Will you head back to the consoles, or double down on PC gaming ? Fall 2013 - The Great Decision - Page 4

Anthony1: Based on the latest article link (and discussion) in your XBox nexgen Thread...I will definitely be doubling down on my new PC. And enjoying the $20 and below everyday low prices on games for XBox 360 and PS3 when the next consoles launch. In fact I predict that PC gaming will surge after the new consoles come out because of the restrictions, price gouging and limitations imposed by MS and Sony. I could see Devs actually stepping up production of lower cost...quick turn games for the PC, mobile, XBox 360 and PS3 while aiming only the biggies at the new consoles. Only Nintendo, PC, Apple and mobile could survive that scenario IMO.

I'm not sure it's quite that dire for MS and Sony. But they have lost a substantial share of the gaming market (to mobile, primarily). They'll have their work cut out for them trying to regain that lost market. In fact, it may not be possible. Not only consumers, but publishers and developers have already spread their attention to other platforms (PC and mobile). Not something you can just recoup overnight--no matter how "sexy" the next pieces of hardware may be.

If Sony puts Netflix and similar behind Playstation Plus ala LIVE I'm all in on PC and Roku.

This post is me to the T. I don't need another Blu-Ray Player/Media Streamer so no thanks Sony. Thanks for the Media device disguised as a game console. Xbox would most likely be the next big purchase for me BUT Forza is going to have to be ONE HELLUVA RACING SIM for me to comeback quick. PC has me wrapped up right now with the great sims on it.

I hate to speak for other PC gamers on this forum, but it seems most of us "want" to stick with our own fine flavored home made PC BBQ. Sony and MS have yet to even show what's on the menu, and it seems you're trying to sell us on the special sauce. I'm in no rush, PC is delicious. Mmmm mmm!

I'm not really interested in Xbox and I'm a born again PC gamer. When I get a new console it will be the PS4 first and then whatever MS has out.

I can't wait to marry this incredible new VR technology up with my new PC in 2014. The HL2 mod in full screen is stunning! IMO this is the real future of gaming. It could literally make me replay every game in my PC...XBox 1...XBox 360...Nintendo and PS3 inventory when it becomes available. That doesn't leave much room for a totally new console. I will buy this sight unseen when it first becomes available in its retail format.

http://www.tweaktown.com/news/28320/oculus-rift-used-with-half-life-2-and-a-vr-head-and-gun-tracking-mod-incredible-results/index.html
Edited by barrelbelly - 2/8/13 at 11:05am

This is a long video by Internet standards (35 minutes), but clearly spells out why I'm going to avoid consoles and stick by Steam for the foreseeable future:

Pretty much. If you have a PC, there's too much overlap with a 360 to bother. I've only held onto mine so that I can play my import Japanese shmups.

It makes more sense IMO to pair a PC with either (or both) a PS or a Nintendo. Nothing to do with brand loyalty for me. It's simply more pragmatic.

IF mandatory Kinect is true....

I did it! I put a evga 670 ftw card in my little pc. 10 inch card that takes way too much power to run. I'm now commited to PC. Farcry 3 at maximum settings.
I could have bought all 3 next gen consoles for what what I payed in total for this machine.
Here's hoping that all games going forward arn't console exclusive. All these rumors about blocked console used games, I'm kinda worried that PC will become a forgettabout it to developers.
.

PC gaming is far to expensive to be considered a better alternative to gaming vs consoles. Hackers alone are more then enough of a reason to stay away from PC gaming.

Fail.

A hundred bucks...two console games gets you enough horsepower to run nearly everything in the last ten years. What hackers? The ones defacing Burger King's Twitter account or the ones griefing you in a multiplayer match?

Disagree.

PC gaming can have different levels of cost, ranging from around $600 for a new low end, to around $1200 for a nice upper middle end that can play most everything at 1080p @ 60fps. Yes, that's a bigger initial investment than consoles, but you can do a lot more on a PC. And wise purchasing with occasional upgrades down the road can help defray the cost. And PC games are much cheaper, and easier to get, then console games.

Hackers? Are they even a problem anymore? I'm mainly a single-player gamer, so I don't know these hackers you speak of.

I can't even bring myself to turn on the 360 or PS3 after upgrading my gaming rig to 2012 standards. I still have Halo4 and a Ratchet and Clank game in shrink-wrap from Christmas.

The next cycle of consoles will likely cost $400-500 at launch. For that same price (right now) you can build a PC that will match or outperform them. Factor in the cost of console subscriptions for online play, likely hardware reliability issues, a lack of customization and hardware upgrades, more expensive games, fewer digital game sales, and so on, and your claim rapidly falls apart.

"Expense" is no longer the primary differentiator between consoles and PC. There are valid differences (exclusives, convenience, standardization, etc.), but price isn't one.

Also, why are you posting here if you "stay away from PC gaming"?

Enjoying this thread.

I’m a long-time console gamer that picked up my first gaming pc about a year ago. I can’t imagine going back. The PC has provided solutions for me that consoles just didn’t deliver.

For example, I love racing sims, but was frustrated for years that consoles never (to this day) delivered a bona fide, true sim title. ‘Driving sims’ with racing elements like Forza and GT were entertaining for a while, but I started to get an itch for real racing, i.e., flags, qualifying, pitting, good AI, racing rules, etc. Console attempts at sim-cade titles were usually buggy or just poor representations.

I looked wistfully at older PC titles like GTR2, Rac 07 and its expansions, Nascar Racing 2003, etc. long enough to finally take the plunge and I’m enjoying every minute of it. You just can’t beat the mods, tracks, etc. the PC sim racing community put together. I’ve even gotten into Microsoft’s flight sims.

And those are older games. The new ones (Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider, MW3, Battlefield 3, etc.) look incredible. So in sum, when the PC provides:

* Simulations

* Mods

* Download services like Steam (no having to drive to brick and mortar stores)

* Better graphics and frame rates than the console equivalents

* Ability to plug into my HDTV via HDMI, playing on my couch with a 360 controller (with software available to enable the controller for PC games that don’t support it yet)

* Ability to upgrade my graphics card for roughly the same price as a new console

…I’m content and have no desire for a new console.


Potentially I might be lured to purchase a next-gen console one day for Madden, but even then, it’s got to be Madden that’s received glowing reviews. This gen’s Madden releases have been unmitigated disasters with only the recent one being fairly decent (and some would argue that point, saying it still needs improvement). Even then, it’s hard to justify a new console for one game, though I have fallen into that trap myself.

In terms of console exclusives, I did purchase the PS3 for GT, but in the end, the title was somewhat of a disappointment. I enjoyed Forza, but I can’t see purchasing the next gen xbox just for that when I have even older titles on the PC that will satisfy the car itch, and racing sims to boot. All the other things the consoles have added like Netflix, etc. doesn’t interest me.

I built my gaming PC around August last year. I love it for sim racing which is pretty much all I do on it. I think it's fantastic and really enjoy the experience. I haven't raced on my 360 is quite a while BUT I must admit that I will be looking at the new consoles when they hit. For one, on the PC side I'm constantly trying to find the sweet spot graphically for the best experience. Chasing beta drivers for my GPU does get frustrating after while. There is something to be said for just popping in a disc and get going. No muss no fuss. I've also, over the years, built up a friendslist of people I actually contact inside and outside of XBOX Live.

The PS3 , other than an overpriced steaming device , has let me down. Most of the games that I care about look better on the 360 as the 360 is the lead development console for most games out there with ports going over to the PS3.

Since I got into PC gaming in 2010 I just can't go back to consoles. I needed a new PC then and decided to spend some money and make a really good one (ended up around $1400). Playing games like Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, Witcher 2, Deus Ex:Human Revolution, Fallout 3:New Vegas, Torchlight 1&2, Crysis 2 & Batman:Arkham City at Very High to Ultra settings is Amazing. The other thing is I NEVER paid anywhere near retail for ANY of those games. Steam Sales are Incredible. I will gladly take money spent on a console and get a new GPU. I started with a Radeon 5870 & upgraded to a Sapphire 7850 2GB OC Edition for DX11. I will just upgrade every 2 cycles. I have a Wii U for my Zelda, Metroid & Mario itch. I am more than fine with what I have as I have MANY more Steam games that I have not even touched yet. I love playing on my 60" HDTV with a 360 Wireless Controller (I suck with the KB/M).

Think I will stick with PC gaming. I like the xbox and I don't really care to play games on the PS3, personal prefrence and all that jazz. The only games lately that seem to hold my attention are Stat games and consoles suck for those.

Well, they announced the PS4 has an AMD APU. I wish they made APU's that powerful for the consumer market. Based on the Tflops and it being next generation I'd guess it's somewhere between a 7850 and a 7950. This isn't a very accurate way to measure how powerful a gpu is though.

This is hopefully good news for the PC market as I would guess this will make it easier to develop games on both/all platforms.
Edited by macks - 2/21/13 at 7:27am

LOL, that's funny - I just upgraded my HTPC with a 3570k, 8GB RAM, a GTX 650, and Z77 mobo for less than $400. Plays everything I like on high and doubles as my media center. And my games are a LOT cheaper on PC vs. console.

Hackers are not exclusive to PC gaming, there are all kinds of glitches and cheats on consoles too.

Also, cheaters and hackers are more quickly and severely punished on PC than consoles. Between the lack of multiplayer server control and slow patch validation, consoles suffer from hacks for much longer periods.

Honestly, the 'extra' features that you deride are what'll push me towards actually picking up the next console. It depends more on how the system integrates with the hardware that I already have than if gaming is amazing. I mean, I already have a gaming PC if my biggest concern is gaming. It's extra integration that would be key for me in getting something new. Otherwise, I'll just stick with Steam and PC gaming for the next generation.

Hooray, consoles are.... sorta... catching up to computers. The PS4 has specs that are a bit better than the rig I built last year for about $600. Least they finally stepped up to 8gb of ram and not the stupidly little 256mb they had in the PS3. WHat would really impress me is if they put an SSD in it rather than a standard hdd, which I'm willing to bet won't be a 7200rpm, but we'll see.

256mb was pathetic even when the PS3 came out.

Man, it sure is a good thing that the PS3 didn't have 256MB (half it's actual amount) then isn't it?

And 512mb makes it ANY better? And btw, it DID only have 256mb. It had 256mb system, and 256mb video, so in the point of my post I was correct...

"And 512mb makes it ANY better?"

It would make it TWICE as better, wouldn't it? Before continuing, remember, I actually like you Marafice!


"And btw, it DID only have 256mb. It had 256mb system, and 256mb video"

That sure sounds like 512MB to me. Just split in to two pools instead of the single unified pool of the Xbox / Xbox 360.


" so in the point of my post I was correct..."

In that a machine shipping seven years later has more ram? Alright, yeah that's correct. Obvious, but technically correct.


"not the stupidly little 256mb they had in the PS3"
"256mb was pathetic even when the PS3 came out."

Cheap PCs when the PS3 shipped still only had 256MB to run Windows XP on. Average PCs shipped with 512MB, and it was difficult to find anything over 1GB in a pre-built machine from anybody. The Geforce 7600GT that I was running at the time shipped with 256MB of ram. A 256+256MB system was pretty well in line with a pretty good PC of the time, without the overhead of Windows to worry about. A split memory architecture was still a stupid choice for a console, but the amounts available weren't low by any means.

If you'd like I can further go in to unified architecture details.
Edited by darklordjames - 2/23/13 at 3:22am

Not that this makes any difference but... PS3 = 256 is dedicated gpu and the other 256 can be shared by cell & gpu.

It's claimed the OS uses anywhere from 64 to 90 or so and the cell can use very little much of the time so the gpu can have whatever is left along with its own dedicated 256 (but it will not have access to the full 512).

So gpu is not actually 'only' 256 or 'up to' 512 but somewhere in between (if implemented).

Jason