Valve Boss: New Intel CPU Allows a "Console-Like Experience" on the PC

[spinFX]

Umm we already get a console like experience, it's called plugging your TV into your PC, and then plugging a game pad into your PC.

 

[UnderCoverGuest]

In the word of Dr. Evil...

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggghhht..."

 

[mocruz1200]

gabe newell can do no wrong

 

[Sacul]

Oh, Gabe, it looks like your fat is starting to take control over you. Lose weight why don't you? Get yourself more bello in the jello, it's very outnumbered right now.

Thanks a lot. Episode 3 just got another year of Valve time.

OT: That's nice for new people getting into PC gaming, completely useless for me though. I like my 1680x1050.

 

[Feralbreed]

Finally I can maybe play some actual games on my PC, instead of just fixing a problem after problem.

 

[the.chad]

I guess if the price is to hefty, intel is gonna absolutely own the business sector, not that they already don't.

Still, anyone who actually gets a computer for playing games will obviously go for a separate video card for the performance and interchangablility (totally just created a new word!).

 

[pneuma08]

That is to say, in order to be a PC gamer nowadays and in the past, one would also need to be PC enthusiast.

What is a PC enthusiast? Why is it a requirement to play games on the PC? Any games? If not, what games then?

A PC enthusiast has an understanding of what goes into a PC - not architecture or specifics, but rather how it all fits together. What a video card is, why it is important, and such. It is a requirement because one needs to know whether their particular configuration will work with any given game. That is, if I purchase Assassin's Creed 2 I need to know if it will work with my system or not, and that entails knowing what kind of video card I have, if I have a multicore CPU and at what speed, etc. People buying consoles don't need to know any of that; Xbox 360 games will work with an Xbox 360. Sure, it has a CPU and a GPU and various other components, but 90% of the people who buy a 360 don't know or care what speed they operate at, which is required knowledge for traditional PC gamership.

Of course, this doesn't apply towards every game - for instance Bejeweled and web-based games have such minimal requirements as to be negligible. (I shouldn't have spoken in such broad terms, but alas, that is the detriment to brevity.)

Back on point, Newell is basically saying that this type of integration can help to bring the, "I don't care, as long as it works" crowd into PC gaming through simplification. It may even help devs by having a much more concrete low-end to work with.

 

[runedeadthA]

I don't know about the elitists, but as a PC gamer, I think this might really be a good thing. The variety of graphics cards has undeniable negative side effects on PC gaming and I'd be glad to see it gone, or at least the eternal arms race between the few major manufacturers reduced.

The problem that I see with this is that integrated graphics cards (I know this isn't the same thing, but it's similar) were already attempted and were an unmitigated disaster. I hope this turns out better.

I think it's great too.

I can just imagine elitists getting very uppity about the fact their glorious PC is compared to a dishevelled console :3

Integrated graphics cards were never a good idea ._.

Surprisingly few people actually ***** for no reason on the PC elitist front, Of course they are the most vocal, and people mix up Pc gamers who actually have valid points with complainers, which just makes the problem worse all round.

OT: Good intergrated graphics are nice enough for people who don't won't to pick (though have fun if something goes wrong ) But at least its not like they're saying "No more graphics card's full stop!" Which would be meet with (Completely justifiable ) riots.

But of course, the question on everyones lips: Can it run Crysis?

 

[lacktheknack]

Now THIS is why I prefer console gaming to PC gaming, that new CPU is going to cost more then an console itself.

Actually, you can get an i7 chip right now for ~$90, and they came out a long while ago.

Thus, all you need to do is wait for six months after this next generation release, and pick one up for ~$100.

Or shell out for a current i5 chip and a decent graphics card ($150 total) and play Portal 2 out of the gate at 50+ FPS. Either one works.

 

[lacktheknack]

But of course, the question on everyones lips: Can it run Crysis?

That's the question on the lips of everyone who has no idea how integrated graphics work.

Short answer: No, and they won't be able to until the mid 2020s. You'll need a graphics card (which every gamer should have anyways).

 

[UmbrellaAssassin]

Valve Boss: New Intel CPU Allows a "Console-Like Experience" on the PC

Gabe Newell, the big cheese at Valve [http://www.valvesoftware.com], says again I'm taking attention away from Half-life 2 epi. 3/ Half-life 3.
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[Lordmarkus]

Oh I can't wait to see the PC elitists raging about this one.

Rage? We will be relieved of the hassle of buying graphcards. That's a good thing and it can also revolutionize gaming-laptops.

Then of course, it has to meet certain qualifications of course. I will not endure anything under 1080p. *snort*.

How do you think I feel? I've just ordered two new monitors to get a glorious resolution of 5760x1080, and from the sounds of things even loading the Windows Classic desktop theme would make these cards chug. xD


To be honest, I can't see CPU/GPU combined chips becoming a replacement for the standard setup, more of an alternative for less power hungry users. Having them separate allows replacing faulty parts to be both easier and cheaper (As replacing either a CPU or GPU would more than likely be a fair bit cheaper than having to replace one component with both in), and it also allows the user to overclock them with less risk, cool the processors more easily, and most importantly for the more POWAAAH PC gamer easier to upgrade when newer chips get released.

It's just an upgrade of sorts to the current system of integrated graphics chips on motherboards. Except now it's put on the other most expensive piece of equipment in most machines, the processor.

Personally I'll always prefer standalone cards for the overclocking options and ease and cost effectiveness of replacement and upgrade.

Why would you need that kind of resolution and monitors? Duck-sight in FPS, videoediting or are you just serious in racingsims?

 

[Enigmers]

I don't think this is going to eliminate the market for graphics cards at all; in fact, I don't see much of a change for the PC-gaming consumer, period. It may, however, make it easier for games to be programmed or optimized with these CPUs in mind, so we could get a more graphically impressive experience for our money (not that PC gaming is expensive to begin with.)

 

[V8 Ninja]

At first, I thought I was going to reply to this news with a "No! But that's what's special about PC gaming!"...

...But then I learned the article was about something COMPLETELY different, and now I'm like "I guess that works..."

Kinda happy for this change in PC gaming. CPUs with integrated video cards will definitely help make deciding computer parts much less of a hassle, but I'm not entirely sure if it will stick. It's all a matter of time.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

"the potential elimination of discrete graphics cards as a core component of gaming-capable PCs "

And then it can't even outperform cheapo stand alone cards...
Marketing blurb, and they know it!

Besides he said "gaming capable" which basically means what, it can run Solitaire?

 

[Kenjitsuka]

It's just an upgrade of sorts to the current system of integrated graphics chips on motherboards. Except now it's put on the other most expensive piece of equipment in most machines, the processor.

I agree with your whole post, but the CPU the most expensive part?
I do spend ridiculous amounts of cash on the CPU, but for me the GPU's have always broken the bank (Yes, I *must* have that very latest top of the line model GPU! Been like that since the Voodoo era for me )

 

[Azaraxzealot]

again, PC gaming costs too damn much because now if i want to play games without the fear of them crashing or freezing or lagging on me, i have to go out, purchase this, and learn how to install the damn thing without zapping my computer to death

Uh, PC gaming doesn't cost much more than the initial jump into console gaming. Factor in the higher price of games for consoles, and the difference really doesn't exist beyond the hardware. Again, as I said above, the upgrade-once-a-year (Or every six months as a variation) isn't true, nor is the £2000 price tag for a PC. I can go out and get components for a PC for £700 (Give or take ~£50) and it'll give me superior performance, visuals, usability, versatility, control and sound over a £200 console, and it'll last a good three years at the very least, assuming no hardware failures (And, come on, it's not like consoles are immune to failure either). What's the price difference between a gaming PC and someone with a laptop/desktop and a console? Almost nothing, and the gaming PC gives a superior experience for most games.

Basic PC use and maintenance is very, very, very easy to learn and a lot of websites out there exist to help people with it. My PC is, bar Windows XP, running nothing but freeware. CCleaner, MyDefrag, SpyBot, Microsoft Security Essentials, iTunes (I've got an iPod Touch, so yeah), Opera/Firefox. They're all simple and easy to use, and work brilliantly for me. A console doesn't allow you anywhere near that level of control, and whilst it might be 'easier' to use games with, once a game is installed on a PC (Default options almost always work perfectly) that's it. Nothing else has to be done.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_265/7935-Punching-the-Baby-Seal-of-PC-Gaming

PC gaming is too unfriendly to newcomers to ever be truly superior. My desktop is a 1000 dollar computer bought about 2 years ago and cant run anything more complicated than Warcraft 3.

saying "OH YOU NEVER BUY PRE-BUILT NOOB!" is a completely idiotic comeback since it is stupid to expect someone who just wants to play some games to have to take lessons on how to take apart and rebuild their computer and which components go where and which cards are compatible with which systems and OS's and even certain GAMES THEMSELVES require specific graphics cards to run properly (and by "properly" i mean on the highest graphical settings... like console games, which work perfectly without having to gut the system and replace parts)

OT: if this chip is what Gabe says it is, then that means PC gaming would actually be fucking worth it. but otherwise, fuck PC gaming and all its unfriendly and complicated and expensive ways

 

[Fearzone]

If this forces more consistent and standardized drivers among the videocards then it's all good. Game makers shouldn't have to design, optimize, and debug their games with several dozen different videocards in mind. PC developers are already saddled with having to vary graphics options to suit the power of the system, and anything that makes their jobs more difficult still comes back around to hurt PC gaming overall.

 

[RA92]

Integrated GPU trying to push the dedicated graphics cards out of the market?

I smell Communism!

 

[Optimystic]

Oh I can't wait to see the PC elitists raging about this one.

Rage? We will be relieved of the hassle of buying graphcards. That's a good thing and it can also revolutionize gaming-laptops.

This. I just can't go back to desktops anymore and this sounds like just what the doctor ordered to make gaming laptops affordable.

But what another poster said about the heat makes me worry, I don't want my balls carbonized...