Uh yea, much discussion of the prices of having a PC would be from building them yourself. Heck, even paying somebody you know to build something for you would be cheaper than the different brands (alienware, lol) you're linking to.

You also seem fixated that those who game on PC's require the very best hardware and max resolution and framerates when this simply isn't the case. If somebody can afford all that (and even want to spend more money on a brand like Dell, Falcon, or Alienware), then great, but it's not required to enjoy PC games. Thus, you can spend under $1000 while still having good performance even if it's not the best out there.

1. You do not have to upgrade your hardware often at all, maybe every few years unless you have a processor that can easily be overclocked than you have at least another 2 years before you need to upgrade your processor. Pretty much by the time you upgrade your desktop or need a new one you will have easy past the origonal Xbox's lifespan. Plus the fact most upgrades can be really cheap. Way cheaper than buying a Wii unless you need a new PC than you can just build a new computer, which will also function for other uses but games, for about $700 - 800 if your aiming to run the newer games or even less than that if your just aiming to play some of your older games on higher settings and some newer games on medium/low.

2. Constant updating, patches, etc. Hmm.. Xbox seasonal updates, PS3, Wii, and PSP firmware, game patches released every once in a while. Sounds like consoles are pulling a PC here so this point is quite mute.

3. Inability to play older games without emulation. Hmm last time I checked I cant plug my SNES cartrigdes into a Wii but Virtual Console emulates the SNES making it so that you can download and play.

So console gaming hasnt started moving in that direction. It has been moving in that direction sicne the original xbox and the PSP's release.

im not hostile to console gamers, i am one, i play both PC and Console games (PS3,360,Wii owner) i prefer different games on different platforms

Gaming in Gereral For The Win!

They aren't being dumbed down? Uhm, did you know that...

World in Daggerfall is enormous, there is numerous skills, numerous traits, many different factions, relations ratings withing different people(scholars, peasants etc.), etc. etc.

And whats left? First they stripped great amount of stuff when they made Morrowind. It was still ok, but step in wrong direction. What they did do with Oblivion?

• First they stripped down more skills.
• Made compass that makes gaming very frigging boring(, because you always know where to go. No more searching, no more clues that it might be somewhere in there. Just one compass that shows the right way through whole game.)
• They completely trashed items system and its now everything for all. You do know that everyone shouldn't have ebony, glass or daedra on them?
• etc.

What will be in next elderscrolls? 3 skills(Attack, defense, magic?)? No more free world?

And how about Rainbow Six? Did you know that when it was on pc there was tactical map, which you could use to plan your attacks, you weren't a superman who could take lots of bullets before dying etc.

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What is it now? Just one stupid scripted fps game. Oh, dear...

How about Deus Ex? The game, which had story that you could affect by your actions and choices. How did they dump down Deus Ex 2? First whatever you did you could choose the ending at the end. Even if you would have killed everyone in game, you could always be on good side and other way around. Secondly they did gimp whole game experience and nano-augements systems. Thirdly they didn't even care about making bullets for weapons in that game. You just get some crap that can be used with any weapon there is. -.-

I could go on and on because theres too many games that has been dumbed down just to make console gamers happy. PS360 games haven't even seen hardcore. They are more or less casual games. Less casual than most of wii games, but still casual games. FYI hardcore doesn't mean another button smasher or overly scripted fps.

Too much fail in here. I request to close this thread for obvious reasons.

If I spent 1000$ making a gaming rig, it would be a pretty awesome rig with SLI video cards.  I would be able to play every game that came out at max quality for 3+ years.

To those people who say "you always have to upgrade".  I would not the difference between the need to upgrade and feeling pressured to upgrade.  You don't have to have the graphics settings maxed out to play a game, but many people feel that way.

To the guy who said you cannot play older games on the PC, I don't see why you would say that.  With a DOS emulator (not hard to get) I could play Star Wars Dark Forces.  However, before long you will not be able to play XBOX and PS1 games on consoles whenever they switch to something like DL content only.

About the piracy argument.  You can pirate on consoles also.  It just doesn't get as much attention as PC piracy does.  Stardock has proven that piracy is not a big issue with thier DRM free game Sins of the Solar Empire.

I can't think of any other arguments I need to counter yet.

It's so very odd.  A lot of PC gamers I know (including myself) are console gamers as well.  However, I know a lot of console-only gamers as well as some who are slowly becoming console gamers since to many it's easier to just buy a new console than upgrade their PC.  People naturally defend their hobby. 

Console-only gamers defend theirs because they don't really know how PC gaming works beyond what they see a bit of on friends' PCs. It's foreign and strange and in some cases they have no idea what the PC holds beyond Counterstrike and WOW.

PC->console gamers defend theirs because they don't want to feel bad about their PC becoming behind the times so they rationalize that other PC gamers should transition to consoles as well.  It's not them falling behind, it's everyone else.

PC gamers defend their hobby because in many cases they get exactly the same thing console gamers get but in much better form with more options.  It's hard for PC gamers to see their lot as anything but superior (while conveniently ignoring console exclusive franchises like Mario).

But it does have particularly strong DRM, its just not obtrusive.

• No single player aside from Skirmish.
• Validated CD keys online.

Its the single-player experience that you lose to pirates really.

@WoW:

A lot of console gamers know how to build, overclock and do all sorts of things with the PC. I wouldn't make that assertion.

When I say console-only, I'm specifically narrowing the group I'm talking about.  I'm assuming that if someone knows how to do so much with computers that they have played PC games at one point or another which puts them into the second group.  I'm not saying that's true for 100% of the people out there but I think it's a fairly reasonable assumption (if you know a lot about computers and like gaming, you have played computer games).

Ok I re-read it. I wasn't sure what the ">" sign meant.

"PC->console gamers defend theirs because they don't want to feel bad about their PC becoming behind the times so they rationalize that other PC gamers should transition to consoles as well.  It's not them falling behind, it's everyone else."

I don't agree with this. I doubt it would bother many people at all that their PC falls behind if they no-longer game on it.

Theres another factor you need to consider, which is the transition away from desktop PCs to laptops. There are more laptops than desktop PCs which are under 3 years old and 95% of these do not have adequare 3d performance.