steven787 said:
Headsets, Dancemats, Controllers, Paddles, Nice Displays, and Windows Live all cost money for PC's too.
But even with out these we are talking over a thousand dollars to play some current games, just for the basic hardware. While let's pick a console: Wii with a balance board(guessing high $89), 3 extra controllers, 3 nunchucks, and a LAN adapter = $462 and 3 games are included (WiiPlay, WiiFit, and Wii Sports)
It's is fair to say that the experience is better, that is a fair opinion, but it is not cheaper. (And before someone says it: Wii and PS3 can do flash games, so that kills that argument before it starts.)
BTW, There is also the hardware confusion factor, which scares off many consumers.
What exactly is the point of the argument again. PC gamers are high-end consumers, console gamers are not. |
Nice displays are a given with a PC - and today's displays all support at the very least 720p. Ckmlb had to buy a new screen for HD gaming. I can still use the monitor I had about eight years ago to play in HD resolutions.
You normally don't game with multitap with seven other people with seven controllers in a PC. You do do this with a console. Normally you need one gamepad if you really want to, but normally you get by with the keyboard and mouse. Things like webcams, gamepads and such will last you far beyond the lifetime of your average PC, because PC follow a standard. Consoles are console-specific; you can't use a Wii mote on a PS3, or vice-versa. On the other hand, you can take any USB gamepad from one PC to another, five years ago, today, and 10 years into the future without worries because the PC architecture is universally compatible. And Windows Live only costs money if you plan to play cross-platform games. For many games you don't need Live.
It's not fair to say the experience is better or worse. They are simply different. One is more isolated while the other tends to be more social, but even then that is a gross generalization. The fact is, people game for different reasons, with different settings, and with different expectations.
I think consoles, by introducing more SKUs, are just as guilty of confusing consumers these days.
PC gamers are not high-end consumers. I'd argue that fact actually. Most PC gamers are low-end gamers, because they see the PC not just as a gaming rig, but as a general-purpose machine that helps them write term papers, browse the web, balance their checkbooks, write applications, do graphic design - and game. The gaming part is an added bonus to the productivity that the PC brings to the user's daily life. I don't see or hear of too many people planning their family budget or of Web developers cranking out HTML with Dreamweaver on their PS3s!
Consoles, on the other hand are meant for gaming only (and despite what other stuff these new generation consoles can do, the focus is definitely on gaming). Wii+PS3+360+peripherals+HDTV for your nex-gen gaming goodness adds up to at leat the cost of a decent gaming PC. If anything, I'd say it's the other way around: Most console gamers I know are not nearly as frugal as the PC gamers I know.
