this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2024
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I agree with the rest, and here's a few more:
All in all, it's a way better experience for me, though it is a bit more complicated. It's hard to beat "plug and play" like with a console.
If you buy DRM free games. you effectively "own" them not in a legal sense, but in a practical sense.
Sure, and that's only mostly true if you back them up.
That said, I can't sell a DRM free game, so I don't really own it like I do with physical media.
Nothing's stopping you from copying the game onto a flashdrive and selling it to a friend
What are you talking about selling it? We share our games with friends.
Before online DRM, we used to buy games once among friends, dividing the cost, and then share them. At first, everyone got the disc for a few days each, but then we figured out how to remove the copy protection...
So you're going to put your USB stick on eBay? Because that's what I do with old console games
Technically not but you still only own a license and those walled garden platforms of consoles can easily be used to block you from using that disk for anything meaningful.
You can always play the version shipped with the disk with the game unplugged from the internet.
On PC, you'd have to pirate if a game is taken down.
On PC, you could pirate, but you could also buy DRM free games from GOG.com and keep a copy locally backed up.
It's also worth noting that optical media will delaminate over time, rendering them unusable.
One thing GOG doesn't do is allow me to sell older games. I can do that just fine with physical media on a console. AFAIK, it's also legal to make physical backups of physical media you own, so it can theoretically live forever (not sure if you can sell backups if the original dies though).
That said, I'm still almost 100% on PC. Cheaper games and being able to upgrade on my schedule is way better than the overall experience on consoles.
I suppose not but every time I went to sell console games the prices were insultingly low at every store and not much better selling it online.
Idk, Switch games hold their value pretty well. I buy mostly used, and it's rare to find anything under $30. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd be able to play for just the cost of shipping.
Hmm, I should sell my Switch games. I haven't played since I bought my Steam Deck.
The version that shipped with the disk? It's not 2005 anymore gramps.
Either there's no disk but a redeemable code (for a license), or there's a disk but without even the day 1 patch (which requires a license and the game probably runs like shit without it).
Piracy is WAY superior in those aspects. At least a repack had all the game updates bundled in.
Pretty much every game released on console, even today, can be completed just using the disk. Check out the Someordinarygamers YouTube video about playing Cyberpunk 2077 all the way through on the disk version, and that game was "literally unplayable."
Yeah, you could probably get the full pirated version for most games, but with physical media, you at least know you can play that version of the game. There's value there.
That said, I mostly play on PC because I trust Steam enough.
No, you don't own a license if you have physical media. This is a myth that's totally unfounded and needs to die.
When you buy a physical book, you don't have a license to read that book.
When you buy a physical movie, you don't have a license to watch that movie.
When you buy a physical game, you don't have a license to play the game.
In all cases you have a copy of the copywritten work that you can use under the copyright agreement, you can resell it, you can use it as many times as you like, they can't take it away from you. This is all enshrined in various copyright protections throughout the years in every juristicion.
You own a physical production that is a copy of a copywritten work. It can't be taken away.
Aren't there games where the physical disc doesn't have the entire game on it or won't even run without a patch? Wouldn't that effectively be the same thing if they decide to stop providing the patch?
The only one I can think of was the Spyro trilogy remaster, which had games 2 and 3 as downloads.
In any case I think there's more chance of Valve going bust than Sony or Microsoft...
This is partially offset by the fact that most PC games are purchased through Steam, which stands above all other digital storefronts as the most trustworthy and customer-focused. Playstation is certainly no longer trustworthy after the whole Discovery debacle, Xbox is owned by Microsoft, so you know you can't trust them, and Nintendo has infamously outdated online practices and subpar customer support.
Yup. I play almost exclusively on PC and I have absolutely no worries about my Steam games disappearing. Even if they do, they're still way cheaper than on console, and I'll have the piracy option available.
So it's a mixed bag. If you're buying digital, PC is better, hands down. If you're buying physical, PC is essentially a non-starter because few games are still available on physical media.
So true. The only physical media I have for PC is the micro-SD card I have in my Steam Deck.
Streaming is easier on PS5. You hit the button on the controller, link your YouTube or Twitch account, and go.
You can also retroactively save a decent bit of gameplay and put it on your phone via the mobile app.
Interesting. I haven't actually used a PS5 or XBox Series console.
Thanks for the correction!
They've really streamlined the process. I just checked, and it will let you save the last 30 minutes of gameplay after the fact. Random sample of quality, though streamable probably compresses it too It also has a a slot for just a standard nvme pcie 4 SSD that's as simple as sliding a side panel off, and between the hardware decompression and the universal nature of using their APIs, loading is blazing fast. It's not quite as fast for PS4 games without the software support for the new capabilities, but it's a complete gamechanger for games that used to punish me with a 5+ minute loading screen when I died, making playing at the difficulty I prefer an extremely frustrating exercise at times.
I won't buy a game on PS5 over PC or anything. Unless it uses the PS5 triggers, but only on PS5, maybe. The controller is the shit. But it's sincerely a nice piece of hardware. You trade a couple freedoms I'd rather not, but it's overall pretty nice and a big step forward for gaming (especially as the consoles set the standard for what developers do, and having real CPUs enables a lot more mechanics).
Well, you can use the PS5 controller on PC, so at least there are no downsides there. I use a PS4 controller myself.
My only console is a Switch, which I got for exclusives and family games, but the PS5 actually does sound really nice.
I know Sony supports the triggers on their ports (only wired, but I don't like the latency of Bluetooth anyways, so that's how I use them on PC anyways), but I don't know if third parties offer parity between platforms. I haven't been in a position to consider that yet. I've only had the PS5 a few months and my purchases have been exclusives and sports games that are windows only to run root kits on PC.
In terms of anti-features, you need plus for online, to back up your saves, and I think you can't get digital keys for anything but the games they bundle with consoles.
I've mostly noticed Xbox controls for on-screen prompts, but a few have PS prompts. So I'm guessing most ports won't take advantage of PS5 controller features.
However, Steam Input configuration is awesome so you can probably get a similar effect even if the game doesn't have explicit support on PC.
Yeah, I really hate that about consoles. Both are free on PC (at least saves are on Steam, not sure about others).
Steam input is awesome.
But a game changing resistance on the triggers based on what's happening in game can't really be replicated by a software layer.
Yup, and I'm not sure if Steam Input can control that part of PS5 controller yet. But it at least gets pretty close.