Comment on What is the point of Xbox?
acosmichippo@lemmy.world 5 months agobecause in the bill of materials you’re paying for a screen and battery that are unnecessary expenses if you just need a console. in an actual console, that money will go towards higher powered hardware to run games, and maybe some other ancillary things. Also in a console you can have a better cooling system since you’re not constrained to a mobile platform. all of this adds up to a better performance-to-price ratio in a console compared to handhelds.
Most of Nintendo’s pre-Switch “consoles” arguably had poor performance-to-price ratios in terms of hardware.
Also, a PC doesn’t have the constraints of a mobile form factor and better cooling and can have better performance without the built in battery and screen. You just argued to me that a PC can be a console.
This all seems arbitrary to argue the differences.
if those nintendos had to build in a screen or battery they’d have even worse performance for the price.
i honestly don’t even know what your point about PC is.
tan00k@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Reading through the above comments it seems like goalposts keep moving on what counts as a console. Does the wii u not count as a console because the controller had a screen and the price to performance is poor?
I’m not sure any of you have a concrete definition for a console, and maybe there isn’t one. It might be more of a spectrum with open and configurable devices on one end and the more focused devices with walled garden software on the other.
Then you can day that ps5 is more like a console than steam deck is, and steam deck is more like a console than a pc.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The WiiU Gamepad did not function on its own, it had to be connected to the actual console in order to function. It was literally a controller with a screen. It did not have any functionality without the console.
tan00k@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The person I was responding to was citing costs accrued for screen and battery as a reasoning for why steam deck is not a console, so I was giving an example (wii u) that contradicts that reasoning.
I don’t actually care if you consider the steam deck or wii u or anything is a console or not. My point was that I don’t see a concrete definition anywhere in this thread and that maybe a more nuanced view would be appropriate.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I see. I will try to provide as detailed of a concrete definition as possible for you.
A video game console is an electronic device that is built with the specific purpose of playing video games. It can do other things as well, but its primary function that it is designed around is playing video games. A console does not have a built in screen or control device, but instead those devices are separate and connect to the console in order to give it inputs and for it to output its signal to the user. A video game console does not run a standard computer operating system that one might find on a workstation, but it can run a modified version of a standard operating system that is specifically optimized for the console hardware to play video games more efficiently The console device is to be placed in a permanent location while in operation, and must be plugged into an electrical socket or similar power supply, as it is not powered by an internal battery.
A handheld is a subcategory of video game console that differs by having a screen and controller built into the device. It is not in a permanent location while in operation, rather it is operated while held in the users hands. These have a battery to provide power to the unit.
acosmichippo@lemmy.world 5 months ago
No, i was answering your question “what features is steam deck missing compared to consoles”.
acosmichippo@lemmy.world 5 months ago
i would say the wiiu is a special case console. they tried holding in a screen to a typical console design and it didn’t really work. the vast, vast majority of consoles don’t have screens built into their controllers.