Consoles The next generation

[Old Duck]

PC games choices is unprecedented across genres and time (you can play all games that were released in the past on your current hardware, mostly at least) and the fact I don't have to repurchase my entire games library again when upgrading hardware.

As someone who recently dumped a pile of PC game CDs into the bin, I disagree.. I owned quite a few games that have been obsoleted by upgrading to newer hardware, because this newer hardware requires a new OS, and these old Windows 95 games just don't work right on Windows 10 (probably due to DRM). Believe me, I tried!

This doesn't really bother me, however, because modern graphics have ruined my ability to play games written 20 years ago! As for my PS4 games, they will always work flawlessly (except ED which is rubbish on console) as long as the servers (for multiplayer games like Overwatch) are up. I'll be able to plug in my PS4 20 years from now and play Horizon Zero Dawn just like the day I bought it. Not that I will, but I could! Hardware wise, I expect my PS4 to outlast my PC. My PS3 still runs despite being kept in a cold, dusty storage shed.

All that said, my nice chess set will outlast us all

 

[Pixelated Sparkster]

As someone who recently dumped a pile of PC game CDs into the bin, I disagree.. I owned quite a few games that have been obsoleted by upgrading to newer hardware, because this newer hardware requires a new OS, and these old Windows 95 games just don't work right on Windows 10 (probably due to DRM). Believe me, I tried!

This doesn't really bother me, however, because modern graphics have ruined my ability to play games written 20 years ago! As for my PS4 games, they will always work flawlessly (except ED which is rubbish on console) as long as the servers (for multiplayer games like Overwatch) are up. I'll be able to plug in my PS4 20 years from now and play Horizon Zero Dawn just like the day I bought it. Not that I will, but I could! Hardware wise, I expect my PS4 to outlast my PC. My PS3 still runs despite being kept in a cold, dusty storage shed.

All that said, my nice chess set will outlast us all

That is a great deal about consoles. They are the same machine since purchase for better or worse, and I have a collection of some of my old consoles still working well.

Word of advice: consoles that do not use the motor disc drive tend to be more effective and reliable post the 10+ years. And SSDs are way more reliable than HDD in these cases if you want to retain saves and digital games for years on end. I just lost 10+ years of my PS3 in terms of saves, games, and digital content due to the HDD failing (and just as I was transferring them to the SSD too).

 

[Deleted member 182079]

As someone who recently dumped a pile of PC game CDs into the bin, I disagree.. I owned quite a few games that have been obsoleted by upgrading to newer hardware, because this newer hardware requires a new OS, and these old Windows 95 games just don't work right on Windows 10 (probably due to DRM). Believe me, I tried!

This doesn't really bother me, however, because modern graphics have ruined my ability to play games written 20 years ago! As for my PS4 games, they will always work flawlessly (except ED which is rubbish on console) as long as the servers (for multiplayer games like Overwatch) are up. I'll be able to plug in my PS4 20 years from now and play Horizon Zero Dawn just like the day I bought it. Not that I will, but I could! Hardware wise, I expect my PS4 to outlast my PC. My PS3 still runs despite being kept in a cold, dusty storage shed.

All that said, my nice chess set will outlast us all

What can I say... I have a big stack of PC DVDs and most games still work, unless GFWL et al become a problem - but usually there are "workarounds" for those. The bigger issue usually is, as you say, some have not aged well - although Crysis still looks pretty good and can be played as it was intended now. But when I want some retro goodness I prefer playing 16bit console stuff on my Pi. They're still pretty easy on the eye.

I used to be a console fanboy - from Mega Drive on to Sony until the PS3. Current gen put me off with all these mini upgrade iterations and also I don't like paying for MP. I have zero interest in going back now and pretty much all IP I'm interested in is available on PC, or actually exclusive to it. Why buy a gimped, locked down box that I'll likely have to replace in a couple of years? Also the older I get the fewer boxes of plastic I want at home. Consoles are basically like PCs now without any of the upsides.

The PS3 was great though. Still use it as a media player.

 

[Iron Golem]

Soon as I had Steam and all my favorite series transitioned I threw away two trashbags full of boxes, manuals and cd's. I never looked back.

 

[Sunyavadin]

I actually have a win98 system for the games which absolutely will not work on my newer hardware or operating systems, but I can still count the number of games I've had to give up and install on that machine on a single hand. A few I need to set profiles which throttle the CPU, etc. but mostly I can still play my older stuff fine.

 

[Sunyavadin]

I just lost 10+ years of my PS3 in terms of saves, games, and digital content due to the HDD failing (and just as I was transferring them to the SSD too).

I have a couple of mirrored external 2TB drives for my 360 for just this purpose. Though any game I also play on my XBox One, my saves have long since received the cloud upload treatment.

 

[Pixelated Sparkster]

I have a couple of mirrored external 2TB drives for my 360 for just this purpose. Though any game I also play on my XBox One, my saves have long since received the cloud upload treatment.

I always seen how external storage is an option for consoles and never did like the idea of something bulky stuck to my console. Now it’s simply a matter of function over form, and I could see myself trying it out with the PS5 depending on what the storage options would be like.

At this point, most modern consoles are going to be utilizing flash based storage which I am looking forward to. I recalled when HDD were beneficial because it was cheaper per mb, and as long as you don't move the device much, would last a good while. Now that SSDs are more affordable than they were back then, I hope the fear of corrupted data/hardware could become less of a worry. My PS3 now rocks a 1TB SSD (Which has a surprising bonus of giving Skyrim a much more enjoyable fps experience), and my PS4 a 2TB SSHD, which is a nice upgrade but I may need to change that soon.

I also got a nintendo switch with a 512GB Micro SD card, making it my first fully digital console. Apparently it could go up to 2TB, but the 1TB option we have is a hefty investment, albeit a bit cheaper now than it was at launch.

 

[Juniper]

Why buy a gimped, locked down box that I'll likely have to replace in a couple of years? Also the older I get the fewer boxes of plastic I want at home. Consoles are basically like PCs now without any of the upsides.

I'm a PC person who never really owned any console or used one much, until RDR2 came out and I bought a PS4 Pro specifically to play it. So I'm pretty new to the console world.

The big plus for consoles IMO is that whilst a PC generally belongs in an office, a console belongs in a living room. Literally anyone can just pick up a controller and start playing - no prior knowledge required. They're very accessible. There is far less to go wrong, and all games work straight of the "box" with no issues whatsoever besides normal coding bugs which exist in all software. In terms of upgrades - I put a 2TB SSD in mine, which gave me all the speed increase I wanted (and gave me a spare 1TB drive for my Plex servers). You want frame rates? We have frame rates.

In terms of hardware, a properly specced PC will nearly always win out over a console and the games therefore can look & sound better, but there's a hidden cost of ownership to all of that.

Additionally, nearly every game is developed for consoles... and all the AAA ones. There is a lot to be said for playing a game on hardware that the game was specifically designed & optimised for. Like how we used to eek every last bit of performance out of a C64 or Amiga back in the day. RDR2 looks great on PC (and with better hardware I'm sure I could make it look better), but it looks and performs really well on a PS4 Pro too.

So really, for me, it depends what your need is. The two (PCs and consoles) aren't mutually exclusive and you don't need to choose one over the other for all eternity. Both have their place. If you don't have a place for a console in your life, that's your own decision.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I'm a PC person who never really owned any console or used one much, until RDR2 came out and I bought a PS4 Pro specifically to play it. So I'm pretty new to the console world.

The big plus for consoles IMO is that whilst a PC generally belongs in an office, a console belongs in a living room. Literally anyone can just pick up a controller and start playing - no prior knowledge required. They're very accessible. There is far less to go wrong, and all games work straight of the "box" with no issues whatsoever besides normal coding bugs which exist in all software. In terms of upgrades - I put a 2TB SSD in mine, which gave me all the speed increase I wanted (and gave me a spare 1TB drive for my Plex servers). You want frame rates? We have frame rates.

In terms of hardware, a properly specced PC will nearly always win out over a console and the games therefore can look & sound better, but there's a hidden cost of ownership to all of that.

Additionally, nearly every game is developed for consoles... and all the AAA ones. There is a lot to be said for playing a game on hardware that the game was specifically designed & optimised for. Like how we used to eek every last bit of performance out of a C64 or Amiga back in the day. RDR2 looks great on PC (and with better hardware I'm sure I could make it look better), but it looks and performs really well on a PS4 Pro too.

So really, for me, it depends what your need is. The two (PCs and consoles) aren't mutually exclusive and you don't need to choose one over the other for all eternity. Both have their place. If you don't have a place for a console in your life, that's your own decision.

Nothing stops me from moving my PC box to the living room, hook it up to the TV via HDMI, plug it in and attach a wireless keyboard and play with my Xbox pad. The only problem is games that rely on a proper mouse, but those are the minority in my library at least. I did play that way when I used a laptop for gaming quite often actually, but granted with my desktop setup I less likely will, but that's also because the wife tends to hog the telly

About cost of ownership (and I assume you mean financial but also IT skill requirements?), my PC is an off-the-shelf one because I was too lazy to build it myself. It for sure is more expensive in terms of hardware cost, but it gives me flexibility in replacing components, making it a much more long term investment (I have enough headroom now that should last me for at least 5 years until I feel I need to replace anything) - and with the games being usable since it remains the same platform (I'm not talking about DOS games here, stuff I bought in 2010 will work now unless some devilish DRM is involved, and I try to avoid those anyways). So my library will remain intact and will just grow bigger without having to keep older hardware that might eventually fail on me, and that's that (my PSP for example can only be played plugged in now, as the battery is finished, and I can't buy a proper replacement as the hardware is too old now).

Setting the PC up was a doddle, certainly no more difficult than doing so with a console now. The additional stuff is of course installing Steam, TrackIR etc. but again, I wouldn't expect this to be a challenge in this day and age for anyone other than complete technophobes who still use a landline phone. If I were to ask my Dad to set up my PS3 from scratch, he would struggle as much with that.

What I used to love about consoles was their simplicity - you put a cartridge in, switch it on, and bam, you are in the title screen. Now, if I want to play a game on my PS3, I may have to download a patch which takes forever, or a system update is required. So I'll look at a progress bar for a few dozen minutes before I can play the game. I'm exaggerating somewhat of course but this did happen to me several times in the past (MGS5 patch of 200MB took over an hour to download and install, and I have pretty decent BB hooked up to the PS3 via cable; uninstalling Gran Turismo 5 took hours due to the ridiculous number of files it had installed, but that's more Polyphony's fault I guess).

And with the traditional consoles up to last gen (PS3), you bought a console for at least 5-6 years until a new one was announced. Now, every what... 2 years there's a new version, that plays the same game better than the base versions so either you deal with inferior performance/graphics or you replace the entire console you purchased in good faith at the beginning of the generation. It's basically splitting the user base, just like on PC. Before, you could expect a game to perform exactly the same on the console in question, for good or bad.

As for games being developed primarily for consoles, yes that is a problem (for PC players mostly), but thankfully most games I play were developed for PCs first and then ported to the consoles (such as Elite, or Assetto Corsa, or MSFS). A lot of AAA games that appear on consoles leave me cold these days, just a matter of changing tastes really, but you also have to admit that not all ran smoothly on consoles either - I think PS3 was the first generation where I really noticed some awful performance issues (below 30fps, sometimes even below 20) that in my experience of buying AAA titles on prior generations were unheard of. And there'd be nothing you could do about it.

Ok this has turned out to be a bit of a wall of text now, apologies for that - I also want to be clear that I'm not a console "hater" - they have their rightful place in the gaming space, although I wonder sometimes when streaming will make them obsolete (I'd welcome it even for environmental reasons) but they're just not what I used to consider a truly plug-and-play experience these days, as opposed to ye olde days of the 90s and early 00s. So for me personally I don't see any reason to buy into either of their ecosystems any longer, and as I said I had quite a few in the past (Mega Drive, Mega-CD, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PSPgo, Vita). PC feels like a good place to be now without having to be an IT anorak.

 

[Juniper]

Nothing stops me from moving my PC box to the living room, hook it up to the TV via HDMI, plug it in and attach a wireless keyboard and play with my Xbox pad. The only problem is games that rely on a proper mouse, but those are the minority in my library at least. I did play that way when I used a laptop for gaming quite often actually, but granted with my desktop setup I less likely will, but that's also because the wife tends to hog the telly

About cost of ownership (and I assume you mean financial but also IT skill requirements?), my PC is an off-the-shelf one because I was too lazy to build it myself. It for sure is more expensive in terms of hardware cost, but it gives me flexibility in replacing components, making it a much more long term investment (I have enough headroom now that should last me for at least 5 years until I feel I need to replace anything) - and with the games being usable since it remains the same platform (I'm not talking about DOS games here, stuff I bought in 2010 will work now unless some devilish DRM is involved, and I try to avoid those anyways). So my library will remain intact and will just grow bigger without having to keep older hardware that might eventually fail on me, and that's that (my PSP for example can only be played plugged in now, as the battery is finished, and I can't buy a proper replacement as the hardware is too old now).

Setting the PC up was a doddle, certainly no more difficult than doing so with a console now. The additional stuff is of course installing Steam, TrackIR etc. but again, I wouldn't expect this to be a challenge in this day and age for anyone other than complete technophobes who still use a landline phone. If I were to ask my Dad to set up my PS3 from scratch, he would struggle as much with that.

What I used to love about consoles was their simplicity - you put a cartridge in, switch it on, and bam, you are in the title screen. Now, if I want to play a game on my PS3, I may have to download a patch which takes forever, or a system update is required. So I'll look at a progress bar for a few dozen minutes before I can play the game. I'm exaggerating somewhat of course but this did happen to me several times in the past (MGS5 patch of 200MB took over an hour to download and install, and I have pretty decent BB hooked up to the PS3 via cable; uninstalling Gran Turismo 5 took hours due to the ridiculous number of files it had installed, but that's more Polyphony's fault I guess).

And with the traditional consoles up to last gen (PS3), you bought a console for at least 5-6 years until a new one was announced. Now, every what... 2 years there's a new version, that plays the same game better than the base versions so either you deal with inferior performance/graphics or you replace the entire console you purchased in good faith at the beginning of the generation. It's basically splitting the user base, just like on PC. Before, you could expect a game to perform exactly the same on the console in question, for good or bad.

As for games being developed primarily for consoles, yes that is a problem (for PC players mostly), but thankfully most games I play were developed for PCs first and then ported to the consoles (such as Elite, or Assetto Corsa, or MSFS). A lot of AAA games that appear on consoles leave me cold these days, just a matter of changing tastes really, but you also have to admit that not all ran smoothly on consoles either - I think PS3 was the first generation where I really noticed some awful performance issues (below 30fps, sometimes even below 20) that in my experience of buying AAA titles on prior generations were unheard of. And there'd be nothing you could do about it.

Ok this has turned out to be a bit of a wall of text now, apologies for that - I also want to be clear that I'm not a console "hater" - they have their rightful place in the gaming space, although I wonder sometimes when streaming will make them obsolete (I'd welcome it even for environmental reasons) but they're just not what I used to consider a truly plug-and-play experience these days, as opposed to ye olde days of the 90s and early 00s. So for me personally I don't see any reason to buy into either of their ecosystems any longer, and as I said I had quite a few in the past (Mega Drive, Mega-CD, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, PSPgo, Vita). PC feels like a good place to be now without having to be an IT anorak.

You are preaching to the choir here to some extent, but I'm simply offering reasons why consoles are important & offer a very different but equally worthwhile gaming experience to PCs.

Like it or not, as a PC gamer, the new console releases will affect all of us - and in a good way. The new gen brings consoles up to current PC specs, and therefore all games over the next 5 years or so will be built with that in mind. Even if you never buy a console from this generation. So as you say, your PC is good for another five years without any upgrades.

But, and it's a big but, if my graphics card died and needed replacing - it would cost me anything from £500-£1000... just for that one component. That's the cost of one or even two whole new consoles! If all you do is play games - memory doesn't really matter beyond 16GB, nor does CPU speed if the one you have is fast enough for the moment. The advantages of having that flexibility to replace parts comes at a hefty price. Console hardware generally sells at a loss - because they're more keen to get you into their ecosystem than they are about making money from the hardware itself, so they practically give them away. Not so for PC hardware.

I don't know if there will be "enhanced" versions released down the line... I would hope not. They only did that for the current gen didn't they? And that was only because the originals were under-specced to begin with and hardware had moved on significantly in the meantime. A stop gap was needed. Hopefully they won't need to do that this time.

As I said, I'm kinda still new to the console game, and I don't have a string of doorstops stretching back decades for my troubles. I will almost certainly buy a PS5 sometime next year, and I don't yet know what I'll do with my existing PS4. I suspect I'll still find some use for it though, even if it's just as a backup media centre.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Console is all about stripping customers from choice and binding them to one platform to fleece them and feed from sunk cost fallacy. Yes, to do so they have to offer some benefits. Imo, it's the costlier alternative to PC unless you always go for high-end PCs. Why someone like that would choose a console I don't know.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

You are preaching to the choir here to some extent, but I'm simply offering reasons why consoles are important & offer a very different but equally worthwhile gaming experience to PCs.

Like it or not, as a PC gamer, the new console releases will affect all of us - and in a good way. The new gen brings consoles up to current PC specs, and therefore all games over the next 5 years or so will be built with that in mind. Even if you never buy a console from this generation. So as you say, your PC is good for another five years without any upgrades.

But, and it's a big but, if my graphics card died and needed replacing - it would cost me anything from £500-£1000... just for that one component. That's the cost of one or even two whole new consoles! If all you do is play games - memory doesn't really matter beyond 16GB, nor does CPU speed if the one you have is fast enough for the moment. The advantages of having that flexibility to replace parts comes at a hefty price. Console hardware generally sells at a loss - because they're more keen to get you into their ecosystem than they are about making money from the hardware itself, so they practically give them away. Not so for PC hardware.

I don't know if there will be "enhanced" versions released down the line... I would hope not. They only did that for the current gen didn't they? And that was only because the originals were under-specced to begin with and hardware had moved on significantly in the meantime. A stop gap was needed. Hopefully they won't need to do that this time.

As I said, I'm kinda still new to the console game, and I don't have a string of doorstops stretching back decades for my troubles. I will almost certainly buy a PS5 sometime next year, and I don't yet know what I'll do with my existing PS4. I suspect I'll still find some use for it though, even if it's just as a backup media centre.

True, GPU prices are ludicrous, the difference of an off-the-shelf box for me between my current RTX2060S and an RTX2080 was several hundred Euros, I just didn't think it was worth it for the incremental increase in performance (as noticeable as that might be - I compare my current 'rig' with my previous laptop primarily and it's like day and night, so I'm satisfied). Not sure if the whole bitcoin farming craze still has an effect on GPU prices now.

Honestly, if I didn't have the disposable income I have now, I would've probably stuck with consoles, but I figured that PC gaming gives me a much wider choice in genres to choose from, apart from the other benefits that PC gaming brings that I don't need to list.

A key kiss of death for me going PC only as opposed to jumping onto the current gen console bandwagon was the fact that key IPs that were exclusive to either PS4 and/or Xbox (mainly Xbox actually), Dark Souls 3, Forza, or indeed RDR2 were games that were initially only available on consoles, but I can buy them now on PC. So there's no incentive for me to buy either console now as I believe this will continue, especially for Xbox titles. Most other console exclusive IP leaves me cold, since my gaming focus shifted more towards sims and non-narrative driven games that you find more on PC.

And I'll be able to play them in the best way possible as they all look and perform outstandingly (at least at this stage). System exclusives were a big draw for me to stick to Sony in the past; I used to be a massive Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy and MGS fanboy (in the early days anyways). Gran Turismo is the only franchise still ring fenced from me, but I can live with it given there are plenty of (imo, better) competitors to choose from.

I hope you're right about the lack of mini-iterations of hardware upgrades within the next gen, it's an awful concept especially from an environmental view if anything, as if the throwaway culture of mobile phones wasn't already bad enough it seems to apply to consoles now too. I just have my doubts whether it was just a blimp with the current gen, given how fast tech improves.

 

[Sunyavadin]

I always seen how external storage is an option for consoles and never did like the idea of something bulky stuck to my console. Now it’s simply a matter of function over form, and I could see myself trying it out with the PS5 depending on what the storage options would be like.

My console sits on a corner table with storage space underneath it. The hard drives sit inside there, next to the power brick, and the network switch for the room. All the cables, be it power leads, HDMI, USB, ethernet, go down the back, so all you really notice is the console sitting on top.

 

[Juniper]

A key kiss of death for me going PC only as opposed to jumping onto the current gen console bandwagon was the fact that key IPs that were exclusive to either PS4 and/or Xbox (mainly Xbox actually), Dark Souls 3, Forza, or indeed RDR2 were games that were initially only available on consoles, but I can buy them now on PC. So there's no incentive for me to buy either console now as I believe this will continue, especially for Xbox titles. Most other console exclusive IP leaves me cold, since my gaming focus shifted more towards sims and non-narrative driven games that you find more on PC.

It's funny, because at the time, buying a console was the only way to play RDR2. And RDR1 didn't make it to PC at all so I missed that entirely. I didn't want to "risk" the same thing happening again - because R* have a habit of only releasing PC games under sufferance. Of course, a year later it was also announced for PC... them's the breaks.

Again, the improved hardware of the PS5 (and Xbox, because I'm sure someone will buy one of those) lends itself well to those narrative focused sim type games. Many of them are on existing consoles now anyway. It's really not the same landscape as it was (say) five years ago. I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you then.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

It's funny, because at the time, buying a console was the only way to play RDR2. And RDR1 didn't make it to PC at all so I missed that entirely. I didn't want to "risk" the same thing happening again - because R* have a habit of only releasing PC games under sufferance. Of course, a year later it was also announced for PC... them's the breaks.

Again, the improved hardware of the PS5 (and Xbox, because I'm sure someone will buy one of those) lends itself well to those narrative focused sim type games. Many of them are on existing consoles now anyway. It's really not the same landscape as it was (say) five years ago. I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you then.

RDR1/2 is certainly a funny one - I actually have that installed on my PS3 still - when RDR2 was announced and PC wasn't mentioned, based on GTA5 getting an eventual PC release I expected RDR2 to follow suit. On top of that, I always preferred GTA despite enjoying RDR, so was lukewarm on it anyways. Until recently, I wouldn't have been able to play it as my hardware wasn't up to it, but that changed now; so I ended up buying RDR2 in the end. Funnily enough though, while it's technically and content wise very impressive, I just can't get into it. It just overwhelms me at times and I have to be in the right mindset to boot it up even. But I'm glad I have access to it now, and there's no rush as I don't trade games in anymore (I used to do that a lot during my console days, and bought a lot more games as a result).

And while it's true that PC games get ported over to consoles, at least with current gen they almost always seem to be gimped in some way or another due to the technical limitations (Elite is one example). It remains to be seen whether next gen consoles will change that. But I agree with you that the market has a lot more overlaps these days, which is good for everyone. But looking at the sheer choice of games I have on Steam I can't really say the same about either of the consoles. But I understand others have different preferences and for who consoles work better as a gaming platform.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

RDR1/2 is certainly a funny one - I actually have that installed on my PS3 still - when RDR2 was announced and PC wasn't mentioned, based on GTA5 getting an eventual PC release I expected RDR2 to follow suit. On top of that, I always preferred GTA despite enjoying RDR, so was lukewarm on it anyways. Until recently, I wouldn't have been able to play it as my hardware wasn't up to it, but that changed now; so I ended up buying RDR2 in the end. Funnily enough though, while it's technically and content wise very impressive, I just can't get into it. It just overwhelms me at times and I have to be in the right mindset to boot it up even. But I'm glad I have access to it now, and there's no rush as I don't trade games in anymore (I used to do that a lot during my console days, and bought a lot more games as a result).

And while it's true that PC games get ported over to consoles, at least with current gen they almost always seem to be gimped in some way or another due to the technical limitations (Elite is one example). It remains to be seen whether next gen consoles will change that. But I agree with you that the market has a lot more overlaps these days, which is good for everyone. But looking at the sheer choice of games I have on Steam I can't really say the same about either of the consoles. But I understand others have different preferences and for who consoles work better as a gaming platform.

Ports from console to PC arent a guarantee for success. I've seen to many lazy ports with crap UI and controls. The games made for multi-platform have the best chance to offer a decent UI and control setup for every platform, but even then I've seen devs who seemingly have never heard of M/KB controls and a corresponding UI layout. Then there is the lowest common denominator which often was 30 FPS and that ain't so great when you could easily have a higher one. And of course the patching - assume there is MP, or - god beware cross-platform MP - you now have to wait for the devs to patch all the platforms before you get to see a patch.

Nah, I think it's best value when sticking to games which are developed to one platform. I don't really need to play the hits that were successful on another system. There is enough I can play on mine.

 

[Juniper]

Ports from console to PC arent a guarantee for success. I've seen to many lazy ports with crap UI and controls. The games made for multi-platform have the best chance to offer a decent UI and control setup for every platform, but even then I've seen devs who seemingly have never heard of M/KB controls and a corresponding UI layout. Then there is the lowest common denominator which often was 30 FPS and that ain't so great when you could easily have a higher one. And of course the patching - assume there is MP, or - god beware cross-platform MP - you now have to wait for the devs to patch all the platforms before you get to see a patch.

The thing is, outside of the indie stuff, all games are written for consoles. They may release a PC version too, but they're designed from the off to hit console hardware. That's been the case for a number of years now... which is why a new generation of consoles will affect PC gamers just as much.

What is also happening is that games written specifically for PCs (rarer and rarer, and almost unheard of now from the bigger studios) are also getting ported across to consoles.

Games like Civilisation VI, or Pillars of Eternity. Not gimped, not simplified, the full thing. Civ 6 in particular is one of my go-to games on PS4 now. It has refinements, but they are refinements that should exist in the PC version too. The only thing missing is mods.

Then you have larger indies like FDev who either have or are porting their major titles over to console... from PC.

Nah, I think it's best value when sticking to games which are developed to one platform. I don't really need to play the hits that were successful on another system. There is enough I can play on mine.

If you have a gaming PC now, the way I see it is that you only have to "worry" about exclusives on PS5. Xbox and PC are interchangeable now, because that's how Microsoft have done it. So an Xbox exclusive will also be playable on your PC.

To me this makes the PS5 purchase the logical choice - even if I didn't have a bunch of PS4 games I want to keep. When GTA VI releases, I don't want to have to wait 2+ years to play it on PC this time.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

The thing is, outside of the indie stuff, all games are written for consoles. They may release a PC version too, but they're designed from the off to hit console hardware. That's been the case for a number of years now... which is why a new generation of consoles will affect PC gamers just as much.

What is also happening is that games written specifically for PCs (rarer and rarer, and almost unheard of now from the bigger studios) are also getting ported across to consoles.

Games like Civilisation VI, or Pillars of Eternity. Not gimped, not simplified, the full thing. Civ 6 in particular is one of my go-to games on PS4 now. It has refinements, but they are refinements that should exist in the PC version too. The only thing missing is mods.

Then you have larger indies like FDev who either have or are porting their major titles over to console... from PC.



If you have a gaming PC now, the way I see it is that you only have to "worry" about exclusives on PS5. Xbox and PC are interchangeable now, because that's how Microsoft have done it. So an Xbox exclusive will also be playable on your PC.

To me this makes the PS5 purchase the logical choice - even if I didn't have a bunch of PS4 games I want to keep. When GTA VI releases, I don't want to have to wait 2+ years to play it on PC this time.

The only console I might consider is a switch and that is because I could play Civ6 anywhere.

 

[Cotic]

I'm a big fan of consoles, more on the Playstation and Nintendo side than Mircosoft's.
I like that it's just a box and I don't have to bother with hardware upgrading, I like that the secondhand market for games is so good.

Will be getting a PS5 as soon as they are available.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

Ports from console to PC arent a guarantee for success. I've seen to many lazy ports with crap UI and controls. The games made for multi-platform have the best chance to offer a decent UI and control setup for every platform, but even then I've seen devs who seemingly have never heard of M/KB controls and a corresponding UI layout. Then there is the lowest common denominator which often was 30 FPS and that ain't so great when you could easily have a higher one. And of course the patching - assume there is MP, or - god beware cross-platform MP - you now have to wait for the devs to patch all the platforms before you get to see a patch.

Nah, I think it's best value when sticking to games which are developed to one platform. I don't really need to play the hits that were successful on another system. There is enough I can play on mine.

Oh yeah, I didn't bother mention that because I thought that was a given - one particular highlight was the original Dark Souls, so broken that it took an inofficial mod to (sort of) fix their game, only to be followed by a "Remaster" at full-fat price to address those issues apparently but not much else. Awful. Dark Souls 3 works well though to be fair. There are of course plenty more examples but usually things settle after a few patches and games are as playable (or better) on PC. So I won't limit myself like you describe in your last paragraph as I can have the best of both (PC & console) worlds, on my PC.

Then you have larger indies like FDev who either have or are porting their major titles over to console... from PC.

That makes commercial sense, and I don't begrudge them on wanting to make money - suppose the only issue with that is that it's holding the PC version back now in terms of the tech they can introduce as part of the Odyssey update. But probably not a bad thing for those PC players with aging hardware.

The only console I might consider is a switch and that is because I could play Civ6 anywhere.

To be fair, a middling ultrabook should be more than adequate running that particular game. Same mobility really and you have a computer with you and not just a glorified tablet (no offense to the Switch, I actually find it the most exciting of the current gen consoles from a concept viewpoint at least).

If you have a gaming PC now, the way I see it is that you only have to "worry" about exclusives on PS5. Xbox and PC are interchangeable now, because that's how Microsoft have done it. So an Xbox exclusive will also be playable on your PC.

To me this makes the PS5 purchase the logical choice - even if I didn't have a bunch of PS4 games I want to keep. When GTA VI releases, I don't want to have to wait 2+ years to play it on PC this time.

That I can agree with, if I was still in the market for a console it'd be the PS5, for those reasons exactly. It's just that there really aren't any Sony exclusives I'd be interested in so the scenario is moot for me personally.

As for waiting for GTA6 - will be interesting to see if the gap will be that long - RDR2 was only about a year I think? Plus I'm not sure what kind of timed exclusivity deal Sony/MS will have in place with R*, if any.

Either way, the older I become the more patient I am waiting for stuff; the days of buying hardware for (a) specific game(s) is truly over. Too much choice playing already available ones.