Is PC gaming really worth it?

[Paularius]

I have a pc thats about 3 years old now and cost me ?1,200 and other than a ?200 graphics card update last year the thing runs purfectly. Infact i've not seen a game i cant run on max settings. Someone above said you need a really expensive comp to play Bad company 2 but i can play it fine on max settings with no problem. Only upgrading i'd need to get is a bit of extra ram in a year or two depending on the req. of games coming out but that will just cost me ?100.

You dont need these 3+ grand computers to play games on max settings your just told that you do.

Only problem im having now with my pc is that not all the games are coming out for it. Where the hell is Fable 3?!!

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

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.

A favour to my Aussie brothers:

msy.com.au

Best prices I've seen anywhere.

Meh... Their prices are about on par with pc case gear. Bit cheaper on some stuff, bit more expensive on others. I also found MSY's range more limited (yes, I get very picky about specific components).

Well even at parity, for me having a local store was handy, no postage or any nonsense like that. I might have gotten the prices confused with AusPC Market, who are a bit more expensive if only for rolling postage in.

But you're right: careful shopping and knowing what you want can net a decent gaming rig for 800 - 1200 bucks.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

World of warcraft has managed to take combat and make it feel nerdy instead of exciting.
Bioware games have all the same plot.
Pc titles keep getting pushed back whilst getting early releases on consoles.
Drm is getting worse.
Lan is dying because certain anti social retards just want to play online in their own home to prove they are better than others and to insult them.
Rts games lack the feeling of adventure.
Some pc games can't even be played on max settings with $2000 equipment because of absurd hardware requirements (i'm looking at you, metro).
Viruses.
Maintenance.
First person shooters are all the same bland crap.
Games aren't even trying to be about playing games anymore, it's all just story and graphics now.
Windows 8 (really microsoft? another one?)
Microsoft (you used to care about pc games!)

Ok lets break it down
WoW point is debatable but then play another MMO theres more than enough around.
Bioware is on consoles too so this points kinda null.
Pc titles do tend to have later release dates but i dont mind so much since we get a hell of a lot better support.
LANs aren't really dying, that would be an issue with who you game with, Iv gone to two lans in the last 3 weeks.
Rts adventure game try DOW2 it lacks the micro of the last game but has more of the feel your looking for.
The max settings thing might be right, but you dont NEED max settings, hell if i were to be pedantic it requires only a cheap(custom) pc to beat most console graphics. Not Max settings at all.

Virus's are your bad. You only get them if your being naughty.
Fps's have that problem on the consoles too but next year has 3 big not so bland shooters in Brink, Portal and bulletstorm.
Windows 8 isn't a problem till people upgrade on mass. It won't be considered to developers until theres a large install base.

Almost all mmos are wow clones.
I know that it's on consoles, but still.
We get crappy ports for pc, not great support.
Lans aren't dying? take a look at battlefield bad company 2.
It's the top view thing that breaks my immersion, having to click to go anywhere too.
If max settings with ultra graphics aren't needed then what's the point of a pc? I can get a ps3.
Viruses are from small lans I go to, consoles have no such problem.
How do you know those first person shooters won't disappoint? (I know they look cool, but so did all the others that sucked).

I'm gonna keep my pc, I'm not gonna stop gaming on pc and I still think it's a great platform but I think it's time that I tried OTHER platforms too, until this game drought passes.

 

[thebighead01]

the reason pc seems to be taking a back seat in this generation is simple. console games are easier and cheaper to make and less affected by piracy.

 

[Delusibeta]

-snip-

Honestly? Most of your complaints apply equally to consoles. Consoles, especially the PS3, is prone to getting crappy ports, offline multiplayer in general is dying (example: Bad Company 2), FPSes seem to be tending towards Call of Duty clones (which was itself a Medal of Honor clone), consoles break down far more often then they used to (Yellow Dot of Death, anyone?), DRM is getting worse and you seem to miss the point of PC gaming, which is modding.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

-snip-

Honestly? Most of your complaints apply equally to consoles. Consoles, especially the PS3, is prone to getting crappy ports, offline multiplayer in general is dying (example: Bad Company 2), FPSes seem to be tending towards Call of Duty clones (which was itself a Medal of Honor clone), consoles break down far more often then they used to (Yellow Dot of Death, anyone?), DRM is getting worse and you seem to miss the point of PC gaming, which is modding.

The ps3 get's crappy ports from what? The pc? I have a pc so I can just buy those games on pc if the console ports suck.

And I don't give a crap about modding.

Duh, offline multiplayer=lan, which is dying.

 

[M0PHEAD]

This thread seems to be split into two halves: those who say having a mid/high range pc allows you to enjoy a good standard of gaming with moderate graphics capabilities, and those who sing the praises of having a "super rig" that can out-graphic a console or normal pc by miles. Most of both groups seem quite adamant that "teh keyboards and teh mouses" are superior to a dedicated gaming controller.

To that first group- isn't what you're describing basically the console experience?
"I can play a variety of good games without too much expenditure"- Sounds familiar.

For some reason these days there's a real stereotype concerning the "console-tard". But I've gamed for years on that basic everymans platform, the Xbox 360, and don't think I'm missing out on much. If I'd invested the same money in a pc three or so years ago I'd have an OK computer which I could have used to play a couple of exclusives. Same goes for the PS3 I guess. Or I could have sunk an English grand into a high powered rig and played the same exclusives with better graphics, but been too poor to by food or clothes for the next decade.

As a final point; if mouses and keyboards are so superior for the playing of games, why do machines designed exclusively for gaming use controllers? I get that they can be a bit difficult to use in an RTS if the interface is bad, but done properly (in say, C+C Red Alert 3) they handle OK. And lets face it, it's a damn sight easier to connect four controllers to your Xbox for local multiplayer than it is to squeeze even two people onto a keyboard

I could just be an uneducated console-tard misunderstanding the whole issue, and I agree that PCs make up the ground with game customisability, but... I don't know. At best that puts them level with consoles as a platform.

Except the Wii. That thing can burn in hell.

 

[omegaminus]

As a final point; if mouses and keyboards are so superior for the playing of games, why do machines designed exclusively for gaming use controllers?

Probably because of the long-running association of console gaming with playing from the couch. The couch is not at all mouse/keyboard friendly.

 

[Demodeus]

pc gaming only suffers from developers not making enough pc games because of all those tempting PS/Xbox exclusive offers from sony and microsoft respectively.
Other than that its head and shoulders over console gaming. My current pc is 4 years old, I bought it back when crysis was released. Back then, the Playstation 3 went for 500 or 600? I think. I built my pc out of parts and in the end it cost me like 350-400? and Im able to play Crysis on High (ultra is disabled because I wont switch to Vista/7) with 8x AA..
So in the end I spent LESS and got MORE.
Thats why I believe that consoles are crap.. oh, that and the horrible controller.

 

[Delusibeta]

To that first group- isn't what you're describing basically the console experience?
"I can play a variety of good games without too much expenditure"- Sounds familiar.

"I can also play a variety of mods to enhance a variety of good games to make them better". Or I could jack it all in and play Spelunky for free.

Mods and (legally!) free games, are two of the best reasons to be a PC gamer. Another is the prices of the games (I've yet to see anyone sell Dragon Age Ultimate for under the £9.99 I bought it from the EA store, for example).

As a final point; if mouses and keyboards are so superior for the playing of games, why do machines designed exclusively for gaming use controllers? I get that they can be a bit difficult to use in an RTS if the interface is bad, but done properly (in say, C+C Red Alert 3) they handle OK. And lets face it, it's a damn sight easier to connect four controllers to your Xbox for local multiplayer than it is to squeeze even two people onto a keyboard

You mileage may very (e.g. beat 'em ups, but then again arcade sticks tend to trump controllers for them), and certainly joysticks has been present for PC gaming for ages. However, for FPSes, even Microsoft concluded that mouse + keyboard is better than controllers.

I could just be an uneducated console-tard misunderstanding the whole issue, and I agree that PCs make up the ground with game customisability, but... I don't know. At best that puts them level with consoles as a platform.

That's probably because you don't know quite how customisable some PC games are. Obvious example: Half Life 2 [http://www.moddb.com/games/half-life-2/mods]. That's a hell of a lot of content, right there. Sure, most mods don't get released, or get stuck in Development Hell (*cough* Black Mesa *cough*) but for this one game, there's enough released to be getting on with.

 

[xchurchx]

well i look at it this way...
They both have their advantages and disadvantages

 

[Nick Angelici]

PC isnt horrible, I dont mind PC games, but man it cant Devil May Cry for shit with out a controller those keyboard controls suck.

PC cant play EVERY game, thats one thing I learned, and luckly, with a USB controller

 

[Choppaduel]

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.

Convenience: Laptops can be played anywhere, not just in a place where there a large HD tv. You can buy every PC release online & dl it, rather than having to drive to a store & back.

Community: the PC communities are much more sophisticated, mature, and rational than those of, for example, xbox live.

Cost Effective: I'm guessing everyone of you reading this owns a computer, safe bet. If you have any income & you at all interested in how a PC works, you probably own a desktop, with a pci-e slot & a graphics cards. Now seeing as how you would have bought this anyways to watch movies or whatever you use your desktop for, PCs are already saving $400, and if you encounter a game than doesn't run, you can upgrade the video card or RAM or w/e instead for under $400. Then theres games; Steam greatly undercuts in store prices on titles that have been out for 2 months. (ex Fallout New Vegas was $25 USD over the holidays on Steam)

Portable: yeah you can take a console where you want, but you'd also have to carry around a large tv and a generator to power them both. Laptops are more portable.

So seeing as how PCs are more Convenient, cost effective, portable, and have a better community. I'd say that yes PCs are definitely worth it.

the reason pc seems to be taking a back seat in this generation is simple. console games are easier and cheaper to make and less affected by piracy.

bingo.
For the listed reasons, consoles are better for corporations and worse for the end user than PCs.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

PC Gaming has a greater degree of freedom of play, a huge free back catalogue, no silly charges, multiple sources of where to get your games, very little censorship and still provides the best experience in some categories.

Console gaming has a far simpler set up, far less chance of unexplained errors, no real need for upgrades, greater backing and can be enjoyed by the computer illiterate(like rugrats). It also provides the best experience in some categories.

Pirates exist on both markets and harm both markets. There's more PC pirates because there's more to pirate on a PC.

How about both exist for their designated market?

Either market can be seen as "expensive" depending on how you spend your money.

 

[Bravo 21]

worth it, well I have a stock PC that serves me well, and while it may not be as fast as some of my friends custom Gaming rigs, its cheaper, and as for more on the cost of PC gaming, L4D2 for 7 Dollars on a steam sale! Bad Company 2 for the same amount! go steam sales! that alone makes it worth it for me.

 

[M0PHEAD]

That's probably because you don't know quite how customisable some PC games are. Obvious example: Half Life 2 [http://www.moddb.com/games/half-life-2/mods]. That's a hell of a lot of content, right there. Sure, most mods don't get released, or get stuck in Development Hell (*cough* Black Mesa *cough*) but for this one game, there's enough released to be getting on with.

Customisability is all well and good, but in console land we still get to see it applied to a lesser extent where console games most benefit from it- the user created content communities of Halo 3/Reach being probably the best example.

From another angle I can see how the plethora of free game extending add-ons is a real plus for PC gamers when you want to play that special game you love for just a little bit longer. As a console gamer I make do with waiting for an improved sequel (which I'd have to pay for, -_-), or just move on to a new game. Luckily with the XBLA I have a multitude of inexpensive, fun and innovative titles at my fingertips, and the catalogue of full disc based Xbox games is enough that I'll never be left without something to play.

I guess that's a personal thing- I like to try lots of different and new concepts rather than restrict myself within one game. That said, I spent ages on Fallout 3 acquiring all of the achievements and playing through the DLC, so there's an instance where I would have really liked to get my teeth into modded content.

Like I said originally, there are arguments for and against each platform- if I were looking to advertise console based play I would cite large industry bias leading to more releases, wider social community of players (although half of them are hooting d*ckholes I'll be the first to admit), price, portability, and just being a damn sight more convenient. You'd cite all of PC gaming's advantages and we'd get nowhere because at the end of the day they're pretty much equal.