Is PC gaming really worth it?

[Vault101]

I was just thinking about this after posting on a similar thread

Id like to add a disclamer here Im not trolling, really, I am a PC gamer and I belive that for years PC gaming has always been awsome and ahead of the pack, and I'll always go for a mouse over a controller

Now I know any hardcore-build it-yourself PC gamers would be horrified at my current set-up...but I use a laptop...thats it....its a very good one that runs most games on high and somtimes very high setting, and I havnt had a game that wouldn't run well, my point here is most people say you have to build your own or invest heavyly ect, But I'm not sure thats really worth it in thease current times which leads me to my next point...

lets face it, things are very console focused in this generation, I get the slight feeling that PC's take a back seat, and to be honest I cant think of that many PC exclusives that interest me since Im not such a fan of RTS and while I do like shooters (well ones that are different anyway, no COD for me) I need variety,

now of coarse you could say that PC gaming still has much to offer, especially with developers like Valve and Blizzard and I do agree.....however I can get all that with my current set up, its just that I'm content to have my graphics on high instead of ultra high, also I have portability which has come in very handy, if I got a whole bunch of money right now I would probably get a console instead of A high end PC, bcause that way I would miss out on less games

I know that "I'm not doing it properly" and my set up may not last within the next few years, but it works really well for me now, and as much as I love PC gaming I'm not really sure going all "high end" is worth it at the moment

but of coarse It probably is for some people, and mabye I should really be a console gamer instead of a PC gamer and mabye things will change in the future, mabye Im just overthinking things, who knows?

 

[Eifla]

PC Gaming will always be one step ahead of consoles, although both are perfectly good platforms.

PC: POWER! RTS! THE INTERWEB! SHINY GRAPHICS! CUSTOMIZATION!

CONSOLES: CONVENIENCE! COMMUNITY! COST-EFFECTIVE! PORTABLE!

PC Gaming will always be there, and I think will expand as gaming gets bigger...

People will always fit into the PC Gamer demographic.

 

[cappie2000]

Have you tried indie games like Minecraft? ( http://www.minecraft.net/ )

Youtube is currently being flooded with the wonderful experience that is Minecraft.. a game you can pick up for a mere 15 euro's and which has given me more gaming pleasure than 6 months of WoW and CoD:MW2 combined

 

[Player Two]

I've always stuck to being a PC gamer and I'm not going to troll anyone into thinking what I do. I still wholeheartedly believe that it is the best platform; however, it is also the most expensive, and also difficult to maintain. Let's face it, you can get a PS3 for maybe $800? But a gaming PC that'll last you five years will cost somewhere in the range of $3000. Then there's setting it up, the DRM, the drivers... sometimes I envy the consoles of yore. Plug in a cartridge and play.

PC gaming is still worth it. I don't think the platform will die, not with all the advantages we have, but I see it waning. Best guess is that we return to a situation like that of the late eighties - rival consoles bringing in millions of dollars, and computer games becoming more of a hobby and cottage industry than idle entertainment.

 

[Kenko]

PC's wont ever die. Thats just console-tard propaganda to make them feel special and to make you feel like you've made an error in your choice of platform. In the US ive heard that consoles are more common. But in places like Sweden, people usually own a console along with a PC.

 

[kdread1]

Have you tried indie games like Minecraft? ( http://www.minecraft.net/ )

Youtube is currently being flooded with the wonderful experience that is Minecraft.. a game you can pick up for a mere 15 euro's and which has given me more gaming pleasure than 6 Years of any game and every game combined.


Fix'd lol.

 

[ByerpZ]

Serious Sam games, nuff said.
And also Minecraft.

I do think PC games are starting to fall back ONLY because consoles give them much more money due to the wide range of users.
In all seriousness, I have very recently built a new high end pc, in which in my opinion, was very good timing. Think of all the games in which are coming out this year, Bulletstorm, Brink, Portal 2, RAGE, etc etc. I would of coarse invest in a cheap PS3 or something, due to the exclusives. But there really isn't THAT many exclusives. There is only games like Red Dead Redemption or Little Big Planet that actually look somewhat worth playing and interesting.

I Still prefer PC gaming over anything for the fact that it requires more skill(imo) and the overall gameplay and gracphics is 10x better.

 

[Neverhoodian]

One word: mods.

User created content can greatly extend the lifespan of a game. Though some console titles have taken steps toward this (LittleBigPlanet, Halo's Forge mode, etc.), PC games usually have far more potential and allow for a greater degree of editing. What's more, many PC game developers actively encourage this and ship editors with games. It's gotten to the point that I sometimes won't even play the "vanilla" game anymore because mods have improved it too much to go back.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well PC gaming has never really been about running the games on high or at least it never has for me. Only elitist or hardware junky are really that bothered with always getting top of the range equipment.

I've always stuck to being a PC gamer and I'm not going to troll anyone into thinking what I do. I still wholeheartedly believe that it is the best platform; however, it is also the most expensive, and also difficult to maintain. Let's face it, you can get a PS3 for maybe $800? But a gaming PC that'll last you five years will cost somewhere in the range of $3000. Then there's setting it up, the DRM, the drivers... sometimes I envy the consoles of yore. Plug in a cartridge and play.

PC gaming is still worth it. I don't think the platform will die, not with all the advantages we have, but I see it waning. Best guess is that we return to a situation like that of the late eighties - rival consoles bringing in millions of dollars, and computer games becoming more of a hobby and cottage industry than idle entertainment.

I have done this out in another thread and to get a PC to last 5 years you don't need to spend 3 grand in either of the 3 main currencies. My PC is 3 years old and mine was 1,000 euro and the biggest PC gaming since of all basically shop bought. I can still run games on mid to high settings. I did do this out in another thread and the Wii was the cheapest but that didn't take into account the vast number of peripherals, then it was the PC followed by PS3 and Xbox 360 being the most expensive due to XBL subs.

Although yes consoles are more convenient.

 

[PatrickXD]

I wouldn't play Call of Duty or any other fps that is also on the consoles, on the PC.
I use the PC for RTS's or PC specific games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
My PC is shitty, but I've never cared much for shiny new graphics. In terms of cost effectiveness, my PC cost about £400 6 years ago and still works well up to this point, just not with anything post 2005 on high, and I've put countless hours into games like Morrowind and Mount and Blade.

 

[L4hlborg]

I'm actually considering to get an ok gaming PC this year, because I've actually gotten into PC gaming (through SC2) and my laptop's ability to run games is a bit limited. I wouldn't say a super duper mega PC is something I want or find worth it's cost, but I'm willing to pay some money.

I deon't really get the PC gaming is dead talk and I'm mostly a console player. Last year PC got Civ5 and SC2, which are two games that will last over 5 years in playing. This year PC gets the Witcher 2 and probably some other cool shit I'm not aware of. Sure, there maybe less releases than on the consoles, but the quality level is better. I don't imagine playing any console exclusive from last year for longer than a few months (maybe Halo: Reach, but that's mainly because my friends play it).

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

But a gaming PC that'll last you five years will cost somewhere in the range of $3000.

Holy crap, even in AU$ with Aus taxes added, that's an insane price. The main box of a good gaming machine will set you back between AU$800-1200. Anything more than that and you're being a hardware whore or being ripped off blind.

 

[Funkysandwich]

As a PC gamer of a long time, this current trend of PC gaming taking a backseat really irks me. We have to wait longer for new releases, and when we get them the games are usually crippled by terrible DRM. And no one is really making any decent PC exclusive games any more that take advantage of the strengths of having a PC.

I mean, Minecraft is a brilliant game, but it's only one example, and I can think of heaps of games recently release that didn't quite realise their full potential on the PC.

 

[Nova5]

My thoughts: I've stopped caring.

I play PC exclusives when it strikes me, think the keyboard has its place in certain genres, and I love mods (playing them as well as generating content). But at the same time, I thoroughly enjoy my 360 and think it has its place in my home.

The biggest annoyance I have with PC gamers these days is the sheer amount of fucking rhetoric that gets generated surrounding the "mouse + keyboard > controller" debates. Then again, on the console gamer side, I can barely stand their whining about how "hard" it is to adjust graphics settings on 'PC' titles (something my nephew can do, and he's 6 - seriously).

Given the new ARM processors by nVidia, AMD's near irrelevance these days, Steam's emergence as a force to be reckoned with (and its surprise support of Mac this year - a relatively closed system that bears greater resemblance to the console market than the Windows PC gaming market), and Intel's determination to stick to x86-based processing as its core business model, I could easily see console and 'PC' gaming merging together into some bastardized offspring of the two. Do I want that? No. Will I play games still? Yes. Hell, I'll be trying to make games still. But the fact of the matter is, no matter what, assigning one's allegiance to either side of the non-existent fence between the two is still utterly fucking pointless.

 

[KingFall]

Well, with the modding communities, PC's are far superior. Consoles will never be able to get to that, I think.

Take Oblivion for example. Great game, eh? The expansions were nice, too, but I sold my console copy and bought a PC version. Why? Because of things like Nehrim (A total conversion Mod. Awesome, provided you know..Finnish, I think. ) or that MERP mod that's being worked on. That's why PC gaming is kickass. We aren't limited by the restrictions of a console game, but we also don't have the security of one, either. Can't run that new game how you like? Too bad. Buy a new, shiny computer and man up.

Also, Mount and Blade. Perfect example of awesomeness on the PC.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Now I know any hardcore-build it-yourself PC gamers would be horrified at my current set-up...but I use a laptop...thats it....its a very good one that runs most games on high and somtimes very high setting, and I havnt had a game that wouldn't run well, my point here is most people say you have to build your own or invest heavyly ect, But I'm not sure thats really worth it in thease current times which leads me to my next point...

It's always worth it if that's what you're into. I like tinkering with my PC (a seperate but somewhat related hobby to PC gaming) but I've also built PCs for people who have no intention of ever cracking open the case to take a peek inside.

At the end of the day, as longer as your machine meets your requirements and you're happy with it's performance you're not "doing it wrong".

lets face it, things are very console focused in this generation, I get the slight feeling that PC's take a back seat, and to be honest I cant think of that many PC exclusives that interest me since Im not such a fan of RTS and while I do like shooters (well ones that are different anyway, no COD for me) I need variety,

You should explore the wonderful world of Central and Eastern European PC Game Developers.

now of coarse you could say that PC gaming still has much to offer, especially with developers like Valve and Blizzard and I do agree.....however I can get all that with my current set up, its just that I'm content to have my graphics on high instead of ultra high, also I have portability which has come in very handy, if I got a whole bunch of money right now I would probably get a console instead of A high end PC, bcause that way I would miss out on less games

You'd also miss out on less games if publishers stopped treating PC gamers as if they had leprosy.

I know that "I'm not doing it properly" and my set up may not last within the next few years, but it works really well for me now, and as much as I love PC gaming I'm not really sure going all "high end" is worth it at the moment

If you're not sure then it probably isn't worth it... but then again, it's not like 'high end' is the only option if you're okay with skipping glossy graphics and such.

bmabye I should really be a console gamer instead of a PC gamer

That's a terrible thing to say about yourself.

and mabye things will change in the future

Publishers will always go where the money is. If it turned out that mobile platforms were better money spinners than consoles the major publishers would drop consoles as their primary focus in a second.

mabye Im just overthinking things

You are.

who knows?

I do.

 

[Signa]

PC gaming is certainly worth it, but making those killer rigs while initially debatable are just plain retarded now. The games that are coming out these days just don't push the PC very hard, and the quality of the games I find to be severely lacking in content and playability. Blame it on consoles or not, I don't care, but it seems like a computer like my laptop (or the OP's laptop) is all you need to enjoy some of the best games ever made while still being offered a chance to dip into the best of what is being released now.

I'm running an i7 with a GTX 470 for my desktop, and I feel like I spent too much on it because it's going to be years before that power gets to be too little. Even when it does, the current state of gaming is making me feel like we are on a downward slope that renders upgrades moot. I only jumped to the 470 because my last 8800GT died on me. I'd still be happily running that 3 year old card if it didn't die.

 

[thom_cat_]

But a gaming PC that'll last you five years will cost somewhere in the range of $3000.

Holy crap, even in AU$ with Aus taxes added, that's an insane price. The main box of a good gaming machine will set you back between AU$800-1200. Anything more than that and you're being a hardware whore or being ripped off blind.

mine costed AUD$3000 when I bought it (Including screen, mouse, keyboard etc.)
2xHD5870's, i7 920, 12G RAM...
but then again I'm using it for gaming, graphics design, animation, video editing, music, internet and a few other things so it's well worth its price.

Definitely not a ripoff and I could not have used a computer with less power than I have at the moment.

 

[Savagezion]

Whatever. Gimme Dead State already.

(PCs handle simulation/builder games better and most strategy titles, not just RTS.)