You are a console gamer. Why ?

[gongo]

On the contrary, I think some of you are not up to date with PC entertainment. I can identify the points here but those were back in the days of DX8/9, WinXP, PS2/Xbox ports. The prices/perf of mainstream CPU/GPU back then did not help playability or bring forth the superiority of PC platform.

"PC games" (multiplatform FTW!) in this era of DX10 USA and Vista/7 days are easily superior. I had a glimpse of PC gaming recently with the help of a cheapo 4870 (priced at 2 new console titles but damn its capacitor whine!) and i can tell you consolelings are wasting time on pixel counting arguements! HAHAHA! Full HD 1080p 5.1 HDMI to AVR to HDTV (or 1200p to LCD monitor), 2X MSAA , 8X Aniso, high settings (that pulverise the best of PS3/360 in fidelity), min 30fps, 360 gamepad support, free online gaming lobbies and mods! I also find PC centric titles of larger scale, more exploration without loading breaks, big immersive rendered environments. Sure some DRM are PIA but to borrow from Apple, everything just works now! (at least with the popular/high ratings games i tested). When more processors intensive games are common, just dial back the resolution to 720p (for HDTV gamers), drop some shaders effects, but the net quality i am bloody sure will look better than PS3/360 games!

Console games are also getting their share of bugs and patches, with microtransactions, content streaming, social network what not . I mean we can see Sony and MS are trying to re-create PC experience in these cheapo catch all box but as with the word "cheapo" you would expect to face limitations and yes there are IME, castrated experience if you will! A good PC would cost at most a PS3 & 360 but the perf/$ is so much better, not to mention the games are cheaper, and so much fun customising it! Consoles suffer from 3ROD, YLOD, dead drives because of how much they need to fit in. I expect consoles to no longer chase the tech tree. They really cannot afford to (well MS could but there no reasons for it). Game processing hardware has become so specialised knowledge and rising cost of gaming software, it is just suicidal to start a new architecture from scratch, hence the fun and a possibility of arching ahead in the tech curve is not happening. For me there is no fun in waiting for PS4/720 hype, well ... if motion controls take off that will be some kind of experience maybe..., but from a pixel processing angle, there ain't nothing revolutionary for these catch all boxes. Their performance would be behind the average gaming PC at their release. *ahem! budget people! budget $299/399!*

To sum up my rant, for the tech gaming whores PS3/360 are kinda like the Wii today ( for a long some time actually). Nice try Sony and MS but you cannot break the laws of reality.

 

[liolio]

Basically because for me Pc is a commodity tool and I spend already quiet some time on it for my job (IT support, helping people encountering printing /networking / windows / office etc. problems).

 

[obonicus]

Isn't the support of controllers enforced for a game to be labeled as 'Games for Windows'?

Seeing how many of the games are 'Games for Windows' and since I usually try to mod all games I get my hands on I also found almost all of them to have support for controllers (gamepad, joystick, wheel).

I think you're right, but I don't have high hopes for the GfW brand since MS seems to have forgotten that it exists.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

That's true but a lot is dimnished over the time due to significantly higher prices for games.

Yes and there are more games released on the consoles also, so it's a double whammy
Well in honesty I atleast borrow games with my friends and buy used or sometimes a bit older games cheaply.

 

[Neb]

Yes and there are more games released on the consoles also, so it's a double whammy

Not sure about that but even if true the key word is the "s". Which then implies you need to own all the consoles and then it aint as cheap anymore!

 

[fallguy]

"- Cheap platform. PC will require me to spend hundreds every few months just to keep up with demands of games."

This, is a lie. Plain and simple. You dont need to spend anything, once the system has been built or upgraded. Aside from a very few games, a system built a year ago, will run todays games just fine. Ive been using my same case, psu, monitor, kb, mouse, hd's, sound card, and dvd-rom for several years. The only thing Ive upgraded was the mobo, ram, cpu, and video card in three years. Did it all at once a few months ago, now Im good for at least a year, more than likely much more. $200+ every 2-3 months is just a silly thing to say.

 

[Gubbi]

You mean like Orange Box/Steam games?

You know lots of people have Steam and can play all those games in Vista x64 without problems unless self inflicted problems/system instability which also should be rare.

Self inflicted ?

I made a brand new install of Vista ultimate 64bit w. SP1. Installed drivers for the motherboard (Asus), installed graphics driver for the 4890 (asus). I ran windows-update until there were no more updates.

Went to steampowered.com and got the Steam client. Double-clicked on all my existing purchases. When they were all downloaded tried to start HL2 up. Big fat text in the right side of the screen saying "A.I. Disabled".

Updated *all drivers*. No change.

Googled the HL2 problem, apparently a common problem. Solution is to put -32bit in the startup line box. That's not obvious for the average Joe.

What is obvious to the average Joe is popping a disc in a console and 30 seconds later he is playing.

Cheers

 

[NRP]

I guess it was inevitable that thus would turn into a "versus" thread.

 

[Neb]

Self inflicted ?

I made a brand new install of Vista ultimate 64bit w. SP1. Installed drivers for the motherboard (Asus), installed graphics driver for the 4890 (asus). I ran windows-update until there were no more updates.

Went to steampowered.com and got the Steam client. Double-clicked on all my existing purchases. When they were all downloaded tried to start HL2 up. Big fat text in the right side of the screen saying "A.I. Disabled".

Updated *all drivers*. No change.

Googled the HL2 problem, apparently a common problem. Solution is to put -32bit in the startup line box. That's not obvious for the average Joe.

What is obvious to the average Joe is popping a disc in a console and 30 seconds later he is playing.

Cheers

Interesting since I got a 4890 and fully updated Vista x64 and never had any problems like you described and I own Orange Box. But fair enough and sure it is easier to just pop the disc into the console aslong as it doesn't break down or any other annoyances with discs.

 

[obonicus]

I guess it was inevitable that thus would turn into a "versus" thread.

Why not? Every single one of these threads was a skirmish in the War.

 

[DrJay24]

I just went to buy Crysis Max Edition and noticed all the securerom talk. Another reason to be a console gamer. How much of this is FUD? Will this software act like the virus people are saying? Jeesh, what a hasssle...

 

[DrJay24]

That's true but a lot is dimnished over the time due to significantly higher prices for games. And it mostly is what you get is what your stuck with!

How the trade in and rental market for PC games?

 

[Neb]

I just went to buy Crysis Max Edition and noticed all the securerom talk. Another reason to be a console gamer. How much of this is FUD? Will this software act like the virus people are saying? Jeesh, what a hasssle...

Normal, like all other SecuROM games. Only thing is internet activation once, takes 5 seconds and done. It should be rare to have any problems unless using hacked SecuROM files/crack software to circumvent DRM protections. And I doubt Sony Austria would give out a "virus" as it is them making SecuROM software if you didn't know!

But in short FUD, annoyances amongst the pirates to have a harder time and very few 'legit' users affected.

How the trade in and rental market for PC games?

Where I live quite good. Not as much as consoles games but the prices are vastly better for being second hand. But then I expect less second hand/trade ins as PC games generally have longer longetivity due to mods etc. About rentals I dont know, never thought about that but I doubt. However that is limited in most countries/absent.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

What about PC volume? I'm used to whirring fans, and powerful processors and GPUs consume more power, gnerate more heat and need better cooling. What's the cost of a quiet yet effective PC, or are power PC users the same as ever, not caring one jot about the noise from their monster rigs because they have the amp cranked sky high? (Or otherwise spending a lot on expensive quiet cooling systems?)

 

[pjbliverpool]

They certainly can be loud, but its not a necessity these days. My PC is virtually silent when first turned on and once it warms up a bit and the fans start to crank up, the overall noise level is still pretty reasonable. certainly less than when my 360 spins up its DVD drive, but a little louder than when the drive isn't spinning.

But then i've made no special effort to sound proof my PC or buy low noise components. everything is stock in a basic server case. I don't have any case fans though which simultaneously keeps the noise down and lets it get hot quicker requiring the other fansto spin up more

 

[Neb]

What about PC volume? I'm used to whirring fans, and powerful processors and GPUs consume more power, gnerate more heat and need better cooling. What's the cost of a quiet yet effective PC, or are power PC users the same as ever, not caring one jot about the noise from their monster rigs because they have the amp cranked sky high? (Or otherwise spending a lot on expensive quiet cooling systems?)

It's not like it used to be before. Nowdays buyers want powerful hardware that also has silent cooling that is effective (or within specs). Quiet CPU fans are reasonably cheap like the Xigmatek HDT series (customisable speed) and yet provide excetional cooling efficiency and use good fans. PSU are also quieter without the need to cost much like it did before.

Bought my Corsair TX750W for roughly 100$ and it is exceptionally quiet at full load (benches) despite the power draw from an E8400 overclocked, 4890, high-end mobo, soundcard, blu-ray etc. And it wll last for a long time. The noise levels are roughly on par with a PS3 at load and only produces air sound "woosh" noise with neither fan running at lowest speed but rather 'quite high'. The 360 is much noiser and unbearable.

And of course we are all different to how noise is percieved but I come from experience of intolerance to noise and have built and customed my previous PCs to be quiet at night (which is my reference).. making the monitor/TV the loudest hardware!

Sadly no fix for that...

however this PC I just used my 5 year old quality chassis and the rest is just intelligently selected fans, coolers and just setting mobo control + GPU fan control. Thats it!

Also great variety of cases most built with noise levels/ as an equator aswell as a wide variety of cooling fans for cases with exotic bearing solutions which is also used for PSU and CPU coolers. And then standard function of having the mobos control fanspeed based on heat/load readings or just clamp the speed with PWM fans. GPUs have user controllable fans and case fans often with mobo control, built-in fan control or just a resistor like the Zalmans cheap one. And still ahve a greatly cooled system, rock stable and quiet.

So yes it is fairly easy to make a good quiet PC and be ready for the future. And costs are low nowdays.

100$ Corsair TX750W
80$ Western Digital 640GB HDD, low noise minimal vibrations (cant hear the HDD when reading/writing)
25$ Xigmatek HDT CPU cooler
60$ Compucase CI-6A21-B, Black/no PSU, my old case of high quality with rubber damped HDD mounting and 1mm thick metal casing aswell as well built/designed. Not my PC but same case.
20$ Case dampening sheets for the side case just to assure absolutely no vibrations nor resonance

And thats all. Of course you can get it down quite some by buying less potent PSU by Corsair or other manufacturer that produces good PSUs.

 

[TurnDragoZeroV2G]

I thought I still enjoyed, to some extent, messing around with settings, but just yesterday I was installing Crysis Warhead. First the install that took more time than I wanted, then ridding myself of EA's Download Manager (because I stupidly chose Full Install), then changing my keyboard settings and failing to find a setting I was looking for...

By the time I got into the game--which experienced stuttering and annoying draw-in on the settings that the game defaulted to for my hardware--I found myself just wishing I could have popped the disc into the tray, hit play, and sit back with a control scheme that "just works." Really, I'm at the point where the only games I want to ever buy for PC's are A) not possible on consoles (real RTS's being the one for me, since I enjoy FPS's just fine on consoles) and B) not released on consoles. Mods, free online play, etc. mean almost next to nothing when the majority of my friends are found on Xbox Live instead...

Oh well.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's not like it used to be before. Nowdays buyers want powerful hardware that also has silent cooling that is effective (or within specs)...etc.

That's nice to hear. One reason for holding off upgrading my PC is the effort to keep it quiet. My PC is slighlty quieter than my PS3 when the fan hits 3rd gear, but it was a lot of cost to get to that point - a large copper CPU heatsink, quiet PSU, and so forth. Still, what you describe is both a fair bit of faf researching components and considerable cost (in the UK at least), versus getting a console. A major plus-point for me with PS3 is you just buy it and it's quiet, without having to go through any decision making process about which mobo to buy, which PSU, which heatsink, which GPU, etc.

 

[Heinrich4]

For me its simple.

No need complex instalation,patchs,bugs,problens with OS,drives etc.


Videogames is more simple and have more(and creative) games exclusives.

 

[homerdog]

What about PC volume? I'm used to whirring fans, and powerful processors and GPUs consume more power, gnerate more heat and need better cooling. What's the cost of a quiet yet effective PC, or are power PC users the same as ever, not caring one jot about the noise from their monster rigs because they have the amp cranked sky high? (Or otherwise spending a lot on expensive quiet cooling systems?)

My 360 is much louder than my PC and I don't go to great lengths to keep my PC quiet. It's pretty much a normal rig except I replaced the CPU cooler with a Scythe Ninja Mini for $50 (dunno if you'd call that spending a lot). But even with the stock cooler it was quieter than the [strike]747 lifting off[/strike] 360.

The PS3 OTOH doesn't make much noise at all, which is something I really like about that console. Then again I've never played a game on it, only Blu-rays so maybe it's louder during gaming.