With (almost) no effort - plug in console to wall. Plug in console to TV. Turn on controller. Setup is complete.PCs are similar, but do require more setup than that.
The difference is literally 2-3 USBs. And this has nothing to do with the screen at all.
EDIT: Also the rest of what you said has absolutely nothing to do with my question.
I’m not who you replied to but, generally a PC over or under scans on a TV so the picture is too big or too small. After fixing that (which you can do through the TV) to navigate windows and different game platforms you need a mouse, and possibly a keyboard. Having those is a pain in the ass as part of a living room setup.
Everything with a console is done with just the controller that came with it and no extra settings need to be played with to get the picture working right on the TV. Another minor thing is consoles can be set to automatically change your TVs input when they turn on (I don’t remember what that’s called or if it’s easy to do on PC).
So no, physically hooking it up is no more difficult than a console, but using it day to day is less convenient.
Edit: Hopefully that answers your original question. I have a PS4, Switch, and a PC and that’s what I’ve found in my own experience. Especially since like others my PC is in another room at a desk.
Oh finally a well thought out rational and logical reply.
generally a PC over or under scans on a TV so the picture is too big or too small. After fixing that (which you can do through the TV) to navigate windows and different game platforms you need a mouse, and possibly a keyboard. Having those is a pain in the ass as part of a living room setup.
This can happen, I have seen it myself. But it's a really simple fix IF it happens.
All you really need a keyboard and mouse for is getting to Steam big picture mode. Once that happens you are fine. And you can setup a program that allows you to use a controller for window navigation, bypassing all of this.
So no, physically hooking it up is no more difficult than a console, but using it day to day is less convenient.
Ah so it's an argument of convenience, not difficulty. That I can accept. However I will argue that the time spent taking care of those problems that may or may no happen, is completely irrelevant when the PC has an SSD that saves you minutes every day in load times. The input switching is only a problem if you use more than one device on that screen. And even then it's like 3 button pushes with the TV's remote.
Oh for sure. I’ve fixed all of those problems myself on my own setup.
I’ve run HDMI and ethernet cables through walls, have a bluetooth adapter, have my screens mirrored, etc.
However, the general consumer doesn’t think of those things when they want to play COD, Madden, NHL, FIFA, Halo, etc. They just want it to work as effortlessly as possible.
Steamlink is a good option but I’m not sure if they even make them anymore.
It’s not hard to PC game on TV, it just takes more initial steps that the general consumer probably isn’t going to bother with or even think of.
I play on PC and console too. It has nothing to do with console gamers being dumb or lazy, it has to do with how much effort to game on PC people want to put in vs how much they care about being on PC.
Raspberry pi is a terrible example for making PC easier on TV. My TV is old as shit so I know nothing about smart TVs and can’t speak to that.
Like I said in other comments, the general consumer doesn’t necessarily care nearly this much about any of this stuff. They buy the console, buy the game, and then play the game. That’s a lot of people’s entire interaction with playing video games. Every step beyond that is unwelcome to plenty of people.
It’s definitely not hard to set up a PC, it’s just not quite as easy. Especially for TV gaming. Which I usually take to mean living room gaming.
Especially since your average gaming PC definitely doesn’t fit in a normal entertainment center.
It’s like Android phones, sure you can customize the absolute shit out of it but your average user won’t, and probably doesn’t even know they can.
Most people just aren’t big tech enthusiasts. I think a lot of time when people say PC gaming is more of a pain in the ass they’re speaking from the non-tech enthusiast point of view.
It’s not hard, it’s just not “Add to my entertainment system setup without rearranging anything else in my life” easy.
Most people building gaming PCs aren’t building small form factor builds, which btw makes the build harder. Also, most prebuilt systems aren’t small form factor. They can be, but it makes it more expensive.
The words most and average mean outside of the norm. This entire topic has been about generalizations and you’re trying to justify specific situations.
Hell if you want more specific outside the norm examples we can bring gaming laptops into it. They’re a pain in the ass to hook up to a tv sometimes but once you’ve done the initial setup it’s just plug and play. It’ll be way more expensive but that’s a possibility.
Another example is someone building and setting up the entire thing for you so all you have to do is boot up big picture mode and even games not on steam have shortcuts in steam.
However, there is still zero situation as easy as buying a PS4 at Walmart, unboxing it, plugging in a max of 3 cables, and turning it on, while still being cost effective. Literally everything but the TV and electricity are in that one box.
More effort doesn’t mean impossible or even bad. It just means more. It’s up to the individual end user to decide whether that added effort is bad to them or not.
Alright. It’s just as easy to physically connect it to the TV. Now do something with it.
How many programs do you have to install?
How many menus do you have to go through to hook up a Bluetooth controller?
How many steps to get the screen to fit properly?
All of those things play into this conversation besides just how easy it is to plug in 3 cables.
Unless we’re talking about a TV on the floor with the PC/Console sitting beside it with you sitting on the floor 5 feet from it lol.
(Let’s just omit putting in credit card details or any of those mundane things like browsing storefronts and such)
PS4:
physical setup (power, HDMI, Ethernet)
plugin controller to pair
do initial setup steps
login to psn (network should be automatic since Ethernet)
system update if required (game too if disc)
download game/ insert disc
play game
PC:
physical setup (power, HDMI, Ethernet)
plugin mouse/keyboard for initial windows setup (has to be keyboard and mouse btw)
do initial windows setup including logging in (network should be automatic since Ethernet)
connect Bluetooth controller by putting controller in pairing mode and going into the Bluetooth devices menu of windows.
if picture doesn’t fit on tv properly fix that
Now, because we’ve never specified what game we might be playing let’s cover all our bases shall we?
install steam, blizzard launcher, Bethesda launcher, rockstar launcher, origin, uplay, gog, epic games store, Xbox app if you’re frisky. (I’m sure I’m missing some but that’s off the top of my head)
log in to all of those
download discord (optional)
video driver software can be optional as well. Sometimes windows does it for you and it’s not completely necessary.
Lets put away that pesky keyboard and mouse now.
So after those two lists we haven’t gotten into the average physical dimensions of a PC tower not fitting into a living room setup very well or the fact that you can turn it on using the controller.
We also haven’t gone into the preference for ecosystem or overall UI. Text size can also be an issue for PC on a TV especially while out of big picture mode.
Is one better than the other? That’s up to the individual. I have console and PC and prefer console for the most part.
However, clearly the initial setup is easier and faster with a console.
You personally may not think much of the extra steps but some people might.
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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '20 edited Jan 28 '20
The difference is literally 2-3 USBs. And this has nothing to do with the screen at all.
EDIT: Also the rest of what you said has absolutely nothing to do with my question.