What machine to play Black Myth: Wukong?

As Black Myth: Wukong continues to garner more fans and sell more coffee (see this photo of the Luckin Coffee collab in China), people have been asking me if they should buy a Sony PS5 or a gaming PC to play the game.

My maddening answer is “It depends.”. There are many trade-offs to consider when buying a gaming machine to play today’s AAA games.

SONY PS5

  • A Sony PS5 costs about $600+ SGD these days, and the Wukong game is about $81.
  • This is the cheapest option but don’t be hasty.
  • The game will look good but you could do better. You will not get the realistic raytracing lighting effects and framerates can dip at times.
  • This is because the PS5’s graphical capability is roughly equivalent to that of an Nvidia RTX 3060, a last-generation mid-range GPU (graphics processing unit).
  • You are probably stuck playing in one location (where your PS5 and TV are set up).
  • Also, there are rumours that an upgraded PS5 is coming, so don’t blame me if you buy the current model… A gaming PC comes in two form factors: Gaming laptops and gaming desktops. These are expensive but offer much more utility in the long run. Gaming PCs are really good for productive work and content creation.

GAMING LAPTOP

  • A gaming laptop with an Nvidia RTX 4070 (a current mid-range GPU) can cost $2,500 and up. I saw one going for about $2,000 on Lazada.
  • The RTX 4070 and other 40-series GPUs allows for really pretty visuals using raytracing and improved framerates using AI.
  • You can play the game anywhere as long as you also bring along the power brick.
  • However, powerful gaming laptops tend to be really heavy at over 2.2kg. A MacBook Air (which cannot run Wukong) is around 1.5kg

GAMING DESKTOP

  • This is the best type of machine for playing Wukong, allowing you to use extreme GPUs like the RTX 4090, which delivers maximum graphical detail with smooth frame rates at 4K resolution.
  • However, the Diderot Effect kicks in if you have an RTX 4090. To match its performance, you’ll need to buy an expensive 1000W power supply (around $300), a powerful CPU from Intel or AMD (about $800), and the holy grail of monitors: a 4K OLED 32″ monitor (around $2,000).
  • Don’t be surprised if you end up paying over $4,000 for a dream gaming desktop….

Or maybe, you should just stick to a cup of Wukong coffee from Luckin and watch other people play the game on YouTube.

(Image from China Daily on FB)