Is PC gaming economically comparable to console?

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Norion said:

If you want a PC that isn't weaker than a console then the up front cost will be more but there's various benefits like not having to pay to play online which reduce the gap over time. Though if someone is only gonna play single player or local multiplayer stuff then that part doesn't matter for them. Even in that case however the higher cost also gets you a higher quality experience like being able to use mods and having access to a bunch of store fronts instead of just one.

You don't have to spend hundreds a year to maintain a modern PC, not even close. After you've bought the parts or the pre-built you don't have to spend any more on it at all unless you want to or get unlucky and run into hardware issues. Dropping thousands on one is completely optional but can be done if someone wants a really good PC that'll play games much better than current consoles but most people don't do that and have low to mid-range builds instead. If someone wants a high FPS at 4k with the settings turned up then that'll need pricey hardware but if instead someone is content with 1080p 30fps then a fairly cheap rig would do them just fine. Basically you get what you pay for and can customize things to your liking so if you want one that costs around 1k then that would get ya a nice PC.

Just to expand on the bolded part:

Unlike previous generations where consoles and hardware got cheaper over time, now the consoles get more expensive and hardware just barely cheaper over time. At the same time PC hardware had some hefty price hikes in the 2017-2023 timeframe, which raised the prices for a PC equivalent to a console much more expensive.

However, while in 2021-2023 it was pretty expensive to build a PC that was equivalent to a PS5, now with new, cheaper hardware and the price hikes for the PS5, buying a new PC with similar capabilities as a PS5 isn't much more expensive than the console now. I just made the test, and even added a Playstation controller additional to the mouse/keyboard for good measure (though I left out Windows for Linux).

The price tag: 882€ (1031€ with assembly and testing): 

Keep in mind even the weakest Zen 4 CPU and RDNA4 GPU eviscerate what's in a PS5, with a bit more RAM (35GB kit for 105€ bringing the price of the system to 925€) it could easily compete with a PS5 Pro. Please note that I could have gotten about 50€ cheaper if I always took the cheapest option (and entry-level components like an A620 board or old PCIe 2 SSD). Also, with the RAM upgrade this system should easily be playable for the coming years.

The PS5 is 540€ on the same site, so not a huge gap, especially if one factors paid online or the higher game prices on consoles.