PC Games vs Consoles

Do you prefer playing on a PC or cavorting on a console?

Im very firmly within the console camp.

-Consoles are straightforward pieces of equipment with interesting games

-PCs are largely dull overly complex pieces of equipment that cry and moan every time you want to add a more interesting expansion pack even if the OS is well within the date of the game release. It cannot cope it says "no my drivers cannot handle it, im a weakass wimp! Upgrade me for the love of God upgrade me!"

and even if you have the internet on it, PCs take too much time and effort to get sorted just to play one more lousy expansion pack

the reason im so vitriolic at the moment is cause im trying to play the sims 2 pets on my 2010 Windows Vista, previously added drivers from its former owner all added, and it STILL crashes like a whiny technological baby.

But enough about my problems, please soothe me with your im sure very much calming and Zen opinions.

There is literally nothing a console can do that a PC can't do; so I prefer a PC.

e; Not true Spuuky, consoles can RROD much better than PCs!

I do like consoles a lot, but I've been pretty much a dedicated PC player the last few years. It's just so convenient, and I can just hit alt-tab and do an incredible number of other stuff with ease.

I get a great deal of enjoyment out of both.

The PC doesn't even have a character in Neptunia.

Consoles because that's what I mainly grew up with and am comfortable with.

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Originally Posted by Midgar Mist

sims 2 pets on my 2010 Windows Vista

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There's your problem! The order of preference goes like this:

PC > Console > Living life on a farm without video games or electricity > Windows Vista.

I like my consoles, and I like many of the games that are console exclusive. But in terms of hardware, PC is more versatile and better in basically every way. And I'd argue the backwards compatibility is better for the most part as well. I mean yeah, if I have a CD-ROM from 1997 I may struggle for a while with drivers and resolution mods and what have you, but 9 times out of 10 I'll at least be able to play the thing on my modern OS. But then I look at my consoles, I can't event play PS3 games on my PS4. So... I'd rather have the faff with drivers than get locked out of playing the game entirely.

And of course, between Steam and GoG it's becoming less and less of a hassle to keep things working long term. GoG is great for super old games as it packs all the necessary driver stuff in with the executable, so you just click and play.

Yeah, anyone who has Vista should consider upgrading to Windows 7 at least. I have it, it works wonders, never have any issues with it. My parents use Vista too and it gives them a new problem pretty much everyday. Some of it may be due to my dad's inexperience, but I know the OS doesn't help matters.

Handhelds offer optimum gaming enjoyment.

For immersive single player games, nothing beats console with a controller, large HDTV and surround sound. The multiplayer communities are typically a lot bigger, too. Sure, you can plug your comp into a TV but I have a heavy, full ATX tower and it's just not feasible for me to drag it back and forth or route a long wire to the TV. I am interested in buying myself a Steam Link pretty soon and trying that out, though.

I also enjoy playing PC exclusives like Dota, Counter-Strike, Civilization, ARPGs and MMOs, which I wouldn't want to play anywhere else, even if I could. The only real overlap where I choose PC over console are Western RPGs, where the ability to mod and custom tailor the experience makes PC the best place to play. Occasionally, I do buy older console titles, just to see how they run maxed out at 1080 or 1440p and 144fps.

Sorry to hear about your problems with Sims pets, getting older favorites to run can be pretty frustrating at times.

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Originally Posted by Midgar Mist

-PCs are largely dull overly complex pieces of equipment that cry and moan every time you want to add a more interesting expansion pack even if the OS is well within the date of the game release. It cannot cope it says "no my drivers cannot handle it, im a weakass wimp! Upgrade me for the love of God upgrade me!"

and even if you have the internet on it, PCs take too much time and effort to get sorted just to play one more lousy expansion pack

the reason im so vitriolic at the moment is cause im trying to play the sims 2 pets on my 2010 Windows Vista, previously added drivers from its former owner all added, and it STILL crashes like a whiny technological baby.

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Buying and installing a game through steam is actually simpler than doing the same via the playstation store on PS3 or PS4. PC gaming with Steam isn't complex at all. If you haven't used that service before, I recommend that you give it a try. There's no Sims on Steam, though, as that's an EA game and they have their own competing service.

The Sims 2 (an 3 for that matter) however, is a complete clustersmurf when it comes to add-ons and expansions. It can seriously take like 5 hours to install all of it, but these games are more like anomalies, not really the standard, and definitely not comparable to recent PC games.

Whether I play on PC or on a console depends largely on the control scheme the game uses. I can't stand aiming with a gamepad, so games where i do so will always be played on PC. Likewise, most strategy games are way easier to play with a mouse and keyboard, and the same goes for most oldschool western RPGs.

That said, whenever I play a game from a console older than the PS2, I probably emulate it on a PC anyway, with a gamepad connected of course.

I grew up a PC gamer before PS1 and found them to be fiddly and nightmarish unless you had the EXACT settings for "FILES=" and "BUFFERS="and stuff like that.

Since PS1 - It has been consoles (especially SONY consoles for me all they way as I lack patience and prefer to just pop a game in and be able to play it.

I can SEE how theoretically PC would be better as it offers unlimited customisability, but to get a top end gaming PC would cost more than a console and would need to be constantly upgraded, whereas my PS4 will continue to play games that I put into it without me having to upgrade it.

PC games are cheaper though.

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Originally Posted by CactuarKing

I can SEE how theoretically PC would be better as it offers unlimited customisability, but to get a top end gaming PC would cost more than a console and would need to be constantly upgraded, whereas my PS4 will continue to play games that I put into it without me having to upgrade it.

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While you're correct that a good PC is more expensive than a console - sometimes substantially so - the 'constant upgrades' thing doesn't really apply. Yes, you'd need to do that if you wanted it to stay 'top of the line' forever, but that would be like buying a high end car and then trading it in for a slightly faster high end car a year later. Most of the time, you'll keep the same car for years and years.

I bought my gaming PC in 2012 (at about 3 times the cost of a PS4 - as I said the initial expense is a perfectly valid criticism!) and haven't upgraded it since. It'll still play pretty much every new game on 'High' graphics settings and outperforms the consoles. And as the games get tougher and tougher on the system I can just turn the settings down more and more instead of upgrading, and when I do upgrade in another few years it'll probably just be a graphics card, not a whole PC.

And of course - why would I need to upgrade? The majority of big games also come out on console, therefore they're somewhat limited by the consoles. I doubt very much something will come out on both console and PC that my PC won't be able to handle, so I should be good until the end of this console generation.

That's true. You only need to upgrade if you want to stay on the bleeding edge of performance and quality. If you're budget-minded, you can almost always get away with building something that costs slightly more than a current gen console when it is new, and it will most likely run all multiplatform titles until the end of that console generation.

Eurogamer even has a "PC-that-equals-consoles-for-close-to-same-price" build, and tests new games up against the console versions every now and then. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but it is extremely rare for that PC to end up with less performance than an X1, and also pretty uncommon that it is significantly behind PS4.

When DX12 hits, I actually think the PC version of multiplatform games will get even a bit better relative to console versions, especially those PCs that have a discrete card combined with an integrated CPU. There are a few post-processing tasks that can be handled by intel's integrated graphics adapters, and probably even more things that could be handled by one of AMD's integrated GPUs.

Additionally, CPU requirements are projected to drop by a significant amount (I'm hearing 20% in most cases) because of the more efficient API. At the same time, all the same games still have the same CPU power limit on PS4 and for the most part also XB1, so developers can't throw more stuff at the CPU than before, even if weaker PCs can handle more.

Not to mention, it will be a lot easier to recycle your old graphics card. You don't need to throw it away, you can just let it work in tandem with the new card you buy, even if they are of a different make and performance level.

Controller and functional TV. Somebody else can work out the other biz. They can turn it on for me...oh and they should bring me tea and biscuits too. Happy gaming! :)

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Originally Posted by Fox

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Originally Posted by CactuarKing

I can SEE how theoretically PC would be better as it offers unlimited customisability, but to get a top end gaming PC would cost more than a console and would need to be constantly upgraded, whereas my PS4 will continue to play games that I put into it without me having to upgrade it.

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While you're correct that a good PC is more expensive than a console - sometimes substantially so - the 'constant upgrades' thing doesn't really apply. Yes, you'd need to do that if you wanted it to stay 'top of the line' forever, but that would be like buying a high end car and then trading it in for a slightly faster high end car a year later. Most of the time, you'll keep the same car for years and years.

I bought my gaming PC in 2012 (at about 3 times the cost of a PS4 - as I said the initial expense is a perfectly valid criticism!) and haven't upgraded it since. It'll still play pretty much every new game on 'High' graphics settings and outperforms the consoles. And as the games get tougher and tougher on the system I can just turn the settings down more and more instead of upgrading, and when I do upgrade in another few years it'll probably just be a graphics card, not a whole PC.

And of course - why would I need to upgrade? The majority of big games also come out on console, therefore they're somewhat limited by the consoles. I doubt very much something will come out on both console and PC that my PC won't be able to handle, so I should be good until the end of this console generation.

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True.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

That's true. You only need to upgrade if you want to stay on the bleeding edge of performance and quality. If you're budget-minded, you can almost always get away with building something that costs slightly more than a current gen console when it is new, and it will most likely run all multiplatform titles until the end of that console generation.

Eurogamer even has a "PC-that-equals-consoles-for-close-to-same-price" build, and tests new games up against the console versions every now and then. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but it is extremely rare for that PC to end up with less performance than an X1, and also pretty uncommon that it is significantly behind PS4.

When DX12 hits, I actually think the PC version of multiplatform games will get even a bit better relative to console versions, especially those PCs that have a discrete card combined with an integrated CPU. There are a few post-processing tasks that can be handled by intel's integrated graphics adapters, and probably even more things that could be handled by one of AMD's integrated GPUs.

Additionally, CPU requirements are projected to drop by a significant amount (I'm hearing 20% in most cases) because of the more efficient API. At the same time, all the same games still have the same CPU power limit on PS4 and for the most part also XB1, so developers can't throw more stuff at the CPU than before, even if weaker PCs can handle more.

Not to mention, it will be a lot easier to recycle your old graphics card. You don't need to throw it away, you can just let it work in tandem with the new card you buy, even if they are of a different make and performance level.

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Yeah, true.

Both of you raise good points. I am a father though which limits my spending power so the PS4 was the better option. If I had enough money spare I MAY be tempted back to PC in future generations, but not for the foreseeable future unfortunately.

PC > all.

PC is certainly a better platform with several advantages over consoles that consoles by their very nature will never match.

On the other hand, many of my favorite games either weren't on PC for months to years or still aren't on PC today. Actually, all my favorite games seem to be console exclusives that literally takes years to end up on PC. There seem to be entire genres that simply don't exist on PC. For example, 3D platformers, like Ratchet and Clank and Mario, simply aren't present on PC, and I don't know why. Aside of Final Fantasy, which just started being ported over in the last couple years, turn-based JRPGs are also very rare on PC. And then, my other favorite genre, fast-paced action games, like Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta, are incredibly sparse. Oh and story driven action RPGs like Zelda and Kingdom Hearts are also incredibly sparse on the platform.

Bear in mind in recent years this has begun to change, as damn near every high profile release that isn't developed by a first party Sony or Nintendo studio, inevitably ends up on Steam.

So yeah, I'm probably going to be an idort forever. I like console exclusives too much, but the advantages and overall comfort and customization PC offers are undeniable. But in a perfect world, consoles wouldn't exist and everything would be on PC. There's so many console exclusives I've played where it's evident the visual fidelity is held back by hardware limitations and all I can think is "Man, if only this were on PC, imagine how awesome it would look."

There are a few PC games I really enjoy (RA2, Total War, Civ V, Deus Ex to name a few) but I've always preferred console, it's far more convenient for me and for the most part I prefer the library of games.

I'm fine with either but currently I prefer PC, I actually feel like PC is much easier to use than console. There would have been a time, long ago in the cartridge era, where I would have said the opposite but now it feels like every time I turn on my Xbox 360 I have to wait like a half hour for updates and make sure I have a big enough hard drive and etc. etc. My Steam account is so much more plug and play. Hit the button to download, then hit the play button. My controller works with a lot of games too :jess:

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Originally Posted by CactuarKing

I grew up a PC gamer before PS1 and found them to be fiddly and nightmarish unless you had the EXACT settings for "FILES=" and "BUFFERS="and stuff like that.

Since PS1 - It has been consoles (especially SONY consoles for me all they way as I lack patience and prefer to just pop a game in and be able to play it.

I can SEE how theoretically PC would be better as it offers unlimited customisability, but to get a top end gaming PC would cost more than a console and would need to be constantly upgraded, whereas my PS4 will continue to play games that I put into it without me having to upgrade it.

PC games are cheaper though.

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I can understand this line of thinking (The first games I ever played were even before yours, and required a working knowledge of DOS just to get them running :p), but things these days on PC are incredibly convenient as Pike says. Thanks to stuff like Steam and GOG, once you have the actual PC itself, it's as easy as a console to sort everything out.

Of course for many people actually getting the PC can look daunting as heck, and if you forego that, you're going to be paying for the convenience of someone else assembling it for you. It's really not that difficult though, and there are plenty of great guides out there that will take you step-by-step through it.

As for upgrading, eh, the last console generation kind of skewed things because the 360 and PS3 hung around so long, but there's really no need to upgrade a PC that often, much less replace it wholesale. Plus you can easily just update the one part you think is lacking, so you can shove some extra RAM in or replace a gfx card and it's much cheaper than a whole new console.

But hey, swings and roundabouts - as long as you're playing videogames, the how is secondary at best!

PC has the biggest selection of games out there. A lot of games can eventually be emulated to run on a PC, that may be difficult to obtain for a console. When it comes to MMOs, PC does it best. PC does come with 2 major cons though:
1. A higher number of hackers associated with the games in comparison to console games. Maybe this isn't a PC specific problem and more of a problem on the devs/admins/gm/whatever that are overlooking the game.
2. Soooooo many PC builds. Since there are a lot of variations with PC, some people are bound to have a different playing experience than others.

The upfront cost of a good PC will be more than a console, but there seem to be a lot of sales that take place PC wise. So maybe in the long run, things break even?

Console gaming is simple. You hook up your console, put in a disc/catridge, and the game just plays. It's so nice to know that your console will automatically meet the requirements of the game. I do believe a person can have a better experience playing solo on console than on PC. Consoles do have their own issues as well such as:
-lagging behind technology wise in comparison to PC
-takes time for a new console to get a decent sized library of games

I prefer gaming on my console. I normally only play a game on PC, if it isn't available on console such as the upcoming western version of Blade & Soul.

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Originally Posted by FinalxxSin

The upfront cost of a good PC will be more than a console, but there seem to be a lot of sales that take place PC wise. So maybe in the long run, things break even?

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Eh, if we aren't counting torrents. :p

But honestly if you're one of those wholesome folks who pays for every game you play, console gaming can be way cheaper if you buy used/wait until things have been out awhile. You also have the option of reselling console games, so if you take that into account the numbers change even more in favor of the console side.

Honestly you can't really worry about that too much though if you want to fully enjoy the hobby. :p

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Originally Posted by FinalxxSin

Console gaming is simple. You hook up your console, put in a disc/catridge, and the game just plays.

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Don't forget the mandatory installation and day one patch!

It's definitely less to keep track of on a console, but you don't really have to deal with more than 3-4 specifications on a PC these days. Fast enough CPU, sufficient amount of RAM, and fast enough GPU. Lots of new games auto-adjust settings for your hardware these days so you don't need to fiddle with a lot of stuff to make it look as good as it should. Even if the game doesn't, nvidia's software can adjust to the optimal settings for almost any game for you.

That gives me an idea. It would be pretty neat if Steam would check your system specifications automatically and check them against the game's requirements, then give you an approximate performance rating that could tell you on a scale from 1-5 how well your PC would run it, where 1 would be below 25 fps even with minimum settings, and 5 would be 60fps with all settings maxed. A rating of 3 could be 30 fps with medium settings.

Although it could be made even simpler, and just base the score solely on the minimum/recommended system requirements and whether or not you met them, disregarding the fact that some system requirements are very exaggerated.

Approximate/projected performance numbers, of course. Even if their rating messed up once in a while, you can cancel your purchase for a period of time on steam, so you'd be able to get your money back in case it wasn't performing to your satisfaction.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by FinalxxSin

Console gaming is simple. You hook up your console, put in a disc/catridge, and the game just plays.

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Don't forget the mandatory installation and day one patch!

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Before you install the latest firmware update? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by FinalxxSin

Console gaming is simple. You hook up your console, put in a disc/catridge, and the game just plays.

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Don't forget the mandatory installation and day one patch!

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Before you install the latest firmware update? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

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Oh dear, your online subscription ran out? Better cough up 40 bucks to play with your friends for another year!

That's actually an important issue. Assuming your console is gonna last you 8 years, that's another 320 bucks to its total cost, if you want to play with friends. You can get a pretty crazy graphics card for that kind of money :p

Between that, and PC games being consistently cheaper, it's pretty easy to keep the cost of PC gaming at the same level as the cost of console gaming, as long as you don't fall into the "must play every game on ultra+60fps" trap.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

You can get a pretty crazy graphics card for that kind of money

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Where? My GTX 980 cost me $500, and I'd hardly consider it crazy. :p

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by FinalxxSin

Console gaming is simple. You hook up your console, put in a disc/catridge, and the game just plays.

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Don't forget the mandatory installation and day one patch!

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Before you install the latest firmware update? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

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Hang on, you may have just done that to try Rocket League, but didn't you want to play Tales of Xillia after that? That's a PS3 game you silly bun! You'll need to swap out your entire console!

DAMN YOU PS4 AND YOUR LACK OF BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY!

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Originally Posted by Leigh

Controller and functional TV. Somebody else can work out the other biz

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This is fairly close to how I feel. I'm not a big fan of complicated PC controls, and I hate hate hatehatehatehate WASD. I shouldn't have to toggle a walking function. This may change if keyboards that are pressure-sensitive ever become a standard and we can get analog walking and vehicle throttle and all that jazz. Everyone talks about how much better a mouse is to aim. Well an analogue stick is far superior for gradual speed increments. I don't care about precision shooting. And your average RTS games purposely make things needlessly complicated. I think for me, I prefer console simply because it demands a controller. Sleek, elegant, no extra uncessary bells and whistles. If it can't be played with a controller, then you're not trying hard enough :P

Unpopular opinion and hyperbole aside, WASD really makes my hands ache for some reason. I can sit and type a thesis or story for hours, but I think my hands are moving more in that regard. And honestly I do prefer analog movement, and there's no option for that on PC. I truly do hate toggling walk/run

So most of the PC games I play are with a controller anyway. The only bonus is sometimes mod support. So if I had to choose, it'd be console. But I am happy this need is slowly slipping away. There are tons of PC games these days with gamepad support, and even plenty of PC games with local co-op. Which even a year or so ago was completely unheard of

It's a good time to be a gamer. Plenty of valid options for everyone. And mine is with a junky $300, 3 year old gaming laptop. And there's still plenty for me to play that's coming out. Thankfully I love me some low requirements indie games

I miss the days when good games came finished in the box and didn't require updates. I used to be in the console camp, but since the PS3/X360 generation consoles don't have the simplicity I used to love about consoles. Put disc in console and play. Now a game needs a patch on day 1, the system needs updates, and stuff I don't like happens. Why is there a smurfing Singstar icon on my PS3? I never asked for this!

I'm still considering getting a PS4 for certain titles (Bloodborne mainly), but I think PC is the better way to go nowadays.

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Originally Posted by DMKA

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Originally Posted by Mirage

You can get a pretty crazy graphics card for that kind of money

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Where? My GTX 980 cost me $500, and I'd hardly consider it crazy. :p

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Relative to whatever was in the console that was launched closest to when you got/overhauled your pc, assuming you get that graphic card a few years later as an upgrade.

And yes. 980 is sort of the best card that people who don't crap gold will ever buy. Stronger cards are just made as penis enlargers for the company to be able to brag about having the best card on the market.

I like Mario, Zelda, Uncharted, Xenoblade, and many others that are exclusive to consoles so that is where my loyalties lie. The only PC exclusive I've been interested in in the last decade is Undertale which only came out recently. Consoles are also much more straightforward and in a life with toddler twins I want my gaming to be as straightforward as possible. I don't even use a PC at home anymore. Cell phones and iPads do everything I ever needed a PC for.

PC master race! Im actually really surprised of what my laptop is capable of. It's older and only has 4 gigs of ram but it does pretty alright. I can play old ff's at least :D When I say old, I mean ps1 Era. But I definitely want to build a beast of a machine eventually when I can put money aside for it. TERABYTES OF RAM I TELLS YA.

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

I like Mario, Zelda, Uncharted, Xenoblade, and many others that are exclusive to consoles so that is where my loyalties lie. The only PC exclusive I've been interested in in the last decade is Undertale which only came out recently. Consoles are also much more straightforward and in a life with toddler twins I want my gaming to be as straightforward as possible. I don't even use a PC at home anymore. Cell phones and iPads do everything I ever needed a PC for.

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Almost the same as my situation. Rarely use a PC these days other than at work!!

I actually got a gaming PC recently, since I've been missing out and needed a new comp for my translations anyway. but I still want a Wii U and most of my gaming is on my 3DS and Vita. Really, power is one thing, but there really is no better way to immerse yourself into a game than by curling up with it comfortably under a blanket on your couch while the weather is -20 C with heavy snow.

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Originally Posted by Fynn

I actually got a gaming PC recently, since I've been missing out and needed a new comp for my translations anyway. but I still want a Wii U and most of my gaming is on my 3DS and Vita. Really, power is one thing, but there really is no better way to immerse yourself into a game than by curling up with it comfortably under a blanket on your couch while the weather is -20 C with heavy snow.

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-20 C -- Wow that's cold!!:cry:

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Originally Posted by starlet

PC master race! Im actually really surprised of what my laptop is capable of. It's older and only has 4 gigs of ram but it does pretty alright. I can play old ff's at least :D When I say old, I mean ps1 Era. But I definitely want to build a beast of a machine eventually when I can put money aside for it. TERABYTES OF RAM I TELLS YA.

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that moment when you're absolutely certain you've found the right one

Attachment 66190

This is what springs to mind when someone says "PC Gaming master race"!

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by starlet

PC master race! Im actually really surprised of what my laptop is capable of. It's older and only has 4 gigs of ram but it does pretty alright. I can play old ff's at least :D When I say old, I mean ps1 Era. But I definitely want to build a beast of a machine eventually when I can put money aside for it. TERABYTES OF RAM I TELLS YA.

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that moment when you're absolutely certain you've found the right one

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My wife and I like to cuddle while we're both playing on handhelds, so there :colbert:

#cutestcouplesummer2016

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Originally Posted by Fynn

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by starlet

PC master race! Im actually really surprised of what my laptop is capable of. It's older and only has 4 gigs of ram but it does pretty alright. I can play old ff's at least :D When I say old, I mean ps1 Era. But I definitely want to build a beast of a machine eventually when I can put money aside for it. TERABYTES OF RAM I TELLS YA.

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that moment when you're absolutely certain you've found the right one

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My wife and I like to cuddle while we're both playing on handhelds, so there :colbert:

#cutestcouplesummer2016

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That is very sweet and is why consoles/handhelds are better than PC's!!

You can't very well cuddle on your PC chairs can you

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Originally Posted by Fynn

You can't very well cuddle on your PC chairs can you

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Point well made sir!! :cool: :cactuar:

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Originally Posted by Mirage

that moment when you're absolutely certain you've found the right one

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:kiss:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

My wife and I like to cuddle while we're both playing on handhelds, so there :colbert:

#cutestcouplesummer2016

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Disqualified, your wife is not on the forums! Besides, this isn't a cutest couple discussion it's a pc vs console one and the benefits of a pc far outweigh a console. I'd rather upgrade parts at a time then buy a whole new machine every few years :p

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Originally Posted by starlet

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Originally Posted by Mirage

that moment when you're absolutely certain you've found the right one

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:kiss:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

My wife and I like to cuddle while we're both playing on handhelds, so there :colbert:

#cutestcouplesummer2016

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Disqualified, your wife is not on the forums! Besides, this isn't a cutest couple discussion it's a pc vs console one and the benefits of a pc far outweigh a console. I'd rather upgrade parts at a time then buy a whole new machine every few years :p

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A console generation is between 5 and 10 years though........without the need to upgrade within that time.....

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Originally Posted by Fynn

You can't very well cuddle on your PC chairs can you

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No but you can get... other things.

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Originally Posted by CactuarKing

A console generation is between 5 and 10 years though........without the need to upgrade within that time.....

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Why do you think a PC needs to be upgraded within that time?

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Originally Posted by Mirage

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Originally Posted by Fynn

You can't very well cuddle on your PC chairs can you

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No but you can get... other things.

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You can't really do that and game AND be comfortable all at once, though.

Who cuddles while trying to kick someone's ass anyway?

People who like losing games, I guess. Aka not us.

>Implying games are about kicking ass.

>>And not building friendship.

>>>Someone obviously doesn't understand the message of StreertPass :doublecolbert:

>>>>It's like all those shonen anime never taught you anything.

>>>>>Implying that's how you use faux greentext

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Originally Posted by Mirage

>>>>>Implying that's how you use faux greentext

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Faux greenwhat now?

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Originally Posted by Fynn

You can't very well cuddle on your PC chairs can you

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I've spent a long time using a recliner or a couch for my PC. I do use a chair and desk currently however.

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Originally Posted by CactuarKing

Attachment 66190

This is what springs to mind when someone says "PC Gaming master race"!

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They must get such the neck cramp constantly turning their head to look at each monitor. Yikes!

As a PS4 gamer who is looking to- in about a year, or a bit more, build a gaming PC, there's a few reasons, and often as many limitations...

First of all, I have to take the communities into account.As much as you can play 'anything' on a PC, you're never going to have as many people playing specifically the same games; Fighting game communities usually thrive on the sony systems. Sure, you can find a street fighter match pretty much anywhere if you're looking for that, but if you're into more complex fighters, they usually have a niche on PS3/4. Say, the most competitive Dead or Alive 5 players, or the Arcana, Blazblue, UNIEL communities are pretty much exclusive to PlayStation, no matter how you slice it. The same way you're not gonna get MOBA or most RTS up and running on PS4. Basically I don't wanna build a gaming rig just to play Dota 2 or LoL.

Second, of all..the price. Here's the big one, in both ways. Why try to convince me that a machine I will not be able to play FFXV on (For this year, anyway) is better, especially the video card alone costs what the PS4 cost me? The main reasons I want a gaming PC is for (now old) gems and exclusives from Bioware, and of course I'd like to take advantage of steam sales. So pricing is both one of my big plus and one of the big reasons I don't have a capable PC yet. I game on a budget. I wouldn't really be here if Sony went all out and gave us online for free once again.

Also, some PC gamers I've heard mention modding as a big plus, and I...I have little interest in mods. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying, Developers ought to be able to deliver a good enough product for me to enjoy without modding it. That said, I have been a fan of what few mods I've used in console games so maybe I could change my mind later on.

I personally, don't like upgrading past one initial investment: If I get a new graphics card, does that mean I should replay all my past games just so I can see them in better graphics? Is it ever implied I wasted my time when I beat so-and-so on a 'low settings' 720p/30 FPS? The knowledge that anything and everything I buy for PS4 will work on it "just fine", no upgrade required keeps my paranoia and OCD tendencies at bay.

Lastly there are things like power consumption; You're obviously going to notice of the electric bill is twice the usual after your first month of having a gaming rig. Something has to keep that mighty videocard up and running! I still don't know if I can make myself something that requires about as much power as a PS4+Led TV.

Plus some of the people I personally know just sicken me... Yes, this is an important point. Most of my friends don't -want- to try PC gaming because if that one guy who is promoting it happens to be a gigantic douche about it, I don't wanna switch to a platform populated by people like him. Moreso if the video card that costs *more* than a PS4 still gets disrespected because I'm not aiming to spend twice the amount for the best possible graphics, well, it's discouraging. If one guy keeps complaining a fantastic game, say, FFXIV, "looks like crap" on his 4k screen, it might, I'm sure, but I could tell you the same thing about minecraft and we can both miss the point entirely.

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Originally Posted by YoshioKST

As a PS4 gamer who is looking to- in about a year, or a bit more, build a gaming PC, there's a few reasons, and often as many limitations...

First of all, I have to take the communities into account.As much as you can play 'anything' on a PC, you're never going to have as many people playing specifically the same games; Fighting game communities usually thrive on the sony systems. Sure, you can find a street fighter match pretty much anywhere if you're looking for that, but if you're into more complex fighters, they usually have a niche on PS3/4. Say, the most competitive Dead or Alive 5 players, or the Arcana, Blazblue, UNIEL communities are pretty much exclusive to PlayStation, no matter how you slice it. The same way you're not gonna get MOBA or most RTS up and running on PS4. Basically I don't wanna build a gaming rig just to play Dota 2 or LoL.

Second, of all..the price. Here's the big one, in both ways. Why try to convince me that a machine I will not be able to play FFXV on (For this year, anyway) is better, especially the video card alone costs what the PS4 cost me? The main reasons I want a gaming PC is for (now old) gems and exclusives from Bioware, and of course I'd like to take advantage of steam sales. So pricing is both one of my big plus and one of the big reasons I don't have a capable PC yet. I game on a budget. I wouldn't really be here if Sony went all out and gave us online for free once again.

Also, some PC gamers I've heard mention modding as a big plus, and I...I have little interest in mods. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying, Developers ought to be able to deliver a good enough product for me to enjoy without modding it. That said, I have been a fan of what few mods I've used in console games so maybe I could change my mind later on.

I personally, don't like upgrading past one initial investment: If I get a new graphics card, does that mean I should replay all my past games just so I can see them in better graphics? Is it ever implied I wasted my time when I beat so-and-so on a 'low settings' 720p/30 FPS? The knowledge that anything and everything I buy for PS4 will work on it "just fine", no upgrade required keeps my paranoia and OCD tendencies at bay.

Lastly there are things like power consumption; You're obviously going to notice of the electric bill is twice the usual after your first month of having a gaming rig. Something has to keep that mighty videocard up and running! I still don't know if I can make myself something that requires about as much power as a PS4+Led TV.

Plus some of the people I personally know just sicken me... Yes, this is an important point. Most of my friends don't -want- to try PC gaming because if that one guy who is promoting it happens to be a gigantic douche about it, I don't wanna switch to a platform populated by people like him. Moreso if the video card that costs *more* than a PS4 still gets disrespected because I'm not aiming to spend twice the amount for the best possible graphics, well, it's discouraging. If one guy keeps complaining a fantastic game, say, FFXIV, "looks like crap" on his 4k screen, it might, I'm sure, but I could tell you the same thing about minecraft and we can both miss the point entirely.

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On the mod bit, I find I like to add mods after I've enjoyed a game for a good while to spice it up again. Most of the games I use mods in don't require the mods to play fine, I just enjoy the mods. And to upgrading, I'm using a pretty weak system compared to most. I have a OLD graphics card (GTX 480) and a completely budget CPU (i3) my RAM is average at 8GBs and having a SSD does help a bit. but overall my GPU is just so friggen ancient. But, I really don't have any issues with NEEDING to upgrade. I run FFXIV on the highest settings and most games I encounter will only be on medium if they're really fancy in the graphics department.

Almost every game that is added to by mods is great as a base product anyway, mods just add to something already very much worth playing.

Rather than thinking of it as turning an incomplete game into a complete one (though that certainly can happen, I don't deny), think of it as more content for games you already love. I definitely wouldn't have put as much time into, say, Darkest Hour, or Crusader Kings 2, without mods.

Seconded. Modding isn't necessarily about doing the developer's job for them. For example, why should Obsidian spend hours upon hours creating a super-high res texture pack that requires 2 GB of video RAM when the consoles at the time of New Vegas' launch had at most 400 MB to spare for textures, and almost no gaming PC had more than 1 GB VRAM?

In 2015 however, lots of people have 2 GB VRAM or even more, so some modders created extra texture packs for those who want to revisit this game with a much stronger PC than it was made for.

And while I don't actually agree with the people who mod skyrim to be full of kawaii animu maids with extremely revealing outfits, or make the prostitutes in the game look like 1990s porn stars with bleached hair and balloon boobs, I'm sure this adds some sort of value to the game for those who opt to use such mods. At the same time, I think we should all be very, very glad that Bethesda didn't put such things in the game themselves.

And on a side note, I doubt that you'll need a video card that costs as much as a PS4 to play FF15, and definitely not if you build the PC much later this year. My GTX 570 could run Fallout 4 better than PS4 does, and that's a 3 year old card. A 950 would probably do the job, and the next generation from nVidia that comes out this year would probably do the same job for even less money than a 950 costs today. I now use a second hand GTX 770 that i got for 150 bucks some time ago. It plays any current multiplatform release at much better image quality and framerate than my PS4 can manage, and i fully expect it to do so with FF15 as well, should the game get a Steam release.

The power consumption point is mostly an enormous exaggeration. The extra power consumed by your PC when you're gaming with a new video card is going to equal two extra "old school" lightbulbs being switched on while you play the game, and only one of them running at half power when you're not gaming. But I guess if your household uses an average of 200 watts over a day, then maybe you'd notice a sharp increase in consumption.

This is of course assuming that you live in a climate that is warm enough not to need energy for heating any time of the year. Nearly all the energy consumed by any electronic device is converted into heat, which is something you in many areas of the world are going to need in the winter anyway.

The first $49.99 game you get on Steam that costs $59.99 on PS4 makes up for probably half a year of electricity for your new video card.

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Originally Posted by YoshioKST

As a PS4 gamer who is looking to- in about a year, or a bit more, build a gaming PC, there's a few reasons, and often as many limitations...

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Very good post, I just wanted to respond to some points, since you mentioned interest in building a PC.

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First of all, I have to take the communities into account.As much as you can play 'anything' on a PC, you're never going to have as many people playing specifically the same games; Fighting game communities usually thrive on the sony systems. Sure, you can find a street fighter match pretty much anywhere if you're looking for that, but if you're into more complex fighters, they usually have a niche on PS3/4. Say, the most competitive Dead or Alive 5 players, or the Arcana, Blazblue, UNIEL communities are pretty much exclusive to PlayStation, no matter how you slice it. The same way you're not gonna get MOBA or most RTS up and running on PS4. Basically I don't wanna build a gaming rig just to play Dota 2 or LoL.

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This is true. Of course, there are PC free to play games with some of the biggest communities out there but as far as the blockbuster franchises most players think of in the West, they're just not that big on PC. That's actually the reason Valve created Steam Machines, as an attempt to redirect some of the interest in AAA gaming over to their platform. And when you think about the huge MMOs and MOBAs, many of them are not available on Steam. Despite the ubiquity of their platform, Valve actually isn't among the big contenders in the gaming industry - their expedition into the console space is a testament to the effectiveness of that model.

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Second, of all..the price. Here's the big one, in both ways. Why try to convince me that a machine I will not be able to play FFXV on (For this year, anyway) is better, especially the video card alone costs what the PS4 cost me? The main reasons I want a gaming PC is for (now old) gems and exclusives from Bioware, and of course I'd like to take advantage of steam sales. So pricing is both one of my big plus and one of the big reasons I don't have a capable PC yet. I game on a budget. I wouldn't really be here if Sony went all out and gave us online for free once again.

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This part is bit of a misconception. The latest low end graphics cards which retail for $150 (GTX 950) and less (R7 370) have actually kept pace with and occassionally outperform the current gen consoles. They're good enough to blow away the popular multiplayer exclusives PC players actually play, while remaining up to date with any AAA multiplatform title coming out. The current mid-range cards (GTX 960 and R9 380) frequently retail for $200 and under, and are generally good enough to net you most of the bells and whistles of demanding games at 1080p 60fps. The cards that cost as much as a console, the GTX 970 and R9 390 are high end monsters, where you can start thinking about higher resolutions, framerates, or both, beyond what consoles and HDTVs are capable of. While the enthusiast tier do sell for $500-650, most tend to stay away from them, as the price-to-performance ratio starts to drop off at that point.

It's good to keep this in mind when you actually do get around to building your own rig.

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Also, some PC gamers I've heard mention modding as a big plus, and I...I have little interest in mods. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying, Developers ought to be able to deliver a good enough product for me to enjoy without modding it. That said, I have been a fan of what few mods I've used in console games so maybe I could change my mind later on.

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Modding is certainly an overstated advantage. Nearly all PC games have no tangible benefit from modding and very few will ever grow a thriving mod community around them. Publishers also don't like them. However, we are starting to see games which open up content creation within the ecosystem, such as Steam Workshop, a bright spot going into the future with PC gaming, despite monetization concerns.

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I personally, don't like upgrading past one initial investment: If I get a new graphics card, does that mean I should replay all my past games just so I can see them in better graphics? Is it ever implied I wasted my time when I beat so-and-so on a 'low settings' 720p/30 FPS? The knowledge that anything and everything I buy for PS4 will work on it "just fine", no upgrade required keeps my paranoia and OCD tendencies at bay.

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This is another solid point, and it goes beyond just resolution and framerate. I often spend a great deal of time fine tuning display settings in my games and it's difficult getting the same results as consoles in terms of screen tearing and frame pacing, which seem pretty minor but add up to impact the overall quality and smoothness of the experience. Some people fail to appreciate that since consoles will always be the most popular version, they consume the vast majority of optimization and QA resources, thus making them the definitive versions in many ways. Most of the games I play on PS4 are native 1080p 60fps anyway, so it's not like PC offers players any tangible benefit by having shadows on Ultra instead of Medium.

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Lastly there are things like power consumption; You're obviously going to notice of the electric bill is twice the usual after your first month of having a gaming rig. Something has to keep that mighty videocard up and running! I still don't know if I can make myself something that requires about as much power as a PS4+Led TV.

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So this isn't fully true. Nvidia's latest line of graphics cards using Maxwell architecture made power efficiency a top concern, something which AMD followed suit with on their R9 300 series and looks to really deliver on with their upcoming Polaris line of R9 400 cards. GPU power consumption will continue to decrease in the coming years and even then, I've heard it only really adds a few dollars a year to your electricity bill.

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Plus some of the people I personally know just sicken me... Yes, this is an important point. Most of my friends don't -want- to try PC gaming because if that one guy who is promoting it happens to be a gigantic douche about it, I don't wanna switch to a platform populated by people like him. Moreso if the video card that costs *more* than a PS4 still gets disrespected because I'm not aiming to spend twice the amount for the best possible graphics, well, it's discouraging. If one guy keeps complaining a fantastic game, say, FFXIV, "looks like crap" on his 4k screen, it might, I'm sure, but I could tell you the same thing about minecraft and we can both miss the point entirely.

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It's true that many PC players pride themselves as elitists - ironically, even those without powerful rigs. Yahtzee coined the term "PC master race" as a satire on how obtuse the community can be and it's telling that many obliviously adopted the term as a badge of honor. However, I do chalk that up to the vocal minority you see on all corners of the internet. The majority of people I've encountered in Dota and elsewhere are either polite or keep to themselves and PC fosters many of the most helpful and cooperative gaming communities out there.

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It's true that many PC players pride themselves as elitists

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Pretty much EVERY PC gamer that I have met!!

Yeah, just like everyone who reads thinks that what they're doing is better than watching TV. Because it is, and everyone who thinks otherwise is just rationalizing to make themselves feel better about their choice.

Well, the country I live in doesn't work with dollars, so it probably won't come quite as cheap, but still, this does sound cheaper than I imagined. All things considered, my long-term goal of having the system run a (modest?) 1080p/60-ish FPS for Dragon Age/Inquisition, The Witcher, exclusives, and maybe the just-announced PC release of Rise of the Tomb Raider(Damnit!) seems a lot more feasible.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ris.../1100-6433519/

My sole comfort is FFXV and VII's timed exclusivity on PS4, FFXIV being so comfy on a controller, and the aforementioned fighting game community. I don't think the PC would become my one-all stop for games, but I don't wanna limit myself to the PS versions of everything. Thanks a lot for the info!

If you want a controller, you can use both the PS4 controller and the XB1 controller on PC. There are also lots of controllers from other manufacturers, like Logitech or Razer or whatever else you prefer.

I'm sure many arcade sticks work on PC too, and I'm also pretty sure you can find one that works both on PC and PS4, so you can practice on the same AS as you'd bring to tournaments or friends.

Wanting 60fps on these multiplatform games will increase your cost a little bit (or require you to lower the image quality), seeing as your cpu and gpu will have to be able to render the same detail in half the time compared to consoles. It is however still well worth it in my opinion. Any game just becomes a lot more pleasurable to play when it runs at 60 fps.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

If you want a controller, you can use both the PS4 controller and the XB1 controller on PC. There are also lots of controllers from other manufacturers, like Logitech or Razer or whatever else you prefer.

I'm sure many arcade sticks work on PC too, and I'm also pretty sure you can find one that works both on PC and PS4, so you can practice on the same AS as you'd bring to tournaments or friends.

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Yeah, I emulate a few games on my laptop and I have a plug-in controller for that. I just prefer controllers, to be honest.

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

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Originally Posted by Mirage

If you want a controller, you can use both the PS4 controller and the XB1 controller on PC. There are also lots of controllers from other manufacturers, like Logitech or Razer or whatever else you prefer.

I'm sure many arcade sticks work on PC too, and I'm also pretty sure you can find one that works both on PC and PS4, so you can practice on the same AS as you'd bring to tournaments or friends.

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Yeah, I emulate a few games on my laptop and I have a plug-in controller for that. I just prefer controllers, to be honest.

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There's nothing unusual about that, and definitely not for games that are designed around controllers.

I don't care about console gaming since the 7th generation (PS3/X360) and PC gaming doesn't fulfill my needs.
I love my PS2 because it's easy to use, controls are convenient and the games don't focus solely on graphics.

Currently, I'm a fan of tabletop games and I prefer them more than those mentioned above.

Tabletop gaming is the only master race! Behold the magnificence!

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Originally Posted by Mirage

If you want a controller, you can use both the PS4 controller and the XB1 controller on PC. There are also lots of controllers from other manufacturers, like Logitech or Razer or whatever else you prefer.

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I'm surprised you forgot you mention that pc adapter for ps2 controllers you found on amazon that was only $2. And yes, before anyone asks it works great!

it was actually more like 5 with shipping

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Originally Posted by Zanmato

I don't care about console gaming since the 7th generation (PS3/X360) and PC gaming doesn't fulfill my needs.
I love my PS2 because it's easy to use, controls are convenient and the games don't focus solely on graphics.

Currently, I'm a fan of tabletop games and I prefer them most.

Tabletop gaming is the only master race! Behold the magnificence!

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I'm actually going more this way. MTG is what I play 90% of the time, Online and IRL. I do jump on FFXIV when I know I'll have a few hours to spare but, If I only have a little bit of time or watching the kids a good game of Magic works great.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Yahtzee coined the term "PC master race" as a satire on how obtuse the community can be and it's telling that many obliviously adopted the term as a badge of honor.

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For the record, while I do use this phrase, I'm still doing it ironically. ^^;

How do you know they adopted it obliviously? :p

I think it was adopted tongue-in-cheek originally but it's kind of become one of those things were the joke stopped being funny from overuse, especially because as with all "You use a different device to play games to me? smurf YOU I HOPE YOU DIE" things, people on both sides take it more seriously than they should.

PC gamers wanted to be a part of the "Console Wars" :3