[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by booB

I didn't intend for this to be a console vs. PC debate... obviously, you prefer one, and I prefer the other. I was just speaking to the question of monetary value, and whether PC upgrading was worth it. I'm not going to bother replying to the "console is better!" arguments, except to say that the only actual ADVANTAGE to consoles is that you can easily use them with your TV (hence, your "without having to leave your couch" comment). Otherwise, a PC can do everything a console can do, and more.

I wasn't intending it to be a "console is better!" discussion, either. What I meant was that it depends on HOW you want to experience your gaming lifestyle. Some people love to tinker with their hardware to get the most out of gaming. Some people define getting the most out of gaming by doing away with tinkering and just popping in a game and getting on with it.

Well, that $300 is for a console with out-of-date hardware. You could easily buy an out-of-date PC for that money, pre-built. I'm too lazy to check prices right now, but I know that I've spent considerably less over the past 6-7 years on my PC(s) than the average console gamer has spent on consoles, and I guarantee that I get better performance out of mine. Plus it's 100% backwards-compatible, all the way back to the 80's, and can play games from the first 3-4 console generations. Now THAT'S value.

That's IF you are a PC geek and want to tinker. But a ton us gamers may not be interested in that at all. "a console with out-of-date hardware" is what we might want and we don't even care if it's "out-of-date" as long as we can just pop the disc in and jump into the game. And when the next generation of consoles come along, well, we'll just upgrade to those.

Need, yes. I didn't upgrade mine for years before I bought my current one. But you'd probably want to, because the whole point of PC gaming is to get the best performance you can out of your games.

I'm not interested in dealing with having to upgrade my PC. I stopped PC gaming years ago precisely because I can't stand the thought of having to screw around with hardware. I just wanted to game. That's my choice, just as it's your choice to stay a PC gamer. And that's been my point. Whatever makes us happy.

As a former PC gamer I know what I'm missing, and I don't miss it at all.

That's unfortunate. If consoles became upgradeable, they would completely replace PC gaming. As things stand, the console and game manufacturers don't want to do this, because it's cheaper and easier for them to cater to universal hardware configurations than to cater to evolving ones, even if they're better. And the games STILL cost more for consoles. Go figure.

That's how the business operates. Part of console gaming is having to pay for the convenience of not worrying whether a game will run on your rig. And part of PC gaming is getting to screw around with your PC's guts to be able run a new game. Pros and cons for each platform. Which do you choose? I chose mine and I'm happy with it.

PCs are getting easier and easier to upgrade every year. Hell, I put together my last PC myself, and I'm not exactly a hardware expert (although I am more knowledgeable than the layman). What I see happening in the near future is a resurgence in PC gaming, once media PCs get to the point where they're easy enough for the average person to set up and upgrade.

Again, you're looking at it only from the perspective of a PC gamer, i.e. someone who KNOWS how to tinker with computers and has the knowledge and experience to do it without ruining the hardware, right? I used to do that too, you know.

Then I got sick of it. I got sick of games not running well on my rig and trying to figure out why. All that time I was a poking around in there I could've been having great fun actually playing the game instead.

I don't think this is true at all. There is DEFINITELY a widespread snobbery within the PC gaming crown, but it is against game developers giving us a raw deal. In many cases, they're too lazy to develop for PCs (especially action games), so they develop dumbed-down (and overpriced) games for consoles. They use the piracy argument (which has been debunked many times) to justify their actions. Extolling the virtues of PC gaming over console gaming is not snobbery, any more than extolling the virtues of driving a Lamborghini over driving a Chevrolet. I just think you see it as such, because you're driving the Chevrolet.

You just proved my point, LOL!

I disagree that developers are "too lazy" to develop for PCs now and merely settle on "dumbed-down" games for consoles. That's a cheap shot, booB. I think one main reason why many devs make games more expressly for consoles is that that's where a large percentage of the money is TODAY. Game development is a highly expensive business and you want to get the most profit out of your investment, and the consoles are ubiquitous worldwide so more people are likely to get the game on that platform.

As for "dumbed-down"? No. Many games for consoles are very, very challenging in ways that are different from PC games. I think you're viewing it through the lens of a firm PC gamer.

Maybe, but I see portable computing going the opposite direction -- ie, smaller and smaller devices, which are therefore less and less upgradeable. Consider the evolution thusly: laptops -> notebooks -> PDAs -> iPhones/iPads. Also, laptops generally have only integrated graphics cards, and you can't just swap them out. There will have to be some new sort of technology in order to do so, and I don't see it being worth it for PC manufacturers. Nobody buys laptops for their customizability; they're for portability. (Storage is a different story, of course, but that's because it makes sense to be able to easily swap out information from one laptop to another.)

I know. That's why if modular consoles do become reality in the near future I suspect it'll just be a short trend or a niche market.

I'll again state my point. The bottom line is do you want to be a tinkerer and continuously upgrade your PC's guts to play newer games, or do you prefer to not have to worry about learning to be a tinkerer and instead just pop the game disc in and jump right into the game?