Console killer pcs still possible in 2022?

[Imbadatnames]

21 minutes ago, Sauron said:

on invite.

Did you not follow the link? The XSX is currently listed as in stock with next day delivery. 
 

EDIT:

Photo:

[Sauron]

5 minutes ago, Imbadatnames said:

Did you not follow the link? The XSX is currently listed as in stock with next day delivery. 
 

EDIT:

Photo:

 

might be in the UK but that's not the case across the world. it's not the case on amazon.com for instance.

[Imbadatnames]

25 minutes ago, Sauron said:

might be in the UK but that's not the case across the world. it's not the case on amazon.com for instance.

Europe is all the same. France is available as is Germany (and by Amazon.de so is Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Luxembourg etc). And that’s just Amazon never mind other retailers. America is not the world. 

[TyrelleD]

On 8/12/2022 at 10:26 PM, TexasBulldog74 said:

does it really even matter when you can't just go to the store or online and buy a ps5?  

 

I was looking for a PS5 today.  You have to sign up for an invite with Amazon to even get a chance to buy one.  Best Buy, Walmart and Target are all out of stock as well.  Hard to believe this is still the case IMO.  Now I didn't check Xbox as ive never been an xbox fan so they could be available for all i know but PS5's are still not available at least here in SoCal where im from.

This is true enough, but where I am here in BC i and a couple friends and have been able to get PS5s at retail by sheer persistence. I would swing by GameStop on my way home work a few days week. Sure enough, one day they had a PS5 in stock. If you’re patient and persistent, they’ll show up. 
 

hard to beat the value on these new consoles. 

[wasab]

9 hours ago, TyrelleD said:

hard to beat the value on these new consoles. 

Until you see the price of the games. Console gamers spending on games can easily subsidize an entire pc. Conversely, what pc gamers can save on games can easily make up for the costly hardware. there are also games that are pc only like StarCraft….

[OrdinaryPhil]

On 8/13/2022 at 1:09 AM, sharknado34 said:

I own the PS5, xbox series S, xbox series X and PC with an r9 3900x with 32 gb of ram and a rtx 3080 ti.

 

Honestly it's pretty overkill for me to own all of these, but I really wanted to play exclusives that I've never had the chance to play before.

 

I would say Xbox currently has the following going for it:

Game pass

Backwards compatibility

Quick resume

Auto HDR

Fps boost

Xbox play anywhere

 

Ps5 has:

Solid exclusive games

Solid ps4 backwards compatibility

Interesting controller

Some upgrades to random ps4 titles (Not always super clear to the user)

More polished UX/navigation

 

PC has:

Massive catalogue of games (and plenty of pc exclusives that have never hit console)

Endless Customization/support for almost any setup

Plenty of emulators

Endless in game tweaking

Ability to upgrade individual components at a time

No monthly subscription for basic multiplayer access (adds up quickly)

 

Honestly it really comes down to what you want. If you like xbox's or PlayStation's exclusives you will be happy with one of those two. That said most console exclusive games are coming to PC now as it is a massive market.

 

By far my favorite part of Xbox is quick resume. It lets you swap games super easy and is great for a busy person. PlayStation kinda feels like the apple of gaming, very asthetic, but chunks of stuff at a price premium.

 

I would say that PC is probably the cheapest option in the long run though, because there are so many sales all the time and endless sites to buy steam games for dirt cheap. PC can be upgraded pretty easily if you don't like performance. If you get really good at buying and selling components at the right time you can pick up some pretty sweet deals for upgrades too. You also save around $200 ($15 * 12) a year by not paying for a subscription (gotta have Xbox live or ps now to play fps games or sometimes even have cloud saves)

 

I have to say I really disagree with most of what you said, lol.

To be clear, the entire topic is highly subjective so it's not as though you're wrong... I just see things very differently.

I have a PS5, Series X, and a gaming PC... but would stack them up differently.

Series X Pros:
The gold-standard for controllers that works with a myriad of other platforms.

The most stable, intuitive, and reliable platform for in-game and out-of-game chat, as well as LFG and other communication services.
A small but solid lineup of exclusive games (that I personally find interesting).
Native output to 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p at a variety of refresh rates.

Series X Cons:

While the SSD is technically replaceable, it's a non-standard size nvme that is not widely available, and is not currently available to consumers in larger than 1TB configurations.

Lots of bloat in the store that is really low quality.

PS5 Pros:
User-serviceable storage, but with a serious caveat.
A large library of exclusive titles from SONY-owned studios that are very popular (This is clearly a pro even though I personally don't find many of their exclusives to be very enticing).
Support for unique interconnect with SONY branded Bravia TVs and audio equipment.

PS5 Cons:
A second-class controller with no serviceable batteries. Quirky shape and gimmicky haptic feedback.

Lack of native 1440p support (requires scaling).
Lackluster communication features such as chat & LFG.

PC Pros:

Customization of parts & appearance.
Vastly larger library of modern and legacy games.
Higher performance ceiling with more granular control of visual settings.

PC Cons:
No unified communications platform.
Requires Windows (DirectX) for optimal performance... and Windows should count as 10 Cons.
Dramatically less power efficient.

The PC has a lower cost floor - you can find a working Dell Optiplex from 2008 for $30 but ... good luck gaming on it. However it has a MUCH higher cost ceiling. The performance you get from the PS5 & Series X for $500 USD is nothing short of astounding. A comparable PC would cost upwards of $1000.

The Series X & PS5 are great for games that work well with controllers, but lack of native keyboard+mouse support really makes it impossible to play entire genres such as RTS & MOBA. This is really the only reason I even have PC for games - I am a sucker for RTS's, and some of my favorite games like Dawn of War, Homeworld, Command & Conquer, etc... they'll be playable the same way on consoles. Same goes for DOTA2 or LoL...

So to answer the OP: No. It's not possible to build a PC with similar performance to a current gen console for anywhere near the same price.

That being said - each platform has a compelling reason to purchase. When people ask me which platform to purchase I always tell them to consider two things:
Which platform are your friends using?
What games are interested in playing?

Want Halo or Gears of War? Ori & Blind Forest? Forza? - You should get the Series X
Want to play Spiderman? Generic 3rd person platformers? Final Fantasy? - You should get a PS5
Want to play any games RTSs? MOBAs? Want to mod games or install shady community packs? - You should get a PC.
 

[TyrelleD]

14 hours ago, wasab said:

Until you see the price of the games. Console gamers spending on games can easily subsidize an entire pc. Conversely, what pc gamers can save on games can easily make up for the costly hardware. there are also games that are pc only like StarCraft….

Good point. 
 

I must admit I haven’t considered that. On the topic (since I’m actually soon to build up my first pc), where does one buy pc games on the cheap?

[wasab]

46 minutes ago, TyrelleD said:

Good point. 
 

I must admit I haven’t considered that. On the topic (since I’m actually soon to build up my first pc), where does one buy pc games on the cheap?

Humble bundle, steam sales, fanatical. You can also go 100% free by signing on for an epic account and get 1-3 free games per week, some of which are decent triple a titles. There are also third party grey market sellers like g2a as well.

 

 

[Tams]

It's not really been possible, as consoles are priced aggressively (even Nintendo) and the makers rely on game sales.  PC part manufacturers have to rely solely on the parts they sell.

 

But you have to remember that even now, consoles are for gaming and entertainment.  When you get a PC, you get so much more, especially if you create anything.  Many people don't need that, and that's fine; they just buy consoles.

 

And it's all moot to me.  I have a PC (several if you count laptops, tablets, etc.) and consoles.

[OrdinaryPhil]

10 hours ago, wasab said:

Humble bundle, steam sales, fanatical. You can also go 100% free by signing on for an epic account and get 1-3 free games per week, some of which are decent triple a titles. There are also third party grey market sellers like g2a as well.

 

 

Not sure I understand this point... AA games are uniformly priced across platforms. When a title is released it's going to be $59.99 on PC, Xbox, and PS5...

All marketplaces have deals. There are sales almost constantly on all platforms. And if you don't care about playing games the day they release, prices drop very quickly on all platforms (except Nintendo).

I've never payed full price for XBLive and I've had it for ages. You can get really cheap codes from non-US regions and use them. Slickdeals recently linked to a deal where i got 3 years of CBL Gold for like $40... and for what you get, that's an insane value. Nothing like that exists on PC.

The same services exist for digital game codes... they are VERY affordable if you take 30 seconds to look.

[wasab]

15 hours ago, OrdinaryPhil said:

Not sure I understand this point... AA games are uniformly priced across platforms. When a title is released it's going to be $59.99 on PC, Xbox, and PS5...

All marketplaces have deals. There are sales almost constantly on all platforms. And if you don't care about playing games the day they release, prices drop very quickly on all platforms (except Nintendo).

nope, pc games are on sales more often, with steeper discount and even when not discounted, sales price are generally lower. i just verfied it by searching far cry franchise titles on fanatical and xbox game store. no contest. There are several reason. 1. game publisher can directly sell you the game without another third party taking a cut. 2. for those that sell games on third party retailers that do take a cut, there are many options that all compete against one another to attract customers, this means larger sales and even frequent free games in the case of the epic games store. You are not locked to their ecosystem on a hardware basis like that of a console. 3. they have no need to subsidize for the cost of hardwares with subscription fees and ect like in the case of consoles.

 

15 hours ago, OrdinaryPhil said:

I've never payed full price for XBLive and I've had it for ages. You can get really cheap codes from non-US regions and use them. Slickdeals recently linked to a deal where i got 3 years of CBL Gold for like $40... and for what you get, that's an insane value. Nothing like that exists on PC.

The same services exist for digital game codes... they are VERY affordable if you take 30 seconds to look.

???

You do know pc gamers use VPN to get region locked codes and games all the time right? Btw, xbox subscriptions are avaible on pc as well. 

[DANK_AS_gay]

On 8/20/2022 at 2:49 PM, Tams said:

(even Nintendo)

The Switch competes with literally nothing, their pricing isn't aggressive, it's lazy. That device has a mid tier mobile APU from 2015. It's 2022. A $300 phone would shred the Switch.

[OrdinaryPhil]

7 hours ago, DANK_AS_gay said:

The Switch competes with literally nothing, their pricing isn't aggressive, it's lazy. That device has a mid tier mobile APU from 2015. It's 2022. A $300 phone would shred the Switch.

I wasn't suggesting that the Switch was any sort of bargain. If anything I was pointing out that Nintendo is unlike all other marketplaces since their prices almost never drop.

Xbox, PC, and PS5 games drop in price very quickly. 1-2 months after release major AAA games tend to sell for much less. You can find games on the Nintendo marketplace from 5 years ago that are still selling for their launch prices.

[rikitikitavi]

8 hours ago, DANK_AS_gay said:

The Switch competes with literally nothing, their pricing isn't aggressive, it's lazy. That device has a mid tier mobile APU from 2015. It's 2022. A $300 phone would shred the Switch.

23 minutes ago, OrdinaryPhil said:

I wasn't suggesting that the Switch was any sort of bargain.

 

Actually Switch is a bargain to the unfamiliar crowd. Random Joe sees a 'current gen' console that is priced way below its competitors (I believe XsS might be similar priced), in addition it also can be used portable. 'Friendliness' is also a big factor.

 

As for the games - they are complementary products, so not many people actually compare the pricing. Especially when potential customers are only eyeballing 1-2 titles at the beginning (still cheaper than ps5 alone)

[DANK_AS_gay]

5 hours ago, OrdinaryPhil said:

ind games on the Nintendo marketplace from 5 years ago that are still selling for their launch prices.

All Call of Duty games on Steam are still at 60$. A rip off.

[wasab]

13 hours ago, DANK_AS_gay said:

All Call of Duty games on Steam are still at 60$. A rip off.

yeah... dont buy on steam without a sale