Console vs PC: How PC costs less

Communities Gaming
1

Personally l like using steamgauge (http://www.mysteamgauge.com/)  to see how much my account is worth, and recently I passed the $2000 mark on how much my steam account is worth and it got me thinking on how much I have actually spent. So by using the steam receipt  function (http://www.mysteamgauge.com/receipt)  and the numbers surprised me.

Steam Gauge worth:  $2013.57

Amount spent : $765.74

First I'll go into a bit about these numbers. The first number uses the retail steam price for a game, not a discounted sale price, for your total account worth. The second is the total amount I have spent on steam in the past five years, including in game purchases and gifts for friends (and trust me I buy a lot of gifts).

(This next portion makes a few assumptions so please forgive me but it can be a bit difficult to fully quantify these results and make them without a margin of error)

So this as I stated previously got me wondering about the whole "console vs. PC" argument. I am, obviously, a PC gamer but don't care what people want to play their games on, however this brings up an interesting perspective when it comes to price. As most PC gamers know it is not more expensive to play on pc (extremities being withheld of course).  These numbers (within a margin of error) show this and to better elaborate I am going to share exactly how much my current system costs + games and compare a bit.

(I always buy parts off of Newegg and I keep a wish list to keep track of products I previously bought in case I need specifics later. The system price includes a mechanical keyboard gaming mouse headset and a monitor)

System price:  $1362.65

I have been using steam for 5 years and buy games exclusively on steam with the exception of a humble bundle on two different occasions.

Assuming that instead of playing games on my pc in 2009 I bought a console I would have spent roughly 500 - 400 dollars on a console last generation. Also assuming if I wanted to play as many games as I have on steam I would have paid full retail prices for them at the time they were purchased.  Therefore I would be paying about the same as my steam gauge worth if I wanted all the games I currently own. On top of that, the steam gauge uses the games current (retail) worth meaning I would more than likely pay more if it was closer to the time of release.  With all those assumptions i would have spent roughly $2500(within a margin of error) being a console gamer.

As a PC gamer with a good gaming PC that I also use for my design work my cost in the past five years on system and games was $2128(within a margin of error).

The final word is that as a PC gamer you could spend 750 on games in 5 years 1250 on a system and still be coming out paying less that $2000 ($400 a year or $33 a month).

Once again I understand this is not fact and is within a margin of error but the numbers are diverse enough to yield some interest. Thank you if you read the whole post.

Compare your numbers!

http://www.mysteamgauge.com/

http://www.mysteamgauge.com/receipt

2

Over the last 7 years, you've spent 1123.3 hours playing this selection, which includes 178 items, is valued at $2262.53, and requires 808.6 GB

The played numbers are a lot off, and according to the script, i have spent about 150 Euros on the whole lot, i think it should be around 250 or so, because some games have been bought on Humble bundle, CJS CD keys or some other place but yeah.

System price

1600 Euros or more, this is due to the multi-monitor setup, and other stuff you dont really need, but its REALLY nice to have.


3

This is a very good post, I just have a couple of things to say though. With consoles and all that you buy disks generally which means you can sell them and also they run games better, not prettier, better. But that's pretty much it. If you couldn't sell you're console games then you would be spending a shit tonne of money on games haha, as a pc game brand new is usually 75% of a console one for some reason 

4

See what you are saying with the selling of console games but by the time you get round to it they are barely worth selling anyway. As for the running better part, I guess it depends on your PC but generally consoles are capped at 30 fps so it doesn't take much to run better than a console. Also PC gaming has become a lot more accessible recently so you can't really argue it is easier to play on consoles.

5

That's a really neat site. Apparently my account is valued at $660. I don't think I paid much more than $150 for the game I have.

I don't quite agree with your argument for why PC is cheaper. Your main reason is that because games are cheaper, PC is cheaper. When I had consoles, I would never buy games new and when I was done with the games I had, I would sell them. I never ended up paying close to retail. I really think the games are cheaper argument is null. I think a better argument for why PC may be cheaper is that it can be used for more than just gaming. Most people that have a console probably also have some form of PC. 

6

Lol my account is 'worth' like 2.8K, but I buy most of my stuff with big discounts, actually if I had a console I couldn't play most of my games, because consoles have different sorts of games. Saying that, thinking about it, my favourite game was ratchet and clank, it was absoloutely awesome, with all the crazy guns you get!

7

It all depends on the type of entertainment consumer you are.

If you play alone and mainly only communicate online, you're liable to gravitate towards PC gaming.

If you play in a social context, and just want things to work and be playable on the TV, you're liable to gravitate towards consoles.

Not many people have the money to spend on a secondary gaming PC instead of a console, and many people don't want their entertainment software on their work PC.

For linux users, a console just makes a lot of sense, because they do'nt have to deal with Windows (once you're used to the quality of linux, you'll know what this means lol, Windows is like hell on earth for linux users), and there still aren't enough "mainstream marketing" games on Linux.

There is also another factor. Ego-shooters generally play better with keyboard and mouse, whereas other games are designed to be played with a controller. Games like Titanfall are made for consoles, they have autoaim and other console features, whereas games like CS:GO are made for PC, they only make sense with keyboard and mouse.

However you put it, both hardware consoles (XBone/PS4) and software consoles (Windows PC) are hugely expensive entertainment consumption platforms, that have nothing to do with computing. And every entertainment consumer has a favourite way of enjoying his consumption. For the majority of gamers, that favourite way is still a console, because it involves a lot less troubles, problem solving and loss of time, and because it often makes more sense in a social context.

My personal opinion is that it often makes much more sense to get a decent computer for serious computing applications, to leverage productivity and knowledge, and to not let some entertainment goal determine the choice of hardware, because all "gaming" PC hardware and software has one thing in common: it tries to alienate the user from the computing aspect, locks the user out of the real computing features of the hardware, and is hugely overpriced. I personally think that it's often better to grab a console for cheap for the gaming entertainment, and keep your feet on the ground. The technological revolution is not about entertaining your life away, entertainment is a side show, a secondary activity, a reward for real-life achievements, or a social activity. In that sense, consoles often make more sense, except for certain games like fast-paced first-person games and simulators. PC gaming is great for people that have the extra money to throw away at sacrificing perfectly good PC hardware to a software console downgrade, but for people that have a limited budget and have to spend it wisely on the things that allow them to improve themselves and earn more money, it hasn't been that great of a choice since games ran from floppy disks in DOS.

I see a lot of people spend 3000 USD or more on a gaming PC that they don't use for useful things, but just use for entertainment consumption like Windows software console gaming, netflix and facebook, and then do all of their productive work on a Chromebook or slow laptop. If they would harness the compute power and possibilities of that expensive gaming PC for productivity, and spend the money for the Chromebook or slow laptop on a console, they would probably have a better life. They would also not expose their private data to the data brokerage scams of large corporations, and have better chances in life and enjoy more freedom.

The difference between a hardware console and a Windows PC software console, is that a hardware console is a "good enough" software console PC (literally, as consoles are x86 PC's) with all the software licenses included and no software problems and update waits and driver problems. Only users that spend over 1500 USD on a PC will have a real performance increase over a "good enough" PC, and that's a lot of money to spend on a software console. If you look at the Steam hardware survey, you'll notice that the vast majority of Steam users, don't have premium hardware, they are only able to play at sub-console quality levels. So for most users, PC gaming as it is, is not effective at all, it's just as much of a money trap than console gaming, with one major difference: their perfectly good PC hardware is locked down by a software console, which keeps them from leveraging the technological revolution, and they have less of a social life. At least with a console, you're wasting less perfectly good hardware on locked down stupefying software. The reality is that a 400 USD console will play 1080p games perfectly fine, whereas a 400 USD small form factor PC won't, and you have to add 100 USD to the latter on a software console license, whereas the retail price of the games is hardly different, and there is a real second hand market for selling used console games, which isn't the case with PC games.

If you think PC gaming is more cost efficient, they got you good...

8

You make some good points. Buying consoles does make sense for some people. However, both are just as expensive if you want them to be. Console gamer's believe gaming capable computers are very expensive and come with problems, where that is true in some cases it doesn't mean that you have to spend over a $1000 on a gaming PC.

But as a PC gamer I would argue that buying a console and a laptop (for instance) for about $800 in total doesn't make much sense to me as you are getting two mediocre things when spending that little bit more will get you a lot more.

I think the argument for cheaper games on PC is redundant because not all console gamer's spend full price on games, when trading in is taken into account.

I am being cautiously optimistic about SteamOS solving the linux issue but we are yet to see how that will play out.

As for the social aspect, it primarily depends on what your friends are doing. Not much else to be said about that.

The porting from console to PC is a problem as the mass market is still on consoles so the quality of the games that are ported primarily depends on the market share at that time.

Where the "money trap" argument for PC is true for some components, such as the Titan Z, a little bit of research can help you find the most cost effective parts.

I mainly think the problem with consoles is that they will struggle to keep up with technology changes as it won't be too long before 4k is mainstream, yet current gen consoles struggle at 1080p and often use up-scaling on the more intense games.

9

Over the last 2 years, you've spent 932.4 hours playing this selection, which includes 135 items, is valued at $2047.85, and requires 847.3 GB

My setup is worth around $1800 including monitors, keyboard, etc. 

I have spent about $1300 for my setup, and I have spent just over $698.39 in steam. Most of my steam library is courtesy of Humble indie bundles, and I always spend 5-6 dollars on those, so just over 700 dollars for my steam library.

10

if you're ever trying to convince a console guy as to why PCs are cheaper, explain it this way:


Consoles and PC are running on basically the same hardware architecture. The cost of hardware for that architecture, when compared on the same performance levels, cost basically the same. (The parts are both gonna be from amd or nvidia).


Even if it appears to the end user that consoles may be cheaper ($400 vs ~$1000 for a decent pc) the OEM, be it sony or microsoft, have to make back that difference some how. That cost is going to be charged back to them a couple times over in games that they buy over the lifetime of the console. $50-$60 a title adds up to a lot after just a few games. (Probably peripherals too since they usually like to charge an arm and a leg just for a controller or something like that.) Now, yes you can wait until games drop down to $30 or $20 dollars after a while, but that generally takes a long time especially AAA titles. (Just look at the past call of duty titles, I bet they're still selling mw1 for 20 bucks). Whereas you could probably find a nice %20 off deal on a AAA launch day title on many pc e-tailers. And I don't need to tell you all other the sales and freebies on PC gaming.


Now let's say you buy a PC, sure you'll be paying more up front for the hardware, but it's hardware that you can choose yourself. You can pick better parts where you need them, and skimp to save money where you want to. And hey, its a computer also, a beefy computer where doing anything will feel a lot fast.


In the long term after you add up other charges associated with consoles (online fees per month etc), owning a PC would probably be cheaper.


Also you could upgrade your gaming rig when ever you feel necessary. Not just when a new console generation comes out.

11

Even the very first Call of Duty still retails for $20 on steam. Then of course there's the wonderful steam christmas/summer/every single day of the week sales.

Oh, and come one. Games still running at sub 1080p. That is pathetic for a console at 2014. PC has had 1080p since... what, 2007? even a couple of years before then?

12

Most of this is OLD news. we already know PC gaming is a Cheaper and Better Alternative. the only reason I see why console gamers refuse to Join "The GLORIOUS PC Master Race" is cause

  • They THINK They need to spend more than a thousand dollars to get a good experience which NO, you don't. you can get a 1080p gaming machine for roughly i would say in reality about $500 to 600 bucks if you know how to work around your budget. and console gamers have no right to complain about that price cause they are going to be spending that much when they buy their console anyways, they need to buy a one year Xbox live or one year Playstation Plus. and on top of that one game or two games. so that runs to roughly $ 500-$600 anyways after taxes.
  • They don't wish to learn and deal with PC Gaming Issues when they happen cause lets be honest with ourselves here, PC Gaming isn't perfect there is always non-sense that can come from somewhere whether its the game developer themselves or the GPU Manufacturer and Driver issues.
  • they think its difficult to ADAPT to using a mice and keyboard
  • They don't feel like leaving their friends behind on the consoles assuming they decide to stay on the consoles.

Like i mentioned before this is OLD news and right now whats going to leave Console gamers in the DUST is 4K. I think 4K is here, there are monitors FINALLY at Reasonable prices and its only going to get more cheaper. and in 10 years from now cause that's how the console cycle is.  I HIGHLY DOUBT AMD will have an APU that can game at 4K assuming Microsoft and Sony decide to Choose AMD for their Processor/Graphics in the future. also it's 2014. Microsoft and Sony could of gotten their shit together and make the console play 1080p games but didn't. running at resolutions below 1080p now-a-days is next to embarrassing, especially since there are GPUS that are i would say are DIRT CHEAP that can game at 1080p. (GTX 750, 750ti, R7-260x, R7-265 and R9-270) and I'm not here to bash consoles cause i was a console gamer myself but Console gamers have no excuse anymore to complain about anything when it comes to PC Gaming. and i think that if they ACTUALLY DId their research on stuff like this they would see its a better and cheaper alternative.

13

Hah, yea, freakin Activision,
that 15% sale they put up once in a blue moon is basically mockery


yup, yup, sub 1080p, more console limitations. But hey, at least if you weren't such a spec savy guy, having a box to be able to run games for 7 years (assuming no failures) is pretty impressive. Albeit you'll be looking at clipart doodles.

14

a gaming "rig" that you don't use because it is impractical is an expensive proposition.

e.g. having a gaming pc that collects dust because it's not in your living room and you can't game casually with friends who are physically next to you, i.e. are not online, but are hanging out at your place.

Casual gaming = consoles; PC's still fail at this, no?

a ps4 is plug and play and fits nicely into a drawer under your living room TV. you'll get a lot of use out of it and if your friends want to play PES while you wait for the Spain Vs. Netherlands match they don't need you to set it up for them. you can just continue socialising and having fun.

dropping $600-$1,000 on a PC that doesn't get used it not a good cost/benefit ratio.

15

I don't understand your arguments. 

what do you mean a gaming rig is not used because it is impractical and expensive? gaming rigs can be cheap, and practical. and if you have one already there is no reason not to use it.

Why is your gaming pc collecting dust since its not in your living room? you can take it to your living room and hook a hdmi cable to your tv and game with your friends.

PC gaming can be as casual or intense as you like. The Sims 3 seems pretty casual, so is Fez, or L4D, or garry's mod. so I guess console gaming isn't the only place for casual gamers.

I will admit the size of consoles is appealing to some people, so this point stands on its own.

again, why are you not using your PC and spending money on it? thats like buying a sandwich and leaving it out in the sun to spoil.