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What are the advantages and disadvantages of PC gaming?

I've gone back to playing games on PC, I tend to go back and forth, and, sadly, PC gaming community makes me miss the assholes on Live. 360 COD dude bros got nothing on LoL or L4d or even the small community of COH or whatever. And most games don't even have voice chat. What if they did? My god.
 
StoppedInTracks said:
- cost. No PC for $199 (360 Arcade) can run Mirror's Edge, Oblivion, Skyrim, GTA4, Metro 2033 or Crysis 2. Hell, my graphics card alone costs more than whole PS3.
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That's true, but..

You don't need a console.
But you definitely need a PC and you will spend an x amount of $ to buy one, no matter if you want to play games on it or not. Just add the the price of a console on top of that, and you've got a gaming PC.

(The above obviously doesn't apply if you are fine using a Pentium 4 in 2011, etc :P)
 
When I invested $650 into a new PC last year, I was able to buy a ton of games in the Steam sale that summer and winter for a fraction of the price they were still going for on consoles, and able to run them in true 1080p at >30fps. Add to that the years-long supply of older games the PC has available to it, and it, to me, is a superior experience to console gaming. Higher cost of entry, but cheaper games and the ability to upgrade singular components over time make it a more valuable investment than a console to me.
 
KevinCow said:
I feel pretty much the exact opposite about this. I do all this by having my laptop next to me while I'm playing games on a console, and it's far more convenient than trying to switch between a dozen things on one device.

When I play games on my computer, I feel like I'm nailed to that game until I'm done playing it. Many games don't like being Alt+Tabbed out of, and even when they do, I can't keep an eye on it in the background. I can't, say, check a few GAF posts while I'm waiting for the next round to start, then switch back instantly when it does. Or when I'm starting up a game, it basically monopolizes my entire computer while it boots everything up, whereas when a console game's booting, I can just switch to my laptop until it's up.
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Steam overlay.
 
I've been a console gamer my entire life. Started with my brothers Atari and been on it since. I've only had three computers. I tend to keep them until I just can't get anything more out of them and they become exceptionally slow to use. So I only get 2-3 year windows of mainstream gaming use out of them. Although with my current rig....I can see it lasting much longer.

To the the advantages are:

+Graphics are way beyond the 2005 hardware of console. It's been 6 years...that's a long time for gaming hardware.

+PC exclusives (MMO's, Starcraft 2, Witcher 2...etc.) There are tons of games that are on the PC that just won't be on consoles or won't be any time soon

+Steam. Yes, it's that good. And I swore off digital distribution. I hated the concept, until I saw how it worked on steam. Random crap DRM issue aside, it really is good.

+Mods/Customization. You can take a game and add so many new user-created features it's really amazing.

Alright, nothing's perfect:

- Price. Building a gaming quality rig will never be cheaper than a 300$ xbox 360.

- Bugs/Random performance issues. It's lightyears ahead of where we were a decade ago, but there are STILL issues that occur for PC games where the user needs to go edit a config file, or update/revert their video drivers, or wait for a client patch or run in compatibility mode. Might not be much for a computer savy person but for the "average" user spending 30 minutes trying to figure out why they are only getting 20fps in a game isn't appealing.

- No unified online HUB/Fragmentation. There's nothing on the PC that's near XBL's level of integration. Steam is the closest but what happens when the multiplayer game you want to play isn't on steam? Now you're assed out of your friends list. No cross game invites...etc. Even w/ Game for Windows...only works w/ Games for windows.

-Upgrades. You'll need to keep the tech in your rig up to date if you plan on playing the latest games. You may not want to turn all the visuals to low when a game comes out...

I love pc gaming, but to be honest...my friends don't really PC game. None of them are going to keep a rig up to date enough to care. They all have wives and kids and just don't have the give-a-damn to really keep it up and running. But we all have a 360/PS3/Wii and every now and then I get a phone call to hop online and play something.

People tend to play whatever platform their buddies are on. While I love PC gaming, I have 2 people on my friends list after 6 years :/
 
The biggest disadvantage to PC gaming is probably the high price of entry. It's not as expensive as some say, but if you want a high end, future-proofed gaming PC, it can cost you upwards of $1000 for everything (OS, monitor etc). That alone pushes gamers away from it, because if they already have a console or two, it might not be worth the investment. I didn't go PC until recently because of this.

PC gamers are often treated as second class citizens by the major publishers. Many multiplatform ports are lazy and don't take advantage of the perks of PC gaming. Sometimes they don't have the post-release support that's available on the consoles (see: EA), or we don't even see a PC port altogether (see: RDR). Also, it can be pretty irritating to juggle all the different accounts required for the games I play (see: Uplay, GFWL, EA). You won't have a a unified account for everything, like on the consoles.

Personally, I don't see "fiddling" and "tweaking" and all that stuff as a disadvantage. Sure, sometimes you'll have to deal with the headache of getting an older game to work with modern OS and modding can be a pain at times, but none of these things would be possible on any other platform. It's worth the headache to run a 10 year old game in 1920X1080 with heaps of AA or to completely overhaul a game like Oblivion or STALKER. It's a hurdle, but not a disadvantage.

In the end, it's so fucking worth it.
 
angular graphics said:
That's true, but..

You don't need a console.
But you definitely need a PC and you will spend an x amount of $ to buy one, no matter if you want to play games on it or not. Just add the the price of a console on top of that, and you've got a gaming PC.

(The above obviously doesn't apply if you are fine using a Pentium 4 in 2011, etc :P)
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Why do you need a PC? This 300 buck laptop does everything i need a computer to do. Namely surf the internet and "obtain" music.
 
Isn't it patently obvious that a PC with the extent to which it can be customized by the user will always be more versatile and capable than a console of the same generation? Isn't it just as obvious that if you only choose one piece of hardware to game on, you'll inevitably miss out on some great experiences?

Would anyone here seriously never buy every console and the current best gaming PC setup if money and time were no object?

Personally I'd buy some dude's homemade Arduino gadget if it was somehow the only way to play a game I was interested in.
 
Disadvantages:
You become an elitist snob/ Your time is consumed by micro-managing computer specs, and hardware/ You notice things you wish you hadn't when playing console games/Steam

Advantages:
You become a part of the elite/You can experience high quality gaming everyday/You become technologically savvy/Time is of no issue when you're having fun/Steam
 
angular graphics said:
That's true, but..

You don't need a console.
But you definitely need a PC and you will spend an x amount of $ to buy one, no matter if you want to play games on it or not. Just add the the price of a console on top of that, and you've got a gaming PC.

(The above obviously doesn't apply if you are fine using a Pentium 4 in 2011, etc :P)
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A PC is a luxury item, just like a console is a luxury item. I know alot of older people that don't have PC's.
 
Disadvantages:

High cost of entry (possibly)
Research involved in purchase
Higher occurence of game bugs
Hardware incompatibilities and driver issues

Advantages:

Performance
Customizability
Game prices
Open platform

Of course, there are double edged swords in here. Customizability can be a big advantage to some people, but to others, it's an unnecessary headache.
 
Snuggler said:
Personally, I don't see "fiddling" and "tweaking" and all that stuff as a disadvantage. Sure, sometimes you'll have to deal with the headache of getting an older game to work with modern OS and modding can be a pain at times, but none of these things would be possible on any other platform. It's worth the headache to run a 10 year old game in 1920X1080 with heaps of AA or to completely overhaul a game like Oblivion or STALKER. It's a hurdle, but not a disadvantage.

In the end, it's so fucking worth it.
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I think if you can at least take apart your PC and put it back together, tweaking and fiddling to make a game work by extension, is not that much different. I don't think I've ever seen anyone who has built their own PC complain about having to do INI tweaks or workarounds, not matter how long they've done it. If anything, PC building and PC gaming are like people who do the same with cars. In that sense, there are also people who just don't care too much about their car except that it needs to work, they need to fill it up occasionally and keep it clean and it gets them from point A to B.

Probably not the best comparison.
 
Sober said:
I think if you can at least take apart your PC and put it back together, tweaking and fiddling to make a game work by extension, is not that much different. I don't think I've ever seen anyone who has built their own PC complain about having to do INI tweaks or workarounds, not matter how long they've done it. If anything, PC building and PC gaming are like people who do the same with cars. In that sense, there are also people who just don't care too much about their car except that it needs to work, they need to fill it up occasionally and keep it clean and it gets them from point A to B.

Probably not the best comparison.
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no actually I think it's a very good comparison. :)
 
JudgeN said:
A PC is a luxury item, just like a console is a luxury item. I know alot of older people that don't have PC's.
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This is the last generation in which that will be true. PCs in the developed world are mandatory items, at least until it's possible to use a mobile device for everything online or tablets are more ubiquitous.
 
evil solrac v3.0 said:
no actually I think it's a very good comparison. :)
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Yep, it works. I find it empowering, with PC gaming you can be master of your domain. If a game has a locked framerate, I'm gonna install a mod or tweak a file to unlock that shit. If a game doesn't have AA, I'm gonna pop open my Nvidia Inspector and force it. It's not always easy, but I love having control over the platform, I don't have to settle for mediocrity.

Also, for the most part, I can not care and just play the game. I have around 150 games on Steam and they're all just a click away, no tweaking or fiddling required. If anything, it's faster and more efficient than running a game on my PS3 since I don't even have to get off my ass to put a disc in.

Love it.
 
Stumpokapow said:
To add a question to the OP,

Has PC gaming got better or less good since 2005? Since 2000?
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Much much better, almost entirely on the backs of digital distribution. Indie development existed before Steam, certainly, but the sheer exposure that Steam and other services have given hundreds of quirky, low cost titles among which are some of the best experiences of this generation just wasn't around.
 
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).
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I've seen several games released for the PS3/360 (multi-platform but no PC release) games have to have the technical comparisons (360 vs. PS3) broken off into their own threads to prevent the discussion from clogging up the OT here. This phenomenon (namely graphics whoring trumping gameplay discussion) is not exclusive to PC gaming in the least.
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
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When I think of you I want to cut myself. Nah just kidding. Really dumb post though.
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
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Have you never seen a 360vsPS3 only thead on graphics? Its the same thing.

Hell, why does the wii catch so much crap from the HD consoles people?
 
FTH said:
We both know this isn't true.
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Thread moved faster than I thought it would, I don't think so. I've got a PC that I built early '08 for around the price of a launch PS3 that is still running just fine, and PC games are unquestionably cheaper. I don't really see the lack of truth.
 
+Mods
+Higher resolutions
+Better image quality
+Better framerate
+Multitasking
+Support for practically all types of controllers
+Much more options for chatting with friends
+Easier to record footage
+Digital distribution (consoles are making babysteps with this, but they're nowhere close to PC)
+You can play old games, and not just games of this or the previous generation.
+Probably other stuff I can't think of right away
-Random/annoying hardware malfunctions
-Random/annoying software malfunctions
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of PC, I think of work.
.
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Yeah pretty much. I don't dislike PC gaming and have even bought and played several PC games. It's not as annoying for me as it ounce was, but it's still not that enjoyable. In my experience I just encounter a lot of headache trying to run game. Trying to instal Witcher 2 prompts errors for some reason and when it's installed half the screen is missing. Then you need to go on the net and figure out whats wrong. At the end of the day I just say screw it, I just want to pop in the game with little problem. It just seems like random things screw up my pc gaming for no reason. I recently reinstalled Battlefield 2 and for some reason it crashes on start-up, that kills any incentive to play. I don't have these problems on consoles, they are much more convent.

Though, thank god for Steam. All my experiences with it have been pretty trouble free. But on a whole I rather just stick with console gaming.
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
Click to expand...

-Ok

-Work is work, play is play, if you somehow mix the two in your mind you only have yourself to blame. You hard wired yourself to associate a PC with work which is funny because at the core, especially today, consoles are cheap computers, no matter what they look like at the exterior.

-Console gaming would also facilitate these kinds of conversations as well, but the options are too limited for it. If it weren't such a bitch to take a screenshot of a console game you'd see those more as well, with the PC it is as simple as a keystroke. Funny you all should make it out like PC are graphics whores, console players care as much about graphics as we do, but since we get better graphics it becomes "oh well gameplay is more important". Graphics have only ever made good games better which the PC has no shortage of.

-Again this shouldn't surprise you considering the amount of effort it takes to do it.
 
advantage:

h1880.jpg


disadvantage:

h1880.jpg
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
Click to expand...

When I think of console gamers, I think of people that walk into walls because their controller is shit
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
Click to expand...

I don't really think in terms of "PC gamers" and "console gamers," just "people who do not limit themselves to consoles and/or handhelds" and "people who limit themselves to consoles and/or handhelds."

there are probably, like, three or four people on gaf that limit themselves to their PC.
 
DatBreh said:
Why do you need a PC? This 300 buck laptop does everything i need a computer to do. Namely surf the internet and "obtain" music.
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Which proves my point. If you are going to spend $300 for a computer add on top of that the cost of a console and you are ready to PC game.
 
The thing I find really funny is how people come into PC threads and start throwing accusations around about caring more about graphics than games. There's a huge thread right now full of people crossing fingers and sacrificing lambs to their gods in the hope that the next Xbox will produce graphics as good as Avatar. I know it's not the same people, but it really does highlight how asinine the accusation is.
 
Advantages:

- Games are far cheaper (at least in NZ)
- Better resolutions and image quality, and generally better performance
- Easy to capture video and screenshots
- Can choose to play most games with m/k or game pad
- Steam
- Free to play online, and quite a few good f2p online games
- An amazing catalog of PC exclusives
- Modding surpasses most paid DLC in terms of volume and quality

Disadvantages:

- If your computer has issues, your games will suffer
- Can't play the hot new console exclusive
- Not many local co-op opportunities
- Sometimes you feel ignored while the big companies chase the big bucks
 
Advantages:

+True 1080P gaming if you hook it up to an HDTV. Graphics and resolution will always outclass consoles.
+Cerebral gaming. This is a generalization but PC exclusive games tend to require a bit more thought and intelligence to play than console exclusives or console ports. An FPS game like STALKER would never do well on a console fanbase, for instance.
+Options. This could be a negative depending on how you look at it. Because the PC is an open platform, you can use whatever peripherals you want, configure the game how you want it to look exactly, etc.

Disadvantages:

+Diffuse online play. Single games will have their own communities but you can't just log in and join friends, or expect voice chat out of the box. You usually need to install a 3rd party chat system. It's free though.
+Bugs/BSOD, etc. This isn't a big disadvantage because it really don't happen all that often. Moreover, the people that have issues will always be quite vocal about it. Even so, this may crop up from time to time though I'd say current gen consoles have their own issues in this area.
+Limited genres. Contrary to popular belief, there are a lot of games that come out for PC that never show up for consoles. Like consoles however, certain genres are represented more than others.


Oddly, it seems like PCs are getting more console ports than ever before, so that's another thing to consider.
 
Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
Click to expand...

It's a shame you have that impression. 99% of the time when I buy a new PC game, I download it and start playing it. Many games now are smart enough to detect your optimal settings so you don't need to worry about it. Both my PC and PS3 offer me the same amount fun and relaxation (and sometimes frustration). The only difference is that with the PC, I can take my enthusiasm for a game further by modding, increasing performance or taking great screenshots.
 
When you have four local players and you just want mindless crap to work on your giant television in front of the couch, consoles are fun for an hour or two. That isn't to say PCs can't be set up with four controllers and plugged into a television, it's just not as simple for me, and I can't lug around my PC, while any console fits in a backpack.

Frankfurt said:
When I think of videogames, I think of fun and relaxation.

When I think of PC, I think of work.

When I think of PC gamers, I remember how any thread about graphics or PC+PS360 multiplatform games or PC-only games turns into people posting screencaptures, discussions about graphic cards and how to make something look better (10 posts about graphics for every post about the actual game).

When I think of PC gamers, I think of people that walk to a wall in a game then take a screencapture to post it in a forum.
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This is why I don't come out of the Steam thread.
 
Good:
Better graphics
Greater flexibility (e.g mods)
Smoother gameplay (if your comp is good enough)
Cheaper games

Bad:
More involved (run into more issues, installing, selecting computer components and upgrading etc)
More expensive hardware
Lots of good console only games
 
Crunched said:
Source?
Click to expand...

1) Go to any PC centric thread
2) Topic tools to find most frequent posters / pick posters who seem heavily Pc evangelical
3) Check posters post history
4) See them discussing console titles on the consoels they own in addition to a PC
5) Quod erat demonstrandum
 
Pros: Graphics that will make you jizz your pants.

Cons: Spending an hour trying various CFG tweaks for a 2 FPS gain.
 
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