Why is PC gaming not as big as it once was?

[1Kurgan1]

That, and we're the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race.
Of course we'd have higher standards than the dirty, unwashed masses of console peasants!

 

[BumbleBee]

the Bee is a god gamer.

 

[digibucc]

the only way imo bee

 

[SkullFox]

The PC prices you listed were for higher end hardware that would far out perform consoles. To play at console settings on a PC, you would be playing at low/medium settings, you could get away with a dual core and a $120 videocard. Could go much cheaper than $500 if you want to play at exact console settings, and the PC is not just a gaming platform, it's more than that. Plus count in the price of your TV vs the price of a monitor to see how it really balances out. Or $60 per game, and a market where game price doesn't drop as fast. Good example is BC2 can be picked up for $5 consistently, used on consoles, probably much more, and you have to then buy a $10 map pack addon.

You are comparing apples to oranges, or a kitchen knife to a swiss army knife, and then on top of that you are trying to pick hardware to play games at close to max settings and 60 fps, when consoles play at close to low settings and are capped at 30fps usually (and many only play at 720p). Not a great comparison.

With that list I gave, can you play GTAIV or Crysis2 maxed out? I don't think so...
Also, I don't care if a PC is more than a gaming platform... we are talking about gaming.
Also, Don't care about TV and Monitor... consider we are playing in the same monitor/TV

SkullFox: you have to replace the whole thing, because when the next gen consoles (or even another 'brands') comes out, you cant play any of them.

PS4 comes out? new console, controllers, accesories, games, and so on. the same is not true for PC.

you still have your PS3 to play your games and whatever... as for the accessories, I would think that the consoles bring the controllers don't they??

also, I have lots of PC games I cannot play in win7... and there are many.

all the big console exclusives tend to be from genres done to death on PC anyway - oh look, another generic FPS shooter!

the real reason they dont come to PC is because they'd suck. consoles have a limited amount of games on them, so 'the best PS3 shooter' is out of a dozen titles or so... but when you compare it to the hundreds on PC, they fall short of what consumers think a AAA game SHOULD be.

maybe thats the problem - PC gamers just have higher standards, since we've got so much more freedom of choice.

Not all of them suck.... Fable2, MGS, GT, Forza, Halo, God of war, Haze, Lair, LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm, Resistance...


here is a reasonable system I made in Newegg:

APEX PC-389-C Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$29.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$47.99

MSI N560GTX-M2D1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$189.99

Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ...
$89.99

Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000
$26.99

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2K2/4GR
$47.99

GIGABYTE GA-P45T-ES3G LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
$79.25

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80571E6500
$79.99

and the total is around 600USD

I don't think a lower spec PC would play Crysis or GTA very well in 1080P, even in low graphics


anyway, staying in topic, PC gaming is bigger and better than it was... maybe not commercially.

 

[JrRacinFan]

if you want to purchase a computer that will do 1080P on all games available right now and nice Frames Per Second you would spend:

200USD - CPU
150USD - MOBO
100USD - RAM
300USD - Graphics
HDD
PSU
Case
Keyboard
DVDrom
Mouse

and after 2-3 year you will have to upgrade Graphics at least...

And your point? There is still the functionality of the PC over the console....

What about the A8-3850+HD6670 pair in hybrid crossfire, 1080p on a console can be easily replicated in IQ with 1600x900 2xAA on a PC, so still a super strong video card would not be needed HD5770-esque.

Also doesn't help that the consoles caught up to PC's in the graphics department.

As I said before PC games should be ported to a Console NOT the other way around. Lazy devs!

also, I have lots of PC games I cannot play in win7... and there are many.

Then dual boot Windows XP or keep some legacy hardware around.

 

[boise49ers]

Also doesn't help that the consoles caught up to PC's in the graphics department.

Not the case anymore. They are having to scale down
the games to be able to run on the console.

 

[SkullFox]

As I said before PC games should be ported to a Console NOT the other way around. Lazy devs!

Agreed.
I Hate to have the power of my PC wasted on Poor Console ports

 

[Mussels]

skullfox:

a lot of those games you listed that dont suck, are pretty bland on PC. look at halo: Xbox owners think its utterly awesomesauce from god, but to PC gamers its just another shooter with aliens. the plot was average, the controls average, the only fun thing about it was the story (which i liked, btw).

lets not even bother with the price of the PC parts you listed, it can be done so easy to match a console. stick with 720p like they do on low textures, and a modest $500 PC can handle it with ease.


and then you went to win7... again, missing the point completely. ever heard of dual boot? my system can run XP just fine if i want older games, and VM's if i want even older than that.


your comments make it sound like you made a choice without thinking about it and now you're looking for reasons to defend that choice - not that you thought about it in advance, are explaining your thought process.

 

[entropy13]

the Bee is a god gamer.

http://i43.tinypic.com/x51g9i.jpg

Why do you have to own the consoles though?

I can rent the consoles but not high-end gaming computers.

 

[kid41212003]

It's hard for devs to program games for PC, because there are many PCs out there with different hardwares while consoles use the same hardware.

It's the same reason why WOW is more popular than others... the requirement to play it is super low.

 

[SkullFox]

skullfox:
and then you went to win7... again, missing the point completely. ever heard of dual boot? my system can run XP just fine if i want older games, and VM's if i want even older than that.

Have you heard about any system nowadays that can boot Windows 98?? no?? me neither that why I have lots of games catching dust.

Also, for some reason I can't install the XP on my system... he doesn't see my Raid 0 HDDs.

your comments make it sound like you made a choice without thinking about it and now you're looking for reasons to defend that choice - not that you thought about it in advance, are explaining your thought process.

LOLOL

It's hard for devs to program games for PC, because there are many PCs out there with different hardwares while consoles use the same hardware.

It's the same reason why WOW is more popular than others... the requirement to play it is super low.

Agreed...

 

[Mussels]

H
LOLOL

an excellent argument. i wont bother responding to you now, i think you made my point for me.

 

[SkullFox]

an excellent argument. i wont bother responding to you now, i think you made my point for me.

I just said that because of what you said.... I made a choice without thinking... c'mon I just had to laugh....

--------

You have two paths for gaming:

1 - You want to play. No hardware problems, just plug the system in and play... - Buy a console
2 - You want to play with the best graphics. You also want versatility, but you should expect some problems with drivers/compatibility and so on. Also quite expensive. - Buy a PC

 

[techtard]

For older games, just run Dosbox, or a virtual pc if you can't dual boot. Problem solved.

Then you can play new games, older legacy games, and even run emulators for console games. You'll win everywhere.

 

[1Kurgan1]

With that list I gave, can you play GTAIV or Crysis2 maxed out? I don't think so...
Also, I don't care if a PC is more than a gaming platform... we are talking about gaming.
Also, Don't care about TV and Monitor... consider we are playing in the same monitor/TV

Does a console play either of those games maxed out? I mean really, lets compare consoles play Crysis 2 on DX9 with low settings to a PC you want to play maxed out on DX11 for cheap, that makes absolutely zero sense. As I have said the entire time, stop comparing consoles to PC's playing the games at max settings, because consoles do not play maxed out. And what list are you talking about? And what do you consider maxed? A lot of console games don't even use AA, because it's a killer setting, I believe with dropped AA a 2GB 6950 could play either of those maxed. But thats beyond the point, compare them on equal settings, and on equal settings you can build a cheap PC, also I forgot, are you posting this from your console? If not, then why doesn't it matter that PC's do more?

And I do care about monitor, simply because, I have a $650 TV and my PC monitor only cost $300, it's a massive difference.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Have you heard about any system nowadays that can boot Windows 98?? no?? me neither that why I have lots of games catching dust.

Also, for some reason I can't install the XP on my system... he doesn't see my Raid 0 HDDs.


LOLOL

Agreed...

Hey you're from Mozambique! I sent you money via western union to get your rich uncle out of jail and now I see you buying video games with it?!? WTF! I think I've been had!

 

[kid41212003]

Hey you're from Mozambique! I sent you money via western union to get your rich uncle out of jail and now I see you buying video games with it?!? WTF! I think I've been had!

incoming infraction for you?

 

[techtard]

Well, they are still falling for that e-mail scam in the future. At least in Deus EX HR!

 

[entropy13]

Does a console play either of those games maxed out?

GTA IV looks horrible on the PS3. Even FIFA 11 and NBA 2K11, compared to their PC versions. And those two aren't exactly known for their graphics. The difference are miles away, even my cousin's old and cheap computer can max out FIFA 11 and NBA 2K11 at a slightly higher resolution (1600x900) than a console and yet still looks better even with the "greater load." And that's with a 9500 GT.

 

[Mr McC]

PC gaming is as big as it ever was in my living room.

 

[AphexDreamer]

I just said that because of what you said.... I made a choice without thinking... c'mon I just had to laugh....

--------

You have two paths for gaming:

1 - You want to play. No hardware problems, just plug the system in and play... - Buy a console
2 - You want to play with the best graphics. You also want versatility, but you should expect some problems with drivers/compatibility and so on. Also quite expensive. - Buy a PC

1. Actually consoles can have hardware problems as well and when they do can be quite expensive and harder to repair then just opening up a PC and replacing a part. Ever heard of the Red Ring of Death (RROD) or Yellow light of Death (YLOD)? Both my friends came running to me when their PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively both got those hardware malfunctions. They were pretty much SOL... had to fork out another $400... Could have bought an $800 PC that would have lasted them years. You'd hope they would learn their lesson.. but nope.

2. Everything you say minus the you should expect drivers/compatibility problems and the expensive part is relative. For $100 bucks more I'd rather get a PC. Not to mention when consoles first come out... $600 for a PS3 isn't exactly cheap either.

Drivers are easy to obtain and usually most devices today are just plug and play. Plug it in and your good to go. Also what's with the compatibly? Just make sure what ever game/hardware you get is Windows 7 ready or supports your OS and bam... your good to go.

 

[entropy13]

You have two paths for gaming:

1 - You want to play. No hardware problems, just plug the system in and play... - Buy a console
2 - You want to play with the best graphics. You also want versatility, but you should expect some problems with drivers/compatibility and so on. Also quite expensive. - Buy a PC

I'll fix it #1 for you.

1 - You want to play. No hardware problems, just go to a place that lets you rent consoles... - Rent a console

Considering the TVs are usually 23"-32", that's not a problem, and considering it's very cheap, you don't have to buy the consoles themselves and you save money for other expenses, like upgrading a PC that can do something else besides gaming for example. You save on electricity since the consoles and TV are not using your house's electricity but the establishment's.

 

[niko084]

It's been said...

Consoles, you buy a Ps3 it will play any Ps3 game, it's a few hundred dollars and they look great.

People go to Walmart and buy an Emachine and then go buy Starcraft 2 and complain it doesn't play it, so then they go to the geek squad and cry and get told hundreds of dollars worth of upgrades and then go nope, no way, not putting more money into upgrading a system than the system cost in the first place.

Not to mention most households only have 1 computer. Most households have more than 1 tv.

Again we come into a cost thing.
To expand on the cost more, you buy a computer capable of playing most games decently $1500 call it... Well that's a Ps3 and a LOT of games.

Another thing to consider is console games mostly support 2 sometimes more players at once, not true with most pc games not utilizing the same system.

Physical size and the honestly I find that a lot of people don't even know that PC's can play some pretty sick games... They just have no knowledge to the fact.

I find personally that console games are generally complete and fairly bug free on release... When's the last time you could say the same about a big PC title...

Lastly, there is a still a large group of people in this world who are totally against even owning a computer, mostly due to a lack of knowledge or simply being scared of the concept of owning one from all the horror stories about identity theft etc doing around, I have countless amounts of customers who ask me to block facebook on their systems for their childrens safety... Some we are talking about high school students..

2. Everything you say minus the you should expect drivers/compatibility problems and the expensive part is relative. For $100 bucks more I'd rather get a PC. Not to mention when consoles first come out... $600 for a PS3 isn't exactly cheap either.

I would LOVE for you to build me a system for $100 over the cost of a PS3 with anywhere near the graphics ability, don't forget I'm going to need that to play Blu-ray, the other half of the problem.

 

[Shihab]

It's hard for devs to program games for PC, because there are many PCs out there with different hardwares while consoles use the same hardware.
.

Yeah, you see the devs of ancient has thought of that. They have an Option/Settings sub-menu in the game's menu to solve that

Hey you're from Mozambique! I sent you money via western union to get your rich uncle out of jail and now I see you buying video games with it?!? WTF! I think I've been had!

:shadedshu
Would've done you better if you helped your country out of it's debts.

 

[BumbleBee]

Why do you have to own the consoles though?

I can rent the consoles but not high-end gaming computers.

I haven't been able to lease a console in my area since the 16-bit era. it's cheaper to own than lease. 50% of Netflix subscribers stream through consoles and the PS3 doubles as a Blu-ray player so they have other uses.