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[RoboFu]

edit: can get PC gaming will die as we know it change to PC gaming will CHANGE as we know it to circumvent the op click bait?

Mod Edit: Certainly




We all know that PC gaming has had a massive surge in the past 10 years. It has never been as easy to game on a PC as it is now, but a lot has changed in the past 8 months.

only months ago you were able to go to best buy and get a decent gaming pc for under 1k. that is no longer the case. you get the bottom of the barrel for 1k. a 2024 Intel i5 and Nvidia 5050...
We all know the cost of pc parts have doubled in price.. that is a huge problem but not the only one.
All products people buy for their everyday lives are also increasing. Phones, Tablets, internet services, electric bill, even food and gas. People are looking for how to save money not splurge for luxury products.

The other concern is the companies that make pc parts are also being affected. It costs more for them to make the parts and they are selling less. That is not sustainable and over time we will see those companies start dropping out one by one.

Because of all of this and high manufacturing cost we are going start to see more and more all in one pcs that do not have replaceable parts. These will be smaller and cheaper to produce but will also keep the base spec very low. Basically it will be a regression while smaller APUs and SOCs catch up to the big bulky power hungry gpus of today.

Of course you are going to have the AI industry trying to get rid of desktops all together for what will basically be dummy terminals , phones apps, and smart tv apps.. with a subscription of course.
And the one proponent that continues it all is that every company wants AI data centers to succeed .. there is a big chance for them to make a huge amount of money compared to the retail sector, but it will only be for a few key players. Right now everyone is fighting to be those players which is what's killing everything else.


The PC gaming future landscape is going to be different if nothing changes... At best we are looking at all in one boxes with base specs that are not upgradable ( think apple computers) or worst cloud gaming across the board.

 

[simpatico]

DirectX will become a monthly subscription DLC for Windows 12.

 

[Topher]

PC gaming has already proven you don't need the latest and greatest hardware to play most games that are available

 

[Hideous Snake]

 

[LordOcidax]

GPUs from 2022 are strong enough to hold 10 more years. So no.

 

[Wildebeest]

The Chinese will save use with the CCPPC.

 

[Krathoon]

They will try to make things a subscription, but people will want their own hardware.

It is way too risky to just rely on the cloud.

 

[IFireflyl]

 

[Bojji]

GPUs are constantly overpriced/not available since first crypto crisis and PC gaming is still fine...

 

[Sohurmk833]

People will just play on more low end hardware. Not like you need the high end stuff anyway since there has been pretty much zero progress in graphic advancements in the last decade.

 

[Dacvak]

All future gaming is dead. Long live retro!

 

[SNG32]

With pc there are too many variables. Yes hardware is getting more expensive but people will just scale down and devs will probably be optimizing more for low end hardware in order for survival. If PC dies that will mean streaming has fully took its place.

 

[Hypnosekroete]

Isnt the steam machine better than 70% of current gaming pcs? and that thing isnt really good techwise

 

[RoboFu]

some more food for thought.

Mini PCs Market Report Scope & Overview:

The Mini PCs Market was valued at USD 24.63 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 39.72 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2026–2035.

The Mini PCs Market is seeing a paradigm shift propelled by the increasing worldwide demand for miniaturized, energy-efficient, and high-performing computing capabilities for an array of applications across various industries.

Mini PCs Market Size, Share & Growth Report 2035

Mini PCs Market was valued at USD 24.63 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 39.72 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2026–2035.

www.snsinsider.com

 

[Xyphie]

PC and mobile gaming has the massive benefit of being on dual-purpose devices which you need to have to function in a modern society. There might be shift in what hardware/software is sold but you can still play CS2/LoL/WoW/whatever on your tax-machine.

 

[The Pleasure]

DirectX will become a monthly subscription DLC for Windows 12.

 

[Krathoon]

These companies always act like everyone has high speed internet and that is not the case.

 

[PeteBull]

U can play till end of 2027(aka start of new console gen) on midrange gaming mashine from early 2021, which is rtx 3060, was 329$msrp card(still has 12gigs vram, altho is 5-10% weaker from base ps5 depending on the game in raster, however it makes up for it with rt/ai upscaling) and r5 5600x (299$ midrange 6c/12t cpu).
Dont take my word for it, check for urself how games look and run on that combo:

U got settings and fps given, proper gameplay, not some cutscene or cherrypicked scenarios.


With basically no competition from xbox, and playstation competition getting negligible 2028 onwards gaming pc is in best spot to dominate gaming, for both entry lvl and highend enjoyers.

 

[rodrigolfp]

We all know the cost of pc parts have doubled in price..

Excuse me?? Every part??

 

[bender]

 

[RoboFu]

U can play till end of 2027(aka start of new console gen on midrange gaming mashine from early 2021, which is rtx 3060, was 329$msrp card(still has 12gigs vram, altho is 5-10% weaker from base ps5 depending on the game in raster, however it makes up for it with rt/ai upscaling) and r5 5600x (299$ midrance 6c/12t cpu).

With basically no competition from xbox, and playstation competition getting negligible 2028 onwards gaming pc is in best spot to dominate gaming, for both entry lvl and highend enjoyers.

thats not the point. you will play the same games, but you wont be playing on your big , power hungry, modifiable, HUGE gpu rigs...

you will be either be on one of these..

or one of these...

 

[Braag]

PC gaming is scalable and it has always been the frontier for hardware and software advancements in gaming.

 

[Sohurmk833]

U can play till end of 2027(aka start of new console gen on midrange gaming mashine from early 2021, which is rtx 3060, was 329$msrp card(still has 12gigs vram, altho is 5-10% weaker from base ps5 depending on the game in raster, however it makes up for it with rt/ai upscaling) and r5 5600x (299$ midrance 6c/12t cpu).

With basically no competition from xbox, and playstation competition getting negligible 2028 onwards gaming pc is in best spot to dominate gaming, for both entry lvl and highend enjoyers.

You can play much longer as the games will be made with Switch 2, Xbox Series S and X and base PS5 in mind for years to come.

We'll easily see a 5 years crossgen period, probably longer. The PS6 will completely fail to reach the mass market and therefore a high enough userbase to justify exclusive software.

 

[lh032]

i thought the pc hardware sales has drop overall recently? i mean is normal, everybody is just too poor nowadays

 

[tusharngf]

My RTX 3080 can easily last another five years without any issues. I play JRPGs only.

 

[SNG32]

thats not the point. you will play the same games, but you wont be playing on your big , power hungry, modifiable, HUGE gpu rigs...

you will be either be on one of these..

or one of these...

I do all my AAA gaming on a laptop. I don't care for big rigs anyways.

 

[simpatico]

PC gaming has already proven you don't need the latest and greatest hardware to play most games that are available

Exactamundo. I used to be a PC graphics hobbyist. Covid scalping transitioned me into a cynical mid-range Facebook Marketplace PC gamer. Honestly, I have more fun now. I find whatever settings gets the game over 60fps and then I just play. Back in the day when I had the newst x80 card I'd spend a week fucking with frame timing and RTSS overlays and shit. Don't miss it and really can't imagine going back. It's a perception thing that probably doesn't effect anyone, but when I've got the newest thing I really get hung up on it being perfect. With the midrange stuff, I'm just happy it runs smooth and I never go back to the GFX settings menu.

 

[DarkShadowXI]

Portable PC gaming is definitely dead now. It was just breaking into the market, too. I'm very upset about that.

But PC gaming will still be around. I used to always buy the best graphics card, but I'm good with my 4090 for a long time. I've switched my mindset to buy tech for 5+ years now. I never used to think that way.

Potato PCs can still run a ton of games, too.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

Is this your application for GameSpot?

That being said hardware pricing is a danger to all forms of gaming.

 

[Pop]

Mainstream gaming will never work with the prices hovering around $1k for entry

People that have devices currently will enjoy it but a lot fewer will be joining in for the foreseeable future

 

[Aeqvitas]

We aren't even up to 90s prices adjusted for inflation. My dad spend over $2000 on our windows 95 gateway and it wasn't even top of the line in like 1996. Adjusted for inflation it would be like 3-4k$ for a random dell or hp today with integrated graphics.

This is the same time when console games could cost 90$ for a cart.

Technology costs are still way down overall, and everyone acting like companies won't rush to increase production with such high prices. Maybe the US will produce meaningful amount of hardware with decent jobs again

 

[DarkShadowXI]

We aren't even up to 90s prices adjusted for inflation. My dad spend over $2000 on our windows 95 gateway and it wasn't even top of the line in like 1996. Adjusted for inflation it would be like 3-4k$ for a random dell or hp today with integrated graphics.

This is the same time when console games could cost 90$ for a cart.

Technology costs are still way down overall, and everyone acting like companies won't rush to increase production with such high prices. Maybe the US will produce meaningful amount of hardware with decent jobs again

We're definitely speed running toward 90's pricing, though lol

Mainstream is going to dwindle down, but indie and AA studios will hopefully keep gaming thriving for those that love it.

 

[PeteBull]

thats not the point. you will play the same games, but you wont be playing on your big , power hungry, modifiable, HUGE gpu rigs...

you will be either be on one of these..

or one of these...

My point is- by chosing midrange(relatively cheap, below 1k$ 4sure) pc back in early 2021 u were at same lvl as both xbox and sony console users(and well above gabecube, lord have mercy over its 8gigs vram gpu and single channel 16gigs of ddr5 ).
And u had access to free online(which over 7-8years of generation can be quite an amount), much cheaper games and total controll, and u keeping that control even beyond 2028, hell u upgrade ur mashine and all ur previous old games look and run 10x better
U decide what and when to upgrade which is huge advantage vs consoles too, u are ur own master here.

 

[TintoConCasera]

2 more weeks! This time for real.

 

[RoboFu]

Portable PC gaming is definitely dead now. It was just breaking into the market, too. I'm very upset about that.

But PC gaming will still be around. I used to always buy the best graphics card, but I'm good with my 4090 for a long time. I've switched my mindset to buy tech for 5+ years now. I never used to think that way.

Potato PCs can still run a ton of games, too.

I mean even if you just read the title then posted...

PC gaming will die >>>AS WE KNOW IT. <<<<


Thats not saying PC gaming will die. it is more about how we currently and historically game on PCs.

 

[Denton]

You can buy GPU from 2018 like RTX 2080 for 150 bucks and it will play 99% of today's games perfectly fine. Tell me more about how PC gaming is at risk of dying.

 

[RoboFu]

You can buy GPU from 2018 like RTX 2080 for 150 bucks and it will play 99% of today's games perfectly fine. Tell me more about how PC gaming is at risk of dying.

Tell me more about how you didn't read the OP.

 

[StueyDuck]

I now personally im riding out my 3080 as far as it'll go and when it's no longer in play im done.

i'll just keep playing all my old games.

 

[PeteBull]

You can play much longer as the games will be made with Switch 2, Xbox Series S and X and base PS5 in mind for years to come.

We'll easily see a 5 years crossgen period, probably longer. The PS6 will completely fail to reach the mass market and therefore a high enough userbase to justify exclusive software.

Well lets not lie to ourselfs, in 2028 and beyond system requirements for games will jump a lot, both min and recommended, as an owner of pc gaming mashine u dont wanna be left in the dust by baseline ps6 specs so u will have to upgrade either sometime in 2027 or latest in 2028.
And no, gaming pc owners wont be fine with switch2 graphical fidelity nor framerate from 2027/2028 onwards

 

[Sentenza]

PC gaming currently is nowhere near to even risk any "death", but admittedly the price of entry at this moment in time is as unfavorable as it has ever been since the early '90s (when a solid PC was considered a luxury in most homes).

Which incidentally brings up the topic: given how strongly it is still going at this time even in an averse scenario, imagine how much it would have exploded in popularity if prices were normalized in the last 24 months.

 

[Zathalus]

PCs haven't doubled in price. And the 5050 build you are talking about is better than a PS5. It's certainly going to not grow over the next few years, but that will pass in time.

 

[DarkShadowXI]

I mean even if you just read the title then posted...

PC gaming will die >>>AS WE KNOW IT. <<<<


Thats not saying PC gaming will die. it is more about how we currently and historically game on PCs.

Portable PC gaming dying counts as "as we know it", fellow old man. And enthusiasts will adapt and adjust. I just told you that I don't buy the latest tech anymore lol. So yes, it's dying as I know it?

I'm also too old to read. I've been skimming words for the last 20 years!

 

[RoboFu]

I should have probably put CHANGE AS WE KNOW IT instead of the more dramatic DIE AS WE KNOW IT.

 

[Stuart360]

I mean the prices affect consoles just as much, and next gen is already going to be the lowest selling gen, probably since the 16bit gen imo.

So yeah worry more about consoles than PC. No one owns PC, and PC gamers more or less dictate what happens with PC gaming over time.

With my 4070ti already only a bit behind the rumoured power of next gen (5070-5070ti), i could easily go through next gen at 1080p or so if needed. And yes prices have gone up but its not like parts have tripled or something (even ram hasnt).

 

[Lorianus]

Nah we will just get those wacky selfmade motherboards and videocards from Aliexpress, my 5080™ thats actually a 3080 solded on by a chinaman from shenzhen.

 

[manlisten]

You can still build a great gaming PC if you aren't chasing 4K 200 FPS. Most PC players still use 1080p

 

[SNG32]

Well lets not lie to ourselfs, in 2028 and beyond system requirements for games will jump a lot, both min and recommended, as an owner of pc gaming mashine u dont wanna be left in the dust by baseline ps6 specs so u will have to upgrade either sometime in 2027 or latest in 2028.
And no, gaming pc owners wont be fine with switch2 graphical fidelity nor framerate from 2027/2028 onwards

There's pc gamers still on 1060s and 1070s right now. Enthusiast pc gamers will care about that but as long as its cross gen and they are making games for the baseline PS5 a lot won't care. Not everyone gets on PC for graphical fidelity some get on it for retro gaming and to play AA and indie games.

 

[PeteBull]

I mean even if you just read the title then posted...

PC gaming will die >>>AS WE KNOW IT. <<<<


Thats not saying PC gaming will die. it is more about how we currently and historically game on PCs.

Dunno how old u were but do u remember 90s pc gaming by any chance(i was young kid so i couldnt afford my own pc, i bought every possible pc magazine tho from when i was 10yo, monthly, to see/learn and get mesmerized by it ).
Now and even in 2028 and beyond we will be far from mid 90s times when midrange gaming pc was 2-3k usd(and back then usd had high value, for comparision psx launched at 300$ and quickly got even cheaper) yet it was totally useless and couldnt run new games 2 years after u bough it

 

[RoboFu]

Portable PC gaming dying counts as "as we know it", fellow old man. And enthusiasts will adapt and adjust. I just told you that I don't buy the latest tech anymore lol. So yes, it's dying as I know it?

I'm also too old to read. I've been skimming words for the last 20 years!

thats not an answer. like I said in the OP. the companies selling you the pc parts are affected when no one buys pc parts. That will cause some of them to drop out and others to change what they make.

If you are hoarding old parts then new parts will not be made available for retail. the next logical choice is making all in one mini pcs.

 

[owandeseis]

High end PC gaming is quite fucked, but the growth in that platform started in 2020, and then, a basic PC with a 3060 and a standar CPU was 1000€, nowadays that hasn't changed, for that price you get a 5060 and a standar CPU still, it's true tho that a year ago it was 800€ or less, but compared to 5-6 years ago, we aren't much worse in the lower end PC gaming.

If cloud gaming becomes really viable for most parts of the world then i could see PC starting to die, i think it will in a long future, but we're far from there, and for the multitask new generations who want to play, watch their streamers at the same time, etc.. then PC is the only choice for now