Jimquisition: Children of the Resolution

[madstork]

The points about PCs are well taken, but that last comment was a bit elitist. Most people don't have the spare cash for that kind of machine.

edit: even with that said, I would prefer an old clunker laptop to a ps4 right now. The indie game scene is already better than the AAA scene, and only getting bigger.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

Neither do I. I just posted the comment for comparison purposes.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

That intro was fantastic, I welcome you with open arms Jim!

 

[Simalacrum]

You just described how DSLR cameras are objectively better than point-and-shoot cameras and are technologically superior. They are even subjectively better by your own admission if you take time to learn how to use them and invest in them. Thats actually a good PC vs consoles analogy, but it seems you missed your own point. PCs and consoles both have their niche, but PCs are objectively technologically superior, have bigger game library (20 000+ released games, you can play all of them with relatively little worries about backward compatibilities), versatile (you can plug in whatever gamepad you want, VR capabilities coming soon, can play videos, mp3, PS1-PS2 games with emulators, whatever you can think of really). The only saving grace of consoles is that they are easier to use compared to PCs, but as with DSLR cameras it is easily remedied just by putting some effort into it.

As for PCs being more expensive, well, all things worthwhile generally are expensive. Such is life. But you can pick and choose PC components you want based on performance and price, and find eventually that you paid less than you expected to pay.

Edit: I don't hate consoles or console owners in general, I would even buy PS3/4 if I had extra money for it. It does, however, rustle my jimmies when console fanboys start loudly proclaiming how much their console is better than all PCs ever. It's just not true.

My point wasn't that 'PC's are superior'. My point was that it doesn't matter if PC's are superior. Its all about whats best for whom; PC players whom declare that their platform is superior in every way forget that its not necessarily for everyone.

Take, for example, your dismissal of price and usability as "It is easily remedied just by putting some effort into it" (in leu of the fact that ease of use shouldn't need effort), and "all things worthwhile are expensive". Heres the thing though: some people don't want to put effort into their gaming (or photography), and don't want to spend massive amounts of money for something that they, personally, don't see as worthwhile; and thats OK. Not everyone needs to be an enthusiast. Not every photographer needs to know about the nitty gritty details of photography, and not every gamer needs to have a custom-built rig to have a little bit of fun.

And besides, while you dismiss usability and ease of use, those are both serious concerns for many consumers. (both of gaming PC's and DSLR's)

edit: I forgot to add: people who do decide that a console (or point-and-shoot) is better for them and buy that instead of the technically superior PC/DSLR should most definitely NOT be patronised for their purchase. The sort of flaming PS4/Xbone fanboys have against each other is bad enough, but the sheer elitism of PC users, comparing people who want to use consoles as 'dirty peasants' is somewhat tiresome. Just like I shouldn't admonish people for getting a point&shoot just cause I have a DSLR, PC users shouldn't look down upon console users either; they're just different platforms for different people.

 

[derprimus]

My point wasn't that 'PC's are superior'. My point was that it doesn't matter if PC's are superior. Its all about whats best for whom; PC players whom declare that their platform is superior in every way forget that its not necessarily for everyone.

Are you implying that PC owners can't declare that PCs are superior because it will hurt horribly console owners' fragile feelings? I'm sorry, but as you pointed earlier - it's just a purchasing decision. It was your own decision to buy glorified blue-ray/dvd player which can be occasionally used to play expensive videogames of questionable quality. No amount of witty remarks or unfunny memes will make your movies, games or gaming experience worse. If anything, the whole PC/console war is the most innocuous thing in the gaming fandom, because participating fanboys don't attempt to hurt anybody directly. So, as I way saying, enjoy your digital entertainment, dear sir, and don't take interenet holywars seriously.

Your sincere, arrogant, sympathising and patronising PC Master Race gamer

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I'm not sure if I should be elated or worried that more and more people are shifting towards the PC.

Why woudl you be worried? I understand some peopel are jelous, some are angry (that their box isnt the most popular anymore), some genuinely hate it, but why would you be worried that people are choosing the better plantform?

For the same reason that people worry when one company has a monopoly.

Also PC Gaming is still intimidating to a lot of people, whereas consoles are easily accessible.

Also if Sony loses to the pc, then it will not be a good thing to gaming as a whole, it and Nintendo going down would leave a sizeable mark on the industry for many years(Microsoft too, but they still have windows, even if it is in its current, degenerate form known as Win8)

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Oh no! The console wars are heating up again!

How cute.

I too expected the credit slides to be un-updated.

 

[Starker]

I don't think it's necessarily true that gaming on a PC is more expensive. I've been saving a ton of money with sales and bundles.

 

[mjharper]

Lovely as usual, Jim

I'm pretty sure who argue that 720p is better than 1080p are the self-same individuals who claim that the human eye can only see at 24fps.

Cognitive dissonance much?

First of all human eys process 25 frames per second due to how eye colbs work and while it does need further research, current one shows thats about the limit +- few frames for different people perhaps.
Secondly. there is HUGE difference between 720p and 1080p.
your theory is wrong.

Um, no, because 24fps is an arbitrarily number chosen by the movie industry because it hits a good balance between fluidity and economy. It's just as arbitrary as the bizzare 29.97fps of tv in some countries.

 

[infohippie]

And while people can talk about the PC gaming master race, they will be bawling like children when they find their favourite game is "dumbed down" by the console market. So it's probably foolish for them to laugh.

*cough* Star Citizen.
When that is finally released I may not need to buy another game for years, I will very nearly live inside that one, only breaking to sleep. And it will of course support 4k, if your hardware can handle it. There is no chance that is coming to consoles.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Wonder how 780p or 1080p would look on my standard definition TV. Don't think it'll make much of a difference. Now on PC that's another story running 800x600 for some of my favorite games.

 

[deathjavu]

some stuff

Yeah, the price of monitors totally wasn't *fixed by tech companies eventually resulting in an antitrust lawsuit. I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with the relative pricings of monitors and tvs over the past 15 years.

Anyway, I can't really decypher what you mean by computer monitors being "downgraded" to 1080p after having higher resolutions, that one's kind of just straight up not true. Just because they like to put 1080p compatible on the box to prove it can do 1080p doesn't mean that's the maximum...

And as for the long turnaround time you insist will exist, again, tech moves faster now, that's just a fact. Plus, the concept of 4k has been around for a long ass time.

And honestly, most of your argument doesn't really give the impression that 4k won't eventually be used, just that it'll take a long time.

*http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Price-Fixing-Antitrust-San-Francisco-LCD-samsung,14380.html

Anyway, if you're trying to convince people you should try to be clearer and more coherent, avoid logical fallacies and especially avoid going anywhere near something that could be taken as a personal insult.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

GLORIOUS PC GAMING MASTER RACE REPORT IN!

Let us overclock our graphics cards and re-bind the controls on our keyboards in a way that makes shooters barely playable while dismissing the ease and comfort of a gamepad in celebration of our innate superiority over the dirty console peasants!

I'm sorry I can't talk right now, I'm too busy making out with my 9-button mouse, THE most optimal and comfortable tool for playing ANYTHING.

9-button? Noob. Mine has 12 thumb buttons and a fourth button on top. Hell, I have a three button headset. A G600, a G930, and I'm typing this on a G19.

Sometimes I think someone at Logitech might go just a bit too far.

haha, i have a G600 and a G13. and to be honest, i don't use the G13 THAT much. Although i do prefer it to standard keyboard.
I think iI need to start thinginking before i buy

 

[jdarksun]

Ha! Awesome video. You tell 'em, Jim!

 

[Atmos Duality]

After witnessing years of console gamers brushing off PC gamers as elitist technophiles, it's delightfully ironic to see them engaging each other in the same kind of technophilic argumentation.

Why is this even controversy? Well...
Both consoles are so similar in performance that any distinction will appear more significant.

Thankfully, Microsoft proved that even after their "180" they weren't quite done screwing the pooch, making this decision easy.

I have no stake in the next console generation, but it seems like an obvious conclusion if I did: Playstation 4
The PS4 has slightly better performance than the Xbone and it costs 100 bucks less because it isn't auto-bundled with Kinect 2.0 (an utterly worthless piece of gimmick tech as far as I'm concerned).

 

[hazydawn]

I really enjoyed the humor in this one, though I still don't get the concept of what seems to be random pictures of kids and adults in costumes.

That's just standard practice these days when it comes to online videos. It's partly laziness and cheapness - "look, here's some bad stock photography to look at." The other part of it is that for some reason everything has to be a video. Most of the videos (this one is a good example) have no reason to be videos - their point could easily be conveyed by audio or text. But for some reason the market expects everything to be a video, so they make videos where none is necessary.

One need only look to Youtube, where people upload music and put it into a video with a still image. Because of course, we all want to use Flash player to listen to music, and that graphic is oh-so-important to the song. You couldn't have just put an MP3 file up, right?

And even when it comes to video, we have unprecedented video hardware and software available, but people keep pushing the boundaries of low quality, where everything looks like it was recorded on a webcam with its lens smeared in Vaseline, or on a phone by someone with a severe case of Delirium Tremens and a lack of basic hand-eye coordination.

These are the key reasons why humanity is doomed.

Well, to be fair the two jokes with the resolution and the Steam(and GoG?) sales wouldn't have been clear without some visual image. And I admit it's nice to have something to look at while you listen to the points people make. Sometimes the video actually serves the purpose to underline the argument. This time I at least saw some footage of Titanfall I hadn't seen before... looks damn good, hope they don't fuck that up :S
I also enjoy just seeing the people in a video talk(concerning most Youtube videos).
And I wouldn't go as far as to say that those are the key reasons or even minor reasons for humanitys doom. I'd say those are our egoism and limited intellect... and those many people whose intellect is far below limited.

 

[medv4380]

some stuff

Yeah, the price of monitors totally wasn't *fixed by tech companies eventually resulting in an antitrust lawsuit. I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with the relative pricings of monitors and tvs over the past 15 years.

Anyway, I can't really decypher what you mean by computer monitors being "downgraded" to 1080p after having higher resolutions, that one's kind of just straight up not true. Just because they like to put 1080p compatible on the box to prove it can do 1080p doesn't mean that's the maximum...

And as for the long turnaround time you insist will exist, again, tech moves faster now, that's just a fact. Plus, the concept of 4k has been around for a long ass time.

And honestly, most of your argument doesn't really give the impression that 4k won't eventually be used, just that it'll take a long time.

*http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Price-Fixing-Antitrust-San-Francisco-LCD-samsung,14380.html

Anyway, if you're trying to convince people you should try to be clearer and more coherent, avoid logical fallacies and especially avoid going anywhere near something that could be taken as a personal insult.

You can't even tell the difference between monitor resolution and price fixing. Hilarious.

I don't really care to be clear or convening. Arguing with Fanboy Ideology with the goal to "convince" is worthless. I'm satisfied to point and laugh at the fools who lack basic understanding in manufacturing.

As for your price fixing argument. The price fixing was between 1999 and 2006. HD adoption didn't really pickup and become profitable until 2009. Price fixing was also only with flat screen LCD. If you're unaware, you could easily buy CRT's instead. Like most rational people.

However since your not even as cool as Torvalds Git how about you take the word of the creator of Linux as evidence of the Downgrade
https://plus.google.com/+LinusTorvalds/posts/ByVPmsSeSEG

Not that it matters. Your 4K idolatry will blind you to to words

The fact that laptops stagnated ten years ago (and even regressed, in many cases) at around half that in both directions is just sad.

You want further evidence your PC Master Race will ignore? How about the fact that John Carmack programmed the original Quake in 1080p in 1995.
http://www.geek.com/games/john-carmack-coded-quake-on-a-28-inch-169-1080p-monitor-in-1995-1422971/

Not that the words and deeds of masters would convince you even one bit that the downgrade occurred. However, I can sleep soundly knowing that you'll end up with a 4k or 8k TV and little to nothing to watch on it. Enjoy!

 

[ampzero66]

Instead of looking at resolution VS resolution, we need to focus on what is at the heart of this "controversy": The PS4 in this case appears to have more processing power. If this trend holds true for other future titles then we will have confirmation for this theory. If the PS4 has better processing, then what else can be improved? What can we make better with more power that isn't just straight prettier games? Number of people on screen, games constructed around fluid physics, Artificial Intelligence (something that nobody has tried to sell their game on for a long time barring the new Forza.) More power also means less optimization is required for the PS4 version of a cross console game if they are exactly the same. I also would like to mention that Microsoft is overclocking it's APU to try to even the playing field, and we all know how good Microsoft is at heat management.




As far as PC's vs consoles: I have a pc, I built it myself, I spent over $3,000 on it, and I'm still looking forward to owning my new console. Why? Because sometimes I don't feel like taking 2 to 3 hours to get my game running perfectly, or dealing with a game that happens to not like my graphics cards very much, or paying for a game an then never playing it because the developer decided that his preferred key bindings were law. I also find it a little aggravating to spend my time searching for a server that doesn't have a pack of hackers and cheaters roaming around on it, with my only other alternative being install "Anti-Cheating" DRM that decides I'm cheating anyway when I win a few rounds.

Consoles don't have it perfect either. Limited ability for playing older games, no way to listen to music that hasn't signed with a major label for this next generation, decreased storage options, most games lack keyboard/mouse support if you want to use them, timed exclusive bull on both sides, no alternative digital storefronts.

I love My PC, and my console. Neither one is without some pretty glaring faults, so please don't go around pretending otherwise. And please don't don't pretend that your way is the only right way. Everyone here is a gamer, whatever they spend on their machine, which input devices they use, whose friend list their part of, it makes no difference. So please stop attacking personal preference, or claiming someone else is lesser for their choice.

 

[deathjavu]

some stuff

Yeah, the price of monitors totally wasn't *fixed by tech companies eventually resulting in an antitrust lawsuit. I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with the relative pricings of monitors and tvs over the past 15 years.

Anyway, I can't really decypher what you mean by computer monitors being "downgraded" to 1080p after having higher resolutions, that one's kind of just straight up not true. Just because they like to put 1080p compatible on the box to prove it can do 1080p doesn't mean that's the maximum...

And as for the long turnaround time you insist will exist, again, tech moves faster now, that's just a fact. Plus, the concept of 4k has been around for a long ass time.

And honestly, most of your argument doesn't really give the impression that 4k won't eventually be used, just that it'll take a long time.

*http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Price-Fixing-Antitrust-San-Francisco-LCD-samsung,14380.html

Anyway, if you're trying to convince people you should try to be clearer and more coherent, avoid logical fallacies and especially avoid going anywhere near something that could be taken as a personal insult.

You can't even tell the difference between monitor resolution and price fixing. Hilarious.

I don't really care to be clear or convening. Arguing with Fanboy Ideology with the goal to "convince" is worthless. I'm satisfied to point and laugh at the fools who lack basic understanding in manufacturing.

As for your price fixing argument. The price fixing was between 1999 and 2006. HD adoption didn't really pickup and become profitable until 2009. Price fixing was also only with flat screen LCD. If you're unaware, you could easily buy CRT's instead. Like most rational people.

However since your not even as cool as Torvalds Git how about you take the word of the creator of Linux as evidence of the Downgrade
https://plus.google.com/+LinusTorvalds/posts/ByVPmsSeSEG

Not that it matters. Your 4K idolatry will blind you to to words

The fact that laptops stagnated ten years ago (and even regressed, in many cases) at around half that in both directions is just sad.

You want further evidence your PC Master Race will ignore? How about the fact that John Carmack programmed the original Quake in 1080p in 1995.
http://www.geek.com/games/john-carmack-coded-quake-on-a-28-inch-169-1080p-monitor-in-1995-1422971/

Not that the words and deeds of masters would convince you even one bit that the downgrade occurred. However, I can sleep soundly knowing that you'll end up with a 4k or 8k TV and little to nothing to watch on it. Enjoy!

Laptops aren't equivalent to computer monitors in total, since they're integrated. The market share of laptops has really dried up between being weaker than desktops and less portable than netbooks and then tablets, so I'm not surprised they haven't really moved forward. There's not much of a market for it.

Stand alone monitors have continued to improve, with the standard rising from 15" CRTs at 720p to 22" 1080p and further. No one can point at a top of the range CRT from 1995, a device that likely costed $10,000+ in todays dollars, which compares unfavorably to a $200 LCD today, and say that monitor technology hasn't progressed. If you can't picture why price fixing of the HD LCD monitors affected their speed of adoption, I don't know what to say. If you really think that CRTs are better, that is also something I can't really comprehend. CRTs are bulky, their disposal is toxic and they run on analogue signals, which are prone to electronic noise. There's a reason everyone uses LCDs now, and it's not because everyone has a tech hardon.

I agree that 4K isn't going to take off without anything to watch on it, I just disagree that nothing will come up.

Also, I don't watch TV on a TV. I don't even have a TV. The whole thing is purely philosophical as far as I'm concerned. I can sleep soundly knowing that you worked yourself up into a froth about it though.