Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 666 Joined: 27 Nov 2007     | |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 887 Joined: 9 Jan 2008     | LMFAO. My recation to that last sentance was "Get a PS3." I realise now that, that reaction was the worst of all the ones I could have pulled from my arse. Gaming has indeed moved from pc to console and it has rather depressed me. All that money I spent upgraing my pc and now the games coming out are half assed ports. Luckily I came prepaired as I bought a PS3 for MGS4. So all of those games I saw as perks to the ownership of PS3 are now real games in my eyes! HORAH! |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 953 Joined: 12 Apr 2008     | I recently upgraded my PC that I've had for about 6 years... it's been able to run everything without a hitch up until late 2007. $1000 every 6 years is about what you pay for consoles. Despite having played games for the majority of my life (some 18 years now?) both on PC and console, I still can't get used to clunky console controls. FPS games are simply terrible on consoles and, especially lately, have all become incredibly dumbed down snooze fests that play themselves. Yeah, I've got to point my gun in the general direction of the bad guy... but I don't have to actually do much more than that as 99% of console FPS have auto-lock features akin to what Serious Sam had. The biggest problem that I have with console gaming, besides the controls, is the absolute lack of customization. I can't decrease the number of brown pixels I can see for an increase of, very needed, performance... I can't change the resolutions, the FoV, the AA settings... none of it. Yeah, most console games are supposed to not have slow downs, but this really isn't the case. I'm not fine with a "solid" 30 FPS at all, but I have to put up with it anyway. The biggest thing, for me, is playability. If a game controls terribly then the game is terrible on a very fundamental level. There is no getting past it. I don't care how engaging the story is, deep the combat system, or how much my brain will grow after spending an hour trying to figure out how to do a spin kick... because it's not as simple as just A and B anymore. |
Muckraker  Posts: 274 Joined: 5 Oct 2007    | You haven't abandoned PC gaming, you just expanded your gaming horizon. It doesn't have to be either/or. Do some research and pick the version that appeals to you the most. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 385 Joined: 12 Sep 2007  | If it's big-budget electronic games you want, then consoles are definitely the place to be. As the years go by though, I find the big-budget games get less and less interesting, while indie games get more and more interesting. And if you want indie games, the PC is the only platform that matters. |
Press Junketeer Posts: 385 Joined: 12 Sep 2007 | Actually, LisaB said it better. I plan on getting a Wii soon to expand my own horizons. Only a religious zealot would refuse to use a particular platform on principle. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 492 Joined: 8 Oct 2007   | Ya know, I'm all for expanding my horizon and all but I'd like systems that didn't want to self destruct all the time. I don't want to go out and spend money on something that is going to explode if I don't dance around it. Also PS3's are basically computers with limited possibilities and a controller instead of a keyboard and mouse. They happen to cost as much as a decent computer as well. So I'd rather get a computer that I can personally upgrade than a PS3 that will sooner or later become what the PS is now. People are only into the whole consoles because two new systems have come out at relatively the same time. You will find that in the end the PC will always rise back to the top. It's just waiting in the shadows while the consoles have their moment in the spot light. PC's just make too much sense for long term use than any console ever will. ^_^ |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 949 Joined: 10 Sep 2007    |
The hell? You are aware that games exist outside the FPS genre, right? Using only games the OP mentioned, we've got: And then the entire concept of racing games which is a laughable mess on the PC without a wheel peripheral. Sure, the mouse and keyboard is better for shooters. But they're not the only games. |
On the Record  Posts: 7314 Joined: 23 Dec 2007    | Why I love playing PC? Because it's great, although admittedly the newest game I bought was 2 years old, and the one I play most is almost 5 years old. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1566 Joined: 5 Dec 2007   | I generally prefer console controlls in most games and since i dont really like RTS my 360 was an easy choice. Another thing that i really like about consoles is the plug and play, i dont need to update drivers and patches download without any hassle. Online play is not nearly as good as in most PC games and being forced to use a headset instead of a keyboard can be annoying when communicating with, cretins. So my advice would be to have a console with a lesser equiped PC for PC exclusive games! (Who would willingly miss Starcraft 2?) |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2231 Joined: 12 Oct 2007   | Part of the problem is the type of games that are actually good on a keyboard/mouse. Most of the games you brought up would play like ass on a keyboard/mouse. It also does not help that no one has the sense to not use a general purpose operating system for a task that would do well to have an OS tuned for performance from the ground up. Not to mention keeping one company from having a stranglehold on the PC game market through it's OS that was never even built for gaming in the first place. Of course as long as people believe that it is the difference in hardware that damages PC game performance the most, the game makers will be able to get away with feeding the hardware manufacturers with games that are practically designed to force an upgrade even though they do not do much, if anything different from Doom or Quake. The sad thing is that when it comes right down to it there are only two components that a dev house is going to be concerned about when they are writing their game when they look at performance; the cpu and the graphics card. They do not really have to worry about any quirks in the ram or hard drive when trying to get performance out of the product, yet people actually believe that the hardware configurations are the biggest issue! There are only three manufacturers with respect to those two components which all function on simillar principles; this really is not as big of a problem for the game maker as it is for the OS maker because it comes down to driver interactions when you start talking about peripherals. In short much of the problem rests with the consumer who is ignorant, and simply does not know he or she is being screwed by these people. I totally agree with your sentiment on the bad port issue, but I also see the reverse, to date UT3 on the PS3 is the most complete PC game port ever released, it's pretty sad actually but it is in part a function of the PS3's design that enabled such a thing to finally occur. I would argue that games like Mass Effect will end up being better on the PC however, so it is not all lost. If I was looking to buy just one console at this point I would not even consider the 360, I see no reason to pay for online play when the PC or PS3 port will offer it for free. Nor am I going to get a machine that has the spectre of hardware failure looming over it (All hardware fails but not like this white box.) the money I spend on the thing would be better spent on PC upgrades, a Wii and a few games, a PS3, or my bills. The fact that you close your post referencing a long warranty and hoping that it doesn't break just shows how bad the build quality of the hardware is. You shouldn't have that fear in your mind when thinking of getting a console. I would say get a Wii, or a PS3 or both but stick with your PC for most of the games that go to the 360 that do not look like they will go to one of the other two consoles. You may have to spend a bit of money to upgrade but at least you won't be living under the cloud of "Is this the day my 360 red rings, or decides to eat my brand fucking new game disc?" |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1850 Joined: 31 Oct 2007   |
Good points. I'd like to add that getting the most out of your Xbox or Ps3 requires an incredibly expensive television. Sure, it's not a must.. but it's an expense worth noting. |
Paperboy Posts: 28 Joined: 12 Apr 2008  |
So I guess that just because the PC gaming market may have some potential in the future, we must all abandon console games and rush to play World of Warcraft, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. Cause, I mean, it's not like their will be any new consoles coming out at cheaper prices than it would take to max out the game playing capeability of your computer, and heaven forebid the thought that they would have some sort of backwards capeability system. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2768 Joined: 18 Sep 2007  |
Also worth noting is the "multitask defense" used so often in defense of gaming PCs... my HD set* (4 years old, $500USD at time of purchase) is also used for my VCR, DVD, and television viewing. Heck, I even use my 360 for more than games; last night I rented "Michael Clayton" through Xbox Live, for instance. It all comes down to your usage case, really, as to which platform will be the best for you. -- Steve * Admittedly, it's only a 26" widescreen CRT model, but that's ample given the size of my living room. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 4296 Joined: 20 Dec 2007   | Meh, that's a typical argument for someone giving up on PC, but, this is the one I can't stand most: "Reason #3 I'm tired of my hardware getting obsolete, devaluating fast and me having to upgrade." You bought an 8800GT, and now you are calling it Obsolete? Seriously, this guy must be in an insane asylum and playing around on someones laptop or something... Cuz that card will last a LONG time. EDIT: FOrgot to mention, your reasons are fine, but, they aren't reasons for ABANDONING PC gaming, actually, those are very stupid reasons for abandoning it, getting a console and having the best of both worlds, now that's a great reason, but, saying you've done all this with PC gaming and haven't enjoyed it, you've done something wrong man, there's so many more benefits with PC gaming than gaming on consoles, and besides, most shoddy ports can be modded to not be so shoddy anymore. Do you even mod games man? Mods are more than half the fun! |
BANNED  Posts: 371 Joined: 13 Mar 2008  | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 2829 Joined: 1 Feb 2008    |
This is the one thing that would switch me from console to PC. These mods--I wish to try them. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008   | I never really understand how FPS player bitch 'bout controllers. I can play pretty alright with them. Back on topic- Just becuase you bought a console, doesn't mean you have to stop PC gaming. I mean, if my computer could run some games I like, I'd be on it a lot more, but I'd still enjoy my X360, becuase it's got games that I'd rather play on console, than on PC. Regardless of what you think, congrats on your purchase. Hope you enjoy it. Edit: Muckraker. Hazzar! |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3722 Joined: 18 Dec 2007 | I personally perfer consoles because usually I get a gaming console as a presant from some nice people meaning I spend my money on the games I like. I don't want to ship out $600 (AUS) for a better PC when I could buy 6 new games. Also nothing on PC interests me apart from CoD4 (that I already have) and to be honest, PC FPS controls are horrible! There I said it! |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 973 Joined: 22 Mar 2008  | My 360 can't run Crysis, my PC can't run Rock band. Thus, they live in a battle to be the best. One, got in December '07 with 2 Raedeon cards (X1550's). One, bought just in January. Neither is better. |
BANNED  Posts: 99 Joined: 9 Apr 2008 | Consoles last much longer than PC's given their price. An Xbox360 is only like $300 whereas a PC is around $2000-3000 (if you want one that can play Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Halo). The Xbox360 is going to last for another 2 years easily, whereas a PC will only last for another 6 months before you have to upgrade something in it. Consoles last longer without upgrading them and there's more games available. Even indie games are finding their way into the console market by way of Xbox Live Arcade and PS3 Store. It's much easier to get a console than to get a PC and constantly upgrade it. The only reason I would get a really nice PC is to play Crysis, but the CryEngine 2 is being adapted for consoles. Soon, the CryEngine 2 will be on the 360 and PS3 and Crysis will be ported to consoles. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 4296 Joined: 20 Dec 2007 |
There are a lot of mod sites, a google/yahoo search should do the trick, for example: "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion mods" or "San Andreas mods" - like the Multiplayer mod...man, that is just awesome. Also, Oblivion has mods to where you can ride a sheep, or a clanfear as a mount, I mean seriously, that is just ****ing amazing! -and shoddy ports like RE4 usually have "unnoficial patches" and things like that, so don't worry, you can use a mouse with RE4. (I still can't believe RE4 didn't have mouse support, I mean, come on!) Also, what is great about mods is if there is something you don't like about a game, there is most likely something to fix/change that, like giving guns flashlights in Doom 3, or laser pointers (for the "no-hud" players.) |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 645 Joined: 20 Mar 2008 |
what kind of computer could cost $2000? my current machine cost me $900 and will beat the living crap out of an xbox's hardware. not to mention that the two games you listed (PoC online and halo) are not exactly the most populated games, nor do they have high system requirements. my rig can play CoD4 on all high settings with a constant ~50 FPS. if that is not good enough value for $900, what is? The people who have said "I have to upgrade my PC every 6 months" are either using the extreme budget-side equipment, or they are just plain extravagant in their PC spending budget. the $200 8800GT will last you 3 years easily, RAM is so cheap that you could upgrade that every fortnight, and an E6750 or E8400 will last you around another 2.5 years. To anyone who says that consoles are better than PCs because they are cheaper, congratulations! you can read price tags! however, has anyone given thought to the longevity of the consoles? a PC can be upgraded - a console has fixed hardware. when a console breaks, you buy an entire new $600 machine. when a PC breaks, you find out what broke/overheated and replace it. unless you are extremely rich and bought an 8800 ultra or 8800 GTX, no single component in your PC should be more than $300 ($375 at most). when you buy a PC there is a good deal of choice; you can get a budget rig ($500-$700) and expect it to last another year and a half, or you could buy a mid-budget rig ($800-$1200) and have it last you another 3-4 years, or you could overspend and get a high-budget gamer's rig (custom built at $1500-$2200). honestly, not that many PCs on earth will cost the average consumer $3000, unless it's one of the alienware PCs, which basically fit into their own category. unfortunately, there is one part of the pro-console argument that is harder to refute: more games and more developer attention. while the PC is ahead n MMOs, FPSs and RPGs, the console market is attracting more music and simplistic shooting games (simplistic shooting games being FPSs and third-person shooters with less plot/gameplay elements than usual). [/PC elitism] |
Copy Clerk Posts: 67 Joined: 9 Mar 2008 | @ reason #1: @ reason #2: Also: You make it sound like you have to either play PC games or console games. You can do both, you know? I do. If you're worried about your console breaking down: Simply don't get a 360. Be one of the sensible guys that refuses to pay 300$ for a piece of hardware with a failure rate that's somewhere between unacceptable 10% and totally ridiculous 30%. Sure, MS may replace your console without giving you too much trouble, but buying that console in the first place simply tells MS that it's A-okay to release a console that's flawed by design and "fix" it by not giving their customers trouble if it finally breaks down. @ reason #3: |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 413 Joined: 6 Dec 2007 | I stay away from the ports unless I haven't or can't play the game. If it was good back on the console for me to get it, then I wouldn't want to get a PC port for it just to play it. I still do both, but it really burns me about having to upgrade just to play games, and I am wary of games that do that. I'm not going to spend a ton of cash just so I can actually play a game without it being a slideshow. And I'm someone with a decent mid-to-high PC, not cutting edge, but certainly above average. That being said I've become selective about what I buy and what I buy it for. FPSs are awkward for me to play on console. Action games, though, play great. RPGs work fine for PC, but your choices are limited as far as group games with friends without having to deal with the wonderful world of the Internet. I don't think you have to give up PC gaming. I think that you just need to be selective about what you play, and only upgrade for the games that are worth it, not the ones that are popular or cool to play. |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 953 Joined: 12 Apr 2008 |
RTS, FPS, MMO's all play infinitely better on the PC. RPG's, depending on the combat, can be better or worse on a PC. The only games that play better on a console on every level are fighting, platformers, and some racers. Yeah, some. You still need a wheel for the majority of them. Oddly, these are the kinds of games that populate PC games. Hell, even the more unique games play better on a PC. Any gesture based game (Black and White as an example) will be that much easier to play than on a console UNLESS it's a Wii. In reality, the only console a PC gamer needs is a Wii as the PS3 and 360 gaming library consists of watered down versions of FPS that we've been playing for years before hand... just in a different setting and with different characters. If you REALLY want a console that isn't the Wii, I can't say that either the 360 or PS3 are a good choice. The only thing they have going for them are a very small hand full of unique titles... like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. And Guitar Hero plays fine on the PC as long as you're not playing it. Get Frets on Fire, buy a peripheral and play one of the nearly infinite songs that are available for it. And, if you're feeling cheeky, simply make your own track for the game. It's funny, though. A lot of the games you've listed will play perfectly fine with a mouse and keyboard. Ninja Gaiden 2? No problem at all, not even in the slightest. DMC is another one that would be incredibly easy to play with a mouse and keyboard. 101 keys on a keyboard don't lie, neither does the superiority of mouse control. This is, of course, disregarding the fact that there are a plethora of gaming pads available for PC gamers. Hell, we can use any console control we want including the wiimote. PC gaming has equal to superior control on all games. Have a game that is gesture based? We can easily get the wiimote to act like a mouse for us, or, reverse engineer it so it detects our fingers instead. I've got a glove that I use to play AOE3 with when I'm feeling swishy. You know, things like this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vp1_pZ-AteA Yeah, stuff like that isn't really anything you can do with a console. Maybe so with the Wii once they get an RTS or two on it. Maybe. |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 949 Joined: 10 Sep 2007 |
You could play something like DMC with a mouse and keyboard, but I fail to see, however you set up your 101 keys, how it could work nearly as well as twin analogue sticks and some triggers. Maybe I'm just not thinking in the right way. Would you mind explaining to me why it would be preferable to play it with the mouse and keyboard? Especially in something like Ninja Gaiden, where being able to roll in 360 degrees is really quite useful. For the rest of it, mind if I replace the first usage of "PC" in my post with "mouse and keyboard"? It was a mistake. Once that's done, you're there's not a whole lot you're disagreeing with. The guy was dismissing every possible use of the gamepad as inferior to the mouse and keyboard, simply because of the obvious inferiority in the FPS genre. I took issue with that. You elaborate. Everybody's happy. PC gaming is better than console gaming, but honestly, it's easier to just buy a 360. In any case, that finger tracking thing is pretty impressive. The practical applications for that kind of thing are mind-boggling. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 84 Joined: 16 Mar 2008  | There are lots of big games for PC, they're just from different genres then those you mentioned. Crysis, Sins Of A Solar Empire, and so on. Also, a lot of good games have been ported to consoles. Like Deus Ex, for instance. And what's wrong with the wealth of share and freeware? There are some real gems floating around the internet, like Battle For Wesnoth or Nethack, and if you're willing to shell out the cash, there are a hell of a lot more wonderful games. Being a mac person, my PC game library is rather limited, but I make do. As well as being less accessible, you need a cutting-edge computer to keep up with stuff, which people aren't willing to spend the money on, so much more focus is on consoles. I may be making points for both sides, but all I'm saying is that console and PC gaming are totally different experiences, and different people enjoy one more than the other. I prefer to linger between the two depending on my preferred genre at the time, but right now I'm going with the more accessible consoles. What I'm trying to say that consoles are fun, but are more casual commitments towards gaming, and PCs are tools as well as gaming systems, and require much more time and money to productively keep up with the latest big hit. Sorry for the wall of text, but it's worth reading. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 129 Joined: 3 Jan 2008     | Wii and PC are the way to go (admittedly a personal preference, me prefering RTS, FPS and RPGs on PC - strictly no driving or fighting games and Wii - bloody good fun, generally unique games and Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga, admittedly not unsing the Wiimote to it's fullest potential but damn good fun! |
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As much as I lvoe PC gaming, I've fianlly decided on giving up on that and buying a console.
Not that there is anything wrong with gaming on a PC - quite the contrary, it has been singlehandedly the only way I've been experiencing new videogames for the past years in the most desirable way ever.
But now, I've finally come to realize that this is sadly not longe rthe case, or at least will not be in the future...
Reason #1
NO BIG GAMES
I'm not saying that PC gaming is dying here, but rather than game developers seem to care more about developing games for consoles more than PC. This will be particulary a strong argument in Reason #2 further down on the list, but let's just discuss this for a bit.
It seems like the grand games that are being released are just solely for consoles.
GTA4, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fable 2, Ninja Gaiden II, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 etc.
I'm not saying that these games listed are a reason to own an Xbox 360, but rather my growing concern that game developers are prioritizing the consoles rather than the PC for this big heavily anticipated games. While games for the PC are in enormous ammounts annually I feel that the average lineup of big games cannot be compared to what is being released for the consoles. And I'm highly willing to discuss this issue with anyone that disagrees.
Reason #2
The games that *DO* make it for the PC are absolutely horrible ports.
I cannot possibly stress this point enough. The list of terrible PC ports of console games have been a vast river of crap that has plagued us PC gamers for nearly years.
Resident Evil 4 for the PC, Assassins Creed for PC, Guitar Hero III for PC, Stranglehold for PC, Onimusha 2 for PC, Halo 1/2 for PC, Final Fantasy for PC, the list just goes on and on.
I really don't see the point anymore to wait 6-24 months to wait for a console game to be ported to PC and coders not giving two shits about the game being ported resulting in a despicable PC port of the game.
This just strengthens my argument that in a lot of ways, I should give up gaming on the PC for these console games.
Reason #3
I'm tired of my hardware getting obsolete, devaluating fast and me having to upgrade.
I bought my nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB videocard in late December month. It cost me $270 bucks which was then the quite possibly cheapest price for it and quite probably the best videocard by then.
Today that card does not exist anymore, there's however a revised version of that card that is slightly better and it's for $100 less. And this is just in a timelap of barely 4 months.
The upcoming next generation of nVidia GeForce cards are upon us with the launch of 9800GX2 and the now upcoming series og 9800GT and GTX. My videocard that was spanking brand new is slowly becoming obsolete. I'm tired of upgrading, I'm tired of wasting money on new motherboard standards because Intels new series of chipsets and CPU sockets switch every 1-2 years and I'm bloody tired of having to spend more money on new DDR RAM because my old is obsolete. And please don't get me started on how absolutely horrible those pre-assembled "Gaming" PCs are that HP and DELL are trying to sell to people that get charged up the a-hole for terrible hardware pre-assembled inside a PC case. I would never ever in my entire life buy any barebone computer from those places and let them rip me off a liver for hardware that is sub-standard.
I am willing to discuss any of tehse listed issues, and unlisted if you can come up with any that are to be seriously concidered about what I'm trying to say here.
Now I just have to run off and fid a place that sells Xbox360 with long warranties and that they hopefully won't break...