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Why haven't you bought a PC yet?
- Thread starter Gipsy Danger
- Start date
Difficult to say how SF would run.
I am not at home atm, but I try to remember my specs.
Intel i5 3.2 Ghz
8 GB RAM
and some graphiccard... Radeon HD 7700?
Its by no mean a top tier setup, but as I said, I can play all modern games on high. Some even better.
And physical size... like a normal PC? I don't know I have some generic black 20 euro tower.
I'd decided by '09 that it was a perfect time to get back into PC gaming. The console front was getting more and more DLC-heavy and I don't appreciate the fact that all my digital content belongs to a proprietary piece of hardware.
This was the time AMD were releasing their first DirectX11 line of GPUs with HDMI 1.3 output. Finally, I could take advantage of my desk environment and my Home Theatre setup. 1080p and 7.1 surround sound was available to me just like what I would get out of my PS3, but I could have a much more control over my setttings.
Slowly I got more and more accustomed to digital products(and fantastic sales). PC parts are also a lot more affordable then they ever were in the past and it makes it much more convenient to upgrade. Selling old parts to interested parties + sales on new ones(with free game vouchers to boot) really is some cool stuff.
The draconian DRM of the mid-00s were a really terrible dark time. Much, much better now and I'm excited for the future.
This was the time AMD were releasing their first DirectX11 line of GPUs with HDMI 1.3 output. Finally, I could take advantage of my desk environment and my Home Theatre setup. 1080p and 7.1 surround sound was available to me just like what I would get out of my PS3, but I could have a much more control over my setttings.
Slowly I got more and more accustomed to digital products(and fantastic sales). PC parts are also a lot more affordable then they ever were in the past and it makes it much more convenient to upgrade. Selling old parts to interested parties + sales on new ones(with free game vouchers to boot) really is some cool stuff.
The draconian DRM of the mid-00s were a really terrible dark time. Much, much better now and I'm excited for the future.
I would almost put Elder Scrolls games there as well because mods make it a completely different experience.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
When you buy only consoles/non-PC platforms, are you automatically put into some sort of a list titled "this is the fool that won't buy a PC"? Or maybe the list is "Persons automatically assumed to have unlimited time/money/space"?
I can give you a list of over a thousand considering the platform has 30 years of backwards compatibility, I just don't have the time right now.
ExFalsoQuodlibet
Member
Did you actually made some comparisons, even by just looking at it, of the same game running on your PC and on the PS4? How would you explain what Digital Foundry wrote about Metro Redux? The games run at 60fps locked on PS4, with image quality comparable to "high" on PC. Even if your card was the 7790, the benchmarks for Last Light are nowhere near 60fps at high quality ( http://www.techspot.com/review/670-metro-last-light-performance/page3.html ).
Sentenza
Member
Given the amount of diversity available and how much subjective tastes come to play, this is roughly as pointless as asking a list of the "best ten foods" to prove that this "eating" thing is worth a try.
This has to be a parody post.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
The PC gets its own host of exclusive games dating back to pre-PS1 days if you care to go back that far. The PC allows you to play last generation multiplatforms at high resolutions with high framerates, without buying an HD-remaster. The PC allows you to play current generation games at higher resolutions and frame-rates than exist on the console versions. In the rare cases when the PC port is shitty (i.e. Ubisoft) you still have the option to pick up the console version. We are in the first year of the PS4 and XBO, but as things go on longer, the difference between how good the console versions and how good the PC versions are will widen substantially. You will eventually start to see effects and assets on the PC version that are superior to the PS4/XBO. You will eventually start to see fewer games going 60fps on consoles, which you will still be able to crank at 60+ on your PC. You will see developers sacrificing image quality and potentially resolution to get more of a render budget to spend elsewhere. You won't have to make those sacrifices in the context of a more powerful gaming PC.
PC games sometimes support mods, which add an enormous range of diversity to certain titles. The PC offers not merely exclusive games, but entire genres that see almost no representation on consoles. If you are a primarily console gamer, you likely don't give a rats arse about genres you've never played before, but nevertheless they exist and they are often awesome. The PC is home to indie and self-published games, far more than exist on consoles. We are now seeing the first wave of kickstarter games coming out on the platform too, ranging from hardcore oldschool RPGs to immersive space sims.
I love some of Sony's exclusives. It's why I even have a PS4 to begin with. But you aren't saying "I can't afford very large gaming budgets that owning many platforms entails", you aren't saying "personally, I don't think the numerous benefits that PC gaming brings to the table are worth the additional cost of owning it", heck, you aren't even saying "well, I've never looked into it too deeply and I'm satisfied with what I already have". You're making out like there aren't any benefits. Your original post was "I will never buy a PC until Sony exclusives are available on it", which at this point in the discussion is practically trolling.
We're talking about a platform that has seen a steady stream of games released from the late 1980's onwards, so it's going to be exceptionally difficult to narrow it down to so small a number. Certainly there are a lot of "top X PC game" lists you could find on the internet if you're looking for recommendations to play.
My personal favorites are maybe:
- Heroes of Might & Magic III
- Civilization IV
- Hearts of Iron 3
- Europa Universalis IV
- Crusader Kings II
- Company of Heroes
- Kerbal Space Program
- Stronghold Crusader
- Galactic Civilizations II
- Deus Ex or Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines or Deus Ex HR (not technically exclusive but best on PC)
This list is heavily biased towards strategy titles. A lot of great games started as PC exclusives and then transitioned to consoles later on, sometimes generations later. Some games are multiplat but are clearly the best on PC for numerous reasons. So it's hard to say something like "Half Life 2 is the best PC exclusive" because you could have played it on Xbox or X360/PS3. It's kind of traditionally thought of as a PC game, though.
There is no way Metro Redux runs at 16x AF on the PS4, so you can stop right there. Metro, fully cranked, is an outstanding looking title on PC. It's also a system killer. Notice the Titan at 72fps on high with goodies turned on.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/nvidia_geforce_gtx_750_and_750_ti_review,15.html
That's a benchmark of the $140 750 Ti running last light at 1900x1200 (note this is more than 1080p) maxed out at 30fps. You could turn off some of the visual goodies and easily hit 60fps with a card that doesn't even need a dedicated power source.
Always-honest
Banned
Because i still don't trust or like Windows. I've been traumatized. I wish they would redo the whole thing.
And i like console exclusives a lot. Nintendo games, ps4 games, etc. So these are more important to me and so that is where my money goes.
The multiplats are pretty good on PS4. Ofcourse you can do a bit more with them on a decent pc.
I have been thinking about a gaming pc a lot though. I'd love the extra fidelity and framerate.
And i like console exclusives a lot. Nintendo games, ps4 games, etc. So these are more important to me and so that is where my money goes.
The multiplats are pretty good on PS4. Ofcourse you can do a bit more with them on a decent pc.
I have been thinking about a gaming pc a lot though. I'd love the extra fidelity and framerate.
Atraveller
Banned
Nobody likes Windows.
You know why that happens? Because on PC, the key word is "choice". You can choose to use a 360 pad (which works out of the box in many recent games), a DualShock in any of its versions (with an adapter, since it was never meant to work on a computer), a WiiMote (need some drivers here) and probably an Atari 2600 joystick too. On a console, you are stuck with the default controller, like it or not.
Nobody is forcing you to use those non-standard gamepads; you could play most games with keyboard and mouse and have an acceptable experience. It's usually when you want to do some more complicated things that you need to apply fixes and install other software and/or hardware, not to play a game with the default control scheme and settings (there are exceptions, I won't deny it). You're making it sound like these fixes are required for everyone, when in fact they are only for people who want to get more from the platform: these, in turn, are the people who should be more comfortable with looking for fixes.
Windows is like democracy - it's the worst operating systems possible except all the others that have been tried.
Hard to pay for something you don't like. I have no problems with it and I got my copy for free but I probably wouldn't be too enthusiastic about buying the OS, fortunately we don't really need to pay for upgrades often.
There's a barrier with Windows gaming especially those who are on mac computers, laptops or other small form factor PCs without a beefy GPU, basically building everything from scratch is a bit costy especially just for the task of playing video games
Mithos
Member
Ofc we do, you can throw your PC out through it when it do not play your games as well as it aught too ;P
Atraveller
Banned
Macs are pretty good if you don't game at all.
I'm still in college, I can get free windows copies, so why not?
Sentenza
Member
That's pretty spot-on.
Even ignoring gaming, MacOS is definitely not without flaws.
Most of what makes it perceived as "safe and simple" comes from giving limited possibilities of interaction to the user.
Always-honest
Banned
Yeah, i'll admit there is also a bit of an irrational barrier in my case. Caused by negative experiences in the past and maybe also by a bit of igorance.
Haha, nice comparison, though i really prefer Mac Os x 1000. Especially because i have to work with it every day. It really makes my working day a lot smoother. I've worked on both. Ofcourse for gaming you'd only need to use a small part of Windows. It will probably work fine. I never game on my Mac. It's just not made for that, sadly. Eventhough i have a maxed out Imac 2013/ 2014.
But... I do like me some Win 7 :/
I have a PC that can handle games well, though i do work on it so it is in my study and not in the living room
Thus i rarely do game on it, usually i buy games for consoles that are in the living room and fit well in the living room.
Maybe at a later point, when i am filthy rich (in 200+ years in Greece
), i may buy a gaming PC for living room alone to stay there, slim and powerful and will game there as well.
In the distant future, for now consoles are rather fine
Thus i rarely do game on it, usually i buy games for consoles that are in the living room and fit well in the living room.
Maybe at a later point, when i am filthy rich (in 200+ years in Greece
), i may buy a gaming PC for living room alone to stay there, slim and powerful and will game there as well.In the distant future, for now consoles are rather fine
manzo
Member
I sold my desktop PC for 50 last week, which cost me 750 to build in 2008. That was the last gaming PC I built and I won't be returning for the foreseeable future.
- All my friends are on consoles, none play on PC anymore.
- I don't care about MOBAs, RTS/simulation games that are on PC only. I've finished the STALKER series on PC, so I'm happy now. All the games that I've been interested in the past 5 years are on consoles or are headed to consoles anyway.
- I finished STALKER on my sofa/video projector combo, wasn't the best experience. Even though I tried to use ergonomical rests for the kb&m combo, it just didn't work. I don't see any idea playing on PC with a controller when you have to switch back to kb&m whenever you want to play against other players.
- Hiding the kb&m combo everyday from my 2 daughters (under 2 year olds) got tiresome.
- I have a work laptop which runs the only evergreen PC games that I play anymore: SWAT4, Diablo 1&2 and X-Com Ufo Defense.
- Steam sales? Didn't really care about them, that just builds unnecessary backlog for me. I buy probably 4 games per year now anyway, since the kids and gym take up my free time. I play probably 5 hours per week max and my PS4, Wii U and Vita are enough for that. I've bought most of the games I play new from Zavvi, under 15 euros since the prices crash so quickly these days anyway.
- Don't really care about paying 800 euros to upgrade to a decent machine for better framerate/IQ. I just don't see value in that anymore, the consoles deliver "good enough" IQ for me these days.
I'll assess the situation once more when VR kicks off for good, since I have my doubts about the consoles' hardware for delivering decent VR. Also, should my friends move back to PC, then it's easier to switch back.
- All my friends are on consoles, none play on PC anymore.
- I don't care about MOBAs, RTS/simulation games that are on PC only. I've finished the STALKER series on PC, so I'm happy now. All the games that I've been interested in the past 5 years are on consoles or are headed to consoles anyway.
- I finished STALKER on my sofa/video projector combo, wasn't the best experience. Even though I tried to use ergonomical rests for the kb&m combo, it just didn't work. I don't see any idea playing on PC with a controller when you have to switch back to kb&m whenever you want to play against other players.
- Hiding the kb&m combo everyday from my 2 daughters (under 2 year olds) got tiresome.
- I have a work laptop which runs the only evergreen PC games that I play anymore: SWAT4, Diablo 1&2 and X-Com Ufo Defense.
- Steam sales? Didn't really care about them, that just builds unnecessary backlog for me. I buy probably 4 games per year now anyway, since the kids and gym take up my free time. I play probably 5 hours per week max and my PS4, Wii U and Vita are enough for that. I've bought most of the games I play new from Zavvi, under 15 euros since the prices crash so quickly these days anyway.
- Don't really care about paying 800 euros to upgrade to a decent machine for better framerate/IQ. I just don't see value in that anymore, the consoles deliver "good enough" IQ for me these days.
I'll assess the situation once more when VR kicks off for good, since I have my doubts about the consoles' hardware for delivering decent VR. Also, should my friends move back to PC, then it's easier to switch back.
petran79
Banned
FMV games like Ripper (with actors like Christopher Walken, Karen Allen, Burgess Meredith etc) were definitely AAA tier back then. Name me today an AAA game with so many Hollywood actors.
Phantasmagoria was AAA too and one of the most expensive FMV games.
Atraveller
Banned
But do you like like it?
I mean I would totally jump ship if a Linux distro could handle all of my gaming needs without other machines' help.
ExFalsoQuodlibet
Member
AF is anisotropic filtering, right? Is that right that it doesn't particularly affect performance? Also, how do you explain Digital Foundry's words?
-MD-
Member
I've only ever tried XP, 7 and Vista.
Vista was straight up terrible but I have had very few issues with 7, feels pretty solid to me. I'm not OS expert though.
ExFalsoQuodlibet
Member
OSX is not "perceived" like that, it actually is like that. And there's no "limited possibilities of interaction", if you know what you're doing you can turn the OS around.
Also, this is irrelevant: a quality OS is about user experience.
I must have put thsousands of hours in Heroes 3 alone, but these days are long gone together with my new work status
You should try Lord of the Realms 2 too, so addictive
PC games felt so amazing back then, now it all feels more of the same. I was playing Starcraft 2 and at all time i was thinking that i am playing the exact same game with half the appeal due to the 3D low poly art comparing to the magic of the hand crafted sprites. I wont even go to what i felt when i realized there is only one compaign.
More of the same for Diablo 3, did not like much comparing to Diablo 2 and the list goes on
GeordieMark
Member
I'd love a gaming PC but I just don't have the space for one in my house.
My laptop can play Civ and Wow, and aside from them, most of the game I like are also available on console.
Having said that, I have wanted one for a while, and will eventually get one. I'm actually really intrigued by the idea of building my own as a little project. At work I'm surrounded by ridiculously powerful dual-Titan Black Series machines that are bloody amazing, but I think that might be out of my reach financially for now.
My laptop can play Civ and Wow, and aside from them, most of the game I like are also available on console.
Having said that, I have wanted one for a while, and will eventually get one. I'm actually really intrigued by the idea of building my own as a little project. At work I'm surrounded by ridiculously powerful dual-Titan Black Series machines that are bloody amazing, but I think that might be out of my reach financially for now.
In no particular order:
Baldurs Gate 2
Everything you've read about it is true. Its that good and I've played it to death. And always - always - go for the eyes.
Planescape: Tournament
Lots of text. Don't let it put you off, the payoff is huge.
Legend of Grimrock
A throwback to the Eye of the Beholder days. A modern take on those old classic dungeon delvers and a sequel is in the works.
Path of Exile
A love letter to Diablo fans. Desynch is a pain in the arse, but the rest of the game is so good it doesn't matter.
Diablo 2 (with MedianXL mod by Brother Laz)
Old and clunky now, but for many people its still the king of the hack n slash genre.
Titan Quest
You might be noticing a theme. Some of the acts tend to drag on a bit too long, but if PoE and D2 doesn't appeal, check this out.
Sim City 4
It got so many things right. Go mad with your cities, there's plenty of space.
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
Part rpg, part fps. Scary as hell at times. One of my favourite post-apocalyptic games.
Fallen Enchantress
Not the best example of a 4x game, but for reasons I can't explain I love it.
Grim Fandango
A surreal adventure game with great characters and unique art direction.
Quake 3.
This is here purely for nostalgia reasons. Its old now but still excels at what it offers: no frills fps at breakneck speed.
Honourable mentions to Crysis, Medieval Warfare, Civ, and a few others.
None of those even remotly needs a gaming PC though, plus most are rather old titles we played many years back
A better question is what is there that would make spending money on a new gaming PC today a must and is not on consoles or can be played with any older PC
Dictator93
Member
I am totally content with the Windows 7 I have been using for years.
Natural Selection 2? Star Citizen?
PoE?
Atraveller
Banned
Fine, I retract my statement.
The poster asked for games that were exclusive on pc though. He didn't mention gaming pc,unless I misread his intention.
Sentenza
Member
Oh, OH! I know this!
This is the part where people start to list demanding games that make good use of powerful hardware and someone else comes in and starts dismissing them one by one explaining why they don't matter!
Good stuff.
Did you actually read the DF article? It says the console versions don't have tessellation or motion blur and the lighting quality is reduced.
There is no volumetric lighting on the console version. They added in to the PC via a patch, I believe.
There is quite a list of things that are "lower" on console though.
Console versions seem to have no tessellation, no motion blur, lower specular effects and shadows as well, and lower ambient occlusion (from a comparison I did).
I tried a screenshot comparison here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=127541594&postcount=1518
And it doesn't quite look up to high settings in my opinion.
Also I'm not sure quite was meant, but I asked DF what they thought equivalent settings might be and they said shading looked to be medium.
Here's the quote:
" Hi, sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Been away. It's interesting. The shading does look more like the medium setting. 4A reckons it's 'mostly' a mixture of high and very high. But obviously there's no motion blur, tessellation etc, which are individual settings. I think we'd need to break it down on a component by component basis to get a proper lock on it."
Dictator93
Member
It was already there in some areas on PC (not as many areas as the original though), just not in 2 areas where they patched it in. Literally they just patched it in into 2 areas. I am not kidding.
The console versions also have no SSR and seem to use a different skin shading model.
I've met some pretty devout Windows fans.
I don't know, I preferred pretty much any OS I've tried. Of course, for gaming Windows gives you the largest selection, but that is because for years they pretty much held (and still hold I assume) the monopoly in the desktop space, not because the OS is inherently better than the alternatives. So they have the best 3rd party support.
I just wished the Amiga hadn't died
Yes I do. It suits all my needs, and I can't think of anything I'd like to do on a PC that I can't do with that OS.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I would say that actually qualifies as 'having bought a PC'.
I don't know if you have looked into playing games on your iMac at all, but if you haven't, you might be surprised how much you can actually run on it. If you haven't played on PC in a while, you'll be able to find a lot of older games that run just fine, and probably even many newer ones will run if you don't insist on having everything maxed. Both gog and steam have games for Mac, so it should be easy to get going. Doesn't mean you have to, of course, maybe you want to keep work and play separate, but if some game interests you, it's worth checking, might cost you only a couple $ to vastly expand your gaming library.
Sentenza
Member
Probably every single PC game will be, at some point. What difference does it make?
derExperte
Member
How does that work with touch controls? Even with kb/m my hands eventually get tired by all the clicking in those old RPGs.
Yep, the main reason OSX can be called safe is still its limited market share since Apple is very unreliable and slow when it comes to patching known, serious bugs and often dead last implementing new security features. Which is interesting seeing as they only have to support a limited number of different devices and cut off older OS versions (even if no upgrade path exists) willynilly without much warning.
User experience is very subjective though, I'd say mine with Windows has been very good so far (that includes 8, yep, extremely fast and reliable) and I see no reason wanting to ditch it even if I'd suddenly stop gaming. Not saying other OS' are worse or don't have certain advantages of course.
I've seen many people recommend that game. I remember playing Maniac Mansion and Zac McKracken back in the day (though never beat either) so I'd really like to give this a try. Where can I get that game? Or Maniac Mansion for that matter?
dunno if it's kosher to post ebay listing, but it's super abundant on there. Example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maniac-Mans...7240?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item19e5f71378
$15 buy it now, you can get it cheaper if you find an auction. You just need the data from the CD, it doesn't matter if it's Mac or PC, both will work with ScummVM. The Mac versions of these games are usually cheaper.
Not a big fan of ebay, but I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks!
POWERSPHERE
Member
But where's the Nintendo games?
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