Author Topic: Why console gaming beats PC gaming (Read 7791 times)

DocSavage · « **on:** August 21, 2012, 04:38:14 PM »

Reliability.

All sorts of potential headaches with a PC setup. And, there's too many games that lag on performance because of half of lazy programmers, instead of hardware not being up to snuff... (You get a ton of "My 5,000 overclocked system is stuttering" or similar on any given game..)

None of that shite with a console game.. If it's on the console, you know what you're getting. Just plug and play, easy.

And I love me PC gaming, for a ton of reasons like moddibility and customization, but PC's simply have more headaches attached to them..

Chus-Kay · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2012, 05:01:53 PM »

it's also less expensive to get a console. and they when you do get one, it generally has better longevity.

PC games tend to get better and better where you are constantly needing to upgrade your PC.

re: lag - i don't really see that. i bought a decent dell and can play wow smoothly. the only issues i experience are with my shitty att wifi modem going down constantly (usually when more than one pc is connected via wifi).

Horsehead · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2012, 06:20:27 PM »

Quote from: Chus-Kay on August 21, 2012, 05:01:53 PM

it's also less expensive to get a console. and they when you do get one, it generally has better longevity.

PC games tend to get better and better where you are constantly needing to upgrade your PC.

re: lag - i don't really see that. i bought a decent dell and can play wow smoothly. the only issues i experience are with my shitty att wifi modem going down constantly (usually when more than one pc is connected via wifi).

If you get consistent lag w/WoW you have an extremely shitty computer, the specs aren't exactly memory hogs. You can pretty much run it wiht any decent stock video card these days.

FreebirdSTF · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2012, 08:42:14 AM »

Consider the source, Horsehead.

DocSavage · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2012, 01:27:35 PM »

Quote from: FreebirdSTF on August 22, 2012, 08:42:14 AM

Consider the source, Horsehead.

Well, I don't have any issues with WoW.

My laptop isn't a gaming laptop, but it can play games like Borderlands, Fear 3, or Resident Evil 5 just fine.. Granted, not cutting edge games, but still fairly modern.

About the only game I got off the Steam summer sale that I have problems with, is this game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_b6-IRQP4k

I ask you, does this look like a game that should require a better than mid range video card? O_o

Chus-Kay · « **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2012, 01:38:43 PM »

this game?

http://www.magickagame.com/support/system-requirements

cause...

Quote

* Operating system: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
* Processor: Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+
* Memory: 2 GB RAM
* Hard disk space: 2 GB Available HDD Space
* Video: NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900
Please Note: integrated Intel graphic card/chips not supported
* Direct X-compatible sound card
* DirectX® 9
* 3-button mouse, keyboard and speakers
* Internet connection for multiplayer

i don't know if those are outdated cards or not.

DocSavage · « **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2012, 01:53:33 PM »

Quote from: Chus-Kay on August 22, 2012, 01:38:43 PM

this game?

http://www.magickagame.com/support/system-requirements

cause...

i don't know if those are outdated cards or not.

They are. An 8800 is about... oh, a 2004 card maybe?

But, if you visit the forums, you'll see a lot of "My card exceeds the minimum, yet lags".

The thing is, the game simply doesn't look graphically impressive enough to justify anything more than a low end video card.. It's odd that Diablo 3 outperforms it, on lower hardware specs.

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #7 on:** August 22, 2012, 07:13:38 PM »

The Nvidia 8800's are from 2006. I used to use a 756MB BFG 8800 GTX OC which I got in December of 2006 and holy hell was that a beast of a card. It finally died on me in October of 2010. Unfortunately BFG had gone out of business by then but PNY was offering a sweet trade in deal where send them your BFG card whether bricked or not and receive a massive discount off of one of their cards. I ended up getting a 1GB PNY 470 GTX OC for $100 after trade in. Still using that card and it kicks the crap out of every game I throw at it.

The thing with PC Gaming is there are really only two things that you have to worry about updating. Graphics Card and RAM. Processor requirements are pretty standard which is why most modern games still is Pentium 4 as the minimum required. It's more about the Processor Speed than the version. Graphics Card are the most commonly need updating and are really the most expensive thing in a computer next to your Processor but most companies have lifetime warranties on them now and trade up policies. Chances are if you need a new Graphics Card to run a game your card is so old that they won't even RMA it for the same model but send you a newer model card. Long as it fits in the MoBo you should be good. If RAM is the issue that's simple. RAM is cheap as hell. Just need to find RAM that matches your MoBo clock speed.

Yes it is simpler with Console but PC is not as bad as people make it out to be. The problem is everybody talks about benchmarks and ultimate graphical performance and yea that gets expensive but that's because you're forced to go out and replace all your hardware every 3- 6 months to stay on top of the game. If you are trying to play a modern PC game on a system built 4 years ago you'll be fine and chances are graphically it will look the same as the console version. Which in my opinion isn't even that big a difference unless you are specifically looking for it in most games.

Zandrax · « **Reply #8 on:** August 22, 2012, 07:25:40 PM »

If you want tippytop performance, yeah it's expensive, the the actual performance to the naked eye is very minimal at best.

And this is coming from somebody with an i7 processor...

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #9 on:** August 22, 2012, 07:46:49 PM »

For comparison I just upgraded my entire set up this year for xmas/bday and did it for just $1000. I'll post the actual specs out when I get home. It's a near top of the line set up for that value. In reality you can make a system that will run modern games for half that bringing it in line with console prices and still have the longevity of a console. You'll just half to not run games at max settings. My $1000 dollar system will likely last me a good 5 years before I need to really consider upgrading anything to be able to run games without issues or low settings and considering 5 years is/used to be the life span of a console I'd say it's not bad for the value considering all the other extra shit you can do with a PC

BlackLight · « **Reply #10 on:** August 22, 2012, 08:43:35 PM »

What's supposed to be The Next Big Thing in console gaming? I don't keep track at all, but it seems like PS3/XBox 360 is still the top tier of what's available, but those have been out for years, and previously, it never seemed to take this long for the next generation to hit stores.

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2012, 09:00:53 PM »

It hasn't which is why I said it used to. They 360 has been out for 7 years now. However, the companies are starting to hint towards new consoles. Last E3 they were talking about possible future consoles. As far as I can tell it's on hold atm as everyone figures out where the gaming market goes thanks to piracy and DRM. Both Sony and Microsoft have said they are thinking about taking an Always On approach with the next console. Meaning in order to play your game you need to be connected online to their servers. However, with the fall out from Diablo 3 doing this and Ubisoft doing this the past few years, even with single player only games like AC2, they are probably sitting around trying to figure out what to do.

Not to mention Microtransactions are the next big thing thanks to Android, iOS, and Facebook. Lots of Publishers are trying to figure out ways to shoehorn that shit into their games. While I'm not opposed to Microtransactions as they can be done and implemented well without losing the experience (EX: Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer and buying of gear packs) there are also some very frightening rumors coming out. I like to believe they are EXTREME scenarios being used to help people understand WHAT a Microtransaction is and not something they are really planning on implementing.

The two big examples that scare the shit out of me are:

1) The CEO of EA in an video interview was caught describing how he wants to incorporate them into their big name brand games more and gave the example of "When out of ammunition in a Battlefield 3 match you'd have a message come up asking to pay $1 to reload your weapon." I do hope he is just using that to show what a Microtransaction is as if he is serious that's company suicide.

2) I can't remember which company gave this example but jesus christ is it stupid. Basically imagine playing the next Final Fantasy come out. You've been playing for a few days and racked up a good 100 hours of play time and are nearing the end. You're done for the day so you go to save the game when a message pops up saying "You've used your allotment of free saves. Please pay x amount of dollars for x amount of additional saves."

As I said I hope those are just extreme examples to illustrate what a Microtransaction is. If it isn't and these companies are planning on going down that path, well, kiss hardcore gaming and real games with meat to them good bye.

SupTool · « **Reply #12 on:** August 22, 2012, 10:21:32 PM »

Quote from: BlackLight on August 22, 2012, 08:43:35 PM

What's supposed to be The Next Big Thing in console gaming? I don't keep track at all, but it seems like PS3/XBox 360 is still the top tier of what's available, but those have been out for years, and previously, it never seemed to take this long for the next generation to hit stores.

Probably not big but WiiU comes out later this year.

Freakshow · « **Reply #13 on:** August 28, 2012, 09:27:28 AM »

Dan: My laptop...

Please Note: integrated Intel graphic card/chips not supported

I think I solved your problem.

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2012, 12:39:59 PM »

Talked with a co-worker. Even with non-integrated graphics that game runs like shit. Apparently it was released before it was even finished being developed. That would definitely attribute to everyone's graphical lag issues.

DocSavage · « **Reply #15 on:** August 28, 2012, 01:07:43 PM »

Quote from: RealMarchHare on August 28, 2012, 12:39:59 PM

Talked with a co-worker. Even with non-integrated graphics that game runs like shit. Apparently it was released before it was even finished being developed. That would definitely attribute to everyone's graphical lag issues.

Aye.

But Freakshow doesn't let facts crimp his posting style..

Chus-Kay · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2012, 01:11:02 PM »

one game is definitely enough evidence that consoles are better than PCs.

DocSavage · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2012, 01:13:45 PM »

Quote from: Chus-Kay on August 28, 2012, 01:11:02 PM

one game is definitely enough evidence that consoles are better than PCs.

Weren't you agreeing with me before?

What are you, Freakshows wingman?

Chus-Kay · « **Reply #18 on:** August 28, 2012, 01:35:18 PM »

Quote from: DocSavage on August 28, 2012, 01:13:45 PM

Weren't you agreeing with me before?

What are you, Freakshows wingman?

i agree that consoles are generally better for gaming.

i'm not basing that on my experience with any one game. my opinion is based mostly on cost and the fact that you don't have to keep upgrading a console to play new games (though to be fair, consoles DO require certain upgrades to play certain games - kinect for example).

btw, i've had slowness issues with some console games as well.

DocSavage · « **Reply #19 on:** August 28, 2012, 01:43:56 PM »

^_^ I'm not basing my opinion on one game either, though.

More of an opinion that starts with the earlier days of 95/98, when I needed a boot disk just to run Tie Fighter or Privateer.. Or how, with 64 bit operating systems, you need to use these "compatibility modes" for some 32 bit games. Or even just how some video drivers cause compatibility issues..

I guess a lot of PC gamers are so used to dealing with common everyday PC issues, that it's nitpicky to even complain about it. But for your average user that can't even install their own drivers?...

With a console, you don't need to be your own tech support like you do with a PC, you know?

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #20 on:** August 28, 2012, 02:11:51 PM »

That right there is a logical reason as to why to feel Console Gaming is better in your opinion. Most people just go straight for the "Cost effective" which as I've pointed out is bullshit.

In reality one isn't better than the other. It's pure opinion.

DocSavage · « **Reply #21 on:** August 28, 2012, 02:22:00 PM »

Quote from: RealMarchHare on August 28, 2012, 02:11:51 PM

Most people just go straight for the "Cost effective" which as I've pointed out is bullshit.

I used to think the same.

But PC game sales are just so ridiculously dirt cheap now, whatever you're saving on the console is made up for in cost of the software..

10 PC games off the Steam Summer Sale can cost less than 2 or 3 used console games O_o

Chus-Kay · « **Reply #22 on:** August 28, 2012, 04:38:22 PM »

you can't get a good PC (w/ keyboard, mouse, and monitor) for the same cost as a console. not unless you build it yourself and that's really outside of what we are talking about here.

RealMarchHare · « **Reply #23 on:** August 28, 2012, 04:56:59 PM »

That is what we are talking about here though. The only people who should even be part of the debate are people who can and know how to build and run their own computer. If you aren't one of them they're null and void cause chances are their PC Gaming experience likely begins and ends with Plants vs Zombies and all sorts of Pop Cap games. The only people care about PC Gaming as a whole are the people who know how to build them. If you don't know how to build and you care about it, sure it'll be more expensive as the pre-build game PC's are marked up in price by a good 200% if not more, but you really can't take the time to learn to put Lego Bricks together? Of the course of the last year I've taught a good 10 people how to build and maintain their own computer. They were always intimidated. Now they're comfortable and question how they ever got by without doing it this way before.

Not to mention you can honestly walk into a store and get a decent system to play almost any game on for about $400 which isn't bad.

DocSavage · « **Reply #24 on:** August 28, 2012, 04:59:33 PM »

True, assuming you have a monitor.