Yes, a PC like architecture will mean most 3rd party games will be on one or two of the consoles in question and also PC. For the same amount of money as either of them I could go out now and completely rebuild my computer that I have hooked up to my TV. I could then use that for everything I already do, and also play most of the games coming to those systems. My thinking is that dedicated HTPC's are going to be more common moving forward and will be direct competitors to consoles if they basically become TV connected computers. I see that as a more potential direct threat to the consoles than mobile devices.

Is the argument strange because you don't agree, or based on your unfounded assumption that I argue that the vast majority of console gamers will go set top PC?

A lot of people go to console gaming because they don't want to deal with all the crap involved with building their own PC. I agree it's not very difficult, but most people don't know that. And I highly doubt anyone could build a computer from scratch for only $400 and have it perform at the same level as a PS4. If I had to estimate a cost it would be closer to $700-800.

You said that:

Are you talking about people buying HTPCs or building their own PCs in general? Or do you mean people will just build their own HTPCs to use as an entertainment center? For the record I don't see that happening either because the next gen consoles are already trying to capture that market. Microsoft seems to be marketing XBO exclusively as an all in one entertainment center. Not what I would have done but it looks to be working for them. 

I am talking about people building their own HTPCs which I think we become more common as getting content streamed and downloaded becomes ever easier. A lot of tech heads that the high end consoles aim for will have no problem with doing it, and more people will in the future. And if you care to look, there are already builds out there for $499 I think it was that perform better than both the PS4 and the Xbox One (according to the builders). Add to that the just released list of steambox builds that will be offered and the preasure on the dedicated console to do something that the PC doesn't gets even bigger.

Also, keep i mind that I am not predicting a mass exodus right now, but I think with the continued merger of the TV and the PC, consoles will need to be either less like PC or dead.

The 2 main drivers in the console market are:

- Games: in the last generations, consoles have acquired many PC exclusives while PC hasn't acquired as many consoles' exclusives, not the other way arround. Moreover, games like Metal Gear Sold 5, Destiny or Final Fantasy XV are not planned to have a PC launch (and I'm not considering exclusives).

- Price: PCs cost much more. I'm not surprised that a guy who takes some time to make a 500 dollars PC configuration claims that it's better than a PS4 and XOne but, on the other hand, I'm sure that PC won't run smoothly 2016, 2017, 2018 games while PS4 and XOne will. PC demands a continuous investment to match consoles in the long-term or an insane initial investment (something like 4000 dollars).

Besides, consoles offer a simplicity PC doesn't. So, unless PC becomes a closed system (to avoid piracy and thus become attractive to all devs), much cheaper than what it is nowadays and demands games to maintain the lower specs along the time, I don't see it as a threat to consoles. In other words, unless PC becomes a console, I don't see it as a threat to consoles.

Time for an anecdotal yet nonetheless still perfectly accurate stock report.

I went to my local Best Buy. Seems John Lucus was right. Nintendo is already taking down Microsoft. Look what the store had in stock.

See that in the cage? An XBONE. There's definitely some symbolism with the console being a prisoner of Nintendo's.

Turning around the scene only gets worse.

Two. Two more XBONEs sitting unwanted. One prisoner and two free men. One plus two is three. Half life three confirmed.

Oh wait never mined they have more.

Snow White and the seven XBONEs. The seventh wonder of the world. The pyramid of seven pharaohs...

All together that's ten unwanted systems. It was over for the system before it even begin.

The Wii U on the other hand has a bright future. Even though it has an even bigger stack in the third picture, one can only assume it'd sell out minutes after I left.

#Unity

Haha, love those pics. You never see any stock like that for any console in any UK stores, they keep everything hidden.

MS seriously overshipped in the US at least.

In America it's go big or go home.

I was really just amazed with how many controllers they had. Probably a few hundred for both XBONE and PS4.

Ah that's nothing, the store in my city has close to 30 X1s including one Day One Edition, those are probably gonna take several weeks if not months to sell out (seriously the stack in that store just doesn't seem to get any smaller). And still no release date for some new countries, I don't know what MS is waiting for.

And no PS4s in sight. I'm expecting Microsoft to announce a Kinect-less SKU at E3 because they can't risk losing the US to Sony. As long as the PS4 has the $100 price advantage, it's going to stay ahead of the XBO.

But of course they're both screwed in the long run. As soon as this revolution kicks in the WiiU will start selling 3m consoles a week! By year's end everybody in the world will own a piece of that Nintendo pie. 3rd parties shall bend over backwards to serve Nintendo. Even starving children in Africa will be playing cooking games on their brand new WiiUs.

John Lucas shall be hailed for his incredible prediction and be announced as the next president of the United States. Zero will be made the secretary of defense. All Sony and Microsoft fans will be burned at the stake. The world will enter a new age of enlightenment, a period of UNITY.

I j ust expect MS to cut to $399 with kinect and take a loss, I read somewhere MS will be able to get costs down on the One quicker than they expected? That and they're making a profit on it, however small. Even if they lose $50 a machine, 10m x $50 = $500m, that's nothing 360 and software can't make up. Either way doesn't look like we're gonna see billions in the red like we did with Xbox and early 360 years.