A challenge to the PC master race

[JohnZ117]

I have both p.c. and Xbox(es) for gaming. I would have the other current-gen consoles if my budget allowed that. So, any debate on which is the superior annoys me. All have their strengths (p.c. has options, consoles have reliability, f.e.) and their weaknesses. And, this debate can get ridiculously heated.

So, in the desire for cooler heads here, I issue this challenge to those who game exclusively on the p.c. or mac: List what sucks about your chosen platform.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Easy:
1. The extreme hardware and software diversity and the hellish problems of compatibility and stability that leads to, especially in regards to games.
2. The constant need to stay up to date on new drivers, keep up with software patches and how they might interact with your set up and what problems that might cause relating to point 1.
3. The awkward control schemes that result from multi-platform releases and the frequent inability to customize it fully (I swear, the number of games that won't let me map to Mouse 4 and 5 are getting more and more common with every year).
4. The space the computer itself occupies, it was what drove me from towers as a student to laptops.
But mostly:
5. The expense of keeping hardware up to date to get both good graphical and aural fidelity with smooth gameplay, especially if you, like me, are gaming on laptops due to room constraints.

 

[shrekfan246]

Batman: Arkham Knight.

Or rather, the hilariously overblown system requirements and utterly abysmal performance resulting almost singularly from developers not having the time, caring, or knowing how to optimize for PC, even on systems vastly more expensive and powerful than a console.

I'd also like to specifically point out pre-order DLC for games on Steam. Even though it's a problem for the industry overall, it makes even less sense when your primary method for acquiring the game is through a digital download, because the product is never going to run out (hilarity of Steam code fuck-ups aside), so why should you pre-order it?

Kind of a strength and weakness in one, if you try to play older games then it's kind of a toss-up as to whether they'll work on your system or not, even if you buy from GOG, but there are usually places on the internet you can look to find out how to tweak it to get it working.

Oh, and how about Steam in general? And the way it led the way for Origin and, to a lesser extent, uPlay? And Battle.net? And that Square Enix account thing? And the Rockstar Social Club? And the now-thankfully-defunct Games For Windows Live? I'm really tired of constantly needing to set up new accounts for things in order to play a single game, just so that a year+ down the road when I try to play the game a second time or whatever, it'll ask me to log in and I'll have forgotten the specific account details I used for that particular piece of bloatware.

Also, DRM. SecuROM, online checks, Starforce, TAGES, the recent Denuvo, the aforementioned storefronts, etc. etc. etc., all a whole load of bloat in itself that can actually tangibly impact the performance or stability of a game. So, you know, that's great. I know DRM isn't specific to PC gaming either, but that's certainly where it seems to be the worst and most intrusive. It's like the music industry back in the early '00s.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Shitty ports. Some devs consider our platform an afterthought and do halfassed jobs of making them actually work. Sometimes it's worse, sometimes it's better. It's a downside, but definitely not a necessary one.

Somewhat tricky to understand hardware requirements(well, for some people. I've figured it all out).

Unless you're getting something really shoddy, a decent keyboard and mouse are more expensive than a controller. This is offset by only needing one, and a good one will outlast your computer. I went through like 3 360 controllers when it used to be my platform of choice.

A general lack of local multiplayer.

But none of this matters because I can have a gun that shoots cars in GTA V.

 

[Morgoth780]

I don't like how I am tied to Windows to play most of my games, I'm hoping most games I play get ported to Linux allowing me to switch to my distro of choice instead of having to rely on M$.

I don't like the business practices nVidia has been implementing lately, and I wish hardware was advancing more quickly. The only upgrade I've made to my PC since I built almost 3 years ago is an SSD, the CPU is still one of the fastest available for gaming (admittedly one of the 6- or 8-core i7s would certainly be faster in things like video editing, but in most games there are still relatively similar), and while GPU tech has been advancing much more quickly than CPUs, there still isn't anything powerful enough at a low enough price point to convince me to upgrade.

 

[Aetrion]

The biggest thing that sucks about PC is that there is always a chance that games simply won't work on your PC and the issue is so rare that nobody knows how to fix it or really cares how to fix it.

Of course this doesn't happen often, but given that there are PCs in literally millions of different variations in terms of hardware, software and configuration if you play PC games for long enough you will inevitably run into that one game or another that you absolutely cannot get to work on your system. As a console gamer you don't need to worry about that. If something doesn't work there is usually a very simple answer, and if a problem you can't fix on your end does exist it's usually widespread enough that it will be fixed pretty quickly by the developers.


The second biggest thing that sucks is that even top notch studios like Bethesda don't bother to put more than a one-armed intern on creating a nice mouse compatible UI for PC games that also appear on console. They just figure the modders will fix it. (Which is true, SkyUI does fix it)

 

[kasperbbs]

Shitty ports and the lack of 'The last of us' and 'tekken' games on PC bothers me. Sure, there are compatability issues and similar crap, but i haven't run in to those in a long time.

 

[Dalisclock]

Mostly Shitty Ports. It shows a lot when a developer knows that the PC is a big part of their market, yet decides to outsource to the PC port of a game to a company that doesn't know how to program for the PC and when it finds out the port is broken beyond all repair, decides "Screw it" and shoves it out the door anyway. Yes, I'm talking about you, Arkham Knight!

Not being able to get certain games on PC at all, though certain games really do need a controller to play properly(like God of War) so I can kind of see why we don't get certain games.

On a related note, I am kinda curious how Final Fantasy VII, VIII and XIII can get PC ports but IX is still a PS game only. Hell, the DS ports of III and IV are available on steam.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

The worst part about it for me is DRM, to my knowledge nobody on a console has been forced to install Securom or Uplay or anything like that in order to just play single player. But what really gets under my skin is when they force you to use TWO drm schemes on top of each-other so you'll have to get on steam AND THEN Uplay. Or with the Anno series which I've never even touched steam and then 3 machine activation limits.

 

[briankoontz]

EDIT: Also, can we please stop with the ''PC Master Race''. You can argue all you want about how PC is better but as soon as your refer yourself as someone into the ''PC Master Race'', you come of as extremely shallow and pretentious

I would prefer meeting these shallow and pretentious people who supposedly exist - 99% of "PC Master Race" comments are warning us of the dangers of such and detailing how they themselves personally avoid it, which became boring about 10 years ago. Some would object that this concern came about because of the great PC vs Consoles wars which lasted for years and claimed many lives, which is much more a testament to the very self-importance and pretentiousness that you claim is being avoided as long as straightforward "PC Master Race" sentiment is not issued.

We're currently deep in a culture of irony and self-deprecation. The last thing we need is to fuel the fires of avoiding anything revealing or honest in the name of fairly giving everything it's due.

 

[FalloutJack]

Shitty ports.

Shitty ports

Mostly Shitty Ports.

*Blows whistle*

Foul! 'Shitty ports' is a complaint PC users have against consoles because they feel neglected in the gaming community. Since it's a jab at the console that got the better port, it's not a valid depreciation of the PC.

OT: I would like to lodge a complaint about the expense of getting a decent PC for gaming, and then finding out later on that the parts I need to replace hardware may not be available later down the line.

 

[Gatlank]

Thing is, I like collecting stuff. I loved the good old days of giant PC boxes with big gorgeous and colorful instruction manual, sometimes they even came with posters and maps/tech trees. I know most of these stuff are pretty obsolete with wikis on the internet but come 'on, these things were awesome !

Maybe in your country. In mine those things still exist to the point were sometimes is cheaper to buy physical.

A lot of people say that this compensate with the fact that games on PC are generally cheaper thanks to massive dealers sales. Yes they're cheaper, but the price vs value doesn't make it that much of a good deal: No physical boxes, manual, DVD/Blue-Rays etc.
And even then, new games are often not even cheaper anyway, hell in Canada Ubisoft games are now retailing at 80$ new. It's ridiculous for a digital copy.

Complain to Ubisoft. Also if you're buying digital it will be lacking physical items, to some people the fact that is cheaper compensates the lack of items since for them those things aren't important.

I love PC gaming but sometimes, I buy some games only on consoles because they offer a physical release that I will be able to enjoy years from now, maybe even show 'em to my future kids.

I still play old games on my pc and if they dont work in a modern OS i always have ready a virtual pc with an older version.

Also, can we please stop with the ''PC Master Race''. You can argue all you want about how PC is better but as soon as your refer yourself as someone into the ''PC Master Race'', you come of as extremely shallow and pretentious.

Proud member of the PC Master Race here.

 

[Morgoth780]

I don't understand the appeal of choosing only one platform. I understand being limited to one by money or time, but that's not the same as saying the one you use is somehow intrinsically superior.

I always assumed this "PC Master Race" shit was meant to be a joke.

It's a joke, but it's not.

I do consider PCs superior to consoles in more than enough ways to justify the downsides (and it helps that I love talking and learning about harsware), but if I ever say "pcmasterrace" it's usually as a joke or when referring to r/pcmasterrace.

 

[Asclepion]

The PC has a marginally higher barrier to entry.
Assembling components and installing software requires some technical proficiency.
Sometimes the PC's beauty freezes you.

 

[Gatlank]

I don't understand the appeal of choosing only one platform.

Most people i talked to that use the label "PC Master Race" don't own just one platform, except those due to lack of money/time.

 

[JohnZ117]

snipped
EDIT: Also, can we please stop with the ''PC Master Race''. You can argue all you want about how PC is better but as soon as your refer yourself as someone into the ''PC Master Race'', you come of as extremely shallow and pretentious.

Remember that it's only a platform to play video games where you push buttons.

I was alluding to the joke made in an episode of "Zero Punctuation." Whether or not p.c. is the superior is irrelevant. Thinking yourself superior to anyone else (if anyone actually does this) based on game platform ownership is ludicrous. The title stays.

 

[Pyrian]

Lack of dance games. I'm not even joking. Seriously, I like to get some exercise while having some fun, without necessarily having to involve other people.