Wii to sell for less then 200? Nintendo is brilliant

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Certainly, but still less than a Xbox 360 Premium + a TV + a computer good enough for the non-gaming things I do.

No.

My recently purchased gaming computer (which is a mid tier system) was $2000. I can get an HDTV, an X360 Premium, and a computer for surfing the web and using Word for less than $2k.

[Verto]

Nintendo is going to be #2, at least.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


No.

My recently purchased gaming computer (which is a mid tier system) was $2000. I can get an HDTV, an X360 Premium, and a computer for surfing the web and using Word for less than $2k.

Where, pray tell, did you get the impression I only use my computer for gaming, wordprocessing and surfing?

[Verto]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

Where, pray tell, did you get the impression I only use my computer for gaming, wordprocessing and surfing?

I think your ASCII porn can be classified under "surfing"

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Where, pray tell, did you get the impression I only use my computer for gaming, wordprocessing and surfing?

When did this become about you? As you said, you can't understand why others are into the consoles. A lot of people who are into console games do not necessarily play a lot of PC games. Some do, but most simply use a PC for basic internet and wordprocessing and their console for gaming purposes.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


When did this become about you?

When I stated that one of my reasons for prefering PCs to consoles was cost. When you reply to a piece explicitly about me, I think I can be forgiven for assuming you're talking about me.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

Certainly, but still less than a Xbox 360 Premium + a TV + a computer good enough for the non-gaming things I do.

LC

We've had this discussion over at Other games and I think we've pulled together a few useful concepts.

1. The economics of PC vs console is heavily impacted by what else you would own anyway. In my household we have one TV for the three of us. If we were to get a console, and use it for regular gaming, we'd need a new TV, and a good one. But there are MANY American households who already have at least one TV for every resident.

2. It depends on what your computer situation is. Different people have different non-gaming needs, different non-gaming PC replacement cycles, etc.

3. The economics depends on the kind of games you play. IS says $2000 for a mid tier system. Having just spent $500 for laptop that will, I am told, play Civ4 (im not sure that it will, and will be ok if it wont, but there you are) Im not sure his charecterization of $2000 as mid tier is correct. It may not be the most super bleeding edge machine designed to play the FPS that will come out NEXT year in blazing glory, but I think $2000 buys a high end machine. But if you mainly play FPS, or certain graphics intensive RPG's, you may need that. For strategy games you generally dont.

4. Its not all about economics. Some kinds of games simply arent available on PC. Playing as a group in the living room, etc is a different experience.


5. Nonetheless, the PC numbers aint as bad as all that. The standard PC numbers dont include MMORPG ongoing revenues, which apparently are huge, and dont appear to include most online sales, which are growing in significance.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
When I stated that one of my reasons for prefering PCs to consoles was cost. When you reply to a piece explicitly about me, I think I can be forgiven for assuming you're talking about me.

May I remind you of your first post on this issue?

I still can't quite grok there's still a market for consoles.

Lower relative price for consoles is one main reason why there is a market for consoles, which is what you were trying to figure out in the first place. Cost isn't just your reason for perfering a PC to console, it, in the opposite fashion (perferring consoles to PC based on price) is the reason there is a market for consoles.

[Last Conformist]

@LOTM: I know all that.

Given the circumstances, I see why many prefer consoles. The interesting question is, why have circumstances developed differently in most of the gaming world than in my circles.

[Imran Siddiqui]

LOTM, it isn't just I who says it is a mid tier system, CNET describes the systems (some which are around $2000) as being there as well:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Desktops/4521-6526_7-5021300-2.html?tag=subnav

The most demanding users are the only ones who won't find what they need with one of these midrange PCs.

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Lower relative price for consoles is one main reason why there is a market for consoles, which is what you were trying to figure out in the first place. Cost isn't just your reason for perfering a PC to console, it, in the opposite fashion (perferring consoles to PC based on price) is the reason there is a market for consoles.

I noted that the cost equation work out differently for different people in my second post on the subject.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
LOTM, it isn't just I who says it is a mid tier system, CNET describes the systems (some which are around $2000) as being there as well:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Desktops/4521-6526_7-5021300-2.html?tag=subnav

The most demanding users are the only ones who won't find what they need with one of these midrange PCs.

yeah but looking on that site, one of the midrange PCs is less than $900, and most of the "performance" PCs (presumably top tier) are less than $2000.

[Imran Siddiqui]

"Configurations start at" is different than saying that's the price . Most of those prices are sans monitor, speakers, etc.

And I find only two performance PCs with prices... the rest you have to go to the sites, where you can find the $4000 and $5000 PCs.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
@LOTM: I know all that.

Given the circumstances, I see why many prefer consoles. The interesting question is, why have circumstances developed differently in most of the gaming world than in my circles.

well wed have to know more about "your circles" I suspect "your circles" A. Are far less likely to have as many TVs per household as is common in the "mainstream" B. have higher non-gaming computer demands C. favor a type of game other than a graphics intensive RPG like Oblivion, say.

Now you may be asking why the whole industry has moved to games like that, rather than say strategy games. My suspicion is that it has to do with "mainstreaming" of games. I suspect, that, adjusted for online sales, the sales of strategy type games on the PC hasnt really slipped all that much. Its just that as the console kiddies have grown up, the other types of gaming have expanded.

As for why certain genres that used to be more PC oriented (FPS, a certain style of RPG) have shifted in the console direction, I think thats got a lot to do with technology.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
I noted that the cost equation work out differently for different people in my second post on the subject.

But then you STILL asked why there is a market...