Simple reason why PC gaming will never overtake consoles

[MrPopo]

So it sounds like you didn't do the proper research and lost money because of it. As has been mentioned, there is a high barrier for entry when it comes to PC gaming. I don't think any fan of PC gaming will claim that PCs will overtake consoles, especially now that the technology gap has really narrowed. We've gotten almost to the point of photorealism, so now we need to improve animations. And that's all CPU-bound, instead of GPU-bound. All us PC gamers want is to stop having the games we get be watered down to also sell on a console. Give us more Sins and less DX:IW.

[Kevman]

The simple reason is you were stupid enough to spend 500 dollars on a computer with no discrete video card. Way to go.

Well some of us don't get $50 dollars on a paypal account a month.

[The Apprentice]

What's odd is that my computer can run other, more GPU intensive games like Age of Empires III, Trackmania United, Team Fortress 2, and Sins of a Solar Empire, but it won't play Eve. I wish that computers would standerdize their hardware and set regulation with developers such as, if you want to use our technology with your games now, you'll have to support it four years from now along with our future, stronger cards. I'm not saying the games should have watered down graphics, I'm saying developers should commit themselves to make games with adjustable settings for older compters. It would eliminate the need for budget gamers to reinvest every couple of years while still offering great graphics for the people ho are seriously commited to this stuff.

However, since this situation is simply a pipe dream, consoles are still the most cost-effective solution for gaming. A $300 investment in 2005 can allow console gamers with an Xbox 360 to play Call of Duty World at war 3 years later without compatibillity issues. With consoles, you don't have to futurecast what cards will be popular or cutting-edge enough to be supported in a few years. Just look at PS2- 10 years later with near 2000 available games.

[Dakinggamer87]

Yes, the major problem with PC gaming is you have to know what you're getting into and you usually have to own the latest hardware to play the latest games. I've always liked consoles because you never had to worry about whether or not your game was going to install or if you were going to have to play the game at a lower graphic resolution setting because your system can't handle the game. Consoles you just pop the game in and it works.

There are major benefits to PC gaming though. You have easy access to the internet. There are lots of mods available for your games. Some types of games (like first person shooters) are just better played with a mouse and keyboard. There are a million games you can play on your PC, especially if you get into emulation. You can save without buying a memory card. You can receive updates that fix bugs the game developers missed on the first release.

So, they are just different types of gaming. Console games don't require legwork to get the game running. PCs generally give you more options.

I couldn't agree more well said... I still prefer consoles but very well stated about PC gaming...

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Sounds like you have a GMA x3100 considering that Sins, Trackmania, and AOE3 run fine. Trust me, those are the least graphically intensive modern games you can find. Don't kid yourself. Go buy yourself a 50 dollar nvidia 8600gt 512mb or better (8800 doesnt cost much more) and enjoy every game with wonderful framerates and resolutions.

[The Apprentice]

Sounds like you have a GMA x3100 considering that Sins, Trackmania, and AOE3 run fine. Trust me, those are the least graphically intensive modern games you can find. Don't kid yourself. Go buy yourself a 50 dollar nvidia 8600gt 512mb or better (8800 doesnt cost much more) and enjoy every game with wonderful framerates and resolutions.

Before they updated Eve, my comp could run it on the 32meg Intel chip, but now that they updated I can't run it on a 256 meg ATI, and I've seen what the update looks like- no change whatsoever. It's not a question of power, it's a question of compatiblillity, and yes, it takes more from a computer to run AoE3 and Trackmania than Eve.

[otaku]

my alienware is a laptop and while the newest one the m15x has had its issues believe me I still love it my m17 is an older style (though newer) model and is built very well and the newest model the m17x looks to be very well built (anodized aluminum) desktop wise I've never owned one but my bro has a dell which has been great.

[slag]

I bought a $500 PC (not including monitor), yet when I tried to boot up a 3 year old game (Neverwinter Nights 2) it said that I didn't have a powerful enough video card. So in order to play a 3 year old game, I have to spend another $100 or so. God only knows how much I would have to spend in order to play something newer.

By contrast, if I spend a few hundred dollars on a PS3, I'm going to be able to play everything that has come out to date, not to mention everything that comes out in the future.

I won't continue to bash on the fact that you simply got a cheap PC with integrated graphics. What I will point out is that as long as you didn't just grab generic videocard X which cost $100 you will probably be able to play every game released to date with your PC. You probably won't be running Crysis in DX10 mode with max visuals on a 30" LCD at the panels native resolution, BUT you will be running Crysis

@MrPopo: Animation has basically been a GPU task since the days of the GeForce4.

@The Apprentice: The games you picked for "my computer runs these but not this one" are really weak. 2 RTS(never really a GPU punishing) and a simple source engine shooter which can run on some really old hardware using low visuals. Your problem is your buying super cheap videocards(which are usually gimped) and expecting them to conform to DX standards/last for several years.

[Ziggy]

Just wanted to point out... You can have the best video card in the world but if you're using the shitty stock PSU that comes in a Dell (or what ever) to power it than you're not going to see the best results. And also remember, as corny as it sounds, your PC is only as strong as it's weakest link.

[Raziel]

Congratulations! You bought a PC without doing the necessary legwork.

It's your own fault, really.

I have to agree, though, that these days console is a much better choice than PC because the PC games are consolized and dumbed down anyway, and most of the games are available on consoles as well.