The worst thing about PC gaming is....

I can't even remember the last thing that broke before the FH3 case.
That's unfortunate because I can easily list the amount of issues I've had to deal with this year. For example, some older games not launching on steam. Turned out to be an issue with Windows 11. Had to put the games in compatibility mode.
Things are less likely to release and remain broken, not more. Monter Hunter Wilds is also performing or looking like shit on consoles so it's Capcom entire fault there.
This is also not true. In comparison to consoles, things on pc are more likely to release broken. I game on both and have come across broken releases on pc more than I have on console. I've also experienced more instability on pc than on console. Then there are things like the lack of precompiled shaders which causes niggling performance issues. Also more stutters and a less smoother experience in some games despite having significantly more powerful hardware.

Till this day, Spiderman 2 still experiences stutters on pc when RT is enabled meanwhile on ps5, it's stutter free with RT.
 
Non-uniform hardware would be the biggest issue which affect system stability on average.

That said, I would not say it is non-uniform hardware.

The worst thing about PC is the tendency to focus on performance.

A certain kind of mind(benchmarkers, overclockers, tweekers, OCD, neurosis, overthinkers) will never enjoy a game again after swapping to PC and buying bleeding edge hardware.

I have that kind of mind. I retired to console gaming and it's a simple life. After retiring from WoW this was always the plan.
 
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That does suck, but the actual worst part about PC gaming is the jank and inconvenience compared to console gaming.
 
It likely will, it shows quite a few signs of the dot com bubble, and even when it bursts AI will stick around. Demand will just go down, with fewer companies remaining that are actually producing value with the tech.

Fingers crossed.

If it does, it is highly likely that prices for PC components like GPUs and RAM would drop, potentially returning to or even falling below pre-AI boom levels.
 
Fingers crossed.

If it does, it is highly likely that prices for PC components like GPUs and RAM would drop, potentially returning to or even falling below pre-AI boom levels.
That's like hoping another Black Thursday happens so you can get cheaper canned drinks from the Pepsi machine.

I mean, I'll allow it, but it will wreck the economy, not sure it will be the boon for gaming we expect....
 
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I went into an Apple store for the first time in my life today.

I've never been more sure that a Mac mini + a Steam Machine is the way forward.

It's time to get off the Microsoft plantation.
 
That's unfortunate because I can easily list the amount of issues I've had to deal with this year. For example, some older games not launching on steam. Turned out to be an issue with Windows 11. Had to put the games in compatibility mode.

This is also not true. In comparison to consoles, things on pc are more likely to release broken. I game on both and have come across broken releases on pc more than I have on console. I've also experienced more instability on pc than on console. Then there are things like the lack of precompiled shaders which causes niggling performance issues. Also more stutters and a less smoother experience in some games despite having significantly more powerful hardware.

Till this day, Spiderman 2 still experiences stutters on pc when RT is enabled meanwhile on ps5, it's stutter free with RT.
"Broken" releases are almost all patched quicky while on consoles crap IQ and frame rates are almost never fixed. Spiderman 2 has more and better RT options plus ray reconstruction on PC so not the same thing on PS5. Plus on Linux there are few stutters.
 
That's like hoping another Black Thursday happens so you can get cheaper canned drinks from the Pepsi machine.

I mean, I'll allow it, but it will wreck the economy, not sure it will be the boon for gaming we expect....

Agreed.

While component prices would fall, a sudden, dramatic burst of an "AI bubble" would have a huge negative impact on the global economy.

But on the plus side, we might see top of the line GPUs that cost under a four figure sum again.

Silver linings.
 
I went into an Apple store for the first time in my life today.

I've never been more sure that a Mac mini + a Steam Machine is the way forward.

It's time to get off the Microsoft plantation.
My desktop for personal use is a Mac Studio and my gaming PC runs Bazzite. Haven't had Windows in my house in over a year.
 
What do you need a Mac Mini for, if you don't mind me asking?

I still need a desktop for general use, so web browsing, word processing, chatting on Discord, email, budgeting in spreadsheets, managing my Plex server, some Photoshop. I once even toyed with the idea of just using my Samsung tablet, but I simply need a desktop for some things and you just cannot beat the efficiency. All the apps I use daily seem to have a Mac equivalent and I have no intention of gaming on it.

I'm aware that Linux does a lot of this stuff too, but in my limited experience using it on my Steam Deck to install some mods and emulators, I found it pretty unintuitive to use. It's more something I ventured into because I had to and then retreated back to the safety of Big Picture mode. Maybe there are more user friendly options there, so i'm all ears if there is and I could just use a Steam Machine for everything.

I don't really want to take the time re-learn everything either. Mac doesn't seem to have changed much since I last used it in the school library. The demo unit I tried basically had everything i'd want from a PC, delivered simply in a tiny form factor. That last part is important to me as i'm tired of ugly desktops taking up space in my home.
 
"Broken" releases are almost all patched quicky while on consoles crap IQ and frame rates are almost never fixed. Spiderman 2 has more and better RT options plus ray reconstruction on PC so not the same thing on PS5. Plus on Linux there are few stutters.
Please don't mention the irrelevant os's known as Linux and broken releases are not almost always patched. That's a lie. It would be one thing if I didn't game on PC but, I do and my experience doesn't match with anything you're saying at all. Maybe it's reflective of your experience and that's fair. However, don't extrapolate trends from your experience because I don't think it aligns with the larger discussion in the PC space.
 
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Well, with consoles we now have the first generation where the hardware actually gets more expensive instead of cheaper. And with PCs you also have to consider: no paywall for online play or cloud saves, cheaper games, free choice of input devices, and much more. Consoles are basically 'take it or leave it,' while PCs are 'everything's possible, nothing's mandatory.'
As someone with a PS5 Pro, Switch and 9070xt PC- all have their value.

Console:
- cheaper games is a "depends situation." Buying new games if you play once and forget is cheaper on console if buying physical. I'll buy a new game for $100 and sell it after for $70. Net cost is about $30 generally, so logically I can play about three games for the price of one on PC (ignoring key sites- point remains however still).

- no worries about drivers or system updates breaking things. This has been by far the most frustrating thing about PC for me (mainly Windows related). Console just works everytime.

- During black friday, costs are a big plus for console. Cheapest 32GB (2x 16GB CL30) of RAM in Canada (newegg) is $300 alone. PS5 is down to $520 CAD.

Only thing that keeps me with my PC is that I love uncapped frames and AI upscaling. If console made that standard, I'd abandon PC.
 
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Please don't mention the irrelevant os's known as Linux and broken releases are not almost always patched. That's a lie. It would be one thing if I didn't game on PC but, I do and my experience doesn't match with anything you're saying at all. Maybe it's reflective of your experience and that's fair. However, don't extrapolate trends from your experience because I don't think it aligns with the larger discussion in the PC space.
Skill issue.
 
"PC gaming is a lifestyle"

(Quote: some dude at Sapphire)

And yeah, it certainly is.
Building, waiting for upgrades, trying to get a component you need for a decent price, minor adjustments, trouble-shooting, getting that brilliant path tracing, regretting spending way to much to get that brilliant path tracing, downgrading, fomo, buyers remorse, undervolting, overclocking... it's a hell of a ride and a whole lot of fun and some despair 😅
 
The worst things is missing out on some of the console exclusives. I am dying to play gran turismo 7 on my quest 3 with virtual desktop but Sony isn't releasing it on the platform. Give and take because the PC also has exclusives or good games that run piss poor on consoles.
 
Please don't mention the irrelevant os's known as Linux and broken releases are not almost always patched. That's a lie. It would be one thing if I didn't game on PC but, I do and my experience doesn't match with anything you're saying at all. Maybe it's reflective of your experience and that's fair. However, don't extrapolate trends from your experience because I don't think it aligns with the larger discussion in the PC space.
Well then don't extrapolate your experience either.
 
I think it is the price of GPUs.
Good deals can be had. I got a used like new in the box 4070 on ebay for $464 last year. Again if you go that route you also have to use common sense like checking feedback to make sure the seller is legit. Sure the upper tier cards are insanely priced but I have learned the upper mid tier cards are more than capable.
 
The fact that PCs and PC components, are now seen as more than just vehicles for entertainment and creativity. They, especially their components and power, are now being viewed as investments.

Thanks to AI, crypto, and all that other tech-bro Web3 grifting shit, components like ram and GPUs which were simply once seen as products for gamers and creators like me and you, components that were exclusively for us to play games like Crysis and GTA5 at high framerates (or do some quick and easy blender renders), are now being scalped and overpriced in low supply. Corporations and organizations all over the world turned the common gaming PC (or workstation PC) into pure gold which can be sold for a high price.

Every day, there's some new shortage caused by some massive new tech """"discovery"""" (just another grift waiting to burst like everything else in this bubble). AI, crypto, chips, Sora2, whatever the fuck. And businesses rush to buy GPUs, Ram, CPUs, etc in bulk from companies who abandoned their loyal gamer and creator bases, while leaving us with 400% markup scraps that might not have all the advertised ROPs, enough VRAM or even a functional power connector.

Console gamers, as crazy as it sounds, really don't have to deal with being in competition with other multi billion dollar corporations overvaluing and then buying up all their hardware. OpenAI isn't going to buy up 12000 PS5s just to use their memory. People see these as gaming machines and the people who buy them are likely gamers. No miners, no AI "art" generators, no LLM losers. This combined with subsidization, very large used markets, and connections among companies like Sony and Nintendo mean they get somewhat reasonable prices. They only have to worry about the dumbass scalpers, who are honestly a significantly less ridiculous problem because they're just average middle class dudes trying to strike it rich, instead of technocrats and tech bro trust fund babies.

I'm a PC gamer, so maybe this is just me seeing the grass as greener on the other side. But other gamers have it so easy since their platforms are not as directly affected by all this new tech-grift bullshit that's been popping up for the past 8 years.
There's a difference between buying a piece of tech for the sole purpose of buying it or for playing xy and z and in this case, The Witcher 4, GTA6 and TES6. You don't let the marketing bs affect your real needs and wants. It's the same thing when you decide to buy a new TV.
 
What keeps prices high are the demographic they target.

Disillusioned 18-35yr old males with no social life who are cash & credit card rich.

Gaming is all they have to look forward to and will throw down any amount of money for the ultra high dopamine rush that getting the latest & greatest piece of kit for their PC, gives them.
 

The worst thing about PC gaming is....


list GIF
 
The Cost, other than that it's great.
Yeah, I didn't buy all the components all at once. I also left myself and upgrade path.

First I found a pretty cheap RX 6700XT I think in at the end of 2023.

Then by 2024 I had all the components but I've been buying them steadily throughout the year. One by one, or sometimes 2 components at once.

And by 2024 October I had my first PC build in like 20 years.

By March 2025 I had upgraded to 9070XT and later I had changed 7600 to 7800x3D.

Sold my old components. Sold my PS5 and old games.

Now I'm looking at gg.deals and official shops and I'm all in PC gaming, initial cost was higher, games are much cheaper though.

I also got into Linux gaming and all the shiny new PC controllers.

My friend wants to build a PC and basically will have similar costs to mine because since other components went down, RAM went up.

But other than that it is great.

I recommend similar approach to mine buy components one by one, otherwise you will only sit at your ass and see prices going up and down, and never do your build.

Right now I'm pretty content with it but when the time comes and I will want a better GPU, I will look around since other components I think are pretty up to spec. And currently I don't see the need to tinker with my build.

Redstone is coming in December.

Edit: I also learned to be more patient gamer, and I already have like 500 games in my backlog lmao both on GOG, Steam and free Epic Games. So it's not like I don't have anything to play, and new games will be patched and drop in price in the meantime.
 
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Like this:
Yeah, it's PC fans favorite - hide head into the sand and try to not see the problems "everything is fine"

WWM (game launched last week) crashes drivers for me literally every day. And I have to restart PC every time as media start to open into black screen and half of games stop launching at all.
So convinient....

It's a shitty gaming for those who are ready to suffer for some pennies saved or ego of having "the most powerful blablabla"
 
Yeah, it's PC fans favorite - hide head into the sand and try to not see the problems "everything is fine"

WWM (game launched last week) crashes drivers for me literally every day. And I have to restart PC every time as media start to open into black screen and half of games stop launching at all.
So convinient....

It's a shitty gaming for those who are ready to suffer for some pennies saved or ego of having "the most powerful blablabla"

That's your problem and a problem with YOUR hardware. There are thousands of positive reviews of that game on Steam and people had no problems. Fix your shit.

I've been on my current setup for around 2 years now. I literally haven't had to do a hard restart on my PC even once. And that includes everything from new games to old games, games with mods, and even full mod conversions from Wabbajack.

If you're struggling with technology that much, then yeah, PC is not for you.
 
That's your problem and a problem with YOUR hardware. There are thousands of positive reviews of that game on Steam and people had no problems. Fix your shit.

I've been on my current setup for around 2 years now. I literally haven't had to do a hard restart on my PC even once. And that includes everything from new games to old games, games with mods, and even full mod conversions from Wabbajack.

If you're struggling with technology that much, then yeah, PC is not for you.
Sorry, I'm not a nerd to enjoy spending my free time to "fix my shit"
PC is for nerds, not for normal people who just want to turn device on and play, without this "fix this, fix that" bullshit
 
Sorry, I'm not a nerd to enjoy spending my free time to "fix my shit"
PC is for nerds, not for normal people who just want to turn device on and play, without this "fix this, fix that" bullshit

That's your experience. Let me tell you about mine. I bought a pre-built PC with a 2080TI when that card was new. Zero issues, aside from the fan noise. When the 3080 came out, I upgraded to it along with a new case, fans, and motherboard. It only took me a couple of hours, following a YouTube tutorial, and I had no prior experience. Then when the 4090 came out, I upgraded again, along with a new motherboard, storage, RAM and AMD CPU x cooler combo. Again, just a couple of hours at most. So in the last six or seven years, I've spent maybe five hours tinkering with my PC, and I've had zero problems with system instability, crashes, or anything else. I'm far from a tech nerd, but I think that small time investment was totally worth it for such a great gaming experience.

I think there are two types of people: those who settle for less out of convenience, and those who want the best, even if there are obstacles to overcome. We're clearly not in the same camp.

Anyway man, happy gaming. That's all I can wish you. :messenger_heart:
 
That's your experience.
And my experience all the way from gtx480 is that it's always a mess - random stuttering, random lags/freezes, driver issues for both vendors, weak support for nonstandard configurations, random annoying glitches etc.
I am too old for this shit already, I don't want to spent my free time working for free as IT support guy (a low level low paying no future job, not what I dream of)

Another story for you - for some reason I have to turn controller before launching WWM, otherwise it'll not be recognized by the game. I have to check that controller is on before game started or will be forced to restart game. So convinient...

And I spend like 2 days building current PC as ddr5 was and/Intel specific and I had to replace modules. Other stuff was also total mess - had to upgrade MB bios via USB flashing as stock firmware didn't know about my CPU. Had to Google a lot because PC often just didn't start with no indications what going on and it was very frustrating. Compared to 30min setup of PS5 Pro where it's all obvious even with full migration of data - PC is shitty nerdy device uncomfortable to build or use.
 
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The only issue i've had with PC gaming the last few years is one game that had lots of stutter at release (Callisto Protocol) and a gpu-cable with a burned/ melted pin.
The cable-issue was obviously pretty bad but I knew the risk when flying too close to the sun😅
The cable was 100% seated and I even undervolted and power limited the card to make sure it never exceeded 450w.
So yeah, those 5090's is definitely a bit scary.

Objectivly, the worst part is the very high prices for modern high end hardware.
Windows have never been a issue for me after debloating and cleaning up the system, which is very easy with WinUtil.
 
Another story for you - for some reason I have to turn controller before launching WWM, otherwise it'll not be recognized by the game. I have to check that controller is on before game started or will be forced to restart game. So convinient...

Oh no, the horror. If stuff like this bothers you, then clearly stay as far away from PC gaming as possible. I gave you a similar example. I'm playing through Mass Effect: Andromeda on PC for the first time. I loved the first game and liked the second one to a lesser extent, and I thought now is the time to face my demons and play Andromeda. Every time I start the game, which is once a day, I have to alt-tab to the game window. Takes two seconds. Can it be annoying? Yeah, I guess. But I have a choice. Would I rather alt-tab once a day and play the game at 4K 120FPS with everything on max settings, plus a mod that fixes NPC faces and makes the game look quite beautiful even today, or play on console at 30FPS with low settings and low resolution? For me, the choice is pretty simple...
 
The biggest two problems I have is the inability to use a controller for everything. Having to use a keyboard most of the time to launch games enter text etc from couch and the constant tinkering and bad pc ports.
I use One Game Launcher from the Windows store now - works with Gamebar and made for controller too.
 
It still shit, buggy and inconvenient
Was, is and for the most part will be enjoyment for geeks.
Maybe it is less shit than 10 years ago, maybe. But in any case, with how little free time I have, having to waste even 5 minutes of my time to try to make shit work is unacceptable as far as I am concerned.

Turn on console, start game, play. Should never take more than 30 seconds.
 
The fact that PCs and PC components, are now seen as more than just vehicles for entertainment and creativity. They, especially their components and power, are now being viewed as investments.

Thanks to AI, crypto, and all that other tech-bro Web3 grifting shit, components like ram and GPUs which were simply once seen as products for gamers and creators like me and you, components that were exclusively for us to play games like Crysis and GTA5 at high framerates (or do some quick and easy blender renders), are now being scalped and overpriced in low supply. Corporations and organizations all over the world turned the common gaming PC (or workstation PC) into pure gold which can be sold for a high price.

Every day, there's some new shortage caused by some massive new tech """"discovery"""" (just another grift waiting to burst like everything else in this bubble). AI, crypto, chips, Sora2, whatever the fuck. And businesses rush to buy GPUs, Ram, CPUs, etc in bulk from companies who abandoned their loyal gamer and creator bases, while leaving us with 400% markup scraps that might not have all the advertised ROPs, enough VRAM or even a functional power connector.

Console gamers, as crazy as it sounds, really don't have to deal with being in competition with other multi billion dollar corporations overvaluing and then buying up all their hardware. OpenAI isn't going to buy up 12000 PS5s just to use their memory. People see these as gaming machines and the people who buy them are likely gamers. No miners, no AI "art" generators, no LLM losers. This combined with subsidization, very large used markets, and connections among companies like Sony and Nintendo mean they get somewhat reasonable prices. They only have to worry about the dumbass scalpers, who are honestly a significantly less ridiculous problem because they're just average middle class dudes trying to strike it rich, instead of technocrats and tech bro trust fund babies.

I'm a PC gamer, so maybe this is just me seeing the grass as greener on the other side. But other gamers have it so easy since their platforms are not as directly affected by all this new tech-grift bullshit that's been popping up for the past 8 years.


I mostly agree, other than PS6 is going to be used by Sony for cinema cgi rendering too in all likelihood for Sony Pictures, and internal AI projects I suspect. However, as the song suggests my biggest issue with PC gaming is quite literally "I can't get no satisfaction!".

The chasing faster, faster, faster sucked all the life out of PC gaming for me where I became more interested in tweaking/tinkering than actually playing.

Recently I upgraded the base of my PC to a Ryzen 7 9800X3D to accommodate the EoL for Win10Pro to move up to WIn11Pro, and as my 3060 12GB is still perfectly fine for dev stuff I stayed with it. In the last few days the TimeSpy Pc benchmark thread has been bumped and I remembered I'd never even benchmarked since upgrading to check my new build actually outperformed the old.

So I started the day with a stable workstation quiet, cool, lowish power, creator GPU driver to the end of the day with power restrictions off, all fans pre-emptively set to max and pushing the GPU setting hard in GPU tweaks III and Game Ready drivers installed and CPU temps peaking at +80c just to break some silly 10K points score and have 3D Mark Time Spy benchmark conclude my PC had reached the grade of Budget Gaming PC :pie_roffles:

:pie_thinking: .... :pie_thinking:.....:messenger_loudly_crying:

HN5oat1UPKHQzTom.jpg


Needless to say, without being drawn back into this pay to win - and lose - scenario with merely a tiny chance of temporarily having some fleeting sense of satisfaction - and not even from playing a game - it was all a waste of time.

Yes, I was temporarily happy with a 16K score for the new CPU without overclocking by just turning on Expo, and getting within 400 points of the best score for that hardware combination on that benchmark, but as I finished and rolled everything back to normal, I realised a) I wasn't satisfied b) I wasted that time and effort when I could have played eFootball 2026 on PS5 c) I probably still needed a new bigger CPU cooler than the useless Noctua slim line rubbish I recently bought, meaning a full system dismantle to reach the holding screws underneath the mobo.

I love PC hardware, I love performance tuning, I just can't get any satisfaction from PC gaming anymore... Instead, .put in a disc, let hdmi CEC turn on the TV to input, pickup a pad and away I go.
 
Oh no, the horror. If stuff like this bothers you, then clearly stay as far away from PC gaming as possible.
I'm honestly trying

Would I rather alt-tab once a day and play the game at 4K 120FPS with everything on max settings, plus a mod that fixes NPC faces and makes the game look quite beautiful even today, or play on console at 30FPS with low settings and low resolution? For me, the choice is pretty simple...
I don't care about modding
I don't see difference between 30 fps and 120 fps so I always play on quality
And in quality mode difference between PC and Pro in most games is small enough to ignore in favor of comfort and convinience
So choice is pretty simple, yes
 
I'm honestly trying


I don't care about modding
I don't see difference between 30 fps and 120 fps so I always play on quality
And in quality mode difference between PC and Pro in most games is small enough to ignore in favor of comfort and convinience
So choice is pretty simple, yes

If you can't tell the difference between 30 FPS and 120 FPS, 1080p and 4K, medium and ultra settings, or modded and vanilla games... why bother with a PC at all?

…that Steam achievements mean nothing to me.

Achievements are useless in general. I wish they rewarded skill instead of grinding and wasting time.
 
If you can't tell the difference between 30 FPS and 120 FPS, 1080p and 4K, medium and ultra settings, or modded and vanilla games... why bother with a PC at all?
Quality is not 1080p vs 4K
I play PC because I prefer play some genres with keyboard+mouse and I do daily quest in gaas while reading morning news
 
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