I've drifted between PC gaming and console gaming for the last decade and have to say that I prefer PC gaming now. I've never had any issues with any of my games and just find it much more convenient.
However, I do miss the days of having a few friends over and playing games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Super Smash Bros, etc.
I play multiplayer on consoles and single player on PC.
I too am a student, but thankfully one with a working wage behind me. A lot of my classmates struggle with finances and as its a networking course I am enrolled in, you can guess where their money goes (yep, the pub).
Im a bit of a game junkie. I avoided consoles until the PS1, but had every incarnation since and all 3 xboxes too, and I agree with the OP's sentiments. Console gaming is simply easier.
I turn on the xbox one or ps4, i immediately check my friends list and drop into party, then join their game, or have others pop in.
I realise this is possible on the PC, but with so many processes running in the background, popping up messages or sound alerts and so on, it can be a hassle. Lately i've even had problems finding games on my pc due to my incredibly complex directory structure (think sprawling, messy and undefined)
Saying that, due to pricing and the way Steam works I have recently started accumulating a number of PC games, but i prefer to stick to the single player ones. I purchased a wired Xbox controller (best controller ever) which suits me just fine. Some games are definitely better on PC but I have avoided multiplayer at the moment.
We're only here for the Banter - The Luvvies - Chewin' The Fat
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Originally Posted by this_is_gav
When I buy a console game. I have no options, no control over how it performs. When i put the game in I may need gigs of drive space or downloads just to get to the start menu. I may need to pay extra just to play online, even if it is just a shooter. I don't think that they are much cheaper when you lay everything out there and when its all said and done you are at the mercy of a massive company.
A console is just a computer in a small case. It is nothing more than that. They are stamped out of factories by the millions and you get zero chance to make one that will run a game better thant he other. This leads to games that have poor performance and issues that can not be resolved buy yourself. Again left to the mercy of developers.
I own a PS3 and I use it, but honestly, a X-Box 360 controller hooked up to my PC makes any statement that driving games and AC games for example better on a console. Well it takes away a consoles claim there too.
Ease of use is the only thing they have. Making a PC idiot proof has its benefits I guess but I don't think it makes it at all better! Claiming that Console is easier to install games on is true but only when comparing specific titles that have actual issues. Atleast on a PC you can fix them (most of the time). When you are on a console and the game is **** and buggy you can do nothing... Not better!
If you are having troubles then fix them, don't ignore or sidestep them. Fix your computer and get back to being a happy gamer!
I used to be a console gamer but then got a good laptop for university ( a birthday treat) and have never looked back. I struggle to use a controller now xD
Noone said they are cheaper, consoles, on a overall basis, are more expensive than computers.
I rarely spend more than 10 or 15 pounds on a PC game and the vast majority come from Steam sales or Humble Bundles. I have bought one controller at around 17 quid. Ok my monitor was upwards of £300 and DAC/Speakers were upwards of £500 which does add to my PC cost, but the TV my current console is connected to cost £1500, although not soley used for the xbox.
I have no idea how much I have spent on various consoles in the past, but over the past 3 years its probably amounted to around 80 or 90 pounds per month, not including new console costs. Far more than I have spent on my pc, which is currently 2 years old.
I know there are ways to offset these costs but i hate trading in games, I have every game I have ever bought with the exception of Blue Dragon, which was so awful it got traded in immediately.
Anyway, the OP was complaining that he missed console gaming for its very simplicity and I agree. I spend all day at work sorting out peoples internet problems, I study networking and spend my days at college troubleshooting and working out solutions, generally to problems I have caused myself
We're only here for the Banter - The Luvvies - Chewin' The Fat
Violence and Lubrication is the solution to fixing everything, if it still doesn't work, you need more lubrication.
I've never been able to get on with a keyboard and mouse. They just don't feel natural to me. I've used a controller since I gamed, and for that reason, it feels natural to pick one up. I'm not saying that they're better, they're just better suited to me. I think people are good with keyboard and mouse, and even though I can play with a keyboard and mouse, it doesn't feel natural. Now that I have MX Blues, I also get really bad RSI when typing and gaming, something that I never suffered with when using membrane.
I don't know, I'm just bored of tinkering to get things to work, something I never had to do before. I've recently migrated to mac, and unlike windows it just bloody works. Everything is ready - but that's just a completely different sotry
PC all the way:
I started on Spectrums, which probably explains a lot.
I had a NES, a GameBoy and regularly played on PS2, SNES and N64.
I have always hated console controllers and never been able to make them work for my hands.
When the time came to join the 21st Century, I greatly preferred to have one mega powerful device that could game, play movies and music, do all my work files and a hundred other things.
Shortly after getting a Q6600 rig, I started learning what stuff does and how I could improve it.
Nowadays, with the sort of rig I have, it's all about getting the best performance I can afford. You pay a premium for what a PC can offer and have to learn what you're doing, but that IMO is what being a PC fan is about - Choosing how you want it done. Macs and Consoles all do things just one way - Great if you need one standard, but an absolute pain in the proverbial if you don't like how it's done.
Case in point; I choose to use an HTC Desire Z, because it has a proper, usable physical keyboard and I hate touchscreen ones.
I recently converted a Mac friend to PCs. His initial struggle was all about how "The Mac just used to do all the config stuff for me"... well yeah, but without his Mac he suddenly realises that he doesn't even know which WiFi router on the list of availables is his!!
With PC gaming I choose what level of detail, what keys control what, how loud my machine is, how it looks... I'm all about having options and everything is an option with a PC.
That's what I prefer.
I'm really glad that I read all of this, because I myself am considering going PC, but after I've heard from you guys I'm not so sure. For a while I've been console gaming. Its been working fine for me, so I guess you can say I prefer it over PC. Should I even try it out?
If you prefer console gaming then no, don't try out PC gaming unless you can do so at a friends. It's rather expensive just to try on a hunch otherwise.
Lets not forget certain games work better on a PC (I still don't get how anyone can play FPS with any accuracy and without auto aim on a console) whilst others have always worked better on a console and control pad.
I use my Mac for stuff like FPS, games like settlers and adventure games and the PS3/PS4/360 for everything else.
Depends what you want. If you want amazing graphics, cheap games and a vast selection as well as the ability to mod games etc then it may be worth it. You can get a cheap system that'll run games well. An FX 6300, a cheapo motherboard, 1TB HDD, 750 Ti, 8 GB DDR3 will be plenty for most people.
As kalniel said don't just go build a PC. I think a lot of people who aren't rich or have parents who just buy them what ever they want, start with a family PC or a friends. Next thing they are balls deep in 10 year old parts and multiple computers lying about in different states of functionality.
If you try it and like it a starter computer can be cheap. Less than a console and your list of games that can be played is larger than all consoles combined. If you have a TV with HDMI you can run it off that and if you have an xbox 360 wired controller you can just use that on a lot of games. Even a PS3 controller can be used with a bit of tinkering. Steam's Big Picture mode will let you do everything with a controller no problem. It is kinda handy when I want to play Dirt 3 or a NFS game.
Pc gaming is not that scary or hard, it just costs more but gives you so much more.
PC gaming doesn't have to cost more. It depends what you want.
Here's a cheap build:
http://prntscr.com/3c3e2m
Last edited by MrRockliffe; 21-04-2014 at 05:19 PM.
XBOX Live - Sheep Sardine | Origin - MrRockliffe | Steam - MrRockliffe |
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The only prob with BF3 was it having to use Origin and you had to be signed in to Origin. Problem is Origin doesn't install on Windows 7 64 bit. In the end, I downloaded a patch which bypassed checking of Origin client on your PC and you could just login to the webpage and launch BF3 from there
That's interesting, about Origin not installing on W7 64 bit. I suppose Origin know this and were just wasting my time. They had me, cleaning out files, switching off anti-virus, removing certain programmes. Until (as thread starter said), I got bored of all the messing around, and play games through Steam. Never used a console!
What are you talking about? It installs fine on Win 7 64bit.
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