Awesome, more PC vs. Console arguments.
2 Likes
Can somebody please close this thread?! Itās only about pointless arguing up to this point and I donāt see any benefit arising from itā¦
1 Like
rustypupās posts have been very helpful in pinpointing various reasons why pc must take precedence over any other platform. hopefully devs see it and steel themselves further against the temptation to dumb things down for consoles.
There should be no ādumping downā after all. You have to work āmoreā for a proper PC version since players expect more options to play there and to adjust their experience there (and rightfully so) and Warhorse should of course go that extra mile. But developing for next gen consoles doesnāt automatically mean that you have to dump anything down. Even the opposite is true, for tech aloneā¦ 
Iāve heard good things about CryEngine being scalable and translatable to the new systems to make the experiences much more in line with one vision rather than compromises, much like FrostBite 3 has done for EAās teams. Their new console launch game Battlefield 4 fared very well in the comparisons, most notably sharing the full texture resolution of PC and only a couple of effects substituted, leaving a stunning PC title, but also groundbreaking console graphics to rival the new exclusives.
1 Like
I āgetā why developers go to console. Doesnāt mean I have to like it!
For me the graphical fidelity of the PC is the least important factor (aside from resolution which to me is a massive deal).
Huge generalisation here, but for all the reasons you mention console gamers tend to be less hardcore than PC gamers and want different types of game. If a game is targeted towards console as the primary platform chances are that itās not the sort of game Iām going to really want to play. There are of course many exceptions to this, but in those cases the PC version has actually been give a decent amount of thought by the developer.
Also, controllers are massively inferior to mouse and keyboard for FPS games and you can forget strategy titles. But again console gamers choose accessibility over fidelity and thatās often the case IMO (or prefer titles geared towards the controller such as casual racing, platformers and so on).
Time for some more elitist PC bastard comments ;):
I somewhat equate a āthoroughbredā PC game to āgolfā and console game to ācrazy golf.ā Both are fun, but the crazy golfer is more often than not not going to enjoy playing ārealā golf. At least not at first. He/she will feel frustrated, moan at the learning curve and the price of the clubs, fees and so on. āFrustrating, boring and expensive; I just prefer having a laugh with my friends.ā The golfer on the other hand can still enjoy crazy golf and have a good time, but itās not going to achieve the same level of satisfaction as he/she gets from the ārealā game.
Now, both types can totally exist together, but as a PC gamer (golfer) itās pretty frustrating to see real courses bulldozed and crazy courses and McDonaldās constructed in their place. Some of the real courses that do remain are having trees uprooted, fairways widened and greens made easier to play in an attempt to entice the crazy golfersā¦
I know this golf thing isnāt really a great analogy and I donāt think all console gamers are stupid or anything. Far from it in fact as most of my friends play on console rather than PC, but case in point, they think I take my gaming too seriously and am a bit of a nerd :).
For me the generalisation is that PC games are more in depth, more customisable, look better, reward skill with more precise controls, are harder and have a steeper learning curve. Console gamers are likely to get bored or frustrated playing them (or even setting up a PC to do so). Console games are accessible, shallow, easier to play and try to reward the player frequently will less need for skill. PC gamers will tend to find them fun, but simplistic and lacking in depth and challenge; thus ultimately boring and less interesting than āproperā PC titles. This is a massive, massive generalisation, but itās how I tend to āgenerallyā view the main differences between the platforms and their owners.
Another generalisation (and I may be wrong here also), but I bet the idea of KC: D; a realistic medieval game without magic, dragons etc. would fare much better with a PC audience than with a console one. Iām just talking in terms of selling the idea. I donāt think for a second that there arenāt loads of console gamers who would like this, but percentage-wise I bet this setting and game type is much more appealing to the PC crowd. The more hardcore/complex it sounds, the more PC gamers (as a group) are going to cheer and the console gamers are going to loose interest.
3 Likes
itās a minor one actually since 99% of console games can be played half asleep.
2 Likes
No, no, no - I get why you donāt like it (console āpeasants,ā as certain PC players so seriously say occasionally, are in the midst of dealing with cross-gen releasing that has revealed some lowered quality as we await the inevitable current-gen only future), and I get how you, as many people do, take your characterization of yourself seriously and others as less so. And I do indeed think that there is a niche spin to KC: D that will absolutely find a higher percentage in of buyers in the PC market than the console market, but that doesāt make it any less smart or respectable that Warhorseās ambition means they want and need to build for an audience that includes console players. And I wouldnāt be caught dead at crazy golf.
But for me, must-play gaming means one must have a console right now, but one doesnāt need a PC. Someday Iāll add a PC in the mix, Iām sure. I canāt resist the GTA IV graphical mods forever. I just canāt really think of any PC AAA exclusivesā¦
Too Long Donāt Read - Just my personal explanation for why I canāt be without consoles despite being indeed what I consider serious.
But frankly, I am a marvelously picky guy (like I go to the movies alone because Iāll die if someone talks next to me and I have tape all over my room because I canāt have lights of any kind visible while Iām using my TV and I like police cars only to have red and blue lights, no other single or multiple color combos). That goes against the favor of PCs in my case. I find it unappealing that there isnāt a uniform experience that is āPC gamingā. I donāt like that few people have the same PC, and that they often look like they are built to be built, and that I have to research specs often to look at what the creators wanted me to see on that platform. I canāt handle that there are no go-to designs for PC control systems, that there are so many forums about problems and specs and monitoring software and over clocking and maybe needing to upgrade to max out a game every so often. That there is just no answer on anyoneās part as to what is actually ātheā definitive way to get all of the top titles to play in perfect fashion as the creators would set it up on a system.
I like consoles because someone made a great design, the creators set their game up (and sure, that means they set it somewhere that isnāt maxing out the graphical specs of a high end PC), and I get to go at it for years,
It isnāt just simple because I am not serious (I consider myself to be extremely serious compared to anyone else I know). I choose simple because it is beautiful, minimalist, and vast. That italicized black box with a stripe of light across it called PS4 is something that I can get what I want on. I want the cinematic titles that make my 5.1 sing, and I didnāt have to read and compare specs and order a piece to get that sound out of it. Thatās a standard of that box, and I know it. I like the games that get the big budgets because unlike in film, more money means more support when it comes to games. I am interested in The Last of Us, Halo, Uncharted, Grand Theft Auto V, LA Noire, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, and Mass Effect (not Mass Effect that I couldnāt play on day one, but Mass Effect that I got to play the day it premiered in 2007 after I followed it for over a year in the press, only on console, like many games have since). I am looking forward to playing Destiny and Uncharted PS4 and I loved Resident Evil 4 at launch and even The Wind Waker. Consoles just have the biggest, brightest titles in recent history all to themselves in many cases (and I guess Iāll be clear again, Iām a launch day guy, but obviously Resident Evil 4 has slept around for those who wait over the years).
I like my games to remind me of movies and moods and that means on my TV without having to make my own idea up about how to have that happen, and frankly, 60fps doesnāt look like movies, but I guess Iāll get used to that one since Iām sure everything is moving that way. I donāt want everyoneās zombie games, or retro platformers (you can count the non-AAA titles Iāve played last gen on one hand as I donāt care for arcade/micro-game/free-to-play/small games). I want what consoles thrive on. Those exclusives that are backed by the best budgets, studios, and consistency that you could ask for. I donāt want to learn what drivers for my audio and graphics cards from separate manufacturers do. I donāt want to pick LED lights for a clear desktop tower. I donāt want to check my systemās temperature and be dead clueless when something breaks or the framerate is low or the mod doesnāt work and on and on.
I hear PC gamers saying how they pay way less (as far as I know, I donāt think they could beat and outlast PS4 performance plus its included controller at that $400 I got it for in November and the $49 I pay for any $60 MSRP game on release day through my membership at Best Buy, which goes further in giving another $10 for console titles only on pre-orders of Watch Dogs, Arkham Knight, Destiny, and so on) and then they just tell me about independent games or Steam Sales on things I wanted on day one, so maybe Iām clueless as to how PC gaming costs less for people who like launch purchases of AAA titles. I certainly donāt see how I can pay less if I want my games always maxed out if I am going to play on PC because that certainly takes upgrading which costs hundreds over the lifetime that a console satisfies its market and creators.
Donāt get me wrong. I get absolutely jealous over some of the trailers that come out for these multi platform games that I know must be on a PC, but I also know that the compromise Iād have to make to avoid such visual compromises is just not how I envision great cinematic and moving game experiences. The Last of Us was too damn good for me to feel like Iām not reaching far enough in efforts to play my choice games.
2 Likes
Thanks for the reply - Iām extremely fussy too, but thatās exactly why Iām a PC gamer!
I can customise the game and my system to my liking. I generally like Sonyās style, but those Xbox avatars, pleaseā¦ (not seen those for XBOne, but 360 are just awfulā¦).
I have a 30inch Apple Cinema Display (2560x1600) and a full tower Silverstone aluminum case and Bose speakers. No lights, glass panels or flashy stuff, just the look I like, clean and minimal. At some point over the next year or so Iāll prob go for a 55-65inch 4K Sony TV (yes, I will still be playing at my desk :)). My keyboard, mouse and HOTAS are all exactly the ones I want and my Windows desktop is just how I like it (a āboringā dark grey, no wall paper, hardly any icons :))
What Iām saying is that I can customise my system to exactly my preferences; with Sony or MS your stuck with what they give you.
The sort of games you like arenāt for me, particularly RE4, The Last of Us and Uncharted. They do nothing for me at all and are exactly what I think of when I imagine āconsole gamesā (to be fair I havenāt played them, but Iāve seen bits of them being played).
I played (and completed) a few Halo titles on the original Xbox & 360 and whilst I generally enjoyed them at the time, they donāt get me overly excited any more. The games that you mention that I like are Mass Effect and GTA. So GTA V is currently absent from PC ATM, but quite frankly I donāt enjoy playing any FPS or third person game with a controller; for me itās got to be mouse and keyboard. + itās not my favourite franchise, just one I like ;).
For me any FPS will be far better with M&K and will look better on PC too (so think any of the mainstream big console titles that arenāt exclusives). Cross platform titles such as Mafia 2 and Max Payne 3 are good examples.
Same goes for Fallout and Skyrim, not only do I get better controls and higher res graphics, but in these cases I can go much, much further and turn them into the exact games that I want to play. My Skyrim and Fallout are far, far removed from their console versions; not in terms of visual/graphics mods, but in terms of gameplay/immersion and realism.
I also like strategy games such as Total War, Civ and XCom. The latter aside, most good strategy titles simply arenāt possible on console.
Then we look at pure simulation titles; the PC is the only place for these.
The PC is IMO more expensive (sometimes much more so), but like any hobby it depends on how important it is to you and how fussy you are. People spend thousands of pounds on their hobbies all the time and little is thought of it, I donāt see how gaming is any different?
I have to agree that it is frustrating when a game doesnāt work properly for technical reasons, or you have to mess about with your hardware/software - But for me, the few times these problems crop up is far outweighed by being able to play the games I like the way I want to play them.
2 Likes
It is also worth noting that the amount of tinkering you need to do to setup a PC and maintain it has dropped drastically since the mid 90s - late 2000s where it was a mandatory knowledge set for playing PC games. I havenāt touched my case or done any big OS formats or driver setting hunts in about 5 years now and my PC still runs everything on ultra at 2560x1440. Whereas stuff like this was pretty much a monthly occurrence 10 years ago.
The instantaneous play from popping in a disc I just bought use to be my favorite part about consoles, but depending on the game it can take less time to buy, download and boot up a game on Steam than popping in a disc and going through the first time install on a console (Iām looking at you GTA5 and your silly first time install time, where I did in fact buy a game on Steam and started playing it while waiting for that damn install).
The PC is the domain of the true tech nerds. There couldnāt be any gaming device which is more ācoreā than the PC.
We like our tech and hardware as much as we like our games.
We value freedom, self-expression, moddability, fan-creativity and stuff like that.
We like big and small games and the whole indie scene which still puts passion above business.
We want to play every possible genre with every possible input control without any limitations.
We want the best visuals and the best experience a game could deliver.
I havenāt missed a single game exclusive to consoles in the last years. To be honest, there is even only ONE overall genre on consoles: action. 80-90% of all games on console are about shooting or slashing and the rest are sports games and a few indies and puzzle games and stuff. If youāre an action fan who is only interested in that overall genre you could most likely be satisfied with playing on console alone. Everyone else should at least occasionally play on PC. Games which really need you to think (like most strategic or tactic games) can only be found on PC. Many games on console are catered to a fast-paced world for people with only little time and a short attention time but not to really put time and brains in them. Most games on consoles are just interactive movies with only some occasional inputs required (often just QTE) . At least thatās what I noticed in the past few years. If youāre happy with that, fine, have funā¦
But the most important point why I would never play on console, no matter which games are release there: controls. Playing with a controller is just plain horrible for each and every 3D game. I would rather watch a movie than playing any 3D game with a controllerā¦
But as always, to each their own. I hope that Warhorse will cater to everyone.
3 Likes
Sort of in response to the three replies below mine:
Right, so I guess unsurprisingly, we all justify our preferences however we want. I guess I am just wondering what games you would consider the upper hand that PC has. Like controls are a preference thing, hence lots of PC users choosing to use controllers, so I really donāt find that argument useful (and Iām a single-player guy, so Iām not really even sure what circumstances a game like BioShock ever actually struggles over controllers with). I have played a couple of games in the past year on Steam for Mac and on a friendās computer and I guess I just canāt get over how much it feels like a keyboard wasnāt made to play games on, which is true, but that certainly doesnāt seem to bother people who found some comfort in it.
So is it the strategy genre? Because I guess as someone who is really into cinematography and drama, I get how a great exclusive like The Last of Us could draw comparisons to Oscar-quality production, but are there any strategy games with messages delivered dark and strong, with style and emotion? I just donāt know about them on PC if they really are there. And surely you all canāt think thereās merit in saying that console games are for short attention spans, unless I am really missing the big difference between your version of Battlefield 4 and mine. When I think short attention span, itās often multiplayer shooters that I think of, and thereās a pretty strong community for those on PC. Then thereās those tons of rather short indie titles that get the PC forums raving for $10. Steam is full of bite-sized hits and retro quickies.
Graphics are rad, and one of the most important things to me. But for some reason it is a turn-off to me that I would have to think about whether or not each new big title I get will let me automatically go up to Ultra. Is there really any alternative to consoles that works like that? That I could just buy PC that costs me less than $1000 that will let me go ultra with surround sound and nothing but a good home theater setup on all my favorite new releases for a few years? Over on the NeoGAF forums for Watch Dogs, it doesnāt sound like many people are too confident they can get it to look distinctly better than PS4 without a new card, and many of them say they bought their last upgrade in autumn. That forum is disappointing to me. I donāt want to deal with that at all. Some of you say it has gotten so easy, but you also already are there, so the process is relative to you.
Again, I think the best deal is owning both. But the lesser for me, and for the bigger crowds out there, is having only a PC.
More Too Long, Donāt Read
I certainly miss strategy games once and a while, but one of my favorite is Tropico, so I guess Iām held over for a while since that comes to consoles these days.
I like AAA games and I would love to hear about a AAA PC exclusive, but Iām not sure there is one? I mean, itās cool and all that you have strategy games, but do people consider those all that impactful enough to give it Game of the Year or anything?
It seems like some of you are intent on downplaying a title like The Last of US, which is indeed a sort of stealth-action shooter drama, and it was indeed great enough to make lists for one of the best games ever, not just of the year. And thatās not a numbers game alone. It wasnāt like when CoD gets a readerās choice award and you knew it was over audience size. This game got it because anyone who tried it or went in depth can see how top notch it is as a production, as mature storytelling, and as a cohesively designed game. Thatās a game I donāt think people should miss. But some of your generalizations are missing what are actually the most important gems of having a console. Rockstar is oddly enough still primarily in the console game.
Do I love Valve and Bethesda and gladly appreciate that they have launched all their games on consoles over the last several years? Tons. But at the same time, the animation, the general over-extended lives of their engines, the floating nature of their combat interactions (sorry folks, but Freemanās crowbar or a sword in Skyrim swatting as your character oddly strafes around are quite floaty and unrealistic compared the games of more console-ready studios titles which tend to stray away from those with their rulership of cutscene and third person games taking the visually stronger route). I will gladly play their games on a PC when I add one to the mix of my gaming systems, but even watching my friendās gorgeously modded versions of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, as well as The Elder Scrolls games, they look quite stunning in many ways, and quite dated in others like animation and menus.
And unmodded, the gap is almost entirely restricted to resolution, which is not as relevant in the 1080p theater setting, compared to those utilizing a monitor at closer viewing distance. I suppose that perception on my part is based in PC-minded legacy companies having what (and again, please name some sort of AAA or major game that breaks my idea here) I perceive as these less cinematic-looking games compared to those of companies I perceive to have more fully embraced the somewhat singular vision of console games to go cinematic (and frankly, I donāt really know many major titles that arenāt trying to head in that direction, so when it looks a bit dodgy to me like an odd stiff character, it is a bit disappointing).
I canāt help but think about how BioWareās move to go console-first with Mass Effect also happened to bring their most visually engrossing game yet, in my opinion. With the top notch scripted dialogue wheel and multi-angle camera, I still struggle a bit on Skyrim with that text selection one-sided conversation. I just find films and cinematography to be to essential to ignore the look and style of things like Naughty Dog, Rockstar, and even the B-movie script, but AAA stylish looks of Infamous: Second Son or Killzone games. What is delivering that wow and also champions for PC specifically? Where is the real night-and-day difference if Iām one who insists on playing my TV in my living room?
1 Like
OK, so here goesā¦ 
Control Input:
Firstly keyboard and mouse are vastly superior input devices for any first person game (or third person with a first person control setup). This really isnāt debatable, if put to the test M&K will always trump a controller no matter how great the playerās skill. This is evident in any competitive multiplayer game; the thumbsticks are simply too imprecise.
Though Iāve played some multiplayer games in the past (Quake 3, Brink, Hidden & Dangerous 2 and Vietcong coop) like you Iām primarily a singleplayer guy. But after using M&K for looking and shooting, to use a controller is simply unsatisfying and frustrating (itās not a case of āgetting used to it,ā itās a fault of the device itself). Looking around with a mouse feels natural and precise, a controller feels clunky and imprecise. Itās not just about whether I can ābeatā the game with a controller; itās whether Iād enjoy doing so.
For all other game genres (flight sims, racing sims) you can connect the best devices to your PC to give you the best experience. Iāve written in detail about control devices here:
Games:
Bioshock as an e.g.:
Iāve played the Bioshock games on my PC (not Infinite though), but again Iād have to disagree - The controller is a massive hindrance with any FPS - As I say, itās not about beating the game, itās about finding the shooting satisfying and the simple act of looking around fluid, precise and natural.
Also the screen is closer to me and at a far higher resolution than 1080p (I do not consider this high res.) I can see more detail in the world and it feels more immersive.
FoV on most console games in awful. Super low; it feels like youāre looking down a tube. This can be adjusted on PC.
So, Iām sat at my desk in comfort (a large antique piece; PC gaming doesnāt have to feel like playing in an office BTW), the best controls in front of me, a big high def screen and speakers all positioned correctly - Iām fully immersed in what Iām playing (I donāt remember about Bioshock, but most PC games have higher res textures, better draw distances and more special effects too).
Is this less sociable than playing in the living room? Certainly, but Iām not playing a singleplayer game to be sociable, Iām want to be immersed and not interrupted!
Other Games:
As said, I have not played āThe Last of Us,ā so you can take this with a pinch of salt, but from what Iāve seen itās the sort of thing that Iād hate and exactly the reason why the Skyrims/Fallouts and strategy titles float my boat instead. I have little to no interest in playing these āmovie-likeā linear action-adventure games, particularly with the usual zombie storyline and QTEs. I donāt care how good they look (not that it looks that great to me anyway), but this type of hand-holding, ācinematicā gameplay is as dull as dishwater to me.
Games are about making your own decisions, not playing an interactive movie filled with cutscenes and QTEs.You can have as many of these titles as you want. Iāve no interest in playing them whatsoever. Yes, theyāre super popular and well received with the mass market - So is a lot of stuff that I dislike ;). Iād rather watch a movie.
I did enjoy Max Payne 3 and Mafia 2 a lot however which are both story based games (mouse makes the shooting fun and I dig on the story in these cases, plus Mafia 2 was āopen worldā), but these type of linear shooters donāt get me nearly as exited as the truly open world stuff (letās not forget that both games control and look better on PC too).
Skyrim and Fallout arenāt great looking games per se; though both look infinitely better out of the box than on console and then better again once modded (Skyrim can look quite something at times). Itās the gameplay thatās interesting here though; the freedom to explore another world and do as you please.
Letās take Skyrim, hereās how I have mine setup to give you an example against your console version:
- FoV @ 90.
- Timescale set to 6 times realtime (default is 30).
- āFrostfallā installed (feel cold, get wet, camping, survival and so on; conditions affect the player and can even kill you - - Super immersive, in depth and very well done).
- Real Needs and Diseases (you need to eat, drink and sleep to survive and diseases are handled more realistically).
- Official High Resolution Texture Packs.
- Sky UI (completely overhauled inventory, take a look on YouTube).
- Slower Leveling x2 (twice as long to increase skills gives a longer more rewarding game).
- HUD - Fully customised to my liking and super minimal (using a number of great mods, position, scale, context sensitive elements are all easily handled).
- Wearable Lanterns (craft your own lanterns and toggle them on/off with a hot-key, oil required).
- No cross-hair or sneak meter (including for archery, much more fun and skill based :)).
- Realistic Room Rental (no longer do inns/taverns charge only 10 gold per night).
- True Vision ENB (not only does this make the game look much, much better but the nights are now dark which actually alters the gameplay - Take a look on YouTube).
- A Matter of time (time of day displayed via a hot-key; fully customisable, of course ;))
Finally, a number of other small fixes and tweaks which I wonāt mention, but hopefully you get the picture. The same is true for my Fallout NV install. In short Iāve adjusted the base game into just the game I want to play.
And now onto strategy titles:
Firstly we have the Total War series; truly epic turn based grand strategy combined with realistic real-time gameplay. You as the gamer are deciding what happens with your empire; each game is different and battles really matter as theyāre of your making no some predefined linear rubbish filled with expensive cutscenes to make you feel that you should care about the outcome. Forget getting this experience on console without a keyboard and mouse (and with all the detail in the visuals youāll want to be playing at as high a res as possible).
Civilization - Need I say more? No it doesnāt look āsexyā, but we are talking about games here right? Interactive, interesting and challenging experiences - No gameās the same, choose your own path! āJust one more turn. Oh, itās 3am etcā¦ā
Iām just playing XCom EW now, which seems great so far, but playing it on a 1080p TV with a controller instead of a mouse - No thanks.
Am sure there are plenty of other great titles (Paradox for e.g.?), but those Iāve mentioned are so in-depth theyāre enough for me for now (Iām a very slow player who likes to carefully weigh up my moves :))
There are lots of high fidelity flight sims and racing sims which I wonāt mention as itās clearly not something youāre interesting in, but flying with a HOTAS, pedals and TrackIR is fantastic if you like these things.
Before I finish my monster ramble, letās take a quick look at shooters again. CoD and Battlefield are both games which I generally donāt particularly like. I do like military shooters, but from a gamerās point of view I simply canāt enjoy the single player aspect of these games as they lead you down a beautifully crafted corridor filled with great looking but (to my mind) completely dull OTT cutscenes and special effects. When I see stuff like this all I do is lament that we donāt have a modern version of Hidden and Dangerous 2 (a truly great game). Again; I donāt want to play an interactive movie where my decisions have no consequences, the skill of the gameplay is limited to whack-a-mole pop-up bad guys and Iām just walking from one trigger volume to the next.
As to the multiplayer side of these games, which you think of as āshort attention spanā games; Iād maybe agree with you on the consoles, particularly Battlefield and CoDs, but on PC we have Red Orchestra and ArmA. These games are most certainly not for those with a low attention span; are hardcore, realistic and deep in strategy, gameplay mechanics, skill and teamwork. Fast paced shooters on PC such as Quake Live, Brink (and upcoming āExtractionā) also take time and effort to master, plus there is the skill and satisfaction to the mouse and keyboard controls. I see these somewhat as sports titles. Consoles gamers are using a controller for similar titles, so skill is on a totally different level here.
Resolution:
This is a big deal to me. Whilst things are better for consoles now than in the past (1600x1200 on PC vs. 640x480 TV/Console) Iām now used to 2560x1600 on a 30 inch screen and looking to upgrade to 4K on a 55-65 inch screen in the future. 1080p is fine for movies, but for games it just doesnāt cut it for me (though this is maybe more of a personal thing).
FoV:
Aside from the nasty controller input for FPS games, console titles also tend to have a horribly low FoV which feels cramped an unnatural. On some PC ports you get this too, but at least you can mostly adjust the settings yourself (this is another reason why us PC gamers moan about consoles portsā¦).
Finallyā¦:
Iāve written way too much already (sorry), but to sum it up:
-
When console gamers are playing āGeneric Action Zombie Shooter Adventure 3ā with āamazing,ā ānext-genā graphics, cutscenes, OTEs and so on Iām snapping off precision head shots (without auto-aim) in a better looking version of Max Payne or Mafia 2 (or other similar story games I like, but with better graphics and controls).
-
While youāre playing Skyrim or Fallout with a giant HUD and compass showing you where everything is as the days go whizzing by in minutes Iām living in a world thatās far more believable, realistic and immersve and tailored to just how I want to play.
-
While youāre playing Forza or GT Iām running a full flight sim setup with advanced controls, TrackIR and aircraft recreated from their real live counterparts in every exacting detail (race guys have sims such as iRacing and equally advanced wheel and pedal setups).
-
While you not playing a strategy game (or fumbling through with awful controls) I am deep into Total War, Civ or XCom.
-
While youāre playing CoD or Battlefield listening to the trash talk, BS and racking up ākill-streaks,ā Iām sneaking around in Red Orchestra working as part of a team and enjoying all the realism and depth that the game offers. Or maybe playing H&D2 either solo or coop (old, but great!)
-
If I do choose to play a so-called AAA cross-platform title such as Crysis, GTA, Dishonored, Borderlands 2, Alan Wake, RAGE etc. Iām doing so with far better controls on a higher res screen with better graphicsā¦
As for the console exclusives - You can keep them, aside from the visuals, theyāre not where I want to see games going in future. Graphics and sound are important, especially for immersion, but they are not everything. As for a AAA graphical powerhouse PC exclusive, take a look at Star Citizen ;).
And you thought your post was long!
1 Like
Depends on what you consider AAA is suppose. How about Arma/Civilization/Counter Strike/Starcraft/The Sims/World of Warcraft/ā¦? Iām sure thereās a whole bunch, youāre just less likely to know or care about them if you only play on a console, similar to how Iām unlikely to know or care about console exclusives because theyāll just never be on my radar.
Big PC exclusives:
- StarCraft
- The Sims
- Sim City
- Arma
- Total War
- Civilization
- Company of Heroes
- World of Warcraft
- Guild Wars
- SWTOR
- Counter Strike
- Star Citizen
- Tropico
- Divinity Original Sin
- Pillars of Eternity
- Path of Exile
- ā¦
And of course hundreds of smaller games and indiesā¦
2 Likes
Frame rate and anti-aliasing stand out as much bigger gaps to me than the resolution. I detest the slightest sign of jaggies. And say all you want about the limitations of the human eye, 120 frames on a 120hz monitor is a very noticeable improvement in first person games and racers.
Console exclusives have also become more and more of a rarity anyways, I donāt really think thereās that big a genre gap between the consoles and PCs anymore. Civ V, XCOM and a handful of MMOs even have made it to consoles with success and pretty much every AAA movie-game made it to the PC with similar success. With exceptions on both sides of course. With consoles becoming more and more computer like with each generation, and PCs already being able to just plug and play all the console controllers, I donāt think itāll be long before any genre gaps just vanish.
The simple solution for the enthusiast with plenty of disposable income for their hobbies though is of course to just buy all the platforms, and enjoy the games on your favorite platforms when given the choice.
Most people who use that argument ignore a great many factors, including variability between human eyes, the effect of varying degrees of sharpness/blur, and the fact that in order for something like that to appear perfect it needs to be changing at a frequency of at least double the sampling frequency (and thatās assuming it goes directly from one image to the next, not through black). High framerates are absolutely noticeable and worthwhile - especially because any drop in framerate from the GPU on an is proportional to the maximum framerate.
I back this origionly because it was a cool game, I upped my pledge amount when I found out I could get it for the Xbox One.
The only reason I backed it was because it had a ps4 option!
Hope for PS4 digital version.
Though I didnāt see ps4 in pledge option, I pledged for PC. With hoping they will change it for PS4.
1 Like