Making the case for a console over a PC with Far Cry 4

[Naito]

My first 'console'. I've been in and out with consoles for a while. PS2/Xbox era I was pretty much exclusive to console. Then back to computer before Xbox 360 (which was a very solid experience, can't think of any annoying scenarios like bugs, glitches, crashes). Since then have moved back to PC. I may get an Xbox One out of curiosity, but PC is where it's at! From what I've heard, both the new consoles have their fair share of issues, that I don't think it'd be any less frustrating than PC.

 

[Outback Bronze]

I voted YES

Simply because its just too easy to plug into the TV and then buy games and not have to install them. I'm guessing the cost of buying a console has got to be cheaper as well.

I have not owned a console for years (since PS2 I think) so I could be wrong about having to install them.

I remember using my mates Pentium 3 with a GeForce 2 I iirc playing AVP2 over the lan and internet and boy did that make piss over any console game I had played at that particular time (1998). I really started to enjoy playing with a mouse and keyboard which was alien to me at the time also.

I adapted the AVP2 game and then I also adapted a PC and have never looked back!

The PC is really for the Enthusiast.

Do you think any console is going to beat my system specs in general hardware?

 

[erixx]

Geforce Experience (auto-configing games) is obviously designed to help the OP (and others, LOL) with their setup
Add controller setup issues
... and yes, gaming is hard, but kids learn so quick, I would not worry.

 

[Zafar]

I prefer PC for gaming. Although it's nice to fire up a console for some split screen fun with your friends.

 

[KingPing]

I voted yes, just because IMO consoles are till more user friendly than PCs, although the gap has closed a lot in the recent years.

I would have voted NO if i considered only my personal experience, because:

-buying games for my PS3 (both physical and digital) has been more difficult here where i live, wheres i can access the whole catalog of Steam, Origin, GoG, Desura, etc, and the payment options are far more convenient IMO.

-Installing games on PC using Steam, Origin, etc is easier and faster IMO. For some reason PSN downloads speed are not as fast here, and installing games and patches is one thing that IMO PSN is still lacking.

-I have encountered problems in my PS3 and PC, difference is that most of the time the problems on console are not something you can fix, you have to wait for an update or you are screw. Can give examples if anyone wants.

-My PS3 fat died.

 

[alwayssts]

Left handed controllers would change my no to a yes....

If you'd watched me trying to use an xbox controller, you'd still be laughing. The Playstation controller imo is worse....actually hoping this Steam controller is a win.

As far as comparing graphics on consoles vs. pc....I could care less. If I can make out whats going on in the game...I'm good. Probably because I grew up in the pacman generation...graphics just aren't that important to me.

Best,

LC

Really? As a fellow south paw (as I have a sneaking suspicion many-a techie are) my woes were very much cured by using a ps controller for pc ports. The ps3 was alright, the ps4 is better. I am with you though on the xbox controller...it's a fucking sight to see me attempt to finagle any incarnation of those monstrosities....My brain/hands do not compute that asymmetrical-stick/digital placement.

With you on the larger sentiment to an extent though. If I'm playing a new AAA game, I'd prefer it look as pretty as I can afford, so hence pc. OTOH, what are the games I'm most looking forward to in the next couple months?

Mighty Number 9 (essentially old-school Megaman), Dark Souls 2: E3 Lighting Edition, and MK:X. Arguably all perfectly fine on ps4, if not less. It very much is probably a generational thing when it comes to taste, mine mostly stemming nes-n64/ps2, even while having always owned a pc, as most of my beloved genres are rooted in consoles (and I became over FPS's a long time ago). I like pretty graphics, but the games I enjoy often don't need them. When the rare combo of action/platformer (like Mordor, Tomb Raider, DmC iterations) come along that can use the extra oomph of a pc for a tangible difference though (for 120fps in dmc for instance), I think being a PC guy is worth it.

Also, as much as plug/play is nice...I really think someone mentioned the crux of the matter earlier, even if in jest. Some people just like to tinker with settings (and vicariously almost enjoy finding/solving weird widespread or personal bugs/glitches/issues)...it's a weird mental condition some people just have. If the game is smooth, we haven't messed around with it enough. I am one of those people.

PC gaming on the whole is a state of mind imho; a certain type of personality connects with it. It's not unlike the unspoken-of but very possible reality concerning many of those that enjoy repetitive things like WoW/Destiny; there's probably often some autistic-like mentality there (which is totally fine!). Perhaps pc gamers are masochists (I kid)...I don't know...but I still think it's largely a personality thing more-so than just a performance thing.

 

[ZoneDymo]

I voted YES

Simply because its just too easy to plug into the TV and then buy games and not have to install them. I'm guessing the cost of buying a console has got to be cheaper as well.

I have not owned a console for years (since PS2 I think) so I could be wrong about having to install them.

I remember using my mates Pentium 3 with a GeForce 2 I iirc playing AVP2 over the lan and internet and boy did that make piss over any console game I had played at that particular time (1998). I really started to enjoy playing with a mouse and keyboard which was alien to me at the time also.

I adapted the AVP2 game and then I also adapted a PC and have never looked back!

The PC is really for the Enthusiast.

Do you think any console is going to beat my system specs in general hardware?

You are indeed wrong about not having to install them.
If this was still 1985 I could totally see consoles being viable options, tons of exclusives, easy of use and just a totally different world to play games in.
These days they want to cram so much into consoles they borderline become (rather crappy) pc's.
Take the ps3 for example, I describe that user experience as a god aweful amount of waiting.
Seeing as patches are now also the norm on the consoles, a worry free gaming experience is also quite out the window with them.
I have ti disagree that PC gaming is really (only) for the enthusiast.
I think most people start gaming on the pc, everyone has a PC and all PC's will be able to play some games.
If you are going into the high end on high setting stuff then sure it KINDA becomes enthousiast but even the people not wanting to do and/or learn anything can buy Alienware etc.

Consoles are relatively ease of use but its more a general misconception that PC gaming is something only enthousiasts "nerds" could figure out.
But because of that misconception there will always be people who go for a console.

Added to that (for the current gen specifically) a friend of mine has a capable PC and an Xbox One, the ONLY game he bought one the Xbox One so far is Forza 5.
Because everything else that is remotely interesting has a PC version which will be the superior version.

 

[Liquid Cool]

Really?

Wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it....

I will admit that I haven't tried the ps controller since ps2....perhaps I should take another look. Although...at last glance it didn't look like it had changed much.

In complete agreement with your commentary regarding the xbox controller.

Best,

LC

 

[Easy Rhino]

In a perfect world I would only play games on PC. However most of the games I really enjoy playing either are console exclusive (anything developed by Naughty Dog) or are out for console long before PC (like all of the GTA 4 and 5.)

 

[eidairaman1]

I'm a hardcore PC gamer, but sometimes I can really understand why gamers get a console over a PC, despite the much weaker hardware, since the bloody thing most often just works. I'm going through just such an understanding, epiphanetic moment right now, since I've been unable to play Far Cry 4 for weeks due to a combination of faults.

I got Far Cry 4 over a month ago on Steam (the fancy Gold one with all the trimmings in a nice sale) but I've not even got out of the starting gate with it and it's really pissing me off.

First off at update 1.7.0 (when I first downloaded it) it wasn't saving checkpoints, so I sit through the lengthy 9 minute intro sequence, which is very nice once or twice, but not again and again as I try to sort out the problem. Turns out, unsurprisingly, that it's a bug in the game, since I've seen loads of forum posts about it and update 1.8.0 addresses this very problem in the changelog. Great! Except that now, while the game progress is finally saved, it jumps forward by some unknown amount when I come back to it.

Essentially, I'm right at the start, exploring the villa, picking things up like you do and then save the game. I come back to it and the game now goes through a cut scene where I have to go into some little hut which is a shrine to some murdered woman (forget the name). WTF?! Steam shows 3 hours playtime, but believe me, I've not actually "played" it at all - it's all troubleshooting and annoyance.

To cap it all, FC4 has just started crashing at startup - complete lockup requiring a kill with Task Manager. Only I can't quite blame FC4 for this one, since the PC has simultaneously developed stability problems! Note that nothing is overclocked.

Sometimes the desktop becomes semi responsive, forcing the inevitable, reluctant press of the reset switch. Other times control panel windows get stuck and won't close etc. It's all handily tear-hairingly intermittent where the PC can run for hours without problems and then screw up, which is the kind of PC troubleshooting joy I can do without. While it could just be a corrupted Windows install, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's the hardware. Despite the instability, the PC still plays the handful of other games I tried by the way, so FC4 still isn't in the clear over this startup glitch.

I then discover that there are 41 updates from Microsoft waiting to install, presumably from this Patch Tuesday, so I install them. In the few hours since I installed them the PC seems to work ok, but the game still locks up at the start. Fabulous. Just fucking fabulous.

It's the small hours of the night, so of course I'm not gonna start doing any troubleshooting now and will have to find some time over the weekend to my enjoy busman's holiday.

While experiencing this level of problems is rare for me when playing games, there are often teething issues one can live without, so putting all this together can you see why some gamers just say "fuck it!" and get a console?

Specs are as in my System Specs, but here's a snapshot for when they inevitably change:

Ignore the CPU overclock - I removed it ages ago​

The gui is pretty much firmware. Consoles are not modular meaning no upgrades over its time. Fps games are horrid on console. Only games i could deal with on a Pad were racers using the thumb sticks. The last D pad on a controller i thought was great was the Genesis/Megadrive or the Dreamcast. Also games are being deved for the console first snd not the otherway around.

 

[MilkyWay]

I do get it because some people don't really know about pcs and its easy to just shove a disc in a system and play away with your friends. Most people are oblivious and don't notice the stuff we do like 30fps or crappy online connections.

Far Cry 4 i would not say is a case of console vs pc, its a case of a shitty port vs a good port and in this case the pc port was not that great.

Also console gamers have to update and install now so thats not really a factor anymore in ease of use.

Id buy a playstation if it had games i wanted to play but at the moment it doesn't, i can get everything i want on steam or a physical release. I enjoy games so whatever platform they are on doesn't bother me as long as i get the best experience for the money i can afford.

If i was into gaming i would recommend a pc first because it just offers more imo but if i was just into something for entertainment and to pass the time i would just get a console like a PS4. I compare it to someone who is into film, i would recommend cinema viewing for the experience over the home viewing experience.

As for xbone vs potatostation, not much of a difference that affects gameplay so just get whatever you seem to like the games for imo.

 

[RejZoR]

What hassle? The only hassle I've ever had was with very old games getting them to work on brand new systems. I'm talking 15+ years old titles designed for Windows 9x or even MS-DOS. The rest, I don't even remember any issues or hassle. I just use the latest drivers and that's it.

 

[64K]

I don't have any hassle with old games on Win 7. I buy old games from GOG. They make the game run on my OS without problems. I haven't tried Win 8 but I imagine old games from them run fine on that OS too.

 

[eidairaman1]

I don't have any hassle with old games on Win 7. I buy old games from GOG. They make the game run on my OS without problems. I haven't tried Win 8 but I imagine old games from them run fine on that OS too.

he is talking about not having to repurchase the software. I had 1 title that would not run on XP and that was Sonic CD republished by Expert Software. Some fan developed a patch for XP

 

[rtwjunkie]

I don't have any hassle with old games on Win 7. I buy old games from GOG. They make the game run on my OS without problems. I haven't tried Win 8 but I imagine old games from them run fine on that OS too.

Yes, they do! And those few titles they don't enhance, there are usually some good solutions right in their user forums on each game.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I got a ps4 just before xmass despite owning a decent gaming pc and id just game on both using ps4 more for multiplayer (I oddly never got into online pc gaming) , I popped by here because fc4 is the one game I was going to get on pc but I dunno now I might just get it on ps4, naahhj they'll patch it right,,, hopefully before the steam spring or summer sale.

My pc spat its C: drive out when it saw the ps4 turn up, soo I set it folding with a new C: drv and its happy again now.

 

[GLD]

I can see buying a console ONLY for the exclusive console titles. Mario, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, Halo and the like, and on the side run Netflix.

For the cost of a current gen. console it makes more sense to me to build a AMD FM2+ rig and join the PC Master Race.

 

[newtekie1]

I'm just glad Far Cry 4 hasn't had any issues on consoles and it just works.

 

[64K]

I can see buying a console ONLY for the exclusive console titles. Mario, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, Halo and the like, and on the side run Netflix.

For the cost of a current gen. console it makes more sense to me to build a AMD FM2+ rig and join the PC Master Race.

Welcome



You now have access to our King

 

[DannibusX]

Consoles are PC's. Battlefield 4 proves that the console version of the game can be just as broken and unworking as the PC version.

Source: Owns BF4 for PC and XB1

 

[Frag_Maniac]

I got AC IV Gold on Steam on a giveaway here via our beloved Kreij, probably the kindest soul we've ever seen here. It worked pretty well, and when there was a delay getting the Freedom Cry DLC due to a screw up by Ubi, we actually got ours a week before those whom got the game on Uplay.

Far Cry 4 seems to be a reversal of that. Most are reporting that the Uplay version of this game not only works better, but also had no delay in getting the Escape from Durgesh DLC. On Steam it would DL and show up in the library, but not in the game menu like it was supposed to.

Is Ubi trying to now sabotage Steam versions so more people will buy their Uplay only version? Who knows, but after the PC graphics sabotaging of Watch Dogs and The Division, that was leaked by an anonymous Ubi Massive employee, I wouldn't put it past them.

Regardless, I hate digital downloads and try to avoid them whenever possible. Always verify the game file cache when you have such problems, and I also recommend playing in offline mode with the overlay disabled after updating the game and Steam or Uplay.

I have the Steam Gold version of this game, and although I hate the design of it's save system, I have never had the problem you described. Through extensive chatting about saves on the official forum though, it would appear many aren't aware of how the save system works.

Some assume it isn't working as it's supposed to if they die after a checkpoint and lose some progress. That's actually supposed to happen, as checkpoint saves are only session saves and get erased from death or quitting your session.

Truth be told, this can even happen after seeing the so called autosaves that flash onscreen with the gold crossed swords icon. Some say you need to visit a liberated outpost's safehouse to make sure your progress is saved, but I have found that is no guarantee either.

The only way I have found game saves to be reliable is to accept a story mission, then quit game before embarking on it. That however will still revert you to a previous save if you abort the mission after starting the game back up, so you can't just use them as place holders.

As for PC vs console, I guess I'm biased against the latter due to hating gamepads, but I honestly wouldn't make that decision based on Ubi games. As some have said, the reverse can be true.

I've seen plenty of people on console admit they talk up certain exclusives to justify having bought the system. They start feeling like if they don't they're just using it for AAA multi plat titles, and getting inferior graphics in the process.

While one might make the argument that games like Far Cry 4 and Dying Light, which have performance problems on their PC ports, would be good candidates to get on PS4, I feel it's a knee jerk reaction.

Buying a console system may seem great near it's launch, with some games, depending on port quality, looking near equal to PC, but as it's life cycle gets to the 3-4 year mark, it starts really showing it's technology stagnation, literally being left in the dust by PC.

And let's not forget the flexibility of uses and ability to mod and edit files on PC.

 

[RejZoR]

he is talking about not having to repurchase the software. I had 1 title that would not run on XP and that was Sonic CD republished by Expert Software. Some fan developed a patch for XP

Well, you can't play Xbox 1 games on Xbox 360 or PS2 games on PS4 either, so there's that... On PC you can still brew your own compatibility patch, on consoles it's buy a game remake or you simply can't play it at all.

 

[eidairaman1]

Well, you can't play Xbox 1 games on Xbox 360 or PS2 games on PS4 either, so there's that... On PC you can still brew your own compatibility patch, on consoles it's buy a game remake or you simply can't play it at all.

You mean 360 games on xb1. And yes youre right about the consoles not allowing prev titles to run unless you buy them.

 

[qubit]

Thanks for all your great replies, people. I like those classic console pictures especially.

Check out my updated my OP reflecting the current situation, which is rather improved.

 

[RejZoR]

You mean 360 games on xb1. And yes youre right about the consoles not allowing prev titles to run unless you buy them.

I meant original Xbox with that, I always write ONE with letters when I mean the latest one

Btw, I also own PS2. Haven't played it for a while, but Burnout series were awesome and the reason why I bought it in the first place.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

So this is essentially a console vs. PC thread, with a game plagued with bugs on both sides, not only that, but a game from Ubisoft, and we should all know what they are capable of these days (not much).