Dear Hardcore PC Gamer. I would like to know your thoughts.

Discussion in 'Games, Gaming & Game-demos' started by fredgml7, Feb 16, 2021.

  1. fredgml7

    fredgml7 Master Guru

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    Some of my history (or story?) and thoughts:

    I’ve been playing video games since I was a little kid (5 years old or less) in the 80’s. Started with a console called Dactar (Atari clone), after that: Mega Drive (Genesis), SNES, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Game Cube, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
    Back to Dreamcast times I “discovered” PC games, I specially played a lot of Quake III Arena (online), CS 1.5, strategy games (like Age of Empires) and MMORPG (only Lineage II actually). I still have an old Riva TNT2 32MB around here (it doesn’t work anymore).:D
    So knowing and enjoying both (despite the fact that I don’t play that much nowadays) I came to some points:

    1 – You can have fun no matter what platform you choose (or console brand). Especially if you don’t have much time to play.

    2 – I believe PC is a better platform to play FPS, RTS and MMORPG just because of keyboard and mice (mouse), for these kind of games it’s much better than a gamepad.

    3 – Apart from FPS, RTS and MMORPG all other types of games I rather play on consoles.

    4 – All graphic advantages of PC are nice, but I believe it is overestimated.

    5 - Graphics and performance are not the most important parts of a game.

    6 – You don’t miss what you don’t know, comparing can be a cancer to weak minds.


    I would like to know why many of you only consider playing games on PC and sometimes despise consoles. Do you have good arguments/reasons, or you just follow a trend?

    Edited:

    There are two more interesting points that may be a problem when it comes to multiplayer games on PC.

    7 - Pay to win: Whether buying stuff in game or hardware wise. On consoles things like that are much more equal (especially hardware wise).
    8 - Cheating: The PC freedom can sometimes be a curse. This plague exists on consoles too but way less in my opinion.

    Do you agree? :D
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
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  2. KissSh0t

    KissSh0t Ancient Guru

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    I think you will find a lot of the people here also have consoles.

    Personally I do have some older consoles, 360 being the newest which I acquired a little over a year ago for the purpose of playing some games that were never released on PC, which then were released on PC after getting them for the 360.... go figure..

    Using Xbox One controller on PC for racing games is pretty fun too.
     
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  3. skacikpl

    skacikpl Maha Guru

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    1. You surely can but that's also a matter of standards and perspective, knowing that same game could be better technically and or visually on better hardware can sometimes be a killjoy, not to mention the factor where you could experience majority of your games at high resolutions in high framerates then force yourself for a much worse experience just for some console exclusive title - can you still ejnoy it? Most likely. Is it optimal experience? Most likely not.
    2. By sheer merit of being capable of using any input device you want and to output to any monitor/TV you want the PC has the upper hand here as there's no way how console would give you a better experience in a non-exclusive title over PC, if you want to play all other genres on a gamepad there's nothing preventing you from doing so - again in higher resolutions and framerates.
    3. Ditto.
    4. That's subjective, there are more benefits than just graphics, framerates aren't exactly graphics but are also way more important. Then there's other stuff that comes with PC nature like modding and user generated content.
    5. Graphics? Not really. Performance? I'm sorry but if your game cures AIDS in 10FPS then it's still pretty sub par experience. Games, much like any other product are an experience as a whole. You cannot say that hey - gameplay is good, story is good and everything else is a non-factor. How it looks and how it runs are also important factors, while looks are subjective i would say the performance is more of an multiplier of entire score. Even best games become a literal slog to play through if technical aspects are less than stellar.
    6. Sure but what you're essentially missing is a narrow set of exclusive games which as history shows will usually eventually turn up on PC either way (in varying degree of acceptable ports) or ultimately many years later through means of emulation. Nothing else within the console environment is really to be missed unless you are really dependent on the most straightforward plug and play experience.

    As far as "despise" goes i would only attribute it to consoles essentially defining pacing and rough capabilities of each "generation" of games as most of them will roughly target console level ballpark with very few leaps done for sake of PCs. At the beginning of each generation the impact of this is miniscule as that is the time where consoles are usually slightly ahead of usual consumer grade gaming PC, however within 2-3 years this curve inverts and consoles start dragging down entire industry in technical terms for the next 4-5 years of the generation.

    Another offshoot are lazy ports which simply don't treat PC with "due respect" as a platform as it doesn't have one big corporate entity behind it like Sony or Microsoft which would enforce contractual legal obligations of quality and whatnot, so really anything goes in this regard - and there are always people who will unapologetically gobble borderline insulting versions just to have the game on PC (i'm looking at you Dark Souls 1).

    Other than that i don't really care for the consoles - to each their own, i know it's not a choice I would make but i'm not the one to tell other people how to live their lifes.
     
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  4. Undying

    Undying Ancient Guru

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    Console is just a an inferior system you have fun with when your friends come over you sit in front of a tv and play some fighting games.

    When you want to play competitive shooter, rpgs or even a story driver singleplayer game enjoying a superior framerates, graphics, response times with a keyboard and mouse like a normal person you turn on your PC.
     
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  5. DannyD

    DannyD Ancient Guru

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    Console graphics are usually compromised compared to master race games, their graphics are baked in and don't have many options.
    Crap framerate, bad lag, and you're stuck with your thumbs to move around with controller.
    When you're done with your master race game just pop it off and surf the web, listen to music, watch movies all with zero cost.
    The master race has many 'demos' available whereas the consoles are what £60 a pop?
    That being said the minute switch pro is released i'm getting it. (bounce-alerts of course)
     
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  6. jbscotchman

    jbscotchman Guest

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    I haven't owned a console since the N64 back in 1999;. I grew up on NES and arcade games in the 80's.

    But in 1999 while reading a Game Informer magazine something struck me. I saw screenshots of Aliens VS Predator and thought to myself, I want to play that. Been PC only since then.
     
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  7. Horus-Anhur

    Horus-Anhur Ancient Guru

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    I started playing on consoles, since the time of the Atari Junior. I had at least one console for each generation. Currently I own a Switch.
    But since 1999, the PC has become my main gamming platform.

    The thing that makes me love PC gamming the most now, is being able to play at games at 100+ fps, with gsync.
    Playing at 60 fps, seems significantly less smooth and precise. Especially on fast paced games.
    Playing at 30 fps it's out of the question, because it feels very stuttery, slow and imprecise.
    Even on Switch, I only own games that run at 60 fps.

    I have seen the PS5 and Xbox Series X having many games running at 60 fps, and several having a 120 fps mode. And the Xbox has support for freesync.
    This makes these consoles a lot more interesting. But I have to wait to see if this is just a fad, or something to stay.

    Another thing I love about PCs is being able to disable things like motion blur, chromatic aberration, film grain, dof, etc, on almost every game.
    Even if it requires to edit some ini or cfg file, it's still better than to play with this stuff turned on.
     
  8. DannyD

    DannyD Ancient Guru

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    Yup many many folks the same.
     
  9. Clouseau

    Clouseau Ancient Guru

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    Honestly, the only console I was ever in awe of was the very first Xbox. It had far superior graphics than what most PCs offered back then. Consoles since then have never reached that mark again. I have been gaming since I was about 7; playing a black jack program my father wrote on a server at his work. Ever since then I was amazed at computer driven gaming. Played snipes (old server based game) and Text based adventure games. Fist PC title ever bought was Myst. PCs like stated from others in this thread have a lot more going for them. My viewpoint is that games should be designed for PC fist and then cut down to fit on consoles. That is how all these porting programs from Epic and the like were advertised. Unfortunately that is not how they ended up being used.

    Personally do not despise consoles but do not like them either. They are what is holding back the gaming industry. Before consoles took hold, hardware was always playing catchup to software. Now software is playing catchup with console hardware and then stagnating till the next console generation comes about. Upgrading a PC can be done in stages as needed or desired. Consoles are a one and done. All that can be upgraded is the amount of storage. The amount of aim assist on consoles is killing cross platform playing so much that bullets actually curve around corners. I do not despise consoles but view them as a cancer because of how the industry has placed an inferior computing platform center stage.
     
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  10. cerebus23

    cerebus23 Guest

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    if there any concole games i get a urge to play i rather emulate, or buy the "remaster" on pc, sine that is going down more and more.


    only reason to stay current is for exclusives and i holding out for persona 5 and god of war.
     
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  11. DannyD

    DannyD Ancient Guru

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    Sure a decent ps5 exclusive would prolly snag me.
    I enjoyed the ps4 pro for 4 or so months.
    No games upcoming though exclusive i know about. (which could top nier automata 2 pc)
     
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  12. Godzilla

    Godzilla Member Guru

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    getting ready to sell my ps4 to invest into pc hardware, this is probably my last console. I can do it all on pc and my favorite genre is strategy games.
    Plus games are cheaper on pc and there are emulators for exclusives.
     
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  13. coc

    coc Maha Guru

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    well, some exclusive console games in our modern Era are worth the trouble of keeping a console for those specific releases. for example The Last of Us, both parts are some of the best games that's been created in my opinion.

    PC in general is more "personal" for me. it's a better experience in general when i take every aspect of it compared to a console.

    i think in terms of the tech stuff, consoles have come a long way in terms of frames, resolution, graphics. so tech related issues are the least important in my eyes ( in these days ).

    controller vs mouse&keyboard is a matter of personal preference, i find mouse&keyboard to be miles better, more comfortable etc.

    i would argue that PC in general is not a "gaming machine" which is exactly the definition of a console . so the way i see things, this is the main reason PC is superior for my usage, including gaming.

    in theory if those few top-caliber games ( God of War, Last of Us etc ) would be on PC and not being exclusives, i would not own a console.
     
  14. emperorsfist

    emperorsfist Ancient Guru

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    For me, PC is just way more versatile than any console. The system is more or less open to the user (sure Linux more so than Windows, though both are more open than a Mac or a console), so there is no reason for a jailbreak; I can work, play and watch movies on a PC - a console can't function as a "workplace"; there's more chance for backward compatibility on a PC, whereas older consoles had none of that (it seems that this generation finally tries to correct that), and I also dislike the idea of paying for internet access twice. Exclusive games are just a temporary nuisance, they either get ported, or an emulator crops up. Last generation had only Bloodborne, which I am still interested in, so there was that as well.

    EDIT: Also, OP, be less condescending next time.
     
  15. H83

    H83 Ancient Guru

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    I prety much agree with you. Besides my PC system, i also have an Xbox S, a PS4 4 and the mini/classic consoles and i have fun with all of them. And from time to time, i think about getting a Switch...

    I also prefer to play games lik FPS and RTSs on PC and action/sports games on consoles.

    The important thing is to have fun, no matter the platform.
     
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  16. ramthegamer

    ramthegamer Ancient Guru

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    i can 't say i hate consoles, for me primarily, i got a pc to play multiplayer FPS, and u can t play cs go on a console, add to that the FOV option, which is a major drawback on consoles, maybe lately only one game has that option, and it s cod black ops cold war.
    the second thing which is related to the first is the fact of having a keyboard and mouse, which is to me the basic drive for u to have a pc in order to play fps games. and u can notice the advantage of having a keyboard mouse setup in games like COD warzone, like my friend that i play with admits, that he suffers with the gamepad in that game.
    i love console because of the fact that u can play third person and sports games better, with the high serviceability and mobile nature of it, take it anywhere hook it anywhere.
    so for me the console is a primary platform to play games like FIFA, gran turismo/forza whatever racing games
     
  17. Horus-Anhur

    Horus-Anhur Ancient Guru

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    Another great thing about PCs is modding.
    Sometimes is small things, like using reshade to ad some graphical effects. For instance, adding SSAO, SMAA, RTGI, on older games can can make a big difference.
    Sometimes it can make a huge difference. Skyrim is a great example. This is a good game with a lot of great aspects, but is lessened by a lot of problems, like bugs, graphics, UI, etc.
    But with the right mods, this becomes almost a perfect game.
    And of course, for those inclined, you can ad so much silly stuff, that it becomes a whole different game.
     
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  18. Undying

    Undying Ancient Guru

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    AvP was amazing. I actually started with AvP2 2001 and was blown away by it. I had owned ps1 back and thought to myself, i need to have this and throw away my console. :D
     
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  19. fredgml7

    fredgml7 Master Guru

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    Fair enough.
    There is no right or wrong here.

    I believe that upgrading, tuning, overclocking, benchmarking etc. are also very (or most) important to hardcore PC gamers. I don’t see that much importance given to Games actually. Games are diverse, there are my different types. One should not compare PUBG to Tetris, but I know that in some years PUBG will be forgotten while Tetris won’t and it will still be fun to play on a calculator. :D


    It's not like you have to choose one or another. If one have money and time to spend… Why not both?
     
  20. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    I still remember my shock from discovery that PS3 can not play PS2 games: I was gifting PS3 to my friend who has PS2 and I was anticipating the new experience with all PS2 games they had....

    Console is household appliance, hence it has no my interest.

    PS Also I can`t utilize gamepad in fast paced games on PC. I bought a controller to play games like "FFXIII" and "Mark of the ninja" - and these were fine, then I have tried to play "Mirror`s Edge" with controller and I failed spectacularly...
     

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