I do most of my gaming on my 360, but I do have a stable of PC games. Fortunately I subscribe to this [http://xkcd.com/606/] theory of PC gaming, so I avoid most of the major problems.
265: Punching the Baby Seal of PC Gaming
- Thread starter Chuck Wendig
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It's unfortunate you had these problems Mr. Wendig, I don't know what else to say to you, so I'll say what I think.
I'm a PC gamer, still play on it almost exclusively, everything from DOS classics to current titles and everything in between. I rarely have issues that prevent me from enjoying a game, and I hope I don't ever come to the breaking point you describe and throw PC gaming under the bus forever.
I do it because I love games, both games that work well on consoles - which sadly for the past several years have made up the majority of top PC titles, and shoddy ports of these games go a long way to inducing dislike of the PC in many people - as well as games that simply wouldn't work on a console.
I do it because I know that the mouse-and-keyboard combo is at once both the simplest and most versatile input method yet devised.
I do it because the kinds of boundaries PC games can push are completely different than the kinds of boundaries consoles can push, and the kinds of boundaries that PC games can push are the ones I feel will define the fringes of what games CAN be.
Unfortunately both console and PC have neglected this potential in recent years by rushing headlong down the dead-end street of graphical enhancement, and by the enforced hegemony that multi-platform titles create. Thankfully, on both PC and console, the small developers are slowly breaking this trend, and I hope in doing so they again try to push the boundaries of what we expect games to *do*.
In this era of multi-platform titles it becomes harder and harder to decide why you should choose PC over console, I won't deny that. Even so, either way you choose, there are sacrifices that are made.
PC users sacrifice 100% guaranteed trouble-free operation, and a bit more dough and time, but in return they get...what? Unmatched framerates and audio/visual fidelity certainly, but more importantly they get the potential for games that go way beyond the scope and complexity of what consoles can offer, or simply the ability to do things consoles can't do. TF2 is an excellent example, the console ports are absolutely broken, lacking *three years worth* of new content, new subsystems, new gameplay, because consoles simply aren't as flexible as the game itself is.
Consoles get that trouble-free setup, that guaranteed compatibility (for the lifetime of the console anyway) but in exchange they sacrifice the elbow room to change rapidly, to allow completely new kinds of ideas to be implemented, or to allow old ideas to be more fully realized than ever. You trade scope and depth for convenience.
It's all about what you're willing to sacrifice. There may be no 'right' sacrifice, time is a precious commodity and I won't fault a man for refusing to waste it. But I know what I won't sacrifice, and that's why me, and millions like me, will never give up PC gaming.
tl;dr - Sorry about your trouble Mr. Wending, but I heart PC gaming
I'm a PC gamer, still play on it almost exclusively, everything from DOS classics to current titles and everything in between. I rarely have issues that prevent me from enjoying a game, and I hope I don't ever come to the breaking point you describe and throw PC gaming under the bus forever.
I do it because I love games, both games that work well on consoles - which sadly for the past several years have made up the majority of top PC titles, and shoddy ports of these games go a long way to inducing dislike of the PC in many people - as well as games that simply wouldn't work on a console.
I do it because I know that the mouse-and-keyboard combo is at once both the simplest and most versatile input method yet devised.
I do it because the kinds of boundaries PC games can push are completely different than the kinds of boundaries consoles can push, and the kinds of boundaries that PC games can push are the ones I feel will define the fringes of what games CAN be.
Unfortunately both console and PC have neglected this potential in recent years by rushing headlong down the dead-end street of graphical enhancement, and by the enforced hegemony that multi-platform titles create. Thankfully, on both PC and console, the small developers are slowly breaking this trend, and I hope in doing so they again try to push the boundaries of what we expect games to *do*.
In this era of multi-platform titles it becomes harder and harder to decide why you should choose PC over console, I won't deny that. Even so, either way you choose, there are sacrifices that are made.
PC users sacrifice 100% guaranteed trouble-free operation, and a bit more dough and time, but in return they get...what? Unmatched framerates and audio/visual fidelity certainly, but more importantly they get the potential for games that go way beyond the scope and complexity of what consoles can offer, or simply the ability to do things consoles can't do. TF2 is an excellent example, the console ports are absolutely broken, lacking *three years worth* of new content, new subsystems, new gameplay, because consoles simply aren't as flexible as the game itself is.
Consoles get that trouble-free setup, that guaranteed compatibility (for the lifetime of the console anyway) but in exchange they sacrifice the elbow room to change rapidly, to allow completely new kinds of ideas to be implemented, or to allow old ideas to be more fully realized than ever. You trade scope and depth for convenience.
It's all about what you're willing to sacrifice. There may be no 'right' sacrifice, time is a precious commodity and I won't fault a man for refusing to waste it. But I know what I won't sacrifice, and that's why me, and millions like me, will never give up PC gaming.
tl;dr - Sorry about your trouble Mr. Wending, but I heart PC gaming
Hahaha, I completely agree with this article. Steam is awesome, but it's actually rare for any game I buy to work as good as a console game. Then I have to go on a scavenger hunt on Google to try to find a fix, and it's almost impossible to find an easy solution. Most of the time, you'll find one or two posts on a random message board from someone that seems to have the EXACT same problem you're having, and then there's maybe 2 replies to each of those, and most of the replies are from snobby people saying they run the game on a weaker computer just fine. These people just lucked out, plain and simple. Some computers/graphics cards seem to work perfectly... but most don't. And if you're like me and the author of this article, then even games with the crappiest of graphics will stutter like a nerd trying to ask out Scarlet Johansen.
Holy smokes, so much entertaining hyperbole in a single Escapist article!
'goes to the comments'
Wait, people actually read the articles on the Escapist? Oh, right, this article mentions adorable violence in the title.
Wow, how quickly Escapees fall apart and revert to classic forum tendencies when something about PC gaming is written.
Your frustration in a PC not being able to play games is very reasonable, even though some commenters would like to believe otherwise. I, too, get very frustrated when I try to start up Team Fortress 2 and during a match about an hour into gameplay the display will explode and the game crashes for no explainable reason. It isn't fair to me as a consumer that the things I pay for don't work properly straight out of the box and unfortunately for modern computer games, this is becoming really prominent. Especially when there are alternative options such as a gaming console that will give me the same fix I'm looking for without these problems.
If I find a microwaveable burrito to be the same value as a sandwich, the difference being that a sandwich takes longer to make, then I'm going to microwave a burrito. Now, other people may not see these items to have the same value, and more power to them, but for myself, I'm hungry and gonna go nuke a burrito now and not deal with all of the sandwich making.
'goes to the comments'
Wait, people actually read the articles on the Escapist? Oh, right, this article mentions adorable violence in the title.
Wow, how quickly Escapees fall apart and revert to classic forum tendencies when something about PC gaming is written.
Your frustration in a PC not being able to play games is very reasonable, even though some commenters would like to believe otherwise. I, too, get very frustrated when I try to start up Team Fortress 2 and during a match about an hour into gameplay the display will explode and the game crashes for no explainable reason. It isn't fair to me as a consumer that the things I pay for don't work properly straight out of the box and unfortunately for modern computer games, this is becoming really prominent. Especially when there are alternative options such as a gaming console that will give me the same fix I'm looking for without these problems.
If I find a microwaveable burrito to be the same value as a sandwich, the difference being that a sandwich takes longer to make, then I'm going to microwave a burrito. Now, other people may not see these items to have the same value, and more power to them, but for myself, I'm hungry and gonna go nuke a burrito now and not deal with all of the sandwich making.
And here I just bought a new computer and started to think "hey, maybe I can get into gaming on the computer again? It's been years, my hardware sucked and my Xbox has provided me with all the entertainment I need, but now I can start again. Oh, joy!"
And you remind me of this shit!? Oh God, suddenly all the memories of games crashing when I try to change the controls come back to me. The claims that my computer wasn't good enough. Oh lord, what have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE!? *shakes fists at sky dramatically*
And you remind me of this shit!? Oh God, suddenly all the memories of games crashing when I try to change the controls come back to me. The claims that my computer wasn't good enough. Oh lord, what have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE!? *shakes fists at sky dramatically*
First, it's not just hardware but software that makes your computer run. You can meet or supersede the requirements all you want, but if your drivers aren't up to date, it doesn't matter. Not only that, but the minimum requirements posted are basically what you need if you have no other programs running in the background. For GFWL, you've got GFWL running on top of the game, not to mention Steam running if you bought it through them. Some people top that off with things like Raptr or Xfire. Each of these things drains resources that would otherwise be going to run the game.poiuppx said:
Second, if you buy a pre-built PC, no one will ever say that you didn't invest enough money in it. In fact, most people would say you invested too much money in it. As for time, that's a mater of care. If you care enough about your PC experience, you'll put the time into it. If not, it'll show.
Or you'll just switch to Consoles, which is a valid gamer choice as well. I own several consoles myself.
And this is why console players make my brain hurt.JaymesFogarty said:
99% of the time, I switch on my PC and I have a choice of hundreds of games. All there, just a click away. I've saved money on my purchases, I can play my own music, I can just do so many other things I couldn't on a console.
Yeah, that 1% is a little annoying but still...
...MrDeckard said:
Have you even tried, guys? Or did you have one bad experience that put you off for life?
C'mon, a little interaction with the software helps you learn about it.
The funny thing is, the pirated versions have the DRM and piracy checks removed, which are the causes of a lot of problems for legitimate consumers.
I'm guessing your Dell computer was a Vista.
There's your two problems right there, if you don't disable User Account Control in Vista, very little actually works, and most troubleshooting things don't mention it, because it would be redundant to mention it for everything, and is pretty much just universally known that you should disable it.
Get an Asus computer.
I'm guessing your Dell computer was a Vista.
There's your two problems right there, if you don't disable User Account Control in Vista, very little actually works, and most troubleshooting things don't mention it, because it would be redundant to mention it for everything, and is pretty much just universally known that you should disable it.
Get an Asus computer.
The_root_of_all_evil said:
......I also have a choice of hundreds of games, all in a neat row on my dresser shelves, just a press of the disc tray button away, I've saved money by buying games that don't freeze up and make me quit them, and my 360 DOES allow me to play all my own music.
PC's can play every game ever made? Wow, I didn't know PC's could play console exclusives [/sarcasm]generic gamer said:
I don't need the shelves. Fix the games that freeze. Play videos, write letters, don't have to pay for my updates, get free stuff...danpascooch said:
I mean, I can see the usage of a console, but there's no REASON for hating the PC if you just get along with it.
If you don't want to play MMOs, RTSs, FPSs or the like, then that's fine and dandy; but spitting acid over a game that's not that great because it crashes just as you're about to play it? How the drek do you play MarioKart without shooting someone?
Well, exclusives don't transcend emulators, do they?danpascooch said:
It's funny how people seem to have not read the article, and repeated the SAME TROUBLESHOOT LINE that he mentioned in it.
Besides, PC gaming can be a pain at times. PCs are a much larger money sink than consoles, since you have to consistently be upgrading parts of them. Also, the DRM gets nasty, and lag seems to be more prominent on PCs than on consoles (at least in my experience).
Don't get me wrong though, once you get past all of the frustrations, the actual gaming experience tops that of consoles. Mods, dedicated servers, and the fact that some genres simply work better on a PC (RTS, for example). The problem is that getting there has to be easier. Think about it this way, say a game starts off really boring or frustrating for a few hours, but gets really good later, would you put up with it? Some would, but not everyone has the patience, and, quite frankly, that type of patience shouldn't be expected. Video games are something to enjoy, so why should we not be enjoying ourselves?
Besides, PC gaming can be a pain at times. PCs are a much larger money sink than consoles, since you have to consistently be upgrading parts of them. Also, the DRM gets nasty, and lag seems to be more prominent on PCs than on consoles (at least in my experience).
Don't get me wrong though, once you get past all of the frustrations, the actual gaming experience tops that of consoles. Mods, dedicated servers, and the fact that some genres simply work better on a PC (RTS, for example). The problem is that getting there has to be easier. Think about it this way, say a game starts off really boring or frustrating for a few hours, but gets really good later, would you put up with it? Some would, but not everyone has the patience, and, quite frankly, that type of patience shouldn't be expected. Video games are something to enjoy, so why should we not be enjoying ourselves?
Sure emulators are fine if you want to play the SNES, but show me a nice 360/PS3 emulator that works.The_root_of_all_evil said:
I thought so, there are DS games that can't even be emulated properly on the PC for god's sake!
I like how you placed FPS in the realm of PC exclusive genres, when most FPS players play on console.
Personally, I don't have much of a problem playing PC games, but lots of people do, and it's a big annoyance when you paid for the thing!
Also, don't talk about "watching videos" and "writing letters" just because I play games primarily for the console doesn't mean I don't own a PC, this is about their relative merits as gaming platforms.
Another thing, it's harder to cheat online with consoles.
Ah PC gaming.
Such a sweet doubled edged sword.
My personal gripe is with Empire:Total War; bloody thing crashes when you try to start a game. And I've troubleshot it to the moon and back, even deleted and re-installed it. Now it'll run if I run the game in window, but crash if I try to go full screen. Ah well, don't really need it now that Starcraft is out. XD
Such a sweet doubled edged sword.
My personal gripe is with Empire:Total War; bloody thing crashes when you try to start a game. And I've troubleshot it to the moon and back, even deleted and re-installed it. Now it'll run if I run the game in window, but crash if I try to go full screen. Ah well, don't really need it now that Starcraft is out. XD
Or the BBC, Electron, Spectrum, C64, Amiga, PS1, PS2, DS, Gameboy, GBA, Arcade, Pinball, C16, Dragon, Oric, etc.danpascooch said:
Sort of tough to do that without breaking forum rules, doncha know.
Well, Micro$oft seems to put FPS squarely in the realms of PC. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.217020-Rumor-Microsoft-Killed-PC-Xbox-Cross-Platform-Play?page=1]
This is up there with "it costs too much" and "it always breaks down". Lots of people die from being stung by a bee each year (around 53) but that's hardly a reason to go on a bee vendetta.
One of the relative merits being that I can switch between game/video/music/letter with a few key presses.
It's also impossible (legally) to mod anything. Or upgrade it. Or...lots of other things.
I'm not saying Consoles are bad, I'm just saying that PCs aren't that bad.
I never used to have a single issue or crash with PC Games.
Then I sold my trusty nVidia GTX 280 and purchased an ATI 5870.
Now there are certain PC Games I simply avoid (Fallout and Crysis, I'm looking at you) because they tend to become crash-centric games of Doom.
Then I sold my trusty nVidia GTX 280 and purchased an ATI 5870.
Now there are certain PC Games I simply avoid (Fallout and Crysis, I'm looking at you) because they tend to become crash-centric games of Doom.