Well considering most PCs are office and home PC which arent ment for gaming yea it will outperform those.

However any PC with a half decent GPU will wipe the floor with the PS4. By half decent i mean anything featuring a 250usd GPU. GTX 760 being an example.

Heck PS4 isnt even out yet, 5 months later by the time it is, PC parts will again give you much more power for lower amount of money. No way consoles can compete and it really isnt about the power either, PS4 hardly launches with 15-20 games. Thats just a handful, many people may not even like all the games. PC on the other hand has thousands of games from over 25 years, add in capability to emulate any console in history(asides ps3 and xbox 360) its a one sided victory for the PC as long as the games are concerned.

Irrelevant..

Console gamers.. Dont care about graphics.

They care about the games, oh wait not many of those on the new consoles.

500 dollars

^that is where it gets ridiculous...

This guys is saying 'average pc'...as in...the average hardware inside of the hundreds of millions of PCs out there...not the average PC fanatics attach to it...

the 'average' pc right now can barely play a PS3-like game...let alone anything coming later this year...

I just finished building my PC over the weekend...very above average on the grand scale, and WAY behind what current gaming pc's can do...but, the point, is that it was over $800 before any peripherals or a monitor...and WITHOUT a gpu (has the AMD A10 6800k for now)...

if you just go and click on a premade mid range pc from nearly any vendor...this pc will crush it...but if you are actually building something for gaming, this thing is already taxed...

So yes...there will be parts available, some already, that will trash the next gen consoles...those are NO WHERE close to mid range or average pc parts...those are all very much high end...you won't come close to a next gen console without $1000 spent...I guarantee it...

I'm PC elitist, but I'm not stupid.

Ps4 is an awesome piece of hardware.Period.

an Intel HD 4000 is not even average, that's the absolute low end! XD

Average would be something like a 9400 GT and even then that's still very low end, that card can hardly compete with a PS3 and X360. So let's up it to an 8800 GTX... PS4 is still a lot more powerful though. ;)

@kleptic

"you won't come close to a next gen console without $1200 spent...I guarantee it..."

1. You cant include the price of a monitor when building a PC, just the way you cant include the price of an HDTV when buying a console.

2. Here is a PC for 650USD that out does a PS4 already. Yet PS4 isnt even out yet. By the time its out you could probably build something cheaper and more powerful. http://www.tomshardware.com...

3. You fail to account PS4 has no BC, while PC has full BC. Hence do account for loss of games you bought this gen. For me i bought over 175 games on Steam, all remain playable if i decide to upgrade(which i dont need to since my PC is already more powerful than the PS4 to boot). If i bought those on console i would have to keep buying a PS3 just to play my old games every time it failed. Same can be said for my previous games IE bought during PS2 days. Yet i can still play those on my PC. Good luck buying a PS2 and PS3 over and over just so you can maintain PS BC.

4. You need to pay go online on console, thats 60usd a year. Online is free on PC. Reoccuring charges make console more expensive.

5. Most importantly console games cost 10-20usd more per copy. Even if you bought 20 games a year you paid between 200-400usd more for the games alone.

6. No Steam or greenmangaming like discounts.

So there you have it consoles have too many hidden costs that you dont calculate. Once you do take those in consideration, consoles all of a sudden become much more expensive to game on vs a PC.

The odds are further in the PCs favor if we consider almost everyone has a PC. To make it into a gaming machine all you need is a GPU. Which costs less than a console to begin with.

the month old AMD A10 6800k w/ Radeon HD 8760d gpu is their new crossfireX gaming apu, meant to be pared with a dedicated crossfire radeon gpu...but very much would be an 'average' starter chip set for gaming purposes...won't even run BF3 at 30 fps on medium settings without overclocked ram...

its just a weird spot in the market right now...its hard to target exactly where the new consoles will be comparatively...you'll either be WAY underneath them in power...or far higher, at 4x the cost...in either case, by far the most affordable options are the consoles...by late 2014, that'll start to change rapidly...but i'm fairly sure a lot of the pc guys screaming how 'weak' the consoles are...haven't looked at parts availability and costs right now...

decrypt...the $1200 was a typo, i meant 1k, and i was not including the cost of monitor...

but...if we're approaching from that angle...keep it even...

consoles come with all necessary peripherals, cables, etc. to play a game...and also come pre-loaded with a full OS...while, some will go the linux route as best as possible, the average pc gamer will require windows...

and sorry...you're $653 example is NO WHERE NEAR either console...an i3 with 4gb@1600mhz is cost cutting...no other way to say it...

the gpu is obviously where the money is going, which is needed...and that cpu would be fine for most released stuff so far (who knows about the end of the year though)...but saying that 'out matches a ps4' is simply false...that system would be strangled in resources...and a 500w power supply with seemingly no additional fan support, is again, just looking for areas to cut costs...

and just addressing the limited ram in that build...by say doubling it, or even better to try and approach Ps4 bandwidth...with OC 2133mhz...you'll take that system over $800, depending on some sale prices...

and remember...you still don't have an operating system or a mouse and keyboard...'but, but, but that stuff is so cheap'...keeping your shatty old HP included mouse and keyboard doesn't count...

I get it...that thing would play some games...but a ps4, that is not...

@keptic

PS4 isnt out yet. Hence essentially we are comparing this PC against vaporware to be honest.

PC parts fall in prices darn fast. 5 months later you can expect 20-30% more performance for the same price. Its just the way things work.

Why would we count an OS? I am still using Vista on some of my PCs, no reason to upgrade. I wouldnt buy a new OS just because i made a new PC. Niether would i go about buying a new monitor, Mouse, Keboard, Casing, hard drive, dvd drive etc. PCs are long term investments, once parts are bought no need to keep rebuying. So really the costs can be significantly lower if you think of it as long term.

Now add in all the other points i mentioned. Console gaming being cheaper is a myth.

PC Virgin Race

I have a top gaming pc $1000 dollar upgrade just this year and iam still looking forward to buying the ps4 like I did when I bought my ps3 and I can tell you now I have never had an experience on pc like I had on ps3 with the last of us wow that game moved me. If naughty dog can make a game like that on ps3 I wouldn't like to think what they can do with the ps4.
I can tell you now that some of the games that Sony showed like infamous second son looked way better than anything on pc max settings right now.

Its not all about the power people its about the talented devs and what they can do and Sony has the best in the business.

the most average specs of a PC, so somwhere between a $200 walmart tower and a $3,000 elite gaming rig.

So I'm not surprised that the PS4 will outperform the average PC. Especially with optimization.
Speaking of which, I didn't see any PCs with 2005/6 hardware pushing gfx like the ones seen in today's latest PS3 games.

For multiplatform games, next-gen starts when consoles say so.

Go here -

http://store.steampowered.c...

Most popular would be close to average, give/take.

@decrypt:

"Here is a PC for 650USD that out does a PS4 already. Yet PS4 isnt even out yet. By the time its out you could probably build something cheaper and more powerful."

then:

"PS4 isnt out yet. Hence essentially we are comparing this PC against vaporware to be honest."

...its cool...we're not arguing...I'm only saying PC gaming is a lot more expensive than many lead on...while console gaming is riddled with hidden fees...its not a cheap hobby.

@Kleptic
"you won't come close to a next gen console without $1000 spent...I guarantee it... "

Oh really?!

Hate to blow your misconception out of the water but $869 pretty much pulverizes the PS4 and has free online and cheaper games to boot.

GPU
PC - 384 bit GPU @ 1Ghz with 4.10 TFLOPS performance, 288GB/s dedicated bandwidth, 2048 stream processors, 128 texture units
PS4 - 256 bit GPU @ 800Mhz with 1.84 TFLOPS performance, 176GB/s shared bandwith, 1154 Stream processors, 72 texture units

CPU
PC - 8 core desktop processor @ 3.5Ghz with 16MB cache
PS4 - 8 core tablet processor @ 1.6Ghz with 4MB cache

RAM
PC - 19GB total - 3GB 288GB/s GDDR5 + 16GB DDR3 PC2133
PS4 - 8GB 176GB/s GDDR5 shared

HD
PC - 1TB desktop drive (7200rpm with 64MB cache)
PS4 - 500GB laptop drive (unknown but laptop drives are typically 5400rpm with 8MB cache)

Sapphire 7970 GHz Edition -$310
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
AMD FX 8320 Eight Core Processor- $145
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-P...
Asus M5A97 Motherboard - $69
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
Patriot Viper 3 16Gb DDR3 PC2133 - $123
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
Western Digital 1TB Hard Drive - $60
http://www.tigerdirect.com/...
Optical Drive - $15
http://www.tigerdirect.com/...
Cooler Master Case and 500W Power Supply - $57
http://www.newegg.com/Produ...
Windows 8 64 bit - $90
http://www.amazon.com/Windo...

"infamous second son looked way better than anything on pc max settings right now."

Really? You have to be kidding. Infamous Second Son looks like a high end PC game, period. It doesn't look better than The Witcher 2 or Crysis 3 (or a few other high end PC games). And no way in hell does it look "way better" than any high end PC game. That's just fanboy talk.

All this talk of PC gaming being more expensive is not really accurate.

With the cheaper price of games and free online I honestly believe that PC gaming is cheaper over the long run.

But it also depends on where you are coming from.

If you already own a decent gaming PC, next gen gaming is going to be a lot cheaper for you on your PC than on a console.

For example, I currently have an HD 7950 and an i5 2500k. I guarantee that I will be able to play next generation games at a similar level of quality to the PS4 and that is without spending a dime.

I might choose to use a frame limiter and lock the framerate to 30fps, but that's equal to the consoles anyway, only the consoles will probably be swinging between 20 and 30 fps.

What do I base these conclusions on?

Well, first I am looking at the average advantage consoles get from optimization and considering that an 8800gt can run games about as good as a PS3, I conclude that my hd 7950 with 24 compute units (versus 18 in the PS4 and 12 in the Xbox One) should have enough of a power advantage to outperform the consoles.

Second, I am looking at the announced Battlefield 4 beta system requirements which aren't much different than Battlefield 3. I am able to run Battlefield 3 at a steady 60fps, so it seems that Battlefield 4 should play at similar levels of quality and performance on my machine.

Remember that Frostbite 3 not only offers graphical and physics improvements, but it also contains optimizations that allow the same level of graphical quality to run more efficiently. I personally think Battlefield 4 is easily one of the best looking next generation games. If my PC can run Battlefield 4 well, it should be able to run other next gen games at least decently.

And, finally, even if I want better performance than I am getting with my HD 7950 I can always upgrade to a new graphics card.

There is simply no way that buying a new console would be a more economical way for me to play next gen games. That said, I am still getting a PS4 near launch for the PS4 exclusives and console exclusives.

The one grandma just bought. One that can just barley run the sims, On low settings and plenty of lag. That is your "Average" pc.

@Muerte2494

We always here console folks talk about efficiency, however its all just talk really.

Most console efficiency involves cheating via Lower resolutions, low res textures, lack of AA, frame rate drops, smaller FOV, poor AF etc.

If consoles are so effiecient why is it the current gen consoles could never beat a 8800GTX?

8800GTX on paper is 2.5x more powerful than consoles and in real terms it plays games in 1080p, while consoles do 720p, thats 2x difference. So where did the console efficiency go?

Please stop kidding yourself, PC being badly optimized or using brute force alone is just console maker propaganda so they can justify selling their old hardware.

@cayleee

That is why we see games like Uncharted, Killzone, and The Last of Us run much better on a PS3 then BattleField does on a PC that has "comparable" specs?

That might apply to certain third party games but not the whole library. I'm definitely sure running games that look great that well on 512 MB's of RAM alone sure speaks when games generally use far more then that on a PC.

The definition of optimization doesn't mean they never cut corners to achieve similar results. They do that a lot but you see some crazy results when developers push harder to get the similar product on tighter limitations.

EDIT: And don't forget the price per performance. I know very well how to build a computer and how to get the best you can for a budget. For $400 I would not get the same quality as a PS4. Not counting any of it's included features like Bluray and a high quality controller. You don't have to like it, but quit arguing with it. As for optimization again, they clearly play games with intense graphics very smoothly. You can ignore consoles but don't be ignorant of their positives. I know paying for online sucks in a way but PSPlus is indeed a great deal. IF Steam had a subscription based service it would likely be similar.