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[epmode]

so this thread has officially turned into consoles vs PC?

Dispelling some myths is all. I own all major consoles so this is mostly academic for me!

I just can't quit this thread.

I was monitoring PC threads on GAF. It never seems that easy.

I must have some kind of magical mystery PC then.

Another thing I learned. It's not a $500 PC. It's a $500 + the cost of windows, keyboard, mouse and gamepad.

That's true. You don't have to buy a new version of Windows with every computer, however. Same goes for mouse/keyboard/monitor, obviously.

edit: I'm not saying that you won't run into snags along the way. That's the nature of an open architecture. It's just that everything is a lot friendlier now than ever before.

 

[PopcornMegaphone]

software updates? like, patches?

steam keeps all your games at their latest version automatically, you'd never have to download a patch again.

and driver updates? you mean video card drivers? those 50meg files that come out once every few months and grant you a 10-20% better performance? yeah, they're a bitch.

You haven't had a single problem getting a game to run right in the last few years?

Why is your tone so caustic?

 

[Fredescu]

I guess some people run into issues where a game Just Won't Work but I haven't had something like that happen in ages.

I play a fairly wide variety of PC games, and I play just about every day, but the last game that Just Wouldn't Work for me was Ratchet and Clank on PS3. I had to download and delete any file above a certain size for it to work. Damn those PCs and their complicated issues though.

 

[Lonely1]

No you can't and no it isn't. I'm guessing you're just looking at the specs of a video card on Newegg but that's not how it works. A computer has a whole operating system to run in the background, and the developers can't make the game with specific hardware in mind.

A home computer is a necessity in this modern times. And a 4670 is good enough to play games at "console settings".

 

[faceless007]

What the fuck? You PC diehards are slipping these past few years. The argument used to be that the actual gameplay was superior because larger RAM and hard drives, etc allowed more expansive worlds and better AI, etc etc etc.

Last gen, it was. It's not the case anymore because there are so few huge PC exclusives, so I'm not sure why you're expecting the arguments to remain the same. If PC diehards said the opposite, you'd accuse them of being in denial.

But now your position has deteriorated so far that now the benefit is only that a game runs at a higher res and frame rate? You consider that a significant benefit to PC gaming? That's marginal. The gameplay is no different; despite the fact that console tech is 5 years old and you just bought a top notch gaming rig you're playing the same exact game albeit much nicer looking.

Keyboard/mouse makes Mirror's Edge (and IMO all FPSs) a fundamentally smoother and more natural-feeling experience than dual-analog. As for the rest, it's not that "our position" has deteriorated, it's the state of PC exclusives that has. But that doesn't change the fact that there are still compelling advantages to PC gaming, which is what we're pointing out. Again, I don't know why you're expecting PC gamers to use the same arguments that applied a decade ago. It's like you're disappointed that we're not stubbornly clinging to the past.

That was my point with my posts earlier. You guys don't realize how far the PC has fallen in terms of being a successful and superior market for games. It's devolved from being a leader of the industry where the biggest powerhouses of western gaming showed their muscle and consoles were lucky to get a shitty downgrade port (with more than just graphical differences), to an afterthought where console games are ported and essentially up-res'ed.

On the contrary, I don't see anyone who denies that any of that is the case.

 

[water_wendi]

True, and i know it pisses alot of people off (me, and my friends included, all of my friends 360's have broke, at least twice). The difference is, 1 quick call (or email now) to Microsoft and theyl get it repaired/replaced. On the PC, unless you want to pay someone else to do it (which relies on them not being cowboys), you have to do the old driver check, memory test, cpu/gpu temperature check. If thats not the problem, then it could be the game needs a patch which your left waiting on. I know that stuffs grinded alot of my friends down to not bothering with PC gaming anymore.

That is true. Diagnosing stuff with computers because its an open system can be frustrating. The positive thing about figuring it out is you gain computer knowledge (most everything i learned over the years was from getting games to work on different computers Apple, Amiga, DOS). The downside.. and its a big downside.. is that sometimes people just want to buy something off the shelf and put it in and play. i can understand that completely.

Things have deffinately improved by miles over the past couple of years, but so did the consoles. I do think part of it is PC gaming past looms over it.

Also true. Its funny because PCs have become more console-like with Steam, auto-updates, etc.. and consoles have gone more the way of PCs with installs and patches. The line has definitely been blurred this decade.

I do think publishers need to stop thinking that anything less than a 6 million selling game is a disaster though......

Thats probably the most annoying part of the big publishing philosophy of the gaming industry today. The budgets for the blockbuster titles i think have reached critical mass the last couple years so i think we will see a tapering off of that kind of development.

 

[dionysus]

To respond to the recent posts in this thread, there are plenty of exclusives for the PC. They just aren't big budget single player games or non-massive multiplayer games. Moreover, they are not from devs in the US.

If you only want to play games featured in Game Informer or on 1up, sadly the PC is just going to get upscaled versions of these games that run at good framerates. Every blue moon the PC is going to get a game that makes a console only owner jealous, but it is getting less and less frequent every year. But there is a plethora of exclusives out there that fly completely under GAFs radar. Moreover, these experiences are often unique to the PC space.

The PC does not have a healthy market for games with 20 million dev budgets and 20 million advertizing campaigns anymore, but it is still a vibrant platform that offers truly unique experiences. Now I am going to go back to playing X3: Terran Conflict, a game that there isn't anything even remotely like on a console.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Every games works better on PC. There's no way around the fact that PCs offer every function a console does. I can use my WiiMote on my PC for crying out loud.

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

On top of that the PC versions of several games including RE 4 sucked compared to console version.

With consoles you pay, you stick the disc in, and that fucker is guarenteed to run with rumble, HDTV support, surround support, etc. No installation errors or hunting down patches some fan made on shady websites just to get a game to work.

 

[clip]

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

On top of that the PC versions of several games including RE 4 sucked compared to console version.

With consoles you pay, you stick the disc in, and that fucker is guarenteed to run with rumble, HDTV support, surround support, etc. No installation errors or hunting down patches some fan made on shady websites just to get a game to work.

You can't run N64 games on a Wii, what's your point? Older games don't often work with newer software/hardware. The benefit of the PC is that there are dedicated people out there they put in the time to create emulators and fan made patches to allow older games to be played on modern systems, as well as services like GOG.

Had RE4 been ported properly, it would have been a fine addition the PC catalog, but not including mouse support is pretty bad.

What "shady" websites do you visit that have have software designed to get games working on modern software/hardware?

 

[clip]

Also, this thread probably should be locked, as its devolved into a silly PC/Console argument.

 

[Ysiadmihi]

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

On top of that the PC versions of several games including RE 4 sucked compared to console version.

With consoles you pay, you stick the disc in, and that fucker is guarenteed to run with rumble, HDTV support, surround support, etc. No installation errors or hunting down patches some fan made on shady websites just to get a game to work.

Installation errors? Hunting down patches? What year are you living in?

There's no denying that most modern multiplatform games that come out are superior on PC. Someone sounds jealous

 

[rollingstart]

Also, this thread probably should be locked, as its devolved into a silly PC/Console argument.

To call it an argument would be giving it too much credit. It's people spitting FUD and/or unable to see past preferences.

 

[clip]

To call it an argument would be giving it too much credit. It's people spitting FUD and/or unable to see past preferences.

Well, I considered calling it a debate, but you're right.

 

[Technosteve]

Console sell at a loss most of time means you are not paying for the 20 to 40 percent margins most hardware companies get on there electronic products. They are making negative moneys which gets recouped through licences. So when u talk about costs of the product they are selling you a product with no profit gain (except nintendo). If the PC world worked liked that I would be paying for the BOM costs on each component which would be 50 to 60 percent less then retail costs. So a 1000 PC would cost 400 to 500 dollars in Console Monies.

If sony sold there machine for a profit it would of launched at 750

 

[water_wendi]

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

Huih? Running Windows 7 64-bit i can get practically every single Windows game from 95 to XP to work flawlessly.

With consoles you pay, you stick the disc in, and that fucker is guarenteed to run with rumble, HDTV support, surround support, etc. No installation errors or hunting down patches some fan made on shady websites just to get a game to work.

Shady sites? :lol

 

[Fredescu]

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

Both games are known to work on Windows 7. I know Bloodlines runs for me on Vista x64, which should basically the same as running on Win 7. I guess you're doing it wrong.

On top of that the PC versions of several games including RE 4 sucked compared to console version.

The number of bad ports is small, and probably percentage wise no different to bad ports between PS3 and 360, like Bayonetta and Darksiders recently. Saints Row 2 is the only recent stinker that comes to mind. GTA IV pre patch perhaps, but now it's the better version. 95% of games are the better for a PC port.

You can't run N64 games on a Wii, what's your point? Older games don't often work with newer software/hardware.

The majority of old PC games, and old console games to boot, can be made to run on a modern PC one way or another.

What "shady" websites do you visit that have have software designed to get games working on modern software/hardware?

Given that Bloodlines was listed, I assume he's talking about the fan patch of that game.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

To call it an argument would be giving it too much credit. It's people spitting FUD and/or unable to see past preferences.

So it's essentially a normal thread, then.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

*laughs* PC's are riddled wth incompatibility issues. I can't run half the games I own because they don't work with Windows 7 including Max Payne, Vampire Masquerade: bloodlines, etc.

On top of that the PC versions of several games including RE 4 sucked compared to console version.

With consoles you pay, you stick the disc in, and that fucker is guarenteed to run with rumble, HDTV support, surround support, etc. No installation errors or hunting down patches some fan made on shady websites just to get a game to work.

Max Payne? surely you're not serious.

if you're worried about the compatibility of 10 year old games on new hardware/software, you're doing gaming wrong.

all I see in this thread at this point are people who can't afford a PC or don't want to be bothered with a PC making unlearned arguments not even worth the read.

 

[Anticitizen One]

You can't run N64 games on a Wii, what's your point? Older games don't often work with newer software/hardware. The benefit of the PC is that there are dedicated people out there they put in the time to create emulators and fan made patches to allow older games to be played on modern systems, as well as services like GOG.

Had RE4 been ported properly, it would have been a fine addition the PC catalog, but not including mouse support is pretty bad.

What "shady" websites do you visit that have have software designed to get games working on modern software/hardware?

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.

RE4 wasn't ported properly. It shouldn't have even been ported to begin with. Like I keep saying. Some games should STAY on PC (Diablo series, World of warcraft, sophisticated FPS games, X-Wing Series, RTS, etc.) and some should stay on consoles (Platformers, 3rd person action games, fighting games). This is how it always was but all of a suden this gen we got some homogenizing going on where every game must appear on every platform from gameboy to xbox360 to PC and I really don't care for it. It diminishes the fun of owning multiple systems when its the same games on every platform.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Huih? Running Windows 7 64-bit i can get practically every single Windows game from 95 to XP to work flawlessly.

then please show me the magic because every game pre 2004 gives me incompatibility issues with windows 7 64 bit

 

[King Boo]

I'm a pc gamer, but I never heard of this game. so it's no real loss to me anyway. besides, I'll probably only have time to play starcraft 2 when it comes out

 

[Ysiadmihi]

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.

RE4 wasn't ported properly. It shouldn't have even been ported to begin with. Like I keep saying. Some games should STAY on PC (Diablo series, World of warcraft, sophisticated FPS games, X-Wing Series, RTS, etc.) and some should stay on consoles (Platformers, 3rd person action games, fighting games). This is how it always was but all of a suden this gen we got some homogenizing going on where every game must appear on every platform from gameboy to xbox360 to PC and I really don't care for it. It diminishes the fun of owning multiple systems when its the same games on every platform.

:lol

 

[brain_stew]

No you can't and no it isn't. .

Yes you can and yes it is. Add a $90 5670 to any modern Dell machine and you'll get around 2-3x console performance in your multiplatform games. It really is that easy, don't subscribe to Xbox Live for one year and buy a single game from a Steam sale and you have the cost covered, job done. PC gaming is as cheap (or expensive) as you want it to be. You really can't argue the cost angle anymore especially when I can preorder brand new games like AVP for £17. £17 for a brand new release with free online that includes dedicated server support.

There's plenty of reasons to choose console gaming, but no, cost really isn't one these days.

 

[Volcynika]

It diminishes the fun of owning multiple systems when its the same games on every platform.

What the hell.

 

[epmode]

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.

You're joking. Not only can you get System Shock working on a modern PC (without having to rebuy it), some wonderful person even made a patch to make it playable with a standard FPS mouse/keyboard scheme as opposed to the crazytime original setup.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/02/04/unpitiful-hacker-system-shock-m-look-mod/

 

[Anticitizen One]

You're joking. Not only can you get System Shock working on a modern PC (without having to rebuy it), some wonderful person even made a patch to make it playable with a standard FPS mouse/keyboard scheme as opposed to the crazytime original setup.

hmm. Well clearly I was misinformed and need to do better research in the future.

Edit: Is this for System Shock 2 as well?

 

[Fredescu]

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.

If you want to an incomplete catalogue of old games to rebuy, the PC has that too: http://www.gog.com/en/frontpage/

Like I keep saying. Some games should STAY on PC (Diablo series, World of warcraft, sophisticated FPS games, X-Wing Series, RTS, etc.) and some should stay on consoles (Platformers, 3rd person action games, fighting games).

I'm glad Mirror's Edge and Trine didn't stay on consoles. They were fun. I doubt the Diablo series will stay on PC. There is really no reason for an open platform that can support any controller it wants to, and display on any device it wants to, to be restricted by genre.

 

[PopcornMegaphone]

Yes you can and yes it is. Add a $90 5670 to any modern Dell machine and you'll get around 2-3x console performance in your multiplatform games. It really is that easy, don't subscribe to Xbox Live for one year and buy a single game from a Steam sale and you have the cost covered, job done. PC gaming is as cheap (or expensive) as you want it to be. You really can't argue the cost angle anymore especially when I can preorder brand new games like AVP for £17. £17 for a brand new release with free online that includes dedicated server support.

There's plenty of reasons to choose console gaming, but no, cost really isn't one these days.

You mean a new dell with a 300w power supply?

The 5670 recommends a 400w PSU.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Frankly I dunno where you guys get the time to play all of these newer PC games.

I'm still working on stuff from the 90s. My great-grandson will be a corpse before I finally get around to them new-fangled 3D-card requiring games.

 

[brain_stew]

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.

RE4 wasn't ported properly. It shouldn't have even been ported to begin with. Like I keep saying. Some games should STAY on PC (Diablo series, World of warcraft, sophisticated FPS games, X-Wing Series, RTS, etc.) and some should stay on consoles (Platformers, 3rd person action games, fighting games). This is how it always was but all of a suden this gen we got some homogenizing going on where every game must appear on every platform from gameboy to xbox360 to PC and I really don't care for it. It diminishes the fun of owning multiple systems when its the same games on every platform.

A modern console is just a low-mid range PC locked down with proprietary software and arbitrary restrictions. I don't see quite why anyone would desire all games to be forever locked to such a format. A PC can do anything a console can do, it can support any peripheral a console can and can do it all better and without arbitrary restrictions. Personally I don't care for buying x number of pre-packaged PCs each with their own proprietary subscriptions/peripherals and God knows what else, there's just no need for it. I do it out of necessity, not desire.

So yes, I would rather have every single game on the PC in an ideal world. I'd rather choose what resolution I play at, what peripheral I use, not deal with silly plastic discs, not pay a corporation a $10 tax on each purchase, be able to mod my games, never suffer tearing in a single game I play, buy digitally if I prefer toand upgrade my hardware if I'm not happy with the current level of Iq and framerates I'm getting from games. People like to have things chosen for them, I get that but to desire games to forever be locked to a one size fits all standard? Nah, I'm going to begin to understand it, who knows what your desires will be in the future, don't you prefer having the option to adapt a gaming to your present preferences?

 

[NullPointer]

There's plenty of reasons to choose console gaming, but no, cost really isn't one these days.

If I can ask, what is the cost of your current preferred setup?

 

[water_wendi]

then please show me the magic because every game pre 2004 gives me incompatibility issues with windows 7 64 bit

For a decent majority if you just make sure the game has the last patch things will go ok. Some you need to right-click the game exe and set the Compatibility to XP or 98. For the games that dont work with that usually a Google search for "GAME Windows 7" will link to a forum post where someone had the same problem and found the solution. The only games that have given me fits are ones that are from the DOS to Win95 transition. The games run fine but installing is a problem because i run 64-bit (32-bit Win7 shouldnt have issues though). The workaround with those is to install on the XP Virtual OS that Windows 7 provides as its a 32-bit environment then just transfer the installed folder to your Windows 7 desktop btw.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Given that Bloodlines was listed, I assume he's talking about the fan patch of that game.

patches-scrolls.de is a great site. no hate allowed

 

[brain_stew]

You mean a new dell with a 300w power supply?

The 5670 recommends a 400w PSU.

And it means precisely fuck all. Its a specification that's there to avoid lawsuits and the like for people using it with PSUs that advertise peek figures and don't have strong 12V rails. Dell's PSUs are fine and will power a 5670 without breaking a sweat, guaranteed. If you think your standard PC with a dual core processor, a single HDD, optical drive and a 5670 is drawing anything close to 400w then I've got a bridge to sell you. You'll struggle to find any single GPU rigs that actually draw 400w.

 

[epmode]

Edit: Is this for System Shock 2 as well?

No, the page I linked is just for the first game.

But yeah, System Shock 2 also works on modern systems. Someone wrote a custom graphics driver for all of the Dark Engine games (SS2, Thief 1 and 2). Better lighting, more resolution options, even widescreen (wasn't available in the original release).

I can't really think of any old games that just won't run, even on Windows 7 64 bit. I guess there might be a few Win 95 DirectX 3 games..

 

[ghst]

this thread is like having a troubled drunk for a friend. you've been there for them for so long and been through so much together that you can't bear to let them go, regardless of how many times they snap and start screaming all up in your face about how you're always breathing the wrong way, and start pissing up your furniture.

lets just try and remember the good times. we had some good times, right baby?

 

[Fugu]

The PC platform is the best gaming platform due to the fact that it's open-ended and five year-old PCs that cost about $200 are more powerful than the most powerful gaming consoles. In fact, other consoles can be played on the PC. Consoles that can't be played on the PC now will be emulated in a few years. Controllers from consoles can be used on the PC. If you wanted to, you could make a PC game run as badly as they do on consoles. The PC has more native games than every other console ever. The platform is even more affordable than it's ever been; I've had personal experience building sub-$600 machines capable of running modern games at 1280x1024 with 4x AA at 85FPS.

Unfortunately, no one wants to develop for the PC anymore.
I suspect it's because there's a large amount of people who are too damn ignorant to learn how one of those new-fangled computer thingeys work.
I've read in this thread about how people complain that computers cost thousands of dollars. If you spend $1000 on your computer, your computer probably contains at least a few things you don't need. I spent $1100 on mine because I wanted absolute overkill; the computer that this replaced was a P4 that I used up until about this time last year, meaning I gamed on it for a good five years.
I've read in this thread about how the PC has compatibility problems. It doesn't. If one of your old games doesn't work, you probably haven't done enough research to get it to fixed. And if you're like me and you want total backwards compatibility, dual boot. Because PCs can do that. They can do a lot of things. It just takes some research.
And therein lies the real problem: People just don't get them. They don't understand how they work. When they see bad command or file name, their first reaction is ”WHERE IS THE MAN WHO DRIVES AROUND IN THE RED BUGGY TO FIX THIS FOR ME". With the dawn of google, this should be a total non-issue. This obviously isn't true of everyone; if it were, I wouldn't be typing this. But it's true of too many people, and because too many people don't realize what they could have by playing games on the PC, PC gaming is dying. It's a shame.

 

[Salacious Crumb]

One thing is fairly obvious in this thread.

PC gamers bitching about consoles either owned or do own a current gen console.

Console gamers bitching about PC gamers, have either never owned a gaming PC or at least haven't in many years, and get all their PC gaming info from Giant Bomb or John Davison.

maybe this isn't the case and some deep seeded bias is clouding my judgment. I'm sure someone will let me know shortly.

 

[Fredescu]

The last old game I had to go to any great effort to run was Castle of the Winds. It's a Windows 3.1 game from 1989. I had to install DosBox, then install Windows 3.1 into that, and then install the game. It took me a couple of hours to figure it all out as I hadn't used DosBox before, but it works nicely and I've now automated it to run from one click.

 

[PopcornMegaphone]

And it means precisely fuck all. Its a specification that's there to avoid lawsuits and the like for people using it with PSUs that advertise peek figures and don't have strong 12V rails. Dell's PSUs are fine and will power a 5670 without breaking a sweat, guaranteed. If you think your standard PC with a dual core processor, a single HDD, optical drive and a 5670 is drawing anything close to 400w then I've got a bridge to sell you. You'll struggle to find any single GPU rigs that actually draw 400w.

For a decent majority if you just make sure the game has the last patch things will go ok. Some you need to right-click the game exe and set the Compatibility to XP or 98. For the games that dont work with that usually a Google search for "GAME Windows 7" will link to a forum post where someone had the same problem and found the solution. The only games that have given me fits are ones that are from the DOS to Win95 transition. The games run fine but installing is a problem because i run 64-bit (32-bit Win7 shouldnt have issues though). The workaround with those is to install on the XP Virtual OS that Windows 7 provides as its a 32-bit environment then just transfer the installed folder to your Windows 7 desktop btw.

I think this is why core gamers are moving away from PC gaming. Breaking recommend specs and having to work to get a game to "play right".

Anyway, I have nothing against PC gaming. In fact, I respect it and I completely understand why many people prefer it.


edit -

One thing is fairly obvious in this thread.

PC gamers bitching about consoles either owned or do own a current gen console.

Console gamers bitching about PC gamers, have either never owned a gaming PC or at least haven't in many years, and get all their PC gaming info from Giant Bomb or John Davison.

maybe this isn't the case and some deep seeded bias is clouding my judgment. I'm sure someone will let me know shortly.

I'm not bitching about PC gamers. I'm bitching about the PC platform. This isn't personal.

I can bitch about consoles too, but I'm more willing to put up with it's faults. :lol

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Ever since people started watching TV on their computers, they've had to find some other use for their couches and televisions. Gaming is that some other use!

 

[brain_stew]

If I can ask, what is the cost of your current preferred setup?

Hmm, I've got a £90 CPU and my GPU cost £140, so not much really. When I can buy PC games at half the price of console games, the difference is made up in no time. So yes, PC gaming has worked out cheaper for me personally. The argument isn't about how much it costs to get a PC as capable as mine though, its about whether PC gaming gaming be done with roughly the same outlay as console gaming and yes, it absolutely can be, you just can't write off how insanely cheap the games are. You can buy the THQ pack from Steam for £27 atm, I personally like having the option to pick up 18 games for less than the price of one console title, even if it means I spend a little more on hardware.


Its not the best option for everyone, I sure as hell aint denying that, but the myth that its a platform that is prohibitively expensive really needs to end. For a lot of gamers, myself included, its the cheapest platform available and as a student on a tight budget its one of the primary draws of the platform.

 

[Fugu]

The last old game I had to go to any great effort to run was Castle of the Winds. It's a Windows 3.1 game from 1989. I had to install DosBox, then install Windows 3.1 into that, and then install the game. It took me a couple of hours to figure it all out as I hadn't used DosBox before, but it works nicely and I've now automated it to run from one click.

CotW works in vanilla DosBOX without installing Win 3.1.

One thing is fairly obvious in this thread.

PC gamers bitching about consoles either owned or do own a current gen console.

Console gamers bitching about PC gamers, have either never owned a gaming PC or at least haven't in many years, and get all their PC gaming info from Giant Bomb or John Davison.

This.

 

[water_wendi]

I think this is why core gamers are moving away from PC gaming. Breaking recommend specs and having to work to get a game to "play right".

For almost everything there is no need to do anything more than install and then play.

Microsofts Windows 7 Compatibility page is here. i dont know the exact percentage of games from the 90s that work perfectly on Windows 7 but i can tell you out of the hundreds ive tested it has to be a fairly high number. i can also tell you that Windows 7 is leagues beyond XP in terms of backwards compatibility. With XP i had to get other programs to get sound to work and what not.. Win 7 handles it like a champ almost always.

 

[brain_stew]

I think this is why core gamers are moving away from PC gaming. Breaking recommend specs and having to work to get a game to "play right".

Anyway, I have nothing against PC gaming. In fact, I respect it and I completely understand why many people prefer it.

You're talking about a 10 year old game ffs! :lol Just try sticking in a random 10 year old console game in your brand new PS3 and see what happens. Any modern game is all but guaranteed to work flawlessly on Windows 7 and anything else can be forced to work after a little coaxing and when they work they'll automatically be upgraded with better graphics than they ever had before. Minsc just went threw a library of over 100 games spread throughout 15+ years of history and he only found 1 game that didn't work in Windows 7 x64. Now, I think that's pretty damn good compatibility, and sure as hell beats any console.

 

[Fredescu]

CotW works in vanilla DosBOX without installing Win 3.1.

I don't see how that's possible. Are we talking about the same game?

 

[Fugu]

You're talking about a 10 year old game ffs! :lol Just try sticking in a random 10 year old console game in your brand new PS3 and see what happens. Any modern game is all but guaranteed to work flawlessly on Windows 7 and anything else can be forced to work after a little coaxing and when they work they'll automatically be upgraded with better graphics than they ever had before. Minsc just went threw a library of over 100 games spread throughout 15+ years of history and he only found 1 game that didn't work in Windows 7 x64. Now, I think that's pretty damn good compatibility, and sure as hell beats any console.

I own about five hundred PC games (seriously. I can take a picture of my stack of CDs and my games folders if anyone would like to refute that figure) with the majority of them being released between 1992 and today. The list of games that don't work on Windows 7 x64 after fifteen minutes of work is a very short one:

Civilization II

Even then, there's only one version of Civilization II that doesn't work, and that's the oldest one. There are three other, almost identical versions (one of them has an AI problem that has a fan patch to fix it) that do work. If it doesn't seem to work, someone has probably tried to fix it and they've probably been successful because computers don't change much.

I don't see how that's possible. Are we talking about the same game?

I was thinking of the wrong game. However, it does seem to work alright on XP (it's available for free on the creator's website).

 

[brain_stew]

You can by downloading them via Virtual Console. With the PC good luck getting games like System Shock and POD working on a modern PC.
.

So you're presenting re-buying all your games again, on a system with the most archaic DRM in the industry at very inflated pricing as actual backwards compatibility? Really? If rebuying old games is what you want, then go along to gog.com, they're 100% DRM free, most games cost just a $1 more than NES games on the VC, and come with a load of free extras like strategy guides and OSTs.

Heck, my PC has much better BC for PS2 games than my housemate's PS2 and it can play them straight off the disc if I want it to. Really, playing the compatibility card as some sort of way to undermine PC gaming versus console gaming is one of the most stupid things I think anyone could do, its beyond ridiculous.

The strengths of console gaming lie in speed to launch a game, the low base cost of entry, ease of use and a focus on social gaming. Its why I've always maintained that the Wii is the smartest vision for a console, because it is a console, not just some gimped and proprietary PC with many of the drawbacks but very few of the advantages of a modern PC.

I'm very new to PC gaming, only just built my first proper rig a couple of years ago, so I'm very well versed in console gaming and what it brings to the table, it just isn't delivering enough for me personally atm and is, honestly, too expensive.

 

[Anticitizen One]

I own about five hundred PC games (seriously. I can take a picture of my stack of CDs and my games folders if anyone would like to refute that figure) with the majority of them being released between 1992 and today. The list of games that don't work on Windows 7 x64 after fifteen minutes of work is a very short one:

Civilization II

Even then, there's only one version of Civilization II that doesn't work, and that's the oldest one. There are three other, almost identical versions (one of them has an AI problem that has a fan patch to fix it) that do work. If it doesn't seem to work, someone has probably tried to fix it and they've probably been successful because computers don't change much.


I was thinking of the wrong game. However, it does seem to work alright on XP (it's available for free on the creator's website).

15 minutes of work to you is a huge headache for others. I don't want to have to dig around my computer and manipulating .exe files and downloading patches and programs. When I want to play Crash Bandicoot from 1996 I just pull out the disc pop it into my ps3 and it works just like it did back in the day. The ps3 even upscales it and smoothes out the graphics and improves loading times.

 

[ZZMitch]

Eh, I much prefer gaming on consoles as to gaming on PC

I enjoy the fact that I am connected to all my friends via XBL and PSN, and many of you guys may laugh at "LOL, COMFY COUCH," but I just like the ease of use of a console.

I do own a gaming PC, but I barely ever play on it, just some Team Fortress 2, Civ4 and Red Alert 3 every now and again.