"599" PC vs "HD" consoles

[Gerry]

Hey guys how about we make this topic a more prospective look at next gen?

One reason why PC gaming has become more viable, apart from the prices, are developers now building their games on PC platform first. In the past, you make a game for consoles and to port it to a PC, you require a rewriting of codes and a large amount of hardware power to make sure it runs.

These days, development starts on far more powerful PC hardware and port down to, guess what, virtually identical but older PC hardware. Xbox started this and this gen is taking bigger steps from there.

Haven't a clue where you're getting that idea from.

Surprised this thread is still alive to be honest. The initial post and certain subsequent posts smack entirely of "PCs are great! Consoles suck!", which is hardly a great starting point for any kind of debate.

 

[catisfit]

Hey guys how about we make this topic a more prospective look at next gen?

One reason why PC gaming has become more viable, apart from the prices, are developers now building their games on PC platform first. In the past, you make a game for consoles and to port it to a PC, you require a rewriting of codes and a large amount of hardware power to make sure it runs.

These days, development starts on far more powerful PC hardware and port down to, guess what, virtually identical but older PC hardware. Xbox started this and this gen is taking bigger steps from there.

With easier multi development, PC games are getting more variety and they will run well with mainstream gaming hardware. Some poster said only a small fraction of AAA console titles will end up on the PC, i disagree, if you take out some EA sports games and Sony first party games, the rest of AAA console titles will end up on PC, not for the least, very high development costs.

There are a few major problems with PC game development though:

• Piracy
• There is a lot more money in console games
• Microsoft's Windows Live is trying to charge for something that has been free on PC since forever

Piracy is of course the biggest issue (link to an example).

 

[_phil_]

what's great with concole gaming is that from the first game you buy at the start of the gerenation to the last you buy before thinking buying the next system, the games you can actually play improved a lot.
On PC it's the reverse.

 

[Neb]

Well if the PC games technical improvment (graphic/gameplay) where as moderate as the consoles first-to-last game improvments, then the same system would suffice.

But I dont see it as bad getting games that takes large steps ahead, especially when they stand in their own "ring" without opponents.

 

[Rangers]

The good ones will come eventually, even the MGs and FFs.

More points to ponder, with the speed of PC hardware going up and up while the prices going down and mainstream, can next gen consoles even compete at launch? Will makers want to compete on the technology side, to spend millions to develop custom chips ever again?

I think Nintendo is the big winner and it shows. Why be poor underpeforming and money losing cousins to multimedia PC when you can be different and ringing your cash register?

If anything, it's the reverse. Consoles are now very dominant and PC gaming is losing more and more share and cache to the point where even devs like Valve and Id are focusing on console first. We used to have a co-existant PC and console ecosystem but now the PC ecosystem has been severely depleted.

As far as "all the big games come to PC eventually" well, besides being not true, I certainly do not wish to wait many months for a game I'm looking forward to.

I also would say the price on your PC is a little low to be reasonable. I just built a $1150 PC and it's nothing amazing. You are taking a lot of things for granted such as not buying an OS. Did you include case, optical drive, mouse/KB, speakers, and all that little stuff in your price?

 

[Rangers]

Hey guys how about we make this topic a more prospective look at next gen, the end of mega power consoles?

One reason why PC gaming has become more viable, apart from the prices, are developers now building their games on PC platform first. In the past, you make a game for consoles and to port it to a PC, you require a rewriting of codes and a large amount of hardware power to make sure it runs.

These days, development starts on far more powerful PC hardware and port down to, guess what, virtually identical but older PC hardware. Xbox started this and this gen is taking bigger steps from there.

With easier multi development, PC are getting the type of fast action console games and they run better on mainstream gaming hardware. Some poster said only a small fraction of AAA console titles will end up on the PC, i disagree, if you forgo some EA sports games and Sony first party games, the rest of AAA console titles will end up on PC, not for a better resaon, higher development costs.

Nex gen will not be the end of mega power consoles..that's your opinion.

 

[Neb]

I also would say the price on your PC is a little low to be reasonable. I just built a $1150 PC and it's nothing amazing. You are taking a lot of things for granted such as not buying an OS. Did you include case, optical drive, mouse/KB, speakers, and all that little stuff in your price?

There are several building models out there with fresh prices, all resulting in a high-end PC for 600-1000$ excluding monitor, including OS. Either you are including a monitor in your price or you got scammed simple as that. And yes the PC's works flawless with TV's as display!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

And yes the PC's works flawless with TV's as display!

PC's never work flawlessly . Case in point, I've a Belkin USB Wifi adaptor on Windows XP, used it for a few years, had it working in the morning one day and it stopped in the afternoon. Went through all the reinstall nonsense to no avail, but it';s not a hardware fault as it works on the second PC. Swapped over the other PC's Belkin USB adaptor and that works fine in my PC. Until now. Yep, this afternoon it was working fine, but I switch the PC on this evening and it won't connect. I've swapped over to my Window 2000 Install on a second HDD in the same PC and that's connecting just dandy. Another couple of times I swtuched on the PC and it complained of a fault in services.exe and wouldn't play audio within movies, either AVIs or YouTube/GT. But then it 'fixed itself'. Random, spontaneous issues plague the PC, and that uncertainty is very disagreeable.

I haven't really read the thread other than a cursory glance, so I don't know whether it should stay or not. I'll give it a better look as to suitability when WinXP is willing to let me use my internet. All I'll add is that as long as the PC doesn't have LBP or R:FoM 2 or a host of other exclusives, it would never be an option for me. If it has all the games you want to play then it's a fair choice for a more versatile machine, especially now that it supports the XB360 controller for that authentic controller feel!

 

[Deepak]

Adding it all up, PC have completely blown away the consoles in just about every aspects including price/affordability ratios and great playing games.

Games? What games?

 

[ShaidarHaran]

PC's never work flawlessly . Case in point, I've a Belkin USB Wifi adaptor on Windows XP, used it for a few years, had it working in the morning one day and it stopped in the afternoon. Went through all the reinstall nonsense to no avail, but it';s not a hardware fault as it works on the second PC. Swapped over the other PC's Belkin USB adaptor and that works fine in my PC. Until now. Yep, this afternoon it was working fine, but I switch the PC on this evening and it won't connect. I've swapped over to my Window 2000 Install on a second HDD in the same PC and that's connecting just dandy. Another couple of times I swtuched on the PC and it complained of a fault in services.exe and wouldn't play audio within movies, either AVIs or YouTube/GT. But then it 'fixed itself'. Random, spontaneous issues plague the PC, and that uncertainty is very disagreeable.

Sounds like your UBS (that's the technical term, innit?) is the fail. Try other ports/other UBS devices on the same ports.

(just for the sake of clarity, I am of course referring to your USB ports, I just call them UBS because that's what 90+% of the computing public refers to it by, therefore giving me the right to mock them)

On-topic: how many times has this been done anyway? I have a PS3 and an adequate gaming PC (E8400/8800GT). I wouldn't give up either one unless I had to. They compliment each other very nicely.

 

[woundingchaney]

I think it is very fair at this point to say that the PC is suffering from a lack of game software (though I dont play mmos). I own a very high caliber gaming pc and I solely miss new releases coming down the pipeline. I really have no interest in playing a title on my pc that I played 6-8 months ago on my console/consoles.

A 10 dollar difference in titles does by no means omit the fact that I can rent console games and there is no (legal) option on pc titles other than purchasing them.

My pc definitely doesnt have lower power consumption compared to my consoles.

I agree that as far as usability and versatility the pc completely stomps all over the consoles, though it lacks a bit as a true gaming platform (imo). Developers are simply seeing higher sales on the consoles and we are repeatedly seeing the bigger budget/higher caliber titles coming directly to the consoles. Until these facts change pc gaming will continue to decline.


I am inclined to agree that we wont be seeing consoles continue to push the tech. boundaries in the future.

 

[Nesh]

Thanks to this site, i been researching my next PC. I know the GTX200 and HD4000 are coming in a month, and you know how surprised i am to find PC hardware prices are now very affordable.

My old PC
a64 3500
1GB DDR2 533
6800GT 256MB
Costs me about 800 IIRC back in 2006, definitely weaker than 360 or PS3.

A new PC from newegg
C2D E7200
2GB DDR2 800
Intel P35 chipset
9600GT 512MB
400GB SATA2 HDD
400W OEM Seasonic PSU
Costs about 599 with mail in rates and reusing XP SP3.

If i were to run games at 720p through to my HDTV, i can get 2XFSAA and 8XAF while maintaining, at least 30fps for all "HD" quality console games with cleaner texture effects. Why "HD" with the commas, easy, it is frustrating to know as next gen development moves into 2nd and 3rd gears, more developers are dropping back the HD resolution and HDR to get more performance.

The new PC is a little costlier than PS3 and 360, and it does not allow you to watch HDM and 7.1 uncompressed audio are unlikely to be supported by PC games for the next 1-2 years.

The new PC has the advantage of lower power consumption on idle, better power saving features and efficiency. PS3 XMB navigation IIRC uses 120W~.

The new PC games will cost on average 5-10 dollars less, and for the case of 360, no extra subscription fees to play P2P games....

The new PC of course has completely, fully customisable multimedia DLNA/HTPC and work, educational features.

Adding it all up, PC have completely blown away the consoles in just about every aspects including price/affordability ratios and great playing games.

I think MS is smiling that their Plan Xbox have brought developers together with simplicity and stability of console games with the flexibility and power of PC hardware.

Well I dont know. I rarely get to beat games on my PC. The PC lacks the user friendliness and certainty I am getting from consoles.

Even Bioshock and Gears of War are left unbeaten while a PS2 has more chances to finish even with old gen graphics.

I am also fed up with the fps virus that swarms PC gaming.

I prefer having a controller in my hands, a game I can access easily without any hardware specs to worry about, a small device I can move everywhere and which can be plugged on my TV.

 

[Mobius1aic]

I'm sure devs will come up with a solution. Digital distribution would certainly help but people with slower broadband wouldn't be appreciative of it, however authorization/certification as well as copy preventing would be easier to implement.

 

[pjbliverpool]

You are taking a lot of things for granted such as not buying an OS. Did you include case, optical drive, mouse/KB, speakers, and all that little stuff in your price?

People still buy seperate PC speakers?

Putting hardware aside, it really comes down to the kind of games you want to play. Its all well and good saying many console games don't come to PC or games development starts on consoles but when you look at the "big" console games over the past couple of years, their aren't many on the 360 that didn't come to the PC, or at least are planned to.

I have a 360 "just in case" and I haven't felt the need to buy a game for it in almost 2 years because all the games I would be interested in I was able to pick up on the PC (or in some cases, will be able to soon). The wait might be an issue if I had nothing to play in the meantime but as with the other platforms, the PC is flooded with top quality games at the moment.

 

[pjbliverpool]

Games? What games?

Well recently I have played (some in demo form) Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, C&C3, Oblivion, Lost PLanet, Crysis, Dirt, Trackmania, TR:Legend, Quake Wars, Assassins Creed, STALKER, ST: Legacy, Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War.

Don't those class as games to you?

 

[pjbliverpool]

what's great with concole gaming is that from the first game you buy at the start of the gerenation to the last you buy before thinking buying the next system, the games you can actually play improved a lot.
On PC it's the reverse.

I disagree. The fact that you have to reduce quality settings in games as hardware gets older is because those higher settings introduce graphics beyond the best settings of previous games.

If console games get better looking throughout a generation then those same games will get better looking on the PC aswell. And there won't ever be a game released for the current consoles that a G80 coupled with an appropriate CPU won't be able to play with the same level of quality.

The only difference will be that while the "same level of quality" represents high settings right now, it might represent low settings in a PC game 2-3 years from now.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Okay, actually reading the OP I see this wasn't a discussion at all! "Why PC smacks consoles all over the shop" and "Why PC is teh wurst gaminz platform evar" threads are pointless and frowned upon. Anyone with the sense to post in B3D should be away of the major difference, strengths and weaknesses of the different platforms such that basic points don't need expressing, especially in the form of the original poster's comments.