this post was submitted on 09 May 2024
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Why do you say it isn't a proper substitute? What features is it missing?
not "features" per se, but consoles have a better performance-to-price ratio compared to handhelds. In the bill of materials for a handheld you're paying for a screen and battery that are unnecessary expenses if you just need a console. in a 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 form factor. Also in a console you can use higher power since performance is not being balanced with batter life.
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.
yes, PC has some commonalities with consoles, but there are other aspects that make a PC a PC rather than a console.
This is not an arbitrary discussion, it’s a semantic discussion. these terms have non-arbitrary meanings.
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 say that ps5 is more like a console than steam deck is, and steam deck is more like a console than a pc.
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.
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.
No, i was answering your question “what features is steam deck missing compared to consoles”.
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.
Ah, that does clarify a lot. You're wanting a term to refer to the Xbox and Playstation class devices since they're in this closely competing realm, but people already have a preconceived notion of what a "console" is (I would consider handheld to be consoles, for example).
It does seem like it would be useful to have a term for those.
Well this is the traditional definition of a video game console, it includes all video game consoles before the current generation. For example, the SNES, SEGA Genesis, and PC Engine/TurboGrafx16 were all competing consoles, but the SEGA GameGear and Nintendo Gameboy were not competing with those consoles.
As I said, handhelds are a subcategory of console. Like how a laptop is a subcategory of personal computer.
If it's a subcategory of console then it is a console. Otherwise it's like saying a square is not a rectangle because it is a square, or a cat is not a mammal because it is a cat.
That's why I say you are searching for a term for things like the Xbox and Playstation - because it would be useful to have a term for that. Simply "console" is not a good fit imo, but you may disagree.
A handheld is a kind of console. It is not in competition or in the same class as a regular console.
A square is a kind of rectangle, nobody that says "draw a rectangle" expects you to draw a square, they expect a box with two sides longer than the other two but equal in length to each other adjoined at 90° angles. A square is a subcategory of rectangle. Its definition includes some features of a rectangle, but it also has other features that define it as clearly different from a rectangle.
Likewise a laptop is a subcategory of personal computer. A tablet such as a Microsoft Surface could also be a subcategory of personal computer. But if someone talks about their PC, you don't think of a laptop or Surface.
Its the same with consoles and handhelds. By technicality one could call a handheld a console in the same way a person could call a Surface a personal computer, but that would be the same as calling a hot dog a sandwich, or calling a submarine a boat.
Perhaps "home console" would be more descriptive, but since video game consoles were always understood to not be handheld devices, there is no need to subdivide the parent category. Just "consoles" and "handhelds" works fine.
i would say the wiiu is a special case console. they tried adding a screen to a typical console design and it didn’t really work. that’s why they pivoted to the switch which is much more like a portable than a console.
the vast, vast majority of consoles don’t have screens built into their controllers.