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this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025
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Modern consoles are locked pre-built PCs. You have to pay for online. Why get a console at this point in time?
Because you can buy a consol3, plig it into the back of your TV, and be confident that it will work. You don't have to worry about system requirements, storefronts, launchers, driver updates fucking you up, etc.
Power Cable, HDMI cable, and connect to wifi - that's it.
I've been PC gaming since the mid-80s, and even I sometimes just want to sit on the couch, push the Xbox button on my controller, and get going. Is it lazy? Yes. But I work 2 jobs and get to be lazy when I get home.
Console updates and game updates are a thing. It will work, true, it just might be downloading and installing updates for a day before it does.
And windows updates are done when you're asleep these days... There are tons of pre-built computers and laptops for people who don't care to get the best value or performance.
Not worrying about system requirements just translates into the game not being sold for your generation of the console, and requiring multiple generations of one console to enjoy both new and old titles.
Steam Deck has turned that around somewhat. It's pretty close to an easy console experience, amd you can play on your couch, in bed, or on a plane.
That's because it's a console.
A console that's also a fully functional PC you can install mods on.
I haven't worried about a driver update fucking something up since before win XP.
I have however repeatedly encountered crashes of games on my ps5 in the last year, which kind of defeats your point. Consoles had that worry free stability factor to them in the 90s or early 2000s, but that's long gone.
Another big thing for me is that I’ve worked on computers as part of my job for the last 15yrs. The last thing I wanted to do was come back home to sit again at a computer chair on another computer. Now that I work remotely, there is even less of a separation of my life since I am in my office a lot. I mentally can’t have my work station also be my gaming station, it’s just not healthy for me, I’d never move from the same place. Maybe one day when one of my laptops is old I’ll finally install steam, but for now having a switch and ps5 works wonders for the separation.
One rebuttal: Steam Deck.
Us. The Steam Deck.
A dedicated piece of hardware with limited upgradablity designed and sold by the company that runs the marketplace/launcher/operating system that can't run all games because of its OS, but performs beyond its specs because developers are designing products with is exact, known specifications in mind.
How is the deck not a console?
Replying to your original points:
The Steam Deck has a dock that you can plug it into and have it hooked up to your TV via HDMI just like a normal console. Plus, any Bluetooth controller syncs with the SD, which makes plug and play even easier.
No real issue here on the SD either. The main storefront is Steam. You wouldn't be inclined to purchase PlayStation games from an Xbox or Xbox games from a PlayStation. Pretty sure that's not even possible unless you do some bootlegging. Drivers aren't really an issue either.
Same as the Steam Deck - with a dock. Although it does have a USB-C port so you might be able to do this without a dock by using a USB-C to HDMI or DP cable. The dock is probably the best way to go though as this is also how the Switch is marketed to be played while not on the go.
Welcome to the Steam Deck where the only time you don't have to be lazy is buying the "console"/dock, buying your games, setting shit up, and gaming on. None of the your issues here really affect the SD. I just highly recommend you try it, especially after doing PC gaming for years. Opened me up to all of those games I can't find on the Xbox store, being an Xbox native myself, while not needed to pay for Xbox Live. Such a great choice looking back
First off, Steam has LOTS of hands that aren't connotation with the deck. The storefronts on the other consoles don't have that problem.
Secondly, the Steam Deck is a dedicated gaming machine that runs a custom OS designed for gaming, had limited upgradablity, so users will just have to wait for the next generation for anything but a storage upgrade, didn't work with lots of PC games because of its operating system, and is designed and sold by the company that runs its storefront.
How is the Steam Deck not a console?
You're moving the goal posts. The original commenter posed the question asking why someone would purchase a console in this day and age given inflation. You gave some answers, and I gave some rebuttals.
Whether we can call the SD a console or handheld PC is moot to that conversation.
What's more important is how you don't have to pay anything above a monthly internet bill to play multiplayer games, talk, etc. on the SD. With other consoles, you have to pay an internet bill plus network fee (e.g. Xbox Live, PS+, etc.) which raises OPEX costs.
With gamepass including online play, that's not really a big deal. If I play 2 new releases a year on gamepass, I've saved money even with the online fees.
Game Pass doesn't give you ownership of games however. Microsoft can rotate games out of Game Pass in a matter of weeks to months. If you want to keep those, pay out CAPEX in addition to your ongoing OPEX costs via Game Pass.
And if those games you liked that you went out and bought have online multiplayer, well then you're locked into ongoing OPEX via Game Pass Core in order to get at least multiplayer access. This is regardless of whether you use Game Pass to explore new games.
Subscriptions also induce FOMO and create uncertainty costs. Microsoft can choose rotate a game out of Game Pass, which then forces you to make a decision about whether you play it to 100% completion before it's gone, or buy it. And because Game Pass is a subscription, Microsoft can choose to raise its prices for access to the same games for no real reason.
With Steam, I "own" my games so I know I can always play them for the foreseeable future. With Steam, if some of my games have multiplayer, I only need to pay my telco utility bill to gain access. With Steam, I don't have FOMO because my games aren't going away, and I limit my uncertainty costs because I only need to consider my telco utility raising prices and not my telco + Microsoft.
Ultimately though, I think the top comments of this reddit post speak to the pros and cons of both platforms. If there's an expensive AAA game coming out that you want to play, it's cheaper to do the Game Pass route to play on Day 1. If you want to own that game long term, you can stop Game Pass payments until the next Steam sale to get the game discounted (else you run into the above issues). Game Pass to try, Steam to "own". Plus with a Steam Deck, you can dual boot Windows and SteamOS, so you can do Game Pass PC and Steam on the same device. No need to really buy into the Xbox ecosystem.
Steam games are also 100% a license, and Steam has both removed the ability to download previously-purchased games and removed games from people's libraries in the past.
And my main route to Steam AND Gamepass is my ROG Ally, since it's basically a Deck that runs Windows, so it has greater game and marketplace compatibility.
No I agree with you on the Steam license thing. That's why I used quotations in my previous comment.
But Game Pass isn't any better. It's worse than licensing games because, again, Microsoft can choose to remove games from Pass at will.
The Steam Deck can do what you describe as well. Some prefer SteamOS for it's sleekness, where Windows can become bloated over time. Then you also don't need to factor in how Windows machines need to have the price of Windows built into their purchase price. The SD runs off of SteamOS, which is a free OS provided by Valve. And yes, dual booting to run SteamOS and Windows is possible, allowing users the same game and market compatibility as the ROG Ally.
SteamOS is the key factor for a lot of people here. Linus just did a video on it. Consider giving that a watch!
You can get a steam deck then if you are worried about all of this and it would still be cheaper than console as well as portable.
The console argument just doesnt make any kind of logical sense.
Lol... You can do same with pc. Just needs configured 1 time.. Using a linux distribution you could boot into same interface like steam deck. You can emulate the consoles too well not newest gen but who cares. You can configure the whole PC for lazy using too...
Because you can just plug it in to your TV and play. That's the target demographic.