Question for PC gamers...

[Omar F1]

I think the outrageous system requirements of the new PC ports do make a PC much harder to justify for gaming instead of a console from this point of view.

I agree completely, having to upgrade my GFX card every two years at max became ridiculous and expensive (well, if you want to stay at the top of the edge, at least)

If you got into PC gaming to save money, you are doing it wrong.

Exactly, except for gaming on a budget and old games, thanks to Steam.

 

[Craig234]

I think there's a lot of performance, flexibility (lot easier to upgrade a PC graphics card than a console graphics card) and value in the PC.

Every time there's a new gen console out, this comes up, because the cost of the console is subsidized by games and it's a good value, but then there are PC upgrades later...

 

[Morbus]

But do you start asking yourself "Am I crazy for wanting/needing to buy a new $350 GPU just so that I can play the newest game when the (game) looks and plays pretty darn good on a console that costs about the same as my video card alone?"

Well, I can speak for myself and myself only. I've never spent more than 220€ on a graphics card, and that was a year ago when I bought my GTX760. Before that, the most expensive graphics card I had bought cost me 160€ IIRC.

And I have never not played the games I wanted to play because of lack of firepower. As soon as I find one or two games I'm interested in and can't run (acceptably), I get a new graphics card in less than 6 months for sure.

So yeah, I don't feel like buying a console because, considering I get a new graphics card every two or three years, and considering a console usually lasts what? Seven years tops? Yeah, from that perspective it's not that much more expensive to game on PC. Specially considering I'd need at least an average GPU to do my work anyway.

But then comes another issue: the price of games.

Console games are crazy expensive, even years after release. On PC, not only can I play a HUGELY larger portfolio of games, but they are seriously less expensive as well. Maybe not necessarily on launch, but after a couple of months they'll drop in price, or go on sale or whatever.

And then there's the issue of gameplay quality. On PC, you can mod games, and you generally have much more freedom to play the games the game you want to. Not so much on the consoles.

And then come the graphics. PC games are usually much better than console games in that regard, even if they are bad ports and badly optimized. Sure, we might not get the best graphics possible for every game, but playing on consoles is always a downgrade in that department.

And then come the games themselves. The games I like playing are not on consoles. There's a dozen games, tops, that I want to play that are console exclusive. And that's what let's play videos are for, if I'm honest. RTSs are PC only pretty much, FPSs suck on console, or at least they suck all around and I'm not interested in them (like Call of Duty). Multiplayer is also considerably better on PC. And there are virtually no proper RPGs on consoles. No, action/strategy games with stats are not RPGs.

And then PC games just perform better. Loading times are shorter, the games are much easier to launch and alt-tab off of, it's easier to do something else while gaming, I don't have to leave the comfort of my chair and put in the game disc to play it, endure the console boot up, bother people who want to watch TV or whatever...

PC gaming is just the way to go.

Console gaming is for casuals. If I had another kind of life, sure, I wouldn't even own a desktop PC. But since I live my life the way I want to, I'm a PC gamer.

 

[futurefields]

Skyrim looks vastly different on PC than on console to me.

Personally, I have a PC because I need one to work on but it also happens to give me an excellent and unique gaming experience. Sure the graphics might not be as important as gameplay but with a console, I can't have a browser open with my work in the background while completing a hauling run on E: D using my warthog hotas, with a batch render running on idle cpu power and a twitch tv stream opened on my second screen all while I have my music playlist streaming from a nas on speakers and the other work related skype feed in my headphones.

When consoles can do all of that for 400 bucks, let me know.

What is the point of your reply to me?

The gentleman who I replied to was saying Skyrim is gimped on console.

 

[futurefields]

Console gaming is for casuals.

Console gaming is for people who want pure skill to win out.

On PC you have all this disparity between gear.

You have somebody on an i7/GTX980 and 30 button mouse, mechanical keyboard with macros pre programmed, playing against somebody with a PC who is barely able to run the game, using a cheap mouse from the supermarket while buying groceries.. You have these vast differences.

On console everybody is playing on the same exact specs, 99% are using the default original controllers, so it's an even playing field where the greater skilled players win and not those with beast rigs who can crank up FOV and run at 144hz, have macros programmed that help them do stuff faster etc etc...

 

[ImpulsE69]

Console gaming is for people who want pure skill to win out.

On PC you have all this disparity between gear.

You have somebody on an i7/GTX980 and 30 button mouse, mechanical keyboard with macros pre programmed, playing against somebody with a PC who is barely able to run the game, using a cheap mouse from the supermarket while buying groceries.. You have these vast differences.

On console everybody is playing on the same exact specs, 99% are using the default original controllers, so it's an even playing field where the greater skilled players win and not those with beast rigs who can crank up FOV and run at 144hz, have macros programmed that help them do stuff faster etc etc...

That's never been the case on PC, unless you stutter so bad you can't play. You adapt to how you play. The only people who traverse that are hackers/bots .

And let's not forget aim assist on consoles....

 

[futurefields]

...

What's your point?

My point is consoles are an even playing field.

Everybody knows an even playing fields is necessary when doing real competition.

You don't have Olympic weightlifters, some of them using support braces that others arent allowed to use - everybody has to use the same, because it is a competition they are taking seriously.

If you take competition seriously you need to be playing on console. If you want to be where you can buy more gear to gain an advantage, then you want to be on PC.

People will get mad and flame me for writing that but its the truth. In competition an even playing field is a MUST.

 

[ImpulsE69]

...

What's your point?

My point is consoles are an even playing field.

Everybody knows an even playing fields is necessary when doing real competition.

You don't have Olympic weightlifters, some of them using support braces that others arent allowed to use - everybody has to use the same, because it is a competition they are taking seriously.

If you take competition seriously you need to be playing on console. If you want to be where you can buy more gear to gain an advantage, then you want to be on PC.

People will get mad and flame me for writing that but its the truth. In competition an even playing field is a MUST.

I just disagree, not to say that people who are good at FPS on a console aren't good at what they do. I know I suck with console controls in them. That being said, you overestimate gear. As with anything it's about practice and skill. Gear doesn't buy you much and people with lesser gear stomp people with tons of it all the time.

You are also only referring to one type of competition where you presume this to be the case. In pretty much any other game type, this is a very moot point.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Thanks for all the great replies...

This has been a great thread for me to read...

 

[Morbus]

How do you figure that?

Let me chip in on that.

My two scenarios: I am a PC gamer, but what if I were a console gamer?

Ok, so I'm a PC gamer, over the last 10 years I've spent:
- around 3000€ on PC parts for my desktop build (that's including new motherboards and whatnot)
- around 500€ on my PC monitors (that's including my old CRT that went bust a few years back)
- 400€ on a laptop a few years back when I needed it, and I played a few lightweight games on it too
- around 400€ a year on games, averaging maybe 20€ a game, so that equates to, let's say, 4000€ over the last ten years
- around 30€ a month for my internet connection, which amounts to 3600€ for the last ten years
That's about it. Total: 11500€, or 1150€ a year, or around 100€ a month.

So now let's imagine I was a console gamer:
- around 800€ on my original desktop PC that I needed
- around 1000€ on a laptop right around 2009 or so, cause I'd want to compute on the move or on the couch or on my bed
- around 400€ on another smaller laptop around 2011 because my big ass laptop from 2009 wouldn't be very comfortable to carry around
- around 1000€ on another laptop last year or this year because my old one would be getting pretty old by then
- around 200€ on some kind of mobile gaming device because I wanted to game on the move
- around 150€ on my old CRT monitor from 10 years ago
- 4000€ on the internet connection
- around 250€ on an PS2
- around 500€ on a PS3
- around 400€ on a PS4
- around 50€ a year for the PSN subscription, so around 200€ on that, since 2010
- around twice what I spent on PC games, because console games are just more expensive, so around 8000€ on games over ten years
Bottom line: 16900€, or around 1690€ a year, or around 140€ a month. That's an increase of more then 40%.

So, yeah, console gaming is more expensive in my case. If you don't care for computers and just wanna play a bit, I imagine it's cheaper, but if you don't own a computer or don't use it for more than an hour a day, and if you don't play that much anyway, I really do suggest you don't spend money on a console in the first place. Go out with your friends, go on a vacation, get a dog. It's better for you.

 

[Morbus]

Console gaming is for people who want pure skill to win out.

Awesome. I'm totally fine with that. But you can have that on PC just as much. There's stuff like Counter Strike, there's stuff like StarCraft, there's all the racing simulators that don't really exist on console anyway because, well, it's basically all arcade games in comparison...

My point is purse skill CAN win on the PC as well, if that's what you prefer.

But that wasn't your point, and I see where you're coming from. Well, all I can say is the only place where you'll be disadvantaged in terms of gameplay by having crappy gear is racing sims. A good steering wheel and pedals set up is mandatory, but since you can use them on consoles as well, it's all the same, really. Well, not the same, because if you want a good setup on a console you need to spend 200€+, which is not true on the PC. As for other genres, what you're saying isn't true. You need a PC that can run the game, sure, but the pros don't win because of their gear. Often pros won't even that special gear in the first place:

- gaming keyboards and mice are mostly for MMOs, and you really don't need them (although they help)
- gaming headphones are a must whether you're on a console or on a PC

But again, I understand where you're coming from. I understand that people... well, casual players may get the impression that they need to spend a lot of money to play well, but believe me, as someone who's been at it for years and years, it's not true. The most important thing in gaming, whether PC or console gaming, it's skill, patience, practice and having fun. No matter the game.

That's never been the case on PC, unless you stutter so bad you can't play. You adapt to how you play. The only people who traverse that are hackers/bots .

And let's not forget aim assist on consoles....

Exactly, what futurefields is saying is just not true. Or at least it's not pervasive. I ask him though: can you please tell me of a game or a couple of games where gaming gear is necessary to win? Or at least where gaming gear will help you win more?

 

[futurefields]

in the end i think console gaming and pc gaming are equally expensive

in both, you will spend as much as your income and priorities allow

 

[futurefields]

Or at least where gaming gear will help you win more?

Any game with an FOV slider will allow people will more powerful hardware to have an advantage. A higher FOV requires greater rendering power as more graphics are onscreen. Somebody running 120 fov can see from either side of him to a far greater degree than someone running an 80 fov.

Theres just too much discrepancy with PC gaming. None of this is an issue on console, you put the game in, you are playing the same game on the same hardware with the same input devices as everybody else - this is perfect for multiplayer gaming. And this isnt even going into the issue of developer support, where consoles definitely rule.

 

[BFG10K]

If that ign article was right (2011 article), then today the GTX 560Ti would still be a great card for new games. In fact, why do they only recommend 1 stick or ram? Why not 2 for dual channel?
So does this even seem like a trust worthy source for pc gaming if they can't even do basic PC assembly?

That's true, but on the opposite side of things they vastly over-specc'd the cost of PC games @ $40. In fact on Steam it's routinely possible to get games at $4.95 or less (Shadow Warrior, a 2013 title is $3.99 right now).

It's unheard of for console games to hit those prices, especially titles a year old.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Any game with an FOV slider will allow people will more powerful hardware to have an advantage. A higher FOV requires greater rendering power as more graphics are onscreen. Somebody running 120 fov can see from either side of him to a far greater degree than someone running an 80 fov.

Theres just too much discrepancy with PC gaming. None of this is an issue on console, you put the game in, you are playing the same game on the same hardware with the same input devices as everybody else - this is perfect for multiplayer gaming. And this isnt even going into the issue of developer support, where consoles definitely rule.

So basically as I stated, you are only referring to FPS. You don't seem to realize that right now MOBA's are the dominating competitive game. Ask DOTA and LOL how many players/spectators they have. It dwarfs any FPS and they are PC only. Gear doesn't really help you on those games.

Ultimately in FPS ping is the only real uneven playground. And you get that issue on consoles as well as PC.

 

[bystander36]

Even with FPS, competitive gamers usually turn all the settings down, so they can use higher FoV and get high FPS. For competition, high settings is not optimal.

 

[Morbus]

Theres just too much discrepancy with PC gaming.

No there's not, and you failed to name a single game where there is.

Get real dude.

Ultimately in FPS ping is the only real uneven playground. And you get that issue on consoles as well as PC.

This man. Too much this.

 

[futurefields]

i gave you the facts if you want to deny them to support your own bias than that just makes you the same as 99% of the other people on the internet

there's a reason why the majority of tournaments (non DOTA/LOL/SC2) are done on console and not pc

 

[ImpulsE69]

i gave you the facts if you want to deny them to support your own bias than that just makes you the same as 99% of the other people on the internet

there's a reason why the majority of tournaments (non DOTA/LOL/SC2) are done on console and not pc

Facts? You gave opinions. All of which are debatable. Yes, there is a reason the tournies you speak of are on console, but not for the reasons you think.

 

[futurefields]

Facts? You gave opinions. All of which are debatable. Yes, there is a reason the tournies you speak of are on console, but not for the reasons you think.

it is not an opinion that consoles are a far more even playing field than pc, it is a fact

unless you get a bunch of PC's all with the same exact specs, keyboard, mouse, etc, then its not even close

and that doesnt happen in the real world, everybody has a different PC

 

[Subyman]

Gaming can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. Its all about how current you have to be. Just the same way a guy could play PS2 games and have a good time while spending $25 for a used PS2 and $1 for each game, a cheap ass PC gamer can fire up a free PC and play Kings Quest.

Or, you can spend $400 on a PS4, $2000 on a 60" HDTV, $4000 in audio gear, and $15000 on a media room for console gaming. Then there's the 10k PC with a 1k office chair and 4k worth of audio gear.

It is all relative and depends on what you want out of the hobby. Gaming can be fit any budget regardless of choosing PC or console.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Gaming can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. Its all about how current you have to be. Just the same way a guy could play PS2 games and have a good time while spending $25 for a used PS2 and $1 for each game, a cheap ass PC gamer can fire up a free PC and play Kings Quest.

Or, you can spend $400 on a PS4, $2000 on a 60" HDTV, $4000 in audio gear, and $15000 on a media room for console gaming. Then there's the 10k PC with a 1k office chair and 4k worth of audio gear.

It is all relative and depends on what you want out of the hobby. Gaming can be fit any budget regardless of choosing PC or console.

Quit speaking sense, you are hurting the us vs. them cause.

 

[bystander36]

it is not an opinion that consoles are a far more even playing field than pc, it is a fact

unless you get a bunch of PC's all with the same exact specs, keyboard, mouse, etc, then its not even close

and that doesnt happen in the real world, everybody has a different PC

At a competitive level, low settings is preferred, and just about any PC can get well over 60 FPS to be competitive, even 100+. The only time more really helps is with CS, and that is so old, anything can hit over 300 FPS.

Your network connection will matter far more than any PC differences.

 

[Bateluer]

What are you talking about?

All those games did phenomenally well on Xbox 360, and you most certainly get the full experience the developer ever intended with those games. In fact, and I know I will get flamed for this, IMO in some ways Skyrim looks best on the 360, sitting on a couch with a 55" plasma. It hides the flaws, such as the low resolution shadows, while letting the beauty of the game world come through.

Screen capping this for /r/pcmasterrace as Cringeworthy.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Screen capping this for /r/pcmasterrace as Cringeworthy.

I've played modded Skyrim on my 70". He knows not what he speaks of. Beginning to think he's challenged.