PS4 vs gaming laptop vs gaming desktop

[jryanjr]

I am a college student and currently have about 1600 dollars saved up for a new gaming/school setup. I have never really done any pc gaming but have recently been interested in getting into it. As I see it I have 3 options to spend my money on. Please note I do have a tablet already and want to keep that.
1) Gaming laptop
2) Non gaming laptop and PS4
3) Gaming desktop
I am looking for something that will be able to run all current games and future games as well. I don't do any video editing or anything other than school work and web browsing on my laptop now.
Thanks for the help!

 

[jaguarskx]

If you want to play current and future game with something that you buy today, then get the PS4. Any game released for it between this year and 2020 will be able to be played because the hardware does not change until a new generation PS5 is released. Consoles in general are relatively inexpensive because they are sold at a loss. The real money is made by selling the games.

For PC games, new hardware is always coming out so new games tends to push the performance envelop. A gaming PC purchased today that can play games at 1080p and ultra settings will probably only be able to play games at medium settings in 2020. But you can always upgrade it. The downside is that a gaming PC can be expensive depending on how much performance you want.

Laptops are nice and portable, but most of them will not allow you to upgrade them beyond the RAM and hard drive / SSD. They are also not as powerful as their desktop counterparts for example, a desktop nVidia GT 980 is far more powerful than the mobile nVidia GT 980m. Gaming laptops are expensive compared to gaming desktops. Parts like the graphics chip need to be designed smaller and draw less power than desktop chips which leads to increased production costs.

Lastly you need to look at the games you want to play. Are there certain games that are exclusive only to the PS4 that you want to play? Are there PC games that are not offered on the PS4 that you want to play?

Personally, I do not play console games. The last console game I played was Halo 2 when it was released at a friend's place. I focus solely on PC gaming because I prefer using a keyboard and mouse. Also, the PC games I play generally allows me to install mods created by the community that enhances gameplay / graphics. For example, I am replaying an old PC game; The Elder Scrolls III - Morrowind released in 2002 with lots of mods to improve graphics and gameplay. It does not look nowhere near like The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim and game play a lot different, but I have always liked Morrowind better.

For people going to university, I generally recommend a gaming console and a laptop (either with or without a dedicated graphics chip).