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[SScorpio]

The RTX5080 is roughly 20% faster than the 9070XT, as is Magnus compared to the PS6 (which is supposed to be similar to the 9070XT). How can i put this more clearly? Magnus seems to be RTX5080 level of performance, plus minus whatever.

It really depends on the game, and when you are looking at just raw raster. Throw in raytracing and DLSS4 and it can grow to over 40%.

Magnus will not be near 5080 levels. You're also looking at insane AI driven price increases. I was using real world examples. Last July I help a friend build a 5060ti 16GB PC for $940. $200 more it could have had a 9070XT AMD could have had their shit together and have products at MSRP which NVIDIA had not issues doing even with newer GDDR7 RAM versus AMD sticking with older tech. He was going for a $1,000 budget so 36% more performance for almost 50% more cost didn't make sense and that was if the AMD card could be had for MSRP which for most of the year they weren't. It wasn't until the holidays it finally dropped down.

Price are already coming down around there. Get a bundle and you can get RAM for normal pricing. The 5070ti dropped to $900 but includes RE9 which helps if you wanted that game. Prices will continue to go down as the Open AI deals blew up, and the entire AI market is starting to show it's cracks.

 

[Venom Snake]

It really depends on the game, and when you are looking at just raw raster. Throw in raytracing and DLSS4 and it can grow to over 40%.

Magnus will not be near 5080 levels. You're also looking at insane AI driven price increases. I was using real world examples. Last July I help a friend build a 5060ti 16GB PC for $940. $200 more it could have had a 9070XT AMD could have had their shit together and have products at MSRP which NVIDIA had not issues doing even with newer GDDR7 RAM versus AMD sticking with older tech. He was going for a $1,000 budget so 36% more performance for almost 50% more cost didn't make sense and that was if the AMD card could be had for MSRP which for most of the year they weren't. It wasn't until the holidays it finally dropped down.

Price are already coming down around there. Get a bundle and you can get RAM for normal pricing. The 5070ti dropped to $900 but includes RE9 which helps if you wanted that game. Prices will continue to go down as the Open AI deals blew up, and the entire AI market is starting to show it's cracks.

The prices i quoted are already discounted; a few months ago, they were even worse. These stores have no choice because no one wants to buy a mid-range PC for at least the equivalent of the national average monthly salary (much more if the components are not from the lowest shelf possible).

Secondly, you won't build a PC in Poland for $1000 when the GPU itself costs $750-1000 (unless you buy it from AliExpress, if you want to risk getting an empty box). Besides, if hardware prices were to continue to drop, i see no reason why Xbox prices couldn't be adjusted, making this deal still valid. After all, the entire argument for the next Xbox being so expensive is based on the current market situation.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

I mean maybe I'm just an elitist snob but I would never build just a mid pc, that to me defeats the purpose. I always went all out on my builds, bought the best of the best when it was new... But the fun of all that is gone now with gpu prices, sure if I really wanted a 5090 I'd buy one but meh, fucking isn't anywhere near worth it's price.

I always said I'd never not build but as I get older I care less and less about that shit, consoles have closed the gap nicely and will continue to do so to where it's more than viable

 

[MayauMiao]

I guess I just don't understand people, the ps3 was 500 dollars for a 20gb model 20....twenty... Fucking years ago. And people expect the console prices to be the same?

Sure would I love 5 600 bucks but 20 years is a long time. I fully see it being 7 or 800.

I can accept a 20GB PS6 but make sure that all the game can run off blu-ray without the need to fully install it, okay?

 

[nick776]

My sentiment exactly. I you are a GROWN ASS ADULT and cannot afford a $1k gaming console without breaking the bank you have bigger problems in life!

 

[Venom Snake]

I mean maybe I'm just an elitist snob but I would never build just a mid pc, that to me defeats the purpose. I always went all out on my builds, bought the best of the best when it was new... But the fun of all that is gone now with gpu prices, sure if I really wanted a 5090 I'd buy one but meh, fucking isn't anywhere near worth it's price.

I always said I'd never not build but as I get older I care less and less about that shit, consoles have closed the gap nicely and will continue to do so to where it's more than viable

There is nothing wrong with this approach, best or nothing. But i also no longer see the value in the hardware that gets you there, not at these price levels at least.

 

[Zuzu]

I'm not out but I might wait for the PS6 Pro (hopefully they release one!) because I don't really want to spend one big amount of money for a PS6 and then spend another big amount for PS6 Pro just a few years later.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Never going to buy a console and haven't own one since the PS3 but yeah 1,000 dollar console would probably be DOA. While 700 is still pretty high for a console but I can at least still see a PS6 selling well at 700 more at least selling way better than the PS5 Pro at 700. But if it launches at 900 or 1000 or more than I can't see it selling anywhere close to even okay.

 

[cafecat]

If it's the era of $1000 console, then how much the new equivalent PC build will cost. The console has at least 24gb+ available (30gb total) for vram, the vram-equivalent RTX60 series card will be something like 6080 (rumoured 20gb vram), which alone costs way more than a console . Let's be honest, the next gen PlayStation will be at least $799 (or $699 if ram price return to normal), the Xbox may be something with price $1200~$1500 (30% profit margin KPI, complex chip design, more ram and better components, no promised 30% store revenue, people will use 3rd party storefront like steam)

 

[CashPrizes]

$1000 is bad, but with the Pro at $900 already I don't see how the PS6 can be cheaper then $1000.

My cap is $1200, and it better do the dishes or some really impressive shit for me to spend $1200. Also have killer games at launch/in launch window.

 

[Sohurmk833]

Price is one thing but we already reached a point where the hardware i own is good enough for me and will be for the foreseeable future. My Pro will easily carry me to 2030 and beyond. Zero need for a PS6.

Nintendo is a bit different, i'd definitely upgrade to a OLED model and power wise the Switch 2 is still one generation away from being good enough. We'll probably reach that point with the Switch 3.

 

[Hypnosekroete]

I only play on Playstation these days, so i would be ok with 1000eu IF the tech is up to date. I dont care about PC gaming and my next PC will just be a mini pc to do taxes on it and shop on amazon, Xbox is dead and i dont like Nintendo that much.

 

[Gona_B_L8]

gaming is a hobby since 1988 and i have no limit on budget for it. However, if they were to release a PS6 on a PS5 Pro 1.5 power level and asked for $1K, id pass until a price drop (unlikely as consoles seem to be getting more expensive as their lifespan goes on rather than the other way as used to be the norm). If they released a PS6 and its an absolute beast, id happily pay $2K+, even if the launch games were shit and id play mostly upgraded ps5 games. But then again, im someone who upgraded from a 5080 to a 5090 lol!

 

[Zathalus]

You have a €1500 PC most of the time connected to a monitor whose quality is inferior to any living room OLED TV.

Not really true these days. OLED monitors have become commonplace and have features that OLED TVs don't, like Ultrawide or 240-360Hz refresh rates. But even TVs can be used for your PC usage, the C5 comes in a 42-inch variant for example.

If price is a factor you can even get a $350 OLED monitor, which is better than any equivalent $350 TV when looking at picture quality.

 

[Ribi]

A lot of PC gamers in here

 

[Hector Hall]

Did we boycott 1000+ GPUS or ami missing something?

 

[saintjules]

Did we boycott 1000+ GPUS or ami missing something?

Right? It's funny. I mean look at this goddamn. And they sell out.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I keep wondering if the constant "the new consoles will be really expensive" will actually prepare the ground for people to say "huh, that's not so bad."

I do think that a four figure price tag will be a major barrier that no manufacturer will want to cross however.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Did we boycott 1000+ GPUS or ami missing something?

Respectfully, I think you are. $1000+ GPUs are a higher end option for the segment of people who can afford it( and even for those who really can't but thats another topic) to go balls out on a PC build. They arent intended to be the high volume selling baseline of the GPU market, which have different hardware at different pricepoints for different budgets/needs.

The entire purpose of a console is akin to a razor blade system. The handle and a single blade( console and in yesteryear, sometimes a pack-in game) are packaged together and sold cheap because the real money is then made back on the blade refills themselves ( games). Or if you prefer, the ole printer analogy where the actual printer is sold cheap and the money is made on print cartridges and paper( in gaming terms, games and services).

Historically they're intended to be single SKU products ( not withstanding the mid gen refresh Pros and Series S type products in recent years), that are generally affordable to the masses, become even more affordable over time due to economies of scale, and games continually built for an ever expanding userbase. Rinse and repeat this process every 5-7 years.

When you make the baseline ( the console, the razor blade handle, the printer) unaffordable from jump, this limits the amount of people who can buy it, which then limits the amount of people who buy the games/razors/ printer cartridges, so there's less money cycling back into the machinery perpetually to keep it running, so the entire system caves in on itself.

TDLR; as Phil said, you can't grow the market, or even sustain it, with $1000 consoles.

 

[RAIDEN1]

 

[Jormatar]

Thanka Trump

 

[hououinkyouma00]

I mean maybe I'm just an elitist snob but I would never build just a mid pc, that to me defeats the purpose. I always went all out on my builds, bought the best of the best when it was new... But the fun of all that is gone now with gpu prices, sure if I really wanted a 5090 I'd buy one but meh, fucking isn't anywhere near worth it's price.

I always said I'd never not build but as I get older I care less and less about that shit, consoles have closed the gap nicely and will continue to do so to where it's more than viable

See I'm the type who will never go all out and never have. I've been playing games on PC since I was a little kid (early 30s so late 90s) so I grew up in the era where everybody was playing games at like 15 fps and still enjoying them. Tech back then didn't last as long as a PC you bought a year ago was a POS.

I've always been mid tier since I've been able to build my own (outside of the early days when I built my first PC and could only afford cheap shit or when I was playing on the family computer that we threw a GPU into) so XX60 series usually but now XX70 series and Ryzen 5/7. I just don't see the value in the higher tier cards personally. They get replaced just as fast and have skyrocketed in price gen on gen despite gen on gen increased being mediocre at best now even on PC. There was only one time I bought a high tier GPU and it was the GTX1080 and I miss that card every day (it died RIP).

I'm also firmly in the ITX build end of things so essentially anything over 3 slots and 320mm is out of the question and I refuse to move to a big gaudy case.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

Not really true these days. OLED monitors have become commonplace and have features that OLED TVs don't, like Ultrawide or 240-360Hz refresh rates. But even TVs can be used for your PC usage, the C5 comes in a 42-inch variant for example.

If price is a factor you can even get a $350 OLED monitor, which is better than any equivalent $350 TV when looking at picture quality.

I will agree that OLED monitors have come a long way (especially in price as it's fucking nuts that we have THREE FUCKING AND FIFTY DOLLAR OLED MONITORS as that is like VA/IPS pricing) but I'd argue that from a picture quality standpoint a modern LG C series blows away almost any OLED monitor. The coatings on monitors really hurt them (not saying they don't still look great and blow away even great IPS/VA panels).

I wish I could get my girlfriend to get a OLED but she loves her 32" 1440p and those don't exist.

 

[dragonyeuw]

See I'm the type who will never go all out and never have. I've been playing games on PC since I was a little kid (early 30s so late 90s) so I grew up in the era where everybody was playing games at like 15 fps and still enjoying them. Tech back then didn't last as long as a PC you bought a year ago was a POS.

I've always been mid tier since I've been able to build my own (outside of the early days when I built my first PC and could only afford cheap shit or when I was playing on the family computer that we threw a GPU into) so XX60 series usually but now XX70 series and Ryzen 5/7. I just don't see the value in the higher tier cards personally. They get replaced just as fast and have skyrocketed in price gen on gen despite gen on gen increased being mediocre at best now even on PC. There was only one time I bought a high tier GPU and it was the GTX1080 and I miss that card every day (it died RIP).

I'm also firmly in the ITX build end of things so essentially anything over 3 slots and 320mm is out of the question and I refuse to move to a big gaudy case.

And that was the great thing about the market. I was never high end either. My main reason for getting into PCs was hardware options, multiple gaming storefronts, choice of controllers, free online, mods, emulation etc. Fidelity was like #6 on the list of priorities.

But that was good. Choice is good. That choice is being systematically taken by cutting out the lower/middle end where the majority of people sit.

 

[Hudo]

As a note: some people may laugh at PC people, and rightfully so (it's a fucked up situation and a lot of PC-only dudes are shortsighted in their dismissal of consoles). But also consider this: I grew up on PC. I can't play a lot of my favorite games on consoles because they are just not available there. And yes, I still want and do play those because they have aged very well and are still a lot of fun. I.e., PCs also have exclusives that never went to consoles (or had bad ports). And unless you hack your PS5 or Xbox S or Switch 2 so they can run Windows/Linux or DOS emulators. But afaik, the hacking scene for current gen consoles just isn't there.

Now if Sony and Microsoft (I leave out Nintendo because they will never ever even consider this anyway) would let me install a Linux (or fucking Windows) on those devices... then a console might become a genuine alternative (remember when Sony officially supported Linux on PS3? That was pretty cool).
Right now, I have a Switch 2 as a companion device. It lets me play stuff like Xenoblade, Zelda or the new 3D Mario (whenever that shit comes out). But it's not enough to be my "main" device.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

And that was the great thing about the market. I was never high end either. My main reason for getting into PCs was hardware options, multiple gaming storefronts, choice of controllers, free online, mods, emulation etc. Fidelity was like #6 on the list of priorities.

But that was good. Choice is good. That choice is being systematically taken by cutting out the lower/middle end where the majority of people sit.

Yeah, it's unfortunate since PC is more mainstream than ever. I've always been pretty split evenly but probably skewed more towards consoles (probably 60/40? sometimes more sometimes less depending on generation like during the PS3/360 gen I played PC the least) just from owning multiples and types of games but I've found myself falling "out of love" with PC more and more these days.

 

[SScorpio]

And that was the great thing about the market. I was never high end either. My main reason for getting into PCs was hardware options, multiple gaming storefronts, choice of controllers, free online, mods, emulation etc. Fidelity was like #6 on the list of priorities.

But that was good. Choice is good. That choice is being systematically taken by cutting out the lower/middle end where the majority of people sit.

The low end is still around. Memory and storage as raised prices a bit, but for $400 you can still get an entry level mini PC or laptop with integrated graphics. At $600 you can get a laptop with a discrete GPU. Used is also a great option but depends on your area. Right now I can order an Arc B570 for $250 or B580 for $289. These are solid 1440p cards, pair it with an AM4 platform and you have a solid PC that will run whatever you throw at it? Will it do 4K 120 fps? Of course not, but it will play 1080p/1440p just fine. They aren't sexy so all the tech channels don't cover them past their release.

Low end may seem like it's gone, but the extremely basic iGPU in the latest AMD and Intel desktop CPUs can play at 1080p low. And that's with something like only 2-3 compute units. Entry level GPUs disappeared because they became integrated into the CPUs. Just like sound cards are all just built into motherboards and are good enough for most people.

As a note: some people may laugh at PC people, and rightfully so (it's a fucked up situation and a lot of PC-only dudes are shortsighted in their dismissal of consoles). But also consider this: I grew up on PC. I can't play a lot of my favorite games on consoles because they are just not available there. And yes, I still want and do play those because they have aged very well and are still a lot of fun. I.e., PCs also have exclusives that never went to consoles (or had bad ports). And unless you hack your PS5 or Xbox S or Switch 2 so they can run Windows/Linux or DOS emulators. But afaik, the hacking scene for current gen consoles just isn't there.

Now if Sony and Microsoft (I leave out Nintendo because they will never ever even consider this anyway) would let me install a Linux (or fucking Windows) on those devices... then a console might become a genuine alternative (remember when Sony officially supported Linux on PS3? That was pretty cool).
Right now, I have a Switch 2 as a companion device. It lets me play stuff like Xenoblade, Zelda or the new 3D Mario (whenever that shit comes out). But it's not enough to be my "main" device.

Xbox doesn't need to be hacked. Microsoft provides access to dev mode where you can already run those emulators. MS had this back on the Xbox One and continued allowing it on the Series consoles. No, it doesn't make your Xbox a full PC. But it opens it up, and lets you run things you or other people coded.

https://emulationrevival.github.io/

 

[dragonyeuw]

The low end is still around. Memory and storage as raised prices a bit, but for $400 you can still get an entry level mini PC or laptop with integrated graphics. At $600 you can get a laptop with a discrete GPU. Used is also a great option but depends on your area. Right now I can order an Arc B570 for $250 or B580 for $289. These are solid 1440p cards, pair it with an AM4 platform and you have a solid PC that will run whatever you throw at it? Will it do 4K 120 fps? Of course not, but it will play 1080p/1440p just fine. They aren't sexy so all the tech channels don't cover them past their release.

It is but the issue is, 'market forces' continues to push the line for what 'low end' is in the wrong direction. The lower end hardware isn't except from what's happening. And none of this stuff occurs in isolation. Everything is going up all at once and people are having to juggle their money just to afford food, gas and rent, never mind comparative 'non- essentials'.

Yesterday's price is not today's price, and today's price is not tomorrow's.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

See I'm the type who will never go all out and never have. I've been playing games on PC since I was a little kid (early 30s so late 90s) so I grew up in the era where everybody was playing games at like 15 fps and still enjoying them. Tech back then didn't last as long as a PC you bought a year ago was a POS.

I've always been mid tier since I've been able to build my own (outside of the early days when I built my first PC and could only afford cheap shit or when I was playing on the family computer that we threw a GPU into) so XX60 series usually but now XX70 series and Ryzen 5/7. I just don't see the value in the higher tier cards personally. They get replaced just as fast and have skyrocketed in price gen on gen despite gen on gen increased being mediocre at best now even on PC. There was only one time I bought a high tier GPU and it was the GTX1080 and I miss that card every day (it died RIP).

I'm also firmly in the ITX build end of things so essentially anything over 3 slots and 320mm is out of the question and I refuse to move to a big gaudy case.

Well the thing for me was building high end rigs used to be priced nicely that's why I always built higher end machines. It wasn't that that long ago they were 640ish with maybe the top end 700 or 750, I didn't mind that and it was still fun.. I been building since the 90s tho I've had machines since 1990, my first build was about 91 or 92 and every 3 years or so I was building. But I always bought if not the top it was just shy.

As for gaming I'm old lol been playing since I was 3 which was 1982, so I'm a dinosaur

But the pricing after I bought my 4090 fe for 1900 Im like yea this isn't worth it anymore nor fun, and I like sonys ecosystem so much better overall

 

[Tomorrow]

if this keeps up then i won't be buying another console. fuck these prices. i got my PS5 for £380 in 2023 and it has had a severe lack of games so i feel like i've already wasted money buying it. so i don't see myself getting a PS6 at this rate. could justify it maybe if there were games to play.

the digital slim is going to be £140 more expensive. fucking lol. no thanks sony.

 

[Humdinger]

Is boycotting ever worked?

Bud Light? Didn't that one cause some tremors at the company?

Yes, absolutely. But Bud Light is a very different scenario than this one (outrage over "woke" messaging from a traditional male focused brand vs. some gamers upset about the price of hardware). We need to make Danjin's question more specific:

Has a boycott ever worked in the games industry?

I can't think of a time it has. Maybe there is one, but nothing comes to mind. I can think of some instances where gamers have protested and ridiculed things (e.g., mandatory inclusion of Kinect, pricing Outer Worlds 2 at $80), and companies have later reversed course, but those weren't boycotts per se.

Anyway, I just don't see "boycott" as a useful idea here. Companies set hardware prices very thoughtfully, based on all sorts of internal data and criteria. They aren't going to throw all that out the window because a few hundred gamers signed a petition.

Your comment makes it seem like the games are free.

Look, if I pay $500 for a console, with the difference I could buy $500 worth of games, but Sony is essentially robbing me of those games.

Robbing you? Dude, it's a voluntary transaction. No one is robbing you. If you can't afford it, just stick with current gen hardware. It's pretty good, and almost all games will be cross-gen for years anyhow.

 

[Hector Hall]

Respectfully, I think you are. $1000+ GPUs are a higher end option for the segment of people who can afford it( and even for those who really can't but thats another topic) to go balls out on a PC build. They arent intended to be the high volume selling baseline of the GPU market, which have different hardware at different pricepoints for different budgets/needs.

The entire purpose of a console is akin to a razor blade system. The handle and a single blade( console and in yesteryear, sometimes a pack-in game) are packaged together and sold cheap because the real money is then made back on the blade refills themselves ( games). Or if you prefer, the ole printer analogy where the actual printer is sold cheap and the money is made on print cartridges and paper( in gaming terms, games and services).

Historically they're intended to be single SKU products ( not withstanding the mid gen refresh Pros and Series S type products in recent years), that are generally affordable to the masses, become even more affordable over time due to economies of scale, and games continually built for an ever expanding userbase. Rinse and repeat this process every 5-7 years.

When you make the baseline ( the console, the razor blade handle, the printer) unaffordable from jump, this limits the amount of people who can buy it, which then limits the amount of people who buy the games/razors/ printer cartridges, so there's less money cycling back into the machinery perpetually to keep it running, so the entire system caves in on itself.

TDLR; as Phil said, you can't grow the market, or even sustain it, with $1000 consoles.

Mmm, so, we constantly mock entry level GPUs as trash but we don't boycott the 1500/3500 ones to play basically versions of games designed to run on the razor console or entry level GPUs.

Of course, as you said, industry will be in a dire space if there aren't affordable machines, the same on as MSDoS/Windows gaming would have been always if it wasn't because there were other options with a better price/ quality.

In this case, I think PS6 will be somewhat affordable, yet the ones whose CEO said the 1000 dollar thing will release something that soundly exceeds that price.

Sony knows their businesses, a sweet spot between performance and price that sold at cost generates a big amount of users that actively purchase games, accesories, DLCs and subs to their ecosystem. Now if the world seems to be totally mad they are in a bad spot, but I think they have been planning this. Multigeneration ecosystem, back to exclusives, handheld gaming and a smart delivery cross plattform way so buying the game in their ecosystem allows you to use in any of their devices so you can upgrade your games when you buy another one of their plattforms.

 

[SScorpio]

It is but the issue is, 'market forces' continues to push the line for what 'low end' is in the wrong direction. The lower end hardware isn't except from what's happening. And none of this stuff occurs in isolation. Everything is going up all at once and people are having to juggle their money just to afford food, gas and rent, never mind comparative 'non- essentials'.

Yesterday's price is not today's price, and today's price is not tomorrow's.

We came off 4-5 years of money printing which devalues currency so prices go up. The problem people don't seem to grasp is that prices might go down a little. But they will not return to what they were five years ago. But some things may hit a floor. 20 years ago flat panel TVs were $2-3,000, now you can get one in those sizes from Walmart for $200. Will it be the latest OLED display tech? No, but it's fine for most people and has a way better picture than the 20 year old TV. Outside of gaming and professional needs (video rendering, AI development, etc) a entry level PC can do everything a normal user needs. That's why most have migrated to just using their phones and tablets.

Gaming has always been expensive. The NES in 1986 would be over $500 in today's money with games costing over $100. Most people were lucky to get 1-2 games a year during a birthday or Christmas and ended up just renting for the weekend. Now games are given away for free. On a $100-150 tablet you can get your gaming fix without spending another dime.

Some people will always struggle with finances. If you have any money what so ever saved in a retirement account even just $100. Then you are ahead of over 25% of the population. The average credit card debt is something like $6,000 and people are just making minimum payments. With all the money being printed did people use it to get by and get ahead on some of their accounts? Very few, most used it as a down payment to finance a $90,000 lifted pickup that's now worth $50,000. $50-60 for door dash to deliver one person's lunch. 30 different subscriptions to bs crap. $10-15 every morning for a sugar filled coffee and bagel/muffin and then takeout for lunch and dinner.

People act like things are bad right now, but did everyone collectively forget just 18 years ago 33% of the population were laid off and couldn't find jobs, and home foreclosures were through the roof? I see people take 1-2 "once in a lifetime" trips a year, while I haven't gone on a major vacation in 13 years. I see people rolling over negative equity into new car loans as they swap to a new vehicle every 3 years while driving an 18 year old car that's cost me about $2,000/yr after buying new and the cost of repairs over the time I've had it while new car loans are going out to 6-8 years and being $600-800/month. There will always be lifestyle inflation and people over extending themselves. But things are far from being the worst ever. You just need to stop ignoring the grasshoppers that have maxed out their credit cards and stay up at night worrying about a single missed paycheck. Be an ant that's prepared, and hopefully one time we aren't screwed over paying for everyone else's reckless lifestyles when winter hits.

 

[ReBurn]

Already been addressed but, no different than a cell phone, there are an infinite number of ways to get a new console on a payment plan.

Name 2,000.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

We came off 4-5 years of money printing which devalues currency so prices go up. The problem people don't seem to grasp is that prices might go down a little. But they will not return to what they were five years ago. But some things may hit a floor. 20 years ago flat panel TVs were $2-3,000, now you can get one in those sizes from Walmart for $200. Will it be the latest OLED display tech? No, but it's fine for most people and has a way better picture than the 20 year old TV. Outside of gaming and professional needs (video rendering, AI development, etc) a entry level PC can do everything a normal user needs. That's why most have migrated to just using their phones and tablets.

Gaming has always been expensive. The NES in 1986 would be over $500 in today's money with games costing over $100. Most people were lucky to get 1-2 games a year during a birthday or Christmas and ended up just renting for the weekend. Now games are given away for free. On a $100-150 tablet you can get your gaming fix without spending another dime.

Some people will always struggle with finances. If you have any money what so ever saved in a retirement account even just $100. Then you are ahead of over 25% of the population. The average credit card debt is something like $6,000 and people are just making minimum payments. With all the money being printed did people use it to get by and get ahead on some of their accounts? Very few, most used it as a down payment to finance a $90,000 lifted pickup that's now worth $50,000. $50-60 for door dash to deliver one person's lunch. 30 different subscriptions to bs crap. $10-15 every morning for a sugar filled coffee and bagel/muffin and then takeout for lunch and dinner.

People act like things are bad right now, but did everyone collectively forget just 18 years ago 33% of the population were laid off and couldn't find jobs, and home foreclosures were through the roof? I see people take 1-2 "once in a lifetime" trips a year, while I haven't gone on a major vacation in 13 years. I see people rolling over negative equity into new car loans as they swap to a new vehicle every 3 years while driving an 18 year old car that's cost me about $2,000/yr after buying new and the cost of repairs over the time I've had it while new car loans are going out to 6-8 years and being $600-800/month. There will always be lifestyle inflation and people over extending themselves. But things are far from being the worst ever. You just need to stop ignoring the grasshoppers that have maxed out their credit cards and stay up at night worrying about a single missed paycheck. Be an ant that's prepared, and hopefully one time we aren't screwed over paying for everyone else's reckless lifestyles when winter hits.

Good post I always say the same thing, I think we just live in an era where people don't realize what "bad" living used to be and or could he. We have so many luxuries now more than ever, we all make more than ever despite like you said some struggle for sure and that sucks but in general people don't realize how much they truly have.

We life in the social media era that basically has made like seem like it's all doom and gloom and it's not, life has more good than bad but that doesn't generate clicks or views or money. Negativity sells and people are so brainwashed and we have all these younger kids that eve without any true responsibilities in life are on social media chiming in acting like life Is so horrible.

Friends of the family always talked about how they barely could buy Mac and cheese when they first got married in the 60s and 70s and I mean I know so many young couples that are in their 20s that have more than most older people I know had.

Like you said life pretty much does this and it's simply what it is, from my standpoint everyone mostly makes it all work.

 

[dragonyeuw]

We came off 4-5 years of money printing which devalues currency so prices go up. The problem people don't seem to grasp is that prices might go down a little. But they will not return to what they were five years ago. But some things may hit a floor. 20 years ago flat panel TVs were $2-3,000, now you can get one in those sizes from Walmart for $200. Will it be the latest OLED display tech? No, but it's fine for most people and has a way better picture than the 20 year old TV. Outside of gaming and professional needs (video rendering, AI development, etc) a entry level PC can do everything a normal user needs. That's why most have migrated to just using their phones and tablets.

Gaming has always been expensive. The NES in 1986 would be over $500 in today's money with games costing over $100. Most people were lucky to get 1-2 games a year during a birthday or Christmas and ended up just renting for the weekend. Now games are given away for free. On a $100-150 tablet you can get your gaming fix without spending another dime.

Some people will always struggle with finances. If you have any money what so ever saved in a retirement account even just $100. Then you are ahead of over 25% of the population. The average credit card debt is something like $6,000 and people are just making minimum payments. With all the money being printed did people use it to get by and get ahead on some of their accounts? Very few, most used it as a down payment to finance a $90,000 lifted pickup that's now worth $50,000. $50-60 for door dash to deliver one person's lunch. 30 different subscriptions to bs crap. $10-15 every morning for a sugar filled coffee and bagel/muffin and then takeout for lunch and dinner.

People act like things are bad right now, but did everyone collectively forget just 18 years ago 33% of the population were laid off and couldn't find jobs, and home foreclosures were through the roof? I see people take 1-2 "once in a lifetime" trips a year, while I haven't gone on a major vacation in 13 years. I see people rolling over negative equity into new car loans as they swap to a new vehicle every 3 years while driving an 18 year old car that's cost me about $2,000/yr after buying new and the cost of repairs over the time I've had it while new car loans are going out to 6-8 years and being $600-800/month. There will always be lifestyle inflation and people over extending themselves. But things are far from being the worst ever. You just need to stop ignoring the grasshoppers that have maxed out their credit cards and stay up at night worrying about a single missed paycheck. Be an ant that's prepared, and hopefully one time we aren't screwed over paying for everyone else's reckless lifestyles when winter hits.

This is all well-written fine and dandy general talking points, but circling back to the core topic, $1000 consoles aren't going to sustain the market as we've known it. I think we kind of all know the status quo of the industry is shifting. Gaming has always been expensive relatively speaking, but the very devaluation of currency you mention in your opening sentence has destroyed disposable income and buying power. An average family buying a NES back in 1986 for $200 isn't going to feel it as much as one potentially forking out $1000 for a console today. If it was that prohibitively expensive back then, the industry never would have grown to what it became in the first place. But many/most people are as much their own worst enemy with money as much as external factors. I know like fuck if I'm spending that much on a console, and I'm actually in position to afford one without it being a life choice. YMMV....

Now as far as things being bad, I don't know how old you are but I'm closing in on 50. None of what I'm saying is intended to mean I think the sky is falling. I've been through a few cycles of economic bullshit. Gen X feels like it's been in some form of crisis for our entire existence. Nowadays to me, it's just another Tuesday and I govern myself accordingly.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

This is all well-written fine and dandy general talking points, but circling back to the core topic, $1000 consoles aren't going to sustain the market as we've known it. I think we kind of all know the status quo of the industry is shifting. Gaming has always been expensive relatively speaking, but the very devaluation of currency you mention in your opening sentence has destroyed disposable income and buying power. An average family buying a NES back in 1986 for $200 isn't going to feel it as much as one potentially forking out $1000 for a console today. If it was that prohibitively expensive back then, the industry never would have grown to what it became in the first place. But many/most people are as much their own worst enemy with money as much as external factors. I know like fuck if I'm spending that much on a console, and I'm actually in position to afford one without it being a life choice. YMMV....

Now as far as things being bad, I don't know how old you are but I'm closing in on 50. None of what I'm saying is intended to mean I think the sky is falling. I've been through a few cycles of economic bullshit. Gen X feels like it's been in some form of crisis for our entire existence. Nowadays to me, it's just another Tuesday and I govern myself accordingly.

47 here and I agree, life is the same as it ever was for the most part. I wake up to beautiful days, rainy days, snowy days, you name it... Just happy to be alive and enjoy what I have, nothing ever dramatically changes. I enjoy my games and family, my dogs etc...can't ask for much more.

 

[Juja]

I'm definitely never gonna buy another Play Station product. The price increase is actually great for me. I've barely used my PS5 for gaming for the past 2 years (it's my blu-ray) player). I can actually sell it now for more than I paid for the piece of shit.

 

[LostDonkey]

It's 2026. The PS3 was 450? When it launched in 2007. That's 19 years ago, it's like what, 800 today?

I think people are stuck in the past.

Hell, my phone was £1200.

 

[SScorpio]

It's 2026. The PS3 was 450? When it launched in 2007. That's 19 years ago, it's like what, 800 today?

I think people are stuck in the past.

Hell, my phone was £1200.

$500 use for the 20GB, $600 for the 60GB that included WiFi, memory card reader and the blinged out chrome. That would be $810, and $975 in today's money.

This is all well-written fine and dandy general talking points, but circling back to the core topic, $1000 consoles aren't going to sustain the market as we've known it. I think we kind of all know the status quo of the industry is shifting. Gaming has always been expensive relatively speaking, but the very devaluation of currency you mention in your opening sentence has destroyed disposable income and buying power. An average family buying a NES back in 1986 for $200 isn't going to feel it as much as one potentially forking out $1000 for a console today. If it was that prohibitively expensive back then, the industry never would have grown to what it became in the first place. But many/most people are as much their own worst enemy with money as much as external factors. I know like fuck if I'm spending that much on a console, and I'm actually in position to afford one without it being a life choice. YMMV....

Now as far as things being bad, I don't know how old you are but I'm closing in on 50. None of what I'm saying is intended to mean I think the sky is falling. I've been through a few cycles of economic bullshit. Gen X feels like it's been in some form of crisis for our entire existence. Nowadays to me, it's just another Tuesday and I govern myself accordingly.

Around that, got my start where I was laid off in the beginning of my career as this area was hit hard in 2003-04 due to outsourcing/offshoring. Finally got a decent job again in 2005, thankfully kept the job and limped from 2008-2012 after which things finally start improving. Still doing well recently making ~2x median household income. Partial in office with a 9 mile commute. Going ten years in a house I had built and customized that's almost doubled in value in one of the best school districts around. Only debt is the mortgage which is 2.75% which doesn't make sense to pay anything over the minimum. Just keeping the extra money in a saving account earns more in interest. I'm currently over any benchmarks of have x times your salary by year y. And could go over a year at current expense rates without modifying anything and not touching retirement accounts if I lost my job tomorrow. I was repeatedly kicked in the nuts financially at the start and made it through it all. I look at the struggles of today and can only say lay off the avocado toast zoomer.

That said $1,000 consoles make console not make sense. I thought $450 for the Switch 2 is insane as parents bought one for each kid. Outside of ease of use, console lose their value benefits and have nothing else to entice people to buy them. The AAA market is unmanageable with insane studio head count bloat and timelines that almost make Valve look like they release on a normal schedule. We're going to have a big crash, but we'll get through it just fine. Hollywood is having the same issues. I guess creating products for no one but activists isn't a sound business plan.

Sony, MS, Ubisoft, and EA could close all their studios today leaving only the current hardware we have released. And we'd still have 1,000s of new games coming out every year along with the massive libraries of past releases. The stat that's the most eye opening is the average console gamer is in their 40s. Young people just aren't playing there. The industry going nutty so I nope out might be a blessing, it would leave me more money to spend on pinball.

 

[Minari]

Shiit im in the moment they show a ps6 game that i need to have.

 

[Celcius]

I hope Gran Turismo 8 is cross gen just like GT7 is. I'm not buying a PS6 just for one game... I think my launch PS5 is going to be in service for a long time.

 

[Evil Calvin]

It's simple. They are pricing people out of the hobby.

If people could afford or want a PC they would go with a PC rather than a $!000 console.

They are pricing out kids and basically everyone without disposable income. Especially in this economy.

Consoles do not need to be high end and have all the bells and whistles, ray tracing, DLSS, PSSR......most great games now can be played on lesser hardware.

 

[Evil Calvin]

It's simple. They are pricing people out of the hobby.

If people could afford or want a PC they would go with a PC rather than a $!000 console.

They are pricing out kids and basically everyone without disposable income. Especially in this economy.

Consoles do not need to be high end and have all the bells and whistles, ray tracing, DLSS, PSSR......most great games now can be played on lesser hardware.

 

[Synless]

I'm not out but the PS4/PS5 generation has been a disappointment for me overall so I'll wait and see what they bring.

 

[Evil Calvin]

It's simple. They are pricing people out of the hobby.

If people could afford or want a PC they would go with a PC rather than a $1000 console.

They are pricing out kids and basically everyone without disposable income. Especially in this economy.

Consoles do not need to be high end and have all the bells and whistles, ray tracing, DLSS, PSSR......most great games now can be played on lesser hardware.

 

[RafterXL]

I'm not boycotting anything, I just don't see the point anymore. Consoles are supposed to be cheap, and once you start hitting certain price ranges they lose that advantage, and appeal, IMO. And, frankly, let's be honest, this was a bad time for console prices to skyrocket, because this generation has been an absolute shitshow in general. You can't follow the worst console generation in decades with double the price tag and expect people to be happy.

 

[BlownUpRich]

Time to read books and use your imagination.... Remember those?

OK this takes the cake. Funniest post.

 

[BlownUpRich]

$1000 I'm going PC at that point.

Get ready for an RTX 6090 (Getting a 69 Edition with Jensen Huang) that does NEURONAL GRAPHICS IN REAL-TIME with ghosting...

For the price of $4500 DOLL HAIRS.

 

[dragonyeuw]

Sony, MS, Ubisoft, and EA could close all their studios today leaving only the current hardware we have released. And we'd still have 1,000s of new games coming out every year along with the massive libraries of past releases. The stat that's the most eye opening is the average console gamer is in their 40s. Young people just aren't playing there. The industry going nutty so I nope out might be a blessing, it would leave me more money to spend on pinball.

That's where I'm at. I've been into gaming since the 2600 and I want to see it endure as much as the next person, but I'm good with where things are. There's more games, past and present, then I'll ever have time to play. Frankly there's so much scum within the modern (AAA) industry that I feel almost dirty supporting it, but I'm more into the Indies scene and playing older stuff nowadays.