Current Consoles vs High End PCs

[Solarus]

I don't post alot (mostly...well honestly because u guyz intimidate me lol u guyz are so knowledgeable I dont see where I would fit in) but I have a question. Why exactly do people want new consoles? I mean the current ones are comparable to current high end PCs. I mean in terms of how the games look not the "power" when I see the PC version of games there is no real difference in graphix othr than resolution. Compare BF3 on 360 and PC. They look the same only difference is resoluton. I had a discuss with a few poepl and a mod (whos a PC fanboy) and was trying to have a decent convo but they were making up stupid points. I dont want to bring in other discsusions but I think u guyz should read it and see whos right? I mean other than resoluton why else would console games look just like PC version if consoles were weaker? Then graphix of the year always go to consoles should tell you something?

Im honestly curious and am hoping someone who actually knows what there talking about can explain it to me, cuz from what I see their comparable.

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=652701&page=86

 

[Mize]

If you don't see a difference playing games with all the eye-candy cranked up on a high end PC vs. and Xbox then you definitely don't need anything more than a current gen console.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I agree with you. Mostly. Doesn't mean I don't want new hardware, though. The reason console games and PC games are comparable despite the enormous gulf in power is that hardly anyone makes PC games anymore. They make console games instead, and if we're lucky we get some half assed dx11 goodies when buying the PC version.
It's a lowest common demoninator thing, and unless that lowest common demoninator gets replaced, PC games will remain stuck in the last decade, just as the consoles.

 

[Rodéric]

The controller and the place in which the activity takes place.
You're with a pad in your armchair/sofa, or sitting at a desk with your keyboard and mouse.
(Although PC also have pads and joysticks.)

 

[SteelOak]

Why exactly do people want new consoles?

I still find console graphics impressive and I really like watching developers squeeze everything they can from current console hardware. So many tricks and ingenious ways to make console games look great.
But when all of this comes at a cost (greater and greater over time) like lower resolution, low res textures, narrow-corridor levels, cutting out things like animations or lack of a "simple" anisotropic filtering (which for me DESTROYS otherwise great looking games)... It's hard not to think that it's really time for new hardware. Everything that stil looks good now could look that much better on more powerful hardware, even without a significant increase in man-hours/budget. Trying to create a visually impressive game in 2012 while at the same time limiting it to work on a 2005 era hardware sounds like a waste.

 

[pjbliverpool]

I mean other than resoluton why else would console games look just like PC version if consoles were weaker? Then graphix of the year always go to consoles should tell you something?

Im honestly curious and am hoping someone who actually knows what there talking about can explain it to me, cuz from what I see their comparable.

Are you asking whether current gen consoles are as powerful as high end PC's except for the PC's ability to render in higher resolution?

 

[AlphaWolf]

PC games don't get the most out of PCs because most of the PC's being used aren't much more powerful than consoles.

 

[Kasersky]

PC games don't get the most out of PCs because most of the PC's being used aren't much more powerful than consoles.

that doesnt stop people from using the most highest end pc to compare to console. whenever comparisons are made.

 

[pjbliverpool]

PC games don't get the most out of PCs because most of the PC's being used aren't much more powerful than consoles.

You'd be hard pressed to find any modern PC which was purchased with the intent of gaming (even light gaming) that isn't significantly more powerful than the current consoles.

And high end PC's are used in such comparisons because that's what's available to anyone wishing to game on a PC. No one would use a Wii to represent the power of modern consoles or an iPhone 3G to represent smart phone power so why use old or low end PC's to represent that?

 

[AlphaWolf]

No I really wouldn't. You can't just compare to PC's sold today, compare to that PC someone bought 3 or 4 years ago (not high end) and is still using. That's what developers need to target when making a PC game.

 

[pjbliverpool]

No I really wouldn't. You can't just compare to PC's sold today, compare to that PC someone bought 3 or 4 years ago (not high end) and is still using. That's what developers need to target when making a PC game.

Your criteria was "most PC's being used". In the context of the thread I assume you mean PC's being used for mainstream (console type) gaming. That excludes PC's bought with no intention of being used for gaming or for very casual gaming (flash, Sims etc...).

I think you'll find the vast majority of systems being used today for mainstream level gaming are significantly beyond the current generation consoles. Even 4 years ago you'd have to have been buying pretty low end to get something weaker than a console and if you're still using a low end GPU from 4 years ago then odds are you're not using your PC for gaming at all and thus developers have no reason to target you.

When you can get a GPU for $50 sporting 2 or 3 times more power than the best consoles plus a more advanced feature set then it makes no sense to think of the average PC as being not much more powerful than consoles since the "average" PC isn't being used as a gaming machine.

 

[AlphaWolf]

You're operating under the impression that there aren't people out there still using an 8600 (or less or it's like) for gaming. The fact that you can buy something inexpensive that would be quite superior isn't really relevant, the simple truth is that many gamers do not.

 

[Solarus]

Are you asking whether current gen consoles are as powerful as high end PC's except for the PC's ability to render in higher resolution?

Well thats the thing, PC gamers always talk about how PC games can't be done on consoles. Crysis 1 was always said couldn't be done then Crytek put it on consoles and it looks just as good as the PC versions. Outside of resoluton I havent seen a PC game that couldnt be done on consoles. Both crysis and witcher 2 look just as good on console and they even got better lighting. PC hardware from the same timeframe as consoles cant even run the games as well. that shows just how advanced the consoles are and how powerful they are if developers work on them. Then when next gen consoles do get here and are doing 1080p PCs cant even use the resoluton argument anymore.

 

[ultragpu]

You want new consoles because you want the quantum leap in graphics, physics and all that works to the current gen consoles. Current gen looks fine but they're really starting to get stale, even Naughty Dog admit this when UC3 won most of the best looking graphic awards last year. Technology has to advance at some point to pave the way for more artistic freedom and vision, it really doesn't matter how good the console games look compare to a modern PC when the leap in power is withhold anyway.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

This thread is hilarious, in a bad way.
When I get the time (and if the thread didn't close in the meanwhile), I'll post some screenshots of my heavily modded skyrim and dare anyone to post a console shot that can get remotely similar.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Better yet post a camera shot from 8-10 feet away on your TV.

 

[Mize]

Better yet post a camera shot from 8-10 feet away on your TV.

No, no, post a shot 18" away from 3x 1920x1200 monitors in Surround/Eyefinity!
...and then play with a mouse and keyboard the way God intended.

 

[orangpelupa]

and can you please share the config mod for the graphic

btw back about the topic,
i think its depend on the game.

example is witcher 2 and Need for Speed Something (cant remember the title, the series that made by burnout guys). My pc cant run it in decent frame-rate despite having spec that more powerfull than Xbox 360.
i have radeon HD 4770, 4 core CPU.

the other example that the reverse of that condition is skyrim and bfbc2.
it run so easily on my PC (bfbc2 hundreds of fps most of the time, but crawl to 40fps sometime), and on skyrim i still able to use enb mod that give impressive quality boost in graphic. and my fps still playable (25-30fps)

 

[Ninjaprime]

This thread is hilarious, in a bad way.
When I get the time (and if the thread didn't close in the meanwhile), I'll post some screenshots of my heavily modded skyrim and dare anyone to post a console shot that can get remotely similar.

What does a heavily modded game have to do with anything? Thats like saying PC games look like crap because the 360/PS3 remakes of old xbox/PS2 games look better than the old PC versions.

 

[AlphaWolf]

No, no, post a shot 18" away from 3x 1920x1200 monitors in Surround/Eyefinity!
...and then play with a mouse and keyboard the way God intended.

I don't think god intended me to be blind with carpal tunnel and be staring at bezels.

You have to compare with how the game is going to be played. For a lot of people they want to be sitting on the couch 8' from the screen, it's the same reason blu-ray hasn't seen more rapid adoption, because people are still sitting 10' from their screen and the difference isn't that significant (significant enough for them to pay a premium for the same content in higher resolution). From my own perspective it's pretty obvious PC is putting out a higher quality image (although it'd be nice to see what they could actually do targeting some high end specs rather than tacking on some dx11 features) on my 2560x1600 30" display at 2' than what is on my console at 8', but I spend enough time in my desk chair. That doesn't mean I'm not ready to see the next console generation.

It'll be interesting to see how PC games compare to next gen console games.