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[LaunchpadMcQ]

Before I built my first PC, it was mainly because I was young and I thought it was pretty intimidating. Hell, I didn't know what the differences between PCs were for a long time. It's kind of sad to think of now that I had bought a laptop for the express purpose of playing games like Guild Wars when the thing barely ran it. Right before I bought what would be my first official build, I went to Best Buy and bought a Dell thinking this would be the big thing. I got home to try to play Amnesia and it ran like shit; I was heartbroken. That's when I started reading up on things and exploring the different parts of the computer, how it all operates, what the best parts for the budget were. I returned the Dell (thankfully, BB had just done away with restocking fees then) and built a computer with better specs. It lasted me a few years before I got an income and started upgrading things.

I will say, though, the way I've learned the most about PCs is from troubleshooting. Nothing makes you have to learn something intensively as when you can't get something to work - whether it be power supply issues, compatibility issues, controller issues, whatever. Those problems that a lot of people describe, I have encountered my fair share, but experience has made it so that subsequent issues are resolved quickly based on knowledge I've accrued over the past 6 years.

Knowing what I know now, I would have gone PC way earlier in my life because it was definitely one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Firsty, I don't care that much about graphics.
Secondly, I hate the hassle of incompatibility, drivers, unoptimisation and the need to upgrade.
Thirdly, lack of plug and play pad integration.

But most of all I hate that you can scale the UI/enlarge fonts in most games. Because I do have my PC hooked up to the TV, but can't play sh** from the couch, as the text is too small.

To your secondly, those generally are not an issue. Incompatibility generally only happens with really old games (and there's usually a workaround), you don't have to ALWAYS update your drivers, and upgrades can be as incremental as you choose. I didn't upgrade anything for several years on my initial build (due to lack of money..).

A lot, and I mean a lot, of games have UI scaling options for bigger displays. The few I've run into with this issue are some of the Paradox grand strategy games, but like 95% of the time it's an option.

 

[wowbaggerBR]

Way too expensive (here in Brazil is insane), INI files this and that, drivers, Windows, no Sony exclusives, bulky massive inefficient things skyrocketing energy bills, the PC community as a whole is very childish in my experience, the constant need for upgrades...

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

$$$$$$$$

I also like Nintendo games and I prefer to be able to play games with my friends than without.

 

[Thabian]

Here's a good list of some PC exclusives,

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-m...xclusives-of-2016-2017-and-2018-new-31154099/

Each console usually only has a handful of really worthwhile exclusives per generation. While I admit they are nice, PC just has so many exclusives, plus the huge amount of indie, early access, F2P and MMO's available give a lot of choice.

 

[Interfectum]

Here's a good list of some PC exclusives,

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-m...xclusives-of-2016-2017-and-2018-new-31154099/

Each console usually only has a handful of really worthwhile exclusives per generation. While I admit they are nice, PC just has so many exclusives, plus the huge amount of indie, early access, F2P and MMO's available give a lot of choice.

If you wanted to play the top 12 games that GAF considers to be the best games of last year, you need a PS4 and would be able to play all 12 of those on that single platform.

 

[Nezacant]

Also I have a better question:

For those who game on a PC, why does it bother you so much that we don't?

I've been a big PC gamer for almost 20 years now, PC gamer being a misnomer since during all of those years, I've also owned and played games on consoles (as most "PC gamers" do). I think it's more a frustration of the PC misconceptions that tend to get passed around among those who game exclusively on consoles and are vocally against a platform they don't use. There are pros and cons to both platforms. You individually weigh those and choose appropriately based on your own preferences.

There are elitist on both sides of this argument just the same as there are those who blindly favor one console over the other.

 

[Spirited]

Perfection

Yeah I've also never seen such a bad post before, it's almost the most perfectly bad post I've seen

 

[JordanN]

Be interested to know how many of those that "dont care about graphics" have ps4 pro's.

PS4 classic user here.

I've seen the games after people were begging how "underpowered" the original PS4 is and I still don't care. If a jump from 1.8 Tflops to 4 Tflops doesn't impress me, then I don't really care about throwing away my console for PC.

 

[Nzyme32]

Perfection

Reactions like this are a great highlighter of people that haven't actually attempted this in recent years, as explained by others, no where near as many steps and mishaps even for a first time use of a game, but of course it can't beat the simplicity of a restricted game and its setup on a singular piece of hardware. You pick what works best for you and enjoy. "Perfection" would be a good response to a reasonable description of events

 

[TheBaldEmperor]

First thing is I need to play Nintendo game so that eliminated PC pretty much. Secondly a decent rig is too expensive and I don't want to trouble shoot when a game doesn't run right or I get some weird error or something.

 

[Siege.exe]

There aren't any compelling reasons for me to spend the money when everything I want is already on the platforms I have

 

[2blackcats]

I spent more time messing around trying to get the best possible performance from the machine then actually playing.

This went on from 386 days till a couple of years ago.

No more PC gaming is awesome, I play so much more now (though I do miss some of the older classics).

Going to get a laptop soon to get back in to programming and it's awesome not having to worry about specs (much). I'll probably play a few dosbox games on it.

 

[Knurek]

Bunch of liars in here man.

I play primarily on PC... well.. used to anyways. I have my PC directly connected to m TV, wireless Xbox controller installed, steam big picture mode.

All of you saying it's seamless are a bunch of damn liars.

1.Turn on computer
2. Oops forgot I switched out of big picture mode last time
3. Get up, find mouse and keyboard, put steam into big picture mode
4. Sit back on couch with controller
5. Pick game, fuck it needs to be configured for a controller
6. Look for wireless keyboard and mouse because I don't wanna keep getting up, find it.
7. Mouse falls off lap table while typing with keyboard
8. Dig in couch for mouse
9. Keyboard falls off while looking for mouse
10. Find both, configure game with controller
11. Windows wants to update
12 steam overlay isn't working because windows update icon is "Infront of it"
13. Click update later.
14. Game starts
15. Configure game
16.reconfigure game because it may have low FPS.
17. RECONFIGURE AGAIN because you lowered too many things
18. You must restart game for changes to take affect.
19. Hit pause on controller
20. No quit option, find mouse and keyboard to ctrl alt del out of game
21. Restart game
22. Start playing game
23. Windows fucking restarts while playing
24. Play PlayStation while windows figures it's shit out.

There gentleman, is the truth of PC gaming on a comfy couch.

Are you Kellyanne Conway by any chance?
Because the number of alternative facts in your list is downright baffling.

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

I have both hooked up to tvs. Pc is an alpha as i dont want anything big. But as time goes on i just use my pro pretty much exclusively. every game i want is on it and while you can play with a controller on a tv and so on, its still not even close to how convenient the ps4 is for me where all i want to do is turn the game on an go.

Having the console update while in sleep mode is great.
Being able to set downloads off from work while its in sleep mode is great.
Every game having guaranteed cloud save, video recording, suspend resume and frankly excellent remote play to my phone are big things for me.
Tyrning on with the controller and little perks like that all add to this.

If PC got as convenient then no doubt i would be tempted but even then i would still be held back by not wanting to play online with a controller vs kb/m.

PC is a great platform but as i get older with less time to spend on this hobby the alure of console ease of use simply wins me over.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

My initial rump with PC gaming started with a gaming laptop I received as a gift. I had fun playing steamgames and a few mmorpgs, but I could never have shared experiences with people I know because their all console gamers. I've met some cool people from my Ragnarok days, but not being able to play games with my irl friends didn't make PC gaming as fun for me (I don't make friends easily). Then my gaming laptop started getting long in the tooth. I just ended up replacing it with a late gen used ps3 and eventually Ps4.

Even now, I don't see myself building a gaming computer. I very satisfied with my Ps4, where all my friends game.

 

[EventHorizon]

Here's a good list of some PC exclusives,

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-m...xclusives-of-2016-2017-and-2018-new-31154099/

Each console usually only has a handful of really worthwhile exclusives per generation. While I admit they are nice, PC just has so many exclusives, plus the huge amount of indie, early access, F2P and MMO's available give a lot of choice.

My feeling about PC exclusives is that any successful game that is compatible with a console will eventually make its way to consoles. To not do so is to leave a substantial amount of money on the table. If the game is not suitable to consoles then it doesn't fit with my prefered couch gaming experience. RTSs fit into that category. I love them, but sitting on a couch and playing one doesn't work.

 

[Sanctuary]

Here's a good list of some PC exclusives,

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/pc-m...xclusives-of-2016-2017-and-2018-new-31154099/

Each console usually only has a handful of really worthwhile exclusives per generation. While I admit they are nice, PC just has so many exclusives, plus the huge amount of indie, early access, F2P and MMO's available give a lot of choice.

If I wasn't already playing on PC, there's pretty much nothing there that would convince me to want to start. "F2P" and "MMO" induce my gag reflex too, since that's almost what the PC ended up being reduced to for a while in terms of exclusives.

 

[ngower]

Expenses, comfort and the fact that about 75% of the games I play are exclusive to Nintendo consoles/handhelds or PS4.

 

[mcdomination]

- Cost: $300-$400 for a new conosle gets me all that I need - sans the TV

- Controls: The gamepad works on 100% of the games without mods

- Convenience: Plug in, power on, press X for update

- Friends: Nobody that I know is into PC gaming like they were shortly before/after the turn of the century

- Ecosystem: I love me some trophies; which all games, in my ecosystem of choice, support

- Consoles look nicer under my TV and fit on a media shelf

 

[Crayon]

Last time we had a desktop environment hooked up to the tv, someone ended up doing nothing but watching youtube in a 6 inch window and scrolling facebook all day. That's what your desktop and laptop and phone are for. -_- Not what the gaming setup is for.

Anyway... A desktop os is pretty distracting but that's not the computers fault.

 

[Budi]

If you wanted to play the top 12 games that GAF considers to be the best games of last year, you need a PS4 and would be able to play all 12 of those on that single platform.

It has more to do with the popularity of the platform than just quality of the games itself. And there's only 3 games in that top 10 that you can't play on a PC (or are there any news on FF PC port?). All good games ofcourse. And you can't play 2 of those on Nintendo or Xbox either. How many games from Totalbiscuits top 10 can you play on a PS4 though? Or how do Microsoft exclusives run on PS4? There are good games on that too.

 

[Ensoul]

I don't want to deal with the BS of games not running properly because my video card is out dated or my PC is too slow. I did game on PC's in the early 00's and I don't have fond memories. I remember Max Payne for the PC wouldn't run because the drivers I had on my video card had to be updated (not a big deal overall but I had to search and find the answer) I had three video cards shit out on my in a year time frame. I bought Halo for the PC and even though my computer was more than good enough to run the game was a slideshow. It was a known issues for and no one could fix it.

I think that was 2003. Ever since then I just said the hell with PC gaming. I was spending more time fixing issues with my PC than actually playing the games.

 

[Birgitte2004]

As I said before if someone simply doesn't want to, that's fine. But when people have reasons like "I gotta have a controller", it is like mind blowing because even when people say you can have that controller they don't seem to take note. It's misconceptions like that when people say is the reason why I ask this question because if that stuff holds them back, my hopes would be to show them that Hey you can be comfortable and game with a Pc and controller just as you would with a console, and have games look even better

As someone who does both, people need to stop with this. People saying they want to play with a controller are mostly well aware that you can use a controller on PC.

You can't play serious competitive multiplayer with a controller on PC.

Yes, it's _possible_ to play with a controller. If you totally want to screw your teammates over, or just plain suck if it's 1v1.

 

[Interfectum]

If I wasn't already playing on PC, there's pretty much nothing there that would convince me to want to start. "F2P" and "MMO" induce my gag reflex too, since that's almost what the PC ended up being reduced to for a while.

And I could be wrong but at least a few of those games are getting ported to PS4.

 

[Mockerre]

To your secondly, those generally are not an issue. Incompatibility generally only happens with really old games (and there's usually a workaround), you don't have to ALWAYS update your drivers, and upgrades can be as incremental as you choose. I didn't upgrade anything for several years on my initial build (due to lack of money..).

A lot, and I mean a lot, of games have UI scaling options for bigger displays. The few I've run into with this issue are some of the Paradox grand strategy games, but like 95% of the time it's an option.

They are, generally, for me. It's not like I'm posting out of concern; those are things I've struggled, when I was a PC gamer (95-05 exclusively). Driver problems, random crashes happened on a regular basis. Driver updates can botch things up Thst were fine before.

And I dont want incremental upgrades; it's not about the money, just don't have time to waste on Optimisation and tinkering.

Actually, I tried to play Tyranny just the other week, but gave it a pass after 3h of squinting :/ Pillars didnt have it, shogun 2 didnt have it in a capacity I would find useful. Nor mass effect 3 (of the top of my head). So No, 95% do not have it.

On a sidenote, wanted to play Owlboy, but just couldnt be borhered with pad issues.

 

[Aztechnology]

I'm honestly not sure the thread is having the desired effect the OP (I think) wanted. By default because or the phrasing of the title and what's known about GAF's strong preferences, it's essentially asking for people to just rag on PC. I feel like phrasing could have been done better to allow people to ask and discuss about problems and misconceptions rather than get the attack and defense we have right now. It's not conducive at all to having a rational non hyperbolic discussion.

 

[Spirited]

It has more to do with the popularity of the platform than just quality of the games itself. And there's only 3 games in that top 10 that you can't play on a PC (or are there any news on FF PC port?). All good games ofcourse. And you can't play 2 of those on Nintendo or Xbox either. How many games from Totalbiscuits top 10 can you play on a PS4 though? Or how do Microsoft exclusives run on PS4? There are good games too.

I do not understand how people don't get that the GOTY will reflect the userbase of the site which pretty much mean that it would be REALLY fucking weird if there weren't a lot of playstation exclusive games on the list.

 

[jroc74]

Money.

I love PC games (the total war and starcraft series) but money holds me back. My 4 year old PC has to suffice which means I can't play the latest total war games (warhammer and atilla) but I hope in a few years I might be able to upgrade.

Money for me too.

I will one day. Looking at MGS V on PC convinced me.

 

[Laevateinn]

I get physical pain every time I use a computer running MS Windows.

 

[GRaider81]

I don't want to deal with the BS of games not running properly because my video card is out dated or my PC is too slow. I did game on PC's in the early 00's and I don't have fond memories. I had three video cards shit out on my in a year time frame. I bought Halo for the PC and even though my computer was more than good enough to run the game was a slideshow. It was a known issues for and no one could fix it.

I think that was 2003. Ever since then I just said the hell with PC gaming. I was spending more time fixing issues with my PC than actually playing the games.

A lot has changed in 14 years. I last had a PC around the same time before getting one in 2015. Have been pretty surprised at the ease of use and minimum maintenance. Though i appreciate not everyone in this thread has had a similar easy time of it.

 

[Aztechnology]

I don't want to deal with the BS of games not running properly because my video card is out dated or my PC is too slow. I did game on PC's in the early 00's and I don't have fond memories. I remember Max Payne for the PC wouldn't run because the drivers I had on my video card had to be updated (not a big deal overall but I had to search and find the answer) I had three video cards shit out on my in a year time frame. I bought Halo for the PC and even though my computer was more than good enough to run the game was a slideshow. It was a known issues for and no one could fix it.

I think that was 2003. Ever since then I just said the hell with PC gaming. I was spending more time fixing issues with my PC than actually playing the games.

Pretending PC in 2003 even resembles the platform nowadays is a big problem.

I too built a PC for the first time back in 2004/2005. It's come so far.

 

[Algebrah]

- Cost: $300-$400 for a new conosle gets me all that I need - sans the TV

- Controls: The gamepad works on 100% of the games without mods

- Convenience: Plug in, power on, press X for update

- Friends: Nobody that I know is into PC gaming like they were shortly before/after the turn of the century

- Ecosystem: I love me some trophies; which all games, in my ecosystem of choice, support

- Consoles look nicer under my TV and fit on a media shelf

This right here. I can't tell you how many times I talk about video games with new people and when they ask me which system I play. I tell them PC and the conversation starts tapering off. Curse my PC awkwardness!

 

[Nzyme32]

My feeling about PC exclusives is that any successful game that is compatible with a console will eventually make its way to consoles. To not do so is to leave a substantial amount of money on the table.

The logic is sound, but this is still demonstrably not true for a whole host of reasons that crop up. Much the same way as the opposite can be said for PC, although to a much greater degree these end up coming to PC - though the difference between the two is more to do with a developer centric platform having such an absurdly large output of games

 

[PulseONE]

While I do game on my (midrange) PC, I think the case with 90% of people is the exorbitant price, and please do remember that not everybody lives in the states where the parts are a bit cheaper

Not to mention the whole 'PC Master Race' attitude, which whole uncommon on GAF, is pretty common, where I'm from, which turns people off from switching

 

[Always-honest]

Money, exclusives and Windows.

But yes, i wis those exclusives had the iQ of what is possible on a very high end PC.

 

[shanafan]

I can't be bothered with installation problems, drivers etc. I just insert the disc in my console and play

I wanted to play one match of WWE 2K17 before bed a few weeks ago. I turned on my Xbox One, and I had to download a system update. Once that completed, when I went to run WWE 2K17, I had to download a software update.

What should have been 10 minutes turned into 30 minutes. I play my Xbox One regularly, but it was a coincidence I had to do these updates when I wanted to play.

Thankfully, my computer is always running and Steam updates games automatically.

 

[muteki]

Mostly due to time, with work/wife/kids there is little left for gaming and what is there gets filled up and then some with console games. Games that are either exclusive or generally release earlier. I have an okayish PC I could be playing games on but don't just because I don't have the time to support multiple platforms. If I played exclusively big western titles that end up everywhere at around the same time I could see this being less of a problem but I don't.

I also work 8 hours+ in front of a computer and don't really want to do that at home. I understand I could hook my PC up to my TV but then when I do want to use it for more productive purposes a TV is less than optimal and I don't want to move back/forth.

But yeah, if I was single/unemployed I'd go back to what I did back then and probably spend a ton of time on PC, mostly dicking around in TF2.

 

[LaunchpadMcQ]

They are, generally, for me. It's not like I'm posting out of concern; those are things I've struggled, when I was a PC gamer (95-05 exclusively). Driver problems, random crashes happened on a regular basis. Driver updates can botch things up Thst were fine before.

And I dont want incremental upgrades; it's not about the money, just don't have time to waste on Optimisation and tinkering.

Actually, I tried to play Tyranny just the other week, but gave it a pass after 3h of squinting :/ Pillars didnt have it, shogun 2 didnt have it in a capacity I would find useful. Nor mass effect 3 (of the top of my head). So No, 95% do not have it.

On a sidenote, wanted to play Owlboy, but just couldnt be borhered with pad issues.

Well, I guess that tinkering is something of an acquired taste

That's a pretty small selection of games, though. Yeah, Obsidian's Paradox games also have this issue. I can't speak on Shogun 2. ME3 on PC has a bigger problem which is that it doesn't even have controller support, so I'm not surprised by that.

I'm not trying to make light of your issues, I know these things happen and it's just something that has to be improved on going forward by developers, but my experience has been overwhelmingly positive with playing games on my TV via the Steam Link and Big Picture mode.

 

[Crayon]

PC gaming is super cheap. It's too bad you have people dick waving constantly about how anything under 1400p and 60fps is unplayable garbage. You can play smooth, nice looking games on paltry hardware. Practically any desktop with power for a light gpu is 100 dollars away from console-ballpark gaming performance.

 

[Aztechnology]

Also I have a better question:

For those who game on a PC, why does it bother you so much that we don't?

Doesn't bother me at all. It bothers me when people constantly perpetuate misconceptions from PC gaming that belong a decade in the past.

 

[Mung]

So many reasons. The biggest one is Windows.

 

[GeordieMark]

The physical gaming experience is nothing like how it is on consoles.
Convenience factor.
I'd rather buy a shiny new piece of hardware every so years than buy a part for another piece of hardware.
I don't want to build anything.
More convenient to take from place to place.
I prefer dedicated machines.
Consoles are more culturally relevant.
Exclusives
No interest in PC's performance
Cost

So quite a few reasons. I got into PC gaming and regretted it instantly. Now I'm almost exclusively play on consoles and am infinitely happier because of it.

Out of curiosity, what do you mean by the bolded?

 

[Ensoul]

Pretending PC in 2003 even resembles the platform nowadays is a big problem.

Outdated hardware or a slow PC is a problem with consoles as well. It's like saying you're worried about having your 360 not play Halo 5.

I too built a PC for the first time back in 2004/2005. It's come so far.

I do understand that consoles get outdated as well but I figure that for $400 bucks I get a good 7 or 8 years out of a console before it becomes outdated. For PCs my guess is that if I spent 400 bucks on a video card I have what, two years before it has to be updated? It just seems like a constant expensive battle trying to keep a PC up to date. For consoles I just like the fact that I can just plug the console in and play even if the graphics are not as good.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Cost + hassle.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

I have a great rig but I still like trophies and achievements. It's sad, I know.

I do understand that consoles get outdated as well but I figure that for $400 bucks I get a good 7 or 8 years out of a console before it becomes outdated. For PCs my guess is that if I spent 400 bucks on a video card that will last a year or two before it becomes outdated and had to be upgraded.

This is a huge fallacy.

 

[Spirited]

PC gaming is super cheap. It's too bad you have people dick waving constantly about how anything under 1400p and 60fps is unplayable garbage. You can play smooth, nice looking games on paltry hardware. Practically any desktop with power for a light gpu is 100 dollars away from console-ballpark gaming performance.

The thing is that the sweet spot for PCs is a bit higher than that. If you're going for console performance you will probably will have to pay a little bit more but as you get up to the mid-range the $ for performance is pretty damn good and is recommended.

 

[RichiRamjag]

Are you Kellyanne Conway by any chance?
Because the number of alternative facts in your list is downright baffling.

Lol. While he took some liberties, he's more spot on than the people saying it's seamless. I game on my PC with a controller all the time and it really requires a big change of attitude on my part. Personally, having to grab the mouse and keyboard to resolve an issue annoys the shit out of me. I tend to play co-OP games and I spend more time trying to get get controllers working in each game than anything.

PC is still a crazy unique experience that I enjoy, but I am personally very touchy about having to troubleshoot anything when I just want to relax and play games. Console's have gone in the direction of getting in your way with updates just the same, but that's just more of a waiting game.

I don't care what people play, but as someone who has dealt with a lot of the general public in regards to technical assistance, it's obvious why people don't want to bother. I had to manually go in and set my X1 controllers driver profile before windows 10 store games would even see them. Most people aren't dealing with that. I'll always play on PC though as it's a wonderful platform. Hopefully, things get a bit more seamless as time goes on.

 

[Budi]

This right here. I can't tell you how many times I talk about video games with new people and when they ask me which system I play. I tell them PC and the conversation starts tapering off. Curse my PC awkwardness!

This always amazes me personally, I don't think I've made an effort to befriend only PC gamers. But from the top of my head, I can't think of one who doesn't have a PC. Some of them have consoles too, but not all of them. Maybe it's a Finnish thing. Even my mother plays casual games on PC, games played with just the mouse are much easier for her than holding a modern controller. She did play on NES though.

 

[Lupercal]

95 % of the problems I read in this thread haven't been true for me since 2008/2009.
In the old days we used to fix it ourselves and never complained.

Nowadays having to reboot after installing windows updates it's a drawback?

Nevermind that a console does the same thing.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Out of curiosity, what do you mean by the bolded?

Generally speaking, most of the conversations revolving gaming tends to revolve around consoles, from my experience. As someone who LOVES pop culture, it's kind of a big deal.

Granted, that's just from my perceptions of the world around me and there's absolutely affirmation bias, but hey it's a subjective reason for me to not like PC gaming.