Post

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

The only people who didn't understand that this is exactly what would happen were the execs at Sony and Microsoft. The entire point of a console is that it's simple, reliable and cheap. If it's not all of those things then people will find alternatives.

Mat Piscatella@matpiscatella.bsky.social

From Circana's US Retail Tracking Service: For 2026 YTD ending August, Xbox hardware unit sales are down 33% versus a year ago in the US, while PlayStation hardware units are 25% lower. Xbox YTD US hardware unit sales are at an all-time low, while PlayStation is at lowest point since 2013.

77 reposts265 likes

Flynn Arrowstarr | Certified Bunny Vampire | 🐰
@flynnarrowstarr.com

Almost all the first-party studios for Sony are busy chasing live service games mandated by the prior CEO, and Xbox absorbed so many studios they had to fire 3/4 of their staff in order to cut costs thanks to their investments into "AI". Glad Double Fine was able to go independent, at least.

Flynn Arrowstarr | Certified Bunny Vampire | 🐰
@flynnarrowstarr.com

Yeah, I have a PS5 from around launch (bought it from a coworker at retail cost) and it's likely the last big console I'll buy. The only console I want is a Switch 2, but that will have to wait. I only have so much per quarter to buy fluff and I'm more looking at PC games through Humble Choice.

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

Honestly right now you could probably sell the PS5 for its launch price and buy a Switch 2 with the money.

Thomas aka OtakuboyT
@otakuboyt.bsky.social

I have an SFF Dell Optiplex, I got from work for free when they upgraded. It has a 4590k, I upgraded it to 16GB of DDR3 and 256GB SSD from my parts bin. I got a RX550 4G of ebay for $60. Runs 90% of my controller based steam games at over 50FPS if not 60. Even runs most Switch games.

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

Right now on eBay there's a bunch of used Ryzen 5 5600-based PCs around $600. They play rings around a console and either Windows or Linux gives you full access to Steam. And I've seen cheap-as-fuck little ARM-based Chinese portables that can access Steam and game reliably, too.

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

I can only imagine how many used PCs are out there on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist (do people still use Craigslist) And since both Microsoft and Sony neglected their exclusives, there's no huge reason to get either. Even the upcoming release of GTA VI didn't inspire an uptick in sales.

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

Plus, Microsoft skipped out on their mid-cycle refresh so they don't have any good reason to buy something new from them. And nobody, PC or console, has any big upgrades on the horizon. So there's like zero downside to used, because there hasn't been anything extraordinary to replace them.

Nash
@radiodeadair.com

All Sony and Microsoft had to do was eat the costs. Two years or so. Eat the increased cost of the consoles. They'd have kept loyal customers for life, earned a ton of goodwill, lock in sales for ages. They wouldn't have been unprofitable. They simply wouldn't have been *as* profitable. But nope.

saltyoven.bsky.social
@saltyoven.bsky.social

As far as I've seen, the only reason why anyone would still have a ps5 is because it got so jailbroken, that it effectively can act as any console ever, including a pc, and pirate all of the games.

Alex B
@ajxander.bsky.social

I never understood the arguments for a console over pc. Keeping a PC or Gaming laptop for 3-5 years allowed for games at £20+ on sales, downloadable indie games, modding, and a functional computer that didn't compete with the main television. Why trade that for £50+ games and a walled garden market?