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As much as us nerds would like to think otherwise, PC gaming is, and will always be, a niche market. The average person simply does not even consider it. Comput

As much as us nerds would like to think otherwise, PC gaming is, and will always be, a niche market. The average person simply does not even consider it. Computers are for work, and games are something you do on your phone or a console for the overwhelming majority of people. It's why tethered VR will never be a mainstream thing, and why Carmack was so adamant about the Quest.

zrobotics 4y ago
Plus, a gaming PC is a pretty significant investment in both time and money. Selecting parts and doing the build+software setup takes a bit of time and energy, it's far more work than just going to a store and buying a console. Plus, it takes up quite a bit more space, since it basically needs a dedicated desk. That's simply far too much effort and hassle for many people, which is why I totally understand why pc gaming is a niche.
- soylentcola 4y ago
  I think it's also a bit different compared to 10-15+ years ago. At least then, if you were someone in their teens through 30's, chances are - if you had a computer - that computer was a desktop computer. If you already have some random Dell or HP sitting in your bedroom or office, it's a bit less of a stretch to imagine the average person going out and buying a nicer GPU and maybe a bit of RAM for $300-500 bucks. But with the move to mobile/laptops this becomes a choice between spending that cash on an Xbox and some extra controllers, or buying a whole separate computer. I love playing on a PC (looks great on my TV!) but I can't say it would be an easy purchase if I didn't already use a fairly powerful desktop PC for other things as well.
  - goosedragons 4y ago
    Even if you already have a desktop for some reason adding a GPU is a much more significant expense these days and with greatly increased power requirements can potentially require a new PSU too. I can't see the market expanding a whole lot when a GPU to do PS5 level performance costs about the same as an entire PS5.
jsnell 4y ago
PC games are a $40 billion / year business. In comparison, console games are $50 billion / year. I don't think it's reasonable to claim that just one of those is a niche market, given how close the numbers are.
- deleted 4y ago
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- ramesh31 4y ago
  Sure, but add mobile to that and it pales in comparison. Around 80% of revenue is split between console and mobile: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/456595/video-games-revenue-in-the-world-forecast https://www.statista.com/forecasts/456595/video-games-revenu...
  - jsnell 4y ago
    Sure, but by the same measure around 75% would be split between PC and mobile. Does the that make consoles (in aggregate) niche? If not, why is that tiny difference decisive? And why do consider consoles as an aggregate unit? They are multiple balkanized, mutually incompatible platforms, each significantly smaller than the PC market. (Not saying that consoles aren't mainstream. But it is really hard to make an objective case for why the niche-ness of the two would be different.)

zrobotics 4y ago

Plus, a gaming PC is a pretty significant investment in both time and money. Selecting parts and doing the build+software setup takes a bit of time and energy, it's far more work than just going to a store and buying a console. Plus, it takes up quite a bit more space, since it basically needs a dedicated desk. That's simply far too much effort and hassle for many people, which is why I totally understand why pc gaming is a niche.

soylentcola 4y ago
I think it's also a bit different compared to 10-15+ years ago. At least then, if you were someone in their teens through 30's, chances are - if you had a computer - that computer was a desktop computer. If you already have some random Dell or HP sitting in your bedroom or office, it's a bit less of a stretch to imagine the average person going out and buying a nicer GPU and maybe a bit of RAM for $300-500 bucks. But with the move to mobile/laptops this becomes a choice between spending that cash on an Xbox and some extra controllers, or buying a whole separate computer. I love playing on a PC (looks great on my TV!) but I can't say it would be an easy purchase if I didn't already use a fairly powerful desktop PC for other things as well.
- goosedragons 4y ago
  Even if you already have a desktop for some reason adding a GPU is a much more significant expense these days and with greatly increased power requirements can potentially require a new PSU too. I can't see the market expanding a whole lot when a GPU to do PS5 level performance costs about the same as an entire PS5.

jsnell 4y ago

PC games are a $40 billion / year business. In comparison, console games are $50 billion / year. I don't think it's reasonable to claim that just one of those is a niche market, given how close the numbers are.

deleted 4y ago
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ramesh31 4y ago
Sure, but add mobile to that and it pales in comparison. Around 80% of revenue is split between console and mobile: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/456595/video-games-revenue-in-the-world-forecast https://www.statista.com/forecasts/456595/video-games-revenu...
- jsnell 4y ago
  Sure, but by the same measure around 75% would be split between PC and mobile. Does the that make consoles (in aggregate) niche? If not, why is that tiny difference decisive? And why do consider consoles as an aggregate unit? They are multiple balkanized, mutually incompatible platforms, each significantly smaller than the PC market. (Not saying that consoles aren't mainstream. But it is really hard to make an objective case for why the niche-ness of the two would be different.)