Is PC gaming worth it anymore?

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supergoat777

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I've been a PC gamer for most of my life and I own a high end PC that can play most games on max. However, I noticed that graphics in gaming are starting to matter much less now. Before graphics were very important, and could make or brake a game, today not so much.

14 years ago the difference between PC gaming and console gaming was 2D vs. 3D or black/white vs. colored. Now there are just mostly texture differences, and higher resolutions between PC and console gaming. Furthermore, next generation we will most likely see smaller differences in graphics because video game graphics are beginning to reach their limit. In fact its hard to tell the difference between ps4 games and some ps3 games. We will probably see no significant difference between
ps4, xbox one and PC.


Also PC is missing many great games such as destiny, GTA 5 and some others.

do you think PC gaming worth it anymore? Thoughts.
 
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swilczak

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I think it's worth it if you have a nice Benq 120hz monitor like I have. The consoles don't get very high frame rates like my PC does. I find it hard to play games on my ps3 because my PC looks so much smoother. It's not all about the texture and resolution, it's also about the response time I get with a good monitor. The keyboard and mouse are also a big plus for first person shooters.
 
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GeekThief-1354135

GeekThief-1354135

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i love pc gaming. ok for what my pc cost me i could buy a new ps3 and xbox plus accessories. but the games tend to be £10 to £20 cheaper on pc. most pc games have mods that extends and add to game life. i own a ps3 too and all i use it for is playing blue rays and uncharted :)
 
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jk_ventolero

jk_ventolero

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You bet it still is. But I think this is more of a matter of perspective.

I, for one, see very well how superior and advanced PC graphics are compared to that of the console. And that matters to me. To some people, maybe not very much. But I kind of find it hard to enjoy playing a game with poor visuals. Also, I believe that while the graphics for the past couple of years might have looked very much alike, it still is advancing quite well. We have Nvidia and AMD both coming up with filtering systems and anti-aliasing modes. Then there's TressFX by AMD and a new water-physics simulation being developed by Nvidia that I saw in an article here a few months back. And then there's Crysis 3. And then there's modding, which you can't find anywhere else except on the PC.

But then again, it's all a matter of perspective. :) For me, those reasons are enough to make me think that PC gaming is still very much worth it.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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I think it really does depend on the titles you want to play.

MMORPGs are more or less targeted to PC users. Sony had a few exclusives if I recall correctly. Though with titles like Diablo III making it to the consoles, that seems to be starting to change.

Very little difference between any given modern shooter(COD, BF, etc), and the more irregular ones wind up on the PC (TeamFortress).

Very little of the simulator style games make it consoles.

But you do have to consider that the commonality between the PC and consoles is always hard to distinguish pending the release of new console. 7-9 years down the road, those differences are going to be more obvious.

An example I like to use is this. Current gen consoles target 720p at 30FPS. PS4 and XBone will target 1080p at 30 FPS, some 60FPS. PCs are already running resolutions such as 1440p, or triple screen gaming, or 3D.
4K monitors/TVs will be common place in a few years, but the next gen consoles will still run at 1080p, so you'll have that to look forward to as well.
 
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swifty_morgan

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I fell for that more is better. great marketing by microsoft and by game developers.

I've been going through my library of older games........ unreal era and it doesn't matter one bit to me that they are "merely" DX9 games. The game itself ( story ) and how it plays and how long it plays are what I like best. I also don't like being tied to the net to wipe my arse.

Amazing how much fun you can have on a fast dual core and a 5450 graphics card........... but back to the question........... do you think by 2020-25 a homemade pc will really matter or that you will even be able to by every single component to put together a machine the way you want.............??? I think not. If you can buy anything it will probably be a non upgradable mass of components soldered together.......... that'll be watching you as you do your thing.
 
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littleleo

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Intel is not going to be selling socket CPUs after the Haswell line. They expect the mobile market to dominate the channel and are putting all their eggs in that basket. When I buy a new motherboard and CPU I don't normally upgrade them anyway, so I think that change will be minimal to us. However some of the smaller less diverse motherboard companies may get out of the market. I think we can still upgrade our other components normally like RAM, Storage, SSDs & VGA cards.

I prefer to build my own system to buying a gaming console. I've purchased consoles and I just prefer PC gaming. I don't like what I've read about the new Xbox One and I've not been interested in trying any of the new consoles. To me it seems the console market is the segment that is dying not the PC segment.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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The consumer grade desktop may disappear in the future and be replaced by laptops and tablets. But you will always have people that need to do 'real' work on powerful workstation computers. I know many people in various industries that still build custom PCIe cards for engineering work.

I think as we go forward the custom PC will become a niche market catering to the very high end enthusiasts. Possibly with boutique builders for the average enthusiast (Alienware/CyperPower/Razer).

Modular products will always be important to maximizng profit for large manufacturers, but BGA chips and interchangeable, but not user serviceable parts, will become very mainstream.
 
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helz IT

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Excluding graphics, 3 reasons I'll keep playing games on my PC:

1. Old games. Who cares about graphics? There are so many great games that I can play. GoG.com is a goldmine. I own about 6 Xbox (original) exclusive games that I'll never be able to play again because the console broke on me, twice. I also own about the same number of Xbox 360 games that I'll never be able to play again because it broke, twice.

2. Keyboard and Mouse: Any game that involves shooting anything is just better with them.

3. Mods! I can't believe nobody else mentioned them. If everything else was equal, I'd still play on the PC because of them.



 
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lolzorz

lolzorz

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Why I like pc more:
1. Better graphics and physics. Call me a graphics whore but they make you much more immersed into the game.
2. Easier for indie games, yes some indie games suck, but many are good (sanctum, orcs must die, etc)
3. Actual 1080p and 60fps+, consoles are stuck at 720p, and I believe even the next gen games are capped at that in order to get 60fps(bf3)
4. More tightly knit community
5. Its fun to build PCs and stay up to date with the latest parts for me
6. Steam sales.
7. Steam sales.
8. Did I mention steam sales? Right now there's hundreds of games on sale for 50% off on steam, and many over 75% off.
9. I hate controllers, ever since i used a mouse I feel sluggish when I hold a controller, its too small for my hands and after a few hours of playing the controller gets sweaty (I know ewwwwwwww, but it happens to everyone).
10. Mods, ever want to play half life 2 coop? Well on pc you can. Or ever want mudcrabs to swear, there's a skyrim mod for that.
11. Field of view adjustments, when I play console I feel like im looking down a toilet paper tube, when I play pc I feel like im moving faster and I see much more.
 
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Calculatron

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I used to be so confounded as to how Console gaming platforms have remained popular for so long. I have always found desktop gaming superior, if only for the mode of interface.

Seriously, classic game styles (be it FPS, RPG, or RTS) are kind of gimped on a console set-up. I'm not saying good games can not be on a console, but there are some limiting factors when it comes to games. I dislike how a lot of new games these days have a very limited control-scheme, not because of some nature of streamlining or being ergonomic, but because it has to be console friendly.
 
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swilczak

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Other advantages of PC gaming
1. Emulators
2. Free online play for most games
3. Faster load times
4. No disc swapping
5. Better quality parts
6. better lighting makes competitive games easier to play and see
7. graphical setting customization
8. easy on screen chat messaging
9. Macros
10. keyboard with well over 100 buttons
 
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swifty_morgan

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I think the latest game that is not PC user friendly is FarCry3. It's mandatory you use an xbox controller. Tried to play the game and didn't get past the initial escape at the beginning because I had to remove myself from the game to set a default setting so I could use a knife to kill my first victim.......... then back to put the setting back the way I had it so I could try and continue the game............ but it's also screwed up with all the extra goodies in the control panel you need to figure out................ coming from FarCry2 and thinking FC3 would be a blast................. it might have had a good look but it was NOT playable unless you did use an IDIOTS controller.
 
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bystander

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I found FC3 very PC friendly or should I say, very friendly for myself at least. The intro did not have any issues, though after I went through the intro, I did setup a game profile for my G13, and had fun. I couldn't imagine trying to play it with a controller. Aiming without a mouse is so unintuitive.

The biggest differences I can say are
-PC's have a mouse and keyboard or other accessory.
-PC's are customizable, but that does come with some extra overhead not found on consoles. In order to customize, you have to work a little at it.
-PC's have much better graphics. I suppose console users may not mind, as long as the game is good.
-I also like 3D Vision a lot. 3D that you have experience outside of Tridef and 3D Vision is likely no where near as good, except in very rare cases.

Consoles biggest advantages:
-You just have to plug it in and play
-Good to play with people when together in person.
-More portable

I'll be sticking with PC's for now.
 
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bystander

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That is because you seem to be playing in a very unusual way. The game may not like the tenkey pad, but it lets you map the rest of the keyboard. It is not like consoles have that much control over mapping.

The G13 is a left controller. It can be mapped however you like. If the game only likes the normal keyboard keys, then you assign the G13 normal keyboard keys. It is as simple as that. PC games have a pretty standard setup these days, where they expect your left hand to use the WASD keys for movement, and as a result, map your keys around those. I have my G13 with the joystick set to WASD as a result.
 
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bystander

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What does not having ten-pin key access have to do with it being a port? How can you say you aren't a conformist, yet use a console, which gives you no options but to conform? Farcry 3 might not let you use the ten-pin keys properly, but you have 101 other keys you can use how ever you like.

There is nothing wrong with preferring consoles. I was only arguing how you considered Farcry 3 a bad port, when it was designed for the PC quite well. It limited you to not use the ten-pin keys, but still leaves you with far more customization than a console does.
 
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bystander

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For years and years, to the very beginning of PC gaming, there have always been a few games which limit what you can map. The lack of ten-pin mapping is not that uncommon. It is also not optimal due to the way most keyboards function, not being able to read as many key presses at once unless on the WSAD or keys surrounding them.

If you never want to run into the issue, you should get used to using the WSAD keys, or near by. If you want to stick with the ten-pin keys, be prepared to run into a few games which don't like it.
 
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