Just why is PC gaming the master race?

[Bento Box]

For the most part: People want to justify why they spent $1,200 on a PC versus $200-300 on a console.

PC does have the technical concept that nearly every game has potential to have limitless content if the community is determined enough to add to it. That doesn't make it the master race though.

Sorry, buddy, I don't do my PC gaming on overpriced Apple garbage (OOOO, THIS THREAD JUST WENT META). $1,200 for a gaming PC? Please. If I wanted to put together a gaming machine that plays games comparably to a $300 console, I'd have to pay...

About $300. Fact is, desktop PC's are not that expensive if you know how to use a screwdriver (I'm stealing that forever, by the way). You can get a bare-bones rig for about $150, and a mid-range graphics card for roughly the same. Considering that a mid-range card in the year 2011 is orders of magnitude more powerful than the semi-high-end graphic chips that the consoles have had since 2006-ish, you're talking about a vastly superior machine for the same cost.

PC's do come with their own failings. Most of them, though, really boil down to how much effort you're willing to put forth, and how much common sense you have; I use my computer for more than just games - for instance, I'm using it right now to surf the internet. Of course, since I have some common sense, I have antivirus software on it, and tend not to click on every cute-looking piece of malware. Sweeping generalization? Not really, but that kind of scrutiny is part of the upkeep of a computer. Little things like that can become annoyances, and if all you want is to pop a game in and play it, then a console is more for you. This is to say nothing of console exclusives.

I'm not an elitist, but I do recognize that the PC is, if you're willing to show it the love and give it the protection it needs, an objectively more powerful platform.

 

[Blastinburn]

As someone who has mostly migrated from console to PC gaming I think I can explain quite a bit.

Spoiler: PC side:

-As you said, Steam is a major factor, the deals and services provided by the program, such as automated download and install and steam cloud are incredibly useful.
-Convenience, one device that does all the work I need to and plays games, plus I use a laptop so it's portable. PCs also have allot more, and potentially unlimited, space, so you can have more downloaded games installed and ready to play at a time, while on a console you need to change discs (I know you can download full games now, but space is more limited and valuable on a console).
-This includes immediate and nearby access to the internet.
-Control options, on a console a gamepad is your only option and often lacks customizable controls. But in lots of PC games there is not only an option to use a gamepad if you want, but most allow for customizable controls.
-Future, eventually the current consoles will be replaced but you will need to keep the old one around to play old games AND get the new one to play new games. On the PC you just upgrade the hardware to make it powerful enough, then it's just an issue of OS compatibility, which is usually carried over.
-Mods, this one is self explanatory.

Though PC gaming is by no means the master race. While there are only a small number of disadvantages of PCs over consoles they are big ones.

Spoiler: Console side:

-It will work, this was one of the 2 major reasons that kept me away from PC gaming since I got my first console. If you put a game into a console it's going to work, while on the PC you put the disc in (or download the game) you better hope to god (referring to whatever higher power you believe in) that it will work and there won't be one small piece of hardware or software that isn't compatible with the game and that you didn't just spent $60 on wasting hard disk space.
-Intuitiveness, this is the other major reason. A gamepad has a limited number of buttons, so it is entirely possible and feasable to figure out the controls. On a PC though, unless you use a gamepad, you have the entire keyboard that can have any action assigned to any key, and other than WASD + E-action + mouse, there isn't to much of a standard in PC controls and trying to figure them out can be daunting.
-Faster play, this one is less relevant with games needing to install and update just like the PC now, though after the first on disc update this is still true for the Wii.
-Play with others IN PERSON, consoles have 4 controller ports (or connect up to 4 controllers wirelessly) so up to 4 people can all play together on one console. Though it is possible to play with multiple people on one computer, it is difficult without at least 1 gamepad for each player beyond the first and then they have to gather around close to a smaller computer monitor (unless your monitor is huge or you bother to connect your computer to a TV). Also, direct human interaction is important and very enjoyable, a different and unique experience from playing online.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion regarding why PC gamers feel they are the master race and possibly lead to a more peacful relationship between PC and console gamers. Then maybee Nintendo could release a game on something other than Nintendo hardware and the Escapist could give up meat. Tell you what though, I'll settle for Nintendo releasing their entire library via virtual console or re-release, localizing Mother 1 and 3 along with the rest of the fire empblem series, and brining Pandora's Tower, the Last Story, and Xenoblade to america (or at least removing the region codeing), then having Animal rights groups put more money into cultured meat (yes I have watched the Big Picture recently).

 

[Jegsimmons]

i play both, some games i want on pc, some i want on console.

 

[6037084]

Well imho PC gaming can be considered "master race" for a variety of things, better hardware, ability to customize everything exactly to your liking both hardware and software, mods obviously, more indie games, ability to play games from way back in the day, ability to play console games via emulators, arguably superior controls and esports. Out of all of these I find the most important one to be the fact that you can basically run everything on a PC sooner or later, this gives you a chance to play games that were released ages ago and can't be played without spending hundreds of dollars buying consoles and games off ebay.

 

[Wuggy]

Face it guys, the only thing keeping the PC alive is Steam.

(Please no raging.)

Oh you.

Anyway, for me platform is personal choice. I don't care if you opt out for a console or a PC, it has nothing to do with me. 'Objectively' PC is superior to the console, because it can do anything a console can and more. But a console is cheaper and easier to handle. So yeah.

And I use the "Master Race" thing, but mostly for self-deprecating purposes.

 

[Zorzogoth]

I have a ps3 but I play PC games 85% of the time. I find the PC more relaxed for playing games then my PS3 and it's also easier to read text on a PC screen . Furthermore I mostly play strategy games and mods of games.

Mouse and keyboard are in my opinion superior to a controller when playing shooters, strategy, RPG or RTS's.

I do however enjoy racing games, fighting games and action games like Batman / God of War on the PS3.

 

[hazabaza1]

More buttons.
THAT MAKES GAMES MORE COMPLEX RIGHT GUYS?

But seriously I'll play on whatever I can this whole elitist crap from any side is just people wanting to be better than others in trivial matters.

 

[ElPatron]

the only thing keeping the PC alive is Steam.

I always laugh at how people say this every year but PC never failed until now.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

Maybe you didn't build your PC as recently as I did, but to me the gap is massive. The whole master race thing stems from the fact that I think any person with a good PC could easily call console only players savages.

The simple fact is this: my PC can do everything my PS3 can do, and an absurd amount more, all while looking better, and running smoother, oh and did I mention all in 3D (yes, even old games that shouldn't be in 3D). And I remind you the PS3, at least spec-wise is the strongest system of this generation, but up against my PC the gap in graphics and speed feels like it's a decade long gap (oh wait... it is).

Let me put it this way. I played Grand Theft Auto IV on the 360 at launch (still have my lock box), and then the complete edition on PS3 when I sold my 360, and now I recently have been playing it on my PC after a KILLER Steam sale that made the whole GTA series just 12 bucks and I can tell you right now it's the best version. Runs ABSURDLY smooth, higher quality graphics, and no jaggies.

Next up let's put the best looking console game right now (I have no idea what this would be right now, back when I was building my PC I felt it was Heavy Rain), and then put it next to the best looking PC game (which might still be Crysis, though maybe Battlefield 3 might be better) and straight up the PC game WILL look better. No matter what.

So, say someone were to waltz out of a time machine from like 2 years from now when the next systems are out, and he was holding one of those future systems. Now wouldn't he be some sort of mythical god of gaming for having this thing while everyone else is still playing Modern Warfare 3?

Well stop wondering, yes I would be, and there's no need to imagine, I'm standing right here, and I didn't use a time machine, just NewEgg and my own ingenuity.

In fact my only complaint about PC gaming is that because the market share IS in consoles they'll get exclusives. Basically: the unwashed console using masses are making it so I can't play Red Dead Redemption without jaggies, I'd blame Rockstar but given they did more to raise me than my parents did I have to pass the buck.

 

[Treblaine]

But then again, Console Graphics look like arse.

As someone who games on both PC and console, I would just like to say that the Uncharted trilogy would like a word with you.

And I'd like a word with it.

I've played Uncharted 2 on the EXACT SAME SCREEN as my PC games and my main concern is with the low native resolution of Uncharted 2 while I can hit +1080p with every game on my PC.

Also, getting as close a look on monitor as I can when playing PC games uncharted is let down by low-res textures in too many areas.

Uncharted 2 is a wonderfully designed game with moments of absolute brilliance and I'm talking in terms of aesthetics. But you're forced to play it at a distance. It doesn't live up to same tests of fidelity as PC games, I have since unplugged my PS3 from my monitor where the up close view you can just see too many of the seams. I now play it on my HDTV at such a distance that the overall wonderful art design shines through but not the muddy bits.

Also, Uncharted 2 achieves its graphics not just with low resolution but low frame-rate. That's OK for the very cinematic third-person cover-based shooter but that is atrocious for a fast paced FPS game where you really do need 60fps solid.

Yes, framerate is part of graphics, and the only games that do have 60fps on console is the COD series and still you have to suffer with Gamepad controls.

Uncharted 2 works on PS3 but games like Left 4 Dead... nooo, oh god no. Try shooting hunters out of the air with thumbstick aiming, I'd rather not. And I have 250 hours on left 4 dead, as much as I like Uncharted...

 

[The Holy Chaotic]

I don't play PC's for one reason... they suck!

Ha, no, I'm kidding. I don't play them because I can't really afford a nice gaming PC. That's pretty much the major reason (60% of the full reason) I don't go along with the PC camp.

Having played one PC game in my life (Sins of a Solar Empire), I can say that PC's absolutely dominate when it comes to RTS games. No question.

I have heard that PC's are superior in terms of graphics, but having looked at the same games on PC's and televisions, the difference in my mind is minimal and not really deal-breaking. But that's another reason why PC gamers brag; some of them are really into graphics and consider it highly important.

The majority of the games I play are your standard RPG's like Suikoden, Lost Odyssey, etc. For these kind of games, the processing power or graphics of a PC matter very little to me. Besides, I'm far more concerned about the Gameplay and Music D) of a game than the graphics.

If anything, I'd argue that PC Elitism can be boiled down to Genre Elitism. If you're a hardcore FPS or RTS player, PC's may seem like the best system out there, so you push it as the best system out there. If you are perhaps into Fighters, Racing, or RPG's (not counting the MMO's), then hey, consoles probably appear superior.

Depends on the person really. PC's I recognize as superior tech wise, but that doesn't really count for much in my eyes when set against cost and my chosen genres.

As for the multiplayer aspect, both consoles and PC's can (and often do) have horrible multiplayer communities, and sometimes they don't.

The original question was why are PC gamers acting like the master race? Competitiveness. Exaggeration. A love to debate. Nothing to really get upset about.

 

[Hendar]

Hardly master race, neither gamers are. We're just gamers, I hate the category thing. WTF is casual gaming anyway? I play a lot of those so called casual games and the so called hardcore ones. They're all just games, stop it with the labels and categories!

Anyway, you met one idiot, don't judge every PC gamer because of what he said. And neither should anyone else about other gamers. There's a lot of frustration I find with PC since often developers leave us out to dry and then there's the awkward software stuff they keep throwing at us. Like some DLC's don't work unless you bought it at the right place, looking at you EA. You vile pathetic puss.

So most likely it was someone who felt they needed to throw their weight around. TBH I wish I could afford a console, I can't though. PC is VERY cheap in Sweden, so is the interwebs, consoles are very very expensive so the cheapest alternative is a PC for myself. I mean console games are 70$ here, no kidding here. It's freaking insane, in the long run PC is cheaper with the games and maintenance. I don't know about other PC gamers but I buy used parts and stuff if I need to upgrade.

As for the Steam comment, I love Steam but hardly, there's tons and tons of other digital download stores. Steam is just one of many places, plus most games can be found in retail stores as well so Steam being some sort of last pillar for PC gaming is something you've dreamt up on your own in your wild fantasies. Last I checked you have places like Desura, Origin, GFWL, D2D and tons of other places. Steam is brilliant though but it's hardly the last pillar holding up PC gaming.

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

PC

-Better controls by far, the mouse can be used for pinpoint accuracy in FPS games and the keyboard allows you to bind hundreds of different keys using modifiers like control.

-Because of the lack of control, console based games often have clunky interfaces.

-If for some reason you want to use a console controller for a PC game, there are drivers for that and USB adapters you can use to plug in any controller you want. Your PC can also plug into your TV if you want to play on a huge screen.

-Better hardware. If you say, my copy of game X looks as good as it does on the PC. That's because the game was developed for both consoles and PC, meaning that they have to make it weaker graphically to be able to run on all systems. Meaning consoles are dragging that game down because people refuse to upgrade to PC gaming.

-Modular hardware w/ the ability to switch out singular parts or even upgrade your system later with an extra GPU via crossfire or more memory.

-You aren't restricted to one online service, which promotes choice. Also when an official service goes down. Other people can remake their own service and mod the game to accept it. Case and point Westwood with Nox.

-Consoles have to run through a singular DVD with whatever space it has, which means that larger games often have to be broken up into parts which makes videogame design stunted for those systems. Case and Point: Mass Effect 2 was originally going to allow you to go to any planet and recruit any crew mate in any order. But because that would not fit on one CD they had to break it up into 3 arbitrarily separate parts.

-High resolution gaming. I even set old games to higher resolution VIA hex edit, patching or other methods.

-Game modding allows people to fix bugs post release for games that have no support for them any more. It will also allow enhancements to the actual game up to and including graphics and gameplay.

-You can modify save games and save files either to give yourself an arbitrary advantage in singleplayer. To create a save or download one to import for games like Mass Effect, Dragons Age, The Witcher. You can also modify saves to unlock content, case and point I didn't want to go through the whole kill X number of people to unlock weapons and abilities crap for the original Modern Warfare so I simply modded a save file to make myself a level 64 general or whatever with all multiplayer content unlocked.

-Games are cheaper to buy for PCs. Especially with tons of steam deals.

-We get abandonware. Tons of old game for free.

-Game emulation. I can run an xbox emulator on my PC. I can run a PS3 emulator. I can run any emulator I want. I've played old street fighter games on my PC. I can run any game I want.
-PCs can run multiple monitors.

-Windowed mode allows me to play games(yes legitimate games like warcraft 3) while running chat programs in the background so that I can easily jump back and forth between the two.

-Everyone has a computer nowadays anyways(Barring people from the 3rd and 2nd worlds.) Why would spend extra money to have a PC as well as a console. When for less money you can have one system that does both? I have so much media on my computer that you could never have on a console. Albums of music I've ripped from CDs. Entire seasons of TV shows on my computer that I can turn on in less than 10 seconds. And if I ever run out of space I can simply buy another terrabyte for pretty cheap.

-All PC gamers are given monocles and top hats for free upon joining the club.

Consoles

-Can Plug and play

That's like literally the only advantage I can think of for consoles that is actually true. I've heard tons of lies though about why consoles are better though.

Like PC players have to constantly be buying new hardware. - I hadn't bought a single new part in 5 years and have been playing all the latest games just fine. Got a new GPU for 270$ because I figured it was time with Skyrim and Rage coming out.

I've heard that you don't have to patch consoles games. Which either means that its not patching and you are getting a more buggy and subpar game, or that it's patching automatically which is something PC games already do. So uhh take your pick?

As for driver updating, windows grabs most of those automatically. My new GPU is AMD so steam does that automatically. For my old GPU I literally only had to get drivers on install and new drivers once in 5 years. Which is an extremely easy process. I don't need to tinker with my computer constantly to make it the best for a game. I don't need to overclock for good graphics. I don't need to spend forever tinkering with my sound settings or graphics settings. Games almost always auto detect that stuff and if they don't they always have default buttons to chose poor, medium, good, excellent graphics. If you think 20 seconds and one button is "too much tweaking" then I assume you will probably forget how to breath and die in the next few years anyways.

PCs can run split screen. Its just probably not worth setting up.

I can only see two reasons why people would honestly be resistant to getting a PC instead of a console. One would be that they grew up with console gaming and are now resistant to change, because they are comfortable with the game system they have. The other reason would be that they are too stupid to understand the exceedingly simple steps for computer maintenance and protection. And so their computers are prone to break and give weird errors because they downloaded a bunch of spyware while browsing porn or something.

The "graphics for PC are superior" argument is pretty lame in my opinion . I always looked at gameplay and story first - because I still play games like Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate, Morrowind ( these games are the reason I still use the PC for gaming ).

Well objectively it's better, which makes it one more bullet point for PCs and one less for consoles. I don't care that much about graphics either. If your system runs higher graphics when most games are created for both systems. That means that you are going to get more mileage out of any part you buy, because the graphics take longer to catch up. Or you can even simply buy older cheaper parts which are more than capable of playing any modern game developed for console/pc and capable of running at lower settings most games made PC exclusive.

 

[WrathOfAchilles]

You can't have an intelligent conversation about this if you're biased. Console vs PC cater to two USUALLY different groups of people. The fact you say steam is keeping PC gaming alive means you're in the console group. Everyone wants to defend their choice. Some are smart about it and others are not. PC vs Console, PC vs Mac, Windows vs Linux. Pick your side and fight.

 

[Treblaine]

Ok, most of it is subjective matters like m+k vs gamepad and whether or not shiny graphics are that important to you, and it's just very vocal PC Gamers being dick-measuring jerks, but there is one point I'm more than willing to debate.

simple
our communities for the most part are less terrible.

Spoiler: really?

Spoiler: Really?

Spoiler: Really?!

Spoiler: I mean, REALLY?!

Spoiler: Do you REALLY want to make that claim?

Spoiler: Are you SURE you want to make that claim?

Well, post Uber-Update for this community...

Spoiler: ARE YOU REALLY FUCKING SURE?!

And keep in mind CoD exists on PCs as well, and these are just the worst of the worst I could find.

Uhh you know Cliff Blezinksky for Gears of War 2 actively encouraged trash-talking and that cursing our and verbally abusing your competition was "the way you are supposed to play". Xbox Live is a by-word for shit talking and being generally unpleasant to everyone who joins the event. It's down right unpleasant.

Left 4 Dead games on Xbox Live is fucking INUNDATED with team-killing griefers, yet to spite 300 hours on the clock for both Left 4 Dead games, all with completely random team-mates I have met only like 7 who actively team-killed. On PC people immediately apologise for accidentally shooting you and will stick together through the worst, I got knocked down short of the helicopter and two of them jumped out from the safety of the chopper to rescue me. We all died but still "Good game, that was fun" "Shame we didn't make it"

Black Ops on PC, the FAMAS has not been patched though other genuine glitches have been patched, why? Because the community doesn't constantly whine and complain about every time they are killed by someone with a FAMAS, the accept that one guns is quite good. I mean the FAMAS haters, by god, it's gotten out of hand.

I hear console black-ops player genuinely amazed that they hear of Ghost users on PC shooting down air support and spy planes, that people in last stand are revived, and other team friendly things... just don't happen on 360 and PS3. It's just an unpleasant community.

On PC if you trash talk and are abusive, you will be kicked by the admin. THAT is something console gaming critically lacks, admins to police games to make sure people play fair and play nice. I DON'T come home from work to have to suffer being cussed out and verbally abused whether they win or lose, and to have to pay EXTRA for this as well, when most games have no dedicated servers... you see why PC gaming is so valued?

 

[Xangba]

I'm sure it's all been said many times but I don't feel like reading 3 pages. Basically the PC is more powerful, has more options for how to play (can use gamepad, keyboard/mouse, joysticks, whatever) can be made to last longer (spend an extra 100-200 bucks to allow for higher capacity and it's a simple matter of buying cheap upgrades) can get emulators to play most other games, and, of course, mods. I have nothing against consoles and love my 360, but you can't argue which is a better system. That's just denial. On top of that the computer also has all other programs, like the internet, Word, fun flash games, ect. The "elitist" view is annoying to be sure, but so is the idea that they are all equal, or even that consoles are superior. I can't take an online course on my Xbox.

 

[scorptatious]

Eh. I prefer console gaming myself. But I don't doubt that the PC is capable of a lot of things.

As for the PC elitists and console elitists, I really don't know what their problem is. Why do we need to exclude each other over what kind of games we play? It just seems kind of stupid to me.

 

[scorptatious]

Left 4 Dead games on Xbox Live is fucking INUNDATED with team-killing griefers, yet to spite 300 hours on the clock for both Left 4 Dead games, all with completely random team-mates I have met only like 7 who actively team-killed. On PC people immediately apologise for accidentally shooting you and will stick together through the worst, I got knocked down short of the helicopter and two of them jumped out from the safety of the chopper to rescue me. We all died but still "Good game, that was fun" "Shame we didn't make it"

Really? I've played the Left 4 Dead games on the 360 and I've met very few people like that.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Oh look! Someone whose deliberately looking to shit up with a tired old topic.
I think many of us have beat the "Console vs PC" dead horse enough already.

Here's my practical summary:
1) PC: Is technically strictly-better than consoles. Is not directly under proprietary control, despite the Big Three and the Game Publishers' wishes to the contrary. Is a deliberately gimped market for the purposes of market control, yet it has by far the most potential. Userbase receives the most draconian and severe of punishments in the form of DRM due to rampant piracy.

2) Consoles: Easy to use from the consumer's point of view, and a stable/consistent programming environment due to universal APIs. However, the current console cycle is really showing its age now. Not just graphically, but economically.
The publishers rather like the proprietary entrapment consoles provide; it does a better job of keeping their customers in a pen and under control than anything on PC (which can be cracked or otherwise worked around given time and effort) and thus they can better flex their implied monopoly power (hi there DLC!)

Consoles could do better, but that would mean ceding power to the people who keep them in business (that is, power to the customer), and that just won't happen. Not while things are looking profitable.

So, PC gamers get shit upon because console gamers continue to feed the companies who are shitting on them. Elitism and idiocy results. End of story.

Troll detected.

Move along; nothing to see here.

Agreed.
When one compares PC gamers to the ideals of the Third Reich, they indirectly invoke Godwin's Law. And only trolls can invoke Godwin's Law.