> I am a fan of the Switch too, but the Xbox One X offers the ability to use performance modes which reduce the resolution for better frame rate

Many (most ? ) Switch games already do that automatically.

Which is to say that xbox/ps5 have basically become branded PCs, and the switch is basically a branded Android SoC.

Consoles don't really make sense as a concept anymore. The only remaining appeal is their DRM capability for publishers.

> Consoles don't really make sense as a concept anymore. The only remaining appeal is their DRM capability for publishers.

As someone who prefers console gaming to computer gaming (for the most part), I have to disagree. I like that the console is hooked up to my gigantic TV instead of my less gigantic computer monitor. I like that it uses controllers instead of mouse and keyboard (the same things I'm using all day at work). I like that my console is in a different room from my computer. I like that it's more conducive to playing a game with (local) friends, since they can just sit down on the couch and turn on another controller. I like that I don't have to worry about what graphics card my console has, or worry about a game not working well with that graphics card. I like that it's simply not my computer.

Yes, I know that you can hook a computer up to a TV, and you can use controllers with your computer, and not all of these apply to everyone, and so on and so on. There's still a difference, and I like that difference.

I think console still do make sense insofar as that they provide developers the confidence that their game can run on a given set of hardware.

Yeah, they're mostly just a PC under the hood. But they're PCs with consistent hardware. How much easier would PC game development be if you know all of your customers had the same CPU, GPU, RAM, and OS?

That's not true due to hardware fragmentation and dynamic clocks anymore though. Which was the point that the root comment raised. Even first party titles sag to 20fps, and the settings screen of a modern console game contains more and more dials that are starting to look a lot like what you get in PC releases.

The clocks are dynamic but they are also deterministic because they're based on power usage, not temperature like on smartphones and PCs.

They do make sense to me and others. My pc is a tool, and my consoles are toys. I need the physical separation.

You can build a gaming PC in the same form factor as the new xbox using nothing but off the shelf components and have a separate device that can play a larger gamut of games on higher settings.

I'm not sure how anyone can dispute that the new xbox and play station are anything other than slightly customised branded PC builds that offer no physical advantages over the real thing, only marketing ones like DRM and exclusive releases.

Or you can walk over to the store, put down a few green pieces of paper, be back at home and play the games without worrying about CPU frequencies, graphic card speed, or motherboard compatibilities.

My friends will come over for 4 hours on a Sunday. I will spend no more than 10 minutes when they're here figuring out controllers. I will spend no more than 15 minutes at any point ahead of time to keep things working.

When they come over, the thing we want to spend most of our time doing is 2 v 2 FIFA. If I spend 30 mins doing anything here, we're losing precious time. If I spend 60 mins debugging, I'm just not going to do it. I'll even take a zero probability of fixing if it means a lower probability of failure of any sort (even recoverable).

I have done that, and I finally got a console this year.

A lounge PC is a shithouse experience compared to a console. Absolute garbage. Simply supporting multiple people in a household on an Xbox is trivial and easy. On a PC using Steam it's absolute trash. Steam treats PCs like it's 1995 and single-user.

Consoles offer lots of advantages, to the MASS MARKET, that you are overlooking. In fact I am a former PCMR gamer that moved to consoles for a few reasons:

* I can rent games from my local redbox to try out for a few days. Sometimes, that's all I need and I saved myself the price of the game.

* Couch co-op is typically superior on console.

* Ease of use: simple connection to TV, simple remote controllers. The story for HDR support is also steamlined (as in, my TV supports it so if the game does too, done)

* Consoles are much quieter, making them a much better TV-room appliance.

* Easy purchase and sharing games, especially with a physical copy. Loan out the physical game, no fuss.

* Some sort of resale value for physical games, albeit not that much. However if you are the type to locust the content of a game quickly, as in the first week of release, you can often resell for most the purchase price.

* A UI built for TV and remote use. No, I'm not excited about controlling Windows from across the room by keyboard/mouse.

* Great portability. One of my consoles is a Nintendo Switch, and it travels far better than a PC. Yes you can get a gaming notebook but that solution is no longer competitive on pricing.

* Better multi-user design. It's easier to have a family console with multiple accounts than it is have a Windows PC with multiple accounts. And have parental controls, etc.

Sure, with suitable amount of time/research and other stuff I'm just no longer interested in doing, I can get wireless controllers, quiet(er) fans, apps for launching that are usable at typical resolution from 6' or more away, fiddle with multiple accounts on Windows (who ACTUALLY does this outside a work setting? It's just... not smooth at all), but there is a cost in my time I don't want to invest anymore.

and other reasons such as

* I want to step away from Microsoft Windows and various issues from privacy to updates. Since the consoles are only for entertainment (gaming, playing videos) I am less concerned about telemetry possibly swooping up everything I'm doing.

Many might not care about that last case... but how many times do half the people in an HN thread about Windows gripe loudly about privacy or monthly updates? It seems like there is some problem with a Windows update 2 or 3 times a year. Yeah, I want off that merry-go-round for my ENTERTAINMENT system.

So, I'm actually doing something about a Window dependency, rather than just griping online. I migrated to Linux for my dekstop (on a NUC) and console gaming to fill the gaming gap. Yeah it isn't perfect and there are a handful of games I still need Windows for, but between linux and consoles, that's about 90% of my need for Windows removed.

I agree with almost everything you wrote, but...

> * Consoles are much quieter, making them a much better TV-room appliance.

This is a joke, right? My gaming PC is virtually silent (140 mm exhaust fan FTW) while my friend's PS4 Pro sounds like a hair dryer under load.

My PS4 Pro is quieter than the PC gaming systems I've had, but not as quiet as the NUC (for obvious reasons). Quieter as in, I can play a movie and not hear the console above the dialog/soundtrack.

My Switch is essentially 100% silent, as in, not detectable that it is on from any noise that it makes.

I don't know about Xboxes.

As far as anecdotes, I have a friend whose gaming PC is loud enough to be distracting while watching movies. Heck it's audible above the A/C.

Now that I'm more into consoles, I'm more sensitive to PC noise... before I'd just accept and tune out a certain amount, but now it is grating because I've seen the alternatives and am constantly unintentionally comparing.

Having built various gaming PC's over the years, yes you can have a fairly quiet gaming PC. But you also need to invest some time/effort/money to get liquid cooling, quiet case fans, quiet power supply, quiet CPU fans, etc and you need to take that into account.

Yes, I've read PS4's can be pretty loud. It's a common complaint on /r/PS4. I can't say I've tracked actual numbers, but my feeling is that 80% of those situations are the same root cause: dust/pet hair clogging up the fan, and after cleaning, the system is much quieter.

My current gaming PC is a PowerSpec G706. You know, for those handful of games I still need Windows for. ;) And I got lazy just buying a system instead of building individual components because... I'm just not into that anymore. Anyway, I would rate this system as pretty quiet compared to other ones I've had, but I always know that it is on. Even not playing a game, the ambient noise under zero load is there. Meanwhile, I can't always tell my PS4 is on. And I can't tell if the Switch is on without looking at it.

So, YMMV but in my experience, for off the shelf purchases, consoles are quieter than PC's on average. Also, the people that have "silent" PC's, like myself in a former gaming life, bought specialized components to get there.

If you have any links to computer systems, pre-assembled (since the average person isn't going to build them component by component) that are also price competitive with consoles (around $275 for a ps4 slim or xbox one s, around $350 for a ps4 pro or xbox one x) that are ALSO silent, I'd like to see them. I have a feeling that a PC in that price range is nowhere near as quiet as a console, but I'd love to hear otherwise.

I'll also state without proof that there is zero chance of a gaming PC, price competitive with a switch, that is quieter. That's equivalent to a gaming PC quieter than a cell phone. I don't believe it exists at that price point ($200 to $300 depending on whether you get a switch lite or regular switch).

Sure, at the same price point as consoles, all gaming PCs are basically garbage ;)

The only thing you’ll be physically separated from is your money.

Many/most people on HN don't do their computing on Windows. (I think you are talking about windows and not pc, as pc gaming is pretty different on other pc operating systems)

If you have looked at a switch then you may have noticed that it uses a completely different form factor than a standard smartphone.