Dedicated PC gaming. Why?

What decision made you guys invest into becoming a PC gamer?

I like consoles. I’ve played them almost all my life. However, when it comes to PC gaming, I just don’t get the logic for it. PCs are more complicated, more expensive and require some form of technological expertise to actually invest into it. The way I see it, why spend thousands of dollars on buying top of the line machines and equipment when you can just spend a couple hundred bucks every few years for a console? It’s more convenient and just plain easier.

Give your thoughts.

PC maintenance neither requires regular upgrades, thousands of dollars worth of investment, technical knowledge or any sort of expertise.

Your premise is flawed, you may now feel bad.

Friends made the switch, so did I.
No restrictions with PC.

Consoles limit every single thing you could POSSIBLY do. My computer is better than your console and I paid only double what you paid for an xbox/ps3. If it gets outdated, i spend very little in the grand scheme to keep it up to date with current standards.

Disagree, much like anything else you're new to, it can seem complicated at first but eventually it becomes simple. PCs can be expensive although the one I built myself cost $940 all together including peripherals. Yours however can cost $350 or so for the console itself plus however much you paid for your TV.

Who says you need a top of the line machine to do PC gaming? See above price, I can play SMNC 1920x1080 at highest settings with >80 FPS and other games at similar frame rates as well. I'd prefer to have Steam than Xbox Live with its annoying ads on a PAID subscription-based service just to play online or the mediocre PSN. Not to mention PC games are usually cheaper and the overall PC experience is less restrictive than consoles.

Convenient and easier for you. Others in the PC crowd will agree with me that building a PC and maintaining it will give more satisfaction than a console ever will when we can play your games at the highest settings while yours will be scaled down to support the outdated console hardware and most likely will still lag.

Thanks for the input.

Please understand by no mean am I bashing on PC gamers, just trying to understand them.

PC is more versatile and more comfortable to use.

I know you're not bashing PC gamers, looking at it now my response did sound a bit condescending and I apologise for it sounding that way. I just wanted to express my opinion, that's all.

Steam.
I only pay for a pc, a console gamer pays for a console, a tv and a pc for non-gaming things.
I like far more pc-exclusive titles than console-exclusive titles.
I like tryharding, which makes absolutely no sense on consoles. Yes I know there are console competitions, but come on, who takes that **** seriously?

When I play keyboard and mouse I feel natural and in my element, as though the game itself was an extension of me and no controls where foreign. Throughout many years of playing across different consoles, console controllers have always felt wrong to me, as though I am not in control of my actions. The only exception has been Super Smash Brothers Brawl, I feel very in control of that game with a gamecube remote, but then again it is 2D game with tight controls.

I've played every genre of game starting with a couple floppies with Wolvenstien 3D and Doom 2, and every console since Sega Genisis. I can understand the easy-access social appeal of consoles, but in terms of control, built in limitations, and horrendous and/or nonexistent communities online are undeniable downsides to me.

I bought a Wii to play Twilight Princess and Brawl. The exclusivity forced this upon me.

I bought a 360 during a dark age between Battlefield 1942 and finally garnering enough money to replace my computer. Besides a little MNC, I have no fold memories of that Xbox whatsoever, I really wish I had a computer during that time. Even then, I would have rather been a part of the PC MNC community instead of the original 360 one.

I bought a N64 just to play specific games. I loved playing games on my dreamcast as well, but If emulators existed at the time and/or perfect ports I could have done the same thing on my pc.

Consoles do have a sort of "Sit on a couch with friends and play" mentality rolling with them that I do acknowledge in stead, yet a properly set up PC with each player's chosen control scheme can do the exact same thing.

When you buy a console you are given a box that can play whatever they decide to put on it.
When I buy a computer I can do whatever the hell I want on it, as long as I have any semblance of imagination.
Pray tell, I usually do.

Preach!

Lots of reasons, but just to name a few:

Playing at 120 frames per second rather then 30 frames on consoles.

Playing on dedicated servers instead of player hosted terrible connections on consoles.

I don't have to 'pay' just to be able to play online (xbox live gold)

Those are just a few reasons, but there is MANY more.


I was a console player for the longest time myself, and when I finally made the transition to PC gaming I never looked back.

The only downside I can even think of the expense of a PC setup, but if you can handle that expense, then imo the difference between PC and console is night and day.

A good PC will be more expensive than a console. But on a PC, I can comfortably browse the internet with a mouse and keyboard, something a gamepad will never be able to do comfortably. I can have multiple programs open simultaneously. I can also use my PC for, heaven forbid, productive activities, printing important papers, etc. A PC can run a much more wide variety of programs. When it comes to games, mouse/keyboard offers oh so much better control than a gamepad, especially for RTS games, which are my favorite genre. PC games are generally far less expensive than console games, so even though the PC itself may cost more, you can at least afford to get a wide selection of games once you have it. Lastly, I enjoy the customizability of a PC.

all the reasons listed, plus mods, user-creations, etc

and pr0n, people. Let's not forget about it.

"If they ever shut down internet pr0n, there would only be one website left, and it would be named 'bring back the pr0n"

:lol:

Anyone recognize that quote?

Cox

>No paying for online play
>Far wider selection of games
>Custom content, and more importantly, the ability to create custom content myself. In a manner that isn't some tacked-on editor with limited functinality.
>PCs as a base unit might seem expensive, but compare it to the price of your console PLUS that big snazzy TV, and however much you're paying for LIVE.
>Moar freedom. If I want to download a movie or game or music, it's not limited to a Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo "approved list"
>Super MNC


Bear in mind I bought a fairly cheap Laptop for £350, around 100-150 less than a PS3 launch price. It runs fairly well enough, and you add on price for it being portable. A desktop with these specs would've been far cheaper.

I didn't decide to become a PC gamer. I was born that way. I can't think of a single good reason to game on anything else other than tabletops and mobiles. I have never owned a console. PCs offer a far better experience. PCs are far more versatile. PCs can do everything a console does and more. PCs are far more powerful. Plus, I already have/need a PC for work and school. The only thing consoles have going for them are exclusive games, which is a problem solved by emulators. Consoles only appeal to the lazy and/or uniformed.

As for your "reasonings":

More complicated that what? A Console? A console is a dumbed down version of a PC, not the other way around. Even if it was the other way around, "more complicated" doesn't mean "complicated." It's more complicated to chew gum and walk at the same time than it is to just walk, but that doesn't make it complicated.

This is a myth. Consoles are actually more expensive for equal power, especially on launch. That's not to mention needing to buy TVs, $60 games, and other stuff.
Of course, PC gaming CAN cost as much as you're willing to spend. There is no limit to improving your gaming experience with a PC (there is a very strict limit with consoles).
I'd be shocked if I've spent any more than $750 on my stuff, including my nearly-400 games.

PC gaming requires a bare minimum amount of tech knowledge. Even my computer illiterate grandmother plays PC games just fine (She loves BigFishGames). I've been PC gaming since I was 4 years old. I certainly didn't have any tech XP then. Even if today's PC gaming does require tech expertise, I easily have 10x the required expertise.

Pretty much this.


Edit: I just clicked the signature:

How did I end up on a foe list? Someone must not have liked being proven wrong.

My foe list looks like this:
Ponyspam

Somebody quote me.