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[Darryl M R]

Added a quote that I think sums up what I am trying to get across, sorry for the long OP.

PC gamers don't understand the purchasing habits of the console market. Your typical console every-man is buying <6 titles a year. All at full price. All on day one. From a brick and mortar store. They don't care about shopping around, they don't care about sales, they don't care about indies, and they don't care about PC exclusives. They're not going to build their own PC. They're not going to troubleshoot or mess with settings. They don't care about mods. They're not going to research shit.

For that motherfucker, of which there are millions, there is no cost benefit to moving to PC gaming.

You're all imposing your own habits on the mass market - which is what the OP was talking about - and wondering why everyone doesn't see things the way you do. You are not the mass market.

Nevermind the irony of the same people who complain that AAA publishers either outright ignore and put no effort into PC gaming while bragging about buying their products on launch day for fractions of their full price.

Some days, you guys, some days...

I am hoping to have a conversation on why a lot of PC users mention how much PC saves them in terms of buying games when talking to primary console users that play AAA titles. I would think that this group of console players make up the majority of the userbase, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I would like to preface with the knowledge that I do not currently having a gaming PC but I'm hoping to build one in 2016; and I am truly excited to start gaming on a PC and enjoying titles I never enjoyed before. I experienced some sales on Steam through Steam for Mac users but I did not buy anything that was greatly discounted because I did not want to play those games. I also think PC gaming should be leading technology and setting the expectation for games and how communities/costumers should demand quality.

Now to my actual talking point:

I often see in threads that are posted to help the OP convince himself that he should invest in a PC that it is the cheaper option in the long-run because you "save" money because games are so cheap. I would argue that this is false for most gamers that play big AAA titles on release or close to release. This is a segment of gamers/consumers that I am speaking about, not everyone, but I think this users make up the majority of console gamers and therefore they lead/vote with their wallets on how developers and publishers act.

Unless you are purchasing from a third party website that sells games for a lower price--and from my understanding a lot of people frown on buying from them--you are still paying the initial price to purchase AAA titles at release.

(Now I will make an assumption and I am being transparent about it):

We can expect consoles gamers that come over to the PC to still play the titles they enjoyed on their console (yearly CoD, Battlefield, Witcher 3 etc.). We can also expect them to play games that are now available to them because they are on a PC (CS:GO, Dota, Arma, etc.). Now we can expect them to take advantage of steam sells to buy other games that may have not been on their radar. But how does this save them money?

Let's say a sale is going on where you can buy The Mass Effect series for $5. Well if you didn't have a PC, you would have not bought it. You decide to buy it and maybe you play it all and enjoy it, or maybe it goes into your backlog of steam games because you took advantage of a lot of sales. But you didn't save money. You spent it. You spent money that you could not have spent on a current gen console because that series was not available for you to buy and play.

Similar to how people laughed at a user who posted that they saved $200 on Black Friday by buying $200 worth of electronics. No you spent money. For a lower price. But you spent money that you would have not if it was not discounted.

Once again this argument uses the assumption that we are talking about your largest console playerbase that buys AAA at or close to release and that they would keep up their spending habits on a new platform (PC).

I would like to hear others opinion on how the term "saving" get thrown around for PC.


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.

Is there a better word/phrase we could use besides saying you "save" more in the long run when talking to an individual that states his current gaming style/buying habits?

This argument does not hold for individuals that decide not to buy games close to release.

 

[shandy706]

I got The Witcher 3 for $20 before release. Pre-loaded it.

I got NBA 2k15 for $6 near day 1. LOL



You really can save a TON on games if you know where to look.

I recently built my brother a PC for $512. It outclasses the PS4, and I guide him to new AAA deals to save him money.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Unless you are purchasing from a third party website that sells games for a lower price--and from my understanding a lot of people frown on buying from them--you are still paying the initial price to purchase AAA titles at release.

This isn't how PC gaming works. There are many authorized resellers that sell games at a discount to encourage people to shop at their store.

For example, on sites like GreenManGaming, GamersGate, Funstock, Nuuvem, GetGames, D2D, and more... You see deep discounts prior to release. And they are authorized resellers.

 

[Dinjoralo]

I mean, there's usually a way to get big releases for some kind of discount. I remember being able to preorder GTA V being around 23% off on GMG, and getting 20% off The Witcher 3 because I bought the previous two games during sales.

 

[Fat4all]

Well, buying habits aside, I could use a PC for more than just gaming. I use Vegas, Photoshop and Illustrator a lot in my work, the only other major applications games consoles provide are all media based, which is another thing a PC can do very well.

 

[Soulflarz]

This isn't how PC gaming works. There are many authorized resellers that sell games at a discount to encourage people to shop at their store.

.

Or Blade and Bullets keys with graphics cards where a gaffer sold me AC Syndicate near launch for $12

That's an authorized key.

 

[Darryl M R]

I got The Witcher 3 for $20 before release. Pre-loaded it.

I got NBA 2k15 for $6 near day 1. LOL

Was this through steam or cdkeys? I mentioned that third party sites seem to have a negative connotations. I personally do not know if the appropriate amount of money goes to the devs (not saying people care).

 

[Coreda]

The OP could be summarized. I'm not one to buy games on sale just because they're on sale, so I don't have the backlog issue some have but there are certainly enough discounts for PC games I'm interested in that I've always saved on the full price.

Recently both The Witcher 3 and MGSV were discounted at their release from various sources (the latter mostly from the plethora of Nvidia bundle keys available). There are always reliable sources available. So yes, PC games can regularly see discounts even for new releases.

 

[Daingurse]

Even buying titles at launch I still save on PC. You can usually find stuff for much cheaper than they are on console, if you know where to look. Cheaper prices can definitely lead to more impulse spending, but a deal is a deal. If I could get similar prices on console, I probably would do more impulse buying there as well.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Like every big release has a rebate of 25% ~ 35% before day 1 as a preorder if you look at gmg (and others) often.

 

[10k]

You still save money. Many AAA games launch $10-20 cheaper on day 1 on steam than at retail. They usually get discounted heavily 6 months later. I waited for the Witcher 3 to hit 50% off and got it on Steam during the autumn sale. Then you have third party sites like GMG that almost always have day one vouchers of 20% off or more.

I don't buy games for PC unless I want to play them. If a game interests me, I will buy it. I'm not one of those gamers who buys a game just because it's cheap. I do my research, I know what I want to buy, and I wait for a sale to buy it.

So you're argument that you don't actually save money because having a PC opens you up to whole new games that you never would have bought on a console is false. I'd buy them on a console too if it was my only choice. And I wouldn't buy everything I want at once unless they were all discounted heavily.

 

[Corpekata]

I mean, it's a comparative savings when people discuss these things.

Like you mention the Black Friday thing. Yeah, some people do just spend money on something they never were going to buy. But plenty also do save money on stuff they were going to purchase anyways. So it's a savings in comparison to what they could be spending. I don't think many are arguing it literally saves you money.

Also it's weird to suggest not going to third party sites when the type of dedicated fan that is likely to be talking about this sort of thing is the direct audience of those third party sites.

 

[soco]

It really depends on how many games you play, when you buy them, and how often you upgrade.

I haven't done a huge comparison recently, but back when the 360 and PS3 came out, game prices there would often take a while to come down, and the 360 was notorious for having overpriced downloads (even more expensive than retail).

I no longer buy at release, so I scoop up a lot of pc games for really cheap.

 

[Kurt Russell]

I usually buy games on release or close to, and I don't remember the last time I paid full price. When you have sites like Nuuvem (I'm from South America, I know that it's not an option for everyone) Green Man Gaming, Humble Store, Bundlestars, etc you can choose and they usually opt for pretty aggressive pricing strategies to stand out.

 

[RobNBanks]

We can expect consoles gamers that come over to the PC to still play the titles they enjoyed on their console (yearly CoD, Battlefield, Witcher 3 etc.). We can also expect them to play games that are now available to them because they are on a PC (CS:GO, Dota, Arma, etc.). Now we can expect them to take advantage of steam sells to buy other games that may have not been on their radar. But how does this save them money?

most people probably arent playing Dota + other stuff, or CS+ other stuff.

let alone the yearly multiplayer titles on top of that.

 

[Zukuu]

Well, buying habits aside, I could use a PC for more than just gaming. I use Vegas, Photoshop and Illustrator a lot in my work, the only other major applications games consoles provide are all media based, which is another thing a PC can do very well.

This

This isn't how PC gaming works. There are many authorized resellers that sell games at a discount to encourage people to shop at their store.

For example, on sites like GreenManGaming, GamersGate, Funstock, Nuuvem, GetGames, D2D, and more... You see deep discounts prior to release. And they are authorized resellers.

and this


and the fact that sales are a thing on PC - much more frequently, much higher and much faster than anything consoles ever get. I do own a PS4, but mostly for exclusives and day 1 Souls.

 

[bomblord1]

I've done the math before and it really comes out very close but in the end it's entirely dependent on your own purchasing habits even when you include the mandatory fees for Xbox Live/PSN.

For every Steam Sale there's a retail clearance rack, for every 3rd party code reseller there's a guy on ebay who got sick of the game. People seem to want to point out the extreme examples but not acknowledge there are options for console bargain hunters as well.

If you don't go to the extreme examples you are paying the same price at release from a major retailer and Steam buying the same game day 1 with few exceptions.

Really though in the end it comes down to how YOU buy games and what YOU already own or do not own.

 

[Vegito]

You save A LOT. Moving to PC was the best thing I did while a college student. Yes the initial cost broke my wallet but games are so much cheaper.

 

[shandy706]

Was this through steam or cdkeys? I mentioned that third party sites seem to have a negative connotations. I personally do not know if the appropriate amount of money goes to the devs (not saying people care).

One was legit through Steam. The other was through the Buy/Sell/Trade thread here.

It's all about being savvy and knowing where to go and when.

I almost never use 3rd party sites.

I buy console games too though, and my PC's GPU cost more than a PS4/X1 combined. Heh

 

[Maximo]

Still haven't played MGS5 because its too expensive, PC gaming is a big investment early on but it quickly evens out if your smart during sales and only buy games you actually want to play. Besides the random free games Steam gives you I have played every game I have bought because I don't mindlessly buy cheap games.

 

[TheSpoiler]

I mean, yes and no?

It's purely dependent on the person. If I buy a certain segment and use GMG deals AND Steam Sales that pop up afterwards because I'm a patient person, then I'm saving money.

If I wanna buy day one and my game isn't covered by GMG's deals or Steam doesn't have a sale, then I'm usually paying 60 for the next gen sales tax, or 50 for most games on release.

You could make an argument that some people who move over to PC spend more overall due to the awesome steam sales that get tossed around, but then we start getting really finite, which is where this discussion needs to head anyway.

This will instead be a PC/Console Master Race topic where people fight back and forth.

 

[10k]

An example for me would be:

Most PC games now launch at $79.99 CAD but The Witcher 3 launched at $59.99 day one on the Canadian steam store. That's $20 cheaper on day one. Tales of Zestiria was $54.99 instead of $79.99 for PS4.

 

[EdwardTeach]

Pc AAA prices are creeping up but they are still consistently cheaper than console. By shopping around (not even necessarily key sellers) you can consistently find games below rrp before release. Despite the money you might "waste" in steam sales I think the annual spend for a PC gamer will be far lower.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

I mean I get your point but if you add any console to your library that's going to increase spending too. It's the basic logic you put in the OP. You're buying these things because you have the system to play them on now. If you had no systems, you'd buy no games. I think it's pretty obvious that users are going to buy games for platforms they own.

For what it's worth however, I do tend to actually spend less. I pass up a number of console AAA games now since I'm often busy playing something else anyway, usually something I grabbed cheaper since I tend to pounce on what I'm after only when it goes on sale. I'm also very picky about pricing when buying console games too now though.

The biggest difference is that with £120 I could go pick up 3 console games, if I'm lucky to be picking ones that you can get for that price, but on Steam that £120 can go a lot further, you have more choice, and should you buy the exact same games you were on console they're often priced around the same area as the cheapest option for console. Although this wasn't the case just a couple years ago, the price of AAA releases at launch has been rising on Steam where it was standard to be £29.99 not so long ago, rather than the new standard of £39.99 with some of the larger titles asking for sometimes £59.99. The idea of saving money on PC held more weight a couple years ago for the UK at least, I don't know if prices ever went up in the US.

 

[Darryl M R]

This isn't how PC gaming works. There are many authorized resellers that sell games at a discount to encourage people to shop at their store.

For example, on sites like GreenManGaming, GamersGate, Funstock, Nuuvem, GetGames, D2D, and more... You see deep discounts prior to release. And they are authorized resellers.

One was legit through Steam. The other was through the Buy/Sell/Trade thread here.

It's all about being savvy and knowing where to go and when.

I almost never use 3rd party sites.

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

An example for me would be:

Most PC games now launch at $79.99 CAD but The Witcher 3 launched at $59.99 day one on the Canadian steam store. That's $20 cheaper on day one. Tales of Zestiria was $54.99 instead of $79.99 for PS4.

Don't forget that we can get $59.99 or less at CAD for ANY AAA release thanks to GMG.

 

[Lockjaw333]

I got The Witcher 3 for $20 before release. Pre-loaded it.

I got NBA 2k15 for $6 near day 1. LOL

Yeah, but most likely from gray market key sites. Which is exactly what the OP is referring to.

Not making a judgement either way, but he is right in that if you want to buy "legit" copies of AAA titles close to release, you are paying at or near full price just like on consoles.

There is also a lot of extra spending on the PC side that doesn't get mentioned all of the time. You'll see how you can build a "console-killer" PC for $400, but that doesn't include a display device, input devices (mouse/kb and controller), or a genuine copy of Windows.

The majority of PC gamers on a site like GAF are also spending on upgrades here and there over time. A new SSD here, new mechanical keyboard here, upgrade the GPU after a few years, etc. Direct price comparison to a console doesn't really mean that much on the surface at initial build.

PC gaming is definitely more expensive, and I'm a PC gamer at the core. I also own an Xbone and PS4, and I appreciate what each platform has to offer. I grew up a PC gamer and have built several sytems over the years (now in my 30s). I can definitively say that, even with being able to grab some games off gray market sites for cheap (which I only recently started doing the last few years), PC gaming is definitely the more expensive platform.

 

[tcrunch]

I remember how this works from the last time I bought big AAA PC game OP.

Exhibit A:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=813562

Exhibit B:
Key resellers

 

[Corpekata]

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

Most games register to Steam, save for ones published by EA and Ubisoft, who have their own stores (and EA doesn't publish on Steam anymore period).

 

[213372bu]

On release you can normally see games that are $10 off, and if you go looking, a $15-25 off release price depending on if you have certain games etc.

Additionally, if you are able to wait a quarter/half a year you'll likely see those games drop extremely in price.

The best part about PC gaming though is the scaling of sale prices.

A year after TR:definitive came out, it was only $5 on a steam sale. A year and a half after SR 3 was out, you could snag the game and all the DLC up to that point for $20.

I'm assuming you're new to PC gaming in general, and not just having a gamer rig.

Some of the best games of last gen I got $30 and under less than a year and a few months after they released.

 

[Dictator93]

I think the OP's title is a rather inflammatory statement given the questioning content of the actual OP itself.

This argument does not hold for individuals that decide not to buy games close to release.

As pointed out in the thread, it does hold actually.

 

[Skunkers]

Let's say a sale is going on where you can buy The Mass Effect series for $5. Well if you didn't have a PC, you would have not bought it. You decide to buy it and maybe you play it all and enjoy it, or maybe it goes into your backlog of steam games because you took advantage of a lot of sales. But you didn't save money. You spent it. You spent money that you could not have spent on a current gen console because that series was not available for you to buy and play

Is there a better word/phrase we could use besides saying you "save" more in the long run when talking to an individual that states his current gaming style/buying habits?

Can't say I agree, that seems like a spin, since in this scenario my thinking would be that my PC can play the last gen game right along with current gen games whereas I would need two consoles to do the same thing. And as a side benefit it plays those old titles with far, far enhanced graphics and frame rates.

To your second paragraph, no; because the entire meaning of "save" in the cost comparison approach ALWAYS implies that you will do one or the other. If you do neither you defacto cannot save anything because you did not spend anything. X times zero is always zero. That's just math and English and it goes for everything, not just games.

 

[v1perz53]

Well obviously if you buy something on sale that you wouldn't have bought otherwise you aren't saving money, does that even need to be said? What you fail to look at is people who would buy a game no matter what, but wait for it to go on sale on PC before buying. They were like "I will buy Mass Effect Trilogy at some point" and get it for $5 on PC, whereas the best they could've done on consoles was maybe $15-20. And that adds up, and is where the real "PC gaming saves money" argument should come from.

Plus, you have to consider someone who buys a $5 steam sale game and now is occupied, meaning they don't need to buy the next $60 new release because they already have something to play.

 

[FriedConsole]

If you are into AAA games, you aren't going to save money. When the Steam sale hits the used price of games is about the same and then you can sell it for some of your money back.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

No. They're either selling Steam keys, uPlay keys, Origin keys, or DRM free copies.

The only people who will solely buy on Steam are the collectors obsessed with +1s on their library number.

If you are into AAA games, you aren't going to save money. When the Steam sale hits the used price of games is about the same and then you can sell it for some of your money back.

???

You are ABSOLUTELY going to save money if you are into AAA games on PC.

 

[shandy706]

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

You can add most games to Steam launch. Many sites sell Steam keys. There is ton of help here on Gaf if u need it.

 

[Darryl M R]

A lot of great posts, and I'm trying to respond to some that include multiple thoughts people included.


If a lot of people agree that "well it depends on spending habits" then would outright saying "you save more on PC." Be false. I think this statement is too absolute to be such a forerunner for PC gaming argument.

Can't say I agree, that seems like a spin, since in this scenario my thinking would be that my PC can play the last gen game right along with current gen games whereas I would need two consoles to do the same thing. And as a side benefit it plays those old titles with far, far enhanced graphics and frame rates.

To your second paragraph, no; because the entire meaning of "save" in the cost comparison approach ALWAYS implies that you will do one or the other. If you do neither you defacto cannot save anything because you did not spend anything. X times zero is always zero. That's just math and English and it goes for everything, not just games.

To your second point, how it the act of doing nothing not considered saving? Just in real life, a person can save up for retirement by not spending money or doing anything else. Cost comparison between buying a game, buying a game on sale, or not buying a game at all.

 

[Gattsu25]

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

You can add non-steam games to steam.

I use it to launch Microsoft Word as a joke.

Gattsu25 is now playing Microsoft Word 2016.​

 

[Nyoro SF]

The amount of money I've saved is ridiculous though, even on day one titles...

And the one hidden saving tactic is refunds. Since refunds were introduced I have "saved money" in a few situations where I would be out of luck.

A lot of great posts, and I'm trying to respond to some that include multiple thoughts people included.

If a lot of people agree that "well it depends on spending habits" then would outright saying "you save more on PC." Be false. I think this statement is too absolute to be such a forerunner for PC gaming argument.

Well, if spending habits on both platforms were equal... then there's no way you aren't saving money on PC, unless you are very deliberately cheating yourself somehow by not taking the time to look for deals. Whether you're a reckless spender or a careful spender (I mostly am on the careful side), I can't see how you don't save money.

 

[Cyrano]

It's dependent on spending habits but a PC also has other uses so its marginal utility is considerably higher.

 

[littlebigman]

PC gaming can be cheaper if you know how to shop smart, but the lack of standardization is what keeps turning me away. Everyone I know who games on PC seems to spend more time trying to get games to run on their rig than, y'know, actually playing them. Besides, a lot of the games I'm interested in simply aren't on PC (Uncharted, most of Halo, anything Nintendo, etc) and PC exclusives tend to be technical sims and RTSs which I've never cared for.

 

[Felix Lighter]

You have the opportunity to save. It's up to your own self restraint to decide whether you want to use the opportunity to actually save or use the opportunity to buy more games.

 

[Flandy]

Are there any disadvantages to not use steam and go to third party? I think PC gives the consumer the option of choice, but would someone value the steam eco-system more? Or can all games be within steam even if you do not buy it from there?

Most keys sold on GMG and other authorized 3rd party sellers will sell you a steam key.

 

[Gattsu25]

And the one hidden saving tactic is refunds. Since refunds were introduced I have "saved money" in a few situations where I would be out of luck.

Don't take this the wrong way but get the hell outta here with that.

Again, I mean no offense.

Edit: I hate to break chronological order of quotes (this quote I'm adding is from a few posts down) but wanted to tackle this right away:

I am not sure if he is implying that, or if he rather means, he is refunding games he would usually feel bad about having bought after the fact and be sitting with a certain sunk cost on console.

If this is what you were talking about, Nyoro SF, then I am entirely out of line and I genuinely apologize for thinking the worst and responding out of turn. My bad

 

[family_guy]

I bought Witcher 3 at launch for $18 and Batman Arkham Knight (season pass included) for $34, so I did save money. It's irrelevant if I took that saved money and invested it in more games.

 

[Arthea]

it depends, if you buy games day one without researching better options and just buy, you don't save anything on games, if you have no self control you spend much more, consoles don't have so many games and so many ways to spend money by spending a little but it all adds up to piles of money.

Now if you do some work by finding cheaper options and better prerelease or day one discounts, you might save some, you surely can save a lot by being patient and not buying day one, but that's not for everybody.

as for hardware, of course you spend more, unless you stick with low end PC, but then why do PC gaming at all if you stick with that?


as for buying habits, steam surely changes them for most people, but if you stick to your guns and buy only what you immediately will play (lol) and as I said earlier you search for better prices you probably will save some on games, but also you most likely end up just buying more games like everybody else.
PC is not good for saving, but for diversity and accessibility, not to mention billions of indies and all that fun.

 

[SparkTR]

Plenty of AAA titles are available for cheap in sites like GMG. I remember I pre-ordered stuff like Batman, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Metro Last Light over the years for $35-$40 when they cost $100 on console where I live.

 

[Coreda]

Yeah, but most likely from gray market key sites. Which is exactly what the OP is referring to.

Authorized key resellers, GPU bundled keys (see: Batman, Witcher 3, MGSV), unwanted digital codes for sale, price mistakes, etc. There are enough places to find discounts if you pay attention.

 

[Dictator93]

Don't take this the wrong way but get the hell outta here with that.

Again, I mean no offense.

I am not sure if he is implying that, or if he rather means, he is refunding games he would usually feel bad about having bought after the fact and be sitting with a certain sunk cost on console.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

Pretty good sales on console games too and you can trade the games in or sell them or rent. You have too look at all the options. I do really like steam's new refund policy but it doesn't work if you buy from key resellers. The lowest price pc I would build would be around $600 (I pay for the os) so we're talking 2x the price of a ps4.