Reposting for new page:
Or r/pcmasterrace's manifesto.
While I don't think they believe console players to be "inferior human beings," their contempt for console players is very real.
PCs are better than consoles argument tree
- Thread starter Krauser Kat
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Reposting for new page:
Or r/pcmasterrace's manifesto.
While I don't think they believe console players to be "inferior human beings," their contempt for console players is very real.
Gipsy Danger
Member
That's still a vocal minority though. People who have contempt for console players are obviously idiots. Just as console players who have contempt for PC players are.
The quote I posted about was in the context of 'modern gaming consoles vs modern gaming PCs' and argued 'why not both' in that context, so I replied within that context.
I fully agree that many great games - no doubt the vast majority - don't have very high requirements, and that people should get a cheaper PC/laptop to enjoy this giant back catalogue. However, ITT, we're comparing PS4 and Xbox One to PCs. This benchmark is being set so that the discussion is on level footing. I'm not going to say, "well, a cheap PC can easily run Half Life 2, so PC is better than console!" because Half-Life 2 isn't a modern console game. It's a last-gen console game, which is out of the discussion, otherwise the discussion is totally unbalanced. (I know that PS4/XBO aren't very powerful either, but as I said, I looked up the cost of building an equivalent PC and I was looking at £400+, not including software, which was more than a PS4 or XBO.)
I agree though, the summary of any discussion should really be 'buy Undertale'.
I think (and I could be wrong) that when console players show contempt for PC players, they're talking about those PC players.
Nocturno999
Member
Why people say r/pcmasterrace are jerks? They are generally friendly and funny and only call peasants to console fanboys
that keep bringing the same weak and ad hominem arguments.
that keep bringing the same weak and ad hominem arguments.
... Did you read the article you posted. It doesn't actually say that developers prefer PC. That's a total assumption and written as a sensationalist headline. The article simply says that the majority of developers (56%) are working on a game with a PC release. The article also suggests that the majority of these are multiplatform games.
So, even ignoring this baseless claim, let's say a PC developer is working on a multiplatform game. Yes, obviously they would prefer PC. That would be A) where you can flex you benchmarking muscles, and B) where you dodge the whole console parity issue.
But even with this idea in mind, my argument was that, in principle, if you're developing for "a console" (non-specific) you have one set of hardware which all users will use, and one set of software which all users will use. If you're developing for PC, there are many sets of software which users will use (eg drivers) and many sets of hardware which users will use (highly variable builds). This literally adds up to more testing and tweaking time. It's a known fact, and it's why rushed jobs like Arkham Knight are so shoddy (they weren't given time to test many different builds, so unless you have that one build/that hardware they tested with a lot, you're shit out of luck).
Gipsy Danger
Member
This thread would say otherwise. They may think they are talking about those PC players but the term master race has been used more in this thread by people who prefer consoles than PC players and I tend to find that's the case when most PC threads turn to shit like this. If people want to play on console then that's cool, but people can't just make stuff up and call it a negative point for playing on PC games.
PC players try and point out benefits of PC gaming and get called out as evangelists. PC gaming has almost $0 worth in marketing, so without word of mouth then no one would buy a PC. There are certainly PC players also being total jerks in this thread and they are also idiots.
Everyone just play what you want and don't get all bent out of shape if someone likes something different from you.
There's plenty of nonsense platform contempt all over the Internet from and towards every platform, I don't even worry about that. On GAF specifically it's just frustrating as a PC gamer seeing the myriad myths and outright lies or being called elitist for some weird reason or another.
Gipsy Danger
Member
I don't have enough experience with game development to say whether you are right or wrong. But just to ask, do you have experience with development on consoles and PC? Do you know for a fact that this is how it works? I mean, the way you say it makes it sound like if a developer doesn't test a game on a thousand different configs then the game will just run like shit on untested configs. Surely no one would make PC games if it was that much of a hassle.
I've seen some pretty hard console fanboys showing contempt to anyone not playing on their console of choice, it goes both ways trust me.
This guy knows what's up, being called elitist for asking about framerate locks isn't really funny.
That's a good question :/ I don't know
Then why liken it to racism? That's just stupid.
I've got a few scattered experiences first-hand, have read around the subject a lot, and spend quite a lot of time talking with developers. I'm currently working on a game in a project management capacity, and on a daily basis I watch a giant ongoing Skype conversation where the programming and design team post hundreds of messages a week - the nitty gritty of the development. It's a relatively high-profile game, and it has a very complex, dynamic simulation.
It's not as extreme as I suggested, I was exaggerating above. Game engines do a lot of the legwork these days, and they certainly don't need to specifically test 'thousands of different configs'. But from what I've seen it is more complex (perhaps not if you went back to the PS3 for comparison, which sounded like a nightmare), and you have to do more work in terms of adding lots of resolution/graphical options. Significantly, when you troubleshoot issues on PC you have to spend a fair amount of time identifying what quirk of the person's build/system is causing it. And that will probably be unique to their build/system. It often relates to random shit going on in their C drive. There's just more space for issues - many of the things I've seen like this would never happen on console.
The game is coming to a console too and the team seem totally chill about porting it from PC over to console - while the actual PC development and QA is difficult.
I think this opinion that PCs are complicated is becoming less and less relevant.
15 years ago, we had to fiddle with boot disks, freeing up extra memory (damn you conventional memory), getting sound blaster cards to work and moving files around to make things work.
I think the hardest part of the whole process of building a PC is choosing the right parts. There's an overwhelming number of parts to choose from for the novice PC user, but after a bit of research, no more than one or two nights worth, most people can optimise their build and get their money's worth. The building component is literally plug and play for the most part. I haven't had any problems buying and running games on steam and everything is as easy as it is on consoles. The wealth of graphical options help in adjusting performance/graphical fidelity to each person's liking. Its too easy.
ViolentP
Member
Agree completely. Though while PCs are worlds easier than they were even just a few years ago, and while there are still many misconceptions about the work required, it still requires attention. Or at the very least, it should. You will get the most out of your investment if you know what is in it and how to care for it. This is what earns the payout at the end.
Some people however simply don't have an interest in a machine beyond popping a disc in and having a game start. This is an understandable preference to me. I also understand that selling the idea of a PC to these individuals by selling them just how easy it can be is grossly underselling the capability of what the platform can do. I don't want to sell someone on a PC by telling them you can set it up once, plug a controller and boot into Big Picture and never have to worry about it again. They would miss out on the disciplines that keeps your machine running at top performance, and a PC not reaching its performance potential is just not worth having in my opinion.
If these disciplines aren't something a user is interested in attaining and practicing, I will in good conscience recommend them a console.
IAmRandom31
Banned
can you name some of those 7000 that are GREAT?
steam is 3:1 shovelware at this point. reminds me of going to the bottom shelf in the wal-mart for PC games and seeing those " 500 games in 1! " discs.
ViolentP
Member
I could, but the results may not mean much as not playing them yourself makes it hard to understand what makes them great. But the PC has decades worth of amazing games. The garbage that saturates Steam these days aside.
paperspace
Member
Does this come as a surprise to you?
You are vastly underestimating how hard this is. And you are hugely overestimating how much a first-time PC builder can do.
I say this as somebody who built a PC from scratch for the first time ever in August. I've had PCs in the past, but haven't hardcore PC-gamed since the early '00s. I've consoled my entire life and hardcore PC'd in the '90s. Here's my rundown:
PC experience:
- research how to build a PC (1-2 hours)
- collect parts in a shopping basket/eBuyer list (2-3 hours)
- order parts (costing around £650 plus software - MGSV free)
- wait three days
- parts arrive on a Wednesday. Don't have time to build until Saturday
- on Saturday, start at 10am, read all the documentation, start building
- at 2pm, go to fit CPU, realise the CPU isn't bundled with the motherboard like the eBuyer page suggested. Another 1.5 hours and £200 to go to a shop and buy a CPU
- burn Windows 7 to disc
- 7pm, finish the building process (which was, incidentally, very hard and quite scary/tense) turn on PC
- 7.30pm, finish installing windows and Steam
- 8.30pm, game finishes downloading, play a videogame
- 9.30pm turn computer off, get infinite updating and failed update process
- continues for three days - every boot up and shut down taking half an hour due to glitch with Windows Updates
- after three days upgrade to Windows 10 - no issues since. Bar occasional sound loss and a 1050p resolution cap I still don't understand how to fix
PS4 experience:
- decide to buy a PS4 (0 minutes. Or I guess the <1 hour research it took to decide on one which I would read anyway, not part of the buying process)
- go to shop (20 minutes)
- buy PS4 (£400 second hand with two games)
- go home (20 minutes)
- plug in (5 minutes, or less)
- initial software set up (5 minutes)
- play game. No issues had since
Around an hour from buying the console to having it installed and playing the game without any issues. Compare that to PC's 1 week from order to 'working perfectly', and even that included losing an entire 7-8 hours of one day just to build the thing as a first-timer.
Honestly, I'm mainly playing devil's advocate ITT. PC gaming is a fucking incredible thing, I can't believe the freedom and control I have and how well it runs fairly demanding simulations. But it also requires infinitely more work, infinitely more knowledge, and a far bigger investment if you want to play contemporary videogames. It's still brilliant, but it's another league, and it shouldn't be directly with consoles at all imo.
Are you referring to them being chill about the console part, or the PC development being difficult?
If the former, that's a lame thing to say.
If the latter, you're right, and no it doesn't, because obviously it's being developed on PC. But many of the issues people are having on PC are things which would never enter the realm of a console thing (the person with X graphics card is having this issue/this person's save folder isn't behaving right/this person is having problems with things disappearing permanently after they change this setting in the .ini file/etc).
How about you prove that ratio accurate by listing the 1750 games that are not shovelware?
DarthWalden
Banned
I agree it's overstated how simple it is to out together a PC. There is a lot of time and work involved but for the most part people enjoy it so they simply ignore it but simply installing all the various game distribution clients took me a night.
It took me 3 nights to set up my latest build and configure all the settings.
potatohead
Member
I see a lot of interesting responses here, but also a lot of "why I want to prove my platform is better than yours." Everyone values and weights different aspects of any gaming platform differently.
Even on the cost comparison is ridiculous. There are so many ways to spend very little or a lot on both consoles or PC platforms. You could spend thousands making a fantastic setup for a console or a PC, and you can also spend peanuts for either platform and still get what you want out of those platforms. It really just depends on what you want out of that platform.
What bothers me is that a few people always end up taking the comparison thing too far so that it loses sight of the customer's interests. Being objective is fantastic and all, but not everyone goes into their hobbies looking for objective reasons to justify why they just want to play some games lol. If the goal is to invite more people to learn more about a platform you like, you should wait for them to ask you about it, not try to force them to listen to a lecture about why they should care more than they really do.
Anytime you want to help someone learn about games you shouldn't be lecturing them. You should be asking what they want in their videogames first, not what you think should be important to them. Too many people forget this is a hobby and take too much offense to someone not taking their platform "seriously" enough.... not everyone wants to have a hobby or past-time be "serious" and "objective" when for many this could be just a small diversion once a week or even a month.
Remember... videogames is a hobby first, and not a means of living or a way of life.... lol.
I would hate to imagine what it would be like if all I wanted to do was go fishing or play soccer and people got upset that I was using the wrong fishing rod or not playing on the right field or some nonsense lmao. That's what people do in videogames basically, it's very disappointing people are not happy about people having fun with so many different videogames options.
Even on the cost comparison is ridiculous. There are so many ways to spend very little or a lot on both consoles or PC platforms. You could spend thousands making a fantastic setup for a console or a PC, and you can also spend peanuts for either platform and still get what you want out of those platforms. It really just depends on what you want out of that platform.
What bothers me is that a few people always end up taking the comparison thing too far so that it loses sight of the customer's interests. Being objective is fantastic and all, but not everyone goes into their hobbies looking for objective reasons to justify why they just want to play some games lol. If the goal is to invite more people to learn more about a platform you like, you should wait for them to ask you about it, not try to force them to listen to a lecture about why they should care more than they really do.
Anytime you want to help someone learn about games you shouldn't be lecturing them. You should be asking what they want in their videogames first, not what you think should be important to them. Too many people forget this is a hobby and take too much offense to someone not taking their platform "seriously" enough.... not everyone wants to have a hobby or past-time be "serious" and "objective" when for many this could be just a small diversion once a week or even a month.
Remember... videogames is a hobby first, and not a means of living or a way of life.... lol.
I would hate to imagine what it would be like if all I wanted to do was go fishing or play soccer and people got upset that I was using the wrong fishing rod or not playing on the right field or some nonsense lmao. That's what people do in videogames basically, it's very disappointing people are not happy about people having fun with so many different videogames options.
Oddvintagechap
Banned
I bought a 2500$ macbook pro.
I play on my PS4.
im steve jobs.
Hell, I hate how steam looks.
I play on my PS4.
im steve jobs.
Hell, I hate how steam looks.
Gipsy Danger
Member
Are you claiming that there are 4000+ games that are shovelware on Steam? Let's be honest, I'm not going to name thousands of games but I can assure you there are plenty of amazing games on Steam that are not and probably will not make it to a console.
Mass_Pincup
Banned
We're entering list war territory here, your ratio isn't even belivable if we take into account all the multiplaforms games available on steam and that's without the exclusives.
I say as long as my friends and relatives keep calling me whenever they want to buy a new pc, want to replace a part or have a "general" problem, there is a clear case to be made in favor of consoles. Never once did anybody call me to help with their console.
They still are more convenient and easier to use for the average joe. Eg. if you own a ps4 and see a ps4 game, you are guaranteed that this game works on your system. With a pc - not so much.
Same with gaming with friends. If both own the same console, then exchange gamertags and you're good to go. With Pc you have to agree on you preferred form of communication like mumble/skype/teamspeak and you have to install it. Then you have to exchange your steam/origin/battlenet gamertag. If you do things right you get superior voice quality and the like, but the initial setup is not so easy.
Finally there is an argument to be made about competitive online gaming. E.g. when I play CoD on a console I'm quite sure that aside from a better internet connection (and maybe a scuff controller) my opponent is using the same setup. So he cannot have an advantage through higher resolutions or a better framerate. I like the idea of a level playing field.
IMHO those points show why one might favor a console over a PC and I can't understand why some don't get these reasons or choose to ignore them.
There a many reasons pro PC, from visuals to cost per game to freedom of choice. I totally get when people prefer to play on PC, what I don't get is when they refuse to understand the reasons of the console gamer.
They still are more convenient and easier to use for the average joe. Eg. if you own a ps4 and see a ps4 game, you are guaranteed that this game works on your system. With a pc - not so much.
Same with gaming with friends. If both own the same console, then exchange gamertags and you're good to go. With Pc you have to agree on you preferred form of communication like mumble/skype/teamspeak and you have to install it. Then you have to exchange your steam/origin/battlenet gamertag. If you do things right you get superior voice quality and the like, but the initial setup is not so easy.
Finally there is an argument to be made about competitive online gaming. E.g. when I play CoD on a console I'm quite sure that aside from a better internet connection (and maybe a scuff controller) my opponent is using the same setup. So he cannot have an advantage through higher resolutions or a better framerate. I like the idea of a level playing field.
IMHO those points show why one might favor a console over a PC and I can't understand why some don't get these reasons or choose to ignore them.
There a many reasons pro PC, from visuals to cost per game to freedom of choice. I totally get when people prefer to play on PC, what I don't get is when they refuse to understand the reasons of the console gamer.
ViolentP
Member
Much of what you say is true, but I would like to mention a few things:
1. The time it took you to build had much to do with a lack of previous experience. Personally speaking, I think the time and troubles you had in your first run were absolutely of value. You learn a lot during these installs. These days, it takes me maybe 3-4 hours to go from opening components to running OS. If you still to this, I'm confident you will to.
Compared to a console, this window is part of the cost of entry. There's no other way about it. You will spend more time setting up a PC than a console, but if done correctly, you only need to do it once. I don't consider one superior to the other as these are simply the nature of these things.
2. Regarding investment, I think this tends to be exaggerated at times. I don't look at monetary investment solely during initial setup. I take library into consideration. PC savings may be a slower burn, but you really don't need to pay retail for your games anymore.
3. The work involved I think is also a bit exaggerated. Every so often, yes, you should update your drivers. Run some maintenance. This isn't a requirement, but your performance will drop. Just like any other investment should require its due maintenance.
I'm not saying this to sell the idea of PC gaming, but I just want to be straight about what owning a PC really entails. It doesn't take thousands of dollars and it doesn't take hundreds of man hours. It take interest and passion in the mechanics of the thing.
This certainly happens. But the next time, it won't take you as long because you're more educated on the workings of the machine. Crazy as it sounds, that is one of the things PC users enjoy. I certainly do.
That was kind of the point of my above question. It's such a lazy argument. Asking someone to list multiple thousands of games, knowing that no one is going to spend the time doing it, just for the sake of then concluding that since no one will check the argument is proven true magically. All for the epenis waving contest
Yeah, I can't deny it's an enjoyable process on some level and that it was very satisfying in the end (though it still took frustratingly long sometimes and was often intense). I can even imagine getting really into it further down the line.
But so many PC-only players take hundreds of things for granted, from esoteric knowledge to trusted suppliers to tools you'll need and skills like applying thermal paste.
And... When you can decide, in one evening, that you want a PS4/Xbox One, and by the end of that evening be playing games on one... Versus deciding, in one evening, that you want a high-end gaming PC, and having to wait several days plus hours of legwork to even get it ready...
The console option definitely look more appealing. Especially when the experiences are basically just as good. Of course you get more breadth, choice, freedom and depth with PC. But that stuff is just a bonus imo. Being able to play videogames is the point.
Althought we haven't touched on PC gaming's long-term savings on software prices, which is a very valid and important argument. I mean, I got Mad Max one week after release on PC for £10. It probably won't cost that little on console for three years.
FunkyDealer
Banned
Anybody worth their shit knows handhelds are where it's at.
There is no right or wrong, only personal preference. If you can't respect someone elses preference on this matter, you're a bad person.
petran79
Banned
You mean the best indies approved by Sony. Because even for Sony there is a limit to how much mature or controversial content they can handle. Not such problem on Steam (eg Hatred) and if even Steam hesitates, you can buy the games from developer's site.
Games like Postal have not seen a console release at all.
Unfortunately this happens even today and despite the fact that consoles appear to adult gamers more than ever.
For such games there is no alternative than computers. To be blunt, it was always this way, even in Japan
Dangansona
Member
Logical Fallacy! Appeal to Belief! Irrelevant Conclusion! Get out!
Great post but it leaves out some pathways that lead to these discussions. Sometimes people are just trying to combat outright lies. If a PC gamer (or gamer with a PC) sees the usual bullshit of "I can't play on my couch how do I hold all these drivers holy crap a PC costs $3000" it's easy to reply but in doing so someone will feel challenged and then bad threads happen. I know first hand as I was one of those guys on GAF. Tired of hearing about how great PC was and going back and forth with the PC gamers here. But then I got a decent PC and realized that a lot of what I saw as "challenging my decision" was really just people trying to show me that if I loved this hobby there was a fantastic unexplored world that I missed by being a console only gamer. My ignorance sometimes tested their patience and it got heated but that's kind of to be expected. I'm glad that I decided to try it even though I understand that it may not be financially possible for some and even those with the disposable income just may not want to deal with it. I think PCs compliment my consoles nicely but to each their own.
Also when you see a DF thread become a dick waving contest because of a resolution difference, missing grass, AF issues or a few dropped frames it's hard not to join in. If console gamers get to be asshole jerks why can't PC gamers join in?
In my case, it was absolutely worth it, and yes, it was all to do with a lack of previous experience. Also bear in mind that you're saying 'this window is part of the cost of entry' - this means I'm paying more for it to take longer. And I have never needed to open any of my consoles either, some of which I've had for more than 15 years. I only had to buy them 'once'.
For many people, I fully believe the learning experience of building a PC is not worth it. They may never build a PC again. They may have far more difficulties and need a lot more time. I'm a very tech-savvy person but how long might it take for someone who literally has no idea? What are the chances they'll damage the CPU enclosure or damage the motherboard?
The whole reason this discussion exists is because many people can only commit to one platform. And many "hardcore" PC users are dedicated to the idea that PC is the best place to play. This is true - but it has by far the most difficult, expensive and disruptive install window. So if they're trying to convince someone who can only commit to one platform for all their gaming needs... Often, I don't think this window and added expense is worth it.
Yeah, I acknowledged that subsequently, above. That's a really important aspect which makes a big difference in the long-term price.
However, many people will never have £600+ sitting around ready to drop on a PC. £200-300 would be unlikely, but possible - but £600+? No way.
I don't think we should downplay the significance of how nasty and prohibitive this initial up-front cost can be. It's an order above console cost.
The long-term maintenance of a PC is absolutely fine after the first week or so, I didn't really discuss that. The work I mentioned was encountered early, which can be a total bitch to solve on PC (in my case taking 3 days to fix). This will be non-existent on console.
Yeah, it's not as bad as that. But it was a very difficult, not very pleasant experience for me. And if there's a gamer who isn't tech-savvy and not the most wealthy, who doesn't have much personal time, I would never recommend PC as the best platform for them.
We could just use simple math to quickly find out the question.
By using the browsing list and filtering by reviews, we can find that ~3,695 are rated 70% or higher, I am sorry to say that this figure is a bit different than your 3:1 ratio.
If we were to do 80% or above, it would be ~2,975.
By comparison, the PS4 which some people here believe has all the best indies already has ~170 titles above the 70 user score and ~255 if we're using actual Metacritic.
So no folks, the PS4 is still missing out on some indies, you just don't know about them because why would you? PC gaming doesn't have an official mouthpiece to tell you that games are coming out, it's fans do that job for it.
Don't get me wrong, that's still a lot of shovelware in the steam library, but it's not overtaken the quality games.
CyberChulo
Member
Moon_frogger
Member
I never have to fiddle with my PC unless it's to get an older game working. Yeah sometimes they release broken but....that happens on console too and at least we have the option of fan patches, right? Also my rig was 800 bucks 2 years ago and shows no signs of even flinching with brand new games. They run better than they do on my roommates ps4 so I'm good I think
Mass_Pincup
Banned
Can I ask what specs you have?
Saucycarpdog
Member
Yes, but I'm starting to believe you haven't.
If the majority were multiplatform, then why aren't PS4 and Xbox One near the same percentage as PC? Please show where in the article it suggests "most are multiplatform games."
Someone can't face facts.
You forgot a few other things like being cheaper to develop for and having a much larger customer base.
So your basing your whole argument off of what you believe to be true instead of reality? Your whole argument thus far is just references to Batman AK. But then i could say look at AS Unity. Even in its piss poor launch state it actually had less problems on PC than on consoles. Mind explaining that?
ViolentP
Member
I cannot disagree with your points here. The only thing I can really say is that PCs are not consoles. The points you make about PCs I do not see them as negatives. To really enjoy the platform, these items you mention are a part of that experience. A lot of people out there are not interested in such exercises and for me, that's the best determination of which platform is right for an individual.
Also, I paid $650 for my PS3. That sucked.
A common first experience, but far from a universal truth. As previously mentioned, I can go from box to live in about 3-4 hours. That became possible however because I have an interest in the customization of PCs and it has kept me for years enough to go through numerous machines. As I mentioned as well, the work is what justifies the result.
alexandros
Banned
I don't understand this apples and oranges comparison. As with everything else on PC, building your own machine or buying a prebuilt one is a matter of choice. Your entire dramatic PC building saga could have been replaced with "choose a boutique PC-order-plug it in-play". Or you could select the parts yourself and pay a shopto build and set it up for you. Or you could buy a Steam Machine-like device like the Alienware Alpha. Building a PC is not hard for those who have the necessary knowledge but of course it's not something as trivial as buying a ready-made device. Who ever said otherwise?
A lot of people may also have local computer stores that will assemble the pieces for a fairly nominal fee if that's what people are most concerned with. I think the one near me charges $50 and has it ready the next day. Obviously it's a bit more money but it may well be worth whatever stress someone would feel about self-assembly. Never tried any of the online versions of this but i imagine at least one of them is reputable.
I game on both a PC and PS4 and both have their merits. I love the PC's infinite backwards and forwards compatibility - I can fire up Half-Life 1 on it right now, or be confident that Fallout 4 will work on the next PC I build in 4-5 years.
However, some of PC's social aspects are too cumbersome for some of my less technically inclined friends. They don't want to install Mumble for voice chat in Team Fortress 2, or have 3 different game launcher/store programs (Steam, Origin, uPlay/Battle.net). So it's just easier sometimes to play on the PS4 if it's a game I want to play with them, since party chat is right there and they know how to use it.
I don't think blindly aligning yourself wholesale to one direction or the other is ever the right answer. Just pick the best tool for the job given the conditions and situation you find yourself in.
However, some of PC's social aspects are too cumbersome for some of my less technically inclined friends. They don't want to install Mumble for voice chat in Team Fortress 2, or have 3 different game launcher/store programs (Steam, Origin, uPlay/Battle.net). So it's just easier sometimes to play on the PS4 if it's a game I want to play with them, since party chat is right there and they know how to use it.
I don't think blindly aligning yourself wholesale to one direction or the other is ever the right answer. Just pick the best tool for the job given the conditions and situation you find yourself in.
That's really nothing compared to how much you save by buying parts/not buying pre built. I always rec people to do just that.
ViolentP
Member
I have gotten a lot of my friends into PC gaming by calling them up when a new shipment of components arrive and I have them shadow me as I go from assembly to installation to configuration. Many have been enthralled by the process, others simply weren't interested in going through the work. Both acceptable responses in my book, but also illustrates the separating line as I understand it.
Jesus, that does suck. I suppose the launch windows for consoles are a big prononent for PC gaming. That arbitrary cost inflation is so not worth it.
And yeah, I agree that perhaps the entire discussion is 100% pointless. If you're interested in the act of making a PC, then the whole thing is a non-issue. But if all you're interested in is playing a videogame, then consoles might be a better choice. If you're somewhere inbetween, it'll be a lot more awkward figuring it out. And I guess that's the player our discussion is aimed at.
Buddy, please tell me where exactly in that article it says developers prefer developing for PC. That was the basis of your original response, and my obvious point was that the article does not say this. Only the sensationalist headline does. You neatly ignored that point altogether.
Perhaps I'm wrong about the multiplatform aspect, but now I don't have time to look. I'm going home from work.
So I "forgot" a few other things which haven't been mentioned at all in this discussion, or in the article you posted. Please bring some evidence along.
[Edit: I actually just looked at the evidence in the article you posted, and all it says is that Steam has less legal hoops than console. That evidence doesn't say anything about how easy it is to develop for or the size of the customer base. I know PC has a total customer base far larger than console, but if you sliced that down to the audience with current-gen comparable PCs, I reckon it would be much smaller. Conjecture, though.]
I mentioned Arkham Knight only once, but regardless, AC Unity, IIRC, had roughly the same problems across PC and console. Perhaps the framerate was worse on console, but in my experience, disconnecting the internet fixed that (it had some fucked up shit going on).
I looked at buying a 'boutique' plug n play PC, and it was going to cost me £100 more for a machine, which I was told by very savvy friends would have dodgy third-party parts and not be worth buying. It was a lose-lose situation.
Interesting idea re having a third-party build the machine for me - I don't know how much that costs or how viable it is. I presume it's a fair chunk more money?
All my posts here are aimed at the people who say that the extra time input and extra money is worth it. I'm arguing that for many people it won't be, and trying to highlight how much presumed knowledge is behind a statement like that.
There isn't any mystery here. Objectively speaking, gaming PC offer a lot of advantages that cannot be equaled by consoles. At the top of this list are a massive library stretching back decades, vast numbers of indie games produced all the time, a bewildering number of different genres of games, scalable specifications, and flexibility in custom configurations and mods. However, not everyone is interested in all or any of these features, and it takes a certain amount of skill and experience to take full advantage of some of these. And really, for a lot of gamers, the familiarity and accessibility of home consoles are more appealing than anything that PCs offer.
In short, PCs are better for gaming according to many metrics. However, there are still legitimate reasons to prefer home consoles.
In short, PCs are better for gaming according to many metrics. However, there are still legitimate reasons to prefer home consoles.
Denton
Banned
Most large PC shops here built and test PC for free. You just have to select the components. This fallacy of how hard building is is just that, fallacy. I have been PC gamer for 20 years and I never built my PC, nor did I ever buy some super expensive prebuilt. Always picked my own components and let professionals handle it. I do upgrade it myself though, replacing GPU, memory or HDD is easy.
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