On several occasions I've explained why I abandoned PC gaming for console gaming, the most compelling reasons being frequent equipment upgrades and system complexity (almost all console games are drop-dead easy to install and play).

However, after weeks of hearing one of the engineers who works for me talk about all the mods to Oblivion, I have to say I'm growing very jealous.  Today he opened a browser at work and went to an Oblivion mod side (tex dot something or other) and pulled up screenshots of what could be done with the imperial city's nighttime appearance.  Dear, lord, I want to play that game using a PC!  It was like a new game with dramatically better graphics.  This is after I've heard about the mods that add extra creatures, allow one to build custom bows, create arrows with intrinsic buffs, etc.

*drool*

Yeah, my wife would kill me if I asked for a new machine like the one he built (it would likely cost >$1000).  But Oblivion looks so impressive with those mods...*sob*

I'll have to be satisfied with the >600 hours I expended on my 360 copy of the game and the relatively miniscule DLC that was available.  I can only imagine the pain I would be feeling if I had the PS3 version, which lacks most of the 360's DLC.  :-/

A lot of PC games have amazing mods, CS is a mod to HL1. That's one of the top reasons why console gaming has no chance when compared with PC gaming, you can't get brand new looking/feeling games for absolutely free. Not to mention new effects/graphics/models/weapons you name it.

You don't need a $1000 PC to run Oblivion....You can even run Crysis with under an $1000 PC with High Settings...

I wouldn't go so far as to say console gaming has no chance... console games are selling like hotcakes, and not everyone wants to mod-out games to the nth degree.

But for that one game, Oblivion, I would love to mod it to the extreme and see just how far the environment can be taken.  I seriously hope Bethesda is paying attention to the Oblivion mods when they start working on Elder Scrolls V.

Agreed.  But I use my current machine for a lot of video editing, etc, so I would have to really max out a lot of stuff to replace it.  But you're right, a good gaming machine can be built for a whole lot less than a $1000.

Mods were always a huge advantage of PC gaming.

I remember playing my favorite RPG Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn with all those available mods, banter packs etc. after i finished the original game. It was a new experience. And free, of course.

I hope the PC community will create something similar with Dragon Age when it's coming out in February (and later on consoles).

What are your PC specs? The below figures are approximations based on a mid range system.

An ATi HD 4670 ($65) can run Oblivion at 1680 x 1050 with 4xAA and 16xAF at 30 fps.
An ATi HD 4830 ($99) can run Oblivion at 1680 x 1050 with 4xAA and 16xAF at 40 fps.
An ATi HD 4850 ($140) can run Oblivion at 1680 x 1050 with 4xAA and 16xAF at 65 fps.

My computer is fairly recent, with a decent video card, etc.  The problem is it's a Mac... I do a lot of video editing, etc., and the Mac is definitely a better machine for that.  But when it comes to games, the selection is very limited.

I really don't want to go back to using Windows machines (I've used and programmed them since the day they came out), and for home use I really don't care for them at all.  But when it comes to having a gaming PC, Windows is the undisputed king.  Sadly, my wife and I have agreed that I will only have one computer at a time for budget reasons.

So, I'll sit and drool while you PC dudes kick serious PC gaming butt.  But I can dream...

I constructed a reasonably future proof PC just a few weeks back, and even at unreasonably high indian hardware prices, It set me back by about half my months earnings, but im happy with it

Any decent video editing rig is going to have similar hardware to a gaming machine, possibly only lacking in a high end video card. Whats stopping you installing Windows on a Mac and dropping in a high end graphics card?