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Re-Discovering The Joy of PC Gaming

Forgot to run my sales pitch. Give gog a spin, Op. You might like what you see. Old games and new games alike, frequent sales, no hassle, no DRM, best thing since sliced bread.
Now join the 120/144Hz brotherhood.
Nah, the next step is obviously preordering an Oculus Rift and dumping truckloads of money into peripherals (cans, mice, keyboards, controllers, wheels, joysticks, paddles, TrackIR etc).

You guys and your antiquated "monitors". Bah I say. Bah.

I want a Rift so bad... and am obviously joking in case that wasn't clear.
 
Prefer playing on console. Games are games. Exclusivity doesn't make a game good. Would buy games I'd never pay full price for if I see a good sale for them on steam (or PSN, e-shop or whatever). Games worth full price are not excessively common(I've played games long enough to know what's worth what to me). Prices Steam has tend to get me to buy a larger amount of games (many I've yet to touch and few I felt were worth more than I paid for). All I am saying is that my PC use would be massively less if it weren't a great place for getting games I'd never buy otherwise. Its a contrasting view. Not much different than a thread praising a game with people noting that they themselves aren't that big of fans of it. Not to start an argument, just a passing comment on their view of the topic.

Oh, and if some mod thinks that answering a question posed to me and explaining myself is "starting something up"... Then wow. I'll gladly not respond to anyone else if you've decided to be that way about it.

Thanks for responding. I see where you're coming from. Actually there are some games I prefer to play on console (2D platformers for instance), and things like cross-buy PSN titles have a nice bonus for me over buying the same game on PC.

Living in Australia, the standard retail price for games is $80 (including our regional Steam prices!) so the rise of digital distribution has been a god send to me. I can usually get games on release for around $40 these days, which even a few years ago would have been unimaginable. The price of games is the main appeal of PC gaming for me.

Besides that, I don't even think your opinion is dismissive of PC gaming anyway so all good man!
 
PC is awesome and will only continue to get better. These next couple of years are going to be amazing not just in SW but in HW improvements.
 
HMMMM.

I'm now tempted to do a multimonitor 144hz G-sync setup.

I don't believe G-sync supports multi-monitors as of yet.

I'm currently using a 120hz 1080p monitor, and while I would love to jump on a G-sync, 1440p, and 120hz monitor I feel I should wait until the monitor interfaces catch up in bandwidth. I would love to be able to upgrade directly towards a 4K, 120hz, G-sync monitor using a VA solution. I can dream, right?
 
HMMMM.
I'm now tempted to do a multimonitor 144hz G-sync setup.
Multimonitor isn't supported IIRC.

Besides, with the VESA/AMD sync thingamajig I'd just wait for a bit and see what the market has to offer. Not that I'm overly enthusiastic, but still. The first samples will be out next month I believe, which means G-sync might go down in price over the next year or so.

Then again, if you have the dosh right now, why not.
 
Can I have it running on one monitor then have a conventional second monitor?

I believe so (you may want to double-check), but G-sync does require the G-synced monitor to be full screened.

EDIT: If you mean playing a game using all three monitors with one of them G-synced I want to say no, but again I'm not certain.
 
Plus I don't think most video cards support multiple Displayport monitors at high frame rates anyway. Could be wrong though.
 
Speaking of multi-monitor setups. If you want to have multiple monitors but don't necessarily want to use more than one for games you could simply use an old computer/laptop to power the second/third one. You then simply use a program like Synergy to share your keyboard/mouse over your network without bothering with some of the issues you'd face with a multi-monitor setup (having to use windowed mode, gpu resources, etc.).
 
I caved and bought a new stick/throttle/rudder pedals for my rig.The hyper-realistic flight sim just doesn't exist on consoles.

Yep, the complexity of flying a plane can't be matched on PC's. I have been playing flight simulators on PC's since 1986. The flight sims on the consoles are strictly for casuals who don't have the patience to learn the intricacies of flight.

I think it's going to be the same now for driving sims as well--particularly now that the PS4 won't be supporting the Logitech wheels any time soon. There's no way I'm driving a car using a controller and there's no way I'm gonna buy a new set of steering wheel when my G27 with racing seat does its job well.

I'm also looking at migrating my 6 PS3 controllers to PC for use in future 2K games (which will feature next gen graphics). If they don't work for PS4, I might as well transfer my sports fix to PC altogether.

It's gonna be an interesting year for PC gaming.
 
One thing sucks about PC gaming currently though, there is little to scratch the upgrade itch until FinFET 16nm in 2016.
 
It's the only place where I can get interesting tech, I finally have some money to spend and there's nothing else as interesting as 1440p/120fps or GSync right now if I want to get that visual leap I've been looking for.

That and it's pretty much the only place to consistently get games with actual depth these days, except maybe handhelds.
 
One thing sucks about PC gaming currently though, there is little to scratch the upgrade itch until FinFET 16nm in 2016.
Well, I think now is a strange time to say this, considering next month is the first time you can get a consumer 6-core Intel CPU for a decent price.
 
PC is great in general.
All my TVs have access to all my Steam games, and classic emulators by simply connecting the HDMI cables to all the old laptop/pc laying around.

Console to me is for JRPG and exclusives since PC gaming rarely has that much to offer in those category.

But just like the other posters said, the party never stops for PC gamers.
You will always be ahead of the curve in enjoying your hobby to the fullness.
 
True, that's basically the same as Xbox Marketplace or PlayStation Network in terms of "freedom".

Now GOG though ... that's pure undiluted freedom IMHO.

Well not really, since games can be DRM free on Steam. DRM isn't mandatory on Steam.

That's not true with PlayStation Network or Xbox Marketplace.
 
I've purchased more on Steam in the last couple weeks than I have over the course of nearly a year (and I'm not done).
Oh no, you're not! I would really suggest not buying too much, though. So tempting, but its very rare that a game has a sale that wont be matched again in the next 6 months at some point(and likely before that). Buy what you will actually play in the near future and save your money. PC games can be absolutely dirt cheap, but you can quickly end up missing out on any savings you'd have made by buying a huge quantity of games.

From being a PC gamer back in the 90's, I re-discovered PC gaming pretty much exactly a year ago now. I can almost never run out of amazing things to say about it and every single day I'm still proud and appreciative of the gaming PC that I built. Best gaming-related decision I've ever made and I really think other gaming enthusiasts should be more open-minded to it cuz it truly is the ultimate gaming platform and way more than just pretty visuals like I think many assume.
 
I'm warming a lot to Windows 8.1. I am finding that it is helping me make my machine like a 100% dedicated gaming rig. I really like the things you can do with it. I enjoy the split screen capabillities as well!!
 
Oh no, you're not! I would really suggest not buying too much, though. So tempting, but its very rare that a game has a sale that wont be matched again in the next 6 months at some point(and likely before that). Buy what you will actually play in the near future and save your money. PC games can be absolutely dirt cheap, but you can quickly end up missing out on any savings you'd have made by buying a huge quantity of games.

A good way to go about it is to add games to your Steam wishlist, then import that list at IsThereAnyDeal.com. Now you get an email every time a game goes on sale (even if the sale isn't on Steam). Is very nifty. Also, Enhanced Steam.
 
Yeah I generally use the Steam sale tricks but Cactus was only 15USD and Tomb Raider was only 10 so not worried about those. Divinity on the other hand is still 40 so I am definitely waiting on that one.
 
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I think my favourite thing about PC gaming lately is selling items on Steam Market. Managed to get about ÂŁ15 in the past week for idling for trading cards and a CS:GO drop. Not a huge amount of money, but it required no effort and should get me a game or two.
 
Wow at that price. Will most likely wait for costs to come down.

Not only the price of the display, but you of course need the hardware to push those framerates at the detail level you want.

PC gaming has never been easier to start, like gradually wading into the ocean, where the deep waters are filled with Quad SLI setups and insanely expensive monitors. Because you can.

I think my favourite thing about PC gaming lately is selling items on Steam Market. Managed to get about ÂŁ15 in the past week for idling for trading cards and a CS:GO drop. Not a huge amount of money, but it required no effort and should get me a game or two.

This is Valve's "every gamer creates value" ideology in motion. It's possible to get rare drops in games that are free to play that are worth a big chunk of change. You may not care for the card game, but you got value out of it. The person who bought you cards values them in some way. Everybody wins.
 
Oh no, you're not! I would really suggest not buying too much, though. So tempting, but its very rare that a game has a sale that wont be matched again in the next 6 months at some point(and likely before that). Buy what you will actually play in the near future and save your money. PC games can be absolutely dirt cheap, but you can quickly end up missing out on any savings you'd have made by buying a huge quantity of games.

This, speaking as someone who has over 700 games in their Steam library. The first couple of sales, seeing games for 60p and big budget games for a fiver is crazy, but try not to go mad thinking you'll miss it. It'll be that price again, if not lower.

And there's always the grey market.
 
I'm a little jealous of PC people, but I just can't justify the price yet. The performance advantage I'd need over PS4 and it's exclusives to offset the learning curve of PC maxing and cost means there is no way I'm leaving PS4 anytime soon.

Maybe I'll think long-term and bite for a CryEngine killer machine around the Star Citizen / Kingdom Come launch around Spring 2016.
 
Lets just say this....

I never grinned so much gaming as I do with the PC. Sure my rig is budget but dammit it hits me in the feels to be finally playing last gen games without the sluggishness of the consoles holding it back.
 
I keep trying to get back in to PC gaming, but I'm having terrible luck. One annoying issue after another, often without any kind of solution (Crysis 3 and Tomb Raider crashes, Bioshock Infinite stuttering etc). Maybe I've just been unfortunate, but multi platform games on PC lately have just been unreliable for me, and I keep reading about terribly optimised games, like Watchdogs, Call of Duty Ghosts etc, so I'm sticking with consoles for now.

I've a penchant for gaming tech though, so I'll probably still upgrade my PC rig the next round of GPU's, and jump back in intermittently either way.

Sticking to consoles isn't a solution though. That way, you don't even have the CHANCE to play a better version.
 
Need to upgrade Cpu for the Witcher 3.
Still have no idea what would be a safe bet at a good price.
My i5 seems to be crapping out on me :(

Anyone suggestions?
 
One thing sucks about PC gaming currently though, there is little to scratch the upgrade itch until FinFET 16nm in 2016.
It does not suck. My 2600k I had since around launch is the best upgrade I ever purchased for my pc, even better than the mighty 8800GTX.
 
Yeah I'm quite fond of PC gaming. One point I'd like to raise is that you truly have no idea what kind of vast exclusive lineup the platform has until you jump in. There isn't a platform owner shouting about these games from mountain tops so they easily fly under a lot of people's radars. Lovely Planet is a good example. Enjoying the game a lot right now.
 
The only reason I don't think I'll ever give up on consoles is because the Japanese presence on PC is pitiful. Beyond that, there's so much good stuff going for the PC market, the way you handle hardware, and pricing.
 
Where is that Gsync, Nvidia?

The biggest issue with PC gaming is still screen tearing. That and whenever ports are messed up or outright unplayable. PC games still don't have that same support as the console games.

Other than that it's happy times.
 
Where is that Gsync, Nvidia?

The biggest issue with PC gaming is still screen tearing. That and whenever ports are messed up or outright unplayable. PC games still don't have that same support as the console games.

Other than that it's happy times.

G-sync is already out on supported monitors. Take a look. This one was released not too long ago: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=829855

Screen tearing? You can enable Vsync or force it in what is likely every single game. If you have a Gsync monitor you don't even need that.

Ports to PC may sometimes be terrible for PC standards, but even in the worst cases they're still as good if not better than the console counterparts.

I'm assuming this post was serious.
 
Need to upgrade Cpu for the Witcher 3.
Still have no idea what would be a safe bet at a good price.
My i5 seems to be crapping out on me :(

Anyone suggestions?

Search for the "I need a new PC 2014" thread in the Gaming section here. That thread has been immensely helpful to me when upgrading. For the record, I went i5-4690 and there is no doubt that I can run modern high end games.
 
Where is that Gsync, Nvidia?

The biggest issue with PC gaming is still screen tearing. That and whenever ports are messed up or outright unplayable. PC games still don't have that same support as the console games.

Other than that it's happy times.
'Support' for PC games is both worse and a lot better than on console.

There are examples of games that don't work great out of the box, but a game being outright unplayable is rare.

On the other hand, many problems are fixable on the user-end, which isn't a choice you get with a console. And developers are not limited by patches that cost them money to the console manufacturers to put out. Modders can do more than just make new content and make things prettier, but also produce better and more stable running games. And of course Nvidia and AMD are always improving general and specific game driver support.

I must say, I prefer the support lifelines of being on a PC. I haven't run into a ton of problems just trying to run a game(quite opposite actually), but when I do have trouble, at least it rarely means I'm useless to do anything about it and can usually find a solution myself.
 
PC is where it is at. My PC is 3 years old and I upgraded the video card a little over a year ago and it handles everything very well. I bought a 120hz monitor when it was first available and it is great.

I still have consoles for the exclusives. The good thing about having no time because of work and faithful playing my backlog (just beat borderlands 2 and Dragon's Dogma) is that I save a lot of money buying things on the cheap.

Loving Dishonored now
 
I wish GOG would go full retro and add games like Jazz Jackrabbit 2. It's a good service but unless there's a good sale like the Saint's Patrick Day one, it's not usually my go to place for buying games.
 
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