Are consoles a rip off?

[Screamin Soul]

1. Consoles are a lower price, but have less function and life span than PC.

2. Consoles have easier party and communication options (Party Chat Vs something like discord), but have substantially less options.

3. Consoles need little maintenance. They almost never get viruses, they don't need to be defragmented and require less updates than PC. But if you are one of the not so luck few to get a virus on your console, you might as well toss it in the dumpster .

4. Consoles have no options to get a game digitally, you download from the manufacturers online store. PC you have multiple options. But you have to often deal with multiple launchers, some which can be awful.

5. It's a lot simpler to deal with controllers and headsets on console than PC , theres no installion and few compatibility issues. But keyboards are a bigger pain on consoles than PC, and once again, there's a lot less choice.

6. If a game is sold on a console, you know it's compatible. On Pc you have to worry about specs and requirements . But if you don't like your graphics settings or framerate on consoles there's little to nothing you can do about it.

I could give another dozen or so examples . But it comes down to it there are pross and con for Console and PC with very few ovjectively better reasons.

It comes down to preference. You could make an argument that PCs are a ripoff.

It honestly comes down to your play style and life style. Anyone who tells you which platform you should game on over your prefered platform is wasting their time.

[k4far]

Yes, and they have performance issues for many games at least old version of PS4 had before I got rid of it.

[Tuklofeign]

Consoles are a current necessity of the industry. Prior to the Xbox 360 and PS3 excessively long runs, which were about 8-9 years in that over-extended life cycle, previous consoles usually had a shelf life of about 5 years before a new one launched. But support for those could extend well beyond that to the 8-9 year mark as well. We just usually had a new console before then.

Now while we can all agree that consoles have become more akin to mid-range gaming PCs these days when they launch, the real money maker for a lot of publishers is that platform. Games make a lot of money on console platforms and while we all know PC is where its at in terms of graphics, the consoles help push new innovations for game engines that eventually expand to more games that then in turn benefit the PC audience. Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine used in The Division is one example from this cycle as well as the Fox engine in Metal Gear Solid Phantom Pain and Unreal Engine 4. It's a cycle in more ways than one.

You can love them or hate them, but all platforms share a synergy that benefits the other.

[Sohzu]

I don't know, I love my consoles but I play pc 99% of the time.. >_> That being said most of my consoles are retro consoles but I do have an Xbox one and PS4. My only gripe would be that every time I turn either one of those two consoles on there is an update for either whatever game I want to play or the console itself. Nothing turns me off more then to have to update immediately when just turning the console on. >_< Such a small complaint though for most people but that makes them seem like a rip off to me. I love couch co-op but its hard to have friends over and say hey just wait 30 minutes while I update the console and then we can play! Now I realize you update just as much on PC but it doesn't seem near as often..

[TheSHEEEP]

I honestly think that at one point, consoles and PC will kind of merge into one.
Seriously, even now there really isn't a meaningful difference between a PC and a console.

What is a PS4 if not a customized PC with a custom OS and a controller instead of kb&m as the default input?
With subsidized hardware prices to be cheaper than a regular PC, at the cost of very high prices for the games compared to PC.
The only reason to get a console over a PC besides the initial price point are exclusive games - and that exclusivity is artificial to begin with, often paid for by MS, Sony, Nintendo, ...
Almost all console games are made with engines that support not only the platform they are released on.

If/When all that exclusivity stuff starts to disappear, I don't think it would take long until no further distinction is made between PC and console. The only disctinction then will be - as it is right now on PC - between operating systems.

[Aidy]

My only gripe would be that every time I turn either one of those two consoles on there is an update for either whatever game I want to play or the console itself.

You can configure your xbox to download and apply updates when it's in sleep mode. That doesn't work for the games sadly, only the xbox updates themselves.

However because the system needs updates it's a rip off? Do you know how often nvidia nags me to update the driver of my graphics card? How often Windows tells me it needs to install updates?

How come this thread is just filling up with PC owners whose reason for consoles being a rip-off is simply down to them applying standards to consoles that they don't apply to the PC?

[Eriixas]

1. Consoles are a lower price, but have less function and life span than PC.
2. Consoles have easier party and communication options (Party Chat Vs something like discord), but have substantially less options.
3. Consoles need little maintenance. They almost never get viruses, they don't need to be defragmented and require less updates than PC. But if you are one of the not so luck few to get a virus on your console, you might as well toss it in the dumpster .

1. Yeah, I can agree with your first point, a console is generally cheaper than an average computer without screen.

2. Easier to form a party on consoles, perhaps, I mean, I don't know specifics. We have to keep it in mind, however, that PCs do not operate on operational systems created for games and partying happens only in game itself, which, in most cases, isn't complex. Surely, there were cases when my friends and I couldn't group up properly, but it would be game-specific problem rather than PC related.

Communication options? Well, no, they aren't more complicated on PCs than on consoles and there is a variety of ways to communicate on PCs, plus they are free to use. I would argue that having to pay for online pass makes the communication harder to access on consoles than on PCs.

3. Consoles, overall, do need less maintenance, but a lot of people think that PC maintenance takes hours upon hours each week, which is untrue, as if PC does need as much time and care as a dog. There are tools to ease the maintenance and they do help with some updates for software. Meanwhile, viruses aren't just caught randomly - people who generally do not care what links they click are bound to catch something eventually. Again, there are various tools (not limited to anti-viruses) to help with the safety of PC and while some of them are free, others may cost a little bit.

4. Consoles have no options to get a game digitally, you download from the manufacturers online store. PC you have multiple options. But you have to often deal with multiple launchers, some which can be awful.
5. It's a lot simpler to deal with controllers and headsets on console than PC , theres no installion and few compatibility issues. But keyboards are a bigger pain on consoles than PC, and once again, there's a lot less choice.
6. If a game is sold on a console, you know it's compatible. On Pc you have to worry about specs and requirements . But if you don't like your graphics settings or framerate on consoles there's little to nothing you can do about it.

4. When it comes to PC gaming and multiple launchers, yeah. A fan of several games will most likely find self dealing with multiple launchers, but I wouldn't say it's that bad as some may claim to be, although, I myself would prefer to have fewer. Overall, there are some notorious cases of "annoying launchers", for example, Ubisoft games on Steam require Uplay (their launcher) on top of Steam to play their games.

5. Controllers are surely easier to use on consoles as they are primarily designed for them, but headsets? What makes headsets harder to use on PCs than on consoles? What installation is required for headsets?

6. Compatibility is a common issue on PC gaming, and it can be scary at first, however, there's a couple of things that may help a PC gamer out. Checking online if PC is capable to run the game, and also, there are Steam refunds, which may let the buyer to try a game and if it runs poorly it can be refunded, as long as it doesn't reach 2 hour playtime.

[Eriixas]

Oh well... My message was so long that I couldn't fit it in one post so here's the rest:

I could give another dozen or so examples . But it comes down to it there are pross and con for Console and PC with very few ovjectively better reasons.
It comes down to preference. You could make an argument that PCs are a ripoff.
It honestly comes down to your play style and life style. Anyone who tells you which platform you should game on over your prefered platform is wasting their time.

Word "preference" doesn't write-off arguments. It's not good argument in itself either. Everyone does have a preference of their own, I am not an exception, however, someone may love something like Fallout 76, an unfinished game with extremely steep microtransaction prices. Does this game automatically become not a ripoff just because someone has preference to such games? Absolutely not.

I would like you to try and make an argument that the PCs are ripoff. Some of the more expensive preset computers are definitely that, but PCs overall aren't uniform, each PC is different in price, power and they have different functions.

To answer the last argument, I'd refer to 3rd point I've pointed out earlier. PCs do not take too much of time to maintain and I am confident that lifestyle doesn't really matter whether someone should get a console or PC. What do you mean by playstyle? Is it "sit on couch and relax"? The very same can be achieved on PC, with a controller too.

[Aidy]

The only reason to get a console over a PC besides the initial price point are exclusive games

That's your opinion but it doesn't apply to everyone, there are lots of reasons to get consoles and I'm sure for most people the number of "exclusive" games they play is probably in the vast minority. Personally I prefer the simplicity and convenience of the console, I like the fact that it just sits under the TV and uses the TV to display so I don't have to "go somewhere" to play games, I just sit on the sofa, grab the controller and start playing games. I can even start and stop the console from the controller, I literally don't even need to get off the sofa to o from watching TV to playing games.

[Aidy]

I would like you to try and make an argument that the PCs are ripoff.

I doubt anyone would want to. Console owners seem to be able to appreciate that them preferring to game on console doesn't mean all other options are "bad" and should be attacked.

[Kraneloran]

I think if you want to call consoles a rip-off, the approach to take would be a little less obvious. An actual rip-off consoles would be, if at the time they are produced they are significantly less powerful than technoligy would allow. But who would assume, that console companies would deliberately sell you a less powerful machine, just to sell you a slightly more powerful machine in the future.

[TheSHEEEP]

That's your opinion but it doesn't apply to everyone, there are lots of reasons to get consoles and I'm sure for most people the number of "exclusive" games they play is probably in the vast minority.

Then please provide me with those reasons, because...

Personally I prefer the simplicity and convenience of the console, I like the fact that it just sits under the TV and uses the TV to display so I don't have to "go somewhere" to play games, I just sit on the sofa, grab the controller and start playing games. I can even start and stop the console from the controller, I literally don't even need to get off the sofa to o from watching TV to playing games.

... all of the things you wrote can as well be done with a PC.
They are just not the default.

[Aidy]

Then please provide me with those reasons, because...


... all of the things you wrote can as well be done with a PC.
They are just not the default.

Like I've already said, I could p*ss in my washing machine, but I don't. If you have to redefine "PC gaming" such that it matches how no-one uses PCs to play games, then your argument has failed.

[TheSHEEEP]

Like I've already said, I could p*ss in my washing machine, but I don't. If you have to redefine "PC gaming" such that it matches how no-one uses PCs to play games, then your argument has failed.

Not really.
I am stating facts, not trying to define "PC gaming" (why would I, it is rather clearly defined as playing on a PC...).

While you are bringing strawmen to burn instead of arguments.
I mean, who doesn't like a nice fire, but how about at least trying to strengthen any of your points, if you do have any more than what you wrote initially.

[Eriixas]

Look at his other posts on this topic. He's not even trying to bring good arguments.

[TheSHEEEP]

I just did. Well, I'm ever the optimist!

[Aidy]

Not really.

I gave (some) reasons why a console is more convenient to use for gaming than a PC, reasons I'm sure everyone not just looking for an argument would agree with. Your rebuttal to that was that a PC could be configured to behave in a similar way, and while I don't dispute that, that's not what people refer to when they talk about PC gaming. Most people understand PC gaming to mean playing on a dedicated device with a range of dedicated peripherals; so a dedicated box, monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers and those things usually require a dedicated area as well. Whereas you just toss a console under your telly and that's it. Turn it on and go...no separate monitor, keyboard or mouse is needed. I don't think these concepts are particularly outlandish or unusual to people, and any attempt by yourself to imply that PCs can be as convenient as a console for gaming would require a redefining of what PC gaming is.

Are you claiming that PC gaming is as easy and convenient as console gaming, or not? That's what I got from your post anyway, if that's wrong then feel free to correct me and explain what you actually meant.

[TheSHEEEP]

I gave (some) reasons why a console is more convenient to use for gaming than a PC, reasons I'm sure everyone not just looking for an argument would agree with.

Wrong. What may be convenient to you will not be to others.
For me, it would be way less convenient to slouch on a sofa, looking at only one screen (which I guess would be your definition of "console gaming"?) than it is to sit focused on an ergonomic chair in front of my monitors, one of which may run a game while the others allow me to also browse, mail, or whatever else I feel like doing (including nothing else at all).

Your rebuttal to that was that a PC could be configured to behave in a similar way, and while I don't dispute that, that's not what people refer to when they talk about PC gaming. Most people understand PC gaming to mean playing on a dedicated device with a range of dedicated peripherals; so a dedicated box, monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers and those things usually require a dedicated area as well.

So you magically know what "people" refer to or understand as. Sorry, Dr. Xavier, didn't recognize you there for a moment.
What you said there is certainly PC gaming, but so would be carrying a giant battery as well as your rig on your back and strap the monitor to your forehead with duct tape.
You won't find an official dictionary entry of what "PC gaming" is, so in the absence of that, the only logical conclusion is that it means "playing on a PC" - and nothing more than that, as that is literally the only thing that can be inferred from the words.
Just as console gaming means nothing except "playing on a console".

A PC can be configured to behave in just the same way as a console, yes. I'm glad you agree with that. If I wanted to have that sofa slouching experience, I could have it without a console, no problem at all. Maybe half an hour of work to change the setup. And if I did that, what would that be then for you? Console gaming or PC gaming? I'm really curious, because your "definition" seems to ignore the actual device and just includes the environment it exists in and the way it is used.

Are you claiming that PC gaming is as easy and convenient as console gaming, or not? That's what I got from your post anyway, if that's wrong then feel free to correct me and explain what you actually meant.

My point is that PC gaming can be just as easy and convenient as console gaming.
It only requires more work to set it up like that. If that initial work is already too much for someone, then they'll need to get a console. But don't go around claiming a PC must always be inherently more complicated just because it is more flexible, as that's just not true.

I'm fine with people saying "I prefer a console because it doesn't require any amount of work at all to get going, not even an initial setup besides internet settings". But to claim that you couldn't have the same comfort in everyday use with a PC is nonsense.