What does it even mean to “own” a video game?

[Chrkeller]

firebush03 said:

Chrkeller said:

I like having fun with the whole PC master race, but for me it is more of a joke.  Mainly because while PC is superior, it gets decimated for bang for buck.  Sure, my rig significantly outperforms a ps5 pro, but it was also 5x more expensive.  Bang for buck, consoles win by a massive margin. 

As for digital, I just don't like dealing with physical, because I am lazy and my wife doesn't like clutter.    

IMO PC has far FAR more bang for its buck than something like a PS5. Windows has an Xbox Mode, meaning that right off the bat you’ve already saved $700USD. And then there’s ease of emulation, free online, a massive supply of cloud storage for save data (which isn’t tied to ToS of a games provider… meaning far less liklihood of losing all your save data and/or ROM/ISO files), universal backwards compatibility with QoL enhancements such as 244FPS 1440p, realistic CRT filters (so no need for a CRT), cheap Steam releases, as well as…erm…free access to really any game from any system released prior to 2020, AND it makes life significantly easier. As somebody who frequently uses my PC for studies/work, I cannot even begin to express how convenient it is to not have my PC overheating and crashing with more than two tabs open at a given time lol.

For gamers, myself included, that do a lot of things, yeah fair point.  A PC offers tons of emulation (don't need to pay for Nintendo Online), free online, etc.  But for the average gamer, someone who plays a few of the newest games, consoles are much more budget friendly.  Most gamers aren't going to do half of what we do.  

Cost of PC will vary greatly based the user.  

The biggest complaint I have with my PC is heat.  Good god, it heats up the room to a crazy amount.  I have actually measured the exhaust, 107 F when running AAA games.