PC Gaming: Why I'll Never Console Myself with Second Best

[Edge386]

Anyways, while it is true that a person/family is more likely to already possess a TV (which have nearly 100% market penetration), it's also true that quality PC monitors are much cheaper than quality TVs.

Except those who are going to upgrade their tv for or after buying a console are going to be in a minority. I use an old 21" Philips, the picture is fine.

Yes, there's no denying that PCs require more work hassle to get running, but there's also no denying that PCs are a more powerful platform in pretty much every sense.

But as I said do you really need all that power? It would be interesting to do a poll on how many people use their pcs for other than gaming, dvds/music, the internet and email or as a pumped up word processor/calculator.

Don't forget DV editing and compositing. It's becoming increasingly popular for younger generations to get their hands on DV cameras and want to edit their own movies. This requires a decent computer. And if you have a decent computer, why not use it for video games as well?

I'm about done with consoles, as I feel I can obtain more quality gaming from my PC, with easier controls than any console has to offer. Selling the Xbox soon.

Your sig is so very true requiem.

 

[Kyuu]

It would be interesting to do a poll on how many people use their pcs for other than gaming, dvds/music, the internet and email or as a pumped up word processor/calculator.

Gaming is one of the most demanding things you can do with a computer, assuming it's a graphically-intense game, asides doing graphics arts, video editing, 3D modeling, and other professional sorts of things.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Gaming is one of the most demanding things you can do with a computer, assuming it's a graphically-intense game

Yet one thing people keep saying is consoles aren't as powerful and yet their graphics aren't that far off quality wise. Just look at any BioShock requirements threads, how many people were bemoaning they would need to upgrade? How much more could be done with our pcs?

asides doing graphics arts, video editing, 3D modeling, and other professional sorts of things.

And how many are into activities like those though?

 

[zioburosky13]

Yet one thing people keep saying is consoles aren't as powerful and yet their graphics aren't that far off quality wise. Just look at any BioShock requirements threads, how many people were bemoaning they would need to upgrade? How much more could be done with our pcs?

- People maybe satisfied with their current rig to play Bioshock. But deep inside their heart, they always want to play the game in full details and higher resolution.
Fast forward few years later (3-4 years is a pretty decent timeframe), if they upgrade/purchase a new PC, chances are, they will try to play those old games again with newer and faster hardware with every eye-candy turns on for the full experience.
It happens on me. Back when Q2 was released, I was thrilled to play it in 320*480 resolution in software rendering mode. Then I got a Nvidia TNT card and play the game again in 800*600, custom Open-GL mode and I never go back to software rendering mode again. With mod support today, I can play the game at 1600*1200 resolution. you just have to know how to choose to upgrade.

- The point is, PC game is for enthusiastic people. PC gaming is not for the lazy people who just want to spoon-fed everything. Because of PC game, I learn how about PC hardware, how to code a game (simple one ), how to troubleshoot a system, how to create/maintain a network (PC multiplayer game is basically just a simple way of transmitting data from one PC to another PC, in a graphical way).

And how many are into activities like those though?

- Given today's plenty of cheap-ass cellphone/digital camera/viewcam with the capability to capture silly picture/movie, it's not surprise people will start to learn how to manipulate their shots on a PC. Rendering a normal picture for future backup can be a CPU-resources hungry job (and GPU, if you are into video).

- Not to mention price of multi-core CPU is cheap this day and it's good for doing multimedia rendering. Also, you will need lotsa RAM for time-saving and ease the rendering process. Add with a decent GPU, hell, you can play most of current graphic intensive game in medium details with those. Or, if people want to upload their hardwork, they will need a faster internet connection. And they can use that for multiplayer gaming and able to built another social network.

It is a good year for PC gaming, I say.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

- People maybe satisfied with their current rig to play Bioshock. But deep inside their heart, they always want to play the game in full details and higher resolution.

I wasn't saying check out the BioShock threads because people are satisfied but because of the complaints of having to upgrade when the game runs fine on a console system.

- The point is, PC game is for enthusiastic people. PC gaming is not for the lazy people who just want to spoon-fed everything.

I don't want to be spoon fed everything but I do want what I buy to work with out hassle. Sure there are people like that and the current consoles are perfect for them, but the majority of us pc gamers do we need so complex and expensive systems? Aren't we getting a bit snobbish?

-

It is a good year for PC gaming, I say.

It's a good year for pc technophiles, but gaming? How many decent games have there been this year? A pc maybe superior but the games aren't, not any more.

 

[Kyuu]

It's a good year for pc technophiles, but gaming? How many decent games have there been this year? A pc maybe superior but the games aren't, not any more.

Well let's see... I'm very much looking forward to Starcraft 2, which is PC-only. Oh and there's World of Warcraft (and every other MMO that I'm aware of, asides Phantasy Star Universe, which probably doesn't qualify for MMO status); while you can deny its quality, you can't deny its popularity. There's probably other good PC-only games coming out, I just can't be bothered to go and look for them at the moment.

And as far as multi-platform games go, I've yet to play a single one where the experience wasn't better on the PC. Even Halo, which I loved, was better on the PC than it was on its home system, though of course than can be partially attributed to the superiority of mouse+keyboard controls for any FPP game. RTS games are also rather difficult to control with a gamepad (although I did love Herzog Zwei for the Genesis), which is why I'm skeptical about Halo Wars, even though it's looking rather good.

As far as power goes, yes consoles can produce graphics on par with high-end PC systems at the moment. Give it about a year, though, and even the PS3 will likely start to lag; the 360 will definitely fall behind, and the Wii already is below-par graphics-wise. Of course, the Wii's selling point isn't ZOMGshiney, but innovative controls and gameplay, which is probably why it's outselling the PS3 and 360. People can get ZOMGshiney on their PCs already, if they want.

 

[aronsearle]

PC gaming wont die for many years, simply because PC's have to many other uses. Consoles don't (although they have tried), though they excel at plug and play.

One day though, that will change, The idea of consoles vs PC will die.

One day I imagine a unit that will be a box that can sit anywhere in the house and have multiple moniters and users through wireless connection (so i can sit in one room using it as a virtual PC, and someone else can be using it to watch a DVD, or a console).

Technically this can be done, but the hardware isn't really suitable for it in reality, and wont be for years to come.

I believe that when that day comes, we will be asking not which platform is best, but which operating system. Until then, im sure that every time a next gen console is release, we will be having this same discussion.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

'Not good but popular', 'omg graphics', sounds more like you are talking about console games rather than pc games.

Funnily I would of said the opposite about multi-platform controls, the majority I've played had terrible keyboard layouts as if the dev's had no idea about playing pc games.

There's probably other good PC-only games coming out, I just can't be bothered to go and look for them at the moment.

You've probably summed up the state of pc gaming more succinctly than anything else said on the subject.

PC gaming wont die for many years, simply because PC's have to many other uses.

You've hit on the reason why pc's won't die, not why pc gaming won't. If more games are made cross platform or more developers continue to follow console game design, then it won't matter that there are still games to play on the pc. PC gaming will be effectively dead.

 

[Kyuu]

'Not good but popular', 'omg graphics', sounds more like you are talking about console games rather than pc games.

With the 'omg graphics' I was talking about consoles, actually, since that's the direction I see most console games headed towards, at least as far as the 360 and PS3 are concerned. Fun gameplay, good storylines, interesting characters, great artwork (not at all the same as good graphics), etc. and so on are all taking a backseat. The 'not good but popular' was exclusively in reference to WoW, and I'm actually of the opinion that WoW is decent, if not good, as long as you have other people to play with. By yourself, it's a dreadful bore.

Funnily I would of said the opposite about multi-platform controls, the majority I've played had terrible keyboard layouts as if the dev's had no idea about playing pc games.

Not my experience, though I've certainly seen PC games with poor controls. However, generally you can change the key assignments, so it's not really an issue. If a controller fits better, hey, plug a controller into that USB port there (go go 360 controller).

But anyway, I think I've been defending PC-gaming too strongly. I really don't care about the platform that much. Though PCs have several advantages over consoles, and consoles' sole advantage is their ease-of-use (asides from the Wii of course), I only care that the game is well made and fun to play. There are several games I'm looking forward coming out on consoles (Halo 3 (yes, I'm a Halo fan, sorry), Assassin's Creed, others I can't think of) as well as PC games (Starcraft 2, others I can't think of). Don't read too much into me not being able to think of names; I've always been horrible with names, whether it's people's or whatever.

PC gaming isn't dead or even in danger of dying, I don't think. Major game studios may be more console-focused, but there's still plenty of good reasons to be a PC gamer.

 

[aronsearle]

You've hit on the reason why pc's won't die, not why pc gaming won't. If more games are made cross platform or more developers continue to follow console game design, then it won't matter that there are still games to play on the pc. PC gaming will be effectively dead.

As long as their are PC's there will be a market to sell games to, studios come and studios go, for every studio that goes "exclusively" to console, there will be another PC Studio working away, as long as their are PC's, then their is money to be made porting games to them.

The article in the OP makes a good point about controllers, game pads restrict what games you can create. The only reason people are worried about PC gaming, is not the PC itself, but they type of games it has. The article mentioned X Universe games, of which i am a fan, they would never work with a control pad, the developers canned an X box version partly due to this.

But the Wii is a demonstration of new controller technology, and the next consoles will go one step further (in an effort to be "the best"), we may see "virtual" keyboards that allow as much control as the keyboard and mouse in the next gen of computers, and if the developers are smart, we will see something one step above the mouse/keyboard combo.

Games company's like ID (iirc from the article), are being very short sighted and unimaginative by attaching gamepads to their design computers and telling people to focus on that. Do we really care if such developers move away from the PC? why do they stick to the 360 controllers anyway, why not go with the Wii,s imaginative controller, why, because oohhhh shiny xbox graphics.... ID hasn't produced any worthwhile games in years, they just keep cloning quake with better graphics, and a few tweaks that nearly every other shooter has anyway.

There is always going to be a demand for strategy, and sim games, something that can only really be played with the good ole keyboard and mouse. So until the next gen of controllers come around to replace those, PC gaming isnt dead, its just not as alive with clone em ups as consoles are.

Its probably worth mentioning im someone who grew up with console gaming, and got a PC because i was bored of the shallow games that most consoles provide, so i dont buy the argument that consoles create a generation of "stupid" gamers, i just believe that the type of people that stick to consoles either are less imaginative or want simple games.

 

[El_Smacko]

Personally, I really don't think consoles should go back to being the Wii. Not being a PC doesn't mean depth of gameplay should be traded for instant amusement factor. That and I fucking hate the Wii controller. I don't find it intuitive, I find it annoying tiring and distracting. Red Steel would have been a ludicerously easy and highly sub-par game if it weren't for the gimmicky controller making it a challenge.

Although the patching and downloads and peripherals is pissing me off.

As for the upgrading, that's what I like about consoles. Consoles don't need upgrading. The games keep getting better and better because developers learn how to optimize the technology rather then just have higher specs. I'd way rather pay $600 for a console that'll continually get new games for 6 years then buy a $1-2000 computer that becomes obsolete in 3.5 years.

That's why people buy consoles. Comfortalbe ergonomic controller (yah, I like a good controller better then mouse and keyboard, so sue me) then a device designed for typing. I also prefer putting a disk in a machine and just playing then installing a game.

Besides, the average person's computer is 3 years and old, cost $500, and was designed for checking email and surfing YouTube.

PCs do generally provide better gaming experiences, but to really get the most out of it you DO have to spend more money and deal with alot of hassles along the way.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

With the 'omg graphics' I was talking about consoles, actually, since that's the direction I see most console games headed towards

That's where consoles are already at, it's pc games head that way that's the problem. Too many pc games are following the same design as console games, there are exceptions but they are in the definite minority.

Who knows maybe companies like id concentrating on consoles might actually improve things?

Dedicated gaming machines are going to dictate the future of games, well at least for a little while. But it's been that way since the atari, a back and forth between dedicated machines and the jack of all trades. Once gaming as an industry matures a bit more we will (hopefully) see a swing back to the pc.