The future of PC gaming

[BlackBark]

I can't remember exactly which was the first game I played, but I know I it was on Windows 95. I frequently played Tetris for Windows, Doom, Theme Hospital, LBA 2 and Highway Hunter.

My first console was...well, I think it was a Famicom, although I've never seen a picture on the internet that looks the same as my one. I really wish I still had that. I can still remember the music from this weird circus game I had with a clown going across a tight rope.

As for building a computer, I managed to do it even with absolutely no experience before. I think they have made it extremely easy now. Everything is labelled and there are so many tutorial videos on the internet. I was still scared as hell and so careful because it cost around £1000 at the time.

I get what you are saying about the children right now not having a point of reference, but the cycle will begin again. What about when all of us escapists have children? When I have children, they will see my amazing gaming computer and say: "Daddy, daddy. Can I have a turn now?" Eventually, I will have to buy them one as well so they will leave me alone to game in peace.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

PuttPutt

Holy shit, you are the first living human being that knows that game I have ever seen.

OT: My brother got me into gaming. Back when we lived in germany, and i was barely able to walk, I huddled up in his lap while he was gaming, and that rubbed off on me. The first game I remember to actually contribute to was the very first Broken Sword game. Fond memories...

 

[Pink Gregory]

My first PC game was a demo of Jazz Jackrabbit 2, played on an old Power Mac that my Dad poached from work.

Dem demo CDs from Macworld magazine were my staple for a good few years, even though that thing would crash if you even touched it.

 

[Hagi]

theres a good chance a kid today has never used a desktop....or if they have for work or school then the Idea of playing games on one could be a foregn concept

I don't think you quite understand a kid's mentality.

For children these days computer is pretty much analogous for game machine.

I worked with a bunch of kids a few years back. Kids who'd never used any computer at all beyond their playstation 2. No tablets, no laptops and most certainly no desktops. These were mentally handicapped kids even, the type that gets distracted by a random spider when walking 20 meters to the school bus, stares at it for 3 hours straight ( no exaggeration ) and then comes home utterly confused on how he could have possibly missed the bus.

Do you know what the first thing was they asked me when they saw me taking apart an old desktop I'd found?

"Can you get it to play games?"

 

[Silly Hats]

WHAT. 1000$? I never ever had a computer for so much money!

At the moment, my PC WITH PERIFERALS is worth like... 300$ for box + 100$ printer + 250 monitor + 100$ speakers + keyboard/mouse/gamepads so that's like 750$ for whole set. And it runs basically everything in a playable and good looking manner (won't say "lol errytin on hi, bros", cause it doesn't handle everything on highest settings... well it would but my screen has native 1920x1080 so it kills performance like hell ).


Wouldn't dish out 1000$ for this. Gotta love how their site gives no info about GPU (only CPU, RAM and storage on [link]http://xi3.com/buy_now-piston.php[/link] ). And unless that's something cool, then I have same rig as that piston thingie.

Having a job is a wonderful thing.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Wouldn't dish out 1000$ for this. Gotta love how their site gives no info about GPU

That would be because the CPU is an APU/SoC with on-die GPU chipset... HD 7660G in the case of the R464 CPU.

 

[AuronFtw]

The reason PC gaming will never die is that consoles are made closer and closer to what PCs have always been every generation. This current gen has added voip software/support, USB keyboards to be able to type to each other over instant messaging software, more flexible hard drives to save more than just games, and even internet browsers so people can search for porn. And whatever else.

Next gen they're introducing even more social networking features in an attempt to hop on the decade-old PC bandwagon that was myspace, facebook and twitter.

Add the fact that consoles are just aping PCs now to the fact that PCs are far easier to upgrade and keep up to date and you'll pretty much never see the "death" of PC gaming - because before too long, even consoles will be PCs (just shittier, proprietary, DRM-out-the-ass PCs with non-upgradeable hardware, but PCs nonetheless).

 

[Vault101]

I use a laptop for gaming (and it works), and what I would say to others is that you don't need a desktop for gaming. There are many laptops our there that can give you the same as a desktop and has the same price. [b/]The only two reasons why you would buy a desktop is either you need a large screen or you never take your laptop outside of your house. [/b]So yea, just know that gaming is not limited to desktops.

not to burst your bubble but your kind of wrong there

I started PC gaming with a laptop...and while it did have its upsides (and worked well for me for a while) its not exactly Ideal

because its all compacted down there are issues with heat and airflow...not to mention you are stuck with the compnents, and generally they arent exactly top of the line, and as I understand intergreated graphics cards can have issues

not to mention what your getting for price...a laptop with 8gb seems to cost alot more...and "gaming" branded ones are seriously expensive

the main issue is when the time comes when you can't or can bareley play a game then your stuck with it...you can't upgrade any of the components, its eather not play (or play at horrible settings) or get a new laptop

while I have been converted thats not to say a laptop always a bad Idea....if your in a job where you have to move around alot then it would be a good option...and there are gaming laptops I'm sure are perfectly servicable

though trust me once you experience a big screen its hard to go back

 

[ResonanceSD]

Why does anyone need a steam box? Just build your own for cheaper.

 

[Total LOLige]

I grew up playing consoles my first console was the PS1 mini worms and crash bandicoot were my first games. I've only recently become a 'proper' PC gamer despite having my medium spec PC for over a year. I can't really decide which I like better, with a console I can 'plug and play' without any worries of my xbox not fitting the hardware bill. But PC games are is cheaper £10-£20 cheaper on launch day then a month later they're going for pennies in disc form, however I'm always hesitant in case my PC can't handle the game even if it meets the spec. I don't think PC gaming will die because older people will introduce their young family members to PC gaming and then the young family member will probably do the same.

 

[RicoADF]

*SNIP*

Ok, firat piston is just one type of steam box, like Samsung galaxy S is one type of Android phone, there will be cheaper ones.

Alright regarding the use of steam box, I get the feeling its about making it easy for the non techie to get into pc gaming. This means removing the question of what CPU, how much ram etc they need. I suspect each steambox will be given a rating (for example SB1) and when you go to the store steam will say "you need SB 1 or above to play this game" or something to that effect. Some simple system for the average Joe can understand.

As for my first PC experience, that was back in dos days playing C&C, Doom etc. My first computer was a pentium 166mhz, 32mb ram and an amazing 2GB HDD, with Windows 95. My phone I'm typing on has over 10x that power.....
Console wise I remember Sega megadrive, SNES etc. However my first one was the origional PSX, and I still have my first 2 games in mint working condition. V-Rally and Abes Odysee, with all the games I've bought since.








........ I feel old....... thanks

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

I was around 10 years old, getting into games like the Thief series, Earth 2150, Interstate 76' (Nitro Riders!), Command & Conquer, Age of Empires, Earthworm Jim, some random Nascar/Superbike games (OMG THE GRAPHIXXX). And I had little or no trouble installing these games and playing them...so if a kid aged 10-12 old can get PC games working, I don't know why PC's are treated like nuclear radioactive material that could explode at any time and need an IT degree to get to function.

But then of course there's the growing complexity of games. It seems most current-generation PC games don't come with anything less than 100+ bugs/glitches upon release, the first 1-2 weeks are quite hectic for the developers releasing patches and hotfixes to iron out issues.

 

[Colt47]

PCs do require some know how on trouble shooting problems during the first couple of start ups. Ram might be bad and needs replacing, or the cable for the hard drive isn't plugged in right. Then there is the software installation.

 

[Headsprouter]

Earliest memory...hmmm....

Probably playing DOOM, Quake, Chasm and a Games Galore CD we had. Most of my childhood was PS1 and Gameboy, though. Some Goldeneye, WWF (or something) and Pokemon Stadium on the N64.

 

[omgeveryone9]

I use a laptop for gaming (and it works), and what I would say to others is that you don't need a desktop for gaming. There are many laptops our there that can give you the same as a desktop and has the same price. [b/]The only two reasons why you would buy a desktop is either you need a large screen or you never take your laptop outside of your house. [/b]So yea, just know that gaming is not limited to desktops.

not to burst your bubble but your kind of wrong there

I started PC gaming with a laptop...and while it did have its upsides (and worked well for me for a while) its not exactly Ideal

because its all compacted down there are issues with heat and airflow...not to mention you are stuck with the compnents, and generally they arent exactly top of the line, and as I understand intergreated graphics cards can have issues

not to mention what your getting for price...a laptop with 8gb seems to cost alot more...and "gaming" branded ones are seriously expensive

the main issue is when the time comes when you can't or can bareley play a game then your stuck with it...you can't upgrade any of the components, its eather not play (or play at horrible settings) or get a new laptop

while I have been converted thats not to say a laptop always a bad Idea....if your in a job where you have to move around alot then it would be a good option...and there are gaming laptops I'm sure are perfectly servicable

though trust me once you experience a big screen its hard to go back

meh, I knew my post might not be perfect. I have low standards when it comes to hardware, so if the computer lasts 3 years and I can play games with it on medium graphics, it's fine. I travel alot and I have the tools to fix a computer (don't come to me to repair your computher though), so my experience leans be twoards a laptop.

 

[porous_shield]

My first experience using a computer was in the late 80s and I played games Thexder, Gold Rush, Police Quest, Space Quest, and a whole whack of forgettable games like Pickle Wars and Tanks. My father taught me how to use DOS to get the games to work since I was only about four at the time). My first computer I actually owned was in 97 and was a Pentium 133, then 2004 with a Toshiba laptop and finally the one I'm typing on which is a Thinkpad. None of them have been ideal for gaming but it doesn't bother me much because I've never played games that were graphically intensive.

My nephews and my brother (much younger than me) don't know how to use computers. They use them every day but they can't solve the simplest problems even though they are teenagers because they're use to clicking on something and having it work or sticking a game in a console and it works right away. The slightest hurdle to that and they can't overcome it.

 

[Ziame]

Wouldn't dish out 1000$ for this. Gotta love how their site gives no info about GPU

That would be because the CPU is an APU/SoC with on-die GPU chipset... HD 7660G in the case of the R464 CPU.

And how does that compare to GPUs? Is that a cool thing, or a piece of shite?

Having a job is a wonderful thing.

Yes it is, but how is that relevant? Sorry, but I didn't understand if that was an attempt at sarcasm or something

 

[Mitsukuni]

I don't even understand what you guys are trying to say. The "Steambox" will be marketed particularly towards those gamers who today own a console and cannot be bothered with PC gaming. It's a way of further closing the gap between the possibilities of an open system like the PC and the convenience of a closed system like a console - and it's the first big attempt of bringing the PC into the living room, not only through a convenient form factor but also through Steams gaming Interface.

So, saying that you can build a better HTPC for the living room is a bit besides the point. Those people who would rather buy the next Sony console cannot be bothered with building their own PC or even informing themselves about good form factors for the living room, good controlls, good interface solutions etc. They want to plug in and start gaming. And I cannot blame them.

IMO, this will work. In a couple of years, everybody will have the option to either plug in their Smartphone / Tablet / PC / Notebook into the TV and start playing instantly via a platform like Steam. And the experience will be as convenient as any console, plus it will offer all the openness of todays PCs. What's not to like about that?