I’ve only recently switched to PC gaming. In 2016, I spontaneously picked up a Steam Machine, Valve’s early attempt to combine Steam with a more console-like experience. It was my first real look at the breadth of the Steam library and how it outperforms my PS4. I loved it, so I bought a Dell PC and built my own computer shortly after. I sold my Xbox One and most of my PS4 collection, keeping my PS4 itself for later release Final Fantasy VII Remake, but other than that I’ve moved all my games to the PC. Games ran better on the PC and there were more of them. Why should I spend my time playing with less? Why should I sacrifice performance when I should strive for the absolute best that technology can offer?
However, as we head into 2024, I think it’s time to play less on my Windows machines and more on my PS5, Switch, gaming-first devices like Steam Deck, and other consoles.
The inspiration for this change has little to do with exclusive titles on different platforms or the added convenience of gaming on the couch (I don’t actually have a couch and use the same monitor for my PS5 as I do for my PC). The trigger for this decision is the Moog Grandmother synthesizer.
More console games in 2024
As a musician, I have valued computers and digital audio workstations for their nearly limitless musical outputs. The ability to use software like Reason or VCV rack meant I could have tons of virtual instruments, many of which were sonically indistinguishable from their physical counterparts. But what I lost was the experience of spending focused time with a musical instrument. Instead, I took on the role of producer and optimizer, constantly distracted by the ease of launching a web browser and disappearing into the hole of the Internet.
But since switching to musical instruments instead of using a computer, I have developed a more direct, intimate, and distraction-free experience with music. It made me wonder where else I can achieve this closeness. The first thing that came to my mind was gaming.
In some ways, switching from a PC to a console and a game is just swapping one screen for another, but the more time I spend with my PS5, the more I realize the benefits of a more isolated, focused gaming experience of the kind that I’ve enjoyed most of my life – even when I’m playing a game that could technically run better on my PC.
In gaming we are so often bombarded with the need to be “bigger, better, faster now”. Our frame rates now need to be 120Hz and resolution at least 1440p, and marketing materials tell us that we should be constantly streaming, sharing and creating content. Overlays want us to constantly chat on Discord and other services. Consoles have been infected by this mandate Also, but the PC is the king that makes you feel guilty because it doesn’t always have a reliably stable frame rate in the most graphically demanding games. How can you even have fun when ray tracing isn’t in the game and is set to the maximum?
Up until now, my PS5 has been like having a car: I need one for work (at least that’s how I imagine it. Like a couch, I don’t have one of those either). But after a spontaneous purchase Alan Wake II After making it to PS5 on PC, I realized the benefits of staying away from the distraction of a web browser. I can’t Alt+Tab away from having the internet tell me whether to use Performance or Quality mode or randomly chat in Discord. As I once again follow the dark story of Mr. Wake, I do so in an environment designed exclusively for gaming. And yes, I play it at 30 frames per second, but the focused experience of turning off the work machine and turning to the gaming machine leads to a more immersive experience with this game in my opinion, and I hope that will be the case in other areas too be.
Does this mean I’m done with PC gaming? No, definitely not. I personally don’t own an Xbox, so I use my Windows 11 computer to enjoy Microsoft’s offerings, and over the last few years I’ve developed a taste for emulation. And my job requires me to stay connected to the world of PC gaming.
But in 2024, for gaming experiences, I will try to use and engage with my PlayStation first, not because I’m chasing endless horsepower on gaming’s “ultimate” “FTW” platform, but because I’m making the decision to have one to use a different, independent machine than the one I use for all the clinical and boring parts of my life. As with my synths, I want to reframe gaming as a focused, direct experience, and I think dedicated hardware is the key to that.
