visual fidelity. The review scores and sales figures that result from these practices certainly suggest someone (millions of someones) are perfectly content with chasing graphics.

[SXCS23]

Here is something many miss. With a console, in order to play games such as Oblivion (2006), Fallout 3 (2008), or Fallout New Vegas (2010) you need to have a 360 or PS3. If you would like to buy the new console (Xbone or PS4), you can't sell your 360 or PS3 to help with the cost without losing the ability to play those games.

 

A PC? When you upgrade your hardware, you can sell your previous hardware without the fear of losing your library. Just recently a friend of mine had an urge to play Fallout 3. He had previously sold his 360 to cover some cost of the Xbone. What could he do?

 

It's something you can't calculate for everyone, but it's a savings that rests on the individual. How many games will you lose if you sell this system? You ask something completely different on a PC. How much better will this let me play my games?

[Fobus]

@typographie

Not everything is about graphics, gameplay really do matter. But given a choice most decide on better graphics. Also, this generation thing makes console players oblivious to march of graphical fidelity. PC having a huge backlog makes us appreciate this fact more. 

 

@SXCS23

I dont think that many miss this point . Console fans are mute on this pact for the most part (because they know they cant argue it away), and PC gamers dont ever miss to lord this fact over them )) You're not even the first to say this in this discussion

[lovingGamer]

I smell a war in the air.

[Fobus]

-Some people who can't afford much game on all platforms, while others who can afford a lot only game on one.  

 

So, what your friend values the most? Why it outweighs the pros you showed him? Does he own a laptop or a desktop also?

 

I agree with a lot of what you say. If money is no limit, it's irrelevant. And there are countless considerations. But I would argue that where it can be expressed in money, over the long run PC cost less. And PC still offer a lot more than consoles besides price. And i would even concede that PC players spend more in the end, but only because they choose so. There are more players in less affluent parts of the world that cant afford that. So they get by with less frequent upgrades and other shortcuts. 

 

But why would you choose consoles if you're on the budget? Or even argue ardently that it's cheaper? That i dont understand. 

 

For me KB+M just holds too much value, because i like playing broad range of games. Console is just so limiting. Although platformers, fighting games, and Arkham style games really do shine on consoles. 

 

 

Anyways, this discussion doesnt go where i want it to go. All this is usually covered in every console vs pc discussion. What i wanted to talk about was broader considerations. About how owning a pc changes your buying decision on other devices. Alas... Maybe it just proves i'm right? Does anyone disagree on it?

[Thony]

The walls of text in herw scare me.

I'm gonna leave.

PS. Consoles are cheaper in a long run (PC has to be and will be upgraded).

[Fobus]

The walls of text in herw scare me.

I'm gonna leave.

PS. Consoles are cheaper in a long run (PC has to be and will be upgraded).

 

Maybe it's a sign of healthy discussion? You know, with arguments, facts and nuance. Not some one line statements

[Shylidi]

Thank you for counting the price, I was too lazy . And yeah, steam sales are indecent

 

Still, i think I disagree on a couple of points. First i assume 1000USD is lifetime cost of PC? Like initial purchase and GPU+CPU upgrade down the road? If not, it's overkill for a gaming pc. It's much more economical to go for second tiered options like i5s and gtx970 and upgrade later when next generation comes along. You could get by with CPU's like q9650 (which is 8 years old!!) until now which is crazy. If you spend 1k on PC right of the bat, price is already not an issue, so the argument is pointless.

 

Also, i think you spend way more on games. 10 games is on the low side. Although i might be corrupted by steam, when half the games you wont even install... Dont know actually how many games consoles players buy.

 

400 on peripherals is crazy... Mine is 50 max. Although 100-150 is fair, considering at least one mouse is bound to break and you to spill coffee on the keyboard... Also, it could go considerably up if you into car or flight simulators. But then again, consoles dont have equivalent, so pricing non-option is not possible. 

 

If you are patient, you can source parts considerably cheaper, wait for deals. And if you are willing to go second hand, it's cheaper still. Although since by definition you everybody cant buy used, or use discounts, i could let this point go. 

 

But like i said, that's conventional when talking about pricing. What my point was, that if you consider multi-device perspective, you save a lot more money being pc gamer. If you have console, you will still need pc for other things. If you go with laptop, it's pricier. If you go with desktop, for the price of console you could easily add GPU and instead of XBL gold, you get upgrades. This part always gets overlooked. Gaming PC is a multipurpose machine, and desktop form factor has way better price/performance ratio, which will save you money on other devices. So price is not that close in the end..

 

As for quality of life, PC blows console out of the water. Console is non-starter me, since I like Civilization and Total War. 

 

I factored in 1000 dollars not as a realistic figure, but as an example that will offer the consoles a fighting chance.

 

I also like peripherals, so I spend alot on them. Didn't have to! Also, bigger figures offer the other side a chance.

 

With your figures, 1280 dollars drops to 730 versus the 1330 dollars your would spend on the console.

 

As for 10 games, I just needed an easy round number for my hypothetical example.

 

Here is something many miss. With a console, in order to play games such as Oblivion (2006), Fallout 3 (2008), or Fallout New Vegas (2010) you need to have a 360 or PS3. If you would like to buy the new console (Xbone or PS4), you can't sell your 360 or PS3 to help with the cost without losing the ability to play those games.

 

A PC? When you upgrade your hardware, you can sell your previous hardware without the fear of losing your library. Just recently a friend of mine had an urge to play Fallout 3. He had previously sold his 360 to cover some cost of the Xbone. What could he do?

 

It's something you can't calculate for everyone, but it's a savings that rests on the individual. How many games will you lose if you sell this system? You ask something completely different on a PC. How much better will this let me play my games?

 

Well said, love it. I never sell my consoles because I figure, I might want to play Battletoads again some time.

 

The walls of text in herw scare me.

I'm gonna leave.

PS. Consoles are cheaper in a long run (PC has to be and will be upgraded).

 

Sorry the conversation scares you.

 

PC will be upgraded, Consoles are paid for several times over in online fees and "reasonable prices"

[ACatWithThumbs]

Consoles are more expensive from my experience they literally make only sense if you don't own a PC and only play like 1-2 games a year.
Everyone I know has a PC most of them own crappy 600€ pre-builds so instead of buying a $400 console next to it they could put in a GTX970 for $300 and be cheaper with a better experience on the web, work and gaming experience.
 

[SXCS23]

Well said, love it. I never sell my consoles because I figure, I might want to play Battletoads again some time.

Ah, yes. Battletoads. The game where speeder bikes went from awesome to annoying in a matter of seconds. Man, I might play that tonight.

 

 

[Fobus]

Ok, so the battle toads killed it . But i found just the perfect video. 

[Misanthrope]

If you want to buy games for the Xbone you can

1. Buy directly from MS digitally
2. Buy physical version at a retail store*

If you want to buy games for the PS4 you can:

1. Buy directly from Sony digitally
2. Buy physical version at retail store*

If you wanna buy games for the PC you can:

1. Buy directly from Steam
2. Buy directly from Origin
3. Buy directly from Uplay
4. Buy directly from Gog.com
5. Buy from many resellers that sell keys from all of 1 to 3 choices.
6. Rarely but still able to buy physical copies

*Even though several stores carry promotions they rarely are allowed to offer very significant discounts since it directly eats their margins. Digital delivery means that digital resellers have a lot more flexibility and a lot better margins allowing them to give you far greater and more often discounts.

 

If you consider all this points, Economically it is impossible for the consoles to catch up. Their walled gardens will always make them the more expensive option. That's why they subsidize hardware and offer a low entry level point, because they just want to lock you into their environment. This is akin to choosing a cellphone carrier that will give you phones for a great discount in exchange for a contract, they make their money by you having no real option of leaving them. This is the same assuming you can only buy one console you have no real option to leave MS you have to keep buying their more expensive games.

[Fobus]

If you want to buy games for the Xbone you can

1. Buy directly from MS digitally
2. Buy physical version at a retail store*

If you want to buy games for the PS4 you can:

1. Buy directly from Sony digitally
2. Buy physical version at retail store*

If you wanna buy games for the PC you can:

1. Buy directly from Steam
2. Buy directly from Origin
3. Buy directly from Uplay
4. Buy directly from Gog.com
5. Buy from many resellers that sell keys from all of 1 to 3 choices.
6. Rarely but still able to buy physical copies

*Even though several stores carry promotions they rarely are allowed to offer very significant discounts since it directly eats their margins. Digital delivery means that digital resellers have a lot more flexibility and a lot better margins allowing them to give you far greater and more often discounts.

 

If you consider all this points, Economically it is impossible for the consoles to catch up. Their walled gardens will always make them the more expensive option. That's why they subsidize hardware and offer a low entry level point, because they just want to lock you into their environment. This is akin to choosing a cellphone carrier that will give you phones for a great discount in exchange for a contract, they make their money by you having no real option of leaving them. This is the same assuming you can only buy one console you have no real option to leave MS you have to keep buying their more expensive games.

 

Nice one. I've never thought about that. Thanx

[sqwidee]

It kinda has nothing to do with price.

 

If consoles don't pull you in with exclusives, don't buy them. The only reason why you should be paying for an underpowered pc (read: 8th gen console) is if you really value having that Legend of Zelda or Halo or Whatever Sony's Major IP is (I'm just gonna go with JRPGs in general).

 

The reason why exclusives should never stop being a thing is because they are absolutely necessary to make systems worth buying. Without that incentive to buy a particular device, the gaming divisions of these companies would die, and the industry as a whole would crash.

 

So if you're paying $250 to get an amazing Zelda experience, or paying $400 to play some amazing RPGs, or paying $2000 to get killer visuals, the value of those things is essentially the same.

 

I don't have a good mobile device (phone or tablet) because that would be a waste of money for me. All of my favorite portable games are on the 3DS, so I'll keep my junky old phone and play deeper games on the go. For others, that just doesn't make sense.

 

Buy what suits your needs. With gaming, it's really only worth as much as you value it anyway.