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Why is PC gaming still considered difficult with too much tinkering?
- Thread starter Fredrik
- Start date
Cow Mengde
Banned
Because it is a pain in the ass, and I do game on PC. This is a recent example, from this week in fact.
I has a Laptop with i5 6300 @2.3Ghz and Turbos up to 3.0Ghz equipped with a GTX960M. I tried to play Vanquish at 1080p. The game is horribly slow despite meeting the requirements. Sort of. The only part I don't get is that Vanquish requires i3 2.9Ghz. Yet my CPU is 2.3Ghz (not counting Turbo) and it's an i5. I had to go crazy thinking something was wrong, only to realize my resolution was too high. I saw Digital Foundry test Vanquish on a GTX 750Ti (in line with my laptop GPU for the most part) and it ran well enough at 1080p at 30fps.
My performance wasn't jerky, it was just slow. Even the mouse responded slowly. I am playing at 720p now, and I still haven't figured out why I have trouble with 1080p for the game.
I has a Laptop with i5 6300 @2.3Ghz and Turbos up to 3.0Ghz equipped with a GTX960M. I tried to play Vanquish at 1080p. The game is horribly slow despite meeting the requirements. Sort of. The only part I don't get is that Vanquish requires i3 2.9Ghz. Yet my CPU is 2.3Ghz (not counting Turbo) and it's an i5. I had to go crazy thinking something was wrong, only to realize my resolution was too high. I saw Digital Foundry test Vanquish on a GTX 750Ti (in line with my laptop GPU for the most part) and it ran well enough at 1080p at 30fps.
My performance wasn't jerky, it was just slow. Even the mouse responded slowly. I am playing at 720p now, and I still haven't figured out why I have trouble with 1080p for the game.
rexpro
Neo Member
i wanna live in your world man i really do.... in the 29 years that i have lived in planet earth i have not met a single human being who havent had at least 1 problem with any given game at any give time of their lifespan in a pc. ( And i know a lot of people who plays in PCs)
NoblesseOblige
Banned
The fact https://pcgamingwiki.com/ exists should be all you need to answer the question.
sp3ctr3
Member
I guess the people complaining about it being hard wasn't around in the early 90's?
And how is it hard? Buy a pre-built PC and enjoy. Maybe change the graphics card down the line, which is pretty easy as windows/graphics manufacturer takes care of the driver stuff.
I've had my current PC since 2011 and changed graphics card once. I don't play top end stuff but mostly smaller indie style releases. Intel and nVidia and 0 problems for 6+ years.
If you want to tweak every bit of performance out of your gear then it gets more complicated.
And how is it hard? Buy a pre-built PC and enjoy. Maybe change the graphics card down the line, which is pretty easy as windows/graphics manufacturer takes care of the driver stuff.
I've had my current PC since 2011 and changed graphics card once. I don't play top end stuff but mostly smaller indie style releases. Intel and nVidia and 0 problems for 6+ years.
If you want to tweak every bit of performance out of your gear then it gets more complicated.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Just because it was harder in the 90s doesn't mean people are going to be willing to have to do any sort of troubleshooting in 2017.
That's mostly for older games though, and I rather there is a helpful wiki for games like Prey that works wonderful on PC unlike console with additional fixes at the wiki for higher FOV.
There's no point having a site like this for consoles because if you get a shit port there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, which is the fundamental problem I have with console gaming and why no amount of possible tinkering will dissuade me from gaming on PC; You have no control.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Well you have to see it like ios vs playstore
Less models = better optimised games
Fredrik
Member
Aha. how typical, I have an SSD but it's only used for Windows, the games are installed on a regular HDD.
Still at work so hopefully it's unpacked and ready when I get home.
Edit: Woo the unpacking is done and the game looks great and runs beautifully!
SmashN'Grab
Member
It can be unfathomably annoying at times, to be honest. I'm currently having an issue with Dishonored 2 (which has nothing to do with the fact that it runs poorly) - I'm finding that randomly the game just won't accept input from my Xbox controller, despite the fact that the controller is working (as in, when I press the guide button the little guide comes up on windows but the game is stuck with mouse/keyboard).
Things like this can be enough to make you just give up and play on consoles. Over the years I've seen a lot of PC performance threads where people were so unhappy with the state of certain games on their systems that they ended up playing the PlayStation or Xbox version instead. And it's not just the notoriously bad ports like Dishonored 2 and Arkham Knight, either, but for all types of games.
For me, I found the best way to enjoy PC games is to go for a pretty mid-range PC and play certain types of PC-focused games on it. And to leave the big-ticket AAA-type games for consoles, by and large.
Things like this can be enough to make you just give up and play on consoles. Over the years I've seen a lot of PC performance threads where people were so unhappy with the state of certain games on their systems that they ended up playing the PlayStation or Xbox version instead. And it's not just the notoriously bad ports like Dishonored 2 and Arkham Knight, either, but for all types of games.
For me, I found the best way to enjoy PC games is to go for a pretty mid-range PC and play certain types of PC-focused games on it. And to leave the big-ticket AAA-type games for consoles, by and large.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
We literally just had a thread about the latest PS4 Prey patch the screws the game up further. On PC this could be fixed. But for the tinker free console experience the solution is hope the developer fixes the game for you. It's not uncommon to see comments like "looks like my copy's going to remain sealed until the developer fixes it".
shanafan
Member
What kind of maintenance?
No different than in your scenario of coming home, and seeing there is a new patch for the game you wanted to play and having to wait for that download to finish.
GTA V is amazing on PC, and I doubt I will ever go back to my Xbox One copy. With the addition of Self Radio that allows me to play music from my PC in the game, well that was just icing on the cake.
If RDR 2 is formally announced for PC, I will definitely just wait it out. I'm already doing that for Destiny 2. PC gaming is just that much better.
Fredrik
Member
Generally speaking I totally agree with you but I honestly think PS4 Pro (and soon Scorpio) is closing the gap. I feel like 4K on PC is still kind of early while it feels like both the TV industry and Pro/Scorpio is more prepared for 4K. On consoles we're already used to have 60hz screens but on PC we're used to have 144hz screens but now we're supposed to be okay with going back to 60hz. One step forward on both consoles and PC, but also one step backwards on PC. Personally I won't jump in on 4K on PC until I can afford three 4K144hz screens, otherwise I'm making too much sacrifices. I just don't feel like I need to wait on tech advancements in the same way with consoles, if that makes any sense.
Games are oftentimes not optimized for mobile architecture, so I dunno how representative this is tbh.
I think I see what you're trying to say, but I don't agree one bit.
The Pro for example doesn't even do native 4k for 90% of its titles (just throwing a number out there, I know it's not accurate).
PC gaming is all about choice. Those who want to play games at 4k can now do so on PC with ultra settings at a steady 60FPS with a single card (1080Ti). There are only a handful of titles where that isn't the case.
On consoles, you're looking at the equivalent of medium PC settings and checkerboard 4k.
For competitive gamers, or those who prefer high refresh rates and don't need high resolutions, they can do 144-240hz.
It's not a "sacrifice" if you prefer higher resolution. It's choice. And you also have the middle ground of 1440p/144hz.
Just want to report my latest troubles: Mafia III. Micro stutters and frequent freezes for a second or two. Took me couple of hours of tinkering to finally solve that issue. Then, Steam/2K thought with the last update: hey, let's bust the controller support and ramp up the sensitivity to infinity no matter what settings you have. After browsing the discussion forums: deactivate the steam overlay or install the latest Steam beta update. Seriously, I don't have time for this shit. Tried the demo on my PS4 (Pro) and despite being locked to 30FPS it was a way smoother experience and looks almost the same with little differences you probably wouldn't notice except for direct comparison screenshots. And I'm usually very keen of the little details like aliasing and the like.
I own more PC games and play more frequent than on my PS4 and don't want to generalize but needed to let off some steam right now.
I will rethink my version of choice in future. If I wouldn't already own the DLCs/Season pass on PC I probably would buy the PS4 version instead.
Fallout 3 GOTY on the other hand I could not finish on my PS3 due to crashes. On the PC the large adress patch seems to resolve that issue and since the loading times are incredibly fast it's not THAT bad as compared to the console version.
So in the end I think there's never a no brainer choice if you own more than one system.
I own more PC games and play more frequent than on my PS4 and don't want to generalize but needed to let off some steam right now.
I will rethink my version of choice in future. If I wouldn't already own the DLCs/Season pass on PC I probably would buy the PS4 version instead.
Fallout 3 GOTY on the other hand I could not finish on my PS3 due to crashes. On the PC the large adress patch seems to resolve that issue and since the loading times are incredibly fast it's not THAT bad as compared to the console version.
So in the end I think there's never a no brainer choice if you own more than one system.
Have folks seriously never just had some shit go wrong? I updated a driver once (which I never had to think about on console) and it cut my frame rate in half. Fixing that was a real goddamn bear, lemme tell ya.
I've also had games for whatever reason not work on my PC and had do go digging into forums to figure out why. PCs are more finicky than consoles. More moving parts = more shit that can go wrong.
I've also had games for whatever reason not work on my PC and had do go digging into forums to figure out why. PCs are more finicky than consoles. More moving parts = more shit that can go wrong.
Yo:
I've been primarily a PC gamer for over a decade, but then my PC just catastrophically blew up and it kind of killed the whole hobby for me for now.
I've been happy enough with Xbox/Playstation/Switch for the year since that happened, and don't see any need to rebuild my entire PC right now. I wish I could play PU: Battlegrounds and such, but it's not like I'm lacking other games to play.
¯\_(ツ
I'm the author of some very PC-specific evangilising threads, and even I just get utterly fed up with it from time to time:
Ubisoft: Here are some PC games that sold close to or better than the 360 versions
Skyrim is putting up insane numbers on Steam
The incredibly long tail of Bastion's sales on PC - specific numbers over time
Ubisoft - Why do you keep lying to PC gamers about simultaneous release dates?
Cevat Yerli - Crysis made a profit on a $22 million budget
If someone chooses to like something else than you, it's really OK. I've learned to be a lot happier once I stopped caring about what people were saying about my various hobbies, regardless of how true those things are.
DC1
Member
Really really?
OP said it himself: He just had to switch out.. WTF!?
Console, phones, pads and Gameboy (s) Just work. Thank you vary much for your​ well defined and sometimes awkward services.
PCs require forplay to produce maximum satisfaction.
I played with both and choose whom I prefer to spend my nights with.
ViolentP
Member
I still don't get the aggressive disagreements between console owners and PC owners. There is a market for out of the box solutions and another for customizable solutions. Different people like different things. Not sure why having an option that caters to either party is somehow offensive.
A lot of people including myself use their PC on their 4k TV.
I can play a lot more games in 4k at 60fps than is possible on my PS4 Pro, the PC is far in front, not falling behind.
Games I have enjoyed recently at 4k 60fps on PC....
Bayonetta
Vanquish
Inside
Dark souls 3
Prey
Rocket League
Killer Instinct
Forza
Alan wake
Half life 2 and ep1 and ep2
Max Payne 3
Transformers Devastation
Mario Kart 8
Super Mario 3d World
Remember Me
Portal 2
Grid Autosport
Killer is Dead
Enslaved
Blur
Soma
Geometry Wars 3
Games I have enjoyed at 4k at 60fps on my PS4 Pro....
Pro Evo Soccer 2017
Rezogun
the_darkness
Banned
Back in the day I used to love messing around with core unlocking, voltages, pencilmodding and spending hours running prime95 and cycling custom Crysis benchmarks.
For the most part that stuff was optional but there was still real shit to deal with like driver incompatibilities, BSOD's and Steam servers not being available for me to download the game I just bought.
Even today, everytime I start up Steam on a 3 year old laptoo it takes 5 minutes to "update" before I can even access my library. Sure there's probably a blob file I could find and delete but even that's too hard compared to a console.
But the final, incontrovertible truth is that that same laptop that I bought new off the shelf 3 years ago can't run Prey at anything approaching a playable frame rate.
You buy a console, it's still running new games 7 years later without having to spend a single dollar on the hardware. Simple.
For the most part that stuff was optional but there was still real shit to deal with like driver incompatibilities, BSOD's and Steam servers not being available for me to download the game I just bought.
Even today, everytime I start up Steam on a 3 year old laptoo it takes 5 minutes to "update" before I can even access my library. Sure there's probably a blob file I could find and delete but even that's too hard compared to a console.
But the final, incontrovertible truth is that that same laptop that I bought new off the shelf 3 years ago can't run Prey at anything approaching a playable frame rate.
You buy a console, it's still running new games 7 years later without having to spend a single dollar on the hardware. Simple.
2blackcats
Member
I think people find it difficult to see the other sides choice as reasonable or valid. Like their choice couldn't be more obvious.
Not everyone has the same experience, i've had a plethora of issues with my pc's, from dying hard drives, to bad motherboards, bad ram, power supplies crapping out and other issues. Not to mention often having to troubleshoot to find the exact problem.
Also sometimes the pc will do odd things, like randomly disconnect from devices, slow down either from some odd windows thing or some software that decides to be active all the time.
Sure, you could argue that i should just be more educated when handling pc's, but on consoles, i often don't have to worry about these sort of things, so i often play on console knowing that i can just hop on without any unexpected issues for the most part.
Also sometimes the pc will do odd things, like randomly disconnect from devices, slow down either from some odd windows thing or some software that decides to be active all the time.
Sure, you could argue that i should just be more educated when handling pc's, but on consoles, i often don't have to worry about these sort of things, so i often play on console knowing that i can just hop on without any unexpected issues for the most part.
A lot of PC owners own consoles as well, I tend to find the arguments come from people who just own consoles and get offended when people say that the PC versions are better which is almost always true.
Sometimes you have to do a little more work to have the best output, it's not something that bothers me but if you are to lazy to Google solutions then that's on the person.
ViolentP
Member
It's unfortunate. I think some people want others to see things their way but fail to realize that there is nothing to learn from agreement. It's that opposite passion that'll teach you something.
I hate to say it, but I agree with this. Rarely in these discussions do I encounter a PC gamer who has never played consoles.
Spladam
Member
I think a majority of the people in this thread own and game on both. The thread is not about which is better or has more choices etc (that would clearly be PC, hahaha). It's about OP's claim that PC's are as hassle free as consoles. Which as a lifetime PC gamer who just bought a PS4 in January (last consoles were GC, 360, and Wii), is a ridiculous claim.
Fredrik
Member
Yeah maybe my situation is unique I don't know. My PC setup is kind of isolated from the living room, and I have a triple screen setup, so I would have to buy three 4K monitors to get my PC to 4K, which isn't possible without sacrifices today because of how late 144hz comes to 4K screens, plus the GPU demand is probably crazy to drive those three screens at 4K too. :/
So, for me at least, moving to 4K is a much smoother transition at this point on consoles.
But yeah, I get that those who already plug their PCs to their TV are pretty much already set for 4K without sacrificing anything. This is not me though.
The thing we need to appreciate most in this thread is that everyone's situation is a little different! I've moved away from having a permanent PC setup at home, instead working entirely on my Surface Pro 4, and before that my laptop. We all buy computers to suit a number of different purposes, and gaming is only one of them.
The reason I bought an Alienware Alpha R2 to sit under my TV so that I could have a seamless console-like experience with a handful of PC gaming, alongside my consoles. It's an expensive and imperfect solution, but it works for me. Recently lots of people talked about Dead Cells and I was grateful to be able to check it out simply and easily, once I patiently suffered through a surprisingly large amount of Windows and Steam updates.
i guess it also depends on what person see as a hassle , I for example have no problem, with stuff like ini tweaks and messing with a setting , but am annoyed to high heaven by download speed from PSN.
Fredrik
Member
I've actually had some hassle since this thread was started, I guess it started with Windows 10, then a weird Forza Horizon 3 crash to desktop, and the Tekken 7 predownload unpacking got me furious because it was so slow.
But even so, to ignore PC gaming because it's too much hassle is to me about as ignorant as a gamer could possible be, it honestly is sooo much better at this point. Tekken 7 as I just mentioned is the latest showcase how far ahead PC gaming is right now, the current consoles are even below 900p and just aren't up to the task for AAA games any longer. And from what I've heard there has been more hassle getting the Tekken 7 PS4 version to work than the PC version for online fights.
I guess ini-tweaks are okay if I can copy-paste but no more than that, Tekken 7 is the first game I've tried that on, to get rid of some filters, otherwise I just go to Steam and click start game.
killatopak
Member
Consoles is just plug and play. That's it. The difference between pc and consoles is just the number of steps requires to play the game. Setting the computer up, installing files and everything are too bothersome. People just want to play. I get that clicking next and finish while installing is a task even a child could make but the majority's attention span is inferior to a child's.
There's also some mentality that if you're not playing at least on high/ultra on 1080p, you're casual.
All the epeen made me leave the pc community although I still do play on PC.
There's also some mentality that if you're not playing at least on high/ultra on 1080p, you're casual.
All the epeen made me leave the pc community although I still do play on PC.
Preloading is useless unless you have bad connection or SSD... as the files are decrypted and need to unlock on release ... which reqiures lot of shit especially when its huge game like 60gigs of Tekken (better to just down if you have fast internet)
As for Forza ... thats just standard Win10AppStore/UWP experience ... no surprise to be honest its just Microsoft's latest try to close down the platform
I would really say console are such plug and play these days at least from my experience with 10gb 0-day patches and with the download speed from PSN (no idea about xbox but i expect its as bad as Win10Store) its as anooying as "installing files"
interesting that you say that majority people have attention span of a child but is still somehow bothered by online e-peen/consolewars troll talk ... whats a problem being casual PC fan , i guess you were part of wrong part of the community
butzopower
proud of his butz
In order to get Phantom Dust on Win10 to work online, I had to go in to the command prompt and disable a network adapter to allow their virtual NAT to reconfigure itself on next boot. This is one of Microsoft's premier Live crossplay games, downloaded through a Windows store. Seems like something quite difficult for the average user (also, discovering it was the problem, and not just that no one was playing online).
Spladam
Member
I love the tweeking. I mean, I'm a PC Gamer type of PC gamer lol. I've spent more time tweeking some games than I did playing them (sometimes I won't even start that old game unless I get it upscaled and modded to widescreen, only to find I'm not that into playing it lol). I live and breath PC though, I hang around tech support threads helping other folks with their shit, because I learn new troubleshooting while I help, and it's good to do something positive with what you're good at.
But it's this reason that I"m a realist about what PC gaming is, just using PC's in general. Granted, they are not what they used to be, building a machine is like legos now, but they are not hassle free. But consoles... I mean, me and a party of three friends went from playing Battlefield together to playing Rocket League together in seconds last night, seconds!! And it was at the push of a couple buttons, all while in party.
These are my best friends, and I got the PS4 because I wanted to game with them, but they ALL don't touch games on PC, it's just not them. They are not into the PC shit, they would't know SATA from IDE, and most people in this world are like that. I built one of them a FREE fucking PC and he still doesn't game on it. I can't talk PC crap around my friends, they would just stare at me, but they all play video games, on console. They game on console because they don't need to know anything, they just sit in front of the TV and hit a button on a controller. It will be a VERY long time before PC's are that.
That's why OP's premise is just silly. I end up in arguments with my own people, PC gamers, because it's become some kind of asinine competition. They have to argue ANYTHING PC, they will not be realist about any of it, because it's turned into some kind of PC vs Console thing, which is just crazy. I've been on a lot of PC forums, a lot of gaming forums in general, and I've seen some embarrassing shit from my fellow PC gamers. It's frustrating. There is often a derogatory subtext when they refer to consoles, console games, like it's something that needs to be said. They HAVE to often mention the weakness of consoles and the benefits of PC's. I see it on here all the time, like they're adding points to a score.
I've enjoyed the hell out of my PS4, but it will never take the place of my gaming rigs. I mean, I can play every past console in history ON my PC!! That's me though, I'm geek by nature, I don't need to disparage consoles to love my world of PC gaming, and I"m most certainly never going to be in denial about what PC gaming is. If you agree with the OP, then join me on the Tech Support Thread here on GAF. Show all of us how easy PC's are. Sorry about the rant, I just needed to say that. Carry on.
shanafan
Member
And now you know how to do something. Don't you feel smarter now when it comes to computers?
You can learn so much from tinkering. I love it.
Herp Derpington
Member
That and people are lazy and for the most part will always default to the lowest common denominator (or path of least resistance).
ViolentP
Member
I think that would be true if the PC platform was objectively better. While it can be said about many aspects of of PC gaming, the time allotment necessary to get the most out of it is not conducive to some people's schedules. Lower cost of entry of consoles is another valid point in my opinion. But I can certainly agree that laziness should never be the reason to overlook PC gaming.
El_Cinefilo
Member
I just bought 3 games on Steam from the Square enix sale
Sleeping Dogs
*Installed and started, game said on first time run it needed to install something then hung on it and didnt do anything until I quit
*Launched again, loaded up menu, started new game.. crashed to desktop.
*Repeated twice
*looked online, suggestions included deleting certain local files followed by verifying integrity of game files through steam and reinstalling something which I did.. Still crashes when starting a new game
*Uninstalled
Kane & Lynch
*Installed, launch game, told to write down cd key then ..nothing,
*restart computer launch again.. nothing
* launch from exe, type cd key in, you need to sign in with windows id to play, sign in, needs an update, starts updating, crashes to desktop.
*launch again, sign in again, crashes to desktop again.
*uninstalled
Kane & Lynch 2
*Installed, launches, menu loads up. Yaay
*choose options from menu, crashes to desktop
*reload, choose new game from menu, crashes to desktop
*uninstalled
This isn't an isolated thing for me, or something that has just happened to me on my current computer. and plenty of games play fine for me (recently Arkham Origins, Tekken 7 and Dead by Daylight) But a game just downloading and running for me is absolutely hit and miss. compared to on console where I've never had an issue.
Sleeping Dogs
*Installed and started, game said on first time run it needed to install something then hung on it and didnt do anything until I quit
*Launched again, loaded up menu, started new game.. crashed to desktop.
*Repeated twice
*looked online, suggestions included deleting certain local files followed by verifying integrity of game files through steam and reinstalling something which I did.. Still crashes when starting a new game
*Uninstalled
Kane & Lynch
*Installed, launch game, told to write down cd key then ..nothing,
*restart computer launch again.. nothing
* launch from exe, type cd key in, you need to sign in with windows id to play, sign in, needs an update, starts updating, crashes to desktop.
*launch again, sign in again, crashes to desktop again.
*uninstalled
Kane & Lynch 2
*Installed, launches, menu loads up. Yaay
*choose options from menu, crashes to desktop
*reload, choose new game from menu, crashes to desktop
*uninstalled
This isn't an isolated thing for me, or something that has just happened to me on my current computer. and plenty of games play fine for me (recently Arkham Origins, Tekken 7 and Dead by Daylight) But a game just downloading and running for me is absolutely hit and miss. compared to on console where I've never had an issue.
Boombloxer
Member
Not downplaying at all, but that sounds like a driver issue.
There was one update 2 years ago which caused nearly game I had to crash and I just fixed it by rolling back my GPU drivers.
But you illustrate an issue which some people ignore--all of those games work right now with minimal effort on console. And by minimal, I mean, put in disc/start game, update and play. The fact that you can't universally do that for every PC title, or that you need different logins is ultimately what holds it back from being more widespread here.
There was one update 2 years ago which caused nearly game I had to crash and I just fixed it by rolling back my GPU drivers.
But you illustrate an issue which some people ignore--all of those games work right now with minimal effort on console. And by minimal, I mean, put in disc/start game, update and play. The fact that you can't universally do that for every PC title, or that you need different logins is ultimately what holds it back from being more widespread here.
Man I wish I had your experience. I have nothing but issues.
Tv and monitor on duplicate setting - have to run most of my games in full screen borderless as they will crash on full screen despite tweaking every possible setting to get it to stop (resolution, refresh rate, drivers etc), this often means having to tweak the .ini file.
Xbox 360 controller will just randomly disconnect despite being 5ft away from my desktop.
Games randomly deciding that they will no longer output sound until restart. Games just not starting and nothing happening. Games opening only to freeze and refuse to shut down even via task manager forcing a restart. Icons disappearing from my desktop games list all the time. Having to change drivers on 360 controller to make it work properly with steam big picture. Remembering ten billion account and password combinations because every publisher insists on having their own store/launcher and not using most of them for years at a time. Countless googling for various quirks / problems in games.
Where as when I want to play on PS4 everything just works instantly.. only issue is the games look like shit and run at 30fps and the ridiculous price of psn games in the uk. So I can't win haha. I seriously can't decide whether just to give up on the benefits of pc gaming for the ease of use of consoles or just keep baring with all the problems.
Tv and monitor on duplicate setting - have to run most of my games in full screen borderless as they will crash on full screen despite tweaking every possible setting to get it to stop (resolution, refresh rate, drivers etc), this often means having to tweak the .ini file.
Xbox 360 controller will just randomly disconnect despite being 5ft away from my desktop.
Games randomly deciding that they will no longer output sound until restart. Games just not starting and nothing happening. Games opening only to freeze and refuse to shut down even via task manager forcing a restart. Icons disappearing from my desktop games list all the time. Having to change drivers on 360 controller to make it work properly with steam big picture. Remembering ten billion account and password combinations because every publisher insists on having their own store/launcher and not using most of them for years at a time. Countless googling for various quirks / problems in games.
Where as when I want to play on PS4 everything just works instantly.. only issue is the games look like shit and run at 30fps and the ridiculous price of psn games in the uk. So I can't win haha. I seriously can't decide whether just to give up on the benefits of pc gaming for the ease of use of consoles or just keep baring with all the problems.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I almost bought Kane and Lynch last night until I looked at the Steam reviews, where users spoke of issues running the game. They're usually the first warning that you need to do a little investigating before hitting the buy button.
You could always request a refund.
Not sure about the Sleeping Dogs issue. I had no problem installing and running the game.
Neff
Member
I've recently become a PC gamer and there was definitely a learning curve involved. I'm finally getting to the stage where I'm satisfied with with my setup and games, but it's still not perfect.
With a games console, it just works. You buy it, set it up, and play. It's optimal. It's the same experience as everyone else. All the work's been done for you. It's been tested and packaged for your convenience.
Steam's overall a very smooth experience, but PC's do require tinkering nonetheless, in terms of both hardware and software. Install, play a bit, adjust a bit, play a bit more, fine tune a bit, done. But that's the price we pay for an incredibly diverse market of components, the luxury of customisation, and improved performance over affordable console status quo.
With a games console, it just works. You buy it, set it up, and play. It's optimal. It's the same experience as everyone else. All the work's been done for you. It's been tested and packaged for your convenience.
Steam's overall a very smooth experience, but PC's do require tinkering nonetheless, in terms of both hardware and software. Install, play a bit, adjust a bit, play a bit more, fine tune a bit, done. But that's the price we pay for an incredibly diverse market of components, the luxury of customisation, and improved performance over affordable console status quo.
Mexican Sting
Member
I'm probably not adding much to this conversation with my shitty pop-in pop-out post, as I'm sure someone in the 20 plus pages of this thread has already said it, but PC gaming is sort of about getting out what you put in. You can really just make shit funner, and look better on PC, but there are also times where you'll just lose sound on everything and get to spend the next hour figuring out why. And then another hour figuring out how to fix it. I love PC gaming, but it is a huge pain in the ass a lot of the time.