PLEASE STOP COMPARING $500 CONSOLES TO $500 PCs

[TaylarRoids]

Hear me out.

  When you buy a console it's an ADDITIONAL expense. I'd bet almost anything that you already have a PC or something close. So for example: you already spend 2-600 dollars on whatever PC you already have so if in ADDITION to that you spent $500 (the price of an Xbox One X) you'd be spending ~700-1100 dollars on a PC you'd have a pretty baller PC, one that's significantly better than a $500 PC that LTT just compared to the One X in today's YouTube video. 

  It's not fair to compare a $500 console to a $500 PC. Realistically if you pooled your "Gaming spending money" you'd actually be getting a ~$800 PC, which could easily compete with modern consoles. 

PLUS there's a bunch of free content on PCs that easily add 100's of dollars in value vs. $60 AAA games.

/rant

 

[hconverse02]

Well on a pc $500 is just the tower, no peripherals included.  With a console there's a tv, with a pc there's a monitor, mouse and keyboard.  Performance may be different, but the comparison is kinda justified for the "barebones" tower

[Silver47]

Was thinking the exact same thing while watching the video. You need a PC anyway these days, and its not unlikely that you spend about 300 - 500$ on it even if you don't want to use it for gaming.

[Sauron]

1 minute ago, hconverse02 said:

Well on a pc $500 is just the tower, no peripherals included.  With a console there's a tv, with a pc there's a monitor, mouse and keyboard.  Performance may be different, but the comparison is kinda justified for the "barebones" tower

What stops you from using a tv with a pc? And peripherals are dirt cheap. But I do think it's fair to compare them, if nothing else to know how they stack up.

@TaylarRoids what if you have a laptop?

[RollinLower]

Just now, black0utm1rage said:

You need a PC anyway these day

 

5 minutes ago, TaylarRoids said:

I'd bet almost anything that you already have a PC or something close

my girlfriend has a PS4 but no PC's, only an iPad.

TL:DR it is highly subjective, and for an apples to apples comparison there are just too many variables.

[spat55]

Just buy a cheap £20 keyboard mouse combo with it and use the TV as a monitor, I think it's fair to compare them considering how much better you can get a PC for console money, although with the PS4 having price drops you now need to go second hand i5 and motherboard.

[AshleyAshes]

3 minutes ago, black0utm1rage said:

You need a PC anyway these days

There's a problem with this thinking; Since 2008 laptops have outsold desktops for consumers.  A lot of people, despite owning a 'PC' don't own a desktop, and so the concept of 'Just stick a nice GPU in your desktop' literally isn't a thing because they don't have a desktop in the first place.

 

And that's not even considering a good number of consumers who don't have PCs anymore and just have an iPad or something.

[Silver47]

1 minute ago, RollinLower said:

my girlfriend has a PS4 but no PC's, only an iPad.

Yeah, but chances are that that iPad cost even more than the 300 - 500$ that I suggested for a PC...

[emosun]

Honestly I just got done typing a freaken novel about this....

but essentially , when you apply the 500$ into a computer in the right ways , it's never a contest.

the problem is doing it the worst way , buying all parts brand new. buying everything brand new with only 500$ is just dumb. You end up with a cheap 2018 Cheverolet Spark of a pc. As opposed to used where you could get a nitrous boosted 1950's gasser

we all know they made us look bad , nothing we can do about it.

[TaylarRoids]

5 minutes ago, hconverse02 said:

Well on a pc $500 is just the tower, no peripherals included.  With a console there's a tv, with a pc there's a monitor, mouse and keyboard.  Performance may be different, but the comparison is kinda justified for the "barebones" tower

These assumptions (already having a PC) also assumes you already have peripherals. Another fun fact, you can use a TV as a monitor, you don't need to buy one.

[vanished]

Another thing that's worth considering is which cost is it that we actually care about?  Is it just the upfront cost, or the total running cost over 2 or 3 years, including game purchases, additional subscription services, etc.

[QuantumBit]

I always think consoles will be better for the price.

 

Heres what you get for $500 on consoles

4k blu ray

new parts

little to no maintnence 

peripherals

slim size

nearly all games are optimized to run well

 

Its nearly if not totally impossible to do that with a pc

[Zodiark1593]

Well, with the SoCs in use, Microsoft and Sony can build a gaming powerhouse for far cheaper than anyone can build an equivalent PC. With revenue coming in from games, these companies can even sell the hardware at a loss if needed. I don't imagine any PC OEM or part vendors being able to do the same. The PC ecosystem is under no one company's control.

 

Though for those like me, the flexibility of the PC alone is worth the premium.

[AshleyAshes]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Is it just the upfront cost, or the total running cost over 2 or 3 years, including game purchases, additional subscription services, etc.

Let's not kid ourselves; Most people well and truly only care about the up front immediate cost.  That's why ISPs can sell you cheap internet for 'Six Months' while you don't notice that you pay a lot more per month after that.  Or how Best Buy will give you a rebate if you sign up for their credit card as you purchase.  Or people who only consider the 'cost' of an item, even if they're buying it on financing/credit, and entirely ignore the additional cost of interest.  The majority of consumers are highly sensitive to immediate costs and much less sensitive to long term costs.

[Silver47]

1 minute ago, AshleyAshes said:

There's a problem with this thinking; Since 2008 laptops have outsold desktops for consumers.  A lot of people, despite owning a 'PC' don't own a desktop, and so the concept of 'Just stick a nice GPU in your desktop' literally isn't a thing because they don't have a desktop in the first place.  

Yeah allright, but chances are that people that play video games would have bought a desktop for exactly that reason in the first place. And vice versa a lot of people that bought laptops out of practical reasons for work don't even play video games at all. I'm not saying that consoles are irrelevant, all I'm saying is that comparing a 500$ console to a 500$ pc isn't fair, because you'll need a pc or some similar device anyway.

[emosun]

3 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Another thing that's worth considering is which cost is it that we actually care about?  Is it just the upfront cost, or the total running cost over 2 or 3 years, including game purchases, additional subscription services, etc.

upfront definitely

running cost is variable to the person. everyone has to pay upfront , running costs are optional.

either side could pay no running costs and live on free games forever. either side could take out a second mortgage microtransactioning themselves to death. 

[vanished]

2 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

Let's not kid ourselves; Most people well and truly only care about the up front immediate cost.  That's why ISPs can sell you cheap internet for 'Six Months' while you don't notice that you pay a lot more per month after that.  Or how Best Buy will give you a rebate if you sign up for their credit card as you purchase.  Or people who only consider the 'cost' of an item, even if they're buying it on financing/credit, and entirely ignore the additional cost of interest.  The majority of consumers are highly sensitive to immediate costs and much less sensitive to long term costs.

Yeah, I think that's true, and could explain part of the popularity of consoles.  Sure you get more performance* for the money now, but make no mistake you pay for it eventually.  Paid multiplayer services, more expensive games, etc all add up over time.

 

But, if that's so important, than just finance whatever device you truly want rather than picking just based on that

[Silver47]

1 minute ago, QuantumBit said:

Heres what you get for $500 on consoles

A piece of consumer electronics that will be obsolete in 5 years tops with no ability to upgrade it... Consider that...

[QuantumBit]

1 minute ago, black0utm1rage said:

A piece of consumer electronics that will be obsolete in 5 years tops with no ability to upgrade it... Consider that...

In my opinion 5 years of support for $500 (lets be honest, no ones going to be bothered by the $5 a month)

In 5 years that pc you built out of used parts to get "value" will be running on a 8 year old socket, which I dont see being much better.

[emosun]

2 minutes ago, QuantumBit said:

new parts

overated

cheap new parts vs high quality used parts

I have 25 year old gpu's that will outlive a brand new xbox. new means nothing

[NotTheRelaxngEnd]

3 minutes ago, QuantumBit said:

I always think consoles will be better for the price.

 

Heres what you get for $500 on consoles

4k blu ray

new parts

little to no maintnence 

peripherals

slim size

nearly all games are optimized to run well

 

Its nearly if not totally impossible to do that with a pc

yeah but pc does not require online gaming subscription, has more compatiblity across platforms, and overall serves many more purposes than a console, not only tat but if you spend the money the right way, you cn make it so that you can go upgrading little by little and making something awesome.

also i should mention that games ike bf1 are hard to run at 60 fps consistently on ultra

 

[AshleyAshes]

Just now, QuantumBit said:

I always think consoles will be better for the price.

 

Heres what you get for $500 on consoles

4k blu ray

new parts

little to no maintnence 

peripherals

slim size

 

Its nearly if not totally impossible to do that with a pc

Don't forget ease of use.  As much as PC users will say 'Oh you can just LEARN how build a PC by watching a video on YouTube!', you can also just learn to change your own oil or make your own pizza from scratch, most people will still just drive into Jiffy Lube or order up pizza delivery even if they could have saved money doing it themselves.  Humans can learn anything but they can't learn everything.

 

I got my PS4 Pro this week and installation was literally a matter of plugging in power, HDMI and Ethernet, turning it on, letting it ask me my info, install a system update, and in ten mins I was logging into PSN and buying Persona 5 for 50% off on PSN. It's idiot proof.  This is what a lot of consumers want, they don't want a new skill of PC parts selection, assembly, and software installation to master, they want a magic box that they plug into the TV and it makes video games happen.

[QuantumBit]

Just now, AshleyAshes said:

Don't forget ease of use.  As much as PC users will say 'Oh you can just LEARN how build a PC by watching a video on YouTube!', you can also just learn to change your own oil or make your own pizza from scratch, most people will still just drive into Jiffy Lube or order up pizza delivery even if they could have saved money doing it themselves.  Humans can learn anything but they can't learn everything.

 

I got my PS4 Pro this week and installation was literally a matter of plugging in power, HDMI and Ethernet, turning it on, letting it ask me my info, install a system update, and in ten mins I was logging into PSN and buying Persona 5 for 50% off on PSN. It's idiot proof.  This is what a lot of consumers want, they don't want a new skill of PC parts selection, assembly, and software installation to master, they want a magic box that they plug into the TV and it makes video games happen.

100% agree. Most users dont have the time to look up and research parts, then go out deal hunting. 

[NotTheRelaxngEnd]

4 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Yeah, I think that's true, and could explain part of the popularity of consoles.  Sure you get more performance* for the money now, but make no mistake you pay for it eventually.  Paid multiplayer services, more expensive games, etc all add up over time.

 

But, if that's so important, than just finance whatever device you truly want rather than picking just based on that

also pc has something called steam workshop and p 

[QuantumBit]

1 minute ago, NotTheRelaxngEnd said:

yeah but pc does not require online gaming subscription, has more compatiblity across platforms, and overall serves many more purposes than a console, not only tat but if you spend the money the right way, you cn make it so that you can go upgrading little by little and making something awesome.

also i should mention that games ike bf1 are hard to run at 60 fps consistently on ultra

 

Most PC's made with that money will already be running on older sockets, which after a few years will be more obsolete.

Are you really comparing a $5 monthly fee then saying that you can upgrade your PC, which I doubt will cost that little.