Treblaine said:
Consoles used to be simple. They are supposed to be simple. But they have got more complicated as PC has gotten easier and easier. Everything automatically updates, do you have any idea how simple it is to get into PC gaming today?
Beyond the complexities of choosing the computer with the myriad options most have no comprehension of, the dramatic increase in any wiring and configuration concerns and the like, sure. PC's have gotten "easier" - they are not, however, plug and play boxes as consoles are.
Treblaine said:
Frankly, I do not beleive you if you claim to can buy download, install and then play to completion challenging console games yet can't do the same for PC.
The process on PC is complicated by a great many factors. Not only are there competing services often with dedicated front ends that must be downloaded, you also get to deal with the delightful world of
compatibility issues! The process, as a whole, is
far more complex on a PC. It isn't by any stretch an insurmountable hurdle, but it does represent a reason that would concern some.
Treblaine said:
The initial cost of ownership with consoles is a false economy.
It isn't, actually.
Treblaine said:
You can't just have a console, you still need a PC for general web use, word processing, facebook, work, etc.
If we ignore the small business user, the fundamental
requirement for a PC is a non-existent thing. Other devices can perform
most of the actions one might use a computer relationally for. The window for the PC to be a fixture in every home is rapidly closing leaving it once again a device for professionals and hobbyists all thanks to advances in devices like the iPad, various smart phones, web integrated television and all the rest.
Treblaine said:
So you're getting something that could play games... then something else to play games. Better to put it all into a gaming PC, and the difference in price from a normal PC to a gmaing PC is much less than the cost of a console, especially if you are only trying to get graphics as good as console games... which for PC is generally mid-to-low settings. But with even a moderately priced gaming PC you can easily get High and Ultra graphics.
See the previous point regarding necessity. People who
need a computer generally get one built to that purpose - this purpose rarely corresponds to a feature set useful for playing
most games. People who have no pressing need tend to get one of the cheapest available which again is unlikely to result in a computer that is particularly good for game playing and, in many cases, has an
incredibly limited upgrade path. That leaves people who buy computers for gaming and, assuming one builds and maintains it themselves, would cost at
least 500 bucks cutting
every possible corner. For the record, that assumes the purchase of a case and power supply (as a combination of reasonable quality this tends to start at around 100 USD and can quickly climb), 100 dollars for memory and storage (sufficient for 8 gb of reasonable quality memory and large amounts of storage space), 200 dollars for processor and motherboard, and 100 bucks for a video card. That ignores the peripherals of any sort (mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor, etc), operating system (unless you go Linux, that's at
least a hundred bucks), and disk drives of any sort.
The common counterargument to cost is of course "you can upgrade" but the home user who has thus far no intention of playing PC games isn't likely to have a system configuration suitable for meaningful upgrade in the first place. Yes, after an initial relatively steep investment, future upgrades tend to be relatively inexpensive as one rarely needs to replace
every part. But, again, since we are discussing a hypothetical convert to PC gaming, we have to assume they build from the ground up.
So, for at least
twice the initial cost of a current console, and a staggering difference in complexity of setup, you can get a gaming PC. Those are non-trivial concerns.
Treblaine said:
Pre-owned market cannot be the main feature as pre-owned games don't come from nowhere, every game that is pre-owned must have at one point been bought new.
Under current market conditions virtually
any game can be acquired through the used market. Some games can be purchased for a pittance if one is willing to wait.
Treblaine said:
It can't work on a large scale, the fact is the games you want to play in high demand will either be rare or still expensive pre-owned.
It currently
does work on a large scale. A multi-billion dollar company has the used market as the cornerstone of their empire and other retail companies follow suit from Best Buy to most mom and pop operations.
Yes, that may change in the
future but we aren't discussion the future. We're discussing why people might not want to play PC games
now.
Treblaine said:
Everyone knows this, you try to get the latest COD in the first month it comes out pr-owned copies are few and far between and barely any cheaper than buying new.
Yes, but if one makes common use of the used market, chances are
very good they also sell games, which quickly results in games costing well under 60 dollars per purchase.
Treblaine said:
You can't ignore that PC games start at a lower price, quickly drop in price then regularly have huge discounts. And this can function, it doesn't depend on most people buying new and you leaching off them buying their pre-owed games.
Some games do all of those things. Those that are of high popularity, however, do
not drop quickly. The call of duties, the Skyrims and others drop no quicker on PC than console. And, yes, while one may point to Steam sales, similar deals can be found at brick and mortar retailers on regular intervals.
While Steam might be an excellent model for how the business ought to run, to use a single
service as the lynchpin of your argument is folly just as pointing to the current offerings on PSN is foolish. These things can and indeed
have changed wildly.
Indeed, virtually every pro PC gaming argument relies on Steam in this fashion without realizing that they are devoted to a
service not a
platform.
