Is PC Gaming Really Too Expensive?

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There’s an eternal war raging in the video game space between those who play on consoles, and those who play PC. Often times PC players deem themselves superior, able to run the best games on the highest graphics settings, outperforming every console on the market. But console enthusiasts like their PlayStations, Xboxes and Wiis because of their accessibility, and often decry PC gaming as too expensive. But are they right? I’ll examine that issue a bit today.

When it comes to hardware, there’s no question, PCs are more expensive if we’re just talking about the “box”  itself. Most high end gaming computers run a thousand dollars or more, some well over. But even when you start talking about “budget” gaming PCs, you’re still in the $700-$800 dollar range. This is in contrast to consoles that are at most, $500 when brand new, but usually about $200-$400 when people pick them up.

With that said, console gaming comes with hidden costs. Subscriptions to services like PS Plus or Xbox Live run $50-$60 a year, and over the multi-year lifespan of a console, can add hundreds to the final price of your console. PCs require only what you pay for internet already, but now console have another layer on payment on top of that.

And while you can buy controllers for PC, they’re more standard on consoles, and picking them up for  local multiplayer can set you back another $50 to $60 a pop. Plus some extra if you’re buying charging kits as well (depending on your console).

As for games, that’s where the real debate begins. PC players have always been proud of their access to game distribution platforms like Steam, which sell loads of games for often dirt cheap, particularly during their huge sales during the summer or over the holidays. Relatively new games can be available for 75%-90% off, depending on the pricing, and it’s hard to find a better deal. Rarely will PC players have to shell out $60 for a new game, as usually they can wait for it to go on sale rather quickly for a discount. Console players, on the other hand, are long used to paying $60 for most new games, even those that have been out for a while.

But consoles have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to reducing the price of games, namely the entirety of the used game ecosystem that uses Gamestop as essentially a pawnshop for old games. For many players, new game don’t cost $60, they cost $20-30, as many players will resell their name games right after they’re beaten for a cash payout or store credit from Gamestop. This produces a kind of snowball effect where sometimes all old games are forever used to purchase new games, which are then sold back themselves. And of course players can buy used games at greatly discounted rates, where all that money goes to Gamestop, while the publishers and developers are cut out completely. This is the reason you see so many pre-order bonuses for Gamestop these days. It’s how video game makers bargain with Gamestop to try and encourage them to sell new games, rather than only push used ones.

This is why console players are so reluctant to switch to digital downloads. If they do so, their pipeline of cheaper used games disappears. While it works well for PC, as of yet, the digital download system seems to offer little for players other than saving a trip to the store. Though Sony and Microsoft are getting better by offering some free and cheap games during flash sales, they have yet to establish a solid Steam-level architecture to keep prices relatively low across the board.

It’s also important to consider that there is a third type of player besides console gamers and high-end rig PC gamers. There are those with average PCs, who play popular games that don’t require a lot of horsepower. Games like these are why games like League of Legends have grown so popular, because anyone with a PC can play them, more or less, which is especially important overseas in places like China. They are PC gamers too, but a different sort.

But if you’re talking about the “play everything on max graphics settings” crowd, that is going to cost more. To play games on a machine that’s just outright more powerful that pre-made consoles, it’s going to cost you a premium price. There’s bargain shopping to be had when it comes to rig-building, but there will be some who would rather just buy a standardized machine that plays all games, no matter what, ie. a console. The games debate is probably more interesting than the hardware issues, because PC really does seem ahead of the curve when it comes to digital distribution. The trade and barter system of used games may work well financially for many players, but it hardly seems like the wave of the future either.

Which do you prefer, console or PC, and why?

[Photo via iBuyPower]

Written by Paul

Paul lives in New York with his beautiful and supportive wife. He writes for Forbes and his work also appears on IGN, The Daily Dot, Unreality Magazine, TVOvermind and more. It's a slow day if he's written less than 10,000 words.