IIRC Humble Bundle has a minimum amount of 5$ so... and how would it benefit them more if you pirate it either way? And the reason why the Humble Bundle is still around is because it works, I don't think they would do it if it wasn't beneficial. As far as people who aren't into gaming, yeah maybe, but don't you have to pay for your live account if you want to play online? If you get a solid PC you can play games and do other stuff like homework etc. on it, that's what I've always done, the PC is not a tool that is only intended for gaming, in fact I would say gaming is just one of the sweeter bonuses and perks that comes with it. And have you seen some of those sales? you obviously need to wait for them to come around, but you can find anything for dirt cheap. And I wouldn't be surprised if they find a way to stop re-sales etc. for console games too. The industry wants money, it's just a question of time.

Generations of filthy peasants that want to live in darkness and poverty Yeah, you're probably right.

As far as the topic of the thread goes, I would agree with you, Nintendo make their own stuff so they're not competing as much, if you want to play Zelda etc. you get the new Nintendo console. And most people I know play the exclusive games on the Nintendo console and that's it.

Unless you're buying things as they're released, in which case sales are irrelevant.

not necessarily, Steam gives some pretty good Discounts for Pre-orders on certain games.. the Tomb Raider Pre-order for example was 15% off

Occationally PC versions will be cheaper, though this is a dying trend, but it's not uncommon to see a difference of about 100 NOK on the pricetag.

And Steam runs some decent pre-order discounts or bonuses, I remember that if you pre-ordered DoW 2: Chaos Rising, you also got Saints Row 2, they did the same with Space Marine and Darksiders.

So prices are usually about the same, or cheaper on the PC.

Aye, but we're talking differences in the 10%/$10 range (ignoring the occasional free games 'n such), unlike the sales Gheart brought up, which features discounts very rarely seen on new games. If a person only buys a couple of games a year, it would take several years for that $20 difference to add up.

3 years, then you've earned a game, I can think of tons of stuff I would love to have an extra 20 dollars for.

But in that three years, console developers will have become more familiar with the hardware and figured out more tricks to use on it, enabling them to squeeze much more out of it. A desktop does not have that advantage.

Also, are we factoring in peripherals such as speakers, monitors, etc.? Most people have a TV already (I don't, but most do), which a console designed to plug straight into and get sound output and video display, making it cheaper to get running (you can do the same with a desktop, but it often does not fit with people's preferences).

That's mainly because they think a clunky port will suffice. Seriously, and tons of games still struggle on consoles and get somewhat screwed, (Skyrim for the PS3 comes to mind)

You technically can hook your computer up to your TV, and even if you don't, monitors and speakers are more of a permanent investment, I still use the same monitor and speakers as I've always used, not a real problem.

plus you can now buy Monitors with Speakers built in

I did mention that. It's not always practicable, and does have downsides.

You may keep them for a long time, but they are still an expense brought about solely by having a desktop. Almost all people who own a TV would have one regardless of the gaming device they choose to use. If they upgrade it, it is likely because they want TV features, with gaming motivations being secondary at most. Some will have quality sound systems set up, which would be expensive to match for a desktop (because you'd be buying the whole lot -hundreds of dollars worth- all over again). By not spending money on a computer monitor or speakers, you can also invest in a better TV (or sound system), giving a better experience for both TV stuff and gaming.

Don't forget we're talking about two or three game purchases a year, so this hypothetical computer would see only occasional usage. It would spend a lot of time sitting around gathering dust and taking up space while the TV is used for most entertainment and a tablet or phone (or work computer) is used for most internet stuff.

but you can hook your gaming PC Up to that TV and Sound System, no reason to buy another one just for the PC

seriously, I plug a 360 Controller into my PC, and it is no different than a console other than what games it will play

That does not suite everyone. For example, some people have limited space in their loungeroom or near their TV, making a full sized desktop impossible or difficult (and miniaturised ones would be even more expensive, offer less performance, and lack upgradability).

Basically, there are a wide variety of use-cases. For some a desktop is the best choice or a good choice, for others a console is the best choice or a good choice.

You're ignoring the fact that you don't need a TV in order to watch your favourite shows, you can do it straight through your computer. Not even taking services like Netflix into account, you can get a TV tuner card that plugs into your computer and watch broadcast television that way. So there's no need to have two separate systems.

if you have room for a Console, you have room for a Computer

its not like you are hooking up a server Farm in there, the average PC is actually Smaller in both Width and Length than a Seventh-gen Console, however it is bigger only in Height. most Entertainment Shelves will have a slot more than large enough to put a Computer in.. don't have an Entertainment Shelve? do what my Brother does and hook it up behind the TV itself, then add a Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and all your arguments don't hold up..

not saying Consoles aren't good, some of my all time favorite games and series are Console Exclusives, just pointing out the Arguments you are making for "issues" can be fixed and as such not a problem extremely easy

But the other way to look at it is that you don't need a desktop+peripherals to play games, you can just plug a console into your television and play games that way. And a tuner card is another expense to put on top of everything else. You also need your computer turned on and the program started up, which takes much longer than turning on a TV, even if the desktop is in sleep mode rather than fully shut down (which is fine if it's a secondary or tertiary use for you, but not if it's your main form of entertainment). Same goes for DVD's.

You're approaching this from the perspective of someone who has a computer and seeing ways to do things with that starting point. I'm talking about people who're starting with a TV (though I don't have one, and have never owned a console). If you have yourself a 50" screen and $2000 sound system, why would you spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars to game on a 30" screen with $100 speakers when you can spend half as much on one device without duplicating functionality you already have?

*facepalm*

we just covered this, you don't need a Separate PC Monitor or Speakers..

You posted while I was typing my reply.

If a person cannot fit an affordable computer (and the smaller you get, the more you spend for performance and less you can upgrade) into the space they have, they will have to have the desktop somewhere else, where they cannot use their media centre stuff. I am fully aware of the possibilities for hooking computers up to various things.

as I stated Though, if you have room for as console, you have room for a PC:

and if you do go down the "put it behind the TV" route, you don't have to worry about room at all

But do you have room for one that you can afford and do what a console would?

And if you can't fit it behind the TV, or want to actually be able to access the disk drive?

EDIT: And a desktop means you have to deal with maintaining Windows and all that jazz, while a console can be all but ignored.

Yes, yes you Would.. the average pre-built gaming rigs you would see a Futeutrshop or Staples are about as high off the ground as your Coffee table, and actually thinner than your Original-production PS3 or XB360.. so as I said, if you have room for a Console you have room for a PC..

there is a Surprisingly large amount of room behind the average 48 inch TV where the wires are that goes completely unused.. you have more than enough room for a PC in that space (in some cases 2), in the case its mounted on the wall, you have a large amount of space underneath

as for the Disk Drive, not any harder to deal with than a Console.. in a Console you would have to stand up to switch a disk, same thing with a PC.. actually, with the PC you could theoretically grab a USB-Blueray player, run an extension next to your Couch or LaZboy and you can swap discs without needing to stand up from your recliner, something you couldn't do with Consoles.. (granted, doing so would be very lazy of you)

not nearly as hard as you are implying.. a Pre-built would come with the OS already installed (and all the latest updates if the store you bought it from did their job right), set Windows to Automatic Update and "maintaining Windows" is as easy as scratching your nose (unless you are a complete Idiot on the Internet and get infected with crap, but thats what Avast! and Malwarebytes are for)..


its not hard to hook up a PC to run extremely Similar to a current-gen Console as far as "the experience" goes (only with PC games rather than Console Games), however since its a PC it can also do Numerous things a Console could never do..



like I said, I am not a "PC Supremacist" (even though I do make some of my money these days by repairing friends and Families PCs), and play my consoles more than my PC these days, just pointing out the holes in your Argument(s)..

If someone has a 50" TV screen, more than likely they're going to have enough room to fit in a computer. They aren't that big. You could even stick it in behind the TV monitor.


Maintaining Windows requires zero effort. It will automatically update itself, and you can get maintenance programs that will run on their own based on a schedule you set. I use an Auslogics disk defragmenting program that will automatically defrag my hard drives every day, if my computer is not active. CCleaner will clean up any junk files that Windows doesn't remove. You can get driver programs that will automatically update your drivers if they become out dated. So even with a computer, "all that jazz" can be all but ignored as well.

I rarely watch TV anymore, as I can watch most series and shows that interest me, online, but you make a point (somewhat). Now, I don't have a fancy phone or a tablet, so the computer is pretty ideal, so having one at home is something most people have anyways. And even if you only buy a couple of games a year, you would still use your computer for other things. And I don't know anyone, and I repeat, ANYONE, who buy a game, play through it and then leave it on a shelf and don't play another game for the next 6 months. I know some people that will do that with games like Call of Duty, but most other games will encourage more playthroughs etc. etc.

Yes, you can play games, just like a console would.

Walk over there, are you saying that you don't need to manually put discs into consoles anymore? Or am I misunderstanding you, and a lot of games can be gotten digitally, in fact most can, and a lot of games now adays use Steam or Origin or something anyways.

If you mean installing updates (which it does automatically when you turn it off), installing anti-virus (where there are good free options) then it's not a problem.

If you mean updating the OS, well, it's not very hard to do, and it's something that you don't have to do, or at least not very often (XP no longer has support, lost it this spring after how many years? yeah, you will have it for a while, heck I have XP on the computer I'm using right now.)

I'm not saying consoles svck compared to the PC, it's about preference, but one is not better than the other for our average plumber Joe in my opinion. It comes down to preference and a person that doesn't play a lot of games and already owns a TV might still prefer the PC, he won't automatically prefer the console.

Precisely.

Back to the main topic - yeah, no. Less competition is not what the console industry needs.

re: computers & consoles.... personally, I have my console hooked up to my computer monitor.

(Also, the "look how cheap PC games are compared!" thing only works when you're the kind of person who holds off on all their purchases for 6-12 mo. If you buy games at launch, they cost $50-60 regardless of platform. And if you're going to use PC prices based on "sales later", you need to compare that to sale & used console game prices, not new.)

If anything, that would cause a stagnation and monopolising of the market.