| TornadoCreator said: I'm an old PC gamer, and honestly, the PC graphics argument is so often bullshit. Rarely are people actually playing game in glorious HD graphics and high framerates, and the issues and expense in PC gaming is ridiculous sometimes. Sure the games are cheaper, and if it wasn't for the pre-owned market that would genuinely change the way I view PC gaming, but getting into PC gaming requires far too much of an investment. Decent graphics cards, hard drives, processors, RAM, it soon builds up and it so bloody fiddly. Every PC game starts the same. |
What? Take a look at the Steam Survey.
70-75% of users are running a HD resolution or somewhere in between.
3% run higher. (That's roughly 2 million PC gamers running at higher than HD.)
However, you have the choice to run it higher if you are willing to pony up the cash, you are not given a set resolution and told to "deal with it". I.E. Like 900P on the PS4 and 720P on the Xbox One.
If you wan't to game at 720P, there are plenty of people around who are using PC's that are 6+ years old to achieve that.
| TornadoCreator said: Level 1 - Install the game. This should be easy, but with modern computers it's entirely possible that the thing won't install properly and you'll have to re-install it three or four times to get it to work. |
Who installs games anymore? You don't have to with Steam, you do however have to install Direct X and Visual C runtime, but it does that install when you launch a game for the first time.
So, blatantly false on that one.
| TornadoCreator said: Level 2 - Search the Steam Support page for "Error #3870a3c" and try to figure out why the hell the game keeps crashing to desktop, or freezing up. (There are at least 3 games I have where I've never beat this level, Steam however refuses to refund a game if you've beat level 1 though so I'm stuck with them). |
I have almost 350 games on Steam, never have I had a game appear with an error upon launch. - http://steamcommunity.com/id/Pemalite/
I have dozens of games on GoG.com, DRM free they all work flawlessly, regardless of the x86 Windows device I run them on.
I have a heap of games on Origin, all work fine.
I have tons of Disc-based PC games that I have accrued over the past few decades, their mileage actually varies, but majority work fine.
Also, Steams TOS cannot override your basic consumer rights, you may not be entitled to a refund, but I sure am and I have used that right in the past.
However, GOG and Origin provide refunds if you don't agree with Steam, good thing you have choice.
| TornadoCreator said: Level 3 - Search the internet tirelessly for the driver you need to update your graphics cards, or whatever else is causing the issues. Finally get the game up and running. |
Years ago that was true, but back then you had Intel, ATI, nVidia, Matrox, Rendition, 3dfx, SiS, S3 and NEC based GPU's to deal with.
Today, you have Intel, AMD or nVidia and they all have a consolidated driver package, just go to their website, download the latest version and you are set to go, heck I'm still running drivers from the middle of last year and I haven't had any issues with games... It literally "just works".
| TornadoCreator said: Level 3a - BONUS LEVEL, if you're really lucky the developers will have put in this bonus level called, "repeatedly try to connect to our servers to play a single player game", this level is infamous. One sign you've unlocked this secret level is the phrase "Error 37". |
I'll give you this.
The PC is allot more online-centric than the consoles, this is both a good and a bad thing, however majority of games you can play offline and even Steam has an offline mode, however with that in mind, consoles aren't immune to it either, I've attempted to play EA games in the past and EA's servers have thrown fits.
Basically, if you don't like online-issues, don't buy an online-only game, you again have choice.
| TornadoCreator said: Level 4a - BONUS LEVEL, if you're playing a game designed with a console in mind, you'll probably want to use a controller. This is the level where you try to get one to work. Some games simply accept the Xbox 360 wired controller, which bypasses this level, but many don't meaning you'll have the fun of starting up and configuring a program like joy2key to force your controller to emulate key-presses. Such fun... |
Steam is making great strides in this area, it clearly lets you know if a game supports a dumbed down console-like experience by advertising Big-Picture mode and Controller support.
You again have choice.
| TornadoCreator said: I'd love to embrace PC gaming, I really would. I especially miss my strategy games which are just non-existent on console. The problem is, I don't have over £1000 to drop on a decent gaming rig. Sure I could get a passable gaming PC for about £400-500 but it won't be outperforming the current consoles, not by a long shot. I fell out with PC gaming years ago; I doubt it'll ever win me back. I return occationally to play Tropico 4, Civilization 4, and Dungeons Of Dredmor, but that's about it now. I don't think I could play games like Batman: Arkhan Asylum for example on PC now after playing it on consoles. |
Here is the kicker.
You don't need to drop $1,000 on a PC for a decent gaming rig.
If you are happy with a fraction of that cost, you can play pretty much play every game at 720P (Even 1080P if you play your cards right) with a second hand machine and a new GPU dropped in, again you have choice.
People always claimed PC was expensive, you have to upgrade every 6 months, the irony of that statement is that so many people are still hanging onto Core 2.
You can easily exceed the next generation consoles, spend thousands, but you don't have to, you are given a choice.
I've spent untold thousands on my main PC to the point it's worth more than allot of peoples cars, but that's for work, I just get the benefit of running games far better than consoles could ever possibly achieve, is that for everyone? Heck no.
Do I have lots of problems? No way and I don't exactly have a "Simple machine". - Running Triple GPU's and Triple Monitors, you would expect I would run into a plethera of issues like some people claim with simpler set-ups, but I just don't.
I've also got a 6-7 Core 2 PC currently that I am playing with, it will surprise you with how well it can handle games like Battlefield 4, I have an almost 4 year old Phenom 2 x6 HTPC and I can run every single game, better than the Playstation 4 can.
I also have an AMD FX 8120 PC running triple monitors and it handles every game perfectly fine.
The other bonus to it all?
You have decades worth of games, heck you don't even have to play PC games, dozens of dedicated platforms can be emulated (Legal in some places, so your mileage may vary.) and make the games look and run better than they were origionally designed for.
But alas, you seem to be rather adverse to the open nature of the PC and decline all manner of choice and would rather be told how to play your games, but that is your personal right as a consumer, but your experiences with the PC certainly isn't the reality of the entire PC gaming industry which is still growing stupidly rapidly.
I also apologise for not replying sooner, I honestly didn't have the time for a long drawn out and thoughtfull post untill now.
--::{PC Gaming Master Race}::--
