People have been telling me that consoles are dying and everyone will play on PC instead for over 30 years. The convenience factor of the all-in-one hardware, and the supported lifetime of the platform, can’t be understated. I can see docked phones being a replacement at some point. But I’d be surprised if PCs ever squash out consoles.
Aside from convenience, the price really is a lot cheaper than equivalent PCs. An RTX 4070 alone costs as much as a playstation 5 (with disc), and that comes with a controller too.
But you don’t really need a 4070 for gaming. Just like you don’t need a F150 to drive to work (most people don’t at least). Plenty of lower end hardware does the job well. Over the course of the systems lifetime a PC can be very competitive in terms of prices for games. And it can be used for more than just gaming.
Yeah, it’s the wrong generation and has a little too much power, the closest would probably be a 3060 which was available shortly after the launch of the PS5. But it was still more than half the price of a PS5 and you need more than a GPU for a computer.
But you also don’t have to pay for online monthly you get better deals on games and or free if you’re one to sail the seas imo they save you money in the long run and you can do so much more then just play games on it compared to a console
PC is already larger than active users on both PlayStations combined, and it didn’t used to be that way. Given the Steam Deck and what Microsoft have been saying about handhelds and their next console(s), you’re looking at a very real possibility that the next Xbox is just a PC with a different UI, like the Steam Deck.
It’s honestly the best of both worlds. A well built and tested hardware platform with well known specs and manufacturer support, that’s capable of running any third party software at the drop of a hat
Not really? Conceptually maybe. But if you can install whatever OS you want and aren’t forced to use official distribution methods then that seems pretty PC to me
Now we’re in philosophical territory with questions like, “What is a console?” It runs PC games, but you can navigate it with a controller. It has most console features but is malleable enough to have most PC features.
sure, it’s a spectrum. but to me the biggest defining feature of a console is being a self-contained wad of hardware, unable to be upgraded or repaired piece by piece.
Then it arguably isn’t that either. They give you full instructions on how to repair and upgrade it, and they partnered with iFixIt. People have modded in more storage, battery life, and better screens. Personally, I think I draw the line at the part where it runs the same executables as any other PC, so I’ll call it a PC.
Steam Deck checks this, but so do laptops, raspberry pis and smartphones.
unable to be upgraded or repaired piece by piece.
Again Steam Deck is almost as upgradable and repairable as a laptop, and more repairable than a raspberry pi or a smartphone.
So that definition of console doesn’t work, otherwise raspberry pies, laptops, and especially phones would also be consoles. The differentiating factor is locking of the system with the hardware, in that sense Apple is more “console-like” than non-Apple competitors. Also The primary function of a gaming console must be gaming.
With those two extra points the Steam Deck hits one but misses the other. It is primarily for gaming, but the system is not locked down, you can change it how you want and even remove it entirely and put a different one.
So with any definition you can find the Steam Deck is not quite a console, but it does provide a console experience, so it’s in a weird space.
I upgraded my Steamdeck joysticks to a 3rd party with hall effect sensors, the ssd to one with double the capacity, and the fan to one that is silent. There’s people that have upgraded even more things, to the point of using a pcie flat cable to connect a full pcie GPU card.
The steam deck is a PC in a handheld form factor. It simply runs Linux and defaults to steams big picture mode (a console esque interface). You can still enter a desktop mode and use firefox and a word processor
Yeah, but now you can buy an all-in-one convenient PC to plug on your TV with almost 100% retro compatibility, it’s called the Steam Deck and it’s awesome.
It may not be a replacement, though they can work hand in hand amazingly.
I’ve found that as long as I leave my pc running at home, I’m able to just hop on 4G mobile data through my phone and stream the vast majority of games.
I wouldn’t try this for multi-player games, but when I want to play Warhammer when I’m away this does the trick!
Or even at home, no more hauling the pc to the TV. Stick it in the corner, and simply stream over wifi.
Personally the only games not able to played on my deck are games like Starfield, which thankfully doesn’t bother me one bit. (Though it worked perfectly being streamed from my 1660ti).
Now if you’re a graphics snob then no, the deck can not compare to a pc. But neither can a console.
Yup, you can buy the official dock or really any usb-C dock. Resolution can be set, so you can even do 4k on it if the tv supports it and the deck can handle it for that game
Im with you except for the “supported lifetime,” I have a PC that can play the original Doom alongside Cyberpunk 2077 with raytracing, and literally everything in between.
My PS3 can play at most a decade worth of games. It is obsolete.
Not necessarily. You can incremently upgrade your pc over time. Typically for cheaper than a brand new console. Generally as long as you have a nice enough mobo, you could just replace the GPU and suddenly “be able to play next gen games”
I still believe mobile PC’s (like the ROG or Deck) will be the new consoles of the future. Why the hell would I trap myself to a room every time I want to play a game? Now I can walk to any random forest, lake, area, and go play Cyberpunk 2077 for 4 hours with nothing but nature.
Right. Fair enough. But, as another user said, I can upgrade that PC. I’ve technically had the “same PC” since like 2015. At this point, there are no pieces of the original left, but I never went out and spend $1000 on a new rig up front.
Also, that still doesn’t make consoles look amy better. Because, when the PS3 became obsolete, and I went and got a PS4, what happened to my PS3 library? It’s still locked to my PS3. Even if we did have to go buy new computers every 7 years, they’s still all run the original Doom as well as newer games, and everything in between. All this, while also being able to file my taxes.
People have been telling me that consoles are dying and everyone will play on PC instead for over 30 years. The convenience factor of the all-in-one hardware, and the supported lifetime of the platform, can’t be understated. I can see docked phones being a replacement at some point. But I’d be surprised if PCs ever squash out consoles.
Aside from convenience, the price really is a lot cheaper than equivalent PCs. An RTX 4070 alone costs as much as a playstation 5 (with disc), and that comes with a controller too.
But you don’t really need a 4070 for gaming. Just like you don’t need a F150 to drive to work (most people don’t at least). Plenty of lower end hardware does the job well. Over the course of the systems lifetime a PC can be very competitive in terms of prices for games. And it can be used for more than just gaming.
Yeah, it’s the wrong generation and has a little too much power, the closest would probably be a 3060 which was available shortly after the launch of the PS5. But it was still more than half the price of a PS5 and you need more than a GPU for a computer.
But you also don’t have to pay for online monthly you get better deals on games and or free if you’re one to sail the seas imo they save you money in the long run and you can do so much more then just play games on it compared to a console
PC is already larger than active users on both PlayStations combined, and it didn’t used to be that way. Given the Steam Deck and what Microsoft have been saying about handhelds and their next console(s), you’re looking at a very real possibility that the next Xbox is just a PC with a different UI, like the Steam Deck.
isn’t the steam deck much closer to a console than a PC?
It’s honestly the best of both worlds. A well built and tested hardware platform with well known specs and manufacturer support, that’s capable of running any third party software at the drop of a hat
Not really? Conceptually maybe. But if you can install whatever OS you want and aren’t forced to use official distribution methods then that seems pretty PC to me
Steam Deck is just Linux… It’s the same as installing Linux with Steam. And run Proton via Steam.
Now we’re in philosophical territory with questions like, “What is a console?” It runs PC games, but you can navigate it with a controller. It has most console features but is malleable enough to have most PC features.
sure, it’s a spectrum. but to me the biggest defining feature of a console is being a self-contained wad of hardware, unable to be upgraded or repaired piece by piece.
Then it arguably isn’t that either. They give you full instructions on how to repair and upgrade it, and they partnered with iFixIt. People have modded in more storage, battery life, and better screens. Personally, I think I draw the line at the part where it runs the same executables as any other PC, so I’ll call it a PC.
Wow, it’s been 40 years since I played on a spectrum.
Those are two different things
Steam Deck checks this, but so do laptops, raspberry pis and smartphones.
Again Steam Deck is almost as upgradable and repairable as a laptop, and more repairable than a raspberry pi or a smartphone.
So that definition of console doesn’t work, otherwise raspberry pies, laptops, and especially phones would also be consoles. The differentiating factor is locking of the system with the hardware, in that sense Apple is more “console-like” than non-Apple competitors. Also The primary function of a gaming console must be gaming.
With those two extra points the Steam Deck hits one but misses the other. It is primarily for gaming, but the system is not locked down, you can change it how you want and even remove it entirely and put a different one.
So with any definition you can find the Steam Deck is not quite a console, but it does provide a console experience, so it’s in a weird space.
I upgraded my Steamdeck joysticks to a 3rd party with hall effect sensors, the ssd to one with double the capacity, and the fan to one that is silent. There’s people that have upgraded even more things, to the point of using a pcie flat cable to connect a full pcie GPU card.
The steam deck is a PC in a handheld form factor. It simply runs Linux and defaults to steams big picture mode (a console esque interface). You can still enter a desktop mode and use firefox and a word processor
Yeah, but now you can buy an all-in-one convenient PC to plug on your TV with almost 100% retro compatibility, it’s called the Steam Deck and it’s awesome.
I left my steam deck but it’s no replacement for an actually high-end PC
But it is a replacement for a console like I told the person I replied to.
It may not be a replacement, though they can work hand in hand amazingly.
I’ve found that as long as I leave my pc running at home, I’m able to just hop on 4G mobile data through my phone and stream the vast majority of games.
I wouldn’t try this for multi-player games, but when I want to play Warhammer when I’m away this does the trick!
Or even at home, no more hauling the pc to the TV. Stick it in the corner, and simply stream over wifi.
Personally the only games not able to played on my deck are games like Starfield, which thankfully doesn’t bother me one bit. (Though it worked perfectly being streamed from my 1660ti).
Now if you’re a graphics snob then no, the deck can not compare to a pc. But neither can a console.
Can’t if they don’t sell in your country
Does the deck dock to TV? I always thought the Switch should have a pro dock to upscale when docked.
Yup, you can buy the official dock or really any usb-C dock. Resolution can be set, so you can even do 4k on it if the tv supports it and the deck can handle it for that game
Im with you except for the “supported lifetime,” I have a PC that can play the original Doom alongside Cyberpunk 2077 with raytracing, and literally everything in between.
My PS3 can play at most a decade worth of games. It is obsolete.
Sure, but so is the PC that someone bought around the time the original Doom was released.
Not necessarily. You can incremently upgrade your pc over time. Typically for cheaper than a brand new console. Generally as long as you have a nice enough mobo, you could just replace the GPU and suddenly “be able to play next gen games”
I still believe mobile PC’s (like the ROG or Deck) will be the new consoles of the future. Why the hell would I trap myself to a room every time I want to play a game? Now I can walk to any random forest, lake, area, and go play Cyberpunk 2077 for 4 hours with nothing but nature.
Right. Fair enough. But, as another user said, I can upgrade that PC. I’ve technically had the “same PC” since like 2015. At this point, there are no pieces of the original left, but I never went out and spend $1000 on a new rig up front.
Also, that still doesn’t make consoles look amy better. Because, when the PS3 became obsolete, and I went and got a PS4, what happened to my PS3 library? It’s still locked to my PS3. Even if we did have to go buy new computers every 7 years, they’s still all run the original Doom as well as newer games, and everything in between. All this, while also being able to file my taxes.