The State of a Casual Gamer

[lithuvien]

Over the last year or so, there have been numerous articles of how the pandemic has fueled demand for gaming. I have seen a lot of colleagues talk a lot (up from nearly zero) about video gaming, namely where to begin. Do they start with a console? Do they start with a PC? Can their existing laptops play games? Between the slew of media frenzy on the boom of gaming and seeing forty-something year old's starting to consider it as a casual hobby, one would think that this is the best time to be a gamer.

 

But what has the situation actually been, especially here? Now, I am no youtuber / twitch streamer or a journalist with a lot of data on my hands, so what I am writing here is the experience of my friends and I, which is a very small sample size.

 

Let us start with console gaming.

The PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020 with some very serious hype. It looked crazy, the demos were mind blowing and while priced a bit on the higher side, was not something that you needed to sell your kidneys for. I even bought a new TV, with all the bells and whistles that would enable me to get the “best” experience out of the new console. Fast forward to October 2022 and the PlayStation 5 has still not entered my house. Chip shortages, labor shortages, scalpers and what not. Stock comes in once every few weeks and then disappears in milliseconds. The pre orders usually occur on Tuesday afternoons, which means that I am neck deep in meetings and have no time to even think of a PlayStation, let alone play fastest fingers first. Various articles indicate that this shortage will continue well into 2023, by which the PS5 will be nearly four years old, a little over half the lifecycle of a console, which is typically 7~8 years.

 

What about PC gaming then? Here is where things get even crazier.

The crypto mining frenzy took out all the GPUs from the market like a swarm of locusts taking out crops. Things were so bad that you couldn’t even find older generation cards at MSRP. My friend spent months searching for a GPU at “somewhat reasonable rates” and ended up having to buy an ASUS pre-built rig with a 2060, when his laptop finally gave out last year. I am still using my PC that I built in 2016. My 1060 is just about sufficient to play modern games on medium settings these days. I dare not push it because I am afraid that something will happen to it and I will be unable to find a new GPU that I can afford.

The new 40 series has left me stunned. Prices are up by half compared to the 30 series. The 4070 and the 4060 cards have not been announced yet, but one can safely assume that they too, will be at least 30~40% more expensive than 3070 and the 3060, which would mean that a 4060 would be priced > 40k, given that the 3060 is being listed at 32~35k. The 1060 cost me 21k and I bought that within 3 months of its launch. This would mean that that if I buy a new PC next year, the GPU would end up being 35~40% of the cost, as opposed to just 20% for my current machine.

 

So where does it leave people who want to start gaming? Unless you are willing to spend big money, you will have to contend with a 3060 / 3060ti, if you can find them at a “reasonable” price.  But that also means that you are locked out of 4K gaming, since neither of these two cards handles 4K  well. If you want 4K gaming on a “budget”, your options are the latest gen consoles, which are still very elusive. With everyone now buying 4K TVs and OTT platforms advertising their “4K content”, people really don’t want to spend money on 1080p gaming towards the end of 2022.

 

The casual gamer has also been hit hard. Two of my friends have said that if GPU prices continue to rise like this, their next PC would be a laptop for personal work and not a gaming machine. Few others who are not PC gamers but have the PS4 are frustrated by the difficulty in getting a PS5. They are spending less time gaming and more time taking up new interests, like playing the guitar or doing origami or even gardening.

 

As for me, well I am praying for RPtech to get me a 3070 while enquiring at Furtados about piano lessons.

 

 

[VelivolusDas]

If 4K gaming is not an absolute priority, then the XSS is a pretty good entry point, IMO. Not at MRP, though. Only if one can get it for around ₹25k-₹30k.

 

Just buy that console, get the 3-year Gamepass thing and you can easily enjoy a lot of games.

 

Gamepass (and the new PS+, too) is a perfect option for casual gamers, especially in a country like ours where parents or first-time buyers generally have the question, "Iss console ke saath kitne games aate hai?"

 

The only pre-requisite for an option like this would be decent internet download speeds.

[Bird Bird Bird]

4k gaming, huh ? Switch says HI. 

 

On a serious note, "casual gamers" can do well with a phone or tablet. Apple Arcade has some quality gems in its stride. Play Pass lets you play a good number of games for small sub fee. Steam Deck is "relatively" easy to buy. And Switch is (again) just as easily available (unless one counts only PS5 or PC as "gaming"). 

[b!T]

41 minutes ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

4k gaming, huh ? Switch says HI. 

 

On a serious note, "casual gamers" can do well with a phone or tablet. Apple Arcade has some quality gems in its stride. Play Pass lets you play a good number of games for small sub fee. Steam Deck is "relatively" easy to buy. And Switch is (again) just as easily available (unless one counts only PS5 or PC as "gaming"). 

 

Meanwhile XSX/XSS,

 

[SuperT]

For a causal gamer - the PS5 digital edition with the PS+ sub is perfect if resolution/fps are not a priority then the XSS is also a good option and if mobility is the priority the Switch/Deck. There have never been so many options for a gamer to be honest, it is one of the best eras for gaming. The last few drops for the PS5 have lasted almost an hour or so and almost everyone got one. Heck, there were PS5 in the sales thread that went unsold for more than a month. 

[Bird Bird Bird]

1 hour ago, b!T said:

 

Meanwhile XSX/XSS,

 

 

I'm hoping he clubbed PS and XSX in the same vein, else it's just a rant against GPU prices and low availability of PS5, not gaming in general. 

Also, PS5 drops are lasting for a long time now. 

[lithuvien]

I did club the PS5 and XSX in the same vein. I guess I forgot to mention it explicitly

 

I keep reading about how stocks are lasting for hours. I'll be honest. No one I know of personally has been able to see anything other than a "out of stock" message. It may show up as available but goes to Out of Stock while attempting payment. Hopefully things will improve next drop

 

Personally, I don't care too much about getting high FPS + 4K, but that's because I have been playing video games since 2007. New people look at anything  < 4K as outdated technology and not worth spending too much money on

 

I did not consider the Switch because I thought Nintendo has no official presence in India and it was not possible to find anything other than a grey market variant. If things have changes, its actually something I would consider. 

5 hours ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

On a serious note, "casual gamers" can do well with a phone or tablet. 

 

Probably the reason why monstrosities like Diablo Immortal are now the norm rather than the exception. 

[Bird Bird Bird]

45 minutes ago, lithuvien said:

did not consider the Switch because I thought Nintendo has no official presence in India and it was not possible to find anything other than a grey market variant. If things have changes, its actually something I would consider. 

6 hours ago, Bird Bird Bird said:

On a serious note, "casual gamers" can do well with a phone or tablet. 

 

Probably the reason why monstrosities like Diablo Immortal are now the norm rather than the exception. 

 

Switch, while gray, is super easily available in India. Amazon has it, local resellers have it, you can get almost all games, joycons, pro controllers etc. It's one of the easiest ecosystems to get into inspite of no official presence of Nintendo in India. Eshop or cart games are region free, so no issues with any game. 

PS5 lasted for well over an hour in the last sale. There were some models being sold on TP as well, lasting well over a few weeks. 

XSX lasted for over a day, I think 2-3 days in the last sale. Few takers tbh. 

Mobile games used to be bad few years ago, but many indie titles are amazing. Apple Arcade still has some really good titles, almost in all genres. No IAPs etc. 

[PitchBlack]

Broooo Literally got a mail from RPTech for a 3070ti. Could've helped you get it from there.

[CarbonCore]

You can get used GPUs if you're ok with it, get LHR version if you're worried about card being used for mining before. A used LHR 3070 is under 30k.

[Assassins Creed]

3 hours ago, lithuvien said:

I did club the PS5 and XSX in the same vein. I guess I forgot to mention it explicitly

 

I keep reading about how stocks are lasting for hours. I'll be honest. No one I know of personally has been able to see anything other than a "out of stock" message. It may show up as available but goes to Out of Stock while attempting payment. Hopefully things will improve next drop

 

Bro, do you want to buy Xbox ? Its in stock still and yes since hours

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/HHPn!yuuuN

 

Also next PS5 drop is Wednesday 

[Heaven Angel]

18 hours ago, lithuvien said:

Over the last year or so, there have been numerous articles of how the pandemic has fueled demand for gaming. I have seen a lot of colleagues talk a lot (up from nearly zero) about video gaming, namely where to begin. Do they start with a console? Do they start with a PC? Can their existing laptops play games? Between the slew of media frenzy on the boom of gaming and seeing forty-something year old's starting to consider it as a casual hobby, one would think that this is the best time to be a gamer.

 

But what has the situation actually been, especially here? Now, I am no youtuber / twitch streamer or a journalist with a lot of data on my hands, so what I am writing here is the experience of my friends and I, which is a very small sample size.

 

Let us start with console gaming.

The PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020 with some very serious hype. It looked crazy, the demos were mind blowing and while priced a bit on the higher side, was not something that you needed to sell your kidneys for. I even bought a new TV, with all the bells and whistles that would enable me to get the “best” experience out of the new console. Fast forward to October 2022 and the PlayStation 5 has still not entered my house. Chip shortages, labor shortages, scalpers and what not. Stock comes in once every few weeks and then disappears in milliseconds. The pre orders usually occur on Tuesday afternoons, which means that I am neck deep in meetings and have no time to even think of a PlayStation, let alone play fastest fingers first. Various articles indicate that this shortage will continue well into 2023, by which the PS5 will be nearly four years old, a little over half the lifecycle of a console, which is typically 7~8 years.

 

What about PC gaming then? Here is where things get even crazier.

The crypto mining frenzy took out all the GPUs from the market like a swarm of locusts taking out crops. Things were so bad that you couldn’t even find older generation cards at MSRP. My friend spent months searching for a GPU at “somewhat reasonable rates” and ended up having to buy an ASUS pre-built rig with a 2060, when his laptop finally gave out last year. I am still using my PC that I built in 2016. My 1060 is just about sufficient to play modern games on medium settings these days. I dare not push it because I am afraid that something will happen to it and I will be unable to find a new GPU that I can afford.

The new 40 series has left me stunned. Prices are up by half compared to the 30 series. The 4070 and the 4060 cards have not been announced yet, but one can safely assume that they too, will be at least 30~40% more expensive than 3070 and the 3060, which would mean that a 4060 would be priced > 40k, given that the 3060 is being listed at 32~35k. The 1060 cost me 21k and I bought that within 3 months of its launch. This would mean that that if I buy a new PC next year, the GPU would end up being 35~40% of the cost, as opposed to just 20% for my current machine.

 

So where does it leave people who want to start gaming? Unless you are willing to spend big money, you will have to contend with a 3060 / 3060ti, if you can find them at a “reasonable” price.  But that also means that you are locked out of 4K gaming, since neither of these two cards handles 4K  well. If you want 4K gaming on a “budget”, your options are the latest gen consoles, which are still very elusive. With everyone now buying 4K TVs and OTT platforms advertising their “4K content”, people really don’t want to spend money on 1080p gaming towards the end of 2022.

 

The casual gamer has also been hit hard. Two of my friends have said that if GPU prices continue to rise like this, their next PC would be a laptop for personal work and not a gaming machine. Few others who are not PC gamers but have the PS4 are frustrated by the difficulty in getting a PS5. They are spending less time gaming and more time taking up new interests, like playing the guitar or doing origami or even gardening.

 

As for me, well I am praying for RPtech to get me a 3070 while enquiring at Furtados about piano lessons.

 

 

 

Try for Xbox and subscribe to gamepass. It'll be on budget, instant and you'll start following lord phil.

Thank the community later. 

[CarbonCore]

35 minutes ago, Assassins Creed said:

 

Bro, do you want to buy Xbox ? Its in stock still and yes since hours

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/HHPn!yuuuN

 

Also next PS5 drop is Wednesday 

 

Buy one on Gameloot for 40k. Started at 45k three weeks ago and now down to koi toh le lo price.

[Assassins Creed]

3 hours ago, PitchBlack said:

Broooo Literally got a mail from RPTech for a 3070ti. Could've helped you get it from there.

 

Did you reject it then 

[Kumar123]

22 hours ago, lithuvien said:

Few others who are not PC gamers but have the PS4 are frustrated by the difficulty in getting a PS5. They are spending less time gaming and more time taking up new interests, like playing the guitar or doing origami or even gardening.

 

 

 

 

That's awesome. You should be happy for them. 

[PitchBlack]

20 hours ago, Assassins Creed said:

 

Did you reject it then 

I already got a 3080 from this year.. Had registered for other cards too.. Got a mail for 3090, 3080ti and 3070ti in the last week. Ignored it since noone I asked wanted one.

[CarbonCore]

21 minutes ago, PitchBlack said:

I already got a 3080 from this year.. Had registered for other cards too.. Got a mail for 3090, 3080ti and 3070ti in the last week. Ignored it since noone I asked wanted one.

How much is new 3090 going for? For used I got a quote of 62k so wondering if its worth getting a new card.

[Assassins Creed]

14 minutes ago, CarbonCore said:

How much is new 3090 going for? For used I got a quote of 62k so wondering if its worth getting a new card.

 

95s~ 62K should be a good deal for 3090 provided good warranty left.

[CarbonCore]

1 hour ago, Assassins Creed said:

 

95s~ 62K should be a good deal for 3090 provided good warranty left.

95k is a lot, even if there was no warranty left I'd still go for used one  

[PhantomShade]

Casual gamers play games on mobile my dude.

There are then the poor college students/Literally kids who scam their parents into getting them a gaming laptop because it's on the cheaper side, easily available plus they can bullshit their parents about how it will help for college

 

Guys who can put down paisa for box gaming pc or consoles are very rare and are definetly not casul gamers.

 

Of the two categories the kids have a better change of becoming "hardcore" gamers once they start earning on their own because they want quality gaming, this is very expensive entertainment, "normal people" will balk at the amount you have to spend to get a decent experience here.

 

Also like someone said, the Series L with 3 year GP is still best bet for getting into the AAA non-mobile gaming world for cheap.

 

 

btw 4K is not necessary, 1440p monitor with high refresh rate and GPU that can push out high fps at that res is the sweet spot.