So to the second half of my question would be
If you could only have 1 device would it still be a console?
YAPCVC Debate (usability) *spyawn
- Thread starter Nesh
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If you could only have 1 device would it still be a console?
No, if there was only 1 device it would be an android tablet.
If there were two devices if would be android tablet and console because I need something to play exclusive games on with friends.
Persistantthug
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I don't think I appreciate your tone young man.
I mean........
How dare you discriminate against my good ol trusty Samsung Flip phone..........
How dare you sir!
Nope. Thats not clear at all. I disagree with strongly. Matter if fact, most people would easily and hands down pick any sort of SmartPhone, which is deftinitely not a PC.
So how will they do schoolwork, CVs, anything on office etc? How will they do things that require PCs like video editing, photoshoping and DJing (etc)? Most households will require at least one of these things which a smartphone/console cannot do (or if they can it's an extremely limited version)...however a PC can do pretty much everything a console can.
Also, I'm pretty sure by device the question was as a 'home entertainment unit of choice' ie tablet, PC, console - smartphones while good for many things are not something I would ever consider using for surfing the web unless I had to.
I'm just trying to look at things from a practical perspective.
Also, I'm pretty sure by device the question was as a 'home entertainment unit of choice' ie tablet, PC, console - smartphones while good for many things are not something I would ever consider using for surfing the web unless I had to.
I'm just trying to look at things from a practical perspective.
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Surprisingly plenty of children do homework on iPads (Some even on iPhones) now a days in the US. Android tablets are catching up though. There is a multitude of web-enabled productivity tools that don't require any apps and there's even more tablet applications that fill the need for completing children schoolwork. You are aware that the number one use of photo sharing is via phone or tablet apps, right? Indicating that everyone needs to DJ or photoshop or is laughable at best and shows what a stretch one has to go through to show a need for PCs. PCs are passe.
Well of course phones are the number one use of sharing pictures, that's not what I meant. And saying photoshop was just because that's something I do.
The problem with tablets/mobile for gaming is that the controls are just completely useless, and whilst I said PC my personal choice would be the Surface Pro, that gives the power of a PC and flexibility of a tablet without the restrictions.
and mentioning DJ and photoshop was just a couple of examples of other software (and hardware) that requires a PC and pretty much anything you can think of can be done on PC without being restricted to select apps.
The problem with tablets/mobile for gaming is that the controls are just completely useless, and whilst I said PC my personal choice would be the Surface Pro, that gives the power of a PC and flexibility of a tablet without the restrictions.
and mentioning DJ and photoshop was just a couple of examples of other software (and hardware) that requires a PC and pretty much anything you can think of can be done on PC without being restricted to select apps.
Smartphones are jacks of all trades masters of none these days. Most people don't use them for actually productive things, but the options are there for a wide range of uses.
If there was only one device I could choose it would have to be a laptop. I'm too limited by interface on the go by a smartphone that I would like to do. With a laptop I can have my keyboard and mouse, a touch screen, and a decent enough performance in some games while lasting a while on the go. Whie it might not last as long as my phone, it is far more productive for my uses.
That sounds to me like when one of those people say: "The end is nigh!". "Repent".
New doesn't always equals better, and "going with the times" is not always cool per se. Smartphones are "younger" than PCs, yet they use a CPU and a GPU, how new is that? Much worse and less sophisticated than any CPU or GPU that is used on a PC, the screen is not as good and it's always dirty.
Some people used to say that a game like Banjo Kazooie is passe, yet the spiritual successor gets kickstarted in record time.
Some people used to say that old cars are passe, yet they sell for millions and millions in auctions.
Some people would say that arcade games are passe, yet some of the most intelligent and interesting people I've met still play arcade games on MAME or have an arcade cabinet.
Some people would say that pinball is passe, yet the pinball machines are highly regarded and cost a lot if you want to buy one.
Some people would say that the 80s are passe, yet a lot of people remember those times with nostalgia and David Hasselhoff's "True Survivor" is an example of that.
Some people would say that wild west movies are passe, yet a lot of people like me love them, and the scripts are amazing in some cases --The Magnificent Seven is going to have a modern sequel by the way.
Maybe one day humans will be passe and we will become robots.
My music teacher used to say that modern music doesn't have quality. How is that? Is classic music passe?
I used small devices and handhelds as a kid, but when I could get a PC I sent them to the dust bin.
Do you write Beyond3D code on your smartphone?
If you were working with say, Shifty, in a big company, doing paperwork and truly important stuff, and you were using a smartphone to work while he uses a PC? Who would be the more productive of the two? I tell you, Shifty.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
I'm not even going to speculate as to what the general populace would do if they could only have one device. But I can say.
My 2 aunts just have a laptop and nothing else. Phone is a flip phone.
One of my cousin's family only has smartphones and nothing else. Not even a tablet.
My father has a desktop and laptop, but could probably do just fine with a laptop only. Phone is a flip phone.
I have at least one of each type of device. But if I had to go with one only? Probably a desktop or a relatively powerful Windows tablet.
I'd say the younger the generation the more likely they'd be to get by with just a smartphone. The older the generation, the more likely they'd be to want at least a laptop (Chromebooks can sometimes suffice also from what I've seen).
And noone, yet, would likely choose to just have a console.
They're just far too limited...currently.
Regards,
SB
My 2 aunts just have a laptop and nothing else. Phone is a flip phone.
One of my cousin's family only has smartphones and nothing else. Not even a tablet.
My father has a desktop and laptop, but could probably do just fine with a laptop only. Phone is a flip phone.
I have at least one of each type of device. But if I had to go with one only? Probably a desktop or a relatively powerful Windows tablet.
I'd say the younger the generation the more likely they'd be to get by with just a smartphone. The older the generation, the more likely they'd be to want at least a laptop (Chromebooks can sometimes suffice also from what I've seen).
And noone, yet, would likely choose to just have a console.
They're just far too limited...currently.Regards,
SB
My sister uses her smartphone a lot, she is 27, but she prefers a laptop for serious stuff, over the phone or a tablet.I'm not even going to speculate as to what the general populace would do if they could only have one device. But I can say.
My 2 aunts just have a laptop and nothing else. Phone is a flip phone.
One of my cousin's family only has smartphones and nothing else. Not even a tablet.
My father has a desktop and laptop, but could probably do just fine with a laptop only. Phone is a flip phone.
I have at least one of each type of device. But if I had to go with one only? Probably a desktop or a relatively powerful Windows tablet.
I'd say the younger the generation the more likely they'd be to get by with just a smartphone. The older the generation, the more likely they'd be to want at least a laptop (Chromebooks can sometimes suffice also from what I've seen).
And noone, yet, would likely choose to just have a console.
Regards,
SB
Consoles have a lot of potential. In fact I met some interesting people on XBL and flirted and loved one, time ago I went to a big city and a XBL friend lived there and told him about my trip and he gave me very useful tips and interesting information.
Plus now it is more social than ever, you can comment on little things like achievements of friends, share some friend's video or comment, see their videos and screenshots, comment on them, etc etc. Some things are still lacking, and the experience is not as straightforward as it could be for everyone. (X1 interface could need some work)
I think you might have a point there, and ofr instance my mother doesn't even know what a PC is, my mother's partner is more of the same, but I am going to buy her a Lumia smartphone, because it's cheap and makes good photos, while her current flip phone is quite ancient.
Where I disagree with you is when you made that categorical statement. It sounded to me like "I am playing modern and that makes me cool".
I don't know, there are many things smartphones aren't good at, no matter how much they try, and how science can advance.
I'd say the younger the generation the more likely they'd be to get by with just a smartphone. The older the generation, the more likely they'd be to want at least a laptop (Chromebooks can sometimes suffice also from what I've seen).
And noone, yet, would likely choose to just have a console.
Regards,
SB
I work with lots and lots of 18-24 year old girls and the pattern is clear. They all live off their phones, usually large 5.5" to 6" phones. Tablets are extinct, I haven't seen one with a tablet in ages mostly because the large screen phones killed them off. Desktop pc's are exceedingly rare, but most all of them have a laptop because inevitably something comes along for which you just need a real laptop (for now). Game console ownership is very rare, they mostly game on their phones. What was surprising to me though is that when I do find the elusive hardcore gamer girl they are just as likely to game on pc as they are to own a console. I think because they are younger they aren't as scared of pc tech, hence they don't fear pc gaming like many of the older guys here do. That's probably a generational thing, they grew up in a connected tech world so to them to install and play a game on Steam just isn't a big deal, but again most all of them game on their phones for the most part.
End of the day, for that audience if they had to choose one device it would clearly be their phone, but a laptop would be a close second.
If you don't choose your words deliberately to antagonise, you have a fabulously natural gift for it!
None of us are 'scared' to game on PC. We just have experienced first hand the aggro that comes with it still, even using Steam. We're not all tied to the past like geriatric war veterans incapable of understanding and moving with the times, and its exceedingly disingenuous to suggest as much. Even as I've been toying with switching to PC gaming the past year, believing it to finally have evolved to be some incredibly easy experience, I've come across issues that only a PC can have (how's about your input device suddenly stops working because Windows has forgotten how to use its USB driver? Or a recent game (Rogue Legacy) that runs at 30 fps and slow motion until you swap to windowed and back to full screen and have to do that every time you start a new level?).As for what hardware is most important, that's a pretty dumb question as obviously it'll change person to person. I know families with only iPads. If all you do is use the interwebs and email and lighter productivity, it's fine. I know a girl who can throw together movie posters in no time on her iPad, far faster than I can on PC thanks to the smart interface. I personally couldn't do without a PC because I code and video edit in a significant way and tablets aren't up to that, and so I'm very interested in Windows 10 tablets. Some people will find a mobile phone is all they need. None of which means anything as they're all flavours of 'personal computer' and all play games and yet people still buy consoles anyway and not because they're terrified of gaming on PC and wake up in cold sweats after nightmares of plugging a GPU into a PCIE slot.
The only machine that could be dropped is console as it only covers one function, but the fact consoles are less important overall doesn't make PC's better at playing games nor better at usability.
One of the worst iterations of the PC v Console debate ever. 
Not really, today more and more people 'bring their work home with them'.
Well that is my point, it's all very well suggesting people can live with just a smartphone, I suggest they try it for a month - no cheating, unplug your PC/laptop and try it out. Ergh. It was bad enough using an iPad, browers that have links that don't always work are a real pain.
My experience is that of a family man, all of us have smartphones and I will list what they use them for outside photos, facebook and phone calls;
Wife iPhone 4s - can't adapt to tablets due to little issues like I said above - surfing and some links don't work, she also hates typing on the screen - uses laptop
Eldest Daughter Samsung S3 used for youtube & games on the go - at Uni, laptop all the way due to the amount of work also has her own PS4
Eldest Son Sony Z3 youtube & games - at College, his own PC for everything, really into his gaming (very good at CSGO apparently lol) and looks down on my PS4 (and also needs PC for his work, also borrows my laptop)
Youngest son Samsung S2 youtube & games - laptop for school work and my PS4 for gaming
Youngest daughter iPhone 4s youtube & games - laptop and her own PC for school work also uses mny PS4 for gaming
Myself, iPhone 5c satnav, works emails when not in office - laptop & PC for surfing/photoshop/other bits and bobs only play DayZ & Elite on PC, do 99% of my gaming on PS4.
As you can see, we all have decent phones yet I can assure you we cannot live without a laptop! We have tried iPads and they've just been too much of a technical pain (believe it or not).
If you don't choose your words deliberately to antagonise, you have a fabulously natural gift for it!
As for what hardware is most important, that's a pretty dumb question as obviously it'll change person to person. I know families with only iPads. If all you do is use the interwebs and email and lighter productivity, it's fine. I know a girl who can throw together movie posters in no time on her iPad, far faster than I can on PC thanks to the smart interface. I personally couldn't do without a PC because I code and video edit in a significant way and tablets aren't up to that, and so I'm very interested in Windows 10 tablets. Some people will find a mobile phone is all they need. None of which means anything as they're all flavours of 'personal computer' and all play games and yet people still buy consoles anyway and not because they're terrified of gaming on PC and wake up in cold sweats after nightmares of plugging a GPU into a PCIE slot.
The only machine that could be dropped is console as it only covers one function, but the fact consoles are less important overall doesn't make PC's better at playing games nor better at usability.
One of the worst iterations of the PC v Console debate ever.
This is all very true.
I do think though as the youger generation get more and more tech savvy PCs will become more popular, also as older people like me (the original 8-bit gamers) get more time on their hands they might 'go back' to PC gaming. I remember the old days of playing with config files - Windows 3.1 where I'd have a boot menu I made you selected the game and it loaded the specific drivers and settings...and I'm not an overly technical person.
What made me go from PC to PS1 was I started a family and had less and less time to tinker - I'd find myself getting the PC running, overclocking to the max and then not having the time to play lol. Today I am still struggling to get time so consoles make perfect sence, but my youngest is now 13 so I can see a shift in my free time coming back over the next few years and as I love my graphics PCs are defintely an interesting option.
I bought a Wii & X360 just for a couple of exclusives so I can see me doing that next gen - having a powerful PC and just having consoles for the exclusives.
My Note Pro is a pretty good substitute for a laptop. Inputting text is still problematic without a keyboard due to crazy auto-correct and the like, but a BT keyboard solves that. The natural input of the stylus is far better than a mouse or touch-screen, if only there was an external button it enable/disable hand gestures. Learning to lead with the pen to enable palm rejection is kinda awkward.
Like all truly intelligent people of that period, I had an Amiga. To play a game you put the disk in and it ran - it was a consolified PC experience. My friend had a PC and we laughed at him poking around to get his soundcard working with a particular game with all his batch file editing and enabling higher RAM and all that insane faf. Of course, Amiga was fixed hardware which solves a great many issues. The problem with PC has always been how to get every component to play nice together in an infinite variety of hardware configs. the front-end and user experience beyond that is simply software and can be designed in any number of ways, including emulating the console experience of putting a disk in and playing (and installing!).
Don't get me started on the autocorrect lol
I had my PC after my Amiga (I had Intellivision - C64 - Amiga - CD32 - CD-i) my memory is really fuzzy...but there was a period when I had a PC, it was probably because of the internet and being able to write my CV...I wanted to play Doom and the Star Wars games (as well as Elite) and before PS1 that was the only way to play 3D games really.
Another thing people keep mentioning is the cost of a PC vs console, if we are talking about cost then whilst the initial outlay of a PC might be higher generally over a couple of years it'll work out cheaper - with the consoles you have PS+/XBL yearly subs and the games are generally £10-20 more (if not more if you go digital only). Let along a PC offers (pretty much) full backward compatability and more games than any console will ever have at incredibly cheap prices day one.
Maybe if someone can get a unified experience together there could be a similar service (and fee) to help keep the cost of the hardware down a bit.
I had my PC after my Amiga (I had Intellivision - C64 - Amiga - CD32 - CD-i) my memory is really fuzzy...but there was a period when I had a PC, it was probably because of the internet and being able to write my CV...I wanted to play Doom and the Star Wars games (as well as Elite) and before PS1 that was the only way to play 3D games really.
Another thing people keep mentioning is the cost of a PC vs console, if we are talking about cost then whilst the initial outlay of a PC might be higher generally over a couple of years it'll work out cheaper - with the consoles you have PS+/XBL yearly subs and the games are generally £10-20 more (if not more if you go digital only). Let along a PC offers (pretty much) full backward compatability and more games than any console will ever have at incredibly cheap prices day one.
Maybe if someone can get a unified experience together there could be a similar service (and fee) to help keep the cost of the hardware down a bit.
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