Ever since news of the PlayStation 5 Pro dropped—along with its price tag and the absence of a disc drive—the console has sparked widespread discussion online. We’ve all weighed in, and like many others, I’ve been vocal about it. But what bothers me most is seeing the “Just get a PC” comments in response to Sony’s expensive proposition. Why? Because it’s not the alternative.
Now, as for the PS5 Pro, we still don’t know if it will justify its price, but I can tell you with 100% certainty what won’t—an $800 or lower-tier gaming PC.
Wait. Did you just say that, Keith? You of all people? Mr. “Frame Rates Matter.” Mr. PC Enthusiast. Are you seriously suggesting that telling people to get a gaming PC instead of the PS5 Pro is the wrong move? Yes, absolutely. I have no qualms about being real when it comes to gaming—especially PC gaming.
But why? What’s the catch? It’s pretty obvious. Yes, PC gaming is fantastic—it gives you access to cheaper games, tons of ways to play, and better performance (depending on the game). And yes, I do think PC gaming is generally better than console gaming. But despite all its perks, PC gaming has its share of issues and concerns that could easily push away the most casual of gamers. It’s not the perfect solution, nor is it always the best way to steer people away from consoles.
Let’s Look At The Hardware Side of Things
For starters, sure that PS5 Pro is $700, plus with extra do-dads and do-hickeys, it’s still not going to cost as much as a decent gaming PC that’s up to the task of playing games. There’s nothing worse than seeing people who have a bare minimum concept about building a PC, heading to PCpartpicker to create PCs with 5-6-year-old CPUs and GPUs, in an attempt to match the price of the PS5 Pro.
Gang, no one wants to buy a gaming PC with a Ryzen 5 3600 (No disrespect to those who still have this CPU). Sure, it was a great PC in its time, but it’s an old man now. Indie games? Sure, it will be more than enough, but have you been paying attention to the last few games that were released in 2024? Here’s a valuable life lesson; ignore PC game bare minimum specifications, because they suck. It means what it says, minimum.
While the recommended requirement is basically saying “OK, you can run the game and still have a decent experience, but don’t expect it to be exceptional” Yet, I thought you wanted to build a PC that could match up against the PS5 Pro, let alone the PS4, instead of being stuck at 720p or 1080p 30FPS. Go ahead and purchase that weak sauce of CPU and see if you won’t end up regretting that in a few weeks, let alone a few days.
That same thing applies to GPUs or video cards. Compute units are just one part of the equation. Better VRAM, more VRAM, and power requirements are all parts that need to be taken into consideration. Let alone being able to use AI-upscaling. For everyone who keeps putting those AMD GPUs that support FSR (nothing wrong with FSR) and failing to realize that AMD’s FSR is not an AI-upscaling tech. It’s software. It’s a reason why it is inferior to Nvidia’s DLSS, which does use AI-upscaling, yet at the cost of consumers paying more money for a capable GPU. You gotta pay if you to play with the big boys and, that’s just what PC gaming is about. Sorry.
Solid SSDs are a big part as well. Who the hell wants an M.2 PCIe 2.0 SSD? We rocking M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, and soon-to-be Gen 5 SSDs. We want those fast write and read speeds. A power supply that meets the above power requirement thanks to all of those nice and shiny parts in your new PC being power hungry. Putting in a barely minimum PSU is a sure way to run into issues in the future. By the way, did you know you can spend at least $150 or more on a good modular power supply?
Ok, that’s just parts and I hope I’ve established that you want performance, you gotta pay for it. A $700 gaming PC, my ass. Might as well sell me a bridge while you’re at it.
Can’t Forget About The Operating System And User Experience
Then we have to look at the software end of things. I’ve seen people say “Just go pirate Windows” and “People who pay for Windows are dumb.” Keep saying that when Microsoft decides to force you to upgrade by blocking future updates, leaving you vulnerable to all sorts of nasty stuff and rendering that OS useless.
While we’re on the subject of OSs, or Operation Systems, Windows as a gaming OS, plain out sucks. Windows as an application was made for work. While Microsoft has made great strides over the decades, we’re still asking for more. We’re asking for a gaming OS. This is why people love Steam so much. Not because it’s a storefront, but because the launcher is leaps and bounds better than anything Microsoft has released. Including the Xbox app that we’re using now.
When it comes to PC gaming, there is an OS that does a fantastic job at what it does, and is Valve’s SteamOS. It does everything that Windows should in terms of gaming. To be fair, it’s also designed from the ground up to do gaming and nothing but gaming. While it’s not a fair comparison, this situation isn’t about being fair – it’s about being efficient and straight-up honest. This is why several SteamOS clones were created to replace Windows as an OS. Just look in the direction of the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion GO, and yes, even Windows-based desktops. I’m talking about HoloOS and Bazzite.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is still toeing the line of, Windows for everyone and yet, it’s as basic as can. Thankfully, outside of replacing the OS, there are other means to make the experience better, such as Playnite, which is an all-in-one launcher for just about every game launcher on PC. There are a few others as well, but Playnite is my go-to. I’m getting off track and could be here for a very long time, so let’s move on.
This is what I’m trying to stress here. The OS and user experience are just as important as the hardware, but people constantly ignore this when they want to “Try” to make a gaming PC that’s as good as a console for some bizarre reason. I want to be able to start my PC at the press of a button. I want to be able to browse the library and everything, while being able to purchase games using my controller. I want a hibernate function. Windows simply doesn’t give me that.
What Have We Learned?
Good PC gaming isn’t cheap, no matter what a random person on Twitter is saying. It just doesn’t work that way. As someone who advocates for PC gaming, I would rather someone spend more money to build/purchase a gaming PC that will give them the optimal experience. Not this low-rate POS that you found in the alley and wonder what you got yourself in the next day.
I truly enjoy PC gaming, and if you decide you want to jump ship, or even add one to your gaming armada, fantastic. It’s a great platform with lots of benefits. But I would not simply tell someone to not buy a console over a gaming PC, because I understand what it entails and it’s not always greener on the other side.
At the end of the day, it’s not your damned money and it’s not your damned decision. If someone wants to spend however much it will cost them to get a PS5 Pro, that’s their prerogative. At the same time, telling someone to get a PC over the PS5 Pro, especially for someone who has never touched a gaming PC in their lives or would rather for an “it just works” solution, it is what it is.
And hey, if you ever want to talk PC gaming or need help building a gaming PC, you can always reach out to me on Twitter at @shadowhaxor and we can chat about it.