45% of Playstation fans considering switching to PC

PC gaming appears to be on the rise. According to a Push Square survey of over 7,000 readers, 45% of PlayStation fans are "seriously considering" leaving the console in favour of PC-based systems. This sentiment has skyrocketed tenfold over the past week following Sony's announcement of its intent to stop manufacturing physical games.

Only 23% indicated their intention to stick with PlayStation, while a further 15% have already made the switch, and 10% stated they already play on both platforms. It must be noted that with this specific survey, anyone can cast their vote (no account required), and there is no protection against repeat voting from the same IP address as long as a new private browsing session is started every time, so its results should be taken with caution.

Of the reasons given for the possible switch, 41% highlighted Sony's decision to stop manufacturing physical games as their reason for leaving, which is somewhat puzzling in light of the fact that PCs have been mostly-digital for quite a while now. Nevertheless, PC gaming has become more accessible thanks to powerful hardware and platforms like Steam, which generally have been free of controversy in regard to digital game ownership.

Owing to the RAM crisis and rising hardware costs, which are also affecting PC prices, the PS6 is expected to break the $1,000 mark. At this point, the value of a console that no longer offers true game exclusivity becomes difficult to justify: Sony has been releasing fewer first-party titles in recent years, most of which arrive on the PC sooner or later. This is in direct contrast to Nintendo, which continues to dominate with unique exclusives and hybrid handheld gaming.

There is also the issue of steep game prices: New first-party PlayStation games often launch at around $70. The prices of PC games are also similar upon launch, but they generally have much better discounts later on thanks to competition between Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Bundle, Fanatical and others. Lastly, the generational differences in hardware is not as dramatic: many games are still released for both PS4 ($220 at Amazon) and PS5, making it less compelling for users to upgrade.