Yes, PC/Xbox are comparable platforms. You can buy a Series X for $500 or buy a similarly specced PC for like $1200.
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Digital trends: Xbox seems the best long-term choice this generation
- Thread starter Jimmy1984
- Start date
You won't need a $1200 PC to play MS games. Flight Simulator runs at a GTX 770.
Steam stats show that people don't care about high-end that much.
Who said you need a $1200 PC to play MS games. I said you need a $1200 PC to reach similar specs as a $500 Series X.
Yeah I edited to say that people usually don't care about this kind of high-end hardware (outside of Era)
Microsoft with 23 studios is still looking to expand so that they deliver content to drive subscriptions yet people think that Sony with a vastly lower studio count and multi studio teams has enough.
There is a reason Game Pass is at 15 million users despite coming 3 years after PS Now.
There is a reason Game Pass is at 15 million users despite coming 3 years after PS Now.
The amount of value you get for even a modestly specced PC that can run current or even recent games is staggering. I'm not trying to get into these platform wars but a PC is one of those investments that pays for itself with cheaper game prices, more games in every genre with better specs, more options, more developers. Sony and Microsoft could not in five generations offer enough games on their subscription services to compete with the flexibility of owning a good gaming PC. This is why Microsoft entered the space.
Obviously PS5 and Series X owners care about high-end hardware or they wouldn't be buying the PS5 and Series X.
I've been burned by xbox seeming like the most viable console before. I got room for a sony or microsoft console, a Nintendo console, some cheap low spec pc gaming and that's it. the bc seems really good though, but I could always just get a cheap xbone if I finally have enough time in the world to finish my 360 backlog.
I'm tempted to get a Series X to have for couch gaming and the gaps in Game Pass... and while waiting for a revision on the PS5..
But I also just bought a 3060 Ti.... I view the Series console(s) as a luxury convenience device for me, but I still kinda want it because of the ease of playing on the TV and HDR.. hmm
But I also just bought a 3060 Ti.... I view the Series console(s) as a luxury convenience device for me, but I still kinda want it because of the ease of playing on the TV and HDR.. hmm
As a former owner of a high-end gaming PC: Hard disagree. For me personally, PC gaming was a money pit, I tinkered and tweaked more than I actually played games, and even cheaper game prices don't beat the value of Game Pass.
Being able to play a game on my series x, and keep it going if I head somewhere using xcloud on android is too awesome for xbox to not be my primary platform. I have access to games I bought during the 360 era still which is amazing. Playstation only gets turned on for exclusives for me. I just prefer the xbox ecosystem. Everything flows now. And there's ALWAYS something new to play with gamepass.
Sure because it's a new gen (Pro and One X didn't sold that much), but look at Steam surveys:
The most used card is GTX 1060, that still can run basically everything at the store.
You can feel how you want about game pass.
But plenty of people still like to own their games. I guess you can keep trying to invalidate this common criticism because it doesn't bother you, but it bothers some.
GPU can still cost a consumer over 1000 dollars for an entire generation and they might not walk away owning a single game from the service. Most consumers don't spend that much on software for a generation.
People are sharing their personal opinion about game pass and why it is or isn't of value to them. To say, "There's no valid criticisms" is just nonsense. Value is relative and the vast majority of Xbox owners are not currently subscribed to the service.
People get really touchy here when someone says they don't care for gamepass lol
The obvious answer...
Not everyone has the time and/or money for two consoles.
Why does Era keep forgetting we're an enthousiast bubble.
Currently have a XSX (from PS4Pro) and loving it together with my Switch. Gamepass is an absolute glorious deal.
Once I can get one I'll probably pick up a PS5 for the (timed) exclusives.
Not sure I really agree with much of this.
Especially when you consider the effort involved in putting together this PC. Pre-builds are generally expensive as hell and aren't overly powerful.
Then you have to hope it all works and doesn't give you headaches, which it inevitably will. Now I just have a Surface Book 3 and whatever it can run, it can run. I basically just have indies and smaller titles like Gears Tactics on it. I gave up on "high end" PC Gaming a couple of years ago. Completely and utterly not worth the cost or hassle.
That is so far and away from what this is predicting. Those three titles you listed had huge development issues, irreparable social dilemmas and design choices that could never have lived up to the hype created around their expected releases. What this opinion piece is aiming to achieve is a discussion point that Microsoft might have the "potential" long-term investment trend that keeps players interested thanks to the expanding digital portfolio that the Xbox division has been allowed to accomplish. Phil has said time and again just what their goal is, and that is market saturation without any boundaries like a typical platform has.
But money being spent on gamepass for games I may or may not play is money I'm not spending on games I know I want. GPU is $180 a year. The average gamer buys two games a year so even at $70 that's $140. Less than the yearly cost of gamepass. In these conversations Gamepass is always framed as being free but it isn't. For me $180 would net me 5 plus games in a year; probably even more considering how crazy sales get recently. I'm not a FOMO customer. So try to understand not everyone's gaming habits match your own. And just because someone has a different opinion doesn't mean they are trolling. I feel the same about PSNow. I don't consume games in a way that justifies a subscription service. No amount of value talk is going to change how I feel about it. Just like someone isn't going to talk me into buying a truck because towing power and rear hauling capacity. A truck doesn't fit my lifestyle thus offers no value to me.
It's crazy how some people think their console preference is the moral choice
Sure you can buy a bunch of games you won't play, or you can download a bunch of games you won't play. But "tinkering" and "tweaking"? I'm the dumbest dude in the world and I figured out how to get my 2011 laptop with an integrated graphics card to run Skyrim. I have an old GTX 970 and the last game I played on it was Star Wars: Fallen Order which I got in an EA Pass trial. I have hundreds of Steam games and most of them were purchased for mere pennies through bundles and sales.
There's just so much flexibility, whatever controller I want to use, whether I want to run a game at 60 FPS. Microsoft is literally just now releasing a console that can run its Xbox One games at resolutions and framerates PC versions have been running those very same games at for years.
Why argue against the PC? That's why Game Pass is on the PC. Microsoft knows it's a great platform to game on, which is why they've given up keeping games off of it. I wish Sony and Nintendo would wise up to this fact.
I looked at the Playstation Store on my new PS5 and I realized how many PS4 games (never owned a PS4) were indies that I enjoyed months or even years before PS4 owners even heard of them.
I'm not enjoying these insane component prices, but you'll never get me to argue against a PC. You feel entirely divorced from this console war nonsense. These list wars, studio buyout, whatever the hell don't matter.
I'd buy a newer gaming PC if prices came back down to earth.
The obvious answer...
Well, I mean... yes.
But the article says "better choice", which kinda implies "if you have to choose one or the other".
And let's face it, a lot of people will only buy one console (or multiple revisions of one brand of console) this gen.
Coming up on three years now, I think people totally understand how Game Pass works.
I feel like deluge of people saying
"but just get a gaming PC it'll play all the same games"
are really missing the point here
"but just get a gaming PC it'll play all the same games"
are really missing the point here
No, I agree with this sentiment though. I spent more energy booting up games, messing with settings, playing for a bit to see how it all ran, then dropping them. That's not the "I've got a problem" aspect, just normality.
The UX side of PC gaming is really poor, which you have to be prepared to live with if you want to take advantage of the hardware/open side of things. It wasn't for me in the end and I canned it for something more convenient.
^ this post explains and illustrates very well the difference between absolute and relative value
Solid point.
Love me my PlayStation Studios, but struggling with the potential lack of Bethesda.
With that said, I know I'd play my Xbox less - so I'm struggling with the choice between S and X.
And while I have a gaming PC and can easily access Gamepass - I love playing in the family room on a giant TV. So, might just prefer Xbox to PC here.
Love me my PlayStation Studios, but struggling with the potential lack of Bethesda.
With that said, I know I'd play my Xbox less - so I'm struggling with the choice between S and X.
And while I have a gaming PC and can easily access Gamepass - I love playing in the family room on a giant TV. So, might just prefer Xbox to PC here.
The launch of GeforceNow with devs blocking their games even though they were purchased on Steam/Epic should give you an idea of how much you truly "own" your game
Have you heard of Netflix?
I seriously struggle with much of this forum's aversion to game pass, it's flipping weird.
Sure you may prefer to buy and own your games, that's fine obviously, but there is just never this level of pearl clutching about any other digital media service on this site, even similar gaming ones like PSNow.
Cos I strongly doubt the people complaining don't use another similar non-gaming service like Spotify etc.
It may not be your kind of thing but the denial of its appeal by many here as "I don't get all the fuss" is just being plain blinkered.
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Lol ahh makes sense so you only feel good about supporting the 100 billion dollar companies.
Must be tough not using a single product from Google, Amazon, Apple, or Microsoft.
Im sorry, but I dont really understand what you're trying to argue against.
Game Pass isnt free -- but its goddamn close. Keep in mind that Ultimate at $15 a month also includes Xbox Live Gold, which the equivalent for Sony in itself like $9 a month. If we are going to get down to brass tacks here, I will agree that having to pay to play online for consoles has been stupid for years, but its an easier poison pill to swallow when its bundled with Game Pass Ultimate.
You can feel however you want to feel about it, and not give them your hard earned money. But the fact of the matter is that Game Pass is the best value in gaming.
I just got three years of Game Pass Ultimate for $180 through the XLG upgrade. At $60 per year I fail to see how anybody can argue that it offers no value at all, given the insane variety of games it's offered so far. I mean do you only play Sony and Nintendo first party games?
Yeah, I'm not sure how Sony matches what Xbox has, to be honest. Xbox's value can't be questioned and I think their first-party stable is now stronger.
You're vastly vastly overestimating the tech knowledge of the average person. You being active on this forum already puts you ahead of like 50% of the populace.
As a PC gamer myself, the Series X (well, both consoles for that matter) are just value that simply cannot be matched at that pricepoint. Full stop. They're fantastic. None of your points about flexibility, and long-term cost are wrong, but you're not seeing the point: the average Joe Schmoe just wants to turn a box on and play video games; a gaming PC simply isn't there yet and won't be, as the flexibility comes at the cost of convenience.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in any kind of Xbox simply for the fact that the PC exists, but that's just me the enthuasiast talking.
Talking from my perspective here: games, like music, are things that take a lot of time for me and that I therefore enjoy owning (I also don't have Spotify). A movie is a 2h affair after which I'll most likely never watch it again, so a subscription makes more sense for that imo.
Brand. Userbase. Spider-Man. Naughty Dog. God Of War.
It's an uphill battle for MS if anything.
Always interesting when I go back and read people's post histories. You might want to be consistent.
I got a one x about two years ago and I hardly touched my Playstation afterwards because of Game Pass, so I went for Series X this gen. I rather spend money on other things than games and ultimately thats what it comes down to for me.
I do think that PS5 is the better investment right now since the first party lineup was way better on release, but as we get deeper in the generation Sony will get deeper in players pockets while Microsoft just requires you to pay the sub for full first party access.
I do think that PS5 is the better investment right now since the first party lineup was way better on release, but as we get deeper in the generation Sony will get deeper in players pockets while Microsoft just requires you to pay the sub for full first party access.
How is $180 close to being free? In that case $70 is close to being free. As far as paying for online you don't have to pay for PSPlus when using PSNow and PSNow is only $60/yr and most of the games on the service are permanent 1st and 3rd party alike. But even at $60 a year I don't subscribe. You don't seem to grasp value is a subjective quality. Look at the launch of PS5/XSX people were willing to pay $1000 plus for them because that is what they valued them at. It doesn't mean I would pay that much. Anyway I've said what I've wanted to say so will leave it at that.
I'm buying into the MS ecosystem this gen because of their PC support.
I gave up on Sony when PS4 didn't play any of my previous digital titles, I'm not re-buying everything all the time. There's no reason those PS1 classics shouldn't play on modern systems.
I gave up on Sony when PS4 didn't play any of my previous digital titles, I'm not re-buying everything all the time. There's no reason those PS1 classics shouldn't play on modern systems.
Why do you need to own every single game you play? I'm happy to play a game like Jedi Fallen Order once and move on. If I ever wanted to replay it, say, six years from now, it will be massively, massively reduced in price.
The reason why GP is at 15 million users is because it's MS focus. Meanwhile PS Now is not Sony focus, Sony would rather have games on PS Plus than Now.
If you really think Sony with IPs that have better numbers alone than all MS efforts from 1P and 3P combined put into GP over 3 years isn't able to have their own day and date subscription service there is nothing that will change your mind.
Funny enough the most successful subscription service of the market so far still PS+, also funny enough there hasn't been a single GP game that reached Fall Guys level of awareness and I'm not even going to bring Rocket League to the table.
It's crazy that the tone of this conversation is set like Sony is the one trying to catch MS on whatever metric you would like to use when the truth is the opposite.
It's not about feeling good.
And no, making choices to resist consolidation doesn't mean you have to boycott all of their their products broadly.
Microsoft is simply a greater threat to industry consolidation compared to Nintendo and Sony. And so long as I have options with my product consumption, I will exercise it.
GPU for an entire generation is like 1200 dollars. That's not even remotely close to free
What is consolidation of IP through third party contracts to remove the ability for other platforms players to play vs consolidation of development teams to first party where you know for sure where they are releasing products now?
Just say you dont like xbox games thats cool man theyre not for everyone. Nobody is choosing not to buy an xbox because of industry consolidation, Nintendo just bought a studio, Sony bought and closed multiple studios last generation. Facebook and Google are buying studios. Thats the industry moving a new direction, not MS.