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Chips aren’t improving like they used to, and it’s killing game console price cuts
(arstechnica.com)
this post was submitted on 04 May 2025
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Consoles are just increasingly bad value for consumers compared to PCs.
I mean, for the price of a mid range graphics card I can still buy a whole console. GPU prices are ridiculous. Never mind everything else on top of that.
Yeah, GPU prices are kinda ridiculous, but a 7600 is probably good enough to match console quality (essentially the same as the 6650XT, so get whatever is cheaper), and I see those going for $330. It should be more like $250, so maybe you can find it closer to that amount when there's a sale. Add $500-600 for mobo, CPU, PSU, RAM storage, and a crappy case, and you have a decent gaming rig. Maybe I'm short by $100 or so, but that should be somewhere in the ballpark.
So $900-1000 for a PC. That's about double a console, extra if you need keyboard, monitor, etc. Let's say that's $500. So now we're 3x a console.
Entry cost is certainly higher, so what do you get in return?
Depending on how many and what types of games you play, it may or may not be cheaper. I play a ton of indies and rarely play AAA new releases, so a console would be a lot more expensive for me. I also have hundreds of games, and probably play 40 or so in a given year (last year was 50 IIRC). If I save just $10 per game, it would be the same price as a console after 2 years, but I save far more since I wait for sales. Also, I'll have a PC anyway, so technically I should only count the extra stuff I buy for playing games, as in my GPU.
You do make some decent points, but the console has one major aspect that PC simply does not have: convenience. I install a game and I’m playing it. No settings to tweak, no need to make sure my drivers are up to date, no need to make sure other programs I’m running are interfering with the game, none of that. If I get a game for my console I know it absolutely will work, with the exception of a simply shitty game which happens on PC too.
The other thing I wanted to touch on was the cheap games. That’s just as relevant on console nowadays. For example, I’ve been slowly buying the Yakuza games for $10-$15 each. That’s the exact same discounts I’ve seen on Steam.
For backwards compatibility, it depends on your console. Xbox is quite impressive - if you have an Xbox Series X you can play any game ever released for any Xbox all the way back to the original. Just stick in the disc. With PlayStation, it’s just PS4 games that the PS5 is backwards compatible with. Sony needs to do better. And with Nintendo… lol.
Yeah, with a PC you can do other things than gaming. For most of that you can get a cheap laptop. There are definitely edge cases where a powerful PC is needed such as development, CAD, AI, etc. But on average a gaming-spec PC is not necessary. I’m saying that as a developer and systems administrator for the past 14 years.
I also do almost none of that on my PC. I do install updates, but that's pretty much in the background. Then again, I use Linux, so maybe it's different on Windows these days? I doubt it.
Most people tweak settings and whatnot because they want to, not because they need to in order to get a decent experience. I use my PC and Steam Deck largely as a console: install games then then play. That's it.
Steam isn't the only store for buying games on PC, so the chance that you can buy a given game on sale on a given day is quite a bit higher vs console, where there's only one store. I've picked games up on Steam, Fanatical, or Humble Bundle, and there are several others if you're interested in looking.
For example, here's Yakuza 0 price history on PC, it has been $10 somewhere for almost a year. On PlayStation, it looks like it's been $20 most of the year. I actually got it for a little under $5 about 5 years ago, and I only paid >$10 for one Yakuza game (most were $7-8).
Tons of games show up in bundles as well. I have picked up tons of games for $2-5 each (sometimes less) as part of a bundle, and that's just not really a thing on consoles.
Interesting, that's pretty cool!
Honestly, the difference between a "gaming spec" PC and one targeting only typical tasks is pretty minimal outside the GPU, assuming you're targeting console quality. You really don't need a high end CPU, RAM, or mobo to play games, you can match CPU perf w/ something mid-range, so $150-ish for the CPU. Likewise for the GPU, you can get comparable quality for something in the $300-400 range, probably less now since the PS5 and XBox Series consoles are kind of old.
But that's assuming you need console quality. You can get by with something a bit older if you turn the settings down a bit.
If you want to save cash, you have a lot more options on PC vs consoles. If you want to go all out, you have a lot more options on PC vs consoles for maxing out performance. PC gaming is as expensive as you make it. I used the same PC for playing games for something like 10 years before getting an upgrade (upgraded the GPU once), because it played all the games I wanted it to. If I have a console, chances are the newer games will stop supporting my older console a year or so after the new one launches, so I don't have any options once the console goes out of support outside of buying a new one.
That said, there are a ton of caveats:
I have a Switch for the couch co-op experience, as well as ease of use for my kids to just put in a game and play, and a PC for most of my personal gaming time (I also have a Steam Deck so I can play in bed or on vacation). I have something like 20 Switch games and hundreds of PC games.
GPU prices are ridiculous, but those GPUs are also ridiculously more powerful than anything in any console.
The rough equivalent to a PS5Pro's GPU component is a ... not current gen, not last gen, but the gen before that... find AMD's weakest GPU model in the 6 series, the RX 6600, and that is roughly the same performance as the GPU performance of a PS5Pro.
The Switch 2 may have an interesting, custom mobile grade Nvidia APU, but at this point, its not out yet, no benchmarks, etc.
Oh right also: If GPU prices for PCs remain elevated... well, any future consoles will also have elevated prices. Perhaps not to the same degree, but again, that will be because a console will be basically fairly low tier if you compared it to the range of PC hardware... and console mfgs can subsidize console costs with game sales... and they get discounts on ordering the components that go into their consoles by ordering in huge bulk volumes.
You can build a pretty capable PC for about $600. And you won't have to pay for multiplayer.
"Pretty capable" will get you dunked on in the PC gaming world. For what I've seen PC gamers actually recommend I could buy 2-3 modern consoles.
Are they tho? Have you seen graphics card prices?
My 4070 cost $300 and runs everything.
The whole PC cost around $1000, and i have had it since the Xbox One released.
You can get similar performance from a $400 steam deck which is a computer.
On what planet does a Steam Deck give 4070 performance?
And on which does a 4070 cost $300 for that matter? They cost more than a whole PS5.
I can get ps5 graphics with a $280 video card, games are often way cheaper, I can hook the pc up to my TV, and still play with a ps5 or Xbox controller, or mouse and keyboard.
I suspect next gen there will be a ps6 and Xbox will make a cheap cloud gaming box and just go subscription only.
Didn't Google Stadia do the cloud thing and failed miserably?
Microsofts cloud gaming is already profitable. Also, they got their ass kicked so badly against the ps5 that there's no profitable avenue in developing and trying to sell a future console. They're better off concentrating on pc games and cloud gaming. Sony can't really compete against them in that market, just like microsoft is unlikely to make it worth while to compete against Sony in a console.
You don't need a top end card to match console specs, something like a 6650XT or 6700XT is probably enough. Your initial PC build will be more than a console by about 2X if you're matching specs (maybe 3X if you need a monitor, keyboard, etc), but you'll make it up with access to cheaper games and being able to upgrade the PC without replacing it, not to mention the added utiliy a PC provides.
So yeah, think of PC vs console as an investment into a platform.
If you only want to play 1-2 games, console may be a better option. But if you're interested in older or indie games, a PC is essential.
2060 super for 300, and then another 200 for a decent processor puts you ahead of a ps5 and for a comparable price. Games are cheaper on PC too, as well as a broader selection.
Regarding that last point: consoles don't come with TVs either, so you don't even have to factor that in the cost of a gaming PC.
Furthermore, many modern TVs are now being designed with gaming in mind, and thus have input lag comparable to a good gaming monitor (like LG OLEDs and most Samsungs), so the whole concept of needing a dedicated monitor just for your PC is somewhat outdated now. If your TV is good enough for console gaming, then chances are it's good enough for PC gaming too, so long as you did your research before buying and didn't just buy whatever had a good picture on the showroom floor.
Also there's the fact that multiplayer tends to be free on PC, so no subscription fees to worry about. The accessories tend to be cheaper as well.
you're going to have to really scrunge up for deals in order to get psu, storage, memory, motherboard, and a case for your remaining budget of $0.
$850 is way more expensive than a PS5 though lol. Linux also means you can’t play the games that top the most played charts on the PS5 every single month of every single year.
https://www.metacritic.com/pictures/best-playstation-games-of-2024/
Works on Linux:
Prince of Persia, the Lost Crown
Silent Hill 2 (Remake)
Marvel vs Capcom: Arcade Classics
Shin Megamei Tensei (V)engeance
Persona 3 Reload
HiFi Rush
Animal Well
Castlevania Dominus Collection
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Tekken 8
The Last of Us Part II (Remaster)
Balatro
Dave the Diver
Slay the Princess: Pristine Cut
Metaphor Re Fantazio
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (and base game)
Does not work on Linux:
Unicorn Overlord (Console Exclusive, No PC Port Allowed by Publisher Vanillaware)
Destiny 2 (Kernel Level Anti Cheat)
FF VII Rebirth (PS Exclusive)
Astro Bot (PS Exclusive)
...
Damn, yeah, still consoles gotta hold on via exclusives, I guess?
And then there's the mismanaged shitshow that is Destiny 2...
...who can't figure out how to do AntiCheat without installing a rootkit on your PC, despite functional, working AntiCheats having worked on linux games for at least half a decade at this point, if not longer...
...nor can they figure out how to write a storyline that rises above 'everyone is always lore dumping instead of talking, and also they talk to you like a you're a 10 year while doing so.
Last I heard, a whole bunch of hardcore D2 youtubers and streamers were basically all quitting out of frustration and feeling let down or betrayed by Bungie.
...
Maybe we should advocate for some freedom of platform porting/publishing for all games, eh FreedomAdvocate?
Highest rated != most played or most popular.
COD MP.
Warzone.
Fortnite.
GTA Online.
Not on Linux.
Most Call of Duty games work on linux, you're gonna have to be more specific as to which particular one of like 25 you mean by 'COD'.
The ones that don't, they don't work because the devs are too lazy or incompetent (or specifically told not to by their bosses) to make an AntiCheat that isn't a rootkit with full access to your entire PC.
I used to play GTA V Online (and RDR2, and FiveM, and RedM...) on linux all the time, literally for years... untill they just decided to ban all linux players.
IMO they owe me money for that, but oh well I guess.
...
Again, there are many AntiCheats that work on linux, and have worked on linux for years and years now.
Easy Anti Cheat and Battleeye even offer linux support to game devs. There are some games with these ACs that actually do support linux.
But many game devs/studios/publishers just don't use this support... because then there wouldn't be any reason to actually use Windows, and MSFT pays these studios a lot of money... or they just literally own them (Activision/Blizzard = MSFT).
Kernel Anti Cheat that only works on Windows?
Yep, that's just a complicated way to enforce Windows exclusivity in PC games.
Go look up how many hacks and trainers you can find for one of these games you mention.
You may notice that they are all designed for, and only work on... Windows.
The idea that all linux gamers are malicious hackers is a laughable, obviously false idea... but game company execs understand the power of rabid irrational fandoms.
...
You are right that you can't run games with rootkit anticheats on linux though, so if those heavily monetized and manipulative games with toxic playerbases are your addiction of choice, yep, sorry, linux ain't your hookup for those.
Again, this is another game platform freedom advocacy issue, and also a personal information security advocacy issue, not a 'something is wrong with linux' issue.
Game companies have gotten many working anticheat systems to work with linux. The most popular third party anticheat systems also support linux.
But the industry is clever at keeping people locked into their for profit, insecure OSs that spy on their entire system.
Tbh the only consoles I’ve been really interested in lately are the switch and steam deck, simply because they’re also mobile devices.
The Steam Deck is basically a PC. You can get mini PCs with APUs of a similar performance for very low prices these days. That won't perform like a current gen console but it's a cheap gaming machine with a huge selection of low cost games and you won't have to pay for multiplayer.
And those mini PC's are mobile with built-in screens and controls?
That would be handhelds. Mini PCs are desktop devices. They often use the same processors as handhelds and laptops, though.
Oh man you're so close