Where's the option for "
Seriously considering a Steam Machine 2.0 if they're available by next-gen"?
Because that's where I'm leaning, personally. Well, that and a Switch 2 (which I'd get first...stock will probably be hell first year tho and I am too busy to micromanage preorder drops or stock drops in launch period). Mind, it's not
just the PS+ price increase in a vacuum; it's the fact there's an increase with no new value added to justify the increase. It's all the other price increases over the years. It's them having ported so many games to PC this gen including all the GAAS where online multiplayer is free. It's the decreasing number of exclusives both 1P & 3P-wise. It's the bad customer service and shoddy-ish refund policy. It's the realization Insomniac are basically "stuck" on Marvel content until 2030 (assuming nothing happens to the planned R&C). It's SIE's bad mismanagement of several studios resulting in Bluepoint somehow getting stuck on a GOW GAAS that's now cancelled and setting Bluepoint back in having a new game this gen as a result.
It's a whole lot of causes, but I mentioned Steam Machines for a reason. I could just say "PC" but Windows is on some bullshit these days and just has a lot of unnecessary bloat. Valve's also several steps ahead of Microsoft in terms of console-fying PC gaming, so from a practical customer POV going with a Steam Machine (or if for whatever reason they aren't there, a Steam Deck 2...tho hopefully it's competitive in specs) just seems like a no-brainer option, unless Microsoft can
REALLY impress with their (real) Xbox PC hybrid plans (not this Xbox ASUS stuff, which I have zero interest in even tho I like ASUS as a hardware maker).
If SIE could reverse course on some things, like cutting back on some of the GAAS and pushing genuine exclusives again (with a greater variety of Western & Japanese/Asian games plus AAA & AA), then some of the issues I mentioned earlier could be tolerated. But if they don't, and I don't have FOMO, then putting up with all of that (or worst) just to play 1P games 12 months ahead of a PC port just isn't enough of a motivation.
That's why I would still consider a Switch 2: even if Nintendo's kind of stupid for some of their games pricing (and some aspects of messaging for the system are just borked), they've still got a lot of strong 1P exclusives I'd like to play and seemingly will have some surprising 3P exclusives (full & timed) as well like Duskbloods. Sure I could buy the games and play them in an eventual emulator on PC, but I'd rather play on real hardware and not deal with software emulation errors, emulation bugs, or missing features.
In case the price increases in the US, I'm definitely keeping an eye out for black friday sales. As it is $80 is too much.
Only a valid strat if you aren't already subbed.
. Last year I opted out after the increase, this is now just becoming a joke.
