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[DocSeuss]

It's not that they make more money per unit on PC - it's that they receive a larger percentage of gross on digital. That's a very subtle, but important difference.

Because if you're comparing a $60 console title to its $60 PC counterpart (or even $50), the percentages favor PC revenue. But when you start comparing $40, $30, $20 PC counterparts to their still $60-$50 console ones, then the percentages don't necessarily work out. 35%-30% of $60 is still better than 60% of $25.

And with the vast majority of console sales coming in the launch window (with the game at full price) and the vast majority of PC sales coming after the game is below $20, it becomes even less clear and distinguishable.

Lifetime sales and revenue of multi-plat AAA still generally favor console outside of notable exceptions like Skyrim.

It's 45%, by the by, and while you are correct that 45% of $60 is better than 60% of $25, there's a lot to be said for a game's long-tail sales. Developers are starting to realize that longer-lived games are a sight better than fire and forget games, especially as games transition into services.

The cost of running games-as-a-service is much higher on consoles than it is on PC, plus the PC market is more amenable to such arrangements.

There's a reason the biggest moneymakers in video gaming are almost entirely PC exclusives (TF2 has a console port, obviously).

 

[alexandros]

I think the OP is right. If you actively don't want to save money and you don't actually play any games then PC gaming is a pretty bad deal.

 

[texhnolyze]

Thank you for enlightening my idea. I look forward to seeing the sales of these two side by side and its life time sales.

Unfortunately we won't be able to see that.
Does it matter anyway, though? Games getting good sales are always a good news to read, right? Is it important for us, the gamers, to know which platform do better?

 

[Kenai]

I provided my own anecdote feel free to provide your own or statistics. Fact of the matter is, accessibility is everything. You make something harder for a consumer to utilize, they'll be less inclined to it. I'm not really discussing value, I'm discussing mere consumer thought patterns and how they react to certain products.

It's true, people do pay for convenience. One of the biggest appeals of consoles is that they work out of the box on the games they want to play with little fuss. The extra online fees don't matter and neither do the PC's higher specs, cause there's that much less hassle involved.

I love my PC and it's by far my most played device, but I am big on BC and PC has that in spades. My Steam, GMG and other library titles transfer as I get a new PC, and I like to replay a lot of stuff. A lot of casual fans aren't gonna care about BC or aren't gonna care about max settings, or KB/M support or any of that. Mobile is popular for the same reason (and also cause those games are really cheap/free a lot of times).

I also use my PC for a lot more than gaming and plain net surfing, but consoles have a lot of basic streaming options now so eh.

 

[tuxfool]

So digital sales aren't 20% or 30% but 10%. I'm curious where you received that percentage from. I don't doubt that more money is made from PC per unit. That I believe is very true.

There was a Gamestop shareholder conference, and previous statements by EA that corroborate this figure (as ballpark) or in the region of 10%, It isn't exact. Lets say above 10% but well below 20%.

 

[Fachasaurus]

Okay I will admit to the hyperbole in my post. However the truth is I stopped playing games for a while because real life took precedent but now that I have free time I really dont want to sit in menus or benchmark mode for that long. I just want to sit back and play.

I know Arkham Knight was a garbage port but its something I wanted to play on my list and I had it for PC. I guess I am just frustrated with it since im playing it at 30 FPS locked with issues even still on some pretty OP hardware. Just salty I guess.

 

[SarusGray]

It's 45%, by the by, and while you are correct that 45% of $60 is better than 60% of $25, there's a lot to be said for a game's long-tail sales. Developers are starting to realize that longer-lived games are a sight better than fire and forget games, especially as games transition into services.

The cost of running games-as-a-service is much higher on consoles than it is on PC, plus the PC market is more amenable to such arrangements.

There's a reason the biggest moneymakers in video gaming are almost entirely PC exclusives (TF2 has a console port, obviously).

I always pondered how a console release on the PSN store or XBOX live store fades to obscurity while PC retains these titles and sells them long after release. What is it that steam has versus consoles that allows this?

Unfortunately we won't be able to see that.
Does it matter anyway, though? Games getting good sales are always a good news to read, right? Is it important for us, the gamers, to know which platform do better?

I appreciate them but I'm soley interested in comparing the two for my own pleasure to study and examine the market.

 

[Moon_frogger]

So your logic is 'can't spend money if there's nothing to spend it on!'. Brilliant.

PC gaming is still a better value. Sure If you don't buy any games you'll save lots of money! But what's the point of being a gamer if you aren't buying games?

 

[mbmonk]

Okay I will admit to the hyperbole in my post. However the truth is I stopped playing games for a while because real life took precedent but now that I have free time I really dont want to sit in menus or benchmark mode for that long. I just want to sit back and play.

I know Arkham Knight was a garbage port but its something I wanted to play on my list and I had it for PC. I guess I am just frustrated with it since im playing it at 30 FPS locked with issues even still on some pretty OP hardware. Just salty I guess.

Garbage ports makes most people salty

 

[SarusGray]

It's true, people do pay for convenience. One of the biggest appeals of consoles is that they work out of the box on the games they want to play with little fuss. The extra online fees don't matter and neither do the PC's higher specs, cause there's that much less hassle involved.

I love my PC and it's by far my most played device, but I am big on BC and PC has that in spades. My Steam, GMG and other library titles transfer as I get a new PC, and I like to replay a lot of stuff. A lot of casual fans aren't gonna care about BC or aren't gonna care about max settings, or KB/M support or any of that. Mobile is popular for the same reason (and also cause those games are really cheap/free a lot of times).

I also use my PC for a lot more than gaming and plain net surfing, but consoles have a lot of basic streaming options now so eh.

It's funny that consoles are trying to be more like PC's. You really can't replace a PC with a console. Sony realized to focus on gaming specifically is key, same for MS. We're gamers.

There was a Gamestop shareholder conference, and previous statements by EA that corroborate this figure (as ballpark) or in the region of 10%, It isn't exact. Lets say above 10% but well below 20%.

Interesting, care to provide a link? I'd be very interested to see how they acquired this data because if true that is truly a poor number.

 

[Steel]

So digital sales aren't 20% or 30% but 10%. I'm curious where you received that percentage from. I don't doubt that more money is made from PC per unit. That I believe is very true.

There was a Gamestop shareholder conference, and previous statements by EA that corroborate this figure (as ballpark) or in the region of 10%, It isn't exact. Lets say above 10% but well below 20%.

That's what I remembered it from, yes.

 

[texhnolyze]

I appreciate them but I'm soley interested in comparing the two for my own pleasure to study and examine the market.

I for one don't appreciate them, I only see sales numbers as the toxic part of gaming community. It only serves as the fuel for console wars posts(perhaps now it's platform wars as PC is also coming from behind). I've had enough of console wars since I was a little Playstation kid.

 

[SarusGray]

I for one don't appreciate them, I only see sales numbers as the toxic part of gaming community. It only serves as the fuel for console wars posts(perhaps now it's platform wars as PC is also coming from behind). I've had enough of console wars since I was a little Playstation kid.

I don't look at them in that regard. I look at them as how to improve the climate. If PC sales are low how do we increase them. If digital sales are low on consoles how do we improve them? I've always been fascinated with numbers and data. I understand others don't look at them the same way and don't understand the contrast error that occurs.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Just got this new PC gaming rig, fun to play new games at 4K on it.

But you know what I like better than materialistic things?

Backlogs!!! In fact, I'm much more proud of the 500 games that I have in my backlog.

It's like the Great SteamGAf said, the more you collect the more you save!!!

 

[alexandros]

PC gamers don't understand the purchasing habits of the console market.

Most of us are well aware of the purchasing habits of the console market. It is those habits that have led to the tragic death of the AA console market.

 

[ScatheZombie]

I always pondered how a console release on the PSN store or XBOX live store fades to obscurity while PC retains these titles and sells them long after release. What is it that steam has versus consoles that allows this?

Steam sales act as a double catalyst for continued sales. Not only do they effectively continue to market the product by highlighting specific game sales, but they also put game prices so cheap they fall well into impulse purchase territory.

And that's compounded by Steam's wider globalization than PSN or XBL, pushing into countries (and currencies) that are under-served (or overpriced) by consoles.

 

[SarusGray]

Most of us are well aware of the purchasing habits of the console market. It is those habits that have led to the tragic death of the AA console market.

Care to clarify on that last comment?

Steam sales act as a double catalyst for continued sales. Not only do they effectively continue to market the product by highlighting specific game sales, but they also put game prices so cheap they fall well into impulse purchase territory.

And that's compounded by Steam's wider globalization than PSN or XBL, pushing into countries (and currencies) that are under-served (or overpriced) by consoles.

I've learned from just watching the store page how they market to consumers also. Shooters, shooters everywhere. I wonder how (steam) they effectively reach through all of their gaming catalog which I am aware of is massive to market games and help them continuously deliver great sales units. It would be great for publishers and developers if Sony and MS utilized this but I'm also very well aware of the chance of stores such as Gamestop or Bestbuy which sells these physical formatted games at a price that benefits them and also developers and publishers closing. I wish there were more representation in console online stores like there are on Steam stores. I don't remember a time a game was effectively advertised that wasn't a shooter on PSN store.

 

[alexandros]

Care to clarify on that last comment?

Certainly.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-03-cliffy-b-the-middle-class-game-is-dead

 

[tuxfool]

Interesting, care to provide a link? I'd be very interested to see how they acquired this data because if true that is truly a poor number.

Witcher 3: 25% of total sales http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1116442 (Keep in mind this is a major PC franchise)
Ubisoft in 2014 on PS4/XB1: 10% http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=852745
EA in 2014 on PS4/XB1: 10-15% http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=860335
EA 2015 with Battlefield Hardline PS4/XB1 (similar game to Halo): 20% http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1041340

I've talked to people in the industry who have said week one can be a bit higher (30% being quite generous, as that's usually only a day 1 type of figure), but not much higher.

taken from this thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1133453
lol.

 

[Atomski]

I've saved a ton being a pc game, usually won't buy a AAA game unless it's around 45 bucks or lower at release.

That said I typically just wait though. I don't support the horrible spending habits of console gamers. I also only buy multiplayer games I know will have long legs. Which means most AAA multiplayer games are a no go.

 

[DocSeuss]

I always pondered how a console release on the PSN store or XBOX live store fades to obscurity while PC retains these titles and sells them long after release. What is it that steam has versus consoles that allows this?




I appreciate them but I'm soley interested in comparing the two for my own pleasure to study and examine the market.

Fanbase tends to talk about older games longer; lots of time is spent doing things like modding and tweaking, so a game can pop back up on the radar (hi, KOTOR 2!) because of various fan patches and stuff. Plus, stores like steam have better storefronts in terms of reminding people of games, good daily deal cycles, etc.

 

[SarusGray]

taken from this thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1133453
lol.

I'm kind of boggled by this. What would occur if those platforms were available only digitally? Priced fairly when available digitally? A lot of questions I have but I'll leave them on the backburner. As this shows though, more revenue is earned from selling it DD on their own website rather than retail. retail still remains as a mass consumer thing and although I'd somewhat like to abandon it, it serves its uses.

Certainly.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-03-cliffy-b-the-middle-class-game-is-dead

Doesn't really answer a lot of the questions I have but it will suffice.

 

[DocSeuss]

I'm kind of boggled by this. What would occur if those platforms were available only digitally? Priced fairly when available digitally? A lot of questions I have but I'll leave them on the backburner.



Doesn't really answer a lot of the questions I have but it will suffice.

It is likely that they would be more like PC, where the percentage of digital to retail is more like 90/10. Overall, gaming would probably be down somewhat.

 

[patapuf]

If we go by "average consumer" PC gaming is still cheaper because the average PC gamer - doesn't - play as many 60$ console games a console gamer does, if at all.

 

[SarusGray]

It is likely that they would be more like PC, where the percentage of digital to retail is more like 90/10. Overall, gaming would probably be down somewhat.

Thanks everyone for the data and input you provided. I feel gaming has reached a strange place regarding sale strategies. Retail clearly isn't as effective as DD but consumers prefer retail. Even a small number purchasing DD can have a great affect versus a large portion buying retail.

How can console utilize this to help developers receive more $$$ like its PC counter parts which is great for receiving the direct $$$ without effectively crashing places like gamestop or Best buy? Oh I think I've rambled off too much I'm gonna just thank you all for the lovely discussion and have some tea.

 

[Yudoken]

I think the OP is right. If you actively don't want to save money and you don't actually play any games then PC gaming is a pretty bad deal.

We'll, maybe OP didn't know but you can do much more on PC then gaming.
MUCH MORE.

Spoiler

This thread is just hard to read, people who don't know anything at all try to talk smart.

 

[SarusGray]

Spoiler

This thread is just hard to read, people who don't know anything at all try to talk smart.

You should point out who they are rather so they can explain their point to you if you really do care. I think a healthy discussion took place that left me with some valuable knowledge without bickering or fighting. I'll gladly take that any day.

 

[biglittleps]

Console has wide Retail market so gamers can buy/sell or rent them for cheap (which many of my friends are doing for a cost of 10-20%), but PC is mostly digital market so you cannot sell those once you bought it and its good only if you bought them for 70-80% discount. Average consumer saves a lot in console due to retail market and can play games day one for cheap without any hassles of PC settings (every game needs driver update these days and if the port is bad then he has to struggle even more). PC is not mass market especially for AAA games which is the reason why CD Project made Witcher 3 multiplatform as they cannot make that game by selling to PC gamers alone.

 

[StevieP]

Console has wide Retail market so gamers can buy/sell or rent them for cheap (which many of my friends are doing for a cost of 10-20%), but PC is mostly digital market so you cannot sell those once you bought it and its good only if you bought them for 70-80% discount. Average consumer saves a lot in console due to retail market and can play games day one for cheap without any hassles of PC settings (every game needs driver update these days and if the port is bad then he has to struggle even more). PC is not mass market especially for AAA games which is the reason why CD Project made Witcher 3 multiplatform as they cannot make that game by selling to PC gamers alone.

Why do PC-insulting threads always seem to contain posts from the previous decade?

I haven't updated my driver since summer and all of the newest games seem to run fine. There is almost no scenario when gaming on PC isn't cheaper either.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Except for the fact that Most AAA publishers make *more* money on a per unit basis on PC sales than they do on console sales.

There was that massive salt filled thread a while ago, where people couldn't believe the Ubisoft published numbers confirming this.

What thread was that? I can't seem to remember Ubisoft saying anything like that.

 

[Undead]

I'm kind of boggled by this. What would occur if those platforms were available only digitally? Priced fairly when available digitally? A lot of questions I have but I'll leave them on the backburner. As this shows though, more revenue is earned from selling it DD on their own website rather than retail. retail still remains as a mass consumer thing and although I'd somewhat like to abandon it, it serves its uses.

.

Can't really abandon retail when majority of people still have shitty internet and/or caps to deal with.
Retailers have already bitched about it not being fair if digital games were cheaper and until the internet situation is dealt with, fair digital pricing for console games won't exist because until that point, retailers are the only way to sell to the masses

 

[Dictator93]

What thread was that? I can't seem to remember Ubisoft saying anything like that.

Tuxfool linked it I believe in the post above on this page of the thread.

taken from this thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1133453
lol.

edit> wait, maybe not that thread.

SEARCHING

 

[tuxfool]

What thread was that? I can't seem to remember Ubisoft saying anything like that.

I can't find it, it was months and months ago. But as somebody corrected me, it is higher gross revenue.

So my statement still holds true at launch, less so as time goes by.

 

[TemplaerDude]

I just don't buy games at release, I don't see a point in blowing 70 CDN when I'll probably be able to get any game at at least 50 percent off somewhere within 6 months.

I don't expect most other people to have that kind of patience, though. I certainly didn't when I was younger.

 

[CecilRousso]

I just don't buy games at release, I don't see a point in blowing 70 CDN when I'll probably be able to get any game at at least 50 percent off somewhere within 6 months.

I don't expect most other people to have that kind of patience, though. I certainly didn't when I was younger.

The point is that getting what you want when you want it, is a price factor that shouldn't be underestimated. And that's not neccesarly a question about patience, but getting the best experience.

 

[gunslikewhoa]

From what I can gather after reading the first couple of pages, OP just wants to have a philosophical debate on what it really means to save money. I'm using the term philosophical pretty loosely here as OP is really doing nothing more than arguing semantics. Anyway, using video games as an example for the purposes of this debate doesn't make this debate about video games at all.

 

[bede-x]

TL;DR: Do you really save money by switching to PC when your spending habits change to accommodate for buying more games on (steam) sale but you also still buying AAA titles on release.

There's no single answer to that. It depends on how much you spend on your system, how many games you buy and where you buy from.

In my case I'm spending roughly the same. In the last generation I used to buy about 50 games a year, most on Xbox 360 + I had Live Gold. This time around I'm spending that money on PC gaming which gives me 200+ games a year and enough set aside to upgrade my hardware every once in a while. I'm spending the same, but getting far more and a better experience, and while many of the games are indie titles bought in bundles, I'm still buying more AAA games than I used to. An AAA PC game cost roughly half at release of what the same game would cost on console here in Denmark and I don't have to pay to play online.

Works out really well in my case.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

The deals that we search for are not really accessible to the average human being which is why I bring up the accessibility point. of course people love deals, everyone love deals, but the deals we find are probably not as apparent to the general consumer since even on Black Friday, people believe the best deals exist on those days when in reality its a blanket and veil.

I understand, but it is still a weird stance. If an advantage is not an advantage anymore because people don't know about it, wouldn't informing people who ask about it a legitimate course of action? Not to mention the kind of people who make a thread to ask people about the advantage of PC gaming - an example laid out by the OP - is hardly what I'd call a "general consumer".

Besides, that's only one half of OP's argument. The other is "it's not saving money when you are buying more of the cheaper stuff," which is again technically true but feels like a "people die when they're killed" kind of statement.

 

[DXLelouch153]

millions are wasting money by not using sales
news at 11

 

[alexandros]

Why do PC-insulting threads always seem to contain posts from the previous decade?

It's likely that some of these posters don't know anything about PC gaming and are just regurgitating ancient sterotypes that haven't been true in decades.

 

[Acinixys]

Battlefront on PS4/Xbox: R999 ($65)

Battlefront on PC: R499 ($32)

The choice is easy for me

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Most of us are well aware of the purchasing habits of the console market. It is those habits that have led to the tragic death of the AA console market.

That's in no way specific to the console market though.

 

[pislit]

I provided my own anecdote feel free to provide your own or statistics. Fact of the matter is, accessibility is everything. You make something harder for a consumer to utilize, they'll be less inclined to it. I'm not really discussing value, I'm discussing mere consumer thought patterns and how they react to certain products.

I didn't know we moved that goalpost farther than it already is.

 

[Atraveller]

I looked at game price comparisons, and for the life of me I don't understand how one doesn't save money playing on PC.

 

[Drkirby]

I looked at game price comparisons, and for the life of me I don't understand how one doesn't save money playing on PC.

The only way I could see it happening is if you factor in the ability to resell old games on consoles.

 

[kavanf1]

To me the overall costs boil down to how much software you are likely to purchase over the life cycle of a console. If you buy one game a year, then obviously console gaming works out cheaper. However if you buy 30 games a year (plus subscription for online play), then over the course of 7-8 years, PC gaming can actually work out cheaper.

(Though admittedly that doesn't factor selling console games second hand, which is a clear benefit.)

 

[LilJoka]

Sorry but thats just poor money management.
If i was to buy 5 AAA games at £40 a year, thats £200.

Now you might still have £200 budget on PC, you can get maybe 10 games, half of which are AAA. You wouldnt save any money here.

But if you just bought the 5 AAA games per usual you may save a lot. So its down to the individual if they want to save money or not.

If you spent £700 on a PC, you might not have £200, maybe only £100 to spend, but now you can still buy your 5 AAA games and play at 1080p60, you didnt save much in the first year because of initial investment, but its still budgetting.

Then your not paying an online fee, so theres more to save if so you choose too. Cant blame others for your spending habbits.

You can save money in the long run, its your choice.

 

[Pranay]

The only way I could see it happening is if you factor in the ability to resell old games on consoles.

Consoles are cheap especially during these month, 299$ with a game free.

Also having the ability to resell games is great, and if people can wait for few months games are cheap on retail stores and in 6 months games are generally cheap on psn store as well.


If people are looking for deals and know how they want to buy stuff then console gaming is really cheap.

 

[Atraveller]

The only way I could see it happening is if you factor in the ability to resell old games on consoles.

But is the resell price typically higher than PC sale price?

Even if one bought the game at launch and then immediately sells it when the game's beaten, I doubt the money is going to make up for the usual launch price disparity between consoles and PC.

 

[Pranay]

But is the resell price typically higher than PC sale price?

Even if one bought the game at launch and then immediately sells it when the game's beaten, I doubt the money is going to make up for the usual price disparity between consoles and PC.

I generally buy games day 1 @ 60$ and sell them @ 50$ (in rupees) when I finish off the game within a week

Also there are many deals on console games if you look for them