If console gaming is cheaper, why are all the games so much more expensive?

[Jesus Phish]

-mega snip-

A bare bones gaming PC is still better than a console. A new console generations hardware will already be obsolete compared to PC after about two years of its life, if even at that. Once again I'll state, I spent the same money as a PS3 would have cost me on release on a PC that has lasted me to this day and the only reason I've upgraded to a new one is because I've recently been employed and decided to treat myself to new hardware.

What you need to understand is that a low end pc now is better than a console in hardware. A mid-range pc now, will probably match a future console. If you listen to the zealots who do believe you need bleeding edge hardware, then of course you're going to think it would cost $400+ to upgrade yearly but you absolutely 100% do not need to do this. You can get many many years out of the hardware and you can play many many more games than consoles.

No, it's not. My PC is more than bare bones built in 2007 and my XBOX360 Orange Box runs HL2: E1 better than my PC does and medium settings.
At standard settings I get roughly 40-50 FPS with lag. At medium I get 60FPS with almost no lag, but a lot of hiccups, especially during loading screens. And that game is how old?

Then you bought either bought bad parts or paid too much for them. Or, your bare bones PC is a bare bones word processing/internet surfing machine, not a bare bones gaming PC. When you buy your own parts for a pc and put it together, you get a better built pc than anything you could get premade at extra cost.

 

[ianeddy44]

People claim that PC gaming is more expensive because of the Hardware costs. What they don't understand is that the "gaming console" and "computer" are the same machine. So console gamers buy higher-priced games, as well as buy the new-gen console every few years ~$350 as well as a computer ~$800-1200 depending on the quality. Mentioned in OP's post is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. $50 on Steam right now, no sale for it. For the PS3 right now it's ~$50-60 depending on if you get it on a store or order it online. I picked it up during the Steam winter sale... for $16! A nearly brand new game! Were there steals like at at Gamestop or Best Buy? No? Didn't think so. As a broke college student who has been a gamer since age 4, the cheap deals from Steam are what I need.

 

[babinro]

I'm sure if you're someone who can assemble a store gaming rig of $2000.00 for $300.00 you'll save a lot of money over the typical gamer by going PC.

For the majority though console is largely cheaper when you factor in all costs. Keep in mind many gamers probably don't buy more than 10 games over the lifespan of their console. If you buy new console games every month for 5 years...I'm sure PC may ultimately prove to be cheaper because of digital downloads.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

Love this thread.

I worked at GameStop, and their big push was accessories, and this is a part of it too, because in order to game properly on console you need a charging cable for that wireless controller, and a battery pack, and a wi-fi attachment, and a wireless head set, and a steering wheel, and the list can seriously go on for a few hours, oh and let's not forget an Xbox live subscription card.

You may think you're paying less for consoles but the whole industry is built around over charging you for all the part of your cheap console.

Oh, and clearly here I'm talking about Microsoft's shitty system. To be blunt that system was all about tacking on little bonuses, like the battery packs vs Sony's built in ones, or the charging cable, vs the one Sony gives you for free with the system. I could really go on, I throughly hate Microsoft, GameStop, and this whole sketchy side of the industry.

I mean, I get it, it's a business, but it's also a bit of a con, like selling a puzzle with some of the external pieces missing then charging an absurd amount extra for them: I mean, sure you can still sort of finish the puzzle, but you know those little holes are going to eat at you until you fill them.

Also, what's cheaper about having to buy 1 PC to last decades VS 1 360 to last for however long it can stave off the RROD (which for those of you who don't know still hasn't been fixed, it's been made less common and they made it so modern 360's can display that same error message to make it seem like it's gone... but... I don't care, that's not an acceptable thing to fix AFTER launch)?

Oh, and Sony totally does this too... but not even close to as bad, and at least their games are on a Blu-ray so I can pretend like the higher quality media is worth the extra cash.

 

[Redryhno]

It could be because you live in New Zealand, everywhere I've seen here in the area around Texas have PC games being at least ten bucks more than a console game.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

It could be because you live in New Zealand, everywhere I've seen here in the area around Texas have PC games being at least ten bucks more than a console game.

WHAT?! Dude, I live in Colorado, and our PC games are always cheaper, even in store, but ESPECIALLY with steam. Fuck man, I got the entire GTA series, from the originals all the way through to the expansions for IV for 13 bucks from steam. I am sure that if I walked in a gamestop right now I couldn't get just GTA4 for 13 bucks.

 

[Jesus Phish]

Then you bought either bought bad parts or paid too much for them. Or, your bare bones PC is a bare bones word processing/internet surfing machine, not a bare bones gaming PC. When you buy your own parts for a pc and put it together, you get a better built pc than anything you could get premade at extra cost.

Exactly, a bare bones PC and a bare bones gaming PC are two VERY different things. A 400$ gaming PC doesn't exist. We'll all be better off when we can accept that as a community.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097.html

[edit]
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-overclock-graphics-card,3032.html - an amd build

You could knock between 100-200 off that by not rebuying a HDD, picking a different graphics card and harvesting a disc drive from your old pc along with your old HDD.

Also look here http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/331425-13-%c2-budget-gaming-build

Are these amazing machines that are going to run those sexy skyrim hd mods? No. Are they going to run skyrim. Yep. Are they going to run games for the next few years. Yep.

 

[karoliso]

In the States, it isn't like that. Most AAA PC games are $49.99, and most console games are $59.99.

Granted, Steam sales still make PC games cheaper, but when you have to spend $800-1000 to build a rig and a further ~$150-$250 every two years at least to keep it up to date, then you see how PC gaming gets expensive and Steam stops making up the difference.

This is versus a $300 console, a $500-$600 laptop, and a $60 game every now and then. Think about it. Those will last you (if you take care of them) four years at the least.

Not entirely fair. Buy a cheap PC that is equivalent or better than a console and you can play very cheaply without ever upgrading. Remember that consoles never get better and neither will their game requirements. 600$ you'd spend on 10 games on Steam you could get as low or lower than 400$. That's 200$ + 300$ to spend on a PC.
In short, you'd need to keep upgrading a PC to keep up with PC-exclusive games but not multi-platform games.

 

[Nikolaz72]

Most people can't build a gaming computer though.

I don't understand this. Building a computer involves:

1. Asking the guy at your computer part store if the various pieces you're looking at will mesh (he will know). If they don't, he will offer you alternatives

2. Putting your new (or re-used) tower on the counter

3. Open the box with the motherboard, open the manual and follow the pretty pictures

4. Open the CPU box, open the manual and follow the pretty pictures

5. Open everything else except the PSU and install them in any order, following the pretty pictures

6. Install the PSU following the slightly harder pretty pictures

7. Close the side of the tower, plug in the monitor

8. Plug in, turn on

9. Insert Windows 7 disk, install

10. YAY

Your other points about having to wait and buy on sale? That's not hard, and is actually generally good financial sense in day-to-day life. Just get one game you really, really like and buy the good deals as they come, and you'll have a major backlog by the time you're done with the first game. And you'll have bought 15 PC games (or more) for the price of 5 console games.

If you think the average gamer or consumer period can or wants to do this you are waaaaaaay off.

Actually, I could put together a computer easily. Big square goes in big square, small square goes in small square. Blue goes in blue, red goes in red. Its kindergarden stuff..

Now IKEA furniture.. *Eyes his officechair* is a different story. And most people know how to assemble those via manuals, he just explained the steps 1 after 1. If I explained how I made my office chair (Twice as advanced as his explanation for making a gaming rig) You would not have said the average customer isnt wanting to put up with it. Oh yes, the average costumer 'is' able to put up with it. But do to the stereotyping and people constantly telling them that just because its electronics they 'cant' they will believe that they 'cant' and wont even go try.

Then you bought either bought bad parts or paid too much for them. Or, your bare bones PC is a bare bones word processing/internet surfing machine, not a bare bones gaming PC. When you buy your own parts for a pc and put it together, you get a better built pc than anything you could get premade at extra cost.

Exactly, a bare bones PC and a bare bones gaming PC are two VERY different things. A 400$ gaming PC doesn't exist. We'll all be better off when we can accept that as a community.

Meh, I have a 400? gaming upgradable labtop using 100? on upgrades over the years 'Mouse/Keyboard/Headphones.. But you dont count controllers and stereo and tv for consoles so I guess I wont count my laptop bringing in both screen and the gaming rig should probably count as half-price off taking it has quite the screen' (on sale about 4 years ago). With the 50+ games I've bought from steam over the years using sales. I think I've already earned my PC in pure savings from just playing PC. At the same time I kind of love browsing, playing music. Watching films, and playing games. And being social. And playing 'boardgames' and doing schoolwork. On the same machine, I save money on blogs and pens. Aswell as the fact that the school offers that stuff for electronics. Thats 200 off right there over the next couple of years. Whats that? Im now.. games excluded. Down to having a 200 Euro gaming PC do to all the money I saved by buying a gaming labtop so it can be multipurpose <_<.. I must be a genius. I should get a job in business or something.

The average console gamer isnt 'that' stupid. They just believe everything other console gamers tell them, because youknow.. Us Versus Them nationalism, applied to fanboyism. I just look at it from a 'what is gonna give me what I want for the least money' And truthbetold. With all the games I bought, and the fact that I use my gaming labtop for schoolwork. And saved all those money on games that I bought for like 75-80% off, merely half a year - a year or so after they came out. I saved a lot more on having a gaming laptop, than I would ever have dreamt of by owning a console. Upgrading is worth it, as 'gamers' you are sure to buy enough games to justify the price. You fool yourself if you think otherwise. The intitial savings is not gonna pay off in the end -also. The PS3 when it came out was as expensive as my gaming PC + the upgrades I bought. My hardware is superior. So Nueh´.

Also, what's cheaper about having to buy 1 PC to last decades

Nothing, because that's not real. You do NOT have a 10 year old PC that runs current games. You have what LOOKS like a ten year old PC. You will not have a PC built 10 years ago running without a LOT of upgrading.
Let's not forget where we came from. 10 years ago it, or maybe even eleven now, Alice was the highest graphical output we had for PCs. It looks much different now, but back then, that was some top of the line stuff. You didn't buy a rig to run Alice at medium in 2001 and not spend a lot of money upgrading it. If you didn't, then you have a new PC altogether.

Look up, back down. Respond? Tbh, buy stuff when it goes on sale not when it comes out. We are talking about saving money here so dont just take into account that console gamers buy their rigs now and not youknow, back when they came out. And PC gamers buy every piece of hardware the second it hits stores. Wanna know why its so cheap to keep up with new games? Because consoles makes developers take a small break from advancing reqs. So by buying a gaming rig the size of a PS3,And upgrading it when new parts went on sale. Will make old PC's run the newest stuff on high easily, because.. Youknow. You dont need upgrades to run the highest anymore. We've stood almost still for like 4 years, apart from artistic changes. Smokes and mirrors do a lot.

 

[JochemHippie]

Because they can get away with it.

 

[snowy556]

Well, I believe I might offer some insight into this whole argument. I work at a computer repair shop, If someone wants a system built, it usually costs about $700 for an awesome computer, We just recently built a gaming pc for just about $1000.
The stats of that computer:

3.0 GHZ quad core.
Very good Graphics card with 1.5Gb cache I believe.
sturdy case.
Strong Power Supply, with enough power for upgrades.
A nice fan that glows blue, so everyone can see your computer and call it perdy.

Considering this was $1,000 and the technology these days is SOOOO far beyond what you need to play a game at 30 fps, this computer will probably last about 10 years, and be a good gaming computer. Games right now need a 2.0 duo core to be run efficiently, and a decent Graphics card.

All of these crazy computers that cost like $3,500 they are so far beyond what you need that they will never be upgraded, and the only thing you will ever have to buy for it would be repair parts if need be.

This aside, most people can barely keep a computer working, without getting it messed up to all hell with viruses, or destroying it(Laptops usually.) Consoles only require you to turn it on and play, and probably buy a new one if you get a RROD or the PS3 equivalent, instead of having to worry about your computer being bogged down by Norton, crapware, and other unwanted crap.

As for game prices, computer wins heavily. You can buy through steam, and you have a nice digital copy, which can't be scratched, or stolen, or broken, or get worn out. Steam games are also usually a bit cheaper, and then when the holidays come around, SWEET BISCUITS THE SAVINGS. Besides Steam games being cheaper, there is also the GIANT modding communities that a lot of games have, which can extend a game's life far past it's console counterpart's years. Even if you have no money, you could always choose to be a pirate, because everything on the internet is free, if you know where to look!

 

[Wolfram23]

Gaming PC for cheap, that will play games at 720p (like a console) with good framerates:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.752640
Combo deal:
1x Thermaltake VL84301W2Z V3 Black Edition with 430W Power Supply ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model:VL84301W2Z)

$74.99
1x MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (Model:H61M-E33 (B3))

$69.99
1x Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120 (Model:BX80623I32120)

$139.99
1x G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT (Model:F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT)

$35.99
1x Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST1500DL003)

$134.99
1x LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH24NS70 (Model:GH24NS70 OEM)

$18.99

Plus a PowerColor 6770 $110
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131434

Win 7 64 bit $110
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total: $637.98

Many local hardware shops will price match. I can go to my local Memory Express and price match everything on this list. They charge $70 to build the PC.

Add $50-80 for a mouse and keyboard.

You can definitely go even lower end on the CPU and RAM, even on the GPU. I frequent hardware sites where many people claim to enjoy gaming just fine on their 5670s, 5750s (and similar 6000 series cards) which are all under $100. Core 2 Duo and AMD Athelon CPUs would shave a solid $100 or more off the price.

I omit a monitor because you can buy a monitor or a TV and use for both console and PC gaming, so it kind of negates itself.

A console, then, is $250-300 plus peripherals - extra controllers, docking station, headsets, camera, Move/Kinect, etc etc you probably spend $400-500 on hardware. Considering games are anywhere from $10-50 more expensive than PC, if you buy a game or two per month that cost is really adding up fast.

As for PC upgrading, this PC won't need a thing for at least 3 years, at which point you MIGHT want to upgrade the GPU and PSU - but if that's the case, it will be more of a want than a need, because it will keep on playing games at decent settings. But maybe you want 1080p and some antialiasing... well, a $250 GPU and a $100 PSU will get you there and keep you going for many years more. Nothing else will need to be touched for at least 6 years.

EDIT: Just to show, in this benchmark the lowest resolution is still higher (and more demanding) than the 720p you get on 90% of console games... notice the $80 5750/GTS 250 are able to play it pretty well at High settings:

 

[AnotherAvatar]

Also, what's cheaper about having to buy 1 PC to last decades

Nothing, because that's not real. You do NOT have a 10 year old PC that runs current games. You have what LOOKS like a ten year old PC. You will not have a PC built 10 years ago running without a LOT of upgrading.
Let's not forget where we came from. 10 years ago it, or maybe even eleven now, Alice was the highest graphical output we had for PCs. It looks much different now, but back then, that was some top of the line stuff. You didn't buy a rig to run Alice at medium in 2001 and not spend a lot of money upgrading it. If you didn't, then you have a new PC altogether.

Uhh.. honestly with the PC I've just built I doubt that. This thing was built with the concept of being too strong for this generation, and it is, and as such it will probably last me quite some time. Also most games come with graphics adjustment sliders, so no, I wouldn't need to upgrade to handle every game, if my system can't handle something in the future I can just reduce the settings and run it. This makes the MAJORITY of games playable without any upgrades, Crysis-like games where you need an elite rig are rare.

Plus, what I'm talking about here isn't upgrading, I'm talking about how 360's RROD with a still alarmingly high rate. If you buy more than one 360 because your first system red ringed outside of warranty: Congratulations, you just paid more than you would for a really nice PC. Add to that the fact that the system's can't be upgraded and as such will always have the same graphical capabilities and then blow your mind with the fact that even if I am spending money to upgrade my pc to play new games it's getting stronger in the process, so I'm not just wasting money getting the same thing working again, the money actually has a value above just replacing the shitty system I was sold.

 

[Nikolaz72]

Meh, I have a 400? gaming upgradable labtop using 100? on upgrades over the years 'Mouse/Keyboard/Headphones.. But you dont count controllers and stereo and tv for consoles so I guess my laptop bringing in both screen and the gaming rig should probably count as half-price off taking it has quite the screen' (on sale 5 years ago). With the 50+ games I've bought from steam over the years using sales. I think I've already earned my PC in pure savings from just playing PC. At the same time I kind of love browsing, playing music. Watching films, and playing games. And being social. And playing 'boardgames' and doing schoolwork. On the same machine, I save money on blogs and pens. Aswell as the fact that the school offers that stuff for electronics. Thats 200 off right there over the next couple of years. Whats that? Im now.. games excluded. Down to having a 200 Euro gaming PC do to all the money I saved by buying a gaming labtop so it can be multipurpose <_<.. I must be a genius. I should get a job in business or something.

The average console gamer isnt 'that' stupid. They just believe everything other console gamers tell them, because youknow.. Us Versus Them nationalism, applied to fanboyism. I just look at it from a 'what is gonna give me what I want for the least money' And truthbetold. With all the games I bought, and the fact that I use my gaming labtop for schoolwork. And saved all those money on games that I bought for like 75-80% off, merely half a year - a year or so after they came out. I saved a lot more on having a gaming laptop, than I would ever have dreamt of by owning a console. Upgrading is worth it, as 'gamers' you are sure to buy enough games to justify the price. You fool yourself if you think otherwise. The intitial savings is not gonna pay off in the end -also. The PS3 when it came out was as expensive as my gaming PC + the upgrades I bought. My hardware is superior. So Nueh´.

I don't count t.v. and controllers for console. You are correct. My console came with a controller, and I'm playing on a tube from 2000. Also, 400 euro is almost 600 USD after taxes.
Also, did you just apply money saved against the cost of a PC, when the money saved WASN'T gaming related? Nice try but the ref caught it. You spend 10 minutes in the penalty box.
Well all know a net book is 200 USD, easily. And the only you mentioned that it won't do is game. So let's get back to the discussion at hand, and keep it to gaming. Wink.You can't apply PC functionality against console functionality, because that's not what the discussion is.

600 USD? In our current economy try 550. As I explained, but you deftly tried to ignore 'ten minutes out for you aswell' an avid gamer would quickly earn those money on just buying games on the steam christmas sale. 75-80% off isnt stuff you see on consoles. And not even used. So lets see, 550 down to the consoles cost of 400 (What an Xbox costs in my parts) You would be required to save 150 dollars on games. Buying 'completely' new. That would be about.. I dunno. Lets be good and say 8 games. But if you buy on the sales, or over amazon. Oh matey, you would barely need 3-4. And we are not talking 3 a year, this would be back almost instantly. I had my laptop repaired once, but it was free. It also go a free Hardrive upgrade : P. (The old one had gone 'boom' happy for my 2 years guarantee) This is hoping that the console players console dont stop working on his arse. I heard Xbox is put together by plastic and duct tape, and they cut corners on the fans.

Buy hardware on sale m8. Wait a couple of years from when it comes out, dont buy Alienware.

What Console players (relaize its fanboys)see:

PC gamers must by hardware when it comes out.(Hence 250 dollars a year)

Must Buy Alienware. (Hence 1000 dollar costs)

Must upgrade constantly or face the PC-Elitegamer Gods judgement. (Hence why 'normal' people cant manage having a pc at all)

TLDR: You may think you're paying less for consoles but the whole industry is built around over charging you for what is outdated.

The only downside to PC gaming I see right now I Microsoft, I guess thats one thing console playe- Ohwait.

 

[snowy556]

In the States, it isn't like that. Most AAA PC games are $49.99, and most console games are $59.99.

Granted, Steam sales still make PC games cheaper, but when you have to spend $800-1000 to build a rig and a further ~$150-$250 every two years at least to keep it up to date, then you see how PC gaming gets expensive and Steam stops making up the difference.

This is versus a $300 console, a $500-$600 laptop, and a $60 game every now and then. Think about it. Those will last you (if you take care of them) four years at the least.

Not entirely fair. Buy a cheap PC that is equivalent or better than a console and you can play very cheaply without ever upgrading. Remember that consoles never get better and neither will their game requirements.

Not true. Modern Warfare 1's system requirements are as follows:

CPU: Pentium 4 2.4 GHz/ Athlon 64 2800+ (Intel & Athlon 1.8 GHz Dual Core or better supported)

RAM: 512MB RAM (768MB for Vista)

Graphics Card: 128MB 3d Hardware Accelerated card required-100% DirectX 9.0c compatible and latest drivers (NVIDIA GeForce 6600+ / ATI Radeon 9800 Pro+)

This is versus Modern Warfare 3's requirements which are:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X38750 processor or better

RAM: 2GB RAM

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT / ATI Radeon X1950 or better

PC system requirements still go up every now and then. If you met, but didn't exceed, the requirements for MW1, you're not going to be running MW3 if you haven't done any upgrading.

so, in 4 years, the amount of power your computer needs has gone up marginally. If you have windows 7, you need at least 4Gb of RAM anyway just to run it effectively, and really, the only thing that has gone up at all would be the processor requirements, which in most desktop computers, would blow the required processor speed away.

Those graphics cards are almost the same, and the MW3 engine just sucks, and uses more processor power instead of graphics power, seeing how it requires about the same amount of video ram as CoD4, but is not optimized to run on a pc, because the call of duty franchise is a large money whore, but like all games, someone will release an optimization mod, or something for the game which will improve performance drastically.