PC GAMING IS BEST GAMING

[Laddy]

Seriously, people. PC IS GHAD.

Discuss why the PC is awesome.

[NeoCracker]

PC had Setperra Core. PC gaming peaked at that. (Mind you I never played Planescape. :p)

[Laddy]

You haven't played Torment? Then you are unqualified to refer to PC gaming and its "peak". :colbert:

Septerra Core was boss, though.

[Pheesh]

Since I've bought an actual gaming laptop I definitely can't help but agree. Everything looks better (assuming your computer is a good one), a mouse is just quicker and more efficient to use, and if you have a laptop you can game anywhere and aren't limited to just the room where the TV is. And if that isn't enough, one word: Steam.

[Cloudane]

But the PC is obsolete, we're all switching to tablets now! Tablets are The Future(TM)! Haven't you been listening to the computing industry like a good little sheep? :jess:

[Loony BoB]

I don't think I could ever subscribe to "consoles are best" because of games like Dwarf Fortress. Likewise, I don't think I could ever subscribe to "PC games are best" because of games like the Uncharted series. In the end, it's the games, not the platform, that are either good or bad.

But yeah, as for why the PC is awesome: Dwarf Fortress. Also, the sheer number of keys you have access to on a keyboard and the sheer amount of control you have with a mouse. Sure, you can plug them into a lot of consoles these days, but I'm considering the general knowledge of console games being built around controllers first and foremost and PC games being built around keyboard & mouse first and foremost. I just like how much control I have with those things for specific kinds of games, particularly any game that involves a lot of management - so, games like X-COM where you manage multiple soldiers, games like Civilization IV where you manage a lot of everything, games like Dwarf Fortress where you attempt to sort of manage a thriving community of dwarves only to see your management fall apart in spectactularly glorious fashion. Also, Football Manager games.

[Pheesh]

I don't think I could ever subscribe to "consoles are best" because of games like Dwarf Fortress. Likewise, I don't think I could ever subscribe to "PC games are best" because of games like the Uncharted series. In the end, it's the games, not the platform, that are either good or bad.

If we're talking purely games, then consoles win for me because they have the Kingdom Hearts series. But I thought this was about what system is better to play games on. If Uncharted had been made for PC it would have looked better and had better controls. Just like the new Tomb Raider :D

[Loony BoB]

I disagree regarding better controls - I prefer playing on a controller for games such as Uncharted (and Tomb Raider, which is why I bought it for PS3 instead of PC). I like the freedom of movement allowed by a controller.

As for visuals, that largely depends on the quality of the PC you can afford, which leaves it kind of debateable. The best games I've played on a PC didn't rely on fancy graphics, though - quite the opposite, Dwarf Fortress / Civ IV / FM12 lacked astonishing graphics and focused instead on quality gameplay.

[Pheesh]

But you can make the sensitivity as high or low as you would like for a mouse. Also, if we're being technical, you can plug a controller into a PC and play like that, you can't plug a mouse into a console.

I admit you need to have the right computer to be able to enjoy those high level graphics, but my point is that those games look their best on a PC. Unless it is a terrible port the games graphics peak on a PC, not a console, so that's why PC wins out in that regard. And yeah, graphics aren't everything of course, but on certain games they are quite important to the atmosphere and immersion, and personally I love to see a game that looks as beautiful as it can.

EDIT: My bad, a quick google search showed me that you can put your mouse into a console if you want. But I've certainly not seen many people do it, definitely not as frequently as I've seen people play PC games with a controller at least.

EDIT2: Scratch that, there's maybe a handful of console games compatible with mouse and keyboard controls, my initial point still stands ;)

[Loony BoB]

But you can make the sensitivity as high or low as you would like for a mouse. Also, if we're being technical, you can plug a controller into a PC and play like that, you can't plug a mouse into a console.
I'm pretty sure you can plug a mouse into a console. It's just that few people have a need to because the controller is a superior input system for the incredibly large number of games that are designed to be played using a controller.

But it's irrelevant for me - PC games are designed to be played with keyboard and mouse first and foremost, and when people go on about how PC is the better platform and then point to "you can use a controller" I just feel it's kind of stupid. If a developer wants a game to be played with a controller then they would ship out controllers with the games, or high end PCs would be sold with controllers, or graphics cards would be sold with controllers. Fact is, everyone and their uncle knows that PC games (and we're being forced to generalise here) use keyboard and mouse, consoles use controllers. Arguing that either can use the other is basically on par with saying the PC is a console and that the console is a PC.


I admit you need to have the right computer to be able to enjoy those high level graphics, but my point is that those games look their best on a PC. Unless it is a terrible port the games graphics peak on a PC, not a console, so that's why PC wins out in that regard. And yeah, graphics aren't everything of course, but on certain games they are quite important to the atmosphere and immersion, and personally I love to see a game that looks as beautiful as it can.
I love to see a game look as beautiful as it can, too, and I did buy Crysis for the PC. I'm just saying this is not something that makes PC games better as far as I'm concerned. Of course, I had a lot of trouble with my graphics card not being optimised properly for the game and so forth. It was a struggle to get those graphics to work (it did happen in the end, thankfully, after a bit of updating of this and that, patching of this and that, tweaking of various graphic settings, etc) but essentially arguing that PC graphics are better is pointless as far as I'm concerned because for every positive that you get out of it, there are a large number of potential negatives.

Also, when PS4 comes out and has, what, 8GB of GDDR5 RAM... do PC gamers still argue that PC games will look better because technically a PC can have that too? I mean, how many people out there own PCs with 8GB of GDDR5? Arguing graphics is silly because PCs vary too much. I wonder if half of the desktops/laptops in the world actually compete with the graphical output of a PS3?

It all goes back to my "I don't like to get into these arguments because it's the game, not the platform, that are either good or bad." Platform debates are stupid.

EDIT: Well, they can be fun and a good way to waste time, but in the end they won't change anyone's opinion and most arguments are subjective at best or inaccurate/misleading at worst.

[Slothy]

Everyone that played PC games during the time Half-Life came out already knows why PC gaming is the best. For those who aren't aware, do some research:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/67/Counter-Strike_Box.jpg/250px-Counter-Strike_Box.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Day_of_Defeat_Coverart.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c2/Team_Fortress_Classic_box.jpg/256px-Team_Fortress_Classic_box.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/delta-project/FWThumbnails/natural_selection.jpg

Also all of the mods that don't have handy images stating their names in them like Science & Industry, Firearms, Action Half-Life, The Opera, The Specialists, and more I'm forgetting since it's been ten years or more since playing them.

[Del Murder]

I prefer to play on console because I like having a dedicated system for games, playing on my couch, on my TV, and with a controller. I realize that you can do all that with PCs these days I'm too lazy to set that up. Besides, having a bomb ass PC setup sets you back way more than just buying a PS3. Furthermore, the console exclusives are much more enticing to me as a gamer than PC exclusives. You don't get Mario, Zelda, and FF on PC.

[Slothy]

Besides, having a bomb ass PC setup sets you back way more than just buying a PS3.

Yeah, not touching that.


Furthermore, the console exclusives are much more enticing to me as a gamer than PC exclusives. You don't get Mario, Zelda, and FF on PC.

I could probably understand this point of view maybe even ten years ago, but no so much now. Maybe if Nintendo was a bit less concerned with constantly reliving their greatest hits from the 2D and N64 eras or if Square wasn't spending 5+ years making some of the worst RPG's I've ever played, but as is? Those companies aren't giving me a lot of reason to give a crap about their releases and haven't been for a long time.

I also just don't see AAA exclusives being a thing beyond first party developers much longer. Sure, you'll still be able to count on Nintendo to rehash the same series every couple of years, Sony and it's subsidiaries to release an Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet or some other new series, and Microsoft to release... a new Halo I guess, but most companies can't afford to stay exclusive in the world of ballooning budgets. And with the news that the PS4 is basically going to be a cheap PC, there's going to be less effort required than ever to just port a game to all platforms.

Except the Wii U of course since it's basically a generation behind again.

[Del Murder]

That's a matter of opinion of course. I for one still get excited every time a new Mario platform game or Zelda game gets announced. It may be reliving the glory days but those were my glory days too. And even FF. As disappointing as the FFXIII entries have been there is really no equivalent (that I know of) in that genre on PC.

I'm pretty sure over 50% of the games I've played in the last year were console exclusive.

EDIT: Here's the list of what I played in the last year and its PC availability.

Borderlands (yes)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (no)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (no)
Batman: Arkham City (yes)
Uncharted 3 (no)
Xenoblade Chronicles (no)
Assassin's Creed 2 (yes)
Journey (no)
God of War III (no)
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (yes)
Mass Effect 3 (yes)
Assassin's Creed Revelations (yes)
The Last Story (no)

So 7/13 console exclusives, and not all of those are first party. This doesn't even count handhelds, which I play even more. Again, this is my preference, but if you are an RPG fan you really do miss out on gems like Xenoblade if you are strictly a PC gamer.

[Roogle]

I remember reading an opinion piece about the origins of video game consoles and why they may become obsolete in the future due to the flexibility and nature of a personal computer compared to a console. They have a point, but consoles are branching out to become media devices in their own right.


I disagree regarding better controls - I prefer playing on a controller for games such as Uncharted (and Tomb Raider, which is why I bought it for PS3 instead of PC). I like the freedom of movement allowed by a controller.

I like the feel of a controller from a console a lot. Ironically, though, I actually have played console games on a keyboard due to playing fighting games competitively. I learned how to play those on an arcade emulator called MAME32k with a keyboard, and the mastery over it as a control medium makes me more inclined to use a keyboard than a controller. I have a special keyboard that is gutted on the inside and replaced with parts that allow it to work with a console as a control scheme. (It no longer functions as a normal keyboard if you are curious.) I agree with you though that controllers provide more freedom of movement in certain types of games. The PC could use more standardization when it comes to control schemes.

[Madame Adequate]

All dose 4Xes.
All dose sim/management games.
All dose grognard games.
All dose wargames.
All dose tactical games.
All dose mods (Hello Kaiserreich and Crusader Kings 2: A Game of Thrones and Elder Kings :drool:)
All dat Morrowind w/Grafix Extender.
All dose Good Old Games.
All dat emulation.
All dat Dorf Fort.
All dat Aurora.
All dose WRPGs.
All dat Planetside.

PC is mustard race; consoles need to ketchup.

[Shiny]

There are pros and cons to both console and PC games. The big pro for PC to me is that it's cheaper. I prefer playing shooters on PC, but I find playing racing, some sports games, and fighting games on PC too difficult.

[Slothy]

So 7/13 console exclusives, and not all of those are first party.

Actually, if you want to get technical here, of the 7 console exclusives you named, all of them except FFXIII-2 were either made by a first party development studio, or published by a first party company (if nintendo's footing the bill for development, I'd say it's really no different than if they did it themselves really since there's no chance it will be on another platform).

Which actually lends some credence to my point. There aren't many games being released by third party developers under platform independent publishers that are exclusive any more, and I don't expect that number to grow any time soon. If anything, I see it shrinking even more as more Japanese developers become familiar with PC development and have an easier time porting things from systems like the PS4 to that platform. It really is just getting harder for most third parties to be in the AAA game space without casting a wide sales net, and with the success of platforms like Steam and more standardized PC style consoles, getting into that PC space is only getting easier for everyone, even companies that traditionally weren't in that market.

I'm not saying console gaming is going to up and disappear and be irrelevant next year or anything, only that many of the barriers making PC ports difficult in the past are just up and vanishing now.

[Pike]

I went through a heavy console phase from about age... 9-ish to age 17-ish or so (I played on Commodore 64 before that), and while there were some absolute gems back then, I just can't go back now that I'm all PC. I've tried to get into consoles a couple of times since then and I just fail miserably, especially now that they're adding all this fancy stuff like internet access and hard drives and memory cards and shit that I don't wanna set up.

PC is straight forward, you can play with either a controller or a mouse, and you can emulate most of the old console gems. Also it's where all the best strategy games and WRPGs are and those are basically my two favorite genres.

<33333333 PC gaming

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah I'm the same as Pike - I used to be HUGELY into console stuff but now it's almost a chore compared to the astonishing convenience of the PC. I can switch between games from a dozen different systems in seconds, and all of it without losing the ability to browse the Internet/chat/etc. There's not many games I want to play that I ultimately have to go to a console for.

[Loony BoB]

I feel sorry for people who let the platform dictate what they play. :(

[Madame Adequate]

Oh I agree, whenever people's playing options are constrained by their platform of choice I just shake my head sadly and wonder why they don't just magic up a conversion of every other game ever for the platform they do have :greenie:

[Del Murder]

I think people choose the platform based on what they play rather than the other way around. I like platformers and JRPGs and those have typically been better on console. I also like action games and WRPGs and those have typically been available on all platforms. I'm not really a big fan of FPS, RTS, or MMOs and those are typically better on PCs. That's why I'm a console boy 4 lyfe.

[Bolivar]

There are no console alternatives for the top tier strategy games. There's really no reason to play a WRPG on a console. Single player shooters are better and there's a plethora of reasons why competitive games of all genres are best on PC. Games are unfathomably cheap.

That's about it, though.

Obviously consoles have a ton of advantages that pwn PCs as well. From someone who's always spent a ton of time on both sides of the fence, I'll let you in on a little secret: Steam really isn't the Gaming Promised Land PC gamers say it is. Did you know there's no way to increase font size in Steam? Or in Valve games like Dota 2? And we're running these things on high resolution monitors, considering we're PC gamers to begin with. Valve exhibits just as much face-palming stupidity as the rest of them, we're just more tight-lipped about it because of how comparatively tiny the Steam community is.

There's nothing like playing a game with a controller on your couch. Mouse and keyboard doesn't work there, I've tried. Sure, you can plug in a controller, not all games support them. Some of the ones that do only support a certain kind (XInput). And have fun editing the .ini config file from your couch when you can't get the right resolution to work on your favorite older game.

PC gaming has a lot of perks. It also has a lot of headaches. Oh, and no Valkyria Chronicles :(

[Pheesh]

I'll let you in on a little secret: Steam really isn't the Gaming Promised Land PC gamers say it is. Did you know there's no way to increase font size in Steam? Or in Valve games like Dota 2? And we're running these things on high resolution monitors, considering we're PC gamers to begin with. Valve exhibits just as much face-palming stupidity as the rest of them, we're just more tight-lipped about it because of how comparatively tiny the Steam community is.

Is...is that it? Steam is bad cause you can't change the font size?

[Madame Adequate]

I'm sorry but if that doesn't prove that Steam is the nefarious work of a demon so vile Satan exiled him from Hell, I don't know what to say. Noodle Boy you gibbering fanboy, what does Gaben's cock taste like?

God, MILF, you can't just ask people that. -Shlup

But I wanted to know :(

[Pheesh]

I don't know yet, there's a massive line :(

[DMKA]

I find it funny that PC MASTER RAAACCCE gamers find it necessary to go out of their way and desperately attempt to prove to everyone else that their platform of choice is really superior, and 99% of the time they go on about one thing and one thing only: "HEY GUYS LOOK HOW HIGH THE RESOLUTIONS OF THESE SCREENSHOTS ARE!"

I could go out of my way to explain why I find playing on consoles a preferable, more pleasurable experience, but I'm too busy having fun actually playing games, unlike the proud master race.

So uh...yeah, enjoy being "superior". ;)

[Pike]

I could go out of my way to explain why I find playing on consoles a preferable, more pleasurable experience, but I'm too busy having fun actually playing games, unlike the proud master race.

Uh... I play games for fun too? :confused: Like what is the point of playing a game if not for fun

[Pheesh]

Pfft, no, you're probably just alt+tabbing out of the game every 5 seconds so you can tweak all your graphical settings and lord it over console gamers, damn elitist PC 'gamer'.

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah I don't think a single one of that big list I provided on the previous page was related to grafix but okay :greenie:

[Bolivar]

I'll let you in on a little secret: Steam really isn't the Gaming Promised Land PC gamers say it is. Did you know there's no way to increase font size in Steam? Or in Valve games like Dota 2? And we're running these things on high resolution monitors, considering we're PC gamers to begin with. Valve exhibits just as much face-palming stupidity as the rest of them, we're just more tight-lipped about it because of how comparatively tiny the Steam community is.

Is...is that it? Steam is bad cause you can't change the font size?

Of course not - it's an example! But it is utterly mindblowing that any application, much less one built to service a demographic using the highest resolution monitors, wouldn't let you change the font size. It makes you wonder if Valve employees actually use their own software at home. It's out of touch, just like how they don't support multiple hard drives, when the current trend for the past few years is to put in a larger general hard drive and a smaller solid state one. Many gaming rigs actually utilize multiple solid state drives and run into the same problem.

Then there's the lag on the voice chat. The in-game interface not compatible with every game automatically. Cloud save issues. Download slowdowns. I could make a longer list, I just thought it would be redundant.

I never said Steam was bad. I've been on it since the beginning. Long enough to know a lot of the love it gets is a bit overenthusiastic.

[NorthernChaosGod]

I don't care what any of you say, there's no way playing Smash Bros. would be better on PC. :colbert:

[Slothy]

Of course not - it's an example! But it is utterly mindblowing that any application, much less one built to service a demographic using the highest resolution monitors, wouldn't let you change the font size. It makes you wonder if Valve employees actually use their own software at home.

I don't know what magical super resolution you play at, but I can read the font size in Steam just fine. I've never heard of anyone else having a problem with it either, but if they do, their eyesight is probably so bad they need to use a 400% zoom on Firefox, or more likely, they just lower the resolution because their eyes don't work. Regardless, I fail to see how the company that does accommodate things like colour blindness and deafness is so out of touch for not including the ability to change font size. They're certainly not as "face palmingly stupid" as everyone else in the industry when I can name maybe half a dozen games that accommodate colour blindness and none that include variable font size.


It's out of touch, just like how they don't support multiple hard drives, when the current trend for the past few years is to put in a larger general hard drive and a smaller solid state one. Many gaming rigs actually utilize multiple solid state drives and run into the same problem.

The majority of users don't have multiple hard drives. The ones that do are probably smart enough to figure out how to run Steam on their program drive and the games from another drive. It's actually pretty simple.


Then there's the lag on the voice chat. The in-game interface not compatible with every game automatically. Cloud save issues. Download slowdowns. I could make a longer list, I just thought it would be redundant.

The lag in voice chat, anytime I've used it, isn't exactly a huge problem. It's small and really the voice chat in Steam is just a tool of convenience, it's not meant to be some hyper efficient Skype competitor.

As for the in game interface, I assume you mean the Steam overlay when you shift+tab in game? I've never seen a game it didn't work with aside from Morrowind which it can crash. I'm inclined to give it a pass for that since Morrowind is a year older than Steam, and, you know, it's Morrowind. It'll crash if you look at it funny or failed to properly drain the goat of all of its blood when you sacrificed it to Bethesda.

Cloud save issues and download slowdowns I'd be somewhat curious to hear more about. I've rarely used cloud saves, but have never had any troubles with syncing or getting the most recent save on the rare occasion I did have to use it. Download slowdowns happen, but usually I'm getting a solid 2Mbps when I download and I frankly have problems with my ISP more often than Steams servers these days. I honestly can't remember how many years it's been since I had relatively frequent problems with the Steam servers. I know some people still have issues sometimes, but it's the nature of the beast when you're dealing with dozens of different hardware configurations, untold thousands of potential software conflicts, and your average user being dumber than a sack of hammers.

No honestly, I'm not saying Valve is perfect. Far from it. But I could rattle off a better list of actual things they kind of cocked up in the last few years than these. You honestly seem to be either reaching, or you've got some odd priorities when it comes to game distribution software. But for all of the faults that Valve does actually have sometimes, like some pretty bad cases of shitty programming for starters, they are at least constantly trying to improve everything, and implementing a lot of features that the other big name platform owners are years behind in even attempting. In fact, I'm usually willing to cut Valve a bit more slack than I would your Microsoft's, Sony's, and Nintendo's if only because when they screw up, it's often because they're doing something totally new and trying to stay ahead of the curve (Steam workshop, Greenlight). When the other guys screw up, it's usually because they're adding features no one wants, new UI's that are objectively worse than the old one, actively removing features people paid money for, or just making a bad firmware update that has as much chance of bricking your console as working.

[Bolivar]

Vivi, I don't think you needed such a long post if you essentially agree that they aren't perfect :p I'm on Steam everyday and have already listed a few things in this thread that give it such a one up over consoles.

This isn't one of them:


But for all of the faults that Valve does actually have sometimes, like some pretty bad cases of troutty programming for starters, they are at least constantly trying to improve everything, and implementing a lot of features that the other big name platform owners are years behind in even attempting.

What features are those? I can only think of the social features (forums, groups, content sharing) that PS3 and 360 still don't have in-game, but Sony showed a ton of stuff that surpassed it and everyone knows Microsoft will do the same. So what are they years behind even attempting?

edit: my resolution is 1920x1080 and I can't read a lot of the text, especially chats, without leaning close to the screen, even with my contacts in or glasses on. It's really not a rare problem, you can Google if you must. I'm not particularly conscious of my "priorites when it comes to distribution software," but reading is certainly one of them.

[Værn]

I find it funny that PC MASTER RAAACCCE gamers find it necessary to go out of their way and desperately attempt to prove to everyone else that their platform of choice is really superior, and 99% of the time they go on about one thing and one thing only: "HEY GUYS LOOK HOW HIGH THE RESOLUTIONS OF THESE SCREENSHOTS ARE!"
Not once have I ever seen anyone mention resolution in a PC vs. console argument. The only explanation I can possibly think of for this statement is that you purposely picked out the worst possible example of an argument against consoles you could think of, and that you simply refuse to acknowledge a word of any argument that would prove your console(s) to be inferior. You know, like this:

All dose 4Xes.
All dose sim/management games.
All dose grognard games.
All dose wargames.
All dose tactical games.
All dose mods (Hello Kaiserreich and Crusader Kings 2: A Game of Thrones and Elder Kings :drool:)
All dat Morrowind w/Grafix Extender.
All dose Good Old Games.
All dat emulation.
All dat Dorf Fort.
All dat Aurora.
All dose WRPGs.
All dat Planetside.

PC is mustard race; consoles need to ketchup.

Nobody needs to "desperately attempt" to prove that PC is superior to consoles. Anyone who isn't completely absorbed by their console elitism can see it.

[escobert]

I've always been a computer gamer. Grew up with macs but switched to PC after 8.6 was done and they released Mac OS 9. I own a PS3 but I do the majority of my gaming on my PC.

Also a good gaming rig doesn;t cost that much when you know how or where to get the parts :p. I have right around $500 into my PC right now and it rates at at 6.8 on the windows rating.

[kotora]

edit: my resolution is 1920x1080 and I can't read a lot of the text, especially chats, without leaning close to the screen, even with my contacts in or glasses on. It's really not a rare problem, you can Google if you must. I'm not particularly conscious of my "priorites when it comes to distribution software," but reading is certainly one of them.

You might wanna consider new glasses. The text in my steam client is as large as that on EoFF and I'm on a higher resolution than you are. If you can read EoFF, you can read Steam.

http://i.imgur.com/RACpGkX.jpg

[Mirage]

Besides, having a bomb ass PC setup sets you back way more than just buying a PS3.

Yeah, not touching that.

I'll touch it for you.

The price difference between a "work" PC and a PC that can play games at the same (or better) performance as a PS3 is pretty close to the price of a PS3. Then there's also the thing where you get cheaper games on PC. New retail games often cost 20% less than the console versions of the same games.

[XxSephirothxX]

I like that most of the games I buy for PC cost $5-$20, even though they're less than a year old.
I like that games released with serious issues are often fixable with some settings tweaks, and it's easier for developers to release patches.
I like that community mods often add tremendous value to games, making them better, or at least different, experiences.
I like that I can play virtually any multi-platform with an Xbox controller on my PC, and it requires zero setup.
I like that my SSD means extremely short load times.
I like that online games often perform better thanks to dedicated servers and no overhead or limitations from a Microsoft/Sony online service.
I like that I can play GameCube, Wii, and PS2 games--with an Xbox or PS3 controller--rendered at four times their native resolutions, and that some of them are stunningly gorgeous in HD.

PC gaming is pretty cool!

[Del Murder]

I'll touch it for you.

The price difference between a "work" PC and a PC that can play games at the same (or better) performance as a PS3 is pretty close to the price of a PS3. Then there's also the thing where you get cheaper games on PC. New retail games often cost 20% less than the console versions of the same games.
I don't have need of a work PC and in fact I don't even own a PC, only a cheap laptop which I pretty much use for internet purposes (and playing oldschool PC games like Space Quest). However, it is interesting that PC games are in general cheaper. I did not know that.

Azar, how do you play Wii games on a PC?

[Pheesh]

@del Dolphin - Gamecube and Wii Emulator (http://www.dolphin-emulator.com/)

[Bolivar]

Kotoroa, can you post chatbox please?

[kotora]

It's a bit smaller, but still pretty well readable (http://i.imgur.com/xAkhZw1.jpg) :monster:

[Bolivar]

Hmmm....

42424

^ This is our conversation in Steam's browser with a chat box open

42425

^ Here's how much of your text fits on a staple.

42426

^ Here's me holding that staple, from a little closer than how far i'm usually sitting from the screen.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you meant "legible" instead of readable. Because if you consider text the size of staples from 3-4ft. away a readable experience, then I suppose we're just gonna have to agree to disagree and move on. I'm still not sure how it mitigates the irony of an app for high-end gaming not having an option to increase text size, though. :cookie:

[Pheesh]

You didn't even use his screenshot... what point where you trying to make by complaining about your own EoFF text size? When I opened up his screenshot it was more that legible, both steam and the forum.

Also, it's a smurfing gaming client. Do you complain about a drink or a chocolate bar as a whole because you can't read all the print on the packaging as well? Basically, if you have time to measure words with a staple then you're not playing enough games... on steam.... cause they're cheap and awesome.

[Bolivar]

That wasn't my EoFF text size. It was the Steam browser.

I don't complain about Steam as a whole. I'm on it every day and my profile speaks for itself. I'm just critiquing an argument in a discussion thread by bringing up one way in which the company is out of touch. I like being able to read chat or strategies via Shift+Tab without leaning close to the screen, if you look at my profile most games I play are competitive multiplayer games with friends. I'm with Nirojan on Dota 2 right now if you wanna play :)

[kotora]

Did you post about it in the Steam feedback forum?

[Mirage]

Are you saying you're sitting 3-4 feet away from a whatisit 24" 1920x1080 display? That's not very normal, I think.

In either case, try increasing your windows DPI scaling.



I'll touch it for you.

The price difference between a "work" PC and a PC that can play games at the same (or better) performance as a PS3 is pretty close to the price of a PS3. Then there's also the thing where you get cheaper games on PC. New retail games often cost 20% less than the console versions of the same games.
I don't have need of a work PC and in fact I don't even own a PC, only a cheap laptop which I pretty much use for internet purposes (and playing oldschool PC games like Space Quest). However, it is interesting that PC games are in general cheaper. I did not know that.

Azar, how do you play Wii games on a PC?

A laptop is a PC, man :p. I don't know how old your laptop is, but for laptops bought today, the price difference between an average laptop not made for games, and a laptop that could do PS3-quality gaming isn't very far from the price of a PS3. Of course, I'm not saying it'll be exactly on the dollar, but close enough for someone who isn't on an extremely tight budget to be able to deal with the difference.

[Loony BoB]

xmFXEcI_AA4

Man, these debates.

[Pike]

is this really a 50 post thread about the the Steam font size

[NeoCracker]

There have been silly arguments.

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, even I was kinda baffled about the font size thing. I didn't realise people played PC games four feet away from a tablet PC and complain about font size. I didn't realise people played games four feet away from a tablet PC and complain about anything but how small a tablet PC is and how unsuitable for gaming this makes it. :p Especially when you consider that it's a touchpad. How long are your arms, Bolivar? xD

I'm no Steam fanboy. I like the prices but I don't like the system. I bought SimCity 4 the other day and it always crashes after about 30-90 minutes and I lose all progress. Frustrating... but yeah. Anyway! I still like Steam games when they work (hi, FM2012), I just find myself wishing they weren't on Steam and that I could simply play them on my PC like I used to. Ah well.

But as I've said a few times, PC gaming and console gaming are both great. It's all opinion based and people can get really biased. Once you get into a game, it's either good or it's not. I doubt the platform has all that much to do with it.

Fun fact: I learned to love WarZone 2100, an RTS, when playing it on a console. I own it for both, but it goes to show that if you have the right game, even if it's in a genre traditionally completely unsuitable for the platform, you can still enjoy the game.

[Bolivar]

God forbid we raise and critique arguments in the discussion forums

I apologize if expecting to read chats and guides at the native resolution of the gaming PC I spent money on is the most monstrously unreasonable thing any of you have ever heard in your life... :(

[Loony BoB]

It's perfectly understandable to expect to be able to read these things, but tablet PCs simply aren't designed for people to be reading them from four feet away. Arguing that you should be able to view them from that distance is like arguing that you should be able to read FFXIII Datalogs from twice the reasonable distance. I mean, if I go four feet from my PC monitor, I can see the text but it's not something I can view without feeling the strain on my eyes on some level.

All I'm saying is that there comes a point where rather than requesting a higher font size, you should consider that you are not using the platform as it was intended.

[escobert]

I just don't understand how you can't see it at it's native res. I where reading glasses and can still read things on both of my monitors at 1920x1080 with no glasses on from about 3 feet away.

[kotora]

It's perfectly understandable to expect to be able to read these things, but tablet PCs simply aren't designed for people to be reading them from four feet away. Arguing that you should be able to view them from that distance is like arguing that you should be able to read FFXIII Datalogs from twice the reasonable distance.

of all examples you brought up one of the worst design features in FF history? :colbert:

[Bolivar]

Wow.

BoB, you could've used some common sense or at least given me the benefit of the doubt (thanks) and realized that 4 feet is a bad guesstimation (I said 3-4 :colbert: ). Even so, I've never said my beef is with Steam as a whole as Happy Noodle Boy and others have suggested, and I never said it's a problem everyone faces, as Bert's implying, but there are many who have discussed it in the Steam forums and elsewhere. All I was trying to point out is that PC gaming has its share of headaches, just like every platform. I mentioned a few other reasons, Vivi added a couple, and the Always On thread introduced how Steam doesn't allow you to install physical copies of games (or games you've fully downloaded) without an internet connection.

I suppose I should've emphasized some of those or a different approach that doesn't result in BoB calling me a woman :p

[NorthernChaosGod]

Are you really going to attack him for singling out the 4 when what you said wasn't even very different? o_O

[Bolivar]

Yes and if he wants to continue getting rep for his posts praising FFXIII, he better take it like a man, er chocobo! :choc:

[Loony BoB]

I called you a woman? I don't think I insulted you or made a sexist remark...

3-4 feet is very different to 1-2 feet. Poor estimation on your behalf if you actually read it from 1-2 feet and not 3-4 feet. If it's not readable at 1-2 feet you may want to get your eyesight checked. I'm being genuine, here.

It's all good, though. You don't have to agree with me, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with you. But it is definitely worth considering a visit to your local optometrist if you are struggling to read reasonably sized text from a reasonable distance.

[Old Manus]

http://i.imgur.com/c5H5b.gif

[Shiny]

http://i.imgur.com/c5H5b.gif
Where'd you find that gif of Laddy?

[Old Manus]

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