It's not about complexity, it's about not being as straightforward as a system wide friend list and chat system, which gets improved on with features like integrated looking for groups and such.
I mean, if I want to play overwatch with some friends on a console all I literally have to do is press the Xbox button, then up to go to the friends list and from there I can join or invite them with party chat all taken care of.
This is increasingly not as seamless on pc as you game from different vendors. For instance overwatch having different friendlists than steam, or use different applications to make for what the consoles have unified.
I try to get into pc games but after a week or two they just stop working and i dont know how to get them to run again. Getting pads to work is also a problem since the program i used turned into a paid thing and everything else doesnt work as well. I just havent seen these great strides in accessibility personally.
There are multiple threads about PC problems popping up daily. Console problems are much simpler.Pretty much every time there is a console vs PC gaming discussion going on there are a bunch if people saying that PC gaming require too much work compared to consoles.
I used to be a console-only gamer, enough to even get me banned by trying to shut up PC gamers in my console threads.
Then I bought a PC 4 years ago. Windows 7, i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 780ti. Windows preinstalled.
During these past 4 years I haven't "fiddled" with any driver or patches, I've just bought the games on Steam and everything has just worked with zero tinkering. The fiddling is taken care of by Steam without me knowing about it. Quite amazing really. Steam sometimes says that it has been automatically updated and restarts with one mouse click and a 10 second start up time, that's pretty much how far my tinkering has gone. If I want to use a controller I just plug it in and it instantly works and the UI in the games swap to indicate buttons instead of keys. Quite amazing really.
Honestly, PC gaming could be sold with Apple's "It just works." slogan from my point of view.
I swapped out my 780ti to a 980ti 2 years ago though, but even that was surprisingly easy: power down the computer, loosen the cables and screws, pull out the old card, plug in the new card, reconnect the cables and tighten the screws, power up the computer. Done.
Those who complain about how difficult PC gaming is simply cannot have used a modern PC with Steam.
You definitely _can_ fiddle with a bunch of stuff if you want to. But you don't have to if you don't want to, that's the thing. I'm one of those that don't want any hassle, I just want to play games, and that's exactly what my PC has let me to do.
So where does that complexity talk come from? From my point if view it's just as easy to game on PC as consoles.
There are multiple threads about PC problems popping up daily.
There are multiple threads about PC problems popping up daily. Console problems are much simpler.
There are multiple threads about PC problems popping up daily. Console problems are much simpler.
The main reason why I mostly play on console is I don't want to bother with configuration and technical trouble with every game. I tried Watch Dogs PC, stuttering was everywhere. Ran it on PS4, it worked perfectly.
Yesterday I download Fifa 15 PC demo, goes in windowed mode with stuttering and never goes back fullscreen. Zero problem on PS4. It's always like that. Devs just don't care about PC, because money is mostly on consoles. It won't change, because piracy won't go away.
I'm 40, I've got money, money is not the problem, TIME is the problem. When I come back from work, I don't want to bother with ini, settings, technical bugs and drivers to gain 2 fps over the console version or just make it work. I want to play now and be sure it'll work. Consoles are just better for that. I don't care if it has 5 less pixels, I just don't see them, sorry.
The simple fact that PC gamers always try to convince you to go PC and console players never do the same tells you all you need to know. PC gamers are the ones having trouble justifying the money they put in this. Console gamers are ok with their choice, they just don't care about PC. Stop trying to convince us every single time, you're just losing your time and it screams insecurity.
And that's without even talking about cheaters, console exclusives you miss (that I like more than PC exclusives, except maybe Civilization) or big games coming 2 years later. I wouldn't face mouse / kb players with my pad in a PC FPS either, it just doesn't make sense. So you've got tons of reasons not to go PC actually. Especially with diminishing returns, which will make harder and harder to notice any difference in power.
Yeah, but that comes with it's own share of problems. A quick search on this very forum shows many people complaining about the chosen settings being no good and updates crashing it or causing other problems with their pcs, most old, but there are some late 2016 threads too.Geforce experience does automatic settings.
This is just my opinion/experience so please don't try to tear me down and call me lazy and dumb etc. I just wanted to share one case of why someone finds it tough to jump back in.
Yeah, but that comes with it's own share of problems. A quick search on this very forum shows many people complaining about the chosen settings being no good and updates crashing it or causing other problems with their pcs, most old, but there are some late 2016 threads too.
I love those threads where nerds from around the world assemble to tell us how their PC is so easy to use.
I'm 42, I work in computing, and even I acknowledge my console is a lot easier to use than my PC. Press button, play.
On PC you're constantly fighting with the OS, fighting with the drivers, fighting with the settings and so on.
And no in the end it doesn't even always look better (when it even runs, see Batman or tons of other shitty PC ports). My 400 PS4 Pro plays games in 4k / 30 fps, which my Geforce 1200 1070 PC can't even do. Games like Horizon look better on PS4 Pro than anything on my 1070 PC.
And that's without thinking about cheaters / hacks on PC, or the impossibility of playing multiplayer games with a pad vs mouse players on a fair level (obviously).
So unless you're a nerd and likes constantly solving settings / drivers / OS issues, don't believe the nerds. Going console is perfectly fine. I know, I have both and I play mostly on consoles.
No one denies that you have more options on PC and things like modding and community patches. But it's that stuff that requires the "tinkering" some people don't want to spend time on. Console gaming is simpler because of less options.How are they "much simpler"? Problems are largely the same except that you cannot do anything to make it better.
Let's take a recent example:
Nier: Automata comes broken on PC, on full screen you will not get the resolution you've setup in config. 15 minutes after release you have a community fix using a 3rd party app. Within 24h you've got custom software that allows to do that but also reduce GI for better performance and uncap fps among other stuff.
Prey: PS4 version comes with input lag that ruins the experience for some people. What can you do about it?
Much simpler.
Yeah, but that comes with it's own share of problems. A quick search on this very forum shows many people complaining about the chosen settings being no good and updates crashing it or causing other problems with their pcs, most old, but there are some late 2016 threads too.
No one denies that you have more options on PC and things like modding and community patches. But it's that stuff that requires the "tinkering" some people don't want to spend time on. Console gaming is simpler because of less options.
In response to the OP:
Because it's true. Built my first PC last year and I've 'fiddled with it' more than probably every console I've ever had combined. I'm not complaining about it - but it's true.
Whether it's Nvidia drivers breaking certain games, Windows 10 updates causing all kinds of fucking issues. Setting custom resolutions to get rid of black bars. The list goes on and on... and that doesn't include in-game settings.
Games like Watch Dogs 2 & Ghost Recon Wildlands (just recent examples since I played them both last night) have countless graphic settings & adjustments and it really does take a solid 30 minutes of tweaking in some cases to achieve the perfect balance between performance and image quality. It absolutely takes an extra level of time, patience and dedication that some console gamers have no use for.
Somebody saying they've had a PC for 4 years and never 'fiddled' with a driver or had to troubleshoot any software issues are either incredibly lucky or (more likely) lying.
It's getting better, I'll give it that.
You took 30 mins to tweak a game setting? What
Totally possible to get an optimal result. Did it too with some games because my PC is older and I have to find a "sweet spot" for some more demanding games.You took 30 mins to tweak a game setting? What
I know that, that's actually the point I was making. It's not bad because it's there, but it's not as straightforward as a console that more often than not get the settings just right for their hardware or at least what the developer found it was (save for unnecessary architectural yikes like esram on xbone).So much of those threads are people trying to min max for performance and not necessarily struggling with game breaking issues. This is an entirely optional thing to take part in. Another thing that contributes to those threads is people with higher standards than most wanting the game to perform better.
Honestly, the vast, vast majority of time you just install a game on steam and play it without having to do anything.
Sorry but I honestly can't agree with any of that.I love those threads where nerds from around the world assemble to tell us how their PC is so easy to use.
I'm 42, I work in computing, and even I acknowledge my console is a lot easier to use than my PC. Press button, play.
On PC you're constantly fighting with the OS, fighting with the drivers, fighting with the settings and so on.
And no in the end it doesn't even always look better (when it even runs, see Batman or tons of other shitty PC ports). My 400 PS4 Pro plays games in 4k / 30 fps, which my Geforce 1200 1070 PC can't even do. Games like Horizon look better on PS4 Pro than anything on my 1070 PC.
And that's without thinking about cheaters / hacks on PC, or the impossibility of playing multiplayer games with a pad vs mouse players on a fair level (obviously).
So unless you're a nerd and likes constantly solving settings / drivers / OS issues, don't believe the nerds. Going console is perfectly fine. I know, I have both and I play mostly on consoles.
Uh yeah - have you seen the Watch Dogs 2 settings menu?
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/watch-dogs-2-graphics-and-performance-guide
30 minutes is actually pretty short, considering how many options they give you.
Totally possible to get an optimal result. Did it too with some games because my PC is older and I have to find a "sweet spot" for some more demanding games.
What tinkering is there to do on the Pro? Come on.So the pro is too much for you?
Sorry but I honestly can't agree with any of that.
Fighting the OS, drivers and settings?
Like I said, I bought my PC 4 years ago and I just powered it up and started gaming. I've had no OS fighting, the drivers are auto-updated I guess because I haven't manually installed a single driver yet, the settings are preset if I don't want to change it. Nvidia experience tells me that my GPU driver needs to be updated, but it works so I just shrugs and keep on gaming instead.
And everytime I see something running above 60fps I'm thinking "why didn't I start with PC gaming sooner??". It still blown my mind seeing something above 60fps. And I mean I even got a ban once for requesting PC gamers to talk elsewhere than in my console-focused thread, I was deep deep into console gaming, too deep. I'm so glad I finally woke up!
It's true though that you totally _can_ tinker with a PC, it's open to everything, but do you _really_ have to? I sure haven't so far.
How many PC gamers are there though? Maybe the people with problems are still in minority? Or maybe they tweaked with something they should have left alone?There are multiple threads about PC problems popping up daily. Console problems are much simpler.
What tinkering is there to do on the Pro? Come on.
I work at a computer all day. Just the thought of having to access a game via the same operating system that I use for work all day makes me feel physically ill.
I work at a computer all day. Just the thought of having to access a game via the same operating system that I use for work all day makes me feel physically ill.
Uh yeah - have you seen the Watch Dogs 2 settings menu?
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/watch-dogs-2-graphics-and-performance-guide
30 minutes is actually pretty short, considering how many options they give you.
What tinkering is there to do on the Pro? Come on.
im 42, work in computing and you guys are nerds
I work at a computer all day. Just the thought of having to access a game via the same operating system that I use for work all day makes me feel physically ill.