Thoughts on the PC gamer "master race"

[Dyme]

PC gamers are just as superior as every other type of gamer (well, you know, except wii of course, because honestly). I mean, if you want to be one of those lower class citizens who use consoles, be my guest!
I joke, in all seriousness.

I think the Wii is a good example.

Consoles (PS3, XBOX) are to PCs what the Wii is to Consoles (PS3, XBOX).

The Wii is okay good, but it has worse graphics and shitty controls.

 

[DazZ.]

They're dinosaurs who refuse to go extinct despite its inevitability.
Some might manage to evolve into birds, but those that won't, won't last,

Considering consoles use PC parts it means PC gaming can't go without the downfall of consoles or else the console makers would have to go back to designing every aspect of the hardware all over again.

Who said anything about PC's themselves? We still need web browsers, word processors, and all that fun stuff.
The idea of using your work tool to play games better suited to other mediums is the only thing that's obsolete.

Nothing about this computer is built as a work tool. My laptop is fine for my work, most certainly not for gaming.

 

[Choppaduel]

I am a console gamer first and foremost, but I play a lot of PC as well and there is no difference. The community is the same, the games that are considered good are good on both sides (generally) and both the keyboard-and-mouse control and gamepad control can be equally accurate and frustrating. Who came up with the idea of PC's being inherently better and who actually believes it?

"The community is the same"
The, for example, Steam community is not the same as the xbla community, not by a long shot.

"games are good on both sides"
this is subjective. But more importantly, people who only like certain types of games (rts' for example) would not find this statement to carry any weight.

"both the keyboard-and-mouse control and gamepad control can be equally accurate and frustrating."
I always find the controller frustrating. Mostly to do with the thumb-sticks, but also because I have large hands and find most controllers too small. ([a href=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Xbox-Duke-Controller.jpg]this one was ok tho[/a]) The mouse keyboard on the other hand, I have no problems with. Now for controller implementations. Yes flying a plane in gta san andreas is much easier with a controller, but is Rockstar's fault and not an inherit limitation with the mouse and keyboard. The m+k controls for planes in Battlefield 2 are much, much better than in GTA.

For me PCs are better. Until they implement mouse/keyboard support for consoles, I won't even think about changing this position.

 

[Kodachi]

PCs have way more potential than consoles do. The average current PC will almost certainly outperform any console (though the PS3 tried to close that gap). The problem is that developers don't see a game that utilizes the full potential of PCs as economically viable. Look at Crysis. That game pushed a lot of limits on a lot of computers and only returned relatively average sales. Crysis 2 went for the console market, subsequently lowering the requirements to play and ended up with a better return.

The issue with PC elitism comes from PC gamers (myself included) misconstruing this message as "Our platform is better because it has to settle for less". Honestly, I really do believe (with good reason) that PCs are a better platform mostly due to the fluidity of hardware upgrades. You don't necessarily need a brand new machine every 5 years to stay current, just the odd part here and there will last you quite some time. That said, it's foolish to think that PC gaming is better than console gaming just because we get console ports that barely push hardware limits.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

The master race are the people with all platforms.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

As a primary PC gamer, I only say "PC master race" as a joke. Sure, I like some of the stuff we have (Steam, mouse + keyboard support), but I like some console stuff too (splitscreen, not being cramped in a chair and leaning into a small monitor).

 

[Stall]

Who said anything about PC's themselves? We still need web browsers, word processors, and all that fun stuff.
The idea of using your work tool to play games better suited to other mediums is the only thing that's obsolete.

Better suited? For what? The only thing consoles do better than PCs is convenience. That is LITERALLY the ONLY thing a console has on a PC. It's the only pro a console has. Seriously. In every other possible category you'd judge a gaming platform on, PC wins.

PCs have:
-superior controls (it takes a whole lot more to make M+K work on a console than to make a gamepad work on a PC)
-superior graphics
-superior hardware (512MB RAM... how cute. I think I had a PC with that much in the early to mid 00s)
-near infinite backwards compatibility
-a superior library of games (most AAAs see a PC release plus the hundreds of amazing indie games)
-lower overall price (the entry cost is more than a console, but the savings overtime with a PC is undeniably superior)
-(Usually) Superior community
-Mods
-Thousands upon thousands of additional functions that tangentially relate to gaming

Now tell me... how are consoles better suited than PCs? These are the reasons why people say "PC master race" not ironically: the PC really, truly, objectively is the superior platform for games. It's not opinion, but hard fact. Like I said, the only "pro" consoles have is that they are easy to set up.

 

[AdeptaSororitas]

Eh, to each their own. I prefer Consoles mainly because I don't have a million dollars or decades of spare time to make an epic gaming pc, so when I play PC games the graphics are inherently worse. And despite playing often on Mouse and Keyboard, it still never feels as natural as a controller. But that's because I was raised on them, just as PCers were raised on M+K. I don't like RTS's and no other game type is really "better" on PC then controller other then those. So I'm sorry, PC and Consoles BOTH have a place in the world. Until of course the home computer becomes a thing of the past due to tablets/smart phones and more PC-esque consoles. I'm sorry, its true. Just as someday THOSE things will die out.

 

[Mcikyloud]

I play on the PC for three reasons.

Mouse and keyboard are better for most kinds of games, and for the games that are better with a controller I can plug one into my USB port.

It is less expensive by far. I can pre-order a new release on PC for $45 when it is $60 for console. Steam sales also rule.

I like user created content and modifications. On PC many game companies make rooms for mod markers on their official forums. On console these people get banned.

Does that mean console users are peasants? No. It just means I buy 90% of my games on the PC.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

There's no such thing as "master race". People who say this are Nazis. Inbe4 Godwin trolls.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

As a primary PC gamer, I only say "PC master race" as a joke. Sure, I like some of the stuff we have (Steam, mouse + keyboard support), but I like some console stuff too (splitscreen, not being cramped in a chair and leaning into a small monitor).

You do know you can hook your PC up to a TV eliminating all but 1 of your advantages of consoles?

Too much work for something still problematic. I could unplug my labyrinth of twisted cords, hook it up to a TV and marvel in absolutely piss-all standard TV graphics...

But you still have the keyboard and mouse problem. You can't put on your lap, you have to put it on some solid table. And what are you doing? The same thing, sitting at the edge of your seat, leaning over your keyboard and staring at a screen that's only bigger and further away.

I'm sticking with my desk and monitor.

 

[Jodah]

Well, seeing as I'm pretty sure the phrase originated as a joke in Yahtzee's review of The Witcher, the fact that said phrase might now being taken seriously by some people is downright frightening, to say the least.

This. The vast majority of people who use it are joking. Anyone who takes it serious needs slapped upside the head.

 

[Stall]

Eh, to each their own. I prefer Consoles mainly because I don't have a million dollars or decades of spare time to make an epic gaming pc, so when I play PC games the graphics are inherently worse.

How are the 90s treating you? Well, I hope. Listen, you haven't had to spend "a million dollars" on a gaming PC in years. That's a silly myth that has been perpetuated for far too long. Hardware costs at an all time low when you and factor in the extended length of this console generation, then PC gaming is cheaper than it ever has been. You can easily spend 400-600 and make a rig that will play every game for the next couple of years on high. You could make a rig so powerful that frightens young children with $1000.

Yeah, you did have to spend thousands of dollars to make an "epic gaming PC" in the 90s, but not anymore. I'm tired of this tired myth getting brought up every time there's a thread about PC gaming. Just... stop. Seriously. It's not current to think you have to spend an exuberant amount on a gaming PC anymore.

I don't mean to pick on you in particular, by the way. You just happened to be the first person I noticed who mentioned the whole "a gaming PC is stupid expensive". It's just this silly myth that really rubs me the wrong way... I guess it's a pet peeve of mine.

 

[coolkirb]

They're dinosaurs who refuse to go extinct despite its inevitability.
Some might manage to evolve into birds, but those that won't, won't last,

I prefer to use the analagy of a falling star trying to grab on to anything they can, which is why they got up in arms over Yahtzee's witcher review.

 

[AdeptaSororitas]

Eh, to each their own. I prefer Consoles mainly because I don't have a million dollars or decades of spare time to make an epic gaming pc, so when I play PC games the graphics are inherently worse. And despite playing often on Mouse and Keyboard, it still never feels as natural as a controller. But that's because I was raised on them, just as PCers were raised on M+K. I don't like RTS's and no other game type is really "better" on PC then controller other then those. So I'm sorry, PC and Consoles BOTH have a place in the world. Until of course the home computer becomes a thing of the past due to tablets/smart phones and more PC-esque consoles. I'm sorry, its true. Just as someday THOSE things will die out.

M+K are better for any game that requires precision so you forgot the other major genre, the FPS. There are more but I won't bother listing, the FPS and TPS genre and massive and cover a huge part of gaming.

PC gaming isn't as expensive as you make it out to be. The initial cost is a bit mroe but you save way more on games.

Um, I'm far better using a controller on FPS's and TPS's then M+K and I'm pretty good with Mouse and Keyboard. The whole "Mouse is more precise" things doesn't really hold water much anymore.

And while thats true, few games each year come out that I actually want. And all of them are cross platform *shrugs*