What`s the point in buying consoles if they take PC like approaches?

manueldelalas said:
This line of thinking is ridiculous.

If you have a decent PC, and you launch games as they come, you don't have to rweak anything and you get a considerable better experience than a console. I mean, instead of buying a console, just stop tweaking...

And if the game launches and run poorly on your PC, you can fix it. If the game launched and run poorly in your console, you are screwed.

Finally, most games come with general tweaking options such as low, medium and high, and they are easy to set and go.
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I fail to find how it's ridiculous. If you buy certain parts on PC, you expect a level of performance that goes with it.

If the game doesn't meet that level of performance, you have to tweak/fix it. If it does or your PC can clearly push the game past it's limits, you can tweak to make it look better.

I don't think you got the gist of what I was saying either.
 
There is only one reason buying consoles and that is exclusives.The rest is rubbish,a PC can do it better and will be cheaper in the long run if you count the overpriced game releases and online subscriptions
 
Ease of use, a platform holder that will develop first party titles you might like, low cost of entry.

Ultimately, I don't see so many similarities in audience for consoles and PC. The markets are very different. Different games are successful, genres of games and their popularity are different, mechanisms of play, monetisation strategies, development, services, features are all different. Some choose both others choose just one
 
Quonny said:
Renting.

If I could rent a $60 game at launch for $5 for the month I'd switch to PC instantly.
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I do wonder if this is the "next big thing" for Steam. They already have the tech in place because they do free rentals (free weekends) for some games. And it could be entirely up to the publisher if they want their game rented.

Still, I think this feature takes off only when streaming games becomes more stable/popular. Not a lot of people want to download 50+ GB to play a game for three days
 
We have young kids in the house, so the WiiU and Nintendo in general are naturally their big thing in the world of videogames right now.

The one big point against the WiiU is that it doesn't have the new FIFA, but aside from that, there's just no substituting Mario games for the kids.
 
I wouldn't say easy to use, but rather convenience. I don't even have to leave my xbox on to have the console and all my games updated, or even downloaded when I buy them online.

I just go "xbox on" my entire setup is on and I can just sit down and play. That's just really nice.

Plus there's the social aspect. Everyone I game on pc has a headset, but we almost never get to play with voice chat, on xbone people are just more prone to use it. And it's very straightforward to get together with friends to play. On pc its always more troublesome than it's worth it.
 
Captain Tuttle said:
I play consoles because threads like this exist

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1047766&page=1

Witcher 3 Performance thread, 183 pages and counting
I understand that many really enjoy this stuff but I have neither the time or the desire to mess around like this.
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Did you automatically assume a performance thread = the game has bad performance? I mean that has to be the conclusion or else this doesn't make sense.

Maybe it's just for people looking to get even more out of what they have? Which I'm sure you must realize that not everyone HAS to do that?

Idk... it's kinda sad these are the excuses used for why they play on consoles. It's like it's not simply enough that they just prefer consoles to PC. There has to be an extra negative reason with it.
 
There used to be a fundamental difference between the console experience and the PC experience, but now consoles just feel like underpowered pcs with a useless OS.
 
Primethius said:
I don't think you got the gist of what I was saying either.
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The problem is mostly about YOU.

You have the choice between

- console at lower settings without possible tweaking

- PC at different settings (low/high/ultra) that can be tweaked in game in ten seconds

- PC at different settings that can be tweaked perfectly

Even if the third option is too much for you, the second will get very close without any effort.

There are plenty of reasons to prefer consoles, but tweaking should not be a problem.
 
Exclusives mainly, The rental/resale factor, The fact you can play with friends, Also it just suits being under the TV. Ps4 more so because the power brick is inside the console so it just looks neat.

And a new console does bring new innovations, PS4 has remote play, Share play and you can stream straight from your console. X1 has the snap feature etc.

So i think yes as opposed to hardware on the PC these console may seem weak, But like the features i just mentioned, Consoles do alot more than just play the disk you put in them.
 
Yudoken said:
About 400 bucks can get you an amazing pc!
The nice thing about pc's is that you can get parts 2nd hand and extremely cheap.
People buy cars 2nd hand, why shouldn't you do the same thing?
Price argument of first investment is ridiculous, you could invest 300 bucks on a pc but most people do the smart thing and rather spend 400 or more and get something way better.
People who wants pc only for gaming theoretically only have to use big picture mode, it's as easy as that.
But as you might know you can do much more than just game on pc and also can be productive with them, that's why I recommend using a tv for gaming and video and a monitor for work and specific games which just are better playable on it.
Also you can upgrade most htpcs with just an gpu for under 50 and you can play really we'll with it, often even similar or better than PS4 (e. g. Rocket League runs smoother on a 20€ AMD 7770 with a core2duo than on PS4).

Do the following things if you look for a good pc 2nd hand:
A pc with an i5 cpu from Intel (2500k or better)
Google the gpu and find out what it can do
If there is not an ssd included get at least a 64gb for os.
Click to expand...

This is a bait post, but still, price arguments console vs pc are always ridiculous. PC and console people fighting over what's cheaper always ignore way too much factors, especially if one end uses second hand prices and compare that to new prices.
And you can only play SP or controller focused MP games on the couch with a pc. I'm a pc couch player and I'm fine with that, but couch pc gaming is only for the hardcore gamers who prefer SP games, there really is no reason why any other person should buy a pc for under the TV and have too invest a lot of time in it, while you can just buy a console that plays all the latest games with good controller support.

The Steam machines should have solved all the couch pc problems, but it seems Valve just doesn't care.
 
bman94 said:
Yeah it is. I turn on my gamepad and hit an icon on the quick start menu and the game starts loading. I'm playing Splatoon/Smash/whatever in less than a minute.
Xbox One I can literally start right where I left off of Forza Horizon 2 after the I hit Xbox button and press A.
It's a considerable amount of time to have the PC boot up, put in a password, give the computer a minute to load, wait another minute or so for Steam to load up after clicking it and wait for the updates. Then after finding the game I'm looking for on a long list then I gotta wait for that individual game to load up. That's like a 10 minute process compared to a 2 minute process.
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Again, it's not. You're assuming the console's in standby/power saving mode and the PC's not in your example.

And I would like to see how you manage to spend 10 minutes starting up a game.

edit: I just powered down my pc and stopped the time from powering up (putting in the password, starting Steam etc.) and getting to the title screen of Dark Souls 2: 1min 10secs

Your argument is dumb.
 
wazoo said:
The problem is mostly about YOU.

You have the choice between

- console at lower settings without possible tweaking

- PC at different settings (low/high/ultra) that can be tweaked in game in ten seconds

- PC at different settings that can be tweaked perfectly

Even if the third option is too much for you, the second will get very close without any effort.

There are plenty of reasons to prefer consoles, but tweaking should not be a problem.
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Eh, I haven't seen anything that quite takes 10 seconds to tweak unless you already know what your looking for. Which I never do as I follow guides online for that stuff.

And no shit Sherlock. What do you think, I play PC gaming for others?

Of course the usage for me determines what platform I play on.
 
bman94 said:
The time from system start up to actually playing the game is much quicker on consoles than PC. Consoles are a lot easier to transport and move and local multiplayer is overall much easier. Much cheaper as well.
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I can boot my PC and start a game before my PS4 has fully turned on, let's not get crazy now. And is it cheaper? The initial cost sure, but the games are so expensive on console that initial difference is gone quickly depending on how many games you buy. I'll give you the rest though, but let's be objective.
 
This thread is giving me a migraine. I have all systems and use them all on a fairly regular basis.That ease of use argument is nonsense these days,you DO NOT have to tweak or piss about with anything on PC if you choose so.In fact most games will set to your system settings automatically.If I want the best experience and its a good port of a multiplatform PC is easily the way to go.While people saying about console exclusives,PC has those to just in case you had forgotten.Where console has an advantage is in its initial cost.

Weirdly I use my PC more for convenience than consoles,its hooked up to TV and its almost entirely digital library.Where as my consoles as a collector I tend to go physical where possible.But that's my choice obviously.There are pluses and negatives for both sides of the argument.But I want to play games at there very best fidelity,and given the port is good,its easily PC
 
St3v3 said:
I can boot my PC and start a game before my PS4 has fully turned on, let's not get crazy now. And is it cheaper? The initial cost sure, but the games are so expensive on console that initial difference is gone quickly depending on how many games you buy. I'll give you the rest though, but let's be objective.
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Eh, isn't that still quite debatable? If your buying stuff new, day one, BB gamers club versus PC deals tends to be quite competitive.
 
Aureon said:
Then you want a controller.
A wireless controller.

.. Good luck.
Click to expand...

So:

an Xbox one controller and wireless adapter

or

A steam controller and wireless dongle

or

A dualshock 4 and a cheap bluetooth dongle

It's fine if you prefer console gaming, you don't have to make stuff up to defend it though.
 
Primethius said:
Eh, isn't that still quite debatable? If your buying stuff new, day one, BB gamers club versus PC deals tends to be quite competitive.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's different in America then, but in the UK prices are absolutely insane on PSN, literally twice the cost of physical in some cases, so often 3x more expensive than PC if you shop around.
 
St3v3 said:
I can boot my PC and start a game before my PS4 has fully turned on, let's not get crazy now. And is it cheaper? The initial cost sure, but the games are so expensive on console that initial difference is gone quickly depending on how many games you buy. I'll give you the rest though, but let's be objective.
Click to expand...
I dunno man. I played through Fallout 4 at launch for less than $5. Sure, I don't own the game, but I played 60 hours of that game for the cost of half a movie ticket with Gamefly.
 
I still prefer gaming with a console than with a PC, I only use my gaming laptop and desktop for very specific games.

And PC doesn't have all that JRPG backing that I like or kind of exclusives console holders pull off from time to time.

Edit: at the end of the day is all about comfort i guess, just feels more natural
 
RealityCheque said:
So:

an Xbox one controller and wireless adapter

or

A steam controller and wireless dongle

or

A dualshock 4 and a cheap bluetooth dongle

It's fine if you prefer console gaming, you don't have to make stuff up to defend it though.
Click to expand...

That is literally the problem though. You now have to go out and buy a bluetooth dongle. It's just extra effort.

I'm a PC gamer and I do most of my gaming on PC but I definitely feel like it's a little bit more effort that a lot of people just don't want to put in .That little bit of effort yields great rewards but some just don't want that extra bit of hassle.
 
St3v3 said:
I can boot my PC and start a game before my PS4 has fully turned on, let's not get crazy now. And is it cheaper? The initial cost sure, but the games are so expensive on console that initial difference is gone quickly depending on how many games you buy. I'll give you the rest though, but let's be objective.
Click to expand...

Comparing prices is just not really possible. I for example bought Until Dawn for 30 euro and sold it for 30 euro a few weeks later. (In Belgium there is a thriving second hand market for PS4 games.)
Is that more expensive?
 
RealityCheque said:
So:

an Xbox one controller and wireless adapter

or

A steam controller and wireless dongle

or

A dualshock 4 and a cheap bluetooth dongle

It's fine if you prefer console gaming, you don't have to make stuff up to defend it though.
Click to expand...

Until you want to play a MP game, if there is something PC gaming needs to do, it is making gamepad only servers possible (like GTA V does). That would solve a lot of problems.
 
As long as the hardware remains fixed.

The main reason I choose console over PC is knowing that my teammates and opponents are on equal grounds. No one has a huge advantage over another in terms of hardware. That way skill and ability is all that's on the battlefield.
 
Times changed. Used to be like this:
PC --> Consoles

1. Flexible but hard to use --> Easy to use but limited to games.
2. Mouse and keyboard at the desk --> Pad on comfy couch + big TV
3. Internet multiplayer --> Local multiplayer
4. Patches --> No patches
5. Big form factor --> Small form factor
6. Requires constant upgrades --> Not
7. Requires additional software to work properly (instaling - drivers, directx etc) --> Not

Nowadays:

1. Almost the same ease of use on both (see below).
2. Native TV and Pad support on both.
3. Local multiplayer is fading away (sadly) at the expense of online multi.
4. Patches on both. Automated on both.
5. Consoles got bigger, PC got smaller. Easy to build/buy HTPC capable of gaming.
6. It's not required to upgrade PC every 2 years anymore. To play recent titles.
7. Drivers and DirectX installation is automated now on recent OS. Every additional software required is shipped with the game or steam pop-up message (or automated install)

In some cases PC is still more complicated than consoles. But the line between the two gets blurrier every year...
 
Possumowner said:
This thread is giving me a migraine. I have all systems and use them all on a fairly regular basis.That ease of use argument is nonsense these days,you DO NOT have to tweak or piss about with anything on PC if you choose so.In fact most games will set to your system settings automatically.If I want the best experience and its a good port of a multiplatform PC is easily the way to go.While people saying about console exclusives,PC has those to just in case you had forgotten.Where console has an advantage is in its initial cost.

Weirdly I use my PC more for convenience than consoles,its hooked up to TV and its almost entirely digital library.Where as my consoles as a collector I tend to go physical where possible.But that's my choice obviously.There are pluses and negatives for both sides of the argument.But I want to play games at there very best fidelity,and given the port is good,its easily PC
Click to expand...

Bear in mind that the people consoles are aimed at aren't like you. They don't want to have to turn on a device, log in to an OS, open a program, then select a game and run it. That might sound like child's play to you and I but it's needlessly complicated to someone who wants to turn on their device and start their game right away. For such people, consoles are much easier to use than PCs.

(I get that consoles go through the same OS booting and user logins as PC, but the main difference is in how it's presented.)
 
I know that I personally buy things for my console rather than my PC as there are little things I simply do not want to deal with at times. I work with computers for the majority of the day. I sometimes just want to sit down, turn the damn thing on and get going.

Not that PC requires constant tinkering, I'd say this is an issue maybe 30% of the time. Just a lot of little nonsense that I'm not always in the mood to deal with some days. Much better than the old days though.

kavanf1 said:
Bear in mind that the people consoles are aimed at aren't like you. They don't want to have to turn on a device, log in to an OS, open a program, then select a game and run it. That might sound like child's play to you and I but it's needlessly complicated to someone who wants to turn on their device and start their game right away. For such people, consoles are much easier to use than PCs.
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Exactly, sometimes you just want to turn the damn thing on and get right to it. I personally want a unified interface at all times when I am gaming on my PC, yeah I can use big picture, but then it sometimes won't load big pic and I've gotta grab the keyboard, or sometimes the shit tabs the hell out for whatever reason and I'm using the keyboard again. Decided on using an app that lets me toggle between mouse mode with my controller, but that tabs out some games and now I'm dealing with an extra app. Sometimes I'm dealing with connection issues with my ps4 controller or some games won't pick up the controller order properly and I am messing with that when doing couch co-op. These aren't major issues, but there are moments when you just don't want to mess with all that shit. Much of it is weirdness on my part tbh, I don't like having to go back and forth between keyboard and controller as I'm using the big screen and a couch. I don't like having to do little workarounds to get origin games going through steam and once I do get them running, some tab out or bug out completely (Garden warfare). When I am working with media, I have a flirc and plex, I can do pretty much everything I need via my remote and that application. That is how I like it.
 
Primethius said:
Eh, I haven't seen anything that quite takes 10 seconds to tweak unless you already know what your looking for. Which I never do as I follow guides online for that stuff.
Click to expand...

Most PC games have low/mid/high (and sometimes autotune) parameters settings.

Just go into the graphic menu, choose one of these, play, go back if the framerate is too low (or start with low and increase progressively). This kind of approach should be possible for any people without any knowledge.

Add the fact that PC systems provide software like Geforce Experience to autotune games in one click (not optimal, but much closer to optimal and a much better solution than going back to consoles).
 
RealityCheque said:
So:

an Xbox one controller and wireless adapter

or

A steam controller and wireless dongle

or

A dualshock 4 and a cheap bluetooth dongle

It's fine if you prefer console gaming, you don't have to make stuff up to defend it though.
Click to expand...

To use DS4 wirelessly, you need to download 3rd party software like DS4Windows, which is another extra step, and it doesn't work 100%. I ran into so many disconnecting issues that I still couldn't find a permanent solution. Luckily the game (FFXIV) I play support DS4 natively but only for wired connection.

That kind of problem never happens on PS4.
 
To all the "oh noes ma couch" crowd....

...this is Mario Kart running on a PC and being navigated by an Xbox controller.

Deal with it.

4VLjvgP.jpg
 
I tinker when I game on PC because I love it not because I need it.
When I want a console experience, all I do is literally press the Xbox Dashboard button on my controller (connected to PC) which then turns Big Picture Mode.

Select game -> Play

All this while connected through HDMI to my TV (which is being MIRRORED on my PC monitor as well)
 
Skelter said:
"Further from the truth"? It's not very far since, like you said, backgrounds are done in the background. The difference being Wii U titles/downloads are significantly smaller. Halo: MCC Day One patch was 20GB, Elder Scrolls Online 15GB, Bloodborne 2.7GB and the Xbox One Fall update was 1.15GB. All of which are larger than most if not all the patches that have come from Nintendo and take much longer to download.


Yes, there are patches but nowhere even close to what the Xbox or PS4 require for the console or games.
Click to expand...

You're right, I am sensitive- to people spreading misinformation :)

If you meant to say that patches on the WiiU are in smaller size, then you should have just said that instead of implying WiiU games ship in perfect states without need of patches or updates. The only real plug and play consoles at this point are the ones that don't require an internet connection at any point

I'm certain if you saw more third party releases on the WiiU, you'd see the same equally large patches that the other consoles receive. With so many fewer titles releasing on the console, of course the need for patches is less frequent. Moreover, these massive 15GB+ patches are a rarity at best and can hardly be considered the norm. Besides that, 1-5GB patches are a fart in the wind. In this day and age, they download almost immediately and install even faster. Patches that small are practically a non-issue. Moving forward, I doubt that Nintendo will be able to keep their patch sizes as small as they release games on more powerful hardware with higher fidelity assets.
 
kavanf1 said:
(I get that consoles go through the same OS booting and user logins as PC, but the main difference is in how it's presented.)
Click to expand...

So today it basically boils down to consoles creating an illusion of being easier to handle.

PC just doesn't present itself as something that's easy to use.
 
wazoo said:
Most PC games have low/mid/high (and sometimes autotune) parameters settings.

Just go into the graphic menu, choose one of these, play, go back if the framerate is too low (or start with low and increase progressively). This kind of approach should be possible for any people without any knowledge.

Add the fact that PC systems provide software like Geforce Experience to autotune games in one click (not optimal, but much closer to optimal and a much better solution than going back to consoles).
Click to expand...

Yo, listen man. If your gonna keep missing the point, just stop replying.

I'm not a child when it comes to PC gaming. I have a 980ti. I know what GeForce experience is. I know how to select settings in game. Either go back and reread what I posted or don't bother.
 
Gamezone said:
Do you guys think that the next generation will be heading this route?
Click to expand...

It'll head toward whatever is projected to make the most revenue. I think that right now, the factors are based on:

  • VR popularity and what it means from a tech perspective to have the best VR experience
  • ease of use OS and it's non-gaming offerings
  • controller innovation and unique experiences that come with it
  • exclusives, old and new, remake, reboot, and re-release
  • culture, the sense of immersion within a console's target group (BIG for Nintendo)
 
yaffi said:
So today it basically boils down to consoles creating an illusion of being easier to handle.

PC just doesn't present itself as something that's easy to use.
Click to expand...

Console will always be easier to use and initially cheaper.

At the expense of performance and diversity.
 
kavanf1 said:
Bear in mind that the people consoles are aimed at aren't like you. They don't want to have to turn on a device, log in to an OS, open a program, then select a game and run it. That might sound like child's play to you and I but it's needlessly complicated to someone who wants to turn on their device and start their game right away. For such people, consoles are much easier to use than PCs.

(I get that consoles go through the same OS booting and user logins as PC, but the main difference is in how it's presented.)
Click to expand...


You can do exactly what you want....Turn on PC,have it boot into Steam big picture mode...bingo,now play game.


Edit:I get what your saying though,as you would need to learn how to set that up
 
Enter the Dragon Punch said:
I am a PC gamer first and foremost. I do not own any consoles except for my PlayStation Vita.

I will still say that the first one is easier on consoles
Click to expand...

Ease of use might have been a valid argument 10 years ago.

Enter the Dragon Punch said:
and the fact that if you're buying a console, there's a chance your friends have the same platform as well.
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This makes no sense in context of the OP. He made no assertions that he was thinking of buying a console or towards his friend situation and that point can be easily reversed to say that if all your friends are on PC then you're likely to buy a PC.
 
wazoo said:
Console will always be easier to use and initially cheaper.
Click to expand...

Wasn't the actual reason this thread got created that we aren't exactly sure about that?

I mean, I don't really care. I just look at the games that are being made.
 
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