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[nkarafo]

As it is now, much less people can afford modern graphics cards. In my country, even the lowest tier current card you can buy (the GTX 1660) costs more than 500 euros.

Most of PC builds today are still powered by older generation cards. The luckiest ones being those who managed to buy a 2060/2080 card right before the price surge. But the majority are still on older 1XXX cards. Notice that i'm only mentioning NVIDIA but things aren't much better with AMD. According to STEAM survey, the 1060 is still the most used card.

So, how long those 1060s and 1660s and 2060s are going to support mainstream PC gaming? Based on those stats, it looks like PC gaming is still at the same performance tier as the past generation of consoles. How many PC users can really reach the performance level of a PS5/Series X when the cheapest 3060 costs 850+ euros?

Thankfully, we are still in a "cross-gen" period. Most games are still being made based on the older consoles so if you still have a 1060/1660 tier card, you can still enjoy most of current games with high enough settings at 1080p. But for how much longer? What will happen in 1 or 2 years? I don't see mining slowing down in the near future so if PC gaming is going to be so expensive will it still be around?

 

[The Cockatrice]

Without DLSS and similar tech, not very long but now that most games are getting these + the recent surge of PS4 ports, we should be good for a while.

EDIT: To clarify above, I'm talking strictly about big budget games. The indie market, especially on steam, is huge and thus the PC market has prolly no chance of dying since indies rarely require demanding hw.

 

[Roni]

It will definitely have an impact, but not as big as one might think. Outside PCVR, gaming on PC is still tethered to consoles.

 

[V1LÆM]

i have a 2080 and was gonna get a 3080/3090 but of course it was impossible. i'm done with PC gaming until this shit is sorted out. my 2080 hasn't let me down yet (DLSS has definitely helped) but when the time comes to upgrade i'll just be going back to consoles.

 

[RespawnX]

Prices will have double impact in the near future. We are at the generation at the point where next-gen engines are going to strike. "Thanks" to Covid-19 and amplified cross-gen lineup far later than usual, but 2022 should be the year of new engines. These will need naturally more power. So People need new GPUs but they aren't available due chip shortages and mining. On the other side XsX and PS5 also have shortages. 2022 could become a really sad year for gamers.
And I'm not talking people with 30XX or RTX 2080 in their rigs, rather the 80%> who are running on GTX 1080 and slower.

I wouldn't be surprised if developers continue to bet on cross-gen and old engines for another year.

 

[k_trout]

the biggest games on PC can run on a toaster, I mean a potato

 

[metareferential]

I don't it makes that much of a difference. Pre-covid it was the new nvidia pricing, then the mining craze, now it's the shortage.

One way or another new upgrades are always out of reach for some demographics (go look at Steam's hw survey). Yes, the current situation is definitely worse, but still manageable.

And it's the whole economy that's facing the same problem, so in the grand scheme of things, everything is effected, not just a sector.

And even when true next-gen games will start to become the norm, the last gen of gpus will still be able to keep up. After all, ps5/xsx aren't that far ahead of a 2070/2080, and new engines are optimized to scale.

 

[scraz]

Steam Hardware & Software Survey

Hi end PC gaming is nice, I count my self lucky to own a 3080FE but there are alot of people out there playing games that don't require more then a 1050-1660 to get the job done.

 

[ViolentP]

PC gaming isn't going anywhere so don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[akaFullmetal]

There will be a plateau, but what it is, who knows. Availability, chip shortage, crypto mining has changed a lot of things

 

[jigglet]

Compared to what? $1000 PS5's?

Do you think this chip shortage is PC-exclusive?

 

[Haggard]

The high end adaption rate is going to slow down, but since that has always just been a tiny fraction of the market nothing`s gonna change much in the bigger picture.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Almost everyone I know in real life run Steam on potatoes PCs. I used to always be midrange too until my build last year with a 3080 TI, I would have picked less if I had a choice, but in this market, you pick whatever is available..

What I’m trying to say is that high end gaming, and Steam hardware surveys confirm this, is for a minority of PC gamers. Most of them are on laptops at 1080p, with the 1060 being the biggest percentage of cards. This can play all arena shooters, Baldur’s Gate 3, indies, and cross gen games with settings turned down (which most of them are fine with). So far a 5700 (without RT) or 2070 seem to hold up versus console games, if you’re willing to turn down settings to console equivalents and not always select Ultra.

Where it’s going to hurt is when games start to use DirectStorage like console games do, Ampere has RTX IO, but I don’t know what will happen on previous gens and these game. Games using DirectStorage should also be a signal of the end of cross gen games.

 

[Mister Wolf]

PC gaming isn't going anywhere so don't lose any sleep over it.

Right. Its like asking how long will luxury/high performance automobiles last?

 

[Gameplaylover]

Only a small percentage of the Pc gamers have beefy machines with expensive cards. The majority has stuff like 1050 Ti or something similar.

 

[Fbh]

It's definitely limiting the appeal to new customers.
I was ready to drop consoles and go with PC this gen but for now I've abandoned the idea because building even a mid tier PC right now is like $2K where I live.

PC gaming won't go anywhere though, keep in mind that the majority of the most popular PC games don't need high end hardware and a midrange card from a few years ago will still allow you to play a ton of new games (just not maxed out). People on gaming forums have this tendency to default to a RTX3090 build (or whatever high end card is available at he moment) when talking about PC gaming when the majority of people are using stuff in the range of the 1060.

 

[Cryio]

Everything sells almost instantly. That's one of the reasons why the prices stay so high. PC gaming will be fine.

 

[TintoConCasera]

when the cheapest 3060 costs 850+ euros?

I got my 3070 for 550€ dude, that's like saying every console costs 1000€ just because some hacks are willing to pay that.

 

[Warnen]

I got a 3060ti at retail just before Xmas (then flipped my 3060 for $300 over the price of the 3060ti).

it’s just like consoles just need to waste a lot of time.


or you can get a prebuilt..

 

[nkarafo]

Right. Its like asking how long will luxury/high performance automobiles last?

But i'm talking about mid-range PCs here, not high end. A 3060 card should be mid-tier yet it costs more than 800 euros.

Basically, with these prices, there is no such thing as mid-tier anymore.

 

[Shtef]

Don’t know man but I wanted to build my first truly powerful gaming pc but even the normal stores has raised gpu prices that i decided just to get an xsx and done with it.

 

[Vae_Victis]

"PC gaming" at large won't suffer too much over this, what might suffer is sales of games released in the past 4-5 years, for which an entry level GPU is simply not enough (and by "entry level" I do mean ENTRY level, like a GTX 750 or 1030, not "anything below the literal two strongest GPUs in existence is already mid-tier"). And of course the sales of upcoming AAA games. In other words, I wouldn't sweat it for Steam, GOG or Epic, but companies like Activision, EA and Ubisoft will be facing a bit of a dilemma in terms of what to release and for what platform.

I think we will see a longer generational transitory phase than we would have otherwise; more developers will be hesitant to leave the PS4 and Xbox One (and equivalent PC hardware) behind in this situation, because they would be selling to a very reduced marked pool (since a lot of people who want and would have otherwise upgraded simply can't do it). Some will just keep targeting old hardware and "port-up" to the new consoles and latest GPU ranges (which is also what Sony and Microsoft have done for the most part thus far), and some will simply delay their releases more and more in the hope the market situation fixes itself and the next gen can properly roll out.

 

[Alexios]

As long as it has to. It's not like consoles are readily available to go for them instead. Most games run happily on years old hardware (even if some not at their theoretical best form), which is why people didn't turn in their PC gamer card whenever they happened to delay upgrading in the past for reasons other than the current shortages/prices.

 

[Ebidramon]

Learn how to use 1080p monitors, 60fps cap, and medium settings.

And also how to have fun without raytracing.

 

[CitizenZ]

As I said in another post i got a 20+ frame boost(Max settings/ ultra quality) in Chernobylite with AMDs version of DLSS and couldnt telll the difference. If that is implemented into more titles, no reason to upgrade for at least another 2-3 yrs.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Lots of people were eager to pay north of 2000 EUR for a 3090. These few super consumers generate more money than most of the casuals combined, just like in the mobile gaming space where you need to attract the few who pay thousands on microtransactions. That's for the hw manufacturers perspective, of course. Gaming as in software sales? Most titles are low on requirements and f2p already anyway, so it doesn't matter.

 

[-Minsc-]

*whistles innocently with my GTX 950*

 

[Topher]

I'm focusing on console gaming until sanity returns to PC gaming. My son has a gaming PC that is desperate need of upgrades so I'll be giving him my 2080 Super.

For myself, I'm going to give Geforce Now a try and see how that goes.

 

[Mister Wolf]

But i'm talking about mid-range PCs here, not high end. A 3060 card should be mid-tier yet it costs more than 800 euros.

Basically, with these prices, there is no such thing as mid-tier anymore.

And they still keep selling out. Demand is higher than ever. Thats not going to change.

 

[JackSparr0w]

Steam broke it's records again this year so business as usual. I would still game on PC at 720p than on a next gen console.

 

[Gaelyon]

Indie/small budget games are unaffected, top tier graphic games will be played at medium or something. If this situation endure several more years that''s another story (hopefully not).

I was lucky enough to buy a 2070 Super end of '19 at regular price, but there's no way i'm upgrading at current prices.

 

[Ezquimacore]

The gtx 1050 ti and there are apus the can run every game on the market. PC gaming will be fine. If you want new hardware then you gotta pay a lot, but the are millions of gamers that already own a PC.

 

[BusierDonkey]

I'll be sticking with PC regardless of pricing. I enjoy it a lot more than I used to enjoy using consoles. Hopefully prices even out but things going back to normal is about as likely as the rest of the world going back to normal. Seeing as $2000 high-end GPUs are still selling out, why would they ever be $700 again?

My original plan was CPU/mobo every 4 years, GPU every two generations. I replaced my CPU after five years. I only did that because my mobo had a physical defect that somehow didn't cause any issues for five years then blew up. The old CPU was holding up just fine in gaming at the time and still would be today. I replaced my 980ti with a 2080ti as planned. I'll replace it with a 4080ti or whatever the equivalent is if I can wrangle one. The 2080ti is still running everything I throw at it at max settings without issue and will likely be more than adequate for another four years if it comes down to that.

 

[ViolentP]

Right. Its like asking how long will luxury/high performance automobiles last?

People also tend to forget that generations don't exist on the PC platform.

 

[Merkades]

I have a very high end system outside the GPU (a 1060 6gb) because of the issues, and while I can't run everything like I want, I can still play with reasonable quality. But, the real reason to stay on PC is mods and options. I always adjust options if the game isn't a bare minimum port/creation. And I use mods in many of my games just to add more everything to them.

In short, PC will be fine even if it is really annoying right now...because I really want a new GPU. Also, I have a PS5, but I still buy games on PC over PS5.

 

[GymWolf]

I know people in here are optimistic and such, but for me pc gaming means playing MUCH BETTER than console.

If i can't buy a series 4000, my 2070super is not gonna cut at all for future games (it barely cut right now) if i want to play much better than console performance.

So yeah indie are nice and all, but i'm gonna be extremely pissed if this shit situation is gonna endure for a couple of years, i'm tired of playing at 1440p in a fucking 4k panel.

 

[Decontamination Silo]

I've got a 1070Ti and before I upgrade I'm going to give cloud streaming an earnest shot. I think we're close. Single player only for me, so adjusting to a little lag isn't a problem.

 

[Black_Stride]

Is min spec above a GTX 1070/GTX1660 yet?
Hell is min spec even close to an RTX 2060S yet considering DLSS, TSR and FSR are all getting more and more popular?

No.

Then PC gaming will last just fine.
People will lower their settings.....nobody is forced to play at PS5/XSX settings.
What qualifies as low will just look better as the generation keeps going.
We will still be hitting 1080p60 what would have been medium or even high.

You dont have to play games at Ultra.....thats the joy of PC gaming.

People with GTX 1070 are still running along swimmingly with reduced settings.
I know this for a cuz the "game center" near where I live is still rocking 1060s and 1070s and they havent even thought about upgrade yet, because literally everything just runs.
Auto-Settings in most games will get you close to 60fps at 1080p.

When min spec becomes a 2080 for the majority of games and thats a legitimate min spec not a "driver support" minspec.
Give us a call.

Id wager even a GTX 970 would still perform well if it had 8GB of VRAM.

 

[LazyParrot]

This isn't the first time PC gaming has been this expensive. In the 90s you could pay $2000 for a top-of-the-line PC and after 2-3 years it'd be so out of date you'd need an upgrade to run the latest games.

GPUs today may be expensive af, but if you got something decent around the time PS5 and XSX launched it'll last you until the end of the generation. Same goes for CPUs. Even last gen you had CPUs like the 2X00 i5s and i7s that still held their own nearly a decade after release.

 

[Graciaus]

PC gaming will be fine and continue to grow. It's a terrible time to try and start but most people already have something built.

You can get cards for msrp if you are lucky. I got a 3070 fe from best buy a few months ago.

 

[Shubh_C63]

Now look at Nvidia and AMD earnings also. If things were this dire they would eat losses and sell at a loss.
There are hardly any games pushing the boundaries anymore, even less from previous generations I would say. My old 1660ti laptop is lasting me a while with a weak ass cpu. A dedicated PC would last me 5 years easy.

 

[Black_Stride]

I know people in here are optimistic and such, but for me pc gaming means playing MUCH BETTER than console.

If i can't buy a series 4000, my 2070super is not gonna cut at all for future games (it barely cut right now) if i want to play much better than console performance.

So yeah indie are nice and all, but i'm gonna be extremely pissed if this shit situation is gonna endure for a couple of years, i'm tired of playing at 1440p in a fucking 4k panel.

I got some bad news for you.
The crypto crash everyone is waiting for....its not coming.
And as long as the news keeps talking about crypto....we are pretty much fucked.

The only real hope is that Nvidia/AMD/Intel can produce so many of these GPUs that somehow supply/demand stabilizes.
As is right now by the time Ada Lovelace hits the market they will be at 120% MSRP the day they drop no question.

3070s cost more than MSRP of 3080s.....and that really hurts me, cuz I shoulda just got a 3080 at launch.
Its frikken stupid and LHR hasnt worked the way Nvidia hoped it would.
Ada Lovelace would need some super levels of LHR for basically all the most popular GPU mined coins to even put a dent in things.
Else itll be another few years till we are at a level that makes sense.
Also GPU manufacturers are likely looking at how these GPUs are still selling out and thinking...why not just increase the MSRP, people will buy them anyway.


Those nextgen consoles are looking mighty fine for gamers.

 

[Celcius]

PC gaming isn’t going anywhere. It’s hard to find consoles too.

 

[Croatoan]

Its CPUs holding back aging machines, not gpus. If your gpu is deficient then you can turn down some settings to get better performance. If its your CPU you are fucked.

My wife's computer couldn't run BF2042 so I updated her CPU, Mobo, Ram, and threw in an M.2 drive and now she is getting 70 fps with the same 1080 she was using before.

Before my new build I could barely get 60fps in Escape from Tarkov on low, after I get 90-100+ fps maxed. I am using the same 2080ti that I had in the old machine.

Most of my friends using old school hard drives seem to be having issues with modern games (texture, asset loading). M.2 NVME drives really make a difference, as well as good ram.

GPUs are in a shitty place but the other components are honestly just as important to upgrade.

 

[twilo99]

Turns out you can play "current gen" games with graphics cards people already have..

 

[Edgelord79]

So many factors at play at here, from the type of games you play to what you're of performance one seems acceptible.

Many PC players play games like Stardew Valley or smaller indie games. Or they may focus on strategy, 4x games where high end GPU's are not as relevant. Incidentally top 2 games played on Steam don't really require high end GPU's at all.

Many players are ok with 30 or 60 fps on 1080p as seen by steam statistics (monitor resolution). I think enthusiasts forget that they are the 1% minority in these discussions that buy 99% of the high end equipment, then pronounce doom on everyone else.

Also DLSS is being more readily adopted but the majority of games do NOT support DLSS. I saw this mentioned as if most games do this/are doing when they really don't except maybe triple AAA games, which make up such a small portion of games released.

The end is not nigh for PC gaming in any way. Prices are certainly not going to be an issue either as clearly the demand is there. Also for a lot of PC gamers it's probably not a matter of a PC or a console, but rather a PC and which console.

 

[Mobilemofo]

Steam broke it's records again this year so business as usual. I would still game on PC at 720p than on a next gen console.

thats just fuckin stupid, gaming on a pc at 720p rather than a next gen console. Folks like you who make the pc vs console bullshit carry on. I hope your not an actual adult. Cringe.

 

[Edgelord79]

I hope your not an actual adult. Cringe.

The irony.

 

[Dust-by-Monday]

Outside PCVR, gaming on PC is still tethered to consoles.

Sadly, tech doesn't really move forward much on PC until a new console generation starts.

 

[Excess]

As long as every graphics card that ships is purchased, the sector is in excellent shape.

Maybe not for you, but that's not the question you asked, OP.