Genuine question on PC vs Console

[Spiderbot01]

Time and time again I see people here say that loads of games are better on the PC than on console, for example James getting angry at me for getting DX3 on the 360..but why are they better?

[James]

Peformance
Graphics
Modifications - User content
Tweaking - While synonymous with the above it can be used for other things. Don't like something?, you can adjust it to your liking on PC. There's rarely an option to change this on console games
Controls - Most genres like FPS are solid on keyboard and mouse, controllers try to emulate this with sticky aiming which essentially is slow auto aim. Other genres such as platformers feel a lot more natural on controllers, which I play on PC with my 360 or PS2 controller
Cheaper
More games
Easier to play shit games and not pay for them.
What's the point of owning a 360 to a PC or PS3?, allegedly all 360 games are planned to be ported to Windows 8 sometime in future if a recent article is correct.

Sorry but I don't like the fact you're planning play a ruthless texture pop in below 30fps fuckfest, but on the plus side, the PS3 version is visibly worse.

I'd honestly just wait, like I did with DXIW.

[Aidan]

Max, get on PC.


Remember that MS, Sony, Nintendo all mass produce consoles for consumers to buy. These consumers wouldn't buy a console if it were around 400-800 quid, but for 100-200 quid they will.

The only way to do this for that price point is to put in older parts. You might be asking "but then wouldn't games play like shit?". Yes, they do play like shit, but nobody knows any better because they've never played on a gaming rig. So they think of console quality as the standard, when really, it's quite horrible.

They manage to obtain (and lock) a steady 26-30 fps on games that are mostly set to medium and low settings.


James is right about all of that. It may not be cheap at first when you build the PC, but it is in the long run when you're not dropping 30quid for shit quality console games. You can get games for much lower prices on steam, and can play them on maxed out settings at say... 84fps (This is depending on which graphics card you purchase). Needless to say, you'll notice quite a large difference going from console gaming, to PC gaming.


Common GTA IV example. Shader mod that overhauls the graphics on GTA IV. You can't tweak games, or receive this sort of quality EVER on consoles.

Watch it in 720p or I'll break your legs.

[youtube]xWpiGYnyCPo[/youtube]

Stop wasting your time on consoles.

[Kaiden]

Screen keeps freezing, perhaps just not the best computer + recording, mod looks good though.

[James]

I've got no idea how Aidan's post fits itself into mine, except the long run with game prices. I spent more on my 360 in 2 years than this PC in 4.

[Poor]

I've always played console games. Does PC offer any community service such as PSN or Xbox Live?

[Kaiden]

Steam is basically the equivelant of that. Of course all gamers aren't on it, but to play quite a few of the most popular online games (such as CS:S, TF2, L4D etc) you need to be on Steam.

They also do sales and have some amazing deals on atm (i.e. the Valve pack).

[James]

Yes, long before either.

edit:

community service is an extremely funny word if you apply it to Xbox Live, what service does it truly provide?

[or 1=1]

I don't know any MMORPG for consoles :/

[James]

FF11.

[Tantalus]

Phantasy Star Universe.
DC Universe.

[Aidan]

I've got no idea how Aidan's post fits itself into mine, except the long run with game prices. I spent more on my 360 in 2 years than this PC in 4.

I have no idea why you'd spend that much on your 360 lol. Console games aren't cheap. Hopefully you bought them used :/


Yeah, community service is a term generally used for manual labor in prisons, helping your city/town community for non-profit Lol.

[DxPlayer]

I like my console games. No Fatal Errors or Exceptions, slow downs, file missing or corrupted installation, bad performance duo to hardware incompatibility, no expending lots of money on new hardware every year. No waiting for Steam to start downloading Empire + Napoleon Total War awesome pack you just bought on the summer sales but it never starts because the servers are fuckEM unable to randle my request "try it another time"! SHIT IM NEVA GONNA PLAY THOSE GAMES DOWNLOADING AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 100kbps (30gb total).

I have a mid pc and a X360.

[Aidan]

I like my console games. No Fatal Errors or Exceptions, slow downs, file missing or corrupted installation, bad performance duo to hardware incompatibility, no expending lots of money on new hardware every year. No waiting for Steam to start downloading Empire + Napoleon Total War awesome pack you just bought on the summer sales but it never starts because the servers are fuckEM unable to randle my request "try it another time"! SHIT IM NEVA GONNA PLAY THOSE GAMES DOWNLOADING AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 100kbps (30gb total).

I have a mid pc and a X360.

Lol, I've never had any of those issues. If you buy good parts, you won't have to upgrade for years.

If you don't want to wait for the download.. then go to the store and buy the game for a price that is still usually cheap compared to console titles.

-and It appears you might need a better isp, or package :/

My games download at around 700kbps. I just buy at night, leave the download on overnight, and play the next day.

[Poor]

Aren't PC games limited because of the lack of standardization? The companies want their games to be compatible with the systems of their potential buyers so they set a low standard for the system requirements. Most PC games are playable on dual core systems. For people without high-end graphics cards, they can change the graphics to a lower setting. But graphics aren't everything. Certainly, there must be CPU intensive console games that wouldn't be published for PC because the publisher can't expect the targeted customers to have powerful processors. Games like MAG, which is a FPS with up to 256 players in a single room for example. By the time PS4 comes out, I bet people will still be using dual cores.

Also, it doesn't look like PC gaming will adopt Bluray anytime soon. Publishers try to get games to fit on one DVD. This might result in reduced content or them taking it out and offering it as purchasable 'expansion packs'.

[Kaiden]

Certainly, there must be CPU intensive console games that wouldn't be published for PC because the publisher can't expect the targeted customers to have powerful processors.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the 360 an equivalent to a pretty low end/standard PC processor? Most things that run on 360 would run on an average PC I imagine. As well as I'm guessing with the ability to turn the graphics to lowest you can make it a lot less intensive.

no expending lots of money on new hardware every year.

I bought my computer in like 2007 and I've only upgraded the RAM and graphics card since then, compared to people buying a 360 then the new 360 or whatever. Granted eventually I'll have to buy more though.

No waiting for Steam to start downloading Empire + Napoleon Total War awesome pack you just bought on the summer sales but it never starts because the servers are fuckEM unable to randle my request "try it another time"! SHIT IM NEVA GONNA PLAY THOSE GAMES DOWNLOADING AT SPEEDS LESS THAN 100kbps (30gb total).

Odd, never experienced that, perhaps just try out of peak times.

[Aidan]

Aren't PC games limited because of the lack of standardization? The companies want their games to be compatible with the systems of their potential buyers so they set a low standard for the system requirements. Most PC games are playable on dual core systems. For people without high-end graphics cards, they can change the graphics to a lower setting. But graphics aren't everything. Certainly, there must be CPU intensive console games that wouldn't be published for PC because the publisher can't expect the targeted customers to have powerful processors. Games like MAG, which is a FPS with up to 256 players in a single room for example. By the time PS4 comes out, I bet people will still be using dual cores.

Also, it doesn't look like PC gaming will adopt Bluray anytime soon. Publishers try to get games to fit on one DVD. This might result in reduced content or them taking it out and offering it as purchasable 'expansion packs'.

Games generally use 2 threads. James is currently using an overclocked Dual Core I believe with a good graphics card.

PC MMO's can have much more players to a server. It isn't really intensive. It has to do with render distance, and player tracking.

To be quite frank, a Dual Core PC, or 360 could do the same. Sony was all like "THIS IS OUR GAME ONLY AND IT IS DEFINITELY NOT POSSIBLE ON ANY OTHER SYSTEM"

It doesn't matter what game you play, it will always look better on a PC as long as you're able to keep your display options from medium - high. As long as you have a Dual Core CPU @ 3.4Ghz+, I'd say you wouldn't really bottleneck a newer GPU. However, it appears Quad Core is becoming the new standard these days.

Standard Quad Core 3.4Ghz (without Hyperthreading):

-Thread 1 @ 3.4Ghz - Windows
-Thread 2 @ 3.4Ghz - Counter Strike
-Thread 3 @ 3.4Ghz - Counter Strike
-Thread 4 @ 3.4Ghz

This is an example of how it works. You have four logic units that are all clocked @ 3.4ghz. Having 4 Cores at this speed does NOT mean 13.6Ghz. It means that Counter Strike is using 2 logic threads @ 3.4ghz each to Process the base of the game. If your processor is say.. @2.6Ghz, you'll probably bottleneck your new graphics card as it doesn't have enough processing power to use the full potential of the card.

Standard Quad Core 3.4Ghz (without Hyperthreading) MULTICORE:

-Thread 1 @ 3.4Ghz - Windows
-Thread 2 @ 3.4Ghz - Counter Strike
-Thread 3 @ 3.4Ghz - Counter Strike
-Thread 4 @ 3.4Ghz - Counter Strike [Multicore Enabled]

Multicore rendering is an option used with certain games. When turned on, it allows the game you're playing to utilize any of your processor's threads that currently are not in use. This is a plus for lower-end quad cores with lower clock speeds. It doesn't usually eliminate bottleneck completely, but certainly helps out.

Until Blu-ray's become cheaper to purchase, and most games become 25Gb+ in size, I will not see Blu-ray as a standard.

Some of this is irrelevant to what you asked, but I thought it'd be good to display.

[James]

Aren't PC games limited because of the lack of standardization?

No, especially now that the 360 and PS3 are basically low end PCs its been easier to port/optimise games on all 3 systems. There's only a few super powerful PC exclusive games that don't run well on a console priced computer from 2007.

Most PC games are playable on dual core systems.

Correct, they are playable, but not many games for the 360, PC and the PS3 actually utilise 2 cores correctly, let alone use more.

Also the PS3's cpu is much weaker than you're led to believe and why you have to install the games compared to the streaming of the 360, MAG only renders an area of the map and has you fight a small squad vs a small squad. It's never truly 128x128 for the client, the server manages it but you never see it.

Battlefield 2, a 2005 64v64 FPS, can't run on full settings and capability -- without adjusting stuff for console stuff like pop ins, on either the PS3 or the 360. This is a fact.

Also, it doesn't look like PC gaming will adopt Bluray anytime soon. Publishers try to get games to fit on one DVD. This might result in reduced content or them taking it out and offering it as purchasable 'expansion packs'.

>Using a disc
>2011

I hope you guys seriously don't do this. Digital distribution is the future.

Here's a fun quiz for you; name 10 PS3 games that use the blu-ray to its full potential instead of filling it with content such as movies to get the space filled.

No Fatal Errors or Exceptions, slow downs, file missing or corrupted installation

wot, thats as bad for the two consoles as it is for pc

[Aidan]

Here's a fun quiz for you; name 10 PS3 games that use the blu-ray to its full potential instead of filling it with content such as movies to get the space filled.

METAL GEAR SOLID FO-


Oh wait.................
.......
.......
.......
...no, nevermind.

I couldn't agree more about digital distribution. Besides preordering the physical boxed augmented edition of dxhr.. I cant remember the last time I bought a game from a game store..

In the future, I see gamestop, game, and other video game retailers non-existent, and the boxed version of the game available to order online at a premium.

[James]

im retarded btw**. 32v32

[Kaiden]

In the last like year or so I've only bought the disc of C&C4, and that's because it was like £5 on Play.com, (brand new game, like 50 1 star reviews quickly brings a game down from £35) and £20+ still on digital distributors, although it came down in price eventually.

Physical editions aren't bad for presents in person, but that's about it.

[ynnaD]

I'm just set in my ways tbh, i prefer sitting down on a chair with a controller in my hand and a TV/Console set up preferred to a PC set up, i play an odd game or two on PC but i'm just a console gamer at heart, regardless of the advantages you get of playing on PC's.

[Dae]

I like the idea of consoles except two things.

— I do believe that they should be updated more frequently, or at least get more advanced hardware from the start. Personally I get strong headache and sickness from low framerates (35 is already very low for me), and with unchangeable graphics settings, I just physically can't play some games.

— In Russia, new Steam games cost $17 (€12 / £11), sometimes even less, and new PS3 games cost $70 (€50 / £44). If you're a frequent gamer it'd be simply cheaper to buy a PC and upgrade it from time to time, while getting more value for your buck.

[James]

i dont think consoles should be developed more frequently for competition and market's sake. adjustable graphics however is a desire.

also danny, you dont play many games. i also achieve that, with a pc and controller in bed playing ps2 and wii games with a 360 pad.

ive got a lot of hatred in this generation which ill discuss later. get ready for mass microsoft post 2008 and sony 2006-2010 hate

[ynnaD]

i also achieve that, with a pc and controller in bed playing ps2 and wii games with a 360 pad.

I've been able to do that for a while, just dosn't appeal to me

[Aidan]

The only thing I like about consoles, is that they are super easy to flick on, sit down with a group of friends, and play some generic fps on splitscreen for a while.

[James]

perfect. accessibility is the only valid plus in my eyes.

and why they sell

[Aidan]

-and that is the ONLY valid plus. Other than that, I can see non-casual gamers picking up a cod game for their 360 every couple of years, and playing that no and then.


-but if you're a casual gamer, or gaming enthusiast.. Stop wasting your time on consoles, and build yourself a real machine.

[Spiderbot01]

Fuck yeah second hand console games.

[or 1=1]

play some generic fps on splitscreen

Now that I think to it, I never played splitscreen on pc apart some racing games where my mate was using joystick and I had keyboard.

Also, console exclusives? Halo, Killzone etc