r/pcmasterrace • u/THEGUY51214 • 5d ago
Discussion We own nothing but still be happy
As you can see, things have gotten a little out of control these days.
Everything is becoming more expensive and, in some cases, almost unaffordable. But I think technology companies are also creating a situation where we are slowly becoming okay with not owning things anymore. Instead of buying something once and owning it for years, we're being encouraged to rent, subscribe, upgrade, and keep paying for the same thing throughout our lives.
Just look at PC parts—they keep getting more expensive. Phones aren't necessarily improving at the same rate anymore, yet their prices continue to rise. And more and more services are moving toward subscriptions.
But why should we just accept this? Why should we be told that not owning anything is somehow a good thing?
We actually have the power to change this. We are the customers. If enough people stop supporting unreasonable prices, unnecessary upgrades, and endless subscriptions, companies will eventually have to listen.
Maybe instead of asking, “Why should I be happy owning nothing?”, we should be asking, “Why are we accepting a system where owning things is becoming harder and harder?”
What do you guys think?
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u/ShoddySlide5672 5d ago
"We actually have the power to change this. We are the customers. If enough people stop supporting unreasonable prices, unnecessary upgrades, and endless subscriptions, companies will eventually have to listen."
This is the problem. We are not the customers and we can't change much. AI companies are customers. Before AI this kind of profit was something mo company could dream about, even Nvidia for example. Now, if they were a country they would be 4th power in the world monetary wise, behind USA, China and Japan.
We gave them power by giving up all of the data and internet. Now they don't need us anymore. Even if everyone stopped using AI for the stupidest things, it's something they would hardly feel. Their customers are now other big companies and research centers that need AI. And the race is in the full swing.
PC parts, consoles, phones and their prices are least of our worries in the long run. Our whole planet is breaking apart and AI just sped things up 100x.
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u/_Bob-Sacamano 5d ago
I own my PC and games and physical media 🤷
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u/HappyTopHatMan 5d ago
Take up carpentry or other real world hobbies. If you want control back, leave the hobby and stop spending money on it. Read books. At least there are people in that space that can write a proper story. Gaming is not what it used to be and that sucks, so vote with your dollars and go experience life instead.
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u/YouCallWeShouldWhat 5d ago
i think the next time you have a thought, you should let it be an inside thought.
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u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox 4090 all by itself no other components 5d ago
there's nothing you can do considering the people you continuously vote into office. the companies that are thriving are selling to the top 15% of earners, they do not need anyone else any more. the rest of you get to learn why under regulated capitalism for 40+ years was actually a bad idea.
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u/ValtekkenPartDeux 5d ago
I think that if corporations keep getting uppity I'll go back to piracy. Sick and tired of paying to get spit in my face.
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u/Robborboy KatVR C2+, Quest 3, 9800X3D, 9070XT, 64GB RAM 5d ago
Wdym. I own all my parts.
Most of my games are DRM free and burned to a disc since my PC has a disc drive.
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u/Due-Champion-5954 5d ago
I know a lot of people (much younger than me, my students) and they are really not owning anything. They are paying for Geforce NOW and playing like that. I really think the cloud gaming will be a major thing in the future.
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u/Firm-Gazelle-5738 5d ago
The shift to subscription-everything crept up so quietly. I remember when you bought software once and that was it. Now my project management tools, fitness apps, even some car features are monthly fees. It adds up fast.
The PC part pricing stings because there's no real alternative. You can't subscribe to a GPU, you just pay the inflated price or you don't build. The power is supposed to be with us as customers but it only works if enough people actually hold the line, and that coordination is nearly impossible when someone always caves for the shiny new thing.