Why are MOST PC gamers full of so much hatred towards Consoles?

[captain underpants]

snip

That would be awesome if we lived in a perfect world. Fact of a now and here is this - depending on the platform (if multi-platform, it's developed on a console, almost no exceptions), games are mainly made for either a controller or a mouse and keyboard set up. Which means that games of a genre that would normally be played on a mouse and keyboard are being made for the controller instead, resulting in all the dumbing down.

So don't play those games. I think the problem of 'dumbing down' is possibly being overstated. The only problem I see coming from consoles is when the developers make a lazy port to the PC, and those are relatively few and easy to avoid. There's plenty of depth of play still available for the PC. The only downside is that I miss out on a few exclusive games. No big deal; I've got plenty else to play, and in a few years I'll be able to play them on an emulator anyway.

Ultimately, you pays your money, you makes your choice. Whatever gives you the most fun, and consoles are just as capable of delivering that as anything. Blaming consoles for the 'dumbing down' of gaming is contrary to my experience. I don't think gaming has 'dumbed down' at all. Quite the opposite in fact. It's just that there's a far wider range, and far more games in total that of course they're going to clump around the middle of the distribution curve. The 'smart' games are there in greater numbers than ever, and are 'smarter' than ever. You just might have to dig a bit for them if that's what you want to play.

 

[Continuity]

One thing that i always did notice is that the PC gamers are usually the ones to start the whole war. It almost seems like they get enjoyment out of starting pointless arguments and debates. Big deal, you paid nearly 1 grand, maybe more just so you can game with a mouse and a keyboard. Paying more for your gaming situation gives you no excuse to talk down on people who pay less for their gaming set ups (I.e console gamers).

I also see no legitimate reasons being stated as to why they hate console gaming. They just start bringing up the whole "Specs vs Specs" debate, and never state factual statements on why they hate/dislike consoles/console gamers.

Well ok, i would suggest that your post here is provocative if not outright flame bait, tbh I'm not sure why you weren't put on probation for it but that said...

Yes, consoles and the PC have Pros and cons, yes the console does some things better and is a whole lot more accessible, its also cheaper to setup (though the game costs tend to be higher).

However, there are numerous reasons why console gamers and consoles spark ire in PC gamers:

1) Console ports: Port a great game and you basically shoot it in the knees. Some ports are better than others, yes, but a game is always best on the platform it was designed for. What don't we like about console ports? Bad optimisation, poor interfaces, mangled controls, lack of otherwise standard PC features, the list goes on.

2) Consoles stole our shit: Take the FPS genre for example, for quite sometime this was something that mainly existed on the PC, sure there were arcade style shooters on the consoles but these bore little resemblance to the core FPS games on the PC. Roll forward and suddenly FPS games a plastered all over the console medium, the result? many AAA FPS title are now primarily developed for the console and ported to the PC - see point 1. or if not ported then they are developed in tandem and very much without a clear sighted focus on the PC. And this is by no means limited to FPS.

3) Consoles lower the bar: This is perhaps a bit more contentious, but given that consoles are cheaper, more accessible, and have a more "fun" friendly persona (if you understand me), its only natural that publishers and developers would use this medium to reach out to what is known in the gaming vernacular as the "casual" audience. They do this primarily by creating games outside of the core genre which have very different sorts of appeal. Unfortunately the effect of this bleeds though into the core market, not entirely of course and many titles are unaffected, however there is big money in the casual sector (purely though numbers) and money makes people (publishers) do stupid things. A substantial effect of the boom in the casual sector is less investment in the core sector (take the motion control cop out re next gen for example).

I'm tired now, so I'm cutting this short. I may be back tomorrow to add more points.

Edit: bah, had to respond to this..

See, the thing is that a lot of us PC gamers got over playing CS years ago, and it seems like the crowd that CS drew in moved to playing on consoles. The games they put out now really caters to that mindset. A simple, run-and-gun-for-fun game that is only designed to kill other players in a multiplayer setting. There is no point in making a good platform game, or a RPG with a compelling story, because there is about 2x the number of people out there that want to find new ways to smash someone else in an online game.

Ok. i'm calling bullshit on that.

The CS crowd is probably the most discerning and dedicated PC gaming community in existence. Secondly there is no "mindset" (with the "inferior" connotation you added) for FPS, whats more this "run-and-gun-for-fun game that is only designed to kill other players in a multiplayer setting" is misleading at best and ignorant at worst, you imply that FPS is a superficial and trivial genre - this is patently not true. What i'm getting from you here is that you don't like FPS, so just say that, don't wrap your sentiment in a poorly disguised flame.

 

[RaikuFA]

snip

That would be awesome if we lived in a perfect world. Fact of a now and here is this - depending on the platform (if multi-platform, it's developed on a console, almost no exceptions), games are mainly made for either a controller or a mouse and keyboard set up. Which means that games of a genre that would normally be played on a mouse and keyboard are being made for the controller instead, resulting in all the dumbing down.

snip

Neither your post, nor that of the person you quoted, makes sense in the slightest. For one, it's the stupid, stupid god damn idea that your PC becomes obsolete every time a new part comes out. Wrong. You can play any game on the market with a single core processor in your PC. The fact that there are better processors out there doesn't make this any less true. For another thing, the anecdotal evidence is told in a manner that makes me question its validity, to say it lightly.

seriously, what brand of rose colored glasses are you wearing? i see it all the time, someone wants to buy parts for a gaming pc, they go on a forum asking what parts to get and everyone starts going off against the new person as if they were the reincarnation of hitler.. and its gotta stop. i bet i could go into a store where most pc gamers go for new parts and ask for help on building a good gaming pc and the people working there will chastise me for not knowing it(then again i live in NJ so its probably bound to happen either way)

 

[Continuity]

seriously, what brand of rose colored glasses are you wearing? i see it all the time, someone wants to buy parts for a gaming pc, they go on a forum asking what parts to get and everyone starts going off against the new person as if they were the reincarnation of hitler.. and its gotta stop. i bet i could go into a store where most pc gamers go for new parts and ask for help on building a good gaming pc and the people working there will chastise me for not knowing it(then again i live in NJ so its probably bound to happen either way)

It depends what forum you go to. If you got to somewhere dedicated to helping people build or troubleshoot computers then you will get helpful, courteous, and knowledgable advice; however if you go somewhere more general you're likely to get some jackasses responding.

 

[captain underpants]

i bet i could go into a store where most pc gamers go for new parts and ask for help on building a good gaming pc and the people working there will chastise me for not knowing it(then again i live in NJ so its probably bound to happen either way)

Maybe you should do the experiment before mouthing off with such certainty.

Besides, I'm not any kind of expert, but I have an internet connection and half a brain. With a combination of online stores and review sites, and an hour or two to kill, it's pretty easy to walk into a store with a pretty good idea of what I need. Maybe that's too much effort for some, but even when choosing between consoles it pays to do a bit of homework. Same goes for any sort of major purchase.

If you seriously do want some help, send me a PM, and I'll do what I can. But really, it's all very plug 'n' play these days, and anyone with a bit of initiative and google can figure it out.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Oh, and @ the person claiming that Fable III on the Xbox requires HD - incorrect. http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/1245/Xbox-360-FAQs/p2 -- No Xbox title has HD as a requirement, Microsoft prevents development teams from coding it.

Did you even read what the debate was about? The guy I was talking to stated that consoles have no HD games.

Your link actually helped me prove my point that the 360 has HD games. I wasn't saying that it was required to have an HDTV to play HD games, I was saying it was needed to play the games in the quality they were made for.

It doesn't matter if a game is in HD it can still be played on a non-HD TV.

From the link you provided:

"11. If my TV only supports 480p and 1080i, will the Xbox 360 reduce game visuals to 480p?

The high-definition support for Xbox 360 is dynamic, so even if a game is designed with 720p in mind, but your TV only supports 480p or 1080i, Xbox 360 will run the game in the best resolution your TV offers; in this case would be 1080i."

Note: "even if a game is designed with 720p in mind,"

This is talking about games that are designed for 720p, which is HD. And even though the game is in HD it can still be played on a non-HD TV. It will just have a lower resolution than the game was made for.

So in the end, consoles do have HD games. Since that was what the debate was about, I win the debate. Facts are there, end of story.

 

[RaikuFA]

i already ordered one earlier this week but thanks though

 

[SantoUno]

Can and will. The act of rubbishing consoles is as basic as CAPSLOCKING. It's rude, smarmy and most of us have already made our decision, one way or the other.

That doesn't make it ok. The only reason why I'm even saying this is because there is some possible hypocrisy in this viewpoint. Why? Because if you think rubbising consoles is acceptable, what if someone rubbishes the PC? You KNOW several other Escapists will swarm on that person like Cliffracers.

Therefore, if you think that people have a right to bash consoles (I wouldn't mind), then everyone else should also be able to make a negative comment about PC gaming without everyone rushing to slit his/her throat.

That's not to say we won't poke fun at XBLA's screamers, PSN's price or Wii...just being wii. Let's face it, we take shit for being expensive, over-complicated elitist pirates no matter what we do, and the consoles fight among themselves all the time as well.

The first person asks how Torchlight can work on the Console. I'd ask similar, given that it has 15 or so buttons that need to be pressed.

Then you come in and hammer him. he wasn't bashing consoles...or at least it didn't seem that way, he was just asking how you can translate a game based on lots of different key presses to a system that only has a fixed number.

But you probably have already labelled him a PC ELITIST! See how upsetting that can be?

If you're defining all or most PC gamers by what

at least ONE person, but usually more,

say, then don't you think you're being as bad as you label us to be?

I put my hands up here. The person actually told me he is not a PC only gamer, and I apologized to him already, as I should to you. Sorry for being out of line.

But what I said about the threads that involve consoles or PC stills stands. Every single one always has one or more people making negative comments towards consoles or their respective players.

I still apologize for saying the PC elitists far outnumber the reasonable PC gamers, because I cannot know that for certainty. In fact, I want to rephrase it: A large number of PC gamers HERE ON THE ESCAPIST are the kind of PC elitists I dislike. That I can say without shame because the evidence is in every single thread that involves consoles and/or PC like I said earlier.

P.S. Forgive me? *wants to shake metaphorical hand*

 

[Danceofmasks]

People play PC because they like the games on it, and the features it offers like modding and online buying. People play consoles because they enjoy the games on it, and the features like playing with friends. I own a gaming PC and a lot of consoles and I play eat roughly equally. The fact that you're even TRYING to convince someone that whatever you have is better means you aren't satisfied with what you have until everyone knows it. (not you specifically I mean you as in "random person")

DUDE.
Read the first 3 posts in this thread.
I have consoles and I like them.

See, you happen to think, when 2 people disagree, that they are both entitled to their opinion.
Now, I have no issues with nintendo fanboys (and girls), 'cos regardless of their opinions they never seem to have opinions that are outright wrong.

From Rock Band 3 to Gran Turismo 5 to Saints Row 2 to Super Street Fighter 4, those "next gen" consoles have some amazing games.
However, I know I, personally, slap down those console fanboys when they are vocal about the technological superiority of the PS3 or whatnot, which is outright wrong.

People are entitled to like whatever they like.
Ignorance, however, benefits nobody. And making a habit of forcibly educating ignorant people is a virtue.

Y'know, next gen consoles can use and support precision peripherals. Tournament edition arcade sticks. Driving wheels. Pro mode instruments for rock band.

The fact that game after game finds it necessary to incorporate aim assistance is insulting to gaming as a whole.
Aim assistance is not necessary if they'd just improve the controller.
I'm not saying "plug in a mouse" either, 'cos it's not practical to use a mouse on a couch, and that's one of the strengths of consoles.
But even something as simple as increasing the height of the analog sticks, quadrupling the dots per inch (precision), then reducing the dead zone to almost zero ... there should be no reason, ever, for anyone who thinks they're good at aiming, to be happy with having aim assistance.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I put my hands up here. The person actually told me he is not a PC only gamer, and I apologized to him already, as I should to you. Sorry for being out of line.

'sok. We all make mistakes. Takes a better person to admit to them.

But what I said about the threads that involve consoles or PC stills stands. Every single one always has one or more people making negative comments towards consoles or their respective players.

Find me a thread about PC gamers that doesn't call us elitist, state the PC is more expensive than a console or complain that you need to keep upgrading all the time.

See...it's exactly the same as the Speccy vs Commodore, BBC vs Dragon, Amiga vs PC, Amiga vs ST, NES vs Playstation and all the other sub wars.

Everyone on here has a favourite game and a game they hate, talking about them rarely brings in the level of rage that favoured platform causes, does it? If we accept that PC gaming does require a certain level of technical know-how that some people don't want to put in, that doesn't make it "ridiculously complex" or the console "for retards".

However, gaming on the consoles is pitched at the LCD end of the market by the main companies for the reasons Mouldy Oldie put forward earlier. That means that the PC's "freedom" is being stripped away from us for money, and with console fans screaming for the downfall of our Ivory Tower, you can imagine why some people get very upset.

A large number of PC gamers HERE ON THE ESCAPIST are the kind of PC elitists I dislike. That I can say without shame because the evidence is in every single thread that involves consoles and/or PC like I said earlier.

Find me a thread that talks about PCs without the words "Elitist", "Expensive" or "Complicated" in; and then we'll look at addressing the balance.

P.S. Forgive me? *wants to shake metaphorical hand*

Forgiving isn't necessary, but I'll shake your hand anyway. Just remember that some of the Elitists (Not All or Most) are that way because they want to keep ideas like modding, LAN, customization, free downloads and other things that console users have given away for their compatability.

The rest of us probably have used a console anyway, but just don't like it. I've played both the Wii and the Xbox for a good number of hours, but both leave me cold.

(And if you think the consoles get a hard time, never ask about Macs )

(By the way, there's a number of very good fighting games you can play on the PC - with a keyboard - and you'll never be able to get MUGEN on the consoles)

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

SID & FAT AGNUS all the way.

Damn straight.

I don't hate console gamers, I consider anyone who never gamed on a 'Miggy to be a lesser lifeform.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Yes, PCs require constant shovelling of money into their rapacious maws. In the 3 and a bit years since my last system upgrade I've spend $20!!! on adding a pair of fans to my case. It's fucking unbelievable, I could have used that money to buy half a bottle of cheap irish whiskey.

Of course, I do go a bit overboard when I upgrade but I also use my PC for 3D modelling, digital art and the odd musical composition when the mood takes me, which is why in my next upgrade I'll be bumping the RAM up to at least 8Gb... 16Gb if I can scrape up the extra cash. When you have creative digital hobbies there's no such thing as 'too much RAM'.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Simple solution. If you have a one year old computer that chugs this year's games, TURN DOWN YOU RESOLUTION AND GRAPHIC DETAIL!

Going from High to Normal doesn't cause that much of a graphic difference, and increases performance incredibly. But if you're so set on full graphic settings that you won't play anything that doesn't let you do that, you obviously don't want to play it as much as you thought you did.

I know this, I played many of my games on a seven year old computer and got current day games to fun on it simply by lowering graphic settings.

A PC with a 1.5G video card and about 4-6 gigs of ram are really all you need. Most processors that come in a 500-600 dollar computer can run a game no problem. And a 1 Gig video card only costs about $100 if you don't have one. All computers nowadays come with these parts, so I don't understand how your computer could lag with these games.

But there could be something you can do for free:

1. Clean up your registry
2. Scan for adware and spyware
3. Defragment your Hard Drive

Anything that usually speeds up your PC will do it.

Just remember that the Minimum Sys Requirements is for lowerst graphic settings, and Recommended is for Normal Sys Requirements. And Normal Graphic Quality is the default set by the developers.

Well the specs that I know my computer has is a Pentium(R) Dual-Core, 4 gigs of ram, and my graphics run from an Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family(I'm thinking it is an integrated thing) I remember when I opened the thing up once, I saw it was pretty much all one piece, motherboard and all. I did that when my university tried to tell me my computer was the reason I couldn't connect to their internet. It ended up being their problem, a faulty switch in the apartment internet junction box; it took them a week before they sent someone out to find that out. During that, I found out my Ethernet is part of the motherboard welded in.

I have a 20 dollar visa debit gift card and a few extra bucks, maybe I will go out and find a new game I think looks interesting and try it out. Recommendations are welcome.

 

[Deleted]

People play PC because they like the games on it, and the features it offers like modding and online buying. People play consoles because they enjoy the games on it, and the features like playing with friends. I own a gaming PC and a lot of consoles and I play eat roughly equally. The fact that you're even TRYING to convince someone that whatever you have is better means you aren't satisfied with what you have until everyone knows it. (not you specifically I mean you as in "random person")

DUDE.
Read the first 3 posts in this thread.
I have consoles and I like them.

See, you happen to think, when 2 people disagree, that they are both entitled to their opinion.
Now, I have no issues with nintendo fanboys (and girls), 'cos regardless of their opinions they never seem to have opinions that are outright wrong.

From Rock Band 3 to Gran Turismo 5 to Saints Row 2 to Super Street Fighter 4, those "next gen" consoles have some amazing games.
However, I know I, personally, slap down those console fanboys when they are vocal about the technological superiority of the PS3 or whatnot, which is outright wrong.

People are entitled to like whatever they like.
Ignorance, however, benefits nobody. And making a habit of forcibly educating ignorant people is a virtue.

Y'know, next gen consoles can use and support precision peripherals. Tournament edition arcade sticks. Driving wheels. Pro mode instruments for rock band.

The fact that game after game finds it necessary to incorporate aim assistance is insulting to gaming as a whole.
Aim assistance is not necessary if they'd just improve the controller.
I'm not saying "plug in a mouse" either, 'cos it's not practical to use a mouse on a couch, and that's one of the strengths of consoles.
But even something as simple as increasing the height of the analog sticks, quadrupling the dots per inch (precision), then reducing the dead zone to almost zero ... there should be no reason, ever, for anyone who thinks they're good at aiming, to be happy with having aim assistance.

I agree with you there. Arguing about processing power and shit like that is pointless because facts are facts.

But one more thing: The thing about aim assist I have a problem with, is not the thing itself. Its people complaining. Controller users fight against other controller users so its a non issue when the field is balanced. You could complain that Keyboards such at racing games so everyone should use a wheel or not play.

That aside, guys who say consoles are better at FPS are wrong, but they're idiots anyways.

 

[Danceofmasks]

But one more thing: The thing about aim assist I have a problem with, is not the thing itself. Its people complaining. Controller users fight against other controller users so its a non issue when the field is balanced. You could complain that Keyboards such at racing games so everyone should use a wheel or not play.

That aside, guys who say consoles are better at FPS are wrong, but they're idiots anyways.

NO.

People should not play a driving game that has steering assistance.
IF a keyboard should prove to be inadequate, then use something else. But steering assistance in a game that's all about steering is fucking retarded.