To the OP...wtf, you don't PAY from your own pocket £10,000 a year, you get a grant (which you can pay back when you have a wage higher than x without interest) and since you're a uni student you should be tight for cash unless mummy and daddy are paying a lot for your stuff or you're working your butt off.
You don't need a good pc to be a pc gamer but if your pc doesnt meet the min specs and you don't have a lot of cash then consider buying a console.
We're all Geniuses. Most of us just don't know it.
Originally posted by unherdninja Well First, If you think a game needs to have great graphics to be good then you arent a true pc gamer IMO. Second, If you have the love for PC games then thats all you need to be a PC gamer. Hell when I first started out I had a basic stock hp computer. I played warcraft 3, red alert, WoW, and a few others. Ive upgraded my PC a lot since then but I'm still playing those same games :P...Recently added EVE to my collection.
actually...it is important....its nice to have eye candy...also a game in 2008 i expect to have good graphics...i still play will play games UO and 2D RPG from the early 90s....and love them..
Well First, If you think a game needs to have great graphics to be good then you arent a true pc gamer IMO. Second, If you have the love for PC games then thats all you need to be a PC gamer. Hell when I first started out I had a basic stock hp computer. I played warcraft 3, red alert, WoW, and a few others. Ive upgraded my PC a lot since then but I'm still playing those same games :P...Recently added EVE to my collection.
You are right that a good game doesn't need good graphics, but people want a good game to come with good graphics. Lets take the Kotor games for example. Both were good games for their time as well as had very nice graphics. Take the same story make it a 2D 3rd person overhead game. Would it still be as enjoyable as it was with how everything was implemented? Though I guess that would be hard to imagine.
It's a Jeep thing. . . _______ |___| \_______/ = |||||| = |X| \*........*/ |X| |X|_________|X| You wouldn't understand
Originally posted by Man1ac To the OP...wtf, you don't PAY from your own pocket £10,000 a year, you get a grant (which you can pay back when you have a wage higher than x without interest) and since you're a uni student you should be tight for cash unless mummy and daddy are paying a lot for your stuff or you're working your butt off. You don't need a good pc to be a pc gamer but if your pc doesnt meet the min specs and you don't have a lot of cash then consider buying a console.
i don't...in the UK we have student loans...and i chose not to get it...i do pay £10000 a year...
No one is arguing that you shouldn't have to update your computer. No one is arguing that game develpoment companies shouldn't improve their ability to produce games at higher levels of graphics quality.
Whats being argued is that the gaming companies are placing way too much stock in the value of graphics quality at the cost of other, far more meaningful parts of a games existance. They can produce the highest quality, most realistic looking graphical representation of a pile of dog poo. While it may be the most realistic looking pile of dog poo, it is still just a pile of dog poo.
The most important parts of a game, the parts that really matter in the long run, do not require huge amounts of processing power. As such, they don't require top of the line rigs to play on. I think what most people here are arguing,.. Let's get the parts of the game that really matter down pat, then let's work on how pretty it is.
Graphics - we're about to hit the glass ceiling of what we can do in real-time. Within the next couple of graphics card generations, the newer advancements won't even be perceptible to the human eye. In short, we're reaching the point where we won't even be able to notice the higher resolutions, faster frame rates and more advanced lighting effects. Damn good thing because now we can concentrate more on making good games rather than pretty games for a change.
Price - When you look at the number of PC exclusive games, the price of upgrading to the latest and greatest hardware simply doesn't justify itself. Sure, it did back in '98 withe games like Half-Life, Tribes, Red Alert 2, Baldur's Gate, etc., on the market. Right now, most PC exclusives are either glorified tech demos (Crysis) or Slower paced strategy fair (Sins of A Solar Empire). That is if they aren't knock off tycoon games and Sims 2 expansions. Nothing to get excited about really.
Working - And I mean the games working. Everyone here has probably had the experience of buying a game that didn't work on their computer. Some of you may have even had a computer that exceeded the recommended specs for the game and it still didn't work. If you build your PC custom, this happens quite a bit with newer games. Not as much as it did in the days of DOS, but it's still a roll of the dice once you install. I don't have this issue with console games. Having the all the shiney new components doesn't guarantee that every game will run on your system.
The above issues cover pretty much why I moved back to consoles. I still play games on my computer, but normally they're online games that are infinitely replayable. On my computer right now, I have TF2, BF 2142, UT3 and Guild Wars. I don't need a top of the line system to run any of those. Although I have to run UT3 in 720p and it still strains my system sometimes.
Name me 1 game which deserve that I upgrade my computer.
The best MMO out there is City of Villains (not even a close call, it outmatch each and every other MMO soo easily it is presponderous), it runs fine on a computer which was top-notch in 2003. A computer which is more recent? Why? I hardly see any use for it.
I have 2k on the side ready...for 2 years now. And no game is even remotedly worth that I spent this money. Make a good game and we will talk again. Release crap with high requirements and I will just laugh at your sillyness.
Non-MMO wise...Civ IV: Beyond the Sword/Medieval Total War (the 2nd also runs well, but I don't like it so uninstall it) also run extremely well. I am starving for good games, and there are not just coming. Go ahead, focus on this PvP/FPS/Whatever, I can wait.
LOOKING FOR A GAME...and/or a girl! :P
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Name me 1 game which deserve that I upgrade my computer.
The best MMO out there is City of Villains (not even a close call, it outmatch each and every other MMO soo easily it is presponderous), it runs fine on a computer which was top-notch in 2003. A computer which is more recent? Why? I hardly see any use for it.
I have 2k on the side ready...for 2 years now. And no game is even remotedly worth that I spent this money. Make a good game and we will talk again. Release crap with high requirements and I will just laugh at your sillyness.
Non-MMO wise...Civ IV: Beyond the Sword/Medieval Total War (the 2nd also runs well, but I don't like it so uninstall it) also run extremely well. I am starving for good games, and there are not just coming. Go ahead, focus on this PvP/FPS/Whatever, I can wait.
LOOKING FOR A GAME...and/or a girl! :P
This is how I base whether I upgrade or not. If a game comes out I want to play and my computer can't handle it I upgrade. If not I don't upgrade but continue to save for future upgrades. It works really nice with automatic deposit into separate bank accounts one just for computer upgrades
It's a Jeep thing. . . _______ |___| \_______/ = |||||| = |X| \*........*/ |X| |X|_________|X| You wouldn't understand
I'm not sure what the point here is. Perhaps that one whiny rant begets many more.
When people talk about PC gaming on boards like this, they think in terms of the Doom/Quake-spawned culture. People in that culture call themselves "serious PC gamers" and absolutely should update their hardware as often as possible. However, what is often missed is that this is a niche market with very narrow demographics, it has only existed for about 12 years, and it is dying out. One of Blizzard's keys to success has been consistently catering to those of us who got tired of upgrading, who are slipping out of that culture. We in turn invite friends who never were "serious PC gamers" to play with us and, hey, they can try out the games without having to go buy a new PC.
Consoles are dominating and PCs are becoming increasingly "appliance", as all technology does. The best hope for PC gaming is probably that the two continue to become increasingly the same.
Originally posted by etomai I'm not sure what the point here is. Perhaps that one whiny rant begets many more. When people talk about PC gaming on boards like this, they think in terms of the Doom/Quake-spawned culture. People in that culture call themselves "serious PC gamers" and absolutely should update their hardware as often as possible. However, what is often missed is that this is a niche market with very narrow demographics, it has only existed for about 12 years, and it is dying out. One of Blizzard's keys to success has been consistently catering to those of us who got tired of upgrading, who are slipping out of that culture. We in turn invite friends who never were "serious PC gamers" to play with us and, hey, they can try out the games without having to go buy a new PC. Consoles are dominating and PCs are becoming increasingly "appliance", as all technology does. The best hope for PC gaming is probably that the two continue to become increasingly the same.
blizzard hasent had a new game in years,,,all there games graphics fit in for the time.
SC2 does not look like its going to need low requirements...does it now...
Originally posted by Housam blizzard hasent had a new game in years,,,all there games graphics fit in for the time. SC2 does not look like its going to need low requirements...does it now...
I've played every game they've made since War2 on work laptops and $50 video cards. That is to say, whatever I had lying around.
Yes, their graphics always fit in, because they understood well before most that strong artistic style beats pixels.
Originally posted by etomai Originally posted by Housam blizzard hasent had a new game in years,,,all there games graphics fit in for the time. SC2 does not look like its going to need low requirements...does it now...
I've played every game they've made since War2 on work laptops and $50 video cards. That is to say, whatever I had lying around. Yes, their graphics always fit in, because they understood well before most that strong artistic style beats pixels. I expect SC2 to be the same. i said the games are pretty old...they can run on anything now...w3 came out in 2002
What an absurd statement. First place a good PC gaming system is well over $1000 and in these times there are a lot of places families can put money like that to far better use.
Sure there are people who can afford such easily, but a lot of us have family and there are many things of far higher priorities than buying a new gaming computer.
Next time pick a subject that doesn't question your grip on reality.
Originally posted by Ozmodan What an absurd statement. First place a good PC gaming system is well over $1000 and in these times there are a lot of places families can put money like that to far better use. Sure there are people who can afford such easily, but a lot of us have family and there are many things of far higher priorities than buying a new gaming computer.
the initial cos is allot...but you can keep the same computer for 5-6 years with a couple updates every couple years and it will all be fine,,,
Motherboard: $90 - (supports AM2/AM2+ 125V chips) up to 8GB ram (PC 1066) PCI-E 2.0 (x2)
Chip: $60 - AMD dual core 4200+
RAM: $70 - 4gb PC 800
Video Card: $170 (before $40 rebate) 8800 gts (overclocked)
HD: $60 - Maxtor 160 gb
DVD +/- RW: $25 - Sony
Case/Power: $35 - (400 watt)
Keyboard/Mouse: $10 (Logitech)
Monitor: $170 (17" widescreen)
OS: $80 - 64-bit Vista Basic
Shipping/Tax: $100
$900 for a brand new, fairly decent gaming PC. PLUS, with the motherboard, I can easily expand the components as I have more spending money. Quad-core chips when they come down in price, double the ram when I get the funds, SLI if I feel so inclined. This machine should last a couple of years without really needing anything, but it also has the capability of expanding fairly cheaply.
What if I already had a PC that needed upgrading? Thats just board/chip/ram/vid card (at the most). 390 to get it to the same place, and not needing anything for a couple of years.
So you can do it if you shop around and know how to build a machine.
However, I have no intentions of playing AoC. I will agree that graphics don't trump gameplay, but at the same time, if you want to be able to play the latest and greatest video games when they come out, you must be willing to keep your system up to date.
If you're a "Gamer" then all that really means is that you enjoy playing games. It doesn't mean you always need to have the new cool stuff to play games. Its great to upgrade your system, but I don't think it should be mandatory on every game. Graphics don't mean alot... sorry, but they don't. Graphics will always... ALWAYS take a backseat to playability. What good is a games graphics if you never want to play the game? Sure it's nice when the game is pleasing to the eye, but it's not necessary. Upgrading your PC every 2-3 years would be nice, but again.. not necessary.
Also, PC gaming isn't going anywhere. A PC is just another console for developers. If you're going to use a computer to create a game, and put it on 2 systems, how tough do you think it would be to put it on the original system it was created on? Along with online distribution the costs of selling a PC game is much less then boxed console games. Not to mention if the game was created for system X then putting it on a PC is just a few minor modifications for an extra release and extra cash.
That system above would barely play AoC. Throwing a bunch of cheap components together, a good gaming computer does not make. Suggestion, avoid making gaming computers for friends, you will lose them as friend fast.
Theres nothing wrong with that system, the processor could be a bit higher, but the system would run just fine.. even on AoC. The only problem I would see you would have is if you're an Intel fanboy.
Meh, PC gaming is holding on almost entirely by MMO gaming and FPS gaming. Frankly...a lot of FPS'ers are playing XBox's right now. PC gaming has a major flaw that really inhibits it from being as accessible as consoles. With console gaming...the console developer controls the medium, whereas in PC's...the game developer does. These game devs making things on consoles are all equally limited to the same hardware and software options, and this forces them to place all of their attention on making the actual game superior.
Thanks to people like I see here...PC gaming can never achieve that because all people on THIS medium care about IS making use of their elite PCs. If two MMO's launched on the Box right now...you can bet the time spent in development would be wayy more focused on game play, because its the only dividing factor there. Instead, we have the junk we are seeing now. "Lets all use the same old TIRED formula for gaming and make it PRETTY!"
I love my computer...but as consoles keep using PC elements and moving forward, I'm forced to agree with Jimmy. I am about DONE with it. Consoles end up being cheaper, and provide a much LARGER library of games to enjoy. All of that, and I do not have to worry about a Wii or Xbox game requiring a 300 dollar upgrade to play it. I can even browse the net, play flash games, and check my email from them. The PC community is teh very bane of this market...because they don't push harder for the market here to stabilize more than this.
I WILL agree that basic upgrades aren't terrible. The trouble is that some of these new games (I'm looking at YOU Conan, you piece of trash) require more than simple upgrades. You need way more than minimum specs to play them enjoyably...and the recommended specs can require most of us a sick chunk of change to play. Worse if they need new vid ports (To support PCI-e or what have you) or new RAM ports. That places most people at needing a whole new computer, and that is so far from cheap I'd buy a console first any day. Spending a thousand or more dollars every 5 years is REALLY stupid. Consoles last at least that long and cost HALF that amount. They have more games, and generally more reliable Hardware.
So, no Housam. I think that the REAL gamers have already left PC's to die where they belong. The only ones of us left are suckers for MMO's....and honestly THAT field is gettin g on even my last nerve. I still hold out hope for Champions and WAR though. Else, I'd have already sold this thing and picked up the Xbox.
I really wish developers would concentrate on gameplay more than graphics. Its great they've gotten to be so cool looking but face it if all the games come out are a lackluster and worthless gameplay wise as Crysis but look gorgeous I'll just stick to the Wii...I'd suggest the xbox or the ps3 but they all sell the same games with the same gameplay and new graphics...utterly uncreative in my opinion. Games were far more fun when Duke Nukem, Baldur's Gate, Warcraft & Diablo owned the markets.
I don't think there's anything wrong with a lil upgrade here and there when necessary but requiring it is just ridiculous. Its like saying every 2 to 3 years we should buy a new tv because better TV's have come out.
Once I get done paying loans, rent, food expenses, and utilities I'm lucky to have a few extra hundred bucks left over per month but not everyone is in the same position its unfair to leave those folks out simply because a few people think Better Graphics = Better games. Games were never about graphics they were always about FUN..unfortantely devs and some delusion 20 year old children have no concept or have lost sight of this. I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 for consoles and the days of the original DOOM for PCs and you don't see me crying for super awsome graphics. I just want the game to be fun.
If I'm going to have to pay 50 bucks for a game I expect it to be fun first look cool second.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
That system above would barely play AoC. Throwing a bunch of cheap components together, a good gaming computer does not make. Suggestion, avoid making gaming computers for friends, you will lose them as friend fast.
This is very true. If you build a gaming machine for someone that doesn't know the ins and outs of troubleshooting they will constantly be calling.
It's a Jeep thing. . . _______ |___| \_______/ = |||||| = |X| \*........*/ |X| |X|_________|X| You wouldn't understand
Comments
To the OP...wtf, you don't PAY from your own pocket £10,000 a year, you get a grant (which you can pay back when you have a wage higher than x without interest) and since you're a uni student you should be tight for cash unless mummy and daddy are paying a lot for your stuff or you're working your butt off.
You don't need a good pc to be a pc gamer but if your pc doesnt meet the min specs and you don't have a lot of cash then consider buying a console.
We're all Geniuses. Most of us just don't know it.
actually...it is important....its nice to have eye candy...also a game in 2008 i expect to have good graphics...i still play will play games UO and 2D RPG from the early 90s....and love them..
You are right that a good game doesn't need good graphics, but people want a good game to come with good graphics. Lets take the Kotor games for example. Both were good games for their time as well as had very nice graphics. Take the same story make it a 2D 3rd person overhead game. Would it still be as enjoyable as it was with how everything was implemented? Though I guess that would be hard to imagine.
_______
|___|
\_______/
= |||||| =
|X| \*........*/ |X|
|X|_________|X|
You wouldn't understand
i don't...in the UK we have student loans...and i chose not to get it...i do pay £10000 a year...
No one is arguing that you shouldn't have to update your computer. No one is arguing that game develpoment companies shouldn't improve their ability to produce games at higher levels of graphics quality.
Whats being argued is that the gaming companies are placing way too much stock in the value of graphics quality at the cost of other, far more meaningful parts of a games existance. They can produce the highest quality, most realistic looking graphical representation of a pile of dog poo. While it may be the most realistic looking pile of dog poo, it is still just a pile of dog poo.
The most important parts of a game, the parts that really matter in the long run, do not require huge amounts of processing power. As such, they don't require top of the line rigs to play on. I think what most people here are arguing,.. Let's get the parts of the game that really matter down pat, then let's work on how pretty it is.
Maligar Kelison
Threat Removal
Quick replies to a few issues brought up here.
Graphics - we're about to hit the glass ceiling of what we can do in real-time. Within the next couple of graphics card generations, the newer advancements won't even be perceptible to the human eye. In short, we're reaching the point where we won't even be able to notice the higher resolutions, faster frame rates and more advanced lighting effects. Damn good thing because now we can concentrate more on making good games rather than pretty games for a change.
Price - When you look at the number of PC exclusive games, the price of upgrading to the latest and greatest hardware simply doesn't justify itself. Sure, it did back in '98 withe games like Half-Life, Tribes, Red Alert 2, Baldur's Gate, etc., on the market. Right now, most PC exclusives are either glorified tech demos (Crysis) or Slower paced strategy fair (Sins of A Solar Empire). That is if they aren't knock off tycoon games and Sims 2 expansions. Nothing to get excited about really.
Working - And I mean the games working. Everyone here has probably had the experience of buying a game that didn't work on their computer. Some of you may have even had a computer that exceeded the recommended specs for the game and it still didn't work. If you build your PC custom, this happens quite a bit with newer games. Not as much as it did in the days of DOS, but it's still a roll of the dice once you install. I don't have this issue with console games. Having the all the shiney new components doesn't guarantee that every game will run on your system.
The above issues cover pretty much why I moved back to consoles. I still play games on my computer, but normally they're online games that are infinitely replayable. On my computer right now, I have TF2, BF 2142, UT3 and Guild Wars. I don't need a top of the line system to run any of those. Although I have to run UT3 in 720p and it still strains my system sometimes.
LOL
Name me 1 game which deserve that I upgrade my computer.
The best MMO out there is City of Villains (not even a close call, it outmatch each and every other MMO soo easily it is presponderous), it runs fine on a computer which was top-notch in 2003. A computer which is more recent? Why? I hardly see any use for it.
I have 2k on the side ready...for 2 years now. And no game is even remotedly worth that I spent this money. Make a good game and we will talk again. Release crap with high requirements and I will just laugh at your sillyness.
Non-MMO wise...Civ IV: Beyond the Sword/Medieval Total War (the 2nd also runs well, but I don't like it so uninstall it) also run extremely well. I am starving for good games, and there are not just coming. Go ahead, focus on this PvP/FPS/Whatever, I can wait.
LOOKING FOR A GAME...and/or a girl! :P
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
This is how I base whether I upgrade or not. If a game comes out I want to play and my computer can't handle it I upgrade. If not I don't upgrade but continue to save for future upgrades. It works really nice with automatic deposit into separate bank accounts one just for computer upgrades
_______
|___|
\_______/
= |||||| =
|X| \*........*/ |X|
|X|_________|X|
You wouldn't understand
I'm not sure what the point here is. Perhaps that one whiny rant begets many more.
When people talk about PC gaming on boards like this, they think in terms of the Doom/Quake-spawned culture. People in that culture call themselves "serious PC gamers" and absolutely should update their hardware as often as possible. However, what is often missed is that this is a niche market with very narrow demographics, it has only existed for about 12 years, and it is dying out. One of Blizzard's keys to success has been consistently catering to those of us who got tired of upgrading, who are slipping out of that culture. We in turn invite friends who never were "serious PC gamers" to play with us and, hey, they can try out the games without having to go buy a new PC.
Consoles are dominating and PCs are becoming increasingly "appliance", as all technology does. The best hope for PC gaming is probably that the two continue to become increasingly the same.
blizzard hasent had a new game in years,,,all there games graphics fit in for the time.
SC2 does not look like its going to need low requirements...does it now...
I've played every game they've made since War2 on work laptops and $50 video cards. That is to say, whatever I had lying around.
Yes, their graphics always fit in, because they understood well before most that strong artistic style beats pixels.
I expect SC2 to be the same.
I've played every game they've made since War2 on work laptops and $50 video cards. That is to say, whatever I had lying around.
Yes, their graphics always fit in, because they understood well before most that strong artistic style beats pixels.
I expect SC2 to be the same.
i said the games are pretty old...they can run on anything now...w3 came out in 2002
And I played it in 2002.
lol
people are weird....they like to pretend they are true gamers and say graphics dont matter at all..when in reality..they do matter allot...
What an absurd statement. First place a good PC gaming system is well over $1000 and in these times there are a lot of places families can put money like that to far better use.
Sure there are people who can afford such easily, but a lot of us have family and there are many things of far higher priorities than buying a new gaming computer.
Next time pick a subject that doesn't question your grip on reality.
do it like me, buy average hardware.
dont spend over 1.200 bucks on it
looks like this:
4x2.4ghz oced @ 4x3.6ghz
8800gts
4gb ram (2x2 rigs)
500gb hdd
msi motherboard
and done
this pc life for 5-8 years without problems.
the only thing i would change later is maybe graka. 8800gts has dx10 so i would buy dx 12 card always wait for 2 generations.
the initial cos is allot...but you can keep the same computer for 5-6 years with a couple updates every couple years and it will all be fine,,,
thats the beauty of a pc..it can be updated...
I agree with you that PC is dieing because people get more of what they are looking for from console:
Developers of MMORPGs want us to grind our lives away and pay $15.00 a month to do it.
I need something different, deeper, and better:
Motherboard: $90 - (supports AM2/AM2+ 125V chips) up to 8GB ram (PC 1066) PCI-E 2.0 (x2)
Chip: $60 - AMD dual core 4200+
RAM: $70 - 4gb PC 800
Video Card: $170 (before $40 rebate) 8800 gts (overclocked)
HD: $60 - Maxtor 160 gb
DVD +/- RW: $25 - Sony
Case/Power: $35 - (400 watt)
Keyboard/Mouse: $10 (Logitech)
Monitor: $170 (17" widescreen)
OS: $80 - 64-bit Vista Basic
Shipping/Tax: $100
$900 for a brand new, fairly decent gaming PC. PLUS, with the motherboard, I can easily expand the components as I have more spending money. Quad-core chips when they come down in price, double the ram when I get the funds, SLI if I feel so inclined. This machine should last a couple of years without really needing anything, but it also has the capability of expanding fairly cheaply.
What if I already had a PC that needed upgrading? Thats just board/chip/ram/vid card (at the most). 390 to get it to the same place, and not needing anything for a couple of years.
So you can do it if you shop around and know how to build a machine.
However, I have no intentions of playing AoC. I will agree that graphics don't trump gameplay, but at the same time, if you want to be able to play the latest and greatest video games when they come out, you must be willing to keep your system up to date.
That system above would barely play AoC. Throwing a bunch of cheap components together, a good gaming computer does not make.
Suggestion, avoid making gaming computers for friends, you will lose them as friend fast.
Two things,
If you're a "Gamer" then all that really means is that you enjoy playing games. It doesn't mean you always need to have the new cool stuff to play games. Its great to upgrade your system, but I don't think it should be mandatory on every game. Graphics don't mean alot... sorry, but they don't. Graphics will always... ALWAYS take a backseat to playability. What good is a games graphics if you never want to play the game? Sure it's nice when the game is pleasing to the eye, but it's not necessary. Upgrading your PC every 2-3 years would be nice, but again.. not necessary.
Also, PC gaming isn't going anywhere. A PC is just another console for developers. If you're going to use a computer to create a game, and put it on 2 systems, how tough do you think it would be to put it on the original system it was created on? Along with online distribution the costs of selling a PC game is much less then boxed console games. Not to mention if the game was created for system X then putting it on a PC is just a few minor modifications for an extra release and extra cash.
Theres nothing wrong with that system, the processor could be a bit higher, but the system would run just fine.. even on AoC. The only problem I would see you would have is if you're an Intel fanboy.
Meh, PC gaming is holding on almost entirely by MMO gaming and FPS gaming. Frankly...a lot of FPS'ers are playing XBox's right now. PC gaming has a major flaw that really inhibits it from being as accessible as consoles. With console gaming...the console developer controls the medium, whereas in PC's...the game developer does. These game devs making things on consoles are all equally limited to the same hardware and software options, and this forces them to place all of their attention on making the actual game superior.
Thanks to people like I see here...PC gaming can never achieve that because all people on THIS medium care about IS making use of their elite PCs. If two MMO's launched on the Box right now...you can bet the time spent in development would be wayy more focused on game play, because its the only dividing factor there. Instead, we have the junk we are seeing now. "Lets all use the same old TIRED formula for gaming and make it PRETTY!"
I love my computer...but as consoles keep using PC elements and moving forward, I'm forced to agree with Jimmy. I am about DONE with it. Consoles end up being cheaper, and provide a much LARGER library of games to enjoy. All of that, and I do not have to worry about a Wii or Xbox game requiring a 300 dollar upgrade to play it. I can even browse the net, play flash games, and check my email from them. The PC community is teh very bane of this market...because they don't push harder for the market here to stabilize more than this.
I WILL agree that basic upgrades aren't terrible. The trouble is that some of these new games (I'm looking at YOU Conan, you piece of trash) require more than simple upgrades. You need way more than minimum specs to play them enjoyably...and the recommended specs can require most of us a sick chunk of change to play. Worse if they need new vid ports (To support PCI-e or what have you) or new RAM ports. That places most people at needing a whole new computer, and that is so far from cheap I'd buy a console first any day. Spending a thousand or more dollars every 5 years is REALLY stupid. Consoles last at least that long and cost HALF that amount. They have more games, and generally more reliable Hardware.
So, no Housam. I think that the REAL gamers have already left PC's to die where they belong. The only ones of us left are suckers for MMO's....and honestly THAT field is gettin g on even my last nerve. I still hold out hope for Champions and WAR though. Else, I'd have already sold this thing and picked up the Xbox.
I really wish developers would concentrate on gameplay more than graphics. Its great they've gotten to be so cool looking but face it if all the games come out are a lackluster and worthless gameplay wise as Crysis but look gorgeous I'll just stick to the Wii...I'd suggest the xbox or the ps3 but they all sell the same games with the same gameplay and new graphics...utterly uncreative in my opinion. Games were far more fun when Duke Nukem, Baldur's Gate, Warcraft & Diablo owned the markets.
I don't think there's anything wrong with a lil upgrade here and there when necessary but requiring it is just ridiculous. Its like saying every 2 to 3 years we should buy a new tv because better TV's have come out.
Once I get done paying loans, rent, food expenses, and utilities I'm lucky to have a few extra hundred bucks left over per month but not everyone is in the same position its unfair to leave those folks out simply because a few people think Better Graphics = Better games. Games were never about graphics they were always about FUN..unfortantely devs and some delusion 20 year old children have no concept or have lost sight of this. I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 for consoles and the days of the original DOOM for PCs and you don't see me crying for super awsome graphics. I just want the game to be fun.
If I'm going to have to pay 50 bucks for a game I expect it to be fun first look cool second.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
This is very true. If you build a gaming machine for someone that doesn't know the ins and outs of troubleshooting they will constantly be calling.
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You wouldn't understand