Oddbean

I think most PC gamers always wanted the PC experience on a console. It’s why Doom and Civilization was ported over. But it just was never convincing. Xbox made console gaming more like PC gaming, but in my view, not enough. Steam Deck is the closest we’ve ever got to the dream being viable, but I’m still waiting for my set top PC box that I hook up to my TV that delivers the console experience.

For PC gaming to actually be viable for the living room, you need three things: Linux instead of Windows—unless Microsoft is willing to make a version of Windows that boots into a game launcher. But probably Linux since Linux can be customized for specific hardware. A good controller with a trackpads and assignable buttons. Valve got really close with the Steam controller but it lacked a right analog joystick. Some way to access a keyboard, either virtually or with physical buttons. Many PC games run well on TVs nowadays, by the way.

Some people are like, “Why do you want a consolized PC for the living room instead of a dedicated console?” One reason: the PC’s deep, deep library of games. You look at the most popular console of all time, the PS2, and how many games were released for it? 2,501 games. That’s it. Now how many PC games do I own personally? Around 5,800 games. Not a typo, I really do own that many PC games. And here’s the thing. My library of PC games is only a fraction of all the PC games that have ever been released. By some estimates, there are hundreds of thousands of games that have been released for PC. Obviously, I want to access these games on any form factor.

Some people ask me, how did you get all those PC games? Most of them were bought in bundles where I paid an absolute pittance. Others were in crazy sales where it was 90% off. And quite often, I got these games for free. The other thing about PC gaming is that unless it’s for big box variants, there’s no collectors market for PC games—not like there is for console. You walk into a used game store, and you see used Nintendo games selling for an outrageous amount. And then you walk into the PC section of that same store, they’re selling PC games—often in the box with shrink wrap—for something like $1. Speculators completely ignore the retro market for PC gaming.