PC Gaming Is Growing Faster Than Consoles, Data Shows
PC Gaming Is Growing Faster Than Consoles, Data Shows
Last year, thanks to games like Baldur's Gate III, PC gaming made more money than in 2022
The fact is is that all 3 console manufacturers charge monthly subscriptions for you to play games you bought with anyone outside of your room. (Nintendo Switch Online, Playstation Plus, Xbox Live).
Guess how much I have to pay Steam every month to play games in my $3000 library with my friends across the country? (A: nothing!)
Don't forget, even if you bought the games, it's entirely up to their discretion whether or not to take away those games if they feel like it.
I have games in my Steam library the publisher removed from the store some time ago so they could sell remakes.
Everyone else sucks and Gabe Newell knows it.
They've been porting so many games to PC you'd be stupid not to. Why get a PlayStation or an Xbox when you can get a PC and play both consoles games. It's honestly the best time for PC gaming and I'm all for it.
The last two generations of consoles were just PCs but worse. Now nearly all games are coming to PC anyway, what's even the point? Just to pay them $70/year for the privilege of playing multiplayer?
The mainstream consoles nowadays basically are locked-down computers anyway, so makes sense that people are skipping the live-services middleman and going straight to PC
Unless you care about exclusives, then PCs are the better all-rounder IMO, and don't need a yearly payment on top of your internet bill
This is exactly why I think Valve is primed to bring Steam Machines back. They’re already working on making a full functioning Linux OS, Steam OS. They have a huge library of games that regularly go on sale that you can now play on a handheld. Your save games sync across platform. Your Steam Machine would support existing controllers from either Xbox or PlayStation. I mean at this point they would be silly NOT to make them again.
Steam Machines would unironically be the year of the linux desktop
I bought a PS5 thinking I would play more games and end up just using the PS5 controller on my 7 year old gaming laptop with steam.
I just bought a Dual-sense controller, I knew I wouldn't use the PS5, same way I didn't use (and later sold) the PS4. PS5 controllers are awesome for Steam Games though, also emulation (on linux, windows they can be a pain to set up).
Despite being declared death or dying several times over the past couple decades.
The difference is that MS and Sony have started porting their games to PC this generation. There's very few console exclusives left apart from Nintendo
The PC would've survived even without that though. Not saying this isn't good, of course. I'm glad to see this happening, as I would've never gone the console route ever again. If you want to buy consoles for exclusives, then you'd have to get all three platforms, maybe even the handhelds (although that's kinda the only thing for Nintendo now anyway). It's like all those streaming services that you'd need if you want to watch all those exclusive TV shows. Who the hell is supposed to be able to afford all that? A PC may be potentially a bit more expensive, but I don't have to deal with any of that bullshit anymore after that and ultimately saving myself a lot of money and general trouble.
The way I see it, the future of consoles for Sony and Microsoft is to become simplified computers with games made to run well on them but developed to easily be ported to PC. Imagine a "Steam Deck" but more powerful, it can be used as a PC for school stuff or going on the internet with a mouse and keyboard, but the main UI is the game launcher.
I think you're absolutely right. Personally I see the next big switch will be to handhelds. The ability to just pick my switch up and take it wherever I'm going is the primary reason I own it. They will do the premium one with the screen and controls and the "lite" edition will need a tv.
I wouldnt be surprised if MS and Sony eventually step out of the hardware game either entirely or mostly and simply licence out a "Playstation phase # compatable" certification to others (that you need a PSN subscription to use) so you know that that Steam Deck/MSI whatever/Asus handheld will play anything from the X generation of playstation titles or older available.
I'm with you on that thought. After some time of mulling over a Steamdeck the Lenovo Go came out and solved my want for detachable controllers problem. So I bought a Lenovo Go. Yeah. It's Windows. I know. But in terms of everyday use it has surprisingly fast replaced my desktop for most things. Browsing. Indiegames. Streaming. With a dock and a wireless mouse keyboard combo it even holds up as a suitable media device connected to a TV or connected to a monitor for normal office tasks. And it's a beast for emulation(Thx Emudeck).
If you consider hardware functionality, IDK why people buy consoles at all. The sky is the limit for what I can do on even a low end PC and there are significant limits to functionality on consoles. Not to mentioned the walled garden you're forced into with consoles.
Make money from software, there's little profit in hardware.
For some people, the walled garden and the "it just works" is a feature, when compared to the potential mine-field of building your own PC (or the increased cost of a pre built).
Some people have some money but not time, so a console a couch and a TV is easier to get into for the few hours a week they have.Value for money, a build-your-own PC is better.
I don't get why people buy iPhones. But if you go all-in on apple, the ecosystem is very attractive.
I wonder why no one talks about mini PCs like this one they're around the same price range as a console (maybe even a bit cheaper) and don't require nearly as much work as building a PC with parts. If you get it with an OS just set up, install steam and start playing. If you want a couch experience, connect a controller, launch big picture and also start playing.
A majority of games support controller input so they're basically plug and play, and ones that don't usually also have a default preset. If anything steam has become almost the same as the console experience, just with extra functionality if you want it.
PC's being better value is a new development too. Most current gen consoles were purchased while GPU prices were very inflated. It's relevant for next gen (especially with consoles already being sold at a loss) but not so much the current one. Future looks bright for PC gaming, if we can manage to excise the tumor that is Denuvo
I don't have a need for a computer and I enjoy using a controller to easily navigate the system. I can toss the controller just about anywhere without it being in the way. I don't have room for a dedicated desk so the mouse would get lost and the keyboard would be cumbersome for me to set somewhere out of the way.
I like to sit down, turn the console on, recline, turn the TV on, play, toss the controller in or on the coffee table after.
Most people already have a laptop, where you have to buy a console just for it's one purpose.
Considering most mainstream consoles are essentially shitty PCs, I'm surprised it took so long. An actual PC is a far more useful and flexible device.
I'd say one of the biggest things that kept people playing console games had to be the console exclusive games. If you wanted to play games like Ratchet & Clank, you'd need a PlayStation. But even that has changed, with the most recent release being available on Steam. Pretty much the only company holding out (Sintendo) is a company that no sane person should care about other than when it's time to get angry about them.
I'm scared. As soon as it becomes profitable, companies in the gaming space will be rushing to enshitiffy PC gaming the way they're doing with consoles. Big, public game companies not paying attention to the PC space is a GOOD thing.
It has always been profitable and we've already seen the enshittification with the plethora of completely useless launchers and company specific accounts. We've more or less grown accustomed to the enshittification that has happened in the last decade.
So I'm not really scared because the real gems of PC gaming aren't from big public companies, they're from small indie teams. All that enshittification just pushes me more and more towards indie games. I occasionally tip my toes into the mainstream games whenever I see something I want to play, but mostly I play games made by small studios who want to make games for others to play rather than make games to make money.
That is true, but until now we've mostly been able to enjoy the best of both without compromise or major obstacles, and even AAA games can offer quality, especially considering the value add of the modding community. We got all the benefit of a AAA title with customization and community at a fraction of the price. Sure, indies will still be there and delivering great quality no matter what, but more actively engaged big companies is still a net loss to PC gaming.
What is the value proposition of a modern game console over a PC?
If it's a Playstation or Nintendo you get exclusive games, Xbox you don't really, these games are available on Windows or cloud. Though a lot of exclusives do get re-released on PC so not sure how much of a benefit that is.
It's about a third of the price.
Definitely not a third. A $500USD Xbox Series X or PS5 has about the same performance as a ~600-650 PC in the current market maybe. They sell at a small loss (or used to), because they intend to get significantly more back from you via subscription payments. Most people want to actually be able to play games they paid for online or use basic online services, so after like 5 years you've already spent another 300 (xbox) to 500 (playstation) assuming you buy the cheapest option annually.
On console you also have significantly less choice for peripherals and pay more for games, a lot of extra money spent for most people. With PC you can spend way less to get the functionality you need.
Plus if you like pirating, you can consider that a few hundred dollars in savings on games... considering you don't pay for them and all.
Steamdeck costs about the same
You can make PC's with comparable price and performance of a console. Especially when you facotr in the cost of subscriptions to use online services. Content creators just rarely cover that because it doesn't get them views
It makes sense to me. PC is just so much more versatile and can do so many more things than a console. Also, while the initial costs can be higher, you can play your games without fear of compatibility issues or online fees, etc. I can play games from 10-15 years ago without issues (generally).
Just play on whichever device you have that can handle it.
Switched to PC Gaming around the PS3 era and never looked back.
It's really nice to see the Sony titles coming to Steam these days as well.
I'm older so probably not in the demographic. I had a PS4 and liked it. My only complaint was paying for online service. But getting "free" games with the service, okay sure. Lol, you can play some games without PS+. I found this out playing rocket League, yay?
I thought about getting a PS5, but I'm not down with the whole rat race vibe. Paying more then retail seems silly. Resellers, nope. After 3 years the luster of having a new console is over. I'm fine with Steam.
Not surprising to me given my own personal experience. I only really use my PS5 for exclusives now and there haven't been many of those being released recently that I've been interested in. Plus new playstation games are expensive which has made me a more patient gamer. So if a non-exclusive game interests me it's probably going to be cheaper on Steam. I used to be more of a console gamer but these days if you have a decent pc there isn't much that a console can offer over a pc.
No shit. PC these days is also less annoying than a console. Like I don't need to renew a stupid subscription to play online and I have way less unskipable updates under Windows than a console.
Ps5 is a decent media center if they didn't fuck over streamers.
Can't get flac to play when it is supported because fuck you peasant.