PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

[Yantelope]

For some reason I assumed Gabe = Gabe Newell so that excerpt seemed funnier to me.

[RockyRan]

He also bought a laptop, so it's his fault for trying to game on it in the first place. It's like buying a Wii and attempting to get Uncharted to work on it some other terrible analogy.

 

This one is really not the consumers fault. If you want to blame anyone then, it's PC devs for making games for the highest spec machines and expecting the consumer to catch up, and the hardware manufacturers for claiming that their PC is the highest spec available even though this claim is usually no longer valid by the end of the day it is made.

 

EA went through a phase of making "Laptop Friendly" games (mostly The Sims 2 titles) but I don't think they do them any more.

 

Public perception is that Laptops are slimline PC's, so this is more like buying a PS3 slim and expecting it to play PS3 games.

 

Not really, because as we all know PS3 slims pack the exact same hardware. A laptop PC is an entirely different beast from a desktop. They're not equivalent and should never be treated as such.

 

I had a pseudo-gaming laptop before I bought my (first) gaming PC and while the laptop served its purpose well, there were far too many experiences like what Gabe described. Especially since I bought a Toshiba, which is apparently run by monkeys given the fact that they WILLINGLY opted out of ATi's new laptop support. That's right, the graphics card company literally offered to the work for them and they said no. It takes a special kind of idiot to make that decision. The result was a card with perpetually outdated drivers, and anyone into PC gaming knows how that's going to lead into massive disaster one way or the other.

 

Once I got my gaming PC I haven't had absolutely any problems. It's not really anyone's fault if they buy a laptop thinking it'll do them well for gaming, but generally it's an unwritten rule that you're getting inferior hardware if you go with a lappy instead of a...desky (?)

 

Especially an Alienware lappy of all things. That's just asking for trouble.

[deanb]

To be fair I know that SLI and Crossfire has his fair share of issues. It is up to Alienware, for having their weird set up in the first place (I believe it swaps between cards depending on what you're doing in order to conserve battery) to make sure that this works seamlessly.

 

Anywho I shall catch up on things I've missed.

 

In regards to PC standards = Elitism. It's already been covered, but to reinforce PC standards are same as console gamers having standards too. The thing is as I pointed out a while ago, console games have to be checked and signed off on by MS, Sony etc. This means that if those standards don't get hit the game gets sent back and the dev has to work on it till it's done. Therefore there's very few reasons for a console gamer to have issue with the lack of HD resolution, badly mapped controls, "press Enter to begin" etc etc.

On the PC gamer side we have no one like that, so Devs can do whatever. I'd wager that the PC gamers of this forum could come up with fairly similar lists of "PC game standards" and I'd wager they wouldn't be asking for too much. I don't know if it's at all possible, but I think Thursday might be able to fill us in on what Standards console games have.

 

On ragging on console gamers. I'm maybe going to be wrong in saying this but I'd say most complaints in regards to "consolization" are aimed at the developers themselves. Just cos it's about what consoles can or cannot do doesn't mean we're playing xXxSniperkillah95xXx for Game X not having certain PC features in place. If you're feeling that the hate towards consolization is directed at yourself as a console gamer I'd maybe have a rethink on that.

 

I'd say you shouldn't be looking into any perceived elitism of PC gamers, but instead the fact most PC gamers tend to regard console gamers as ignorant and stoopid. It would be my experience that PC gamers tend to be quite knowledgeable on various technical, historical, and such matters in regards to both PC and console gaming. Whereas console gamers, not necessarily of this board, but definitely of the web at large, tend to be in a bubble that just has consoles. Which tends to be what draws the rage. Not the elitism but that many console gamers tend to be quite ignorant of even the simplest of elements in regards to PC gaming. I know most of the folks of this forum are fairly learned of all camps in gaming, even if it has been forced upon them

 

Anyway you guys wrote quite a bit for me to take in everything so I'll leave it at that.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

This thread is one giant oro-fucking-boros.

[Yantelope]

@dean, You're probably right that PC gamers tend to know more about the technical aspects of computers than your average console gamer but it's blanket statments like "It would be my experience that PC gamers tend to be quite knowledgeable on various technical, historical, and such matters in regards to both PC and console gaming. Whereas console gamers ... tend to be in a bubble that just has consoles." that read a little elitist.

 

Statements like: "Frankly I'm a little tired of you playing the ignorant console-only gamer." don't help either. That's why console gamers have a perceptions of hoighty toighty PC gamers with their monocoles glaring down in disgust at console gamers.

 

and those of you who have been around know that I'm not married to console or PC gaming. I just go where the games that I want to play are.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Yantelope

[WTF]

I think I'll add one aspect that most people seem to forget. A console is a fill it shut it forget it device. A high end PC is an enthusiast device which is usually driven by games. Back in the late 90s, early 2000s when gaming started to really push hardware and games came out saying ok you need a T&L card to play this game or you need to have more RAM or something or the other it generated a culture where if you had to be an enthusiast gamer you needed to have at least a high mid range spec of machine.

Most PC gamers gladly bought the games since it pushed their devices to the extreme and it also was closer to the visual vision that the game developer had in mind. Mechanics were tested out on the PC, since consoles were and still are closed markets and they were always the safer bets. Things are changing now with devs saying games do not good graphics and need more innovative gameplay. Well guess what, it was like that for years before devs and card manufacturers decided to push the agenda to get more people to buy hardware. Obviously a lot of devs got money from the card manufacturers (you could games that were less than 1 month old with most new graphics cards, which is increasingly rare today) and this was something that also pushed these standards.

 

Now people aren't suddenly asking for something new, they were built and raised on these promises. I think a lot of people forget how simple gaming was. I had prince of persia 1 on 10 floppies and that's pretty much how i played that game. I don't even know now if it was authentic but I believe it was since I had the box for it. Games were simpler, they weren't pushing hardware they were just trying exist in various gaming spaces. Later with the differentiation of graphics and sound as separate processing units outside of the MoBo the market changed and grew. Standards came to play. You know, you can't just kill them in a day because devs decided they wanted to cut down on costs and water down what had become the acceptable standard. It's not right. There needs to be some sort of balance and the thing is we are in a stage where at some point soon they will stop pushing hardware as such.

 

For instance currently Sony likes to believe that VR is going to make a comeback and you know, it's quite possible. A good head mounted display running a game engine like the next Unreal one for instance can definitely deliver on that as opposed to the blocky 3D pixels that we had in the early to mid 90s. Each time someone 'innovates' they bring about standards due to practices and you can't expect them to change. The real problem is that we all forget that it's a business to make money and the consumer is almost never the most important factor. If you really want to say something is good or bad - the best way is of course to vote with your wallet and there may be interested experiences but moral ground or entertainment value is where the thing lies. After all it is an enthusiast entertainment media.

 

The other thing that needs to change between both gamers is the fact that both console and PC gaming are two different experiences. Yes they are games and they even play similar games in a similar environment. One is controlled and limited and the other is limited by your choice and selections first and the DRM and company practices second. However it's like comparing watching a film on DVD and Blu-Ray. It only matters to those for whom it matters. At the end of the day, enjoy the games on all platforms. I for one have mostly been a PC gamer despite always having owned consoles. I did buy a few games I could on the PC on the console in 2009 because my PC needed an upgrade and I couldn't afford it at the time. Now I'm back to my usual self. I like my games to have settings and features and I like to mod and edit my files and cheat and fiddle with the game engine so for me PC gaming is what I like. However some games even if I've got a sweet gaming rig I do end up buying on consoles because of the community and that's purely the fighting games.

 

My gaming choices are pretty much PC, PS3, 360, Wii and for handhelds PSP over the DS/3DS. These are my preferences. I have issues with the DS and 3DS because having worked with footage for hours I do see the pixels and it pissed me off sometimes, I see it on the PSP too but the screen sometimes is blindingly bright and I can't play some games like BBS for more than 30mins since I value my eyes.

I will be honest and say that I haven't read everything, but what we really need to do is actually educate people about the crappy practices in the gaming industry and stop being sheep. PC, consoles whatever - that's all fine, play how you want, where you want. But keep your ethics if it means a lot to you

[Battra92]

I think I'll add one aspect that most people seem to forget. A console is a fill it shut it forget it device.

 

Set it and forget it?

 

 

Unfortunately this is one advantage of consoles that they are losing ground on as they become more media-center driven and more like PCs. Gone are the days when you popped in your cart, turned it on and played some SMB1. Now I boot my PS3 up, choose the correct account and wait for it to boot up and then pop in the game and wait for it to start and load. They do at least have the advantage of knowing that every Wii game will work on every Wii.

 

Of course, on a PC I have to turn my PC on, select my OS, get into Windows, go to Start -> Programs whatever. I used to have to edit custom autoexec.bat files just to play Red Baron. While I learned a lot about DOS and PC hardware trying to get games to run it wasn't my first choice of entertainment. Now I run an install, and select it from the Start Menu.

 

On the other side of things, I think Devs have always seen the PC as a double edged sword. On the one hand there are no console rights to have to pay but on the other, the PC is the most piracy driven platform out there and your competition is a plethora of free or cheap as free games.

[CorgiShinobi]

@dean, You're probably right that PC gamers tend to know more about the technical aspects of computers than your average console gamer but it's blanket statments like "It would be my experience that PC gamers tend to be quite knowledgeable on various technical, historical, and such matters in regards to both PC and console gaming. Whereas console gamers ... tend to be in a bubble that just has consoles." that read a little elitist.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with Yantelope here, Dean. One could assume those statements to be valid, especially the technical aspect," but what about all the arcade cabinet enthusiasts, collectors, and Generation X gamers who have been around?

 

Really, would you honestly say a PC gamer knows everything about gaming? I mean, that's what it sounded like what you said. I always thought any gamer could take it upon themselves to learn about the industry and all the various devices and achievements of gaming in the last few decades.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Atomsk88

[deanb]

Of course, on a PC I have to turn my PC on, select my OS, get into Windows, go to Start -> Programs whatever. I used to have to edit custom autoexec.bat files just to play Red Baron. While I learned a lot about DOS and PC hardware trying to get games to run it wasn't my first choice of entertainment. Now I run an install, and select it from the Start Menu.

 

On the other side of things, I think Devs have always seen the PC as a double edged sword. On the one hand there are no console rights to have to pay but on the other, the PC is the most piracy driven platform out there and your competition is a plethora of free or cheap as free games.

 

Firstly I'd just like to say that selecting your OS is a step you've put in yourself . Also as long as you're not as "eww... icons!" as Faiblesse, then getting to your games isn't too bad (For all I like XMB the folder layout for games just isn't so great once you build up a bunch)

 

Regarding the competition being free or cheap as free games this is seemingly the area where most, especially of late, seem to be excelling in combating.

 

My wording may be iffy but I stand by my statement. In my experience you're much more likely to to find that consoles gamers are...less knowledgeable of PC gaming (and even console gaming) than PC gamers of console gaming. Multiplayer especially. Which came to a head with MW2 being severely stripped down to removing dedicated servers, ping etc. IW said something along the lines of people just don't understand that kind of stuff (oh then made a game that required port forwarding). Or comments like "Well I don't want to play games with my keyboard" oblivious to 360 having native support and even Wiimote, not just Dualshock, having community made drivers for them. And I reckon most wouldn't know PS3 supports kb/m.

[RockyRan]

One other thing that I'd like to throw into the discussion is something funny I noticed about a year ago:

 

http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/risen

 

Risen had a noticeably lukewarm reception on the 360. The main reason? It was a poor port to the 360 and mainstream gaming reviewers who do console gaming almost exclusively really didn't like the fact that the game was apparently shoehorned as a PC game into consoles.

 

This example a nice inversion of the "PC gamer elitism" trope if you ask me. Goes to show that anyone, whether console or PC gamer, really doesn't like it when they play a game that does little to take advantage of the strengths of their platform of choice.

[Battra92]

Firstly I'd just like to say that selecting your OS is a step you've put in yourself . Also as long as you're not as "eww... icons!" as Faiblesse, then getting to your games isn't too bad (For all I like XMB the folder layout for games just isn't so great once you build up a bunch)

 

I am very "Eww icons" when it comes to my desktop. I can't understand how people work with desktops covered in icons. Spotlight on Mac FTW (though the Win7 start menu is a runner up, I'm on XP so I can't use it)

[deanb]

From the people who brought you Impulse, Objectdock and Sins of a Solar Empire: http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/

It gets the Dean seal of approval. Scrollable boxes, and a double click gets rid of it all.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

From the people who brought you Impulse, Objectdock and Sins of a Solar Empire: http://www.stardock. ...roducts/fences/

It gets the Dean seal of approval. Scrollable boxes, and a double click gets rid of it all.

 

This is really the only acceptable way I've seen to do icons on a desktop.

[CorgiShinobi]

And I reckon most wouldn't know PS3 supports kb/m.

Even I know that, but I don't see the reason to (honestly) use kb/m in most scenarios, unless you have a true fetish for it.

 

I don't really think all those CoD "game bros" are a prime example of a console gamer. Like I said, they're the bros that, most likely, got into gaming because of that "bitchin' Halo Combat shooting game."

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Why not make them and Halo fans a prime example? There's certainly more of them than anything else. Sales figures back that up.

[deanb]

I don't really think all those CoD "game bros" are a prime example of a console gamer. Like I said, they're the bros that, most likely, got into gaming because of that "bitchin' Halo Combat shooting game."

 

As faiblesse said, the sales figures pretty much back it up as been the majority, and therefore prime, example of a console gamer. They are a massive marketing force. And it's not just PC that they affect but console games too.The rise of FPS titles, games being "dumbed down", too much is DLC, etc.

[Yantelope]

 

I am very "Eww icons" when it comes to my desktop. I can't understand how people work with desktops covered in icons. Spotlight on Mac FTW (though the Win7 start menu is a runner up, I'm on XP so I can't use it)

 

Desktops are meant to be dumping grounds. It's like how you throw your dirty laundry in a pile before it gets washed and sorted. I drop all my garbage on the desktop until I throw it out or put it where it goes. I find that keeps my file folders clean and stuff that I don't really want to keep doesn't hide out forever.

 

My wording may be iffy but I stand by my statement. In my experience you're much more likely to to find that consoles gamers are...less knowledgeable of PC gaming (and even console gaming) than PC gamers of console gaming.

 

It's probably a fair statement to say that people who game regularly on a PC are more knowledgeable about PC games than people who don't.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Yantelope

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

Firstly I'd just like to say that selecting your OS is a step you've put in yourself . Also as long as you're not as "eww... icons!" as Faiblesse, then getting to your games isn't too bad (For all I like XMB the folder layout for games just isn't so great once you build up a bunch)

 

I am very "Eww icons" when it comes to my desktop. I can't understand how people work with desktops covered in icons. Spotlight on Mac FTW (though the Win7 start menu is a runner up, I'm on XP so I can't use it)

Executor is a fine XP replacement.

[CorgiShinobi]

I don't really think all those CoD "game bros" are a prime example of a console gamer. Like I said, they're the bros that, most likely, got into gaming because of that "bitchin' Halo Combat shooting game."

 

As faiblesse said, the sales figures pretty much back it up as been the majority, and therefore prime, example of a console gamer. They are a massive marketing force. And it's not just PC that they affect but console games too.The rise of FPS titles, games being "dumbed down", too much is DLC, etc.

So because this "majority" is dumb, the assumption from PC gamers, and you did say this in your previous comment, is therefore valid? That I as a console gamer, though I do play on the PC, should fall under your statement that I am less knowledgeable compared to the PC gamer.

 

This seems like we're putting on the other shoe to this PC elitist argument. "Yeah, PC gamers aren't elitist... but those console gamers sure are a stupid bunch, ha!" Really, lets shy away from stereotypes if we're going to agree that stereotypes are a farce.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Atomsk88

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I don't really think all those CoD "game bros" are a prime example of a console gamer. Like I said, they're the bros that, most likely, got into gaming because of that "bitchin' Halo Combat shooting game."

 

As faiblesse said, the sales figures pretty much back it up as been the majority, and therefore prime, example of a console gamer. They are a massive marketing force. And it's not just PC that they affect but console games too.The rise of FPS titles, games being "dumbed down", too much is DLC, etc.

So because this "majority" is dumb, the assumption from PC gamers, and you did say this in your previous comment, is therefore valid? That I as a console gamer, though I do play on the PC, should fall under your statement that I am less knowledgeable compared to the PC gamer.

 

This seems like we're putting on the other shoe to this PC elitist argument. "Yeah, PC gamers aren't elitist... but those console gamers sure are a stupid bunch, ha!" Really, lets shy away from stereotypes if we're going to agree that stereotypes are a farce.

 

At the same time, those same games (specifically cawlodudy) sell tons on PC as well. I guess you could compare the percentages of each userbase that plays each game... then this argument starts to get into "how can you judge such a thing and blah blah blah." Really don't have the attention span for that so someone else feel free.

[CorgiShinobi]

So now gamers, in general, should be represented by this "majority?"

 

I do believe I still stand by my "shy away from stereotypes" statement if we're all going to be seen as such. It doesn't help that the public sees us that way, so lets not begin that perception here as well.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

So now gamers, in general, should be represented by this "majority?"

 

I do believe I still stand by my "shy away from stereotypes" statement if we're all going to be seen as such. It doesn't help that the public sees us that way, so lets not begin that perception here as well.

 

"in general"

"majority"

 

two terms that are wide encompassing to begin with, much like a stereotype. and stereotypes are always rooted in reality.

[CorgiShinobi]

"in general"

"majority"

 

two terms that are wide encompassing to begin with, much like a stereotype. and stereotypes are always rooted in reality.

To one's own perceived reality, that which may be lacking in truth and knowledge.

 

Or, you know, we really are just a bunch of bickering ninnies with no grasp of human society because we are far too deluded in our cyber space fantasies.

[AgamemnonV2]

Statements like: "Frankly I'm a little tired of you playing the ignorant console-only gamer." don't help either. That's why console gamers have a perceptions of hoighty toighty PC gamers with their monocoles glaring down in disgust at console gamers.

Why, because I said standard PC features are absent in most ports? No, THIS is why PC gamers have such a strong dislike to console gamers (as I do). 95% of the market caters to console gamers and if a PC gamer ever raises his voice one of you lot come out of the woodwork and start some terribad argument off of Strawmen and slippery slopes. You've gone on for at least four pages simply saying, "Why? Why do you complain?" And your loaded question has been answered by at least six people in seven different ways to Sunday. So yeah, EXCUSE ME if I sound a little testy when you continue your charade of playing the subjective one when you're apparently not interested in reading logical arguments and facts.

[WTF]

Before I begin, I just read my post and realised that my grammar was off and I missed a lot of words in the earlier post but I was pretty tired .

I'm going to say something that's definitely going to annoy people but you know what - the prime example of the PC gamer in today's world demographically is the browser gamer because believe it or not most people play their facebook games on a PC.

 

Secondly many guys who assume all PC gamers are knowledgeable are actually young and assume that everyone maintains the level of expertise they have, when you do have time on your hands. As you grow older you realise it's not the case. I know this as a PC enthusiast and a gaming enthusiast. When people get older, many of them just do not care to game on PCs despite the games being cheaper and the fact that they do have disposable income to build good machines and twiddle with games and settings. As people get older, their tendency to play good games on the PC becomes lesser except for enthusiasts. You may take it any way you want but it's the truth. It's mostly because all they want to do with a game is just put it in and play because that's all they have the time for. Battra is right that consoles are more like PCs today but it's still very streamlined that it's not complicated. I mean the level of expertise you need to have to play games on a PC is similar to using iTunes which is considered commonplace.

 

The gaming trend is extremely similar to the fact that as people get older, they tend to watch films at their home entertainment sets which they've paid good money for and can get near cinema experiences (not quite really, but it's close to what we had in the 90s cinemas - but you're not going to get 4k res though you can get close to cinema sound in a home setup). When you're young, you tend to go to cinemas and when you hit your mid30s to 40s you don't because there's too many things to take care of and you just don't have the time. I know that I'm an exception to this, but people like me who play a lot of games and visit the cinema regularly aren't that common. I don't think most people who argue or debate these facts on a forum get that. A lot of people here are properly gaming enthusiasts and you know what this is a tiny tiny subset of the gaming population. With the average gamer's age rising to their late 30s it's no wonder that console gaming is on the rise.

 

You see this is the lean end of the console era when PC gaming will be more dominant than console gaming, it happens in every cycle. Most people forget that.

 

The other thing is that not every person who plays games on the PC is aware of settings, community patches, fixing resolutions, modifying files and all that. I remember when people wanted to play NES and SNES roms because they weren't available to purchase anymore and they wanted to try them on the PC, at first it was interesting because the CPUS clocked a lot higher than the consoles and that's why emulation actually became a scene. A lot of people got the ROM dumps but most were like clueless on the best emulators till those who made them tried to make it accessible.

 

Most people especially PC gamers today and I don't mean all of them but many PC gamers do take things for granted. People seem to have forgotten all the awesome mods in games in the past and think it's new. I remember people made games in UT via mods. There was an entire skating game in the first UT that was a mod (similar to a Tony Hawk title). PC gaming definitely does have entitlement issues by those who never really saw the whole growth. The entitlement that some people have is good, but the other entitlement is quite similar to entitlement issues that some script kiddies have about internet security. The thing is you can learn something from 'history' and learn something from being there. One thing I did learn from my first degree is that you never stop learning. I can also tell you why a lot of PC gamers from that era don't want to be bothered because they knew how it was to constantly be forced to upgrade because companies decided that hey their system is not good enough. You've no idea how stupid it feels these days when I've not had any game push my system to the limits since late 2009. I'm not going to upgrade till 2013 when they bring the next set of processors which they're set to announce in the next 12 months if my mole at Intel is honest .

 

I'm not that old but having played games since 1983-84 gives me some odd perspective here . Like I keep saying, enthusiast gamers are a smaller bunch so we do need to stick together regardless of platforms and demand a bit more since the dev industry is what caused such a reaction amongst us. Another thing when it comes to piracy on PC platforms that was mentioned before. I wonder if in developing nations game devs were getting decent cuts via the hardware because you can't sell new games with the hardware without getting anything back that even if games were pirated they were getting something via contracts or licenses and that's no longer the case? I do feel that network gaming has changed that model. Regardless if a dev is pushing PC hardware I do believe they should get some cut from the card manufacturers since it's something that they initiated the push for (if it comes with a free game and it's for early adopters of course).