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But aren’t modern consoles generally pretty good PCs at comparatively low prices?
by solarkraft 5y ago
But aren’t modern consoles generally pretty good PCs at comparatively low prices?
- Gigachad 5y agoSort of. When they came out, the specs were pretty good and the price was good. But supply shortages meant that realistically, you are paying more than RRP anyway. And it’s not like you will be able to install windows on a ps5 and use it as a replacement PC even if it is theoretically possible.
- robin_reala 5y agoSure, but you might be able to install Linux for example.
- hnlmorg 5y agoNo. Consoles aren't good general computing devices. But they are good at specific domains of computing.
- formerly_proven 5y agoWhy not? A PS5 or whatever the current Xbox is have pretty much the same I/O as a SFF PC. Bunch of USB, HDMI, maybe DisplayPort (?), Ethernet. They have enough memory in this generation (16+ GB) to be quite useful machines. And they have GPUs which are roughly equal to a midrange card. The PS5 even has a standard M.2 slot. They're really just an SFF PC with heavily locked down software.
- hnlmorg 5y agoBecause of all the little things they don't have: Keyboard and mouse, office suit. command line, etc. Sure you could probably solve all of those problems with enough time and money but you'd end up with something that's neither the same as the original console nor cheaper and easier to maintain than a mid-range laptop. This is what general computing is about these days. Most consumer devices these days are powerful enough to do most general computing tasks. Even watches! But it's all the additional stuff you need to do to expose that power that prevents it from being a good general purpose device. Whereas consoles are can be well suited in other domains outside of gaming even without installing additional peripherals nor hacking the OS.