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[The Infectious Paradox]

I have been a console only gamer for practically my whole life. Recently, I've been finding a lot of reasons to dive into the PC gaming sphere. For example - mods, more indie game options, steam, and MMOs. I'm ready to learn to build a PC and have friends willing to help.

Just would like to know some experiences or the positives of switching from people that have changed.

Also Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Edit - I guess I should rephrase. I'm not saying stop consoles altogether. I just want to know experiences and advantages. I've avoided PC bc they seemed complicated. But I know I just have to learn

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

Sure sure. I guess an underlying question is did it make pc become your main platform?

 

[OverHeat]

No going back…It’s glorious

 

[Gaiff]

This.

Unless you plan on selling your consoles, you will merely add to your hobby, you won't necessarily switch.

I became mainly a PC gamer back in 2012 but I still bought a PS4, a Switch, replaced my PS4 with a PS4 Pro, and finally got an Xbox One X later on. This gen, I plan on getting the PS5 Pro and the next Nintendo console.

It's not like gaming on PC will make your consoles explode and kill you despite what some Gaffers would have you believe lol.

 

[HL3.exe]

Longtime PC user, that briefly added a PS5, but 2 years later sold it and bought a new GPU from that payback.

But even them I barely boot up a game. Guess I'm getting old.

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Sure sure. I guess an underlying question is did it make pc become your main platform?

Apologies, shoulda gave more context.

Nah, I game on PC sporadically. Like BG3 came out this year and I made immediate upgrades. After beating it in September I haven't fired up the PC since.

Just bought a ROG too, but I will always primarily game on consoles where I can play on 75".

Happy Holidays!

 

[Senua]

No regrets

 

[Ribi]

You can game at the desk or the couch. People really need to stop thinking as a PC as a gaming machine, a computer is essential in today's working from home lifestyle. You need zoom, you need word, and you need to browse the web and multitask for research. So why not get a PC that can also play games? Really the argument makes no sense to me of "I don't want a PC I can play games on blah blah" ok so then how do you write your word documents?

 

[Complistic]

I've switched from console to PC and then back to console and now to steam deck mainly. Both is the correct answer.

 

[Holammer]

I used to own all the consoles & computers, but with the release of PS3 I decided to narrow it down because my Game Cube was still practically mint in box.
Started spending more time with PC and the PS3 collected dust. My journey to the dark PC side was complete.

I did get a PS4 for bloodborne, but I'm not getting a system for one game ever again. Still waiting for the PC port so I can finish it without getting a head-splitting headache.

 

[Fabieter]

Consoles lost benefit after benefit while pc is less complicated than is ever was with all of its glory still remains. Last benefit for consoles is physical which iam into it but besides that and trophies pc takes the crown for me.

It's funny how people say pc is no competition for consoles but I read countless threads like this on every gaming website I visit.

 

[Schmendrick]

but I will always primarily game on consoles where I can play on 75".

2023 and people still don't seem to know that cables exist.

 

[PeteBull]

Great time to jump into pc, as long as u dont go super entry lvl/low end, midrange to high end u will enjoy urself a ton, for roughly 800usd u can already get urself rig thats at the very least on pair with ps5/xsx in every aspect, in actual game perfromance, and u get all the perks of having pc on top- free online, much cheaper games, access to many smaller/older games/emulation/mods, after that literally 0 reason to own xbox series console and if u wanna play new sony exclusives just wait 1 year and get urself ps5pr0- news about leaking left and right already.

 

[BennyBlanco]

the older I get the more I simply prefer the PC experience. Totally worth the upfront cost to me. Games are cheaper and look better. Steam alone is such a better platform. Free online, free cloud saves, great social features, the forums, the sales, steam workshop being a braindead easy way to use mods, etc. Doesn’t feel like they’re trying to come up with new ways to nickel and dime you like consoles makers do. Plus if you ever take the plunge on Steam Deck you get handheld versions of a huge percentage of the library.

 

[Flutta]

Both. But i play more on PC.

 

[Denton]

I have had both consoles and PC, both connected to the same TV, using both from couch. Console is only for exclusives though, since PC offers me higher quality of experience and I can afford it. That higher quality comes with higher price for hardware (though lower for software) and bit more fiddling with graphics options. But yeah the positives vastly outweigh negatives.

 

[Guilty_AI]

i played mostly on pc as a kid, then switched to ps360 during that era, then back on pc. Its good if you want freedom/variety on the games you play, even more so if you like finding and playing weird or unique stuff.

It may sound strange for some people here, but i wouldn't recommend PCs if your sole interest is graphics. Very few games nowadays can really be considered to have top-of-class visuals to the point they'd be significantly better lookers/performers on a high-spec PC.

My philosophy is if you personally can't find any reason to use a mid-spec PC (think console-range performance) for gaming, then PC platform might not be for you.

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

I used to own all the consoles & computers, but with the release of PS3 I decided to narrow it down because my Game Cube was still practically mint in box.
Started spending more time with PC and the PS3 collected dust. My journey to the dark PC side was complete.

I did get a PS4 for bloodborne, but I'm not getting a system for one game ever again. Still waiting for the PC port so I can finish it without getting a head-splitting headache.

I definitely get your plight. That framerate murdered my head

 

[Topher]

Been playing on PC since the early 80s. Went to consoles when PC had a bit of a down period in the 2000s, but thankfully it roared back. Since then, PC just keeps getting better and better. Consoles are fine, but PC will always be my main.

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

i played mostly on pc as a kid, then switched to ps360 during that era, then back on pc. Its good if you want freedom/variety on the games you play, even more so if you like finding and playing weird or unique stuff.

It may sound strange for some people here, but i wouldn't recommend PCs if your sole interest is graphics. Very few games nowadays can really be considered to have top-of-class visuals to the point they'd be significantly better lookers/performers on a high-spec PC.

My philosophy is if you personally can't find any reason to use a mid-spec PC (think console-range performance) for gaming, then PC platform might not be for you.

Yeah that's pretty much my point in switching. I'd like to go back and play old games with better specs and unique or weird ones you just can't get on console. I don't necessarily need a power house. I have a 77" oled I still want to use with it so I'd still be able to get the benefits of high frame rate without changing much to my setup

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

MS dropped Live Gold,is forcing people into GP for MP plus they force crossplay with PC so I just sold the XSX and now will do my Xbox gaming on PC.

Sucks that I lost years worth of digital games/content but not paying for online saves much more.

 

[hlm666]

I'm a little drunk, and some smart ass relative bought this for me for xmas but this is the reason you NEEEEEEEED pc gaming. So much diversity game wise and unique experiences (lol i couldn't keep a straight face typing this).

I think this was revenge for buying them shower with your dad simulator for their birthday.

 

[ssringo]

I've avoided PC bc they seemed complicated.

While this isn't incorrect it is overblown. PCs can be complicated but they can also be quite simple. It just depends on how deep you want to jump in. At the same time it's never been easier to get into with the vast knowledge and resources available to aid you.

 

[RoboFu]

No going back…It’s glorious

I’m sick of this statement.. it’s more like “ it CAN BE glorious “. Or it can be a horrible port stuttering, unoptimized, waiting 5 mins for a shader compilation crashing to desktop BS.


That said I usually go pc when possible

 

[R3TRO]

When you invest into a great rig you’ll realize there’s no going back. The current day console experience is lackluster.

 

[Chastten]

I haven't switched from either, but both have pro's and cons.

I personally usually go console as I'm too tired to spend more time on a PC, but PC has it's own share of advantages. Just need to be willing to spend a little extra effort into it.

 

[Draugoth]

I have at least one issue with my PC every year. The peformance it has over consoles is incredible, but you need to be prepared that it's much more common for PCs to have issues and you need to upgrade it.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'm a little drunk, and some smart ass relative bought this for me for xmas but this is the reason you NEEEEEEEED pc gaming. So much diversity game wise and unique experiences (lol i couldn't keep a straight face typing this).

I think this was revenge for buying them shower with your dad simulator for their birthday.

There are better adult games you can get for free.

At least thats what a friend told me

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

2023 and people still don't seem to know that cables exist.

 

[KimDongHwan]

I was a PlayStation fan since the early days but the current shift in tones for their games made me at least try PC and now I barely turn on the PS5. Mostly the same reasons that have been stated but mods + original games is too good to be true.

 

[Buggy Loop]

2023 and people still don't seem to know that cables exist.

2023 and most of GAF is like this with PC

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

I'm a little drunk, and some smart ass relative bought this for me for xmas but this is the reason you NEEEEEEEED pc gaming. So much diversity game wise and unique experiences (lol i couldn't keep a straight face typing this).

I think this was revenge for buying them shower with your dad simulator for their birthday.

Now I'm sold

 

[Kings Field]

I just got a little taste of it about a month ago when I got my deck. Now I want MOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR.

Gonna build a PC this year but I love them all equally.

 

[simpatico]

The best part for me is building a collection with the confidence that I will always be able to access the games. Think about all the old PS3 collections we saw posted here during that gen. All those games are collecting dust since the controllers are dead and the consoles are dying (at best).

 

[U n i o n 0015]

Besides having to wait for some console games to come over to PC, I appreciate the flexibility of the platform WAY more. Skipping startup screens and logos alone may be worth it entirely.

Plus, it's way easier than ever. Back in the 90's, it was kind of a PITA to deal with PC gaming; lots of weird hardware quirks and inconsistencies and horrific controller support made it far less of a plug-and-play experience.

 

[vodka-bull]

You can game at the desk or the couch. People really need to stop thinking as a PC as a gaming machine, a computer is essential in today's working from home lifestyle. You need zoom, you need word, and you need to browse the web and multitask for research. So why not get a PC that can also play games? Really the argument makes no sense to me of "I don't want a PC I can play games on blah blah" ok so then how do you write your word documents?

My last word document I wrote was like 12 years ago.

PC seemed to be complicated back in the days. Now it‘s just as complicated as consoles (trying to run MW2 on PS5 in 2023 was a nightmare).

Also, you‘ll keep PC games forever, it makes more sense building up a catalogue of games there, whereas console manufacturers are treating backwards compatibility very poorly.

And PCs can be way more powerful than current gen.

I didn‘t switch completely to PC, I play most of my time on the steam deck, but sooner or later and as my steam library grows, I‘ll completely stop buying games for consoles and build a powerful PC for my living room setup, connect it to my 77“ OLED and enjoy the games I own in glorious 4k with 120fps, there‘s no doubt about that. For me, the era of consoles is basically over.

 

[NeverYouMind]

For most of the games my mid-range PC provivides a great experience with mods adding replay value to boot. Practically nothing to adjust after the first game launch. There are some releases that are not fully adapted to the platform and a few titles by publishers that require extra accounts, launchers, and DRM that ruin that experience and I can usually sidestep all that shit (which some people bafflingly do not mind) by grabbing a console copy.

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

I just got a little taste of it about a month ago when I got my deck. Now I want MOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR.

Gonna build a PC this year but I love them all equally.

Explain your enthusiasm? What have you gained that you didn't on console?

 

[Kabelly]

I owned a PS3 and PS4 as my first Sony consoles and enjoyed them for what they were and the games I played on them but I always felt like they fell short in certain areas. I skipped PS5 and instead went with a 3080 12gb and it's one of the best purchases I've made as a lover of video games.

Games just look absolutely crisp on PC. I generally get no framerate problems on most of the games I play. Plus you open yourself to a whole generationless ecosystem. So many games I can play now since I never owned an Xbox. Played Pyschonaughts for the first time and it looked great for an old game. I could play it in 4K.

People are still begging Rockstar for a measly 60fps patch for Red Dead 2 and I've already played it in 4k 80-100 fps.

Also in terms on the "console" experience I've never been a puritan. I use a wireless keyboard and mouse for general computer use on my couch and play my games with a PS5 Dualsense via Bluetooth and everything works fine. I've never had any connection issues or latency.

Steam can detect so many controllers and you have so many configurations. It's one of the main reasons I skipped PS5. I knew Sony would not utilise the features of the controller as much as I'd like. I can play so many shooters now with a controller because I can enable gyro aim for all of them.

Lastly Sony has not released a single compelling game this generation that I'd be rushing to buy a PS5 for. Stellar Blade got delayed and that might come to PC as well. Returnal was close but now it's on PC. Most of the Sony games you care about will slowly trickle on to PC.

The one I'm sad about is Ghost of Tsushima but I can buy that for my PS4 if I'm really desparate.

All in all I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not owning a PS5. PC just gives you a plethora of options. I'm glad I was finally able to build one.

I still own a Switch though and will buy a Switch 2 day 1 (maybe)

 

[Lillie]

PC is better but you will have pain and regret for spending so much money on console games that you wish were spent on your PC library or years of XBL or PS Plus purchased just to play online that could have went towards new hardware or upgrades

 

[Nickolaidas]

Yes, I did.

And it was the right thing.

That said ...

WHERE THE FUCK IS MY DEMON'S SOULS REMAKE STEAM VERSION, SONY!?!?

 

[Filben]

Welcome, my friend!

I used to sell my N64 back then to make the switch to PC but I've regretted it a few years later. I'm still playing mainly on PC ever since but complemented my hobby with an X360 and PS3, later PS4 and now PS5.

I think if I had to choose I'd stick with PC but I'm glad I don't have to choose. It's such a nice addition, having a console. But seeing how limited the experience can sometimes be, it's also good having a PC to fall back to.

For example it's impossible to play the old classic GTA games on modern consoles because Rockstar delisted them in the store. So you either have bought them years ago or you have to cope with the lazy "Definitive" edition. On PC I either use my PS2 version via emulation or the PC version.

It's just good to have these kind of options and have access to your library generation agnostic.

 

[OverHeat]

I’m sick of this statement.. it’s more like “ it CAN BE glorious “. Or it can be a horrible port stuttering, unoptimized, waiting 5 mins for a shader compilation crashing to desktop BS.


That said I usually go pc when possible

I was sick of game consoles advertising 4K or 8k when it’s just BS and don’t get me started on those 30 fps games

 

[analog_future]

I ditched both my PS5 and Series X about 6 month ago for a high-end PC and I literally could not be happier about the switch.

I'm a couch gamer, and while it is definitely not as convenient as a console, I have it set up now where I can turn on my PC, navigate my entire library with a nice console-esque interface, and launch and play games all from a controller. 95% of the time when I play I never need to touch a keyboard or mouse.

You gotta be willing to spend the money though. I've got a high-end rig with a 4090, and I paid out the ass for it, but it was 100% worth it for me with gaming being my primary hobby.


Oh and I still have a Switch. I don't condone piracy, so I buy games on the Switch and dump them to my PC. Switch games are freaking INCREDIBLE at 4k.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Think this will be the last generation of consoles for me (apart from Nintendo) and that’s primarily due to the back cat that these systems offer that are currently not on pc. (Bloodborne, gravity rush etc)
Less so with Xbox due to 360 emulation getting better.

With pc you have now access to all generations of console and it’s going to get better.

I’m sure at somepoint PS4 emulation will be able viable way to play such games if Sony don’t port them.

That along with access to steam, gog etc all of pcs history the only place to be going forwards is on pc.

Unless you want to be on the bleeding edge then pc gaming is still quite affordable. My pc is ancient to what you can get today, but it still plays what I want. If I could only keep that or my series x (Or ps5 if I had one) it would be my pc every time.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

I used to own all the consoles & computers

 

[Sushi_Combo]

PC gaming is fun until you run into unoptimized games, which is pretty frequent imo.
I mainly enjoy playing my mmo's on PC rather than on a console.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I was into PC gaming in the late 90s into the 2000s. Around 2010 consoles were shit so I went full PC gaming. Hardware was reasonable, Steam sales were legendary, and the overall experience was the best it could have been with a lot of big games exclusive on PC. Truly the golden age of PC gaming.


Then since the 2017 bitcoin mining craze, PC hardware became extremely expensive. Steam stopped flash sales in 2016 and companies began experimenting with lower discounts. Microsoft started pushing Windows universal installers and their own store. Big publishers began pushing their own platforms, DRM, and increasingly required 3rd party accounts to access even single player games.


Since the Switch and PS4 Pro launched consoles have made a huge comeback. I would say there are more and better exclusives on console, and they’re cheaper to boot. There’s always the argument that a PC does more and that’s true, but even a $500 PS5 costs less than a reasonably capable GPU and that’s not including the cost of a motherboard or CPU. Forget about adding other hardware like a mouse and keyboard, monitor, headphones, etc.


This is not to say PC gaming isn’t any good. It’s certainly trending back into balance, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a great time to get started - just a fine one. I’d argue it’s a better time for the Steam Deck which is essentially a console.

 

[Holammer]

I wrote computers because kids today would be scared and confused by "microcomputers".