XBox or PC?

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saildog

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#282613 1-Mar-2021 14:46

Disclosure: I'm not a gamer apart from the odd crack at Fortnite which is just so my 13 year old can laugh at me!

Looking to the future, should we be updrading the young guy's Xbox to the latest Xbox or is it worth getting a decent PC gaming rig instead? His Xbox One S seemed a pretty cheap piece of kit when we got it but I like the idea of being able to upgrade and expand in the future. Also what's a reasonable budget to get something worthwhile?

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#2666320 1-Mar-2021 16:02

consoles having just recently launched, you'll be spending a pretty penny to get an equivalent gaming pc.

it'll probably boil down to whether you're happy to stay in the xbox world of games, or want to dip into other sources (steam, etc.).

Handle9

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#2666356 1-Mar-2021 17:17

At the moment buy a console. PC parts all have shortages and prices are mental. Consoles are much much better value.

networkn

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#2666360 1-Mar-2021 17:28

PC parts are stupidly expensive now. Even with moderate gaming requirements, you are probably going to have a much better experience from a PS5 or Xbox Series X for $800 than you will with a $2000 gaming PC.

CrashAndBurn

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#2666365 1-Mar-2021 17:44

Best to get input from your son given he will be the primary user. Unless you are like me who uses my son as an excuse to buy new toys lols. But it all boils down to what games he will be playing. Most will be available on both platforms but there is a big difference between controller and kb/mouse.

ratsun81

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#2666380 1-Mar-2021 18:27

Im going with what the others have said already,

If there werent issues with PC parts supply then i would be recommending you take a good look at a PC.

But right now the consoles are the better option, unless you can get more value out of a PC like for education reasons or learning opportunities for the young one.

vexxxboy

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#2666449 1-Mar-2021 20:00

CrashAndBurn:

Best to get input from your son given he will be the primary user. Unless you are like me who uses my son as an excuse to buy new toys lols. But it all boils down to what games he will be playing. Most will be available on both platforms but there is a big difference between controller and kb/mouse.

nearly all the latest PC games can be played with an xbox type controller,so dont let that sway your decision.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Dyson

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timmmay

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#2666452 1-Mar-2021 20:05

To upgrade a PC usually means motherboard / CPU / RAM / video card which can be $1000 - $2500, so I'd say go console.

saildog

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#2666599 2-Mar-2021 08:43

vexxxboy:

CrashAndBurn:

Best to get input from your son given he will be the primary user. Unless you are like me who uses my son as an excuse to buy new toys lols. But it all boils down to what games he will be playing. Most will be available on both platforms but there is a big difference between controller and kb/mouse.

nearly all the latest PC games can be played with an xbox type controller,so dont let that sway your decision.

When I'm being humiliated in Fortnite I use an Xbox controller plugged direct to my laptop so I can join him in a duo. I actually quite like using the mouse to navigate the lobby quickly too!

saildog

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#2666600 2-Mar-2021 08:44

Thanks team, seems pretty clear that PC is an expensive option for no real gain. Will stick with the console.

networkn

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#2666602 2-Mar-2021 08:50

saildog:

Thanks team, seems pretty clear that PC is an expensive option for no real gain. Will stick with the console.

I don' think it's a matter of no gain (graphics and frame rates are the main benefit both being theoritically much better/faster for PC), but it's a pretty heavy entry point into even moderate PC gaming now.

If you had the need for a really decent spec PC already, and you just needed to add a $1300 graphics card, it might be worth it, but spending $3000+++ on a decent gaming rig vs $800 on a console... It's a tough justification for many.

I was a hard core PC gamer most of my life, but recently, my PC gaming makes up maybe on 10% of all my gaming and only for specific franchises.

CokemonZ

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#2666619 2-Mar-2021 09:31

You could by an ex-lease pc from somewhere like PBtech, and buy a second hand 10xx series card from trademe/facebook market place. 60fps gaming at 1080p.

All up spend about $4 - 500 if you have a bit of patience, and look for a deal.

While I am in the xbox space 100% - gamepass and all, with these bloody lockdowns the flexibility of the pc is a requirement. Also just 'more' you can do.

Otherwise, yeah xbox rocks. I got an xbox one x with two controllers and 8 games for $300 just before xmas.

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andrew75

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#2666626 2-Mar-2021 09:51

Xbox = better $$ value hardware wise esp at the moment.

But.... PC = massive library of often quite cheap year old games steam sales / epic store freebies etc. Over time I think this makes up for the extra hardware cost.

nitro

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#2666635 2-Mar-2021 10:06

andrew75:

Xbox = better $$ value hardware wise esp at the moment.

But.... PC = massive library of often quite cheap year old games steam sales / epic store freebies etc. Over time I think this makes up for the extra hardware cost.

i suppose it depends on how many games you do purchase, but game pass changes the math from what it used to be.

also, i see consoles having a 'life' of around 5 years (we get by for 6 or 7, depending on what the next gen brings)... i'm not sure a gaming pc will last 5 years without an upgrade, usually of a sizable cost.

SpartanVXL

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#2666737 2-Mar-2021 11:37

saildog:
Thanks team, seems pretty clear that PC is an expensive option for no real gain. Will stick with the console.

There is no doubt a big gain by going PC, but as others have pointed out it depends on what you want to do.

If your son (the main user) simply plays fortnite, apex etc. which are popular low requirement free-to-play titles then an xbox one is sufficient. An upgrade to this is the Xbox Series S which is a diskless, digital only model of the new generation. Perfect for the previously mentioned games.

A similar PC equivalent for xbox one, as someone mentioned, getting a ex-lease pc with a intel gen 4 or 6 i7 cpu and trying to find a second-hand graphics card like a gtx1060 or RX570/580. This would be better than your current last gen xbox one, but this is not a high bar to reach as that hardware is from 2014.

If your wanting to play more than just those free-to-play titles, newer AAA games then better to get a xbox series X. You’d be in the same xbox ecosystem, friends, backward compatibility for last-gen games and game pass subscription. Microsoft has an xbox app which lets you play some xbox games free on windows 10 if you own them on xbox already so if you wanted to you can switch easily.

An equivalent PC in the current market would cost $1000-1200 just for the graphics card alone, rest of the pc an additional $1200 or thereabouts. Normally it would be half that but covid shortages on components plus high demand are skyrockting prices.

CokemonZ

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#2666754 2-Mar-2021 12:29

Here is a Facebook pc for $800 which would give a solid gaming experience, with scope for upgrades in the future
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/478787996478941/

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