4 ms·

I really enjoy the infinite entertainment and presentation format that consoles provide, but I really question their utility next generation and lol no PC game

I really enjoy the infinite entertainment and presentation format that consoles provide, but I really question their utility next generation and lol no PC gamers aren't a part of that equation whatsoever I feel like the potential console gaming crowd is so heavily diluted towards mobile and casual formats. any of the good VR titles are also running in wireless mobile formats with good enough graphics I hope there is a differentiating quality to make the 'set top box' format a staple in the 2020s instead of "just" better graphics. I feel like it is necessary

seventhtiger 7y ago
Nintendo has differentiated itself since the Wii and exited the graphics rat race. It really does limit the cross platform titles available, but thankfully Nintendo has their own great 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party offerings. I think Microsoft is also deviating now. Microsoft tried to differentiate the Xbox One with Kinekt and an online-only console, but reverted due to backlash. Now they're trying again with Xbox game pass and much more cross platform/cross play availability. There're almost positioning themselves to go up against Google Stadia. But they might revert again. So far I only see Sony sticking with the traditional model. Their marketing for PS5 and PS1 are essentially the same. "We have more games that look better."
- astrange 7y ago
  Sony has changed their console strategy; for PS1-PS3 they made everything weird and complicated to show off. This gave them lock-in and made exclusive games prettier, once people had figured out how to program them, but the consoles were super expensive and cross-platform developers weren't interested. PS4 is just a PC with some useful extras; PS5 probably will be too.
  - seventhtiger 7y ago
    You're right I have noticed that in all the developer interviews. I was speaking more to the marketing to consumers. It still has the same value proposition and brand as it has all this time. It might be what the market really wants, or they might lag behind.
- WorldMaker 7y ago
  > There're almost positioning themselves to go up against Google Stadia. Microsoft has been talking about their Project xCloud and has had Xbox Game Pass around for a lot longer than Google Stadia has publicly existed, so it's maybe more that Google Stadia is positioning itself to go up against Xbox.
dageshi 7y ago
I would guess more people are gaming on consoles regularly than PC's?
- CelestialTeapot 7y ago
  According to a 2018 survey from an industry analyst group, 52% of active gamers play on pc, 90% on mobile, and 41% on console.[1] 1. https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-gamers-vs-console-gamers-numbers https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-gamers-vs-console-gamers-numbers
dkersten 7y ago
I used to be a PC gamer, but switched to consoles in recent years because I can spend a few hundred $ and have a machine that's guaranteed to run a large lineup of games at acceptable performance (sure, it won't be as good as a high-end PC, but the console also cost a fraction of what a high-end PC cost), and, has excellent exclusives (Bloodborne alone made buying a PS4 worth it for me). I will probably buy a PS5 for the same reason: laziness/convenience, exclusives, still costs less than a gaming PC (people often say its not true, but every time I price a passable gaming PC, it works out higher than the few hundred that a console costs, especially if you buy near console release and not when the hardware is a few years older)
- smadurange 7y ago
  The Last Of Us series with the up coming 2nd installment, Unchartered among others are just amazing. There are amazing exclusives for XBox too. Way to go brother.
  - dkersten 7y ago
    A few more PS4 exclusives worth mentioning: God of War (2018), Horizon: Zero Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, Spider Man, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian and of course I've already mentioned Bloodborne. I've been a bit disconnected from the Xbox exclusives this console generation, so I likely missed some fantastic games there.
    - erk__ 7y ago
      It seems that epic have begun offering a lot of money for studios to port former exclusives to PC to sell on the Epic store, resent examples have been Jouney which was an exclusive for the PS3 and Detroit: Become Human is listed as coming soon.
- pier25 7y ago
  With PC the hardware is more expensive but your investment can last longer and adapt with newer GPUs. Also you are not locked into generations and such. I own a PS4 and I can't play my PS3 games for example unless I buy the "remastered" versions like Wipeout Omega Collection. Don't know if it's the same in the Xbox world. I know Sony has claimed that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with PS4 games at least. With a PC this is a non issue. I can still play Half Life 2 on any PC and it is a 15 year old game from the PS2 era. The other issue is game prices. With PC you get huge discounts. It's common these days to find 50% discounts on a 3 year old AAA game during Steam sales, sometimes even 75%. The Sony Store never gets great discounts, except on very old or not so great games. IMO the only clear advantage of console gaming is that it's "plug and play".

seventhtiger 7y ago

Nintendo has differentiated itself since the Wii and exited the graphics rat race. It really does limit the cross platform titles available, but thankfully Nintendo has their own great 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party offerings. I think Microsoft is also deviating now. Microsoft tried to differentiate the Xbox One with Kinekt and an online-only console, but reverted due to backlash. Now they're trying again with Xbox game pass and much more cross platform/cross play availability. There're almost positioning themselves to go up against Google Stadia. But they might revert again. So far I only see Sony sticking with the traditional model. Their marketing for PS5 and PS1 are essentially the same. "We have more games that look better."

astrange 7y ago
Sony has changed their console strategy; for PS1-PS3 they made everything weird and complicated to show off. This gave them lock-in and made exclusive games prettier, once people had figured out how to program them, but the consoles were super expensive and cross-platform developers weren't interested. PS4 is just a PC with some useful extras; PS5 probably will be too.
- seventhtiger 7y ago
  You're right I have noticed that in all the developer interviews. I was speaking more to the marketing to consumers. It still has the same value proposition and brand as it has all this time. It might be what the market really wants, or they might lag behind.
WorldMaker 7y ago
> There're almost positioning themselves to go up against Google Stadia. Microsoft has been talking about their Project xCloud and has had Xbox Game Pass around for a lot longer than Google Stadia has publicly existed, so it's maybe more that Google Stadia is positioning itself to go up against Xbox.

dageshi 7y ago

I would guess more people are gaming on consoles regularly than PC's?

CelestialTeapot 7y ago
According to a 2018 survey from an industry analyst group, 52% of active gamers play on pc, 90% on mobile, and 41% on console.[1] 1. https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-gamers-vs-console-gamers-numbers https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-gamers-vs-console-gamers-numbers

dkersten 7y ago

I used to be a PC gamer, but switched to consoles in recent years because I can spend a few hundred $ and have a machine that's guaranteed to run a large lineup of games at acceptable performance (sure, it won't be as good as a high-end PC, but the console also cost a fraction of what a high-end PC cost), and, has excellent exclusives (Bloodborne alone made buying a PS4 worth it for me). I will probably buy a PS5 for the same reason: laziness/convenience, exclusives, still costs less than a gaming PC (people often say its not true, but every time I price a passable gaming PC, it works out higher than the few hundred that a console costs, especially if you buy near console release and not when the hardware is a few years older)

smadurange 7y ago
The Last Of Us series with the up coming 2nd installment, Unchartered among others are just amazing. There are amazing exclusives for XBox too. Way to go brother.
- dkersten 7y ago
  A few more PS4 exclusives worth mentioning: God of War (2018), Horizon: Zero Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, Spider Man, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian and of course I've already mentioned Bloodborne. I've been a bit disconnected from the Xbox exclusives this console generation, so I likely missed some fantastic games there.
  - erk__ 7y ago
    It seems that epic have begun offering a lot of money for studios to port former exclusives to PC to sell on the Epic store, resent examples have been Jouney which was an exclusive for the PS3 and Detroit: Become Human is listed as coming soon.
pier25 7y ago
With PC the hardware is more expensive but your investment can last longer and adapt with newer GPUs. Also you are not locked into generations and such. I own a PS4 and I can't play my PS3 games for example unless I buy the "remastered" versions like Wipeout Omega Collection. Don't know if it's the same in the Xbox world. I know Sony has claimed that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with PS4 games at least. With a PC this is a non issue. I can still play Half Life 2 on any PC and it is a 15 year old game from the PS2 era. The other issue is game prices. With PC you get huge discounts. It's common these days to find 50% discounts on a 3 year old AAA game during Steam sales, sometimes even 75%. The Sony Store never gets great discounts, except on very old or not so great games. IMO the only clear advantage of console gaming is that it's "plug and play".