But you aren’t required to upgrade, it will just not be as fast/HD as it would be on newer hardware. On console it is very likely the old hardware will not be developed for at a certain point, so you will not be able to play it even if technically it would run decent on the hardware
I’ll try to respond below. Lemme know what you think:
Consoles:
Need to upgrade every 5-7 years if you want to play new games on next gen consoles. Can play your old games indefinitely.
PC:
Need to upgrade every 5-7 years if you want to play new games that are more demanding and require next gen parts. Can play your old games indefinitely.
In terms of playing new games on an old PC, try playing cyberpunk on a PC from 2013 (7 years prior to CP77 release in 2020). You’ll get like 2 fps. Not even playable.
So to conclude, sure, you can try to play new games on your old ass PC, but it’ll run like crap and won’t be a good experience.
Edit: just to clarify, my opinion is from the perspective of someone who wants to play new demanding games. If you play super easy to run new indie games, then yea I agree with your point. Added benefit of PC is the ability do that indefinitely.