The nature of technology is such that new innovations often make existing gadgets redundant or unnecessary. For instance, the smartphone has crushed the GPS market and is slowly making point-and-shoot cameras outdated. It’s not the point-and-shoot camera’s fault. It’s just the cycle of technology.
Gaming laptops seem to face the same situation now. External factors are piling up in a way where it makes no sense for an average consumer to purchase a laptop for gaming any more. Between cheaper ultrabooks, a focus on video game consoles, and the rise of mobile gaming, the gaming laptop is obsolete tech.
Laptop Gaming Is Ignored
Video game developers don’t invest as much time, attention, and energy into PC gaming any more. Instead, they focus on the two big video game consoles: Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. When a new game is on its way, chances are that it will either be released on consoles before the PC version is out; or it might not have a PC version at all.
Even when the PC version does come out, far too often it is plagued by bugs and requires a patch or two to get it working right—and again, those aren’t priorities for the game developers since they would rather address issues with the consoles first.
Laptop Gaming Is Uneconomical
Typically, a gaming laptop costs quite a bit—much more than good notebooks. For example, the Asus GL552JX retails at about Rs. 80,000. You could buy our much-loved Asus Zenbook UX305 (read our review) and the Sony PlayStation 4 or Microsoft Xbox One at that price.
Heck, you could build a robust gaming PC and get a cheap laptop for the same price. In fact, the PC you would assemble yourself for that price would be far, far more powerful than a laptop.
Laptop Gaming Is Stupid
Speaking of building your own computer, that is a major part of the PC gaming experience. PC hardware changes rapidly—it’s a much faster pace than consoles. So your graphics card gets outdated pretty quickly, and it’s difficult to run new games are their best possible settings. However, laptops don’t let you upgrade this graphics card or other components like the processor. Usually, you can only upgrade the hard drive and RAM memory.
Also, given all the top-notch hardware that is packed into a notebook meant for gaming, its size and weight goes up. What you usually get is a hefty device, sacrificing the portability of a laptop – in which case, what’s the point?
Laptop Gaming Is Obsolete
Perhaps the biggest reason for an average consumer to not purchase a gaming laptop is how good mobile gaming is now. When you’re going on a trip or are unable to access your PC for a while, you can probably still get your phone or tablet with you. And these days, games made for smartphones or iPads are incredibly entertaining and engrossing.
You would need to be obsessed with PC gaming or be a professional gamer for you to need a gaming laptop with you wherever you go. If you’re a pro, this article isn’t for you. If you’re just obsessed, it’s time to reassess your priorities.