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Post by stuz359 on Mar 11, 2024 23:42:46 GMT
Something I'm thinking about.
I'm upgrading my PC. It's sufficiently powerful enough that I can emulate most back compatible games, those it can't, they have native PC versions anyway.
With Xbox Series X, I own the console, but cannot find a use case for it. There are a certain amount of games that didn't receive an update for backwards compatibility, but Xenia, Xemu and cloud streaming eliminate this (at least for those that didn't receive a PC release) and the fact that every Xbox title released is day one on PC as well. I've basically been using it for back compatibility.
With Playstation, it was more clear cut. You got the platform for exclusives. But increasingly, after a set period, those games are coming to PC. I think the only argument could be made for is the Demons Soul Remake and maybe Bloodbourne. Trying to think of anything else. But if exclusives are eventually coming to the PC, what's the point? PC (with a decent spec) will emulate any PS3 game much better than cloud streaming.
Even Switch, you can argue that you experience of playing on PC, you can play with 60fps and 4k resolution, with the only use case for the Switch being it's handheld mode (which is even worse when you can emulate the Switch quite easily on the Steam Deck).
Let's also mention vast backwards compatibility with existing PC games and emulation of older consoles as well.
So what is the use case for a console? I can make an argument for the Switch with it's unique form factor, less so for PS5 and XSX.
Incidentally, does anyone want an XSX or PS5?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 23:48:42 GMT
A PC for me is a photoshop machine, for when I want new avatars. I do my gaming on consoles and my casual computing on a phone.
What is the use case for PCs?
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Post by stuz359 on Mar 11, 2024 23:55:22 GMT
A PC for me is a photoshop machine, for when I want new avatars. I do my gaming on consoles and my casual computing on a phone. What is the use case for PCs? They can play all the games and still do the content creation stuff. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2024 23:58:25 GMT
At a much higher cost and with much more tinkering and troubleshooting. I can also play all the games on a PlayStation, and just press X to do it in seconds.
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Post by JuniorFE on Mar 12, 2024 0:01:12 GMT
PS5 and I think also Xbox also have portable options FWIW, and while I haven't looked into it recently I think they're also less expensive (even in total, depending on what you go for) than a "good" gaming PC rig, and need hardware "updates" (read: buying the next console) less often.
Plus not all games make it to PC, emulators get struck down reasonably often, for games that do make it to PC you sometimes have to wait a long time after initial release (YMMV on that being a problem or not of course)...
And I just don't prefer keyboard and mouse for games (I know you can connect controllers usually, but that's also extra money). It's why I wouldn't emulate, say, DS games that make extensive use of the touch screen, unless I was doing it on my tablet or something
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Post by retro74 on Mar 12, 2024 0:03:38 GMT
I wouldn’t have a PC in my living room but I will (and do) have a PS5
Personally I’d never play games on a PC - and never have. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing so
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 0:03:46 GMT
Price. Spec me a PC as good as a PS5 or XSX for under four and a half hundred quid and I’ll spec you the moon on a stick, I’d imagine.
Usability. I’m old and can’t be arsed learning to faff around with drivers and stuff. Any hardware or software just works and plugs in and updates.
Purchasing. I actually bought my Xbox on a special Klarna scheme Microsoft had - this was when the shops had no shelf stock due to scalping right at release. Bet there’s no easy financing available for PC. It cost me £20 something a month interest free with Gamepass Ultimate. That puts it in reach of a lot more people.
Speccing. I didn’t have to do any research beyond which version of the console tier (S or X) I wanted to upgrade to. Didn’t have to worry about CPU, GPU, RAM, building and sourcing parts (I’m aware you can buy bespoke machines but figure these will not be economic).
I like consoles - they are for a set thing and keep me feeling like a kid when I buy or use them. There just is something about having the next machine in these lineages that an anonymous PC wouldn’t give me.
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Post by JuniorFE on Mar 12, 2024 0:04:05 GMT
(also I've never tried hardware tinkering and I'm not exactly positive to the idea of potentially wrecking expensive equipment because I did something wrong, so there's that)
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Post by Zuluhero on Mar 12, 2024 1:41:42 GMT
Bwhaha what is this? The 90s? I'm sorry, are you from the past?
Might have had more sympathy if you posted this in the pc section 😅
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Post by 😎 on Mar 12, 2024 1:55:22 GMT
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ekz
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Post by ekz on Mar 12, 2024 3:52:17 GMT
I have a PC and I've sold my XSX and Switch. I didn't sell the xbox because I didn't have a use case for it, I sold it because I spent less money on it and I use my pc as if it were a console, anyway. I like the versatility of a PC but 9/10 I treat it as a console because my job makes me sit at a desk for 10 hours a day already. The last thing I want to be doing with my spare time is spending any unnecessary seconds sat at one.
I'll always be a PC first gamer but I will say as I've aged the allure of consoles has heightened. They simply just don't do enough for me, though.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Mar 12, 2024 5:23:18 GMT
Having something for the kids to play on while I'm using the PC?
I think the other benefit is that consoles are aren't a moving target, so if you buy a game for a console generation you can be pretty sure your console will run it. If you buy a game for your PC you have to check the specs and if your PC is a few years old and the game is new then the odds are it won't run that well.
Hardcore gamers will have a desktop PC that they're constantly upgrading, so it probably won't be an issue. But 75% of PC sales are laptops, and those generally aren't very upgradeable. So they're somewhat similar to console generations.
Buy a console, use it for 6(?) years. Buy a laptop, use it for 6(?) years.
But at the end of those 6-ish years, you'll still be able to buy a new console game and your console will run it, because the devs are targeting that hardware. But the same game on PC will probably struggle on your 6 year old laptop. (though it'll look great if you have the hardware).
There's also the thing that my PC is on my desk and it's where I sit all day, but the console is in the living room and I can sit on the sofa.
Of course, there's nothing stopping me moving my laptop to the living room and plugging it into the TV, but it's a faff.
That said, messing with drivers etc.. is basically a thing of the past these days.
*touch wood*
If the price was a bit more affordable, I'd be kinda tempted to get a Steam Deck and plug it into the TV.
A lot of games like Fortnite or Minecraft have shared accounts/progress so we just play them on either device, switching between devices as is convenient.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Mar 12, 2024 5:27:58 GMT
There's something to be said for the consistency in games.
If a game runs well on a PS5 it will run well on every PS5. If it runs shit, it will run shit on every PS5. It's a shared experience.
On PC there's so many different combinations of hardware that need to be taken into account. This means you might have a game running well on one PC but much less so another.
This issue isn't quite as pronounced as it used to be, as in general things have become a bit more homogenised but it still exists, and it means that the game you get might not run like the game you've been watching somebody else play.
Consoles are also cheaper though that's offset by more expensive games - though this too has changed in recent years, though PC still seems to offer better scope for sales on Steam etc. Though sub models negate that, if people are into subscription models.
Another possible benefit of consoles that largely evaporated is the lack of patches, but that's very much a thing of the past.
In general I'd say gaming on PCs has become console like and consoles are getting more PC like.
Ultimately, I'm unlikely to ever buy a console again but really who gives a fuck.
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Post by stixxuk on Mar 12, 2024 5:32:17 GMT
Easy.
Pcs are a faff, and expensive but worth it if you enjoy tinkering and want the very best experience you can get.
Consoles cheaper, way easier, generally set up on a telly in the lounge so more comfortable to play...
I use both - pc for serious gaming and messing about as a hobby, and consoles for just sitting down on the sofa and playing a bit. Therefore clear use cases for both.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Mar 12, 2024 5:39:19 GMT
I think the tinkering people go on about regarding pc games is overstated these days - you can, but honestly I just use preset graphical settings these days, it's nowhere near as much as a chore as it used to be.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Mar 12, 2024 5:56:06 GMT
Yeah, I don't want to jinx it, and being on a laptop might affect things, but I can't remember the last time I had to mess with drivers or updates etc..
And for most games I just go with the default selected graphical settings, unless they don't work on my ageing laptop and I have to drop things to minimum.
The closest thing to 'tinkering' I've done in the last few years is installing some mods, which can be a faff at times, but is entirely optional.
Oh, that and having to mess with a few things when trying to run older games. That tends to be very old stuff like Jedi Knight or Sands of Time though, which would be 3-4+ generations ago in console terms.
Most people playing regular games wouldn't have to deal with any of that.
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Post by eleven63 on Mar 12, 2024 6:03:45 GMT
I've had both. Consoles are just way more user friendly for the average gamer to use, set up, and aesthetically more appealing. Sits under the main telly. Job done. Mouse and keyboard is still a better set up over a controller though. ✌️
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Post by Bill in the rain on Mar 12, 2024 6:12:06 GMT
I've had both. Consoles are just way more user friendly for the average gamer to use, set up, and aesthetically more appealing. Sits under the main telly. Job done. Mouse and keyboard is still a better set up over a controller though. ✌️ Depends on the type of game. I'd pick M+K for shooters, but if I've spent all day using a mouse and keyboard for work then I often pick a controller even on PC... largely for the sake of my shoulder/elbow. There's not really anything stopping someone sticking a laptop under their PC, connecting it to the TV and a controller, installing steam (if not preinstalled) and go. Wouldn't be much more faff than setting up a console and would be functionally the same. But you'd lose the ability to easily use the laptop for content creation etc.. so I'm not sure the costs would add up. Though if you'd done it 4 years ago and also installed the Epic Launcher you'd have gotten $10,000 worth of free games over that time  |
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Post by zagibu on Mar 12, 2024 7:04:40 GMT
Consoles ARE PCs. They are dumbed down PCs with vendor lock-in. All the pro-console arguments haven't been true for decades.
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Post by elstoof on Mar 12, 2024 7:10:32 GMT
People who enjoy pc gaming vote tory
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Post by Dougs on Mar 12, 2024 7:11:40 GMT
RPS/EG scrap imo.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Mar 12, 2024 7:12:34 GMT
People who enjoy pc gaming vote tory below the belt! |
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Post by dfunked on Mar 12, 2024 7:15:01 GMT
For me it's starting to feel like the opposite, as my PC is just gathering dust. I can't remember the last time I sat down in my office to play a game, as after working there all week its the last place in the house I want to be. Any recent PC gaming has been on the couch via Steam Deck hooked up to my TV.
The tinkering argument is mostly bollocks these days. Something like the Steam Deck is a good example of that, just launch the game and away you go. You have the option of tinkering if you want, but it's not essential if you just want to play a game.
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Post by Dougs on Mar 12, 2024 7:30:05 GMT
Was going to say the same re working in an office. I don't have a gaming pc anymore but that would definitely be a factor for me. I enjoyed having a PC but on balance prefer consoles. Mostly for the reasons Drakesmoke set out.
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Post by darrenb on Mar 12, 2024 7:45:51 GMT
It's like comparing a Ferrari to a ford focus, it's an argument that will never go away.
We have both at home, my son and daughter have gaming rigs so they can play Fortnite/valorant at post 200fps framerates with everything switched on, both machines are approx 2k each with a good gaming 27" monitor and proper keyboards and mice on them, and yes they look great when running. But connect them to a 65" TV, things get a bit different, the framerate gets locked down and it just don't feel right.
The ps5 on the other hand plays pretty much the same on a TV, a gaming monitor they have would be a waste of money on the PS5 as it never goes above 120fps.
So see what i mean, both can do the same but differently. I prefer my big TV, sofa and it just works..
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 8:04:19 GMT
The argument over cheap games is a compelling one and is one I had not remembered or considered tbh.
There’s also a case for certain types of games or games that can only be had on PC.
Specifically, and I’d likely never have the time or patience to learn it these days, DCS sims look absolutely mega.
So yeah if I won the lottery tomorrow and didn’t have to worry about doing 38 hours of work a week I’d probably get one for that, now I think about it.
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Post by drhickman1983 on Mar 12, 2024 8:19:56 GMT
I think we're ignoring the real question here.
What about Spectrum VS Commodore?
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Post by Bill in the rain on Mar 12, 2024 8:21:51 GMT
Spectrum of course.
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Post by Zuluhero on Mar 12, 2024 8:38:03 GMT
These are all salient arguments, but nothing people haven't counted with before in the whole pcs Vs consoles debate for time immemorial. I think I'm a bit jaded tbh, they gave us shiny Alienware laptops for WFH, which I was so excited about, but it's probably the worst 'pc' I've ever 'owned'. I play Fortnite on it when my family are watching the TV in the living room but it can barely play that, I can get just about 60 FPS if I faff with the settings a lot (which is a pain). With the specs it has it should be able to handle pretty much anything you throw at it without breaking a sweat. Ironically it has a higher resolution than my ps5 on my TV, but it still looks somehow worse. It bemuses me that some chump would have paid the 3k price tag for it... now that's a bit of playful trolling 😂 |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2024 8:45:18 GMT
I think we're ignoring the real question here. What about Spectrum VS Commodore? Commodore thug lyfe |
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