HACKER Q&A
📣 pipeline_peak

Why aren’t larger companies making PC based consoles?


Part of what allows Microsoft and Sony to release affordable consoles with PC-like performance are developer port optimizations and lower hardware prices directly from OEMs.

Valve attempted the Steam Box years ago, it failed, but with Steamdeck, they proved they could establish their own hardware platform.

Is there a future for smaller companies in the console market with AMD apu based devices? Or does none of this matter because of cloud gaming.


  👤 CM30 Accepted Answer ✓
Well, getting third party support for a new console might be pretty difficult for one thing. Yes, it might use the same processor as an existing machine, but the games would still have to be ported over, and you'd also probably need a decent number of unique games for the platform too. As a result, you've either got to convince third parties to invest in making games specifically for an untested system on the assumption it'll catch on later, or go the Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony/Valve in house route and make the games yourself, which is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. So getting the necessary games/support is a challenge in of itself, even if your hardware is on par with existing console manufacturers.

Then there's the whole challenge involved in actually marketing the thing. Why would customers buy this? How much would it cost to advertise a brand new system in an era where the major console manufacturers are spelling millions (probably billions) on advertising and have about a hundred times more name recognition than you probably will?

As for cloud gaming... that's proven to be quite the technical challenge in of itself, and even companies on the level of Microsoft and Google are struggling to get it to work flawlessly right now (or to sell the public on the idea in general).


👤 logicalmonster
Can somebody clarify what a PC based console actually is? Is that a Windows PC with some specific hardware spec to build games for? How would that differ from an actual PC?

Personally speaking, I think the console market is going in the wrong direction with more complexity and customizability. Consoles should be simple (not with a bunch of different models and variants) and just work for quick entertainment.

PCs are where you go when you accept that there will be some complexity and complications in figuring out how to run your game.


👤 PaulHoule
Game consoles are usually sold at a loss

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/448650/microsoft-the-xbox-d...

Console makers make good profits through expensive games and subscription sales, but it is a risky business. That is, selling the console at a loss is certain, any revenue you get after that is speculative.


👤 h2odragon
Why aren't smaller companies with the onerous DRM/anti-cheat systems making consoles?

Looked at another way, the smartphone market is a console market: limited use digital network terminals have metastasized to the point that "general purpose" computers with utility of their own, separate from the network, are a rare thing to find.


👤 kX4A8o4mVmX8aW
Low-end gaming laptops are arguably PC based consoles.