alt Hacker News> the antiquated belief that PC gaming is complex or requires a $1000 computer
Is that antiquated? PC gaming requires either (1) some technical knowledge to assemble a computer on par with modern consoles without breaking the bank, (2) spending more than $1000 to buy a complete computer on par with modern consoles, or (3) settling for worse performance to buy a system that costs the same as a console.
Consoles subsidize hardware on the bet that they'll make more in the long run on game licenses, and they have much better economies of scale than most PC builders. See: Steam Machine.
Replies
On the other hand one of the main advantages of console gaming was that you could resell the games after you are done. Now with the move to digital games, what is the advantage of buying a console when Steam has regular discounts and a massive catalog?
Console hardware has not been significantly subsidized since the PS3 era. From the PS4 on they all swapped to lightly modified retail hardware that's sold for profit. PS4 and PS5 both ended up profitable on the hardware alone less than a year after launch.
OTH: cheaper games, more aggressive sales, and modding(!).
(1) - Youtube or AI (2) - Not remotely the case (3) - PS5 Pro @ 1k was easily matched by an equivalent BOM-cost PC until the GPU/RAM shortage
//Consoles subsidize hardware on the bet that they'll make more in the long run on game licenses,
The PlayStation 5 @ $499 became profitable to manufacture within its first year on the market.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/sony-says-499-ps5-no-longer-sells...
Sony Is also Making 59% More Revenue Per PlayStation User since Lockdown, with $230 more spent by the average active PlayStation user now than in 2018.
https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-is-making-59-more-revenue-...