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You might be surprised how long the "console vs. PC gaming" debate has gone on. There's a mix - some PC gamers just prefer the experience enough to justify the

You might be surprised how long the "console vs. PC gaming" debate has gone on. There's a mix - some PC gamers just prefer the experience enough to justify the cost. But most people have some other reason to own a PC anyway, so paying for the GPU makes sense for them instead of having a separate console. And then there's the ability to build, customize and upgrade your system, compared to going out and buying a new console entirely. There's also, in general, much more backwards compatibility in PC gaming, though it's not without flaws. If you isolate it to "playing games on a screen" then the console will almost always seem like the better option. But there are more factors that go into those decisions. As for the cost comparisons, consoles have always been $200-500, and most GPUs were often in that same range. In other words, you'd almost always have to spend more on a GPU than a console for the higher end PC gaming experience, but that has yet to kill the PC gaming market.

moonchrome 4y ago
I'm aware of console/PC debate, my point is GPU vs console price was never so skewed as it is now, at least not that I can remember. At some point it becomes a substitute.
- neogodless 4y ago
  I think the main thing that's changed is the ever-growing "high end" segment of video cards. In 2006, a Playstation 3 was $600, but by 2010 it was a $300 system. Video cards were $500 at the top end (GTX 480). So you could argue that the console was a vastly better buy, if you didn't mind it having 4 year old hardware. Consoles have held their pricing much longer lately, so the $500 PlayStation 5 is still largely $500 over 3 years after launch. Meanwhile, you can get some great graphic cards in the $500-$800 range. Overall, that's not a vastly different ratio. It's not until you look at the $1000+ video cards that it seems quite skewed, but no one needs those cards to have a good PC gaming experience. Those are extravagances.

moonchrome 4y ago

I'm aware of console/PC debate, my point is GPU vs console price was never so skewed as it is now, at least not that I can remember. At some point it becomes a substitute.

neogodless 4y ago
I think the main thing that's changed is the ever-growing "high end" segment of video cards. In 2006, a Playstation 3 was $600, but by 2010 it was a $300 system. Video cards were $500 at the top end (GTX 480). So you could argue that the console was a vastly better buy, if you didn't mind it having 4 year old hardware. Consoles have held their pricing much longer lately, so the $500 PlayStation 5 is still largely $500 over 3 years after launch. Meanwhile, you can get some great graphic cards in the $500-$800 range. Overall, that's not a vastly different ratio. It's not until you look at the $1000+ video cards that it seems quite skewed, but no one needs those cards to have a good PC gaming experience. Those are extravagances.