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[bumpkin]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already so I guess I'm backing up others' sentiments, but I can't get into PC gaming because it's a freakin' arms race. Every time some new game comes out, you have to be sure that your rig is up to the task; be it CPU speed, graphics card, RAM, hard drive space and so on. Being a pretty avid gamer, having to pay $50/$60 a pop every time a game I want comes out is expensive enough. I wouldn't be able to afford additional hardware if/when it was needed.

 

[dcdobson]

Inertia, pure and simple. I've always been a primarily console gamer, and there aren't enough compelling--from my perspective--reasons for me to change this.

I'll be getting Diablo III day one, though.

 

[Salsa]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already so I guess I'm backing up others' sentiments, but I can't get into PC gaming because it's a freakin' arms race. Every time some new game comes out, you have to be sure that your rig is up to the task; be it CPU speed, graphics card, RAM, hard drive space and so on. Being a pretty avid gamer, having to pay $50/$60 a pop every time a game I want comes out is expensive enough. I wouldn't be able to afford additional hardware if/when it was needed.

yeah this thread needs to be closed now

people repeating the same claim that was proven false on the first pages, no need to keep arguing, its gonna be the same thing all over again.


That said, its truly surprising how many people are so badly informed, it baffles me, for real.

60 dollars every time a new game comes out? where did you get that from? Gametrailers? seriously people, either do your homework or dont mess with the subject, the only thing this thread proved is that people who dont bothe with PC gaming dont know enough to join the discussion.

 

[SmokyDave]

yeah this thread needs to be closed now

Or, y'know, you can stop clicking whenever you've had your fill.

Here, I'll create an original argument for both sides...

Console Gamer: My PC is a 'family' PC and I don't get enough uninterrupted time on the machine to make it viable for gaming. The wife would kick me off every time her crops needed tending on Farmville.

PC Gamer: I suffer from arthritis, makes holding a controller extremely uncomfortable, consoles aren't flexible enough to offer alternative inputs.

If they aren't original then add some swear words and mis-spellings.

 

[Salsa]

hey, i aint even mad, its just that reading through a thread before posting could help

in this page alone there are two, false reasons = 60 dollars each time a new game comes out, and controller support. Both were already answered in the first two pages or so.

 

[-ImaginaryInsider]

I started off a PC gamer, I played everything from "Jump Man" to "Monkey Island", all the classic stuff...my dad even bought a CD-drive so we could play "Rebel Assault" when that stuff first came out. I spent more on my first pc ($2200) than my first car ($1100).

Why am I not a PC gamer now?

(a) The experience on console isn't that much different. Yes, textures and framerates are worse, but the gameplay is near identical.

(b) All my friends have consoles, and those are the people I want to play games with.

Lastly, I sold used cars for about a year. I drove (and sold) both normal and fairly high end cars...after about six months I realized a car is just a car. The whole PC vs Console thing is an unending subjective circle-jerk, gaming is just gaming. All I care about is what platform has the games I want to play with the people I want to play them with.

 

[Fugu]

It's a shame they don't make USB controllers, and that games aren't released with native support for Xbox 360 controllers.

Someone should design a program that allows you to map keyboard inputs to controller buttons. They could call it Ypadder! Get it?

Yeah noone is denying that issues do occur, but they are plenty uncommon to not be inconvenient over the long run, and the solution is normally always just a quick google search away (as you no doubt know).

I'm mostly trying to talk some sense into those who are overstating the degree of problems and overstating how big the difference is compared to a plug and play console.
You always get fearmongerers in these thread who will scare otherwise neutral people away from even giving it a chance.

I am uncertain how this notion of PC gaming as being horribly unstable came about. This was certainly a valid argument in the early nineties when each game required you to tailor your PC to it individually each time you ran it. Nowadays, the installation process for games can be unbelievably easy if you want it to be -- if you pick the standard settings and the default directory, installing most games is a matter of clicking the "next" button until it turns into a "finish" button (sometimes it is a separate button, and that can be frustrating). Some games have problems with DRM, but that is more the fault of irresponsible publishers than it is of the platform itself, and games with problematic DRM usually come in non-DRM forms as well (TW2). Also, parts compatibility is basically a non-issue now as the only time a part won't be compatible with another part is if it physically doesn't fit in the slot, and most motherboards indicate in large, bubbly print what that encompasses.

I'm also uncertain about the claim of people worried about performance (of all things) on the PC based on specific incidences (usually involving DRM) of games running unusually badly. This is particularly jarring considering even a badly-performing PC game is likely on par with its console counterparts considering you would have to be doing something very wrong to even get a consistent framerate as low as 30FPS on a PC. I have a PC from 2003 that runs Call of Duty 4 at 45FPS; if it can do it so can yours.

And if you want to talk stability, when was the last time that the networking functionality of all PCs worldwide grinded to a halt for a month? Also, I've never had to "reflow" my PC, and if any of my DVD drives ever stopped working I certainly wouldn't have to ship my computer to Microsoft. Nowadays owning a PC is very low maintenance if you want it to be; most of the people who talk of opening up their cases are enthusiasts and aren't doing it because they have to. And the simple fact that it's modulated means that even if something does break, you probably don't need to replace much. And, hell, if your PSU breaks, you probably don't even need to pay for a replacement seeing as a good percentage of them have lifetime warranties.

 

[SmokyDave]

hey, i aint even mad, its just that reading through a thread before posting could help

I can't be bothered. Maybe you could answer my queries, I'm sure they're fresh and original and couldn't be solved with Google:

1: Is it, in fact, possible to use a personal computer on a display device other than a dedicated PC monitor? It seems crazy to have an HDTV and a PC and yet, they simply can't talk to each other! Will anyone ever invent some sort of wire to help with this?

2: Will anybody ever make a controller that can work on a PC? Now, I'm not asking for something like the 360 pad, or even a Sega Saturn pad with a USB connector. I'm not talking about Arcade Sticks or Steering Wheels, obviously, that'd be crazy. Maybe something like a Quickshot for the C64? A joystick with a fire button?

If you can answer these two questions, I'd like to badger you about batch files and .dll's because my cousin told me I'd need lots of them to play PC games.

Spoiler

Sorry man. If it's any consolation, grey hair is distinguished.

 

[scy]

1: Is it, in fact, possible to use a personal computer on a display device other than a dedicated PC monitor? It seems crazy to have an HDTV and a PC and yet, they simply can't talk to each other! Will anyone ever invent some sort of wire to help with this?

When you say they can't talk with each other, is it an issue of language? I had to teach my TV Russian to converse with my PC, which seems pretty weird as I'm in the US and I figure it should speak English but, hey, whatever. Might be the case here.

2: Will anybody ever make a controller that can work on a PC? Now, I'm not asking for something like the 360 pad, or even a Sega Saturn pad with a USB connector. I'm not talking about Arcade Sticks or Steering Wheels, obviously, that'd be crazy. Maybe something like a Quickshot for the C64? A joystick with a fire button?

I built one myself out of some tinfoil and an old shoe. It's kind of dodgy at times but it gets the job done. A shame that there's no market for this, though, as I'd imagine someone making a killing if they did.

If you can answer these two questions, I'd like to badger you about batch files and .dll's because my cousin told me I'd need lots of them to play PC games.

.dll's? .dill? Like, a pickle? I guess. I mean, sure if that's what tickles your fancy...

 

[M-PG71C]

Honestly, its just simply there's nothing I could want to play on the PC that I couldn't play on the PS3/360. The few exclusives it does have, like World of Warcraft for example, I don't care nothing for. It's a "meh" deal for me.

 

[Salsa]

ohyou.jpg

 

[Snuggles]

Honestly, its just simply there's nothing I could want to play on the PC that I couldn't play on the PS3/360. The few exclusives it does have, like World of Warcraft for example, I don't care nothing for. It's a "meh" deal for me.

it's all pretty much just dumb stuff like mmo's and farmville, agreed

not worth paying thousands just for that, especially when it only works like half the time at best

 

[WEGGLES]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already so I guess I'm backing up others' sentiments, but I can't get into PC gaming because it's a freakin' arms race. Every time some new game comes out, you have to be sure that your rig is up to the task; be it CPU speed, graphics card, RAM, hard drive space and so on. Being a pretty avid gamer, having to pay $50/$60 a pop every time a game I want comes out is expensive enough. I wouldn't be able to afford additional hardware if/when it was needed.

Built a PC last August.

Thus far it has still exceeded the recommended on every game that has come out so far.

I don't think upgrading will be a concern for me for at least 2 years.

Obviously I could upgrade to 3way sli 580s, but I don't need to.

I think thats where a lot of console gamers get confused. They see "scary" things that you can do if you'd like to eek out more performance... but all that stuff isn't necessary unless you're on ollld hardware.

 

[SneakyStephan]

When you say they can't talk with each other, is it an issue of language? I had to teach my TV Russian to converse with my PC, which seems pretty weird as I'm in the US and I figure it should speak English but, hey, whatever. Might be the case here.

You talk as if it's a big deal, it took me less than a day to get fluent in typing in Cyrillic
преподавать
See? Peasants always overreacting.

I built one myself out of some tinfoil and an old shoe. It's kind of dodgy at times but it gets the job done. A shame that there's no market for this, though, as I'd imagine someone making a killing if they did.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

it's all pretty much just dumb stuff like mmo's and farmville, agreed

not worth paying thousands just for that, especially when it only works like half the time at best

I had to upgrade my pc twice since you posted that just to be able to reply.
I'm going to have to find a third job.

I could have gotten a degree in nuclear physics in the time it took me to figure out where the letters are on my keyboard too.

 

[apana]

It's just a question of behavior. People have gotten into the habit of using consoles for convenience, even though dual analogs are horrible for certain genres. It's not a question of whether the PC can be a great platform, it's just that it's not enticing enough from the point of view of the average gamer to change their habits. Better graphics and more control options doesn't really convert many people. Oh and yes going from buying consoles to building your own PC is a big change for the average person.

 

[Fugu]

Honestly, its just simply there's nothing I could want to play on the PC that I couldn't play on the PS3/360. The few exclusives it does have, like World of Warcraft for example, I don't care nothing for. It's a "meh" deal for me.

The few exclusives? The PC has more exclusives (simply by virtue of the fact that there is no cutoff for backwards compatibility) than the other major producing platforms have games.

 

[Gully State]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already so I guess I'm backing up others' sentiments, but I can't get into PC gaming because it's a freakin' arms race. Every time some new game comes out, you have to be sure that your rig is up to the task; be it CPU speed, graphics card, RAM, hard drive space and so on. Being a pretty avid gamer, having to pay $50/$60 a pop every time a game I want comes out is expensive enough. I wouldn't be able to afford additional hardware if/when it was needed.

That's a psychological issue. Fact is you don't have to upgrade but seeing new hardware released constantly gives the impression that you do. If you truly don't care about graphics and it's all about the gameplay like most console owners say, then it wouldn't matter to you running something like Witcher 2 on low-medium (which still looks a lot better than witcher) on 2007-2008 hardware (the year that the original Witcher came out).
Witcher 2 Low

Medium

Original Witcher

All 3 settings can be run on the same 2008 hardware config. So no, performance doesn't degrade over time with your hardware. It's that the highest bar is continually raised.

 

[ymmv]

Honestly, its just simply there's nothing I could want to play on the PC that I couldn't play on the PS3/360. The few exclusives it does have, like World of Warcraft for example, I don't care nothing for. It's a "meh" deal for me.

Same here. I'm not interested in typical PC genres like FPS, RTS and MMORPG and I'm not going to sit on my couch with a keyboard and mouse. I like action games so I've investigated PC action games with support for the wireless Xbox 360 controller. I could then play games using my HDTV as a display. The problem was that I already have all the good games either for the PS3 or 360 and there's nothing worthwhile that I would want to buy now.

I may try a game like Deus Ex : Human Revolution or the new Batman on the PC, just to test my graphics card (built my PC last year, haven't played a single PC game) but I don't see me becoming a PC gamer. There are simply not enough multiplatform PC games I want to play and there are loads of console exclusives I like.

 

[commish]

it's all pretty much just dumb stuff like mmo's and farmville, agreed

not worth paying thousands just for that, especially when it only works like half the time at best

Farmville is awesome.

 

[MrBelmontvedere]

I think the OP worded his query (specifically the title) in a way that seems kind of like a stealth troll. it almost sounds implicit that console gamers would naturally be PC gamers, if not for this or that little issue (which this thread can help out with naturally).

I believe the word for that is "proselytizing" and it's abhorrent in all it's forms

 

[Tylahedras]

I don't play PC games anymore because of long annoying installs / driver nonsense (I bought it and shit doesn't work out the box) / a lack of supported games / DRM shenanigans / "Fuck You" LAN support even from the likes of Blizzard / oh and comfy couch etc.

 

[Krauser Kat]

I don't play PC games anymore because of long annoying installs / driver nonsense (I bought it and shit doesn't work out the box) / a lack of supported games / DRM shenanigans / "Fuck You" LAN support even from the likes of Blizzard / oh and comfy couch etc.

like the long annoying installs you now have on consoles and it still loads slow as shit.
You also mean lack of games you like. The pc has the largest library of any system EVER, it will never be topped.
The lan support has nothing to do the PC. Its the developers choice.
Also we can comfy couch.

Drivers are getting there, its almost there, but now it goes from working to working more awesome.

you were 0 for 5 there.

 

[ymmv]

I think the OP worded his query (specifically the title) in a way that seems kind of like a stealth troll. it almost sounds implicit that console gamers would naturally be PC gamers, if not for this or that little issue (which this thread can help out with naturally).

I believe the word for that is "proselytizing" and it's abhorrent in all it's forms

It's also the reason why this thread has reached almost 3000 posts. There are just too many people who want to convert console gamers to join their master race.

 

[TheExodu5]

It takes less time for me to buy and start playing a Steam game than it does buying, installing, and playing a console game.

Taking the max 360 game disc size, it would take me around 40 minutes to download and start playing the PC version. I can probably just about match that for the 360, but with a lot more legwork.

For me, PC is convenience. For many, they see the PC as the opposite of convenience, but after the inconvenience of the initial build, there's a lot of things that will make your life easier on PC. Three click install on Steam, automatic background patching, cloud saves, seamlessly integrated Steam community, the ability to load any game at the click of a button (no swapping discs), etc...

 

[joelseph]

Gaming is wearing thin for me, I only want to play with friends at this point. That means sometimes I am on the consoles with my less nerdy friends and sometimes I am on my PC with my more nerdy friends. Both have there place.

 

[SkoomaSuckinSwit]

Ease of use, convenience, not having to upgrade, less time demands.

 

[Snuggles]

It's also the reason why this thread has reached almost 3000 posts. There are just too many people who want to convert console gamers to join their master race.

And people who can't help but correct the willfully ignorant who say things that have no basis in actual fact, but apparently it's futile.

 

[TheExodu5]

And people who can't help but correct the willfully ignorant who say things that have no basis in actual fact, but apparently it's futile.

Some people are being real asses about it, though. Not going to convert anyone by calling people lazy and ignorant.

 

[Salsa]

Evilore had to disable animated avatars cause his computer couldnt render them unless he spent another extra hundred bucks, and he was saving up for his other $2000 rig to play The Witcher 2

 

[WEGGLES]

Ease of use, convenience, not having to upgrade, less time demands.

I find the PC easier to use and more convenient than xbox/PS3.

If I want to play something, I rightclick steam and click the game I want to play.

Xbox I have to turn my TV/Stereo/Xbox on, put the game in wait for the xbox to read the disc, install the game, launch the game etc.

Steam takes care of patching too, something xbox does not do.

And this upgrade shit is getting old. How often do you think you'd need to upgrade PC hardware?

Less time demands? Not sure what this is.

 

[scy]

Evilore had to disable animated avatars cause his computer couldnt render them unless he spent another extra hundred bucks, and he was saving up for his other $2000 rig to play The Witcher 2

It all makes sense now...

 

[Snuggles]

Some people are being real asses about it, though. Not going to convert anyone by calling people lazy and ignorant.

True.

There are PC gamers that probably come off something like a manic street preacher, shouting angrily at passerbys, when they should take a more loving approach. We want to show our fellow gamers the path to enlightenment, not to condemn them.

 

[Fugu]

It's also the reason why this thread has reached almost 3000 posts. There are just too many people who want to convert console gamers to join their master race.

PC gaming has been dying for 20 years. It didn't need your help then and it doesn't now.

I find PC gaming more convenient than console gaming. My computer is likely already on, I don't have to plug anything into the TV, and if I'm doing anything important/communicating with someone I don't necessarily have to draw myself from that if I don't want to.

I think one argument that has a lot of merit is the "all of my friends are on [insert platform here]"; it would be hard to be the lone PC gamer if all of your friends play shit on the PS3 all the time. My group of friends consists entirely of PC gamers so I would imagine that that may have had an influence (either that or it's selection bias and I know better than to fraternize with those dirty console players).

 

[Jomjom]

Here's my reason. I just started getting into PC gaming; got a Steam account, got 3 games on it, bought Witcher 1 and 2 on disc. Steam for some reason locked me out and I had to wait 3 days before they reset my password, at which point I had to redownload every game. Witcher 1 worked with no issues.

On Witcher 2, I spent all weekend trying to install the damn game, but I keep getting CRC errors. I've tried everything, using another drive, copying the contents of the disc to HD, using a program like PowerISO to make an ISO of it and running the image - none of that worked.

I know my way around a computer well enough to do all this, but it still wasted a lot of my time and I still haven't been able to get Witcher 2 running. I can't even imagine what the normal console player would think if they even encountered one of these problems. I'm still going to continue playing PC games, but here is a prime example, for me at least, why PC gaming will never be better than console gaming, because console gaming simply works.

 

[TheExodu5]

I find the PC easier to use and more convenient than xbox/PS3.

If I want to play something, I rightclick steam and click the game I want to play.

Xbox I have to turn my TV/Stereo/Xbox on, put the game in wait for the xbox to read the disc, install the game, launch the game etc.

Steam takes care of patching too, something xbox does not do.

And this upgrade shit is getting old. How often do you think you'd need to upgrade PC hardware?

Less time demands? Not sure what this is.

Although I play console games, I still have a lot of trouble booting a new game up. My PC is always on and any game I want to play is just a double-click away. On the console, I'm often greeted by a firmware update (since I usually play through a game every few months, unless we're in the October-November blockbuster-fest), a title update, and it could be a good 20 minutes before I can even play my game (this is usually more the case on the PS3). On the 360, I'll want to install a game before I start playing through it, so that's 20 minutes there. I mean, 20 minutes isn't really a big deal, but I sometimes lack the proper motivation.

I'm just trying to demonstrate that for some of us, the PC can be more convenient.

Here's my reason. I just started getting into PC gaming; got a Steam account, got 3 games on it, bought Witcher 1 and 2 on disc. Steam for some reason locked me out and I had to wait 3 days before they reset my password, at which point I had to redownload every game. Witcher 1 worked with no issues.

What was the reason? I have never been locked out of my Steam account and have been using it for almost 7 years. Also, you would absolutely not need to redownload your games. They're held within the common folder which is used across all accounts. Unless you deleted the games yourself, there's no way you would have had to redownload them.

On Witcher 2, I spent all weekend trying to install the damn game, but I keep getting CRC errors. I've tried everything, using another drive, copying the contents of the disc to HD, using a program like PowerISO to make an ISO of it and running the image - none of that worked.

This one is more of a rarity. This is the result of a bone headed decision by Atari to include the worst DRM I've seen in any game since Starforce.

 

[Ysiadmihi]

And people who can't help but correct the willfully ignorant who say things that have no basis in actual fact, but apparently it's futile.

Part of the problem is nobody likes being told they're wrong, so correcting someone somehow makes you an elitist jerkoff.

I think people are determined to come in to this thread and trash PC gaming because the thread title offends them or something. That would explain why there are so few posts with legitimate reasons and not peppered with "$500 video card", "parts degrade", and "constant troubleshooting required".

 

[Jomjom]

Part of the problem is nobody likes being told they're wrong, so correcting someone somehow makes you an elitist jerkoff.

I think people are determined to come in to this thread and trash PC gaming because the thread title offends them or something. That would explain why there are so few posts with legitimate reasons and not peppered with "$500 video card", "parts degrade", and "constant troubleshooting required".

Look above at my post, totally legitimate reasons, totally frustrating.

 

[WEGGLES]

Although I play console games, I still have a lot of trouble booting a new game up. My PC is always on and any game I want to play is just a double-click away. On the console, I'm often greeted by a firmware update (since I usually play through a game every few months, unless we're in the October-November blockbuster-fest), a title update, and it could be a good 20 minutes before I can even play my game (this is usually more the case on the PS3). On the 360, I'll want to install a game before I start playing through it, so that's 20 minutes there. I mean, 20 minutes isn't really a big deal, but I sometimes lack the proper motivation.

I'm just trying to demonstrate that for some of us, the PC can be more convenient.

That's what I was trying to get across with my post :s

Firing up a Ps3 game is a nightmare. I think it took 35 minutes to finally be playing Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. FW downloads on PS3 are INSANELY slow.

 

[Ysiadmihi]

Look above at my post, totally legitimate reasons, totally frustrating.

In what part of my post did I say there are no legitimate reasons?

 

[Freshmaker]

Evilore had to disable animated avatars cause his computer couldnt render them unless he spent another extra hundred bucks, and he was saving up for his other $2000 rig to play The Witcher 2

Everyone just had to buy into the Ubersampling avatar fad...

 

[TheBanditKing]

For me its a number of things. Familiarity is one, i am just more use to playing games on a console with a controller, mouse and keyboard are just not an ideal setup for me. The game selection is more limited on PC's and outside of some FPS's, MMO, and strategy games (none of which are my favorite genres) all the games can be bought on consoles (Im more Final Fantasy then Elder Scrolls). Cost is also a factor, $600 will get you a nice video card and while the graphics will always be better on PC for half of that (now any way) gets you a box with tons of built in features with out the hassle of Windows updates, viruses and drivers. There is also the factor of the console specific games that will never be available on a PC (the Sony/Nintendo first party games). After buying 3 consoles and two handhelds I really can't justify beefing up my PC to play a few games (likely already on something I own) just to have better graphics. Also could be that since I am a computer tech/network Admin I view PC's as more of an annoyance then something I have fun interacting with, lol

 

[TheExodu5]

That's what I was trying to get across with my post :s

Firing up a Ps3 game is a nightmare. I think it took 35 minutes to finally be playing Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. FW downloads on PS3 are INSANELY slow.

I wanted to play Hot Shots Golf again...but I remember what a nightmare it is to get that game patched. I think the first time I patched it, it took a good hour before I could play. Same goes to GT5. The 360 patches, at least, are manageable and over within a few seconds. PS3 patching either needs to be automatic, or they need to limit patch sizes.

 

[TheExodu5]

The game selection is more limited on PC's and outside of some FPS's, MMO, and strategy games (none of which are my favorite genres) all the games can be bought on consoles (Im more Final Fantasy then Elder Scrolls).

This is a very ill-informed statement. There are tons of PC games outside of FPS, MMO, and strategy games. The vast majority of them are not available on console. You just need to be willing to look beyond your usual $50 Ubisoft/EA blockbuster.

 

[scy]

Cost is also a factor, $600 will get you a nice video card...

@PS360 patching - Oh god, every time I've went to play something recently had a firmware update. Too much DS and PSP playing had me ignore the consoles for too long, I guess.

 

[WEGGLES]

I wanted to play Hot Shots Golf again...but I remember what a nightmare it is to get that game patched. I think the first time I patched it, it took a good hour before I could play. Same goes to GT5. The 360 patches, at least, are manageable and over within a few seconds. PS3 patching either needs to be automatic, or they need to limit patch sizes.

It's still annoying that it's not automatic, that I need to be disconnected to do it, and that it runs the game before trying to patch, then needs to restart the game.

It's definitely less of a hassle than the PS3, but that's not a very high bar.

Given that patching on the PC for me is "Steam has finished downloading Team Fortress 2". The fact that other closed platforms with paid online components can't even come close is crazy.

For me its a number of things. Familiarity is one, i am just more use to playing games on a console with a controller, mouse and keyboard are just not an ideal setup for me. The game selection is more limited on PC's and outside of some FPS's, MMO, and strategy games (none of which are my favorite genres) all the games can be bought on consoles (Im more Final Fantasy then Elder Scrolls). Cost is also a factor, $600 will get you a nice video card and while the graphics will always be better on PC for half of that (now any way) gets you a box with tons of built in features with out the hassle of Windows updates, viruses and drivers. There is also the factor of the console specific games that will never be available on a PC (the Sony/Nintendo first party games). After buying 3 consoles and two handhelds I really can't justify beefing up my PC to play a few games (likely already on something I own) just to have better graphics. Also could be that since I am a computer tech/network Admin I view PC's as more of an annoyance then something I have fun interacting with, lol

$600 will get you a nice... PC. The whole thing. $600 will also get a nice videocard. (Really nice I'd imagine) but such video cards are not necessary to run the latest games. To run the latest games well, you're looking at ~$150-$250-ish for the sweet spot, depending on which card you get and rebates,

 

[ghst]

thebanditking is like a weapon-x made from the dna of every terrible post in this thread.

 

[TheExodu5]

Cost is also a factor, $600 will get you a nice video card

Did you mean "$600 will get you a PC with a nice video card"? Because that would be accurate.

Otherwise...you're way off. $120 can get you a card that can run console ports (RE5, Batman AA, etc..) at 60fps.

 

[Salsa]

thebanditking is like a weapon-x made from the dna of every terrible post in this thread.

spilled sprite and im at work goddammit

 

[SneakyStephan]

Finding people to play with on pc is a hell of a lot easier than on consoles btw, thanks to this thing called 'dedicated servers'.

You get a new game, play a few matches, find a few good servers, bookmark em.
You play on them some more, after a day or two you recognise the regulars who always play on those servers.

It's easy to bond with people if you play with them regularly (instead of randoms all the fucking time).
You get to coordinate votemaps , kick assholes who talk a lot of trash or afk for half an hour.
The regulars invite their friends, you invite yours, after a while you are all bros.

None of my real life friends bought bf1942 at launch (for shame) , in no time I was in a stuntclan , they showed me desert combat mod, tought me how to fly the helis, we'd go on ventrilo and enjoy ourselves for hours.

Same in cs, started off playing it with a bunch of rl friends, our clanserver attracted more people, in no time it's a network of 50+ people who are online in this game regularly , on the same server , with the rules , gamemodes and maps you collectively prefer.

The community aspect of pc gaming makes the matchmaking and gamertag bullshit (and how akward and convoluted it is) on consoles look pityful.

The total lack of community aspect on ps360 also goes a long way to explaining why many of the online games on it have such tiny playerbases that die faster than a mayfly.

It also explains why cs still manages to get over 130 k people on simultaneously over both versions, more if you add in the non steam version (1.5), why frigging tibia still has a larger playerbase than say killzone 2 or 3 , why a game like runescape has so many players after all these years.
Communities make or break games.

(on a different note that is also why pc gamers RAGE at the thought of dlc map packs)

It's a hidden fruit most console only players have never tasted.
Most of the pc players have (except pubtards)

 

[Snuggles]

Not trying to poke at anyone in particular, but I find it funny when someone says there isn't enough software to justify owning a PC for gaming, yet they have all 3 consoles. That's about as redundant as you can get, and the individual exclusive line ups on those systems simply don't compare to the two+ decades worth of PC only games.

but whatever man, it's cool