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After many years of consoles, starting to consider PC gaming

Stafford

Member
This is probably gonna be somewhat of a long post, hope you stick with it. It's a what if scenario thing, I'm speaking hypothetically here. But it's something that has been on my mind for at least a year now.

Ever since SNES really I've been gaming on consoles. For a few years I did combine console gaming with PC gaming, but I had too many issues with PC and once the first Xbox came out I've never bothered with PC gaming anymore.

But I am starting to wonder if going back to PC might be for me. We're not even three years into this console generation and already are seeing games that release at 30fps or 40fps. Many games come with performance modes such as Jedi Survivor. 60fps, but at the cost of visuals. Starfield is undoubtedly going to be another example, I wouldn't be shocked if that releases with only 30fps.

That being said, I do still really appreciate the ease of use of consoles. Power it on, start a game and done. Not having to worry if a certain component isn't good enough anymore, or getting weird error messages when starting a game, it just works, I guess? But what do I know? It was the release of Rainbow Six Rogue Spear when it was the last time I truly bothered with PC gaming. I'm sure a lot has changed.

I have a few questions.


I game solely in the living room on a 65 inch OLED. I'm not looking forward to using mouse and keyboard to navigate the desktop and choose which game to play. Is there a way nowadays to have PC feel like a console when it comes to how you browse your games library, basically with a controller? I had a Surface Pro a few years ago and that had a normal desktop mode but also tablet mode, I guess tablet mode would be ideal for controller use?

I'm probably not gonna build it myself, so how much would a really good complete gaming PC cost me? I'm talking one that is significantly better than the current consoles, one that could run Starfield at 60fps with visuals at least as good or better than XSX. It's probably impossible to say yet because we don't know the recommended specs for that game. But say RDR2, to have that running in 60fps or more with all the bells and whistles? And all the other games out now and upcoming.

The plan would be to slowly move away from console gaming, or at least Xbox and if Sony starts bringing their exclusives day one to PC too, I might just not get a PS5 at all. I still have a backlog of bought games I'd like to finish on Xbox and plenty on Game Pass too, and not everything that's on console Game Pass is also for PC, right? But their upcoming first party games all should be. I could stick with Xbox for the games coming to GP that don't come to PC. But for the real heavy new games I'd go PC.

Is there someone here that has done exactly this? If so, would you say it's been a great decision? I do not look forward to having lots of issues and hassle getting games running, I really appreciate the ease of use. But console gaming is starting to become a bit annoying now, with these reports about a mid gen refresh for at least Sony. And while that might be great at first, eventually we'll come to the point again where sacrifices are gonna be made. I doubt a PS5 Pro can all of a sudden do every game 60fps,look great AND have RT.
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
No Way What GIF by Afro-Mic Productions
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
I tried to do the "run a PC into the TV and play games from the couch" thing and it never really felt right outside of the games themselves. I could never find a good setup that felt comfortable consistently and if I had to update software on my PC or whatever I ended up doing remote desktop into it and working on it from there lol. On top of that, there are still tons of great games on the PC that just are not meant to be controlled with a pad and you're automatically excluding all those. I still think PC gaming is best the way it always has been, on a desk in front of a monitor with a mouse and keyboard.

Plus, PC gaming is just out of control price wise, the companies are just gouging people.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
When it comes to PC gaming in the living room you really can't top consoles for ease of use.

As far as cost goes honestly you have to set a budget and decide what you can spend first and go from there.
 

Spyxos

Member
Stick with consoles. Pc gaming is in need of improvement right now. There is Steam Big Picture, which works quite well. I don't know how well it runs when you're outside of Steam gaming, though.
 
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D-ray

Member
I game solely in the living room on a 65 inch OLED. I'm not looking forward to using mouse and keyboard to navigate the desktop and choose which game to play. Is there a way nowadays to have PC feel like a console when it comes to how you browse your games library, basically with a controller? I had a Surface Pro a few years ago and that had a normal desktop mode but also tablet mode, I guess tablet mode would be ideal for controller use?
Never used it, but probably Steam Big Picture?

Expecting PC gaming without having to deal with classic PC stuff is an utopia, but as long as you play recent games (not retro playing) you shouldn't have much troubles.
I personally prefer PC gaming not for performance or the 60+ fps people usually drool over, but because it's very accessible, cheap (games not hardware), no dumb console wars and I basically have a PC for work and stuff.
It's all in one.
 
Real men build their own PCs. You're not master race if you don't have your own tears, sweat and blood on your motherboard.

Seriously now, doesn't matter how future proof your PC is. A shitty port will laugh on your face

And I bet starfield will run like shit and be a bugfest.

I love PC gaming, but unless you have money to spend and lots of patience I can't recommend it.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
PC is indeed a lot more "couch-friendly" than it used to be when Rainbow Six Rogue Spear came out.

If you're building a PC just for couch-gaming, there are a lot of various front-ends that are controller friendly. You can typically set the PC up to boot directly into your interface of choice, and most support controllers for navigation. Do yourself a favor and get an Xbox Series controller and pair it to your PC with bluetooth as it's the most commonly supported gamepad for most things if you're using Windows.

Steam's big picture mode is I believe the most popular interface, but there are others like Playnite that have a fullscreen mode (with gamepad navigation) that will work with other things like Epic, Ubisoft, Game Pass, GOG, etc games. Steam can do this too, with their "add a non-steam game shortcut" feature. Steam also has experimental support for their Steam Deck interface, which works well with TVs.

For me personally, since I also use my PC for work and other things - I just have both my TV and monitor hooked up with HDMI and swap between them when I want to play on the couch. So, I pick out and launch the game, then change video outputs. More tedious sure, but it works for me.
 

Hayabusa83

Banned
I am super lucky. My baby bro is getting married and his fiance bought him a new computer. He gifted me his old computer which has a 3090 video card in it. I haven't turned on my Xbox Series X or PS5 in roughly 2 months.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I am super lucky. My baby bro is getting married and his fiance bought him a new computer. He gifted me his old computer which has a 3090 video card in it. I haven't turned on my Xbox Series X or PS5 in roughly 2 months.
free sausage sellout !
 

DrFigs

Member
If you have the money, go for it. I just feel like there's a lot of dishonesty online about how much you actually need to spend on a pc to get ps5/xbox series x level performances.
 

winjer

Gold Member
As someone who games primarily on the PC, I have to say that you choose a terrible time to do it.
Most games on PC today have problems with stuttering from asset streaming and shader compilation.
There are way too many launchers to play games. GPU prices are insanely high.
And Windows has more bloatware and spyware than ever.

Just get a PS5 and play the games you want, with much less hassle.
 
Is there someone here that has done exactly this? If so, would you say it's been a great decision?
A decade ago, I finally was able to find work and got my first PC. I was so ignorant back then that when I decided to buy a game for it I asked in a forum if it was more powerful than my PS3. Was skyrim better on PS3, or on a Nvidia 560 Ti+ i2500K? And Skyrim was great on PC. Then I found out that PC is not just AAA games, but also perfect for indies like FTL, the binding of Isaac...
I did not play any other AAA game on that PC ever. Only indies. And I played a lot of games on it since. I never wanted to go full PC so I continued to play on Playstation. And I upgraded later to a better one, and buyed a few PC games since, like Satisfactory, Hardspace shipbreaker...

The point is this: PC can allow you to play a lot of great games that are not on consoles. It does not have to be one or the other. And with Steam you can often play with a controller. It can be pretty easy for most games. Not as easy as consoles of course. But as a supplement I really advise you to try. I will never stop praising FTL. So if there is a chance for you to find even one good game like it on PC, it will make it worth it. For me, paying 1000€ for my PC, but only to then play indies games can be felt as a waste but I did not regret it. Find your budget and go from there, as other have said in this thread. If you do not have a PS5 yet, maybe wait for the showcase next week before deciding if you do not have the money for both a PS5 and a good PC? If you are more of a Xbox player then next month Xbox will have a showcase too.I do not know if you have or not a Series X/S.If you do not and if both of those showcase do not do the job of making you want one of those consoles, then maybe do not break the bank for a 3000$+ PC? But a PC will give you a lot of great games no matter what. Just not as hassle free as a console for the next few years at least. As for wanting a PS5/Xbox Series X equivalent, what is the point ? Consoles are better from a quality/cost than PC. Either go for a better PC , or go for both and use the PC for indies/ games made more for PC like strategy games, some FPS...
 
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That being said, I do still really appreciate the ease of use of consoles. Power it on, start a game and done. Not having to worry if a certain component isn't good enough anymore, or getting weird error messages when starting a game, it just works, I guess? But what do I know? It was the release of Rainbow Six Rogue Spear when it was the last time I truly bothered with PC gaming. I'm sure a lot has changed.

Is there a way nowadays to have PC feel like a console when it comes to how you browse your games library, basically with a controller?

I'm probably not gonna build it myself, so how much would a really good complete gaming PC cost me? I'm talking one that is significantly better than the current consoles, one that could run Starfield at 60fps with visuals at least as good or better than XSX. It's probably impossible to say yet because we don't know the recommended specs for that game. But say RDR2, to have that running in 60fps or more with all the bells and whistles? And all the other games out now and upcoming.
  1. If ease of use is still important to you, I'd advise against going PC
  2. Yes, you can emulate the console experience on PC to some extend. Enable "wake on USB" in your BIOS, buy a USB IR receiver to power on your PC from the couch with a remote, connecting an Xbox controller to it (on Windows) is easily done. You can boot up Windows to automatically open Steam in big picture mode. It won't be as user friendly as consoles, but it'll get you 70% there
  3. A machine that eats the RDR2 and Cyperpunks of this world for breakfast at 4K 60fps Ultra/Max is north of 2000 Euros
  4. Let's say the machine with all the needed peripherals etc. cost you 2500 Euros. That's 25 overpriced Jimbo games. How many of those games do you play a year?
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Run away from those limitations of console gaming. Just be aware of the state of "broken" games at launch and buy them after some time/patches.
 

Guilty_AI

Gold Member
I'd argue PC gaming is more for people looking for customizability, freedom of choice and variety.

In terms of convenience, its definitely better than it was during ps2 times, from controller support to big picture mode. However it still wouldn't be to the degree of simplicity of a console.

If you're looking for power, you can get it but it'll cost quite a bit. Not to mention there are tons of modern releases that just don't scale all that well with better hardware, and might require some tinkering to get to the sweet spot between visual and performance you're looking for. That in turn affects the convenience you so want.

All in all, i'd say the reasons you've given wouldn't be good enough of a reason to get a PC. Unless you have tons of disposable income or the means to get a super pc for cheap.
 
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hinch7

Member
As someone who games primarily on the PC, I have to say that you choose a terrible time to do it.
Most games on PC today have problems with stuttering from asset streaming and shader compilation.
There are way too many launchers to play games. GPU prices are insanely high.
And Windows has more bloatware and spyware than ever.

Just get a PS5 and play the games you want, with much less hassle.
This. Unless you go for a top end build with a 4090.. or manage to get a decent deal on a GPU they are all overpriced for what they are and offer. And then you have awful PC ports at launch which sometimes needs weeks if not months to fix. Its a lot more faff than just turning on a console and playing a game.

As for UI, there's Big Picture mode on Steam that can start on bootup and will act like a console interface. Its not perfect but it does the job. You'd also want a bluetooth adapter for controllers if you do decide to get a PC for the living room.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
The big question: how much are you willing to spend? You'd need a substantial budget if you want to see a noticeable improvement on what the PS5 and/or Xbox Series X are capable of. It doesn't make any sense to target lower because then you might as well buy a console.

If you have the money, go for it. I just feel like there's a lot of dishonesty online about how much you actually need to spend on a pc to get ps5/xbox series x level performances.

If you want to get PS5/Xbox Series X level performance, why not buy one of those instead of a PC? Much cheaper. The entry price for a PS5 (digital edition) is $400. You can't get a similar specced PC for the same price.

Personally I wouldn't get a gaming PC just to play the latest AAA games. But a gaming PC could certainly make sense if you're into emulation or you use your PC for other things as well (video editing, graphics, music production, streaming, etc).
 
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I couch game on my pc. My PC is also more or less my media center for my whole family, and the only use my TV gets is as a monitor for my PC. It can be clunky in some ways, but is also great in others.

This video seems like he goes into a good bit of detail about it using big picture on a pc for a console like experience:

 
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Lokaum D+

Member
I just droped PC gaming for console gaming, PC game is tiresome, every release u have a different problem, every release u have to go to some forum and try to find some fix for some random shit like bad performance, ultrawide supporte, stutter, tearing, random crashs and list goes on.
I use my PC for work, FPS and emulation, any other game i play it on consoles.
 
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Hoddi

Member
Modern Win11 (and Steam) has passable controls for using a gamepad but you’re still always gonna need KBM for a lot of things. Even for basic stuff like like setting a framerate cap in RTSS.

It’s a bigger hassle than consoles but it’s really just a matter of how much you want to put up with. I rarely bother with my (now outdated) gaming/HTPC but that’s more because my consoles are stronger. But I used it for over a decade and the extra hassle never truly bothered me.

It’s ‘okay’ rather than great, basically.
 

TrueLegend

Member
This is neogaf with majority here playing on PS5 only so they definitely inflate pc prices.

Get 3060 for 250 soon
Get 12100f for 70
Get a mobo for 70
Get ram 16 gb for 40
Seasonic power supply 500 w 70
2 TB SSD 70 usd

That's 570 dollar better console with better IQ due to DLSS and better RT performance.
Just change the config with 4060ti 16 gb

And for 820 usd you get nearly double the power of consoles. Just pay the assembling fee to the seller and you will walk away with 900 usd monster. Then download gog galaxy client login and link all your gaming accounts. Buy games 8 months after launch. Visit pcgamingwiki for some simple fixes. Play the best version of game. Cheers.

PS. Set oled to display at 3440 x 1440 ultrawide resolution with bfi on and ascend to next dimesion of gaming. Only if you wanna play inferior version of game day one you need 12900k and 4090 and it will still suck.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I'm probably not gonna build it myself, so how much would a really good complete gaming PC cost me? I'm talking one that is significantly better than the current consoles, one that could run Starfield at 60fps with visuals at least as good or better than XSX. It's probably impossible to say yet because we don't know the recommended specs for that game. But say RDR2, to have that running in 60fps or more with all the bells and whistles? And all the other games out now and upcoming.
Glad you're considering making the leap.

- 4060ti is 22 Teraflops I think, $400 US. There's going to be a 16GB VRAM version coming out in a few months for $100 more. Personally I think the VRAM might be worth it the way games are eating VRAM for breakfast nowadays.
- Ryzen 5 7600x decent budget CPU. $240 US.
- Pricier things will be the DDR5 RAM and the AM5 Motherboard. Try to find a combo if they still have them. Expect to spend a good 3-400 bucks.
- Because the way the latest generation of Ryzen works, more cooling means more performance. Consider watercooling. Roughly $120 to $150.
- Dont skimp on the case. Bad airflow makes all your other parts perform worse. I'm guessing $150 to $200 for this but I'm not sure. A lot of this depends on your personal aesthetic preferences.

A decent 1440p monitor is obviously separate. A good one with HDR 10 165 fps will run you about 350 to 400

All together roughly $1800 monitor included. $1900 if you wanna do the 16gb 4060ti

Great for gaming, maybe lacks in workstation applications. Unless the PC port is absolute trash, should run Starfield at 1440p 60fps with no issues. Looking at Starfield and Bethesda in general though, they have a history of limiting framerate even in the PC versions of their games. It usually take some tweaking in the game's files to unlock the framerate. Definitely expecting this myself.

EDIT: I noticed you don't wanna build it yourself, but honestly this will be the best way to ensure you don't get stuck with parts that these companies can't sell otherwise. If you see a company that won't specifiy the model of the motherboard you're getting, I would inquire about it before purchasing.
 
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Kataploom

Gold Member
Stay on console if you want plug and play experience. Though my experience in PC is basically plug and play, I just have my mouse and keyboard because it's more comfortable, except for most games I use the Xbox controller, I play on a couch with the PC plugged to a TV.

Some here acting like "PC have to fix their shit to be like consoles"... No, PCs are PCs, they don't need anything fixed, they're treating PC as something there not designed for.

PC requires the user to be more active, PC is for those that prefer to customize their experience to make the most out of it for them, consoles are for those that don't like customization but fixed out of the box experience and adapt to whatever they're offered.

Going PC for power alone expecting a console like experience then blaming PC gaming for not being like consoles is admitting publicly how dumb you can be.
 
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T4keD0wN

Member
If you want high framerates and good quality its the only platform thats currently good enough.
I do not look forward to having lots of issues and hassle getting games running, I really appreciate the ease of use.
You wont really have to unless you decide to play some really old and delisted games. Even then theyll most likely be playable in their default state, people just do additional setting up to make things even better than they are normally.
I game solely in the living room on a 65 inch OLED. I'm not looking forward to using mouse and keyboard to navigate the desktop and choose which game to play. Is there a way nowadays to have PC feel like a console when it comes to how you browse your games library, basically with a controller? I had a Surface Pro a few years ago and that had a normal desktop mode but also tablet mode, I guess tablet mode would be ideal for controller use?
Check out Playnite, unlike gog it never logs you out and its many fullcreen themes resemble each current console, way better than what steam offers.
 
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Guilty_AI

Gold Member
If you want to get PS5/Xbox Series X level performance, why not buy one of those instead of a PC? Much cheaper. The entry price for a PS5 (digital edition) is $400. You can't get a similar specced PC for the same price.
There are good reasons to go with a similarly powered pc instead of a ps5/xsx. As some examples, Everspace 2 still hasn't gotten console versions. None of New Blood titles have released on consoles aside from a Switch version of DUSK. Games like Baldurs Gate 3 will just play poorly on a controller. Two games i want to play, Lunacid and HROT, no console versions (and many others like Kenshi, Mystia izakaya, Avorion, etc). Mods and fangames like Ashes 2063, Enderal or Archolos aren't accessible on consoles. Tons of old games i frequently play, like Deus Ex, Deus Ex HR, Rainbow Six 3, etc; no version for the new consoles. Thats without going into games that are available in just one console but not the other. And so on.

In general, its a much richer ecosystem in terms of variety, quantity and quality. Naturally it wont matter if you're mainly interested in the latest super marketed AAA games.
 
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HTK

Banned
Honestly, I feel like your best bet is to stay patient and upgrade to a PlayStation 5 Pro. Seriously. For your scenario it's not worth the money dump, it really isn't.
 
Yeah Ill echo what others have put more succinctly already: PC is an all you can eat buffet of games (besides bloodborne lmao fml) - you have tons of stuff that isnt on consoles, and a lot of what is on consoles. Sometimes games dont play as well right off the bat as they do on consoles but they probably will eventually.

Hell, the amount of free games on pc if you take into account things like doom mods and shit is more than you could ever fill your time up with.

Mods in general can completely transform games and vastly improve the experience, you just have to be careful not to fall into the skyrim modding trap where you dont ever actually play skyrim.
 

Holammer

Member
You know the old L'Oreal ads? Ask yourself, are you worth it?
Will you pay the price to stand towering like a God over the sheeple, or will you like a slave make do with a box made by the lowest bidder and corralled into a closed eco-system.

As a bonus you can use the damned thing for actual work. Believe it or not, that used to be the PC's main selling point once upon a time.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
There are good reasons to go with a similarly powered pc instead of a ps5/xsx. As some examples, Everspace 2 still hasn't gotten console versions. None of New Blood titles have released on consoles aside from a Switch version of DUSK. Games like Baldurs Gate 3 will just play poorly on a controller. Two games i want to play, Lunacid and HROT, no console versions (and many others like Kenshi, Mystia izakaya, Avorion, etc). Mods and fangames like Ashes 2063, Enderal or Archolos aren't accessible on consoles. Tons of old games i frequently play, like Deus Ex, Deus Ex HR, Rainbow Six 3, etc; no version for the new consoles. Thats without going into games that are available in just one console but not the other. And so on.

In general, its a much richer ecosystem in terms of variety, quantity and quality. Naturally it wont matter if you're mainly interested in the latest super marketed AAA games.

And then you add sim racers or flight sims. Mods, crazy good mods by talented peoples. Where else than PC can you boot up Half Life 1998 with path tracing mod? Or Half Life 2 + episode 1 & 2 with VR mod?

It’s so good
 

Phase

Member
If you're not tech illiterate like Pelta, PC is the best way. It may cost more initially but games are far cheaper and there's so much customization you can do (mods, reshade, etc.). Plus the sweet sweet frames.
 

MikeM

Gold Member
I feel like I can help out here as I have a PS5 and a 7900xt PC all hooked up to a LG C1.

30fps games haven’t been all that prevalent. Plague Tale just went from 30-40fps to unlocked with a range from 60 to 110fps, and that was deemed as a game just not possible to go past 40fps from the media and many here.

PC is great, but don’t expect a polished user experience. It feels industrial with all the launchers and Steam Big Picture mode. Steam is the most console like experience, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to console.

I went PC and while I don’t regret it, I mainly use it for games where the difference between it and console is massive. Competitive shooters and single player games like Cyberpunk are its use case.

Otherwise, I still main the PS5. I love the experience, one store front, Dualsense and the fact that most games are 60fps or higher. I’m currently playing Crisis Core and Death Stranding on PS5 and don’t feel like i’m missing anything (i’ve played some Death Stranding on PC and sorely missed the Dualsense).
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Most PC games also have cheats available. Your individual results may vary (especially for online multiplayer games where you can get banned for being an abusive asshole), but a lot of games have cheats available through memory manipulation. Think of it like old-school Game Genie, but for modern games. This is obviously something that's not available on consoles.

I've played a few single player games this way, and have actually used them a few times to finish games with big difficulty spikes that I would have normally given up on completely - but instead had an enjoyable experience that wouldn't have been possible on consoles.

But - I'm also old, and my time is valuable. If I can tweak my character's defense to be 1.4x higher in Final Fantasy VIIR, resulting in me being less frustrated with the game while still making it enjoyable, I consider that a positive aspect of PC gaming in general. Just like Game Genie, it's easy to go overboard (which I personally think zaps a lot of fun from the games) but some people really like that. Having the freedom to make these kinds of decisions is another thing that makes PC gaming superior to console gaming, in my opinion.
 

Phase

Member
Most PC games also have cheats available. Your individual results may vary (especially for online multiplayer games where you can get banned for being an abusive asshole), but a lot of games have cheats available through memory manipulation. Think of it like old-school Game Genie, but for modern games. This is obviously something that's not available on consoles.

I've played a few single player games this way, and have actually used them a few times to finish games with big difficulty spikes that I would have normally given up on completely - but instead had an enjoyable experience that wouldn't have been possible on consoles.

But - I'm also old, and my time is valuable. If I can tweak my character's defense to be 1.4x higher in Final Fantasy VIIR, resulting in me being less frustrated with the game while still making it enjoyable, I consider that a positive aspect of PC gaming in general. Just like Game Genie, it's easy to go overboard (which I personally think zaps a lot of fun from the games) but some people really like that. Having the freedom to make these kinds of decisions is another thing that makes PC gaming superior to console gaming, in my opinion.
and ultrawide.
 
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