Are consoles a rip off?

[Baron Baldric]

Here are some reasons consoles are worth having, in the order of which they spring to mind:

• You can play your games offline without any issue whatsoever, whereas that's not always 100% true on PC.
Really, think better about this.
• You can play your games off physical discs which are cheaper, able to be loaned to friends, or sold on the secondary market
• You can readily purchase your games without having an internet connection
Games in digital format already account for 74% of sales. But you have 1 valid reason.
• You can sell your older consoles and recoup some of the costs much easier than you could with a PC
PCs are generic hardware, they can be used for practically anything. Selling them costs nothing.
• Video game consoles have cultural significance
TikTok has Cultural Significance haha
• You can play split-screen multiplayer with friends and family using one piece of hardware ----- BIGGEST REASON!!!
2 valid reason
• Consoles cost less, especially if you purchase an older model or generation.
If you buy an old PC they are very cheap too.
• Consoles are noob friendly and easier to play on for people with poor hand-eye coordination or disabilities
Stephen Hawking: Do I speak with a PC or with a Console?
• Can you play Mario Party on a PC with your kids? That's what I thought!
Emulators
• Consoles take up less dedicated space in your home.
Mini PC, Laptops.
• Consoles are more energy efficient both in operation and construction. Good for your wallet and the environment!
WTF NO
• Your friends are more likely to have a console
WTF NO
• Consoles are more culturally acceptable
WTF NO
• Consoles are easier to transport
Mini PC, Laptops.

[Baron Baldric]

Sorry I said 2 valid reason .... "Spyro Reignited Trilogy Does Not Include Spyro 2 and 3 on the Game Disc, Requires Download (Update)" ... 1 valid reason

[aileron]

That's how Microsoft was trying to sell the Xbox One back when they first announced it, but they reversed their decision shortly after realizing anti-consumer practices weren't going to sell... <the rest of your post>

Thanks for explaining/sharing that.

But on another but related topic, I see a lot of people on this forum talking about broken/buggy games being shipped and then fixed in patches, even on consoles. So how does that work without the internet?

[PriestTroit]

It doesn't. Though, you could just buy titles known to not have that problem.

[Aidy]

Thanks for explaining/sharing that.

But on another but related topic, I see a lot of people on this forum talking about broken/buggy games being shipped and then fixed in patches, even on consoles. So how does that work without the internet?

The first thing you need to realise is that they're talking about 0.001% of all games, but talk as if it was almost every game. Secondly if you don't have your console connected to the internet then you simply play the non-updated version that is on the disc. I think most console manufacturers and game producers pretty much assume your console is going to be connected to the internet. It's not that unusual an assumption, these days most people's fridges are connected to the internet, never mind their games consoles.

The other thing to address is how PC users go on and on about having to pay to connect your console to the internet, and that also isn't true. Console makers want your console connected to the net too so they can push their own updates to the console. What you usually need to pay for is to play multiplayer games with other people, but you can connect them to the net for updates\downloads\internet connected apps etc for free.

[Pantsu Hunter]

For me consoles always will be above PC. Buying high end PC is pointless imo unless buying it for VR. The best AAA games are coming on consoles, while PC get only shit like new assasin games every year and a lot of indie crap. Even though I have quite stron PC I didnt even played once any game with visual quality that was offered in games like God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn. Also playing multiplayer shooters wins on consoles for me. playing on controller might be less precise but its a way more fun for me, and arguments that people use that they could kill me 10 times faster on mouse+keyboard are pointless since everyone is playing on controller on console. They simply suck and are looking for excuses. But the main reason why I despise multiplayer games on PC are cheaters. Preety much in every game there is no day not to play some asshole on aimbots, while on consoles its rare and happens mostly in older abandoned games. At this point I wasted 2k for PC 2 years ago to only play vr games, ARK, mobile games and roms.......

[Redbear]

For me PC is the longterm cheaper version if you wanna play games or other things you need to do on. Also no extra cost to play multiplayer games or other games that hide behind a paywall. And the most importent one, you can play all the older games on your new computer, and it has the option to have emulators onboard. the only excuse to have a console these days is the hostage... i mean exclusives on the consoles. Else they wouldnt sell that well. Unfortunally software devs have grown lazy besides a couple of few. Most cant be bortherd anymore. look for current released games that are rushed out the door.

[Baron Baldric]

[Aidy]

the only excuse to have a console these days is the exclusives

I've already debunked this. On this thread. Maybe read everything before you reply

[Aidy]

Click the "Quote" option below the post and you get a template that puts the entire post in a single quote. If you want to split the post into multiples, just copy the starting quote tag and put your own end tags in where needed.

[Redbear]

You debunked it? Wow! I dont see anyone buying in his right mind to buy a console if not for its exclusives. The fact the consoles having them, is proof of it self. But if you think i lie. please explain that to me. I will share it with my friends to laugh at.

[Aidy]

I dont see anyone buying in his right mind to buy a console if not for its exclusives

I didn't, so you're wrong.

The fact the consoles having them, is proof of it self

So the fact that PCs also have exclusives means people only buy PCs for exclusives?

[Eleven Bravo]

Well, if you enjoy the consoles for the time their relevant than thats fine. You dont need to buy a new console every cycle as well as you really dont need to upgrade your PC because new hardware dropped. If you enjoyed the time you had with those consoles than great! I wouldn't count that as a ripoff.

Something I found strange was your opinion of Indy games on console, not that your incorrect by thinking the scene is better on console it's just however extremely uncommon to think that.

[PriestTroit]

• You can play your games offline without any issue whatsoever, whereas that's not always 100% true on PC.
Really, think better about this.

Care to elaborate? As far as I'm aware, you can walk to Walmart and buy a PS4/Xbone, plug it in without having any internet at home at all, put in whatever offline game you have, and you're set to go. I don't think you can relly do that with a PC. Can you even buy PC games without an internet connection anymore?

• You can sell your older consoles and recoup some of the costs much easier than you could with a PC
PCs are generic hardware, they can be used for practically anything. Selling them costs nothing.

What I mean by that is you're going to have a much more difficult of a time selling your whole PC or the parts on the secondary market than you would a modern console. Just take a look in your local FaceBook marketplace, Craigslist or even pawn shops.

• Consoles cost less, especially if you purchase an older model or generation.
If you buy an old PC they are very cheap too.

Maybe, but can you beat the original Playstation on sale at E-bay right now for $23.99 or the Pawn Shop used 360 for like 50 bucks? I doubt it.

Can you play Mario Party on a PC with your kids? That's what I thought!
Emulators

What are you gonna do, have 4 keyboards and mouses hooked up to your computer with 4 chairs crowded around the screen somehow? With kids? Pft! A couch, floorspace, controllers and a TV works best.

Consoles take up less dedicated space in your home.
Mini PC, Laptops.

I would bet most PC gamers don't use those and instead have a desktop setup. And I would also bet most Console gamers have their system hooked up in front of their couch and beside their living room TV. Less dedicated space on average.

• Consoles are more energy efficient both in operation and construction. Good for your wallet and the environment!
WTF NO

Yes, my friend.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael.../#3397a47b1bff

• Your friends are more likely to have a console
WTF NO
• Consoles are more culturally acceptable
WTF NO

I'm pretty sure most gamers are console gamers. Though I bet it depends on how you define "gamer." If you throw in grandma who plays Farmville, maybe that tilts the balance.

Consoles are easier to transport
Mini PC, Laptops.

Buy and large, gaming PCs aren't laptops.

[Inkdipper]

Any product that isn't conducive to my right to repair is sort of a ripoff imo.

[Ma Ma G47]

I wouldn't go so far as to say consoles are a 'rip-off,' but as we move further into an age where games and platforms need to constantly be online and hardware is evolving quickly, rapid obsolescence (planned or otherwise) is becoming a more frequent reality. You can upgrade a PC with new parts as technology develops, but eventually you'll need to upgrade a central part (ie: the processor) which in turn will demand further upgrades to the rest of the system (motherboard, RAM, eventually a new graphics card, re-imaging, etc), so at the end of the day you're practically ending up with a new PC altogether. This is similar to the way consoles work, but with consoles you cannot necessarily upgrade them and will need to wait for the next iteration or generation before you can enjoy the latest titles. I'm a proponent of both PC and console, having experienced both, and I'd wager to say it comes down to preference, which kinds of games you enjoy, and how much work you are willing to put into your gaming experience.

[system11]

Not a rip-off - they're cheap compared to an actually good PC and last just as long, you don't have to deal with Windows 10, virus software etc. On top of that they're sold to "do this list of things" and they're usable for that list of things by people not qualified to manage their own operating system. You can get it out of the box, plug it in and follow the prompts, done. All for less than the cost of a good graphics card.

The games on the other hand - I was ok with full RRP for a single player game with multiplayer tacked on. I'm much less fine with paying full RRP for a bare bones multiplayer with training missions. Yes, I'm looking at you Black Ops 4.

[Aidy]

I wouldn't go so far as to say consoles are a 'rip-off,' but as we move further into an age where games and platforms need to constantly be online and hardware is evolving quickly, rapid obsolescence (planned or otherwise) is becoming a more frequent reality. You can upgrade a PC with new parts as technology develops, but eventually you'll need to upgrade a central part (ie: the processor) which in turn will demand further upgrades to the rest of the system (motherboard, RAM, eventually a new graphics card, re-imaging, etc), so at the end of the day you're practically ending up with a new PC altogether. This is similar to the way consoles work, but with consoles you cannot necessarily upgrade them and will need to wait for the next iteration or generation before you can enjoy the latest titles. I'm a proponent of both PC and console, having experienced both, and I'd wager to say it comes down to preference, which kinds of games you enjoy, and how much work you are willing to put into your gaming experience.

Also I think the length of console lifespans may increase as the improvements in graphics tech lessen. When I look at some PC games of games I play on console you can clearly see they are better graphically, but they're not *bad* on the console, just have less flair, less lighting effects etc. It's not like we're still three generations of consoles back where everything was blocky and low-res textures. The "acceptability" of the graphics on consoles is much longer these days.