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[Lingitiz]

It depends on the game and PC. 99% of the time the PC version would be the superior version but I had realised that in this gen, more and more console games are closing the gap to their PC counterparts.

MGS V is a great example, I bought both the Steam and PS4 versions and honestly speaking I can hardly see the difference unless I really take a close look at the PC version (on max setting). Kinda makes me think that spending money on the PC version is a waste.

But most of the time the PC version will be better as there are mods and graphics capability wise it would definitely be better somewhat. The catch is you would need to have a good PC or constantly upgrading your PC every 2~3 years for getting the max settings for most games.

MGSV looks stunning on PC and has a nice array of options, but it is in no way an example of anything. The Fox Engine is an anomoly and you can be damn sure not many developers are going to have as flexible and as scalable of an engine as Fox.

The gap is not closing, it's greater than it's really ever been. At this point in previous lifecycles, I don't think you could buy a midrange card (like a 970) and completely run laps around the consoles. Again the developer hesitance to move away from cross generation games is a reason why this hasn't really shown itself yet, because those games still must run on ancient hardware.

I know people say you "have" to upgrade every 2-3 years..but isn't that the point? I guess you could settle for less, but in that amount of time I'd want to make my setup more current and try to get the most out of my game instead of compromising.

 

[120v]

IMO current multiplats don't look "stunningly" different on high end PCs (though this will obvs vary with certain games, the monitor you use, ect).

but as the gen wears on, i can only imagine... look at "old" games like bioshock infinite and dishonored on fairly midrange PCs. amazing.

 

[Heartfyre]

I used to be a PC gamer, but the cost of the necessary upgrades made it lose its worth to me this gen. With the PS3/360, the games seemed to barely run on those machines, extremely compromised compared to the PC versions. While the PC versions retain the edge today, the difference is not significant enough for me to invest anew. My main problem with PC gaming recently is the lack of exclusive games -- there was a time when most of the PC games I played were exclusive to the platform. Now, that's dwindled away, yet the platform exclusives on PS4 are amassing in significant numbers. Perhaps I'll return to PC gaming later in the generation when the PS4's tech truly begins to trail, but for now, I feel much better off consolidating all of my gaming in one place.

 

[ResidentDante]

Between PS4 and Xbox One I don't think there's such a huge difference. The 900p vs. 1080p doesn't stand out so much imo. The exclusives on each platform take advantage and look very good.

The PC outperforms both of course, but there are waaaay to many people on Gaf relying on comparing screenshots and as such the difference doesn't look so apparent. You really need to see a PC running a typical console game in 1080p (or higher) with 60fps and lots of AA to really see the difference by yourself. Pics and grainy youtube videoes simply just point out stupid little details like "oh there's grass missing here" etc. Thus making console fanboys think they have an equally powerful machine to a high-end PC.

 

[Jtrizzy]

It's really hard for me to go back to playing console games at 30 fps with FXAA and worse AF and AO. Even playing the big console exclusives is becoming a chore for me, which is really unfortunate, but I guess they'll all get a remaster on PS5 lol.

I did a little back and forth flip the other night with GTA V maxed (minus fxaa, a couple of notches down on advanced distance scaling, and grass down one from ultra) 1080p60 with 4x msaa vs. the PS4 version. 60 fps alone just destroys it though, even if I had equivalent settings.

 

[Gipsy Danger]

The thing is. You can claim that the PC version doesn't look that much better than console versions (it does though) but the important part is that most multiplats look better AND run at twice the framerate. This is a very important factor.

 

[Atraveller]

My main problem with PC gaming recently is the lack of exclusive games

You might want to check again.

 

[Heartfyre]

You might want to check again.

There's Pillars of Eternity. There's Warhammer: Total War. And there's Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, which my PC will still play. Nothing else appeals, and everything else is on PS4. Am I really missing anything significant?

 

[alexandros]

There's Pillars of Eternity. There's Warhammer: Total War. And there's Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, which my PC will still play. Nothing else appeals, and everything else is on PS4. Am I really missing anything significant?

Yes. Tons and tons of quality games.

 

[Gipsy Danger]

There's Pillars of Eternity. There's Warhammer: Total War. And there's Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, which my PC will still play. Nothing else appeals, and everything else is on PS4. Am I really missing anything significant?

Are you saying the literal thousands of other games ONLY available on PC don't appeal to you?

 

[Heartfyre]

Are you saying the literal thousands of other games ONLY available on PC don't appeal to you?

I've played most of the old ones already. And there's not been a lot of new ones that have been gripping hearts and minds. I've not noticed that I've been missing some zeitgeist. Feel free to suggest some titles that I've been missing in the ~1 year I've not played PC games, though.

 

[alexandros]

I've played most of the old ones already. And there's not been a lot of new ones that have been gripping hearts and minds. I've not noticed that I've been missing some zeitgeist. Feel free to suggest some titles that I've been missing in the ~1 year I've not played PC games, though.

Open Steam, go to a genre you like and search through the list or use the recommendation system, I find it to be pretty good in recommending stuff you'd like.

Edit: You know what, this is a good chance to push one of my favorite games of the last few months: Invisible Inc!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/243970/

 

[laxu]

For most new games the difference to PS4 is things like texture resolution, draw distances for objects, shadows etc and sometimes special effects. Even though I'm mainly a PC player, when playing on the PS4 I don't mind the downgrade in graphics. Framerates dropping under 30 are an issue though.

But the bigger impact is playing at higher than 1080p resolutions at higher framerates and especially higher refresh rates. Less motion blur, less input lag (depending on your display), smoother motion, sharper everything. At the moment if you have a top end GPU, 1440p is the sweet spot for resolution at max details.

Another thing is the ability to choose controls as you please. I play some games like Witcher 3 with a DS4 but other games are far better played on keyboard and mouse. I don't think I could stand playing MGS V with a controller. The reflex mode crutch is really rather necessary for consoles as you can't easily just shoot several dudes to the head without the precision of mouse control. The Steam controller will hopefully reconcile the lack of analog stick for movement and mouse for aiming.

Finally there is mods, ranging from simple skip intro fixes to complete overhauls. Playing Skyrim or Fallout especially on consoles is a terrible experience by comparison and something like GTA V looks really a lot better with some ReShade mods.

PC gaming compared to consoles is certainly expensive especially to start. When you have already bought that great display and great system then usually in several years the only upgrade you need is the GPU. I still run a several years old CPU (i5-3570K @ 4.5 GHz) because for gaming it is as good as the latest stuff but my GPU is the top dog at the moment (980 Ti). My next upgrade will most likely be when 4K 100Hz+ displays become available and a single GPU can run it at good framerates. So maybe in 2017 the earliest. As a hobby it's still very inexpensive overall.

 

[Atraveller]

There's Pillars of Eternity. There's Warhammer: Total War. And there's Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, which my PC will still play. Nothing else appeals, and everything else is on PS4. Am I really missing anything significant?

For late 2015 and early 2016 releases, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Might & Magic Heroes VII,Torment: Tides of Numenera, Overwatch & Heroes of the Storm if you like multiplayers, Dreadnought, XCOM 2, Star Citizen(probably).

I personally am hyped for Divinity: Original Sin 2.

Edit: despite saying no list war myself, I still did this, sigh

 

[Dictator93]

Difference is Consoles have AAA exclusives that PC wont get and Visuals/Performance from Consoles are very good for the price we pay and PnP. Also in PC mostly you cant get retail discs like Consoles which you can sell them after playing or you can rent it. Choose PC or Consoles based on games and experience you want.

Is this some sort of gaf meme I have not heard of in all my time here?

How often do we say the wii u is a console that does not get ps4 exclusives?

 

[Hektor]

Edit: You know what, this is a good chance to push one of my favorite games of the last few months: Invisible Inc!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/243970/

You're a good gaffer, i like you.

Is this some sort of gaf meme I have not heard of in all my time here?

Its just the usual "You can't play uncharted on Xbox!" platformwarz bullshit like the stuff in YT-Comments.

 

[Heartfyre]

Open Steam, go to a genre you like and search through the list or use the recommendation system, I find it to be pretty good in recommending stuff you'd like.

Edit: You know what, this is a good chance to push one of my favorite games of the last few months: Invisible Inc!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/243970/

The highest-rated games I tend to see listed are generally multi-platform. Invisible Inc definitely stands above the other things that have been appearing on these Steam lists, and I loved Mark of the Ninja back in the day, but it really just goes on to prove my point -- there's a PS4 version coming soon. I'm also picking up The Talos Principle in a couple of months, as I've been aching for that one.

There are some games that would be nice to play on PC, I'm aware of this...but nothing jumps out as significant. Something genre-defining or the cutting edge of its field. I found I was just playing multi-platform games on my PC for the last two years I was using it.

 

[Gipsy Danger]

The highest-rated games I tend to see listed are generally multi-platform. Invisible Inc definitely stands above the other things that have been appearing on these Steam lists, and I loved Mark of the Ninja back in the day, but it really just goes on to prove my point -- there's a PS4 version coming soon. I'm also picking up The Talos Principle in a couple of months, as I've been aching for that one.

There are some games that would be nice to play on PC, I'm aware of this...but nothing jumps out as significant. Something genre-defining or the cutting edge of its field. I found I was just playing multi-platform games on my PC for the last two years I was using it.

So because a game is cutting edge of its field or genre defining it's not really worth playing? Are console exclusives doing this is spades? All platform have their fair share of great exclusives but it's impossible to not find at least a dozen PC exclusives each year that you wouldn't enjoy.

 

[Lanrutcon]

My main problem with PC gaming recently is the lack of exclusive games.

Google says you're wrong.

Are you calling Google a liar?

 

[Mabufu]

You're a good gaffer, i like you.



Its just the usual "You can't play uncharted on Xbox!" platformwarz bullshit like the stuff in YT-Comments.

I wouldnt call "being unable to play good games on X platform" bullshit.

PC wont get PS4 exclusives and PS4 wont get PC ones.

Another story, is what exclusives are usually better, and that could be a long discussion. So, the best thing is to get all platforms you can afford. Because there's no absolute winner.

 

[bj00rn_]

Is this some sort of gaf meme I have not heard of in all my time here?

You need to accept the fact that some people's entire gaming existence resides inside a top-of-the-pops bubble.. Which I guess is fine in it's own isolated way. When it's brought up as an actual argument however..

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Big enough we almost always see the PC version in promotional material even though it's merely an afterthought or maybe not even announced yet or coming at all.

 

[Newtype-001]

There is no difference. Its all in your head.

 

[Heartfyre]

So because a game is cutting edge of its field or genre defining it's not really worth playing?

There's only so much time... Keeping up with the great games is enough to fill anyone's day. The Witcher 3 took three weeks of my life.

Are console exclusives doing this is spades? All platform have their fair share of great exclusives but it's impossible to not find at least a dozen PC exclusives each year that you wouldn't enjoy.

Not really, outside of the dozen or so that each platform will get. However, I personally enjoy many Japanese series, so it makes sense that the PS4's exclusives would appeal to me more. Yet the point is that the titles that really get people talking are not PC exclusives, but multi-platform games people are playing on PC. I'm still struggling to think about anything I truly miss not playing, besides Pillars of Eternity, and I got the Kickstarter Collector's Edition of that, and I'm sure my old PC can still run that if I try.

Google says you're wrong.

Are you calling Google a liar?

There are lots of exclusives, but not significant ones as far as I can tell. I can play lots of games with unaesthetic art styles and designed to appeal to nostalgia, but I don't want to. The trend these days appears to be Early Access and MOBAs, neither of which produce the type of game that I'm interested in playing. PC gaming has changed a lot since I really got into it, and the types of things that made it stand out are predominately multi-platform these days. For me, the value proposition of putting a capable PC together and keeping it up-to-date doesn't match up to the once-off purchase and getting the vast majority of significant game releases.

 

[alexandros]

We should really avoid getting into list wars, this isn't what this thread is about.

 

[spoonablehippo]

Well I just built a relatively decent PC, but tbh I'm quite disappointed.
I skimped on the CPU, but everything else is as much as I could afford.
AMD X4 860K CPU, Overclocked to 4.5GHz and a Cooler Master Hyper EVO cooler
MSI A88XM Gaming Motherboard
MSI R9 390 GPU
16GB 2400 Corsair Vengeance RAM
256GB Sandisk Pro SSD
1TB WD Black HDD

plus lots of fans a 650W EVGA PSU and a swanky case.

I play around 8 foot away from a 55" 1080P Sony Bravia TV, and games just don't look that much better, certainly not to the degree that PC gamers were telling me it would look.

I have GTA V, and everything is on Very high or ultra, draw distance & population on max etc, using about 4.5GB of VRAM (card has 8GB) and sure it looks a little cleaner and a bit smoother than on my Xbox one, but £700 better? Nope, not a chance.

I imagine if I had a 4K TV or monitor it would be a different story, but for 1080P I'd advise sticking to console.

 

[Lanrutcon]

We should really avoid getting into list wars, this isn't what this thread is about.

I was being factual. Apparently if it isn't AA it isn't significant to him.

Now all I feel is pity for our fallen brother.

 

[Heartfyre]

I was being factual. Apparently if it isn't AA it isn't significant to him.

Now all I feel is pity for our fallen brother.

The moment we hit a new RTS golden age, I'll be a PC gamer again.

Or if Valve get their shit together.

EDIT: I'd also like to point out that I play a lot of indie/lower budget titles, and that doesn't make them insignificant. However, the most significant ones tend to be PC/PS4.

 

[tbd]

Very big. Given the PC version isn't utter shit. Specs aside, consoles struggle maintaining 25+ FPS with so many games (Witcher 3, FFXV, Bloodborne, probably even Fallout 4) that I think my PC (not even really high end or that expensive) would easily play with 60 FPS and even better graphics.

 

[Clarkus Darkus]

Well I just built a relatively decent PC, but tbh I'm quite disappointed.
I skimped on the CPU, but everything else is as much as I could afford.
AMD X4 860K CPU, Overclocked to 4.5GHz and a Cooler Master Hyper EVO cooler
MSI A88XM Gaming Motherboard
MSI R9 390 GPU
16GB 2400 Corsair Vengeance RAM
256GB Sandisk Pro SSD
1TB WD Black HDD

plus lots of fans a 650W EVGA PSU and a swanky case.

I play around 8 foot away from a 55" 1080P Sony Bravia TV, and games just don't look that much better, certainly not to the degree that PC gamers were telling me it would look.

I have GTA V, and everything is on Very high or ultra, draw distance & population on max etc, using about 4.5GB of VRAM (card has 8GB) and sure it looks a little cleaner and a bit smoother than on my Xbox one, but £700 better? Nope, not a chance.

I imagine if I had a 4K TV or monitor it would be a different story, but for 1080P I'd advise sticking to console.

You see thats the thing with us who live in the UK, We pay alot more than our american counterparts, So it's worth adding that too this discussion as like you mentioned, Paying hundreds of pounds more and not getting hundreds of pounds worth of an upgrade over the consoles isn't really worth it if were generally speaking just about multi-plat games.

On a side note i want your TV!

 

[alexandros]

You see thats the thing with us who live in the UK, We pay alot more than our american counterparts, So it's worth adding that too this discussion as like you mentioned, Paying hundreds of pounds more and not getting hundreds of pounds worth of an upgrade over the consoles isn't really worth it if were generally speaking just about multi-plat games.

On a side note i want your TV!

But he is getting hundreds of pounds worth of difference. In GTA he's getting double the framerate of the console version plus significant visual enhancements.

 

[PerZona]

Please check out Digital Foundry's article about MGSV, the difference is great.

I had read that article and watched the video, but honestly speaking it isn't great when I put side by side with my PC and PS4 versions. The difference isn't really noticeable.

MGSV looks stunning on PC and has a nice array of options, but it is in no way an example of anything. The Fox Engine is an anomoly and you can be damn sure not many developers are going to have as flexible and as scalable of an engine as Fox.

The gap is not closing, it's greater than it's really ever been. At this point in previous lifecycles, I don't think you could buy a midrange card (like a 970) and completely run laps around the consoles. Again the developer hesitance to move away from cross generation games is a reason why this hasn't really shown itself yet, because those games still must run on ancient hardware.

I know people say you "have" to upgrade every 2-3 years..but isn't that the point? I guess you could settle for less, but in that amount of time I'd want to make my setup more current and try to get the most out of my game instead of compromising.

How is 970 a mid range card? It's more like a high end card if you ask me. Not the best but definitely not a mid range card. I'm currently on the 970 card and I upgraded it from my 580 card which lasted me a good 4 years.

Initially I thought the same, that the differences between consoles and PC are beginning to be huge. But this gen kinda proved me wrong. Graphics on games like MGS V are so similar between the PC and it's console's counterpart. Even the PS4 could run it at 60fps smoothly, which could never be done on the PS3. But then again there are also games where we could see a big difference, like Witcher 3 and GTA V. I guess it's also probably due to how much effort the game developers are willing to put into the console versions.

 

[jimbobsmells]

My PC can barely run Civ V, so it depends on your definition of 'PC'

 

[B_Signal]

As someone who bought a 970 this year I'm a little disheartened to see it referred to as mid teir by everyone

For me though the biggest difference is framerate. I started Mad Max the other day on pc and it's so smooth, easy to forget after spending a bit of time with my ps4

 

[omonimo]

Such thread start to be really repetitive. I mean if you are a graphic passionate, differences are huge in different parts but if you play looking just the screen without know what AF or LOD are, hardly you will appreciate the improvement.

 

[KungFucius]

I have every system hooked up to my TV. I barely touch anything outside of the PC. My PC build is an aging i5 + 670 system that plays most games well on 1080p high settings. This looks better than PS4, but not by enough to really care one way or the other. PC games are typically cheaper but being digital are not resellable. I bought some PS4/Xbox games with thoughts of reselling them but was too lazy to do so in a timely manner so that benefit is a wash for me. If I had to pick one based on cost alone I would go with PS4. If I wanted to pick a platform to stick with for many years, I say PC.

Knowing what I know now after this gen, I am going to stick mainly to PC gaming. My next upgrade will be to a 70-80 inch 4k TV with adequate GPU and then probably VR. I am waiting for all the hardware to get there. I bought every system to cover me for exclusives because last gen they were important but I am actually still waiting for one that is worth my time. Multiplats are good enough and there are already too many of them for me to play all of them. Getting over the idea of not wanting to miss anything will help me cut the cord on consoles. I will probably do Nintendo ( old habits die extremely hard) + PC.

 

[SmokedMeat]

It's crazy to me to think that a $300 GPU is considered mid range. And yet PC gamers don't get the reason why people assume PC gaming requires a costly setup.

 

[low-G]

As someone who bought a 970 this year I'm a little disheartened to see it referred to as mid teir by everyone

For me though the biggest difference is framerate. I started Mad Max the other day on pc and it's so smooth, easy to forget after spending a bit of time with my ps4

To some people, paying the price of a console for a single component of their PC IS mid tier, I guess.

As far as it goes, I got a GTX970 knowing that I would want to upgrade the GPU in 1-2 generations, but I don't think $300 could ever be called mid tier by a rational human.

Anyways, I don't think the different is all that big unless frame rate is a really big deal. There is no PC version of a game on console I'm currently aware of that has anything other than microscopic texture res increases, special effects, what have you. It's primarily frame rate & resolution, and if the console game already runs at 60fps, it'll be LOD & light sources.

 

[BigTnaples]

I had read that article and watched the video, but honestly speaking it isn't great when I put side by side with my PC and PS4 versions. The difference isn't really noticeable.

Not really noticeable? No.


As someone who owns and has been paying both PC and PS4 nightly, the difference is night and day.

 

[bj00rn_]

I can, but I don't want to

Breaking news: Guy on internet prefers console system, all PC exclusives now useless.

In other news: PS4 exclusives instantly vanished in a puff of smoke because some guy in Japan is wasting his money on pachinko machines.

 

[omonimo]

Not really noticeable? No.


As someone who owns and has been paying both PC and PS4 nightly, the difference is night and day.

Well we are in the subjective matter, here. Tech wise surely we are talking of huge difference. But maybe he expected something of more evident to the eye 'impact'.

 

[tuxfool]

How is 970 a mid range card? It's more like a high end card if you ask me. Not the best but definitely not a mid range card. I'm currently on the 970 card and I upgraded it from my 580 card which lasted me a good 4 years..

As someone who bought a 970 this year I'm a little disheartened to see it referred to as mid teir by everyone

It definitely is in the middle of Nvidia's offerings. This makes it mid-tier.

950, 960, 970, 980, 980ti....TitanX

 

[alexandros]

It's crazy to me to think that a $300 GPU is considered mid range. And yet PC gamers don't get the reason why people assume PC gaming requires a costly setup.

It's mid range in terms of the number of models above it available in the market. Compared to the performance of a gaming console it's super high end.

 

[Csr]

Like it has been mentioned it depends on the pc, the monitor, the game but also on the individual. The difference is there in hard numbers, the perceived difference though can be very subjective. I don't think anyone could answer the question for someone, he would have to experience it himself.
Even in the last years of the previous gen some people were arguing that there is not much difference between pc and 360/ps3 and that sounded like crazy talk to me.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Not really noticeable? No.


As someone who owns and has been paying both PC and PS4 nightly, the difference is night and day.

You're playing games at 4K. You're like a guy that bought a Ferrari claiming he can tell a difference against his Camaro.

 

[Jawbreaker]

It's crazy to me to think that a $300 GPU is considered mid range. And yet PC gamers don't get the reason why people assume PC gaming requires a costly setup.

It's mid-range in relation to other graphics cards available on the market, but directly compared to console GPUs, it's a significant step above.

 

[Dick Justice]

But he is getting hundreds of pounds worth of difference. In GTA he's getting double the framerate of the console version plus significant visual enhancements.

Not to mention mods.

 

[SmokedMeat]

It's mid-range in relation to other graphics cards available on the market, but directly compared to console GPUs, it's a significant step above.

It should be a step up! It's a single component that costs as much as a console, which is a complete system that comes with a controller and a game or two.

 

[takriel]

It becomes a real difference when using 21:9 or 4k PC setups with 60 fps and/or g-sync.

 

[StarPlatinumTheWorld]

As another 980 owner, that's a little disingenuous. A 980 will run all games at 60FPS+ as long as they're at 1920x1080 and not necessarily maxed out (The Witcher needs one or two settings dropped to get a locked 60, not including hairworks).

Not saying it's not great - just that there are caveats and one of the reasons I'm considerign G-sync. Apparently dropped frames are far less apparent whereas a game going from 60-58 right now has me glancing at the FPS counter because I notice the judder.

From start to finish I got 68+ fps on Witcher 3 with all settings max and hairworks on, I play at 1080p. As we are comparing to consoles I thought 1080p would be assumed.