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The console wars have been lost

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Re: The console wars have been lost

#101

Post by charcircuit »

alex43578 wrote: post #17
jhack wrote: post #14

“If I can't give people physical games as gifts anymore, why should I bother buying the new console?” “Man, Valve really does win by doing absolutely nothing while the rest of the industry shoots itself in the head.” Good luck buying physical games on PC?

The argument is that physical media was the one benefit consoles had. If you’re just buying a locked down, non-upgradable, low performance PC disguised as a console (without access to the superior Steam storefront), why not just get a PC?

PC has physical media too. For the last couple years I've only bought physical PC games.

Re: The console wars have been lost

#102

Post by alex43578 »

jhack wrote: post #41
alex43578 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The argument is that physical media was the one benefit consoles had. If you’re just buying a locked down, non-upgradable, low performance PC disguised as a console (without access to the superior Steam storefront), why not just get a PC?

Lower up-front cost and hardware longevity are the two major ones. Whenever GTA VI launches on PC, good luck running it on your $500 PC from 2020.

Eh, I think you’ll be able to match it close enough between upscaling and the very low bar for console graphics. If consoles are a low/medium preset at like 1080P, most computers can hit that.

Just as a quick check, this 2019 console competitor build from LTT can still match or exceed the minimum specs for Battlefield 6: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AZNLCzL1WAg&ra=m

Upgrading to a 3070 is $150 to $200 depending on eBay pricing, an amount you could easily save over a few Steam discounts compared to buying games at full retail.

Re: The console wars have been lost

#103

Post by Markoff »

otabdeveloper4 wrote: post #12
nylonstrung wrote: post #3

Consoles just don't make sense in any modern context. It's profoundly wasteful to have an edge device sitting in your living room, unused for 99% of the time that can only do an incredibly small subset of what a gaming computer can Every PS5 in existence is destined to become e-waste Not to mention how bad the developer and porting experience is compared to PC/Steam Machine

"Game consoles" are a niche lifestyle item for gen-X and millennials with money to waste. (Like vinyl records.) Nobody under 20 knows what a "console" is even for, they play games on their iPhone almost exclusively.

apparently my two primary school kids are nobodies for enjoying their PS3 or RetroArch

and they don't have smartphone yet, if they do it will be heavily restricted, they can play games on PS3 or portable like SF2000, phone ain't gaming device

Re: The console wars have been lost

#105

Post by Markoff »

otabdeveloper4 wrote: post #45
applfanboysbgon wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is hilariously incorrect and out-of-touch. Obviously phones are #1 by a huge margin, but the console market is as large as it's ever been as gaming as a whole became genuinely mainstream, and kids absolutely still play on them. Switch at 155 million sales, PS5 at 93 million, and under-20s have plenty of experience with hand-me-downs.

> the console market is as large as it's ever been as gaming as a whole became genuinely mainstream Yes, like I said - lifestyle item for gen-X and millennials who have money now. > ...and kids absolutely still play on them The vast majority is kids playing their parents' console. If the market wasn't being driven by parents' demand then no modern kid would be asking to buy a console. (They can play Roblox and Brawl…

> Nobody under 20 knows what a "console" is even for, they play games on their iPhone almost exclusively.

so which one is it - nobody under 20 knows what console is for or these kids are playing their parents console? you are contradicting yourself, something something moving the goalpost...

Re: The console wars have been lost

#106

Post by applfanboysbgon »

otabdeveloper4 wrote: post #100
applfanboysbgon wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've repeated this baseless assertion three times now verbatim without adding any justification whatsoever for your beliefs that I think would self-evidently not survive contact with reality if you had any interaction with teenagers. From the statistics I can find, around 30% of console players are GenZ/GenA.

> From the statistics I can find, around 30% of console players are GenZ/GenA. This is a theoretical maximum in a specific USA-centric bubble. Consoles (and gaming in general) is just not a thing for teenagers anymore. Gaming is gonna go the way of the electric guitar. Remember when guitar was actually cool and not just a midlife crisis marker for tired middle aged men?

I live in Japan. Gaming, including console gaming, is extremely popular for teenagers. You have literally zero idea what you're talking about. It sounds like you've just come up with some contrarian bait to sound edgy that I have regrettably taken the hook for.

Re: The console wars have been lost

#108

Post by bigcityslider »

Gigachad wrote: post #88
bigcityslider wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Locked down OS and hardware, or not usable for general compute for some other reason. 20 years ago you could have a gaming PC with discs like a console, but again the console was locked down.

This just illustrates the article point. We have come to the point where a console is just a worse less useful version of a PC. Steam OS will replicate the nice TV UX of consoles but not be locked down.

Maybe, idk, no horse in this race. My newest console is a GameCube, and my Mac can run approximately 2 games. Just saying there's a delineation between PC and console.

Re: The console wars have been lost

#109

Post by bigcityslider »

ghusto wrote: post #82
Gigachad wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve has essentially fixed this in most aspects. My Steam Deck is as much of a "just works" experience as the switch. In fact I think it just works even easier because it automatically syncs my saves between my gaming desktop and it so I have the same saves when I travel. Windows is a clusterfuck, but PC is larger than Windows. Anti cheat is a problem left to solve, but I think this is just a matter of time.

It "just works", unless it's time for a patch for that game. Which 98% of the time.

Every time I've been at someone's house with a new (ie post 2005) game console, there's some problem with launching the game. Except for Nintendo, kinda, well even then getting controllers to pair is like herding cats.

Re: The console wars have been lost

#110

Post by Gigachad »

Delphiza wrote: post #60

Somewhere along the way, consoles lost where they fit into the 'living room space'. The biggest thing (for me) was when games stopped with local co-op. Having two controllers and being able to play together was a good way to spend time doing casual gaming. Lego star wars did it well. Gears of War, Halo and others used to be a good way to to spend time with your children. The Wii had all ages playing together. Now, al…

Nintendo still makes some co op games but you are right it’s an area that has largely died off lately.

I think the boom in the board game industry has been a response to the death of co op video games.

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