Expensive PC gaming has got me sick...

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

I agree getting a 360, would last for like 5 years, and games will come out. But PC gaming is different, cuz after 2-3 yrs, the newest parts u have rite now, will get outdated in 2-3 years. PC hardware needs constant upgrade, like 1 or 2 years, in order to keep with most current games at max settings.

But it really depends on what games u like to play.

Maybe you should do some research before you complain, it might make you feel better:

cosair 2GB DDR2
eVGA 8800GTS 320
AMD X2 6000+
Gigabyte GA-M57SLI
Thermaltake 500W PSU

= $646 (inc. rebates) from Newegg to upgrade to a kick ass system.

A brand new xbox 360 with 1 controller and no games = $400

Thats a only a $246 difference, given that 360 games cost more and you can do so much more with a PC, I don't really see what the problem is?

Acutally, the problem is the cost of purchasing Windows Vista if you acutally want to game with DX10...

I agree getting a 360, would last for like 5 years, and games will come out. But PC gaming is different, cuz after 2-3 yrs, the newest parts u have rite now, will get outdated in 2-3 years. PC hardware needs constant upgrade, like 1 or 2 years, in order to keep with most current games at max settings.

But it really depends on what games u like to play.

Airsoul

It's not really fair to compare a PC to a console that way. You don't have to have on max settings, if you buy a good pc now you can still play every game for the next 4 years on the same graphics as a xbox360 (which in 4 years will be called low-settings), but if you upgrade some of your part every now and then you can play on medium-high and have much better graphics than on your xbox360.

My system runs all the lastest games, AGP is not dead.

(Yes, I can play Halo2 and Shadowrun without poisoning my PC with Vista.)

I agree getting a 360, would last for like 5 years, and games will come out. But PC gaming is different, cuz after 2-3 yrs, the newest parts u have rite now, will get outdated in 2-3 years. PC hardware needs constant upgrade, like 1 or 2 years, in order to keep with most current games at max settings.

But it really depends on what games u like to play.

Airsoul

lol

Getting an xbox to play the same games as on PC might sound good but u must understand that xboxes tend to break and every single xbox is faulty, games look better on PC, u have to play with a pad, a console is not a PC. And if u are interested in console games u should rather get a PS3 or a Wii. Still IMO u should stick to PCs, even if u don't have a lot of money.

I'm still using AGP in my system (specs are in my sig). The only thing I've added to it since I built it in 2003 is a second hard drive, and it runs Battlefield 2142 just fine (albeit at 1,024x768 with low details). You absolutely don't need to worry about upgrading to Vista or DirectX 10 for at least another 2-3 years. If you're really concerned about gaming performance, just make sure you're running 1GB of RAM and toss a $150 Radeon X1950 Pro in your machine, and there shouldn't be a game out there in which you can't get very playable framerates with high details. My 9800 Pro gives perfectly respectable performance in Oblivion, and it runs Half-Life 2 and CS: Source without a hitch. You don't need the latest powerhouse GPU. You wanna know what's really disturbing? Pricing and trends in the hardware industry haven't fundamentally changed much in the past ten years or so, but, unfortunately, neither have the games. I played games back in 1997 that were at least as good as the stuff being released this year, it just wasn't as graphically-intense. Gameplay is gameplay at any resolution, so however the hell I have to tweak the thing, as long as I can get it to run, that's good enough for me. I've loved games that were pixellated and blocky. I've loved games that weren't in color. I've even loved games that didn't have any graphics at all. What difference are higher quality textures & lighting and a few million more pixels really going to make? And now I'm going to hobble back out onto the porch to drink my lemonade, pet my loyal ol' dog, and polish my shotgun. :PJN_Fenrir

QFT. I could have kept my old aging P4 2.0Ghz comp, and still played games..

Hell.. I could have kept my P3 800mhz just to do all my office type duties.

Upgrading your comp can be done in phases.. this cannot be done with a console. If you want the cheaper X360 chip and bigger drive, you'll have to pony up for another system. This is just not the case in PC gaming.

I know quite a few people who have built their own comps for cheaper than it is to buy a PS3, with top notch vid cards.

Gaming is a hobby, if you find it too expensive, then you might as well have a hobby that is more or less your style.. say for example collecting stamps, or buying swords. (wait the last example is also expensive.. scratch that)

I recently changed from console gaming (xbox) to pc. my conclusion gaming is expensive either way :) and like stated above, you don't have to upgrade every year, my pc is almost 2 years old and it still runs the latest games at medium. (with a geforce 6600GT, pci-e) and I haven't done any upgrade and I don't plan to.

[QUOTE="JN_Fenrir"]I'm still using AGP in my system (specs are in my sig). The only thing I've added to it since I built it in 2003 is a second hard drive, and it runs Battlefield 2142 just fine (albeit at 1,024x768 with low details). You absolutely don't need to worry about upgrading to Vista or DirectX 10 for at least another 2-3 years. If you're really concerned about gaming performance, just make sure you're running 1GB of RAM and toss a $150 Radeon X1950 Pro in your machine, and there shouldn't be a game out there in which you can't get very playable framerates with high details. My 9800 Pro gives perfectly respectable performance in Oblivion, and it runs Half-Life 2 and CS: Source without a hitch. You don't need the latest powerhouse GPU. You wanna know what's really disturbing? Pricing and trends in the hardware industry haven't fundamentally changed much in the past ten years or so, but, unfortunately, neither have the games. I played games back in 1997 that were at least as good as the stuff being released this year, it just wasn't as graphically-intense. Gameplay is gameplay at any resolution, so however the hell I have to tweak the thing, as long as I can get it to run, that's good enough for me. I've loved games that were pixellated and blocky. I've loved games that weren't in color. I've even loved games that didn't have any graphics at all. What difference are higher quality textures & lighting and a few million more pixels really going to make? And now I'm going to hobble back out onto the porch to drink my lemonade, pet my loyal ol' dog, and polish my shotgun. :PAlkpaz

QFT. I could have kept my old aging P4 2.0Ghz comp, and still played games..

Hell.. I could have kept my P3 800mhz just to do all my office type duties.

Upgrading your comp can be done in phases.. this cannot be done with a console. If you want the cheaper X360 chip and bigger drive, you'll have to pony up for another system. This is just not the case in PC gaming.

I know quite a few people who have built their own comps for cheaper than it is to buy a PS3, with top notch vid cards.

Gaming is a hobby, if you find it too expensive, then you might as well have a hobby that is more or less your style.. say for example collecting stamps, or buying swords. (wait the last example is also expensive.. scratch that)

Agreed

I feel the same way. I love PC gaming but I don't care for staying up to date on the latest technology anymore. I plan on staying a couple years behind from now on. As long as my comp is good enough to run a game thats all I really care about. I'm not picky about running games on max settings. If a game refuses to run on a mid or lower end PC I simply wont buy it.

Yawn fest............PC gaming has gotten less expensive over the years as compared to console gaming. Even still, PC gaming is more expensive than console gaming.......*kinda*

Let me explain my madness:

We all need a PC, so when looking for a practical, and good PC we tend to spend a decent amount of money, a modern dual-core processor, 1.5 or 2 GBs of RAM, fast DVD-ROM drive, etc. These are all good and somewhat necessary attributes for a good practical PC in today's world. As a tool it helps with gaining access by gathering information from the internet, applications let you create and manage work and projects, and these files are stored on the system as well nicely, neatly and conveniently. This is a practical machine for your "needs" and maybe a little bit of music playing and a game of solitare here or there.

So for the cost of a modern game console like the Xbox 360, one can add a video card (like the 8800GTS 320 MB) that hands down beats the Xbox 360 in all graphical regards. If you're a hardcore PC gamer, you can also appreciate the cheaper games for Windows as well compared to their console bretheren as well as the much bigger selection. Now you say "but it'll be obsolete in 2 years! With the Xbox 360, it'll never be obsolete until the next one comes out!" Interesting yet questionable noob logic this is, as long as the game supports the 8800GTS it'll look better on the PC version. This is 2 years down the road and the 8800GTS has become a minimum requirement of course. Understand? Even still the associated cost of game production and the ease of it porting between the 360 and PC has created a high volume of games released on the PC and 360 at the same time. Considering the idea, it's likely that as long as this is done, and few PC developers continue to push graphics because of porting in mind, that 8800GTSs and similar hardware will actually have a really long lifespan. Even though I am planning on replaceing my desktop after having it for 3 years, I do think the 8800GTS at least will have a lifespan of 4 years easy.

So I think we can all rest easy a bit. Considering what we get based on the idea of a practical machine as well as the ultimate gaming platform with a library of titles as vast as a library of books, I think it's a great deal. Plus cheapter games ahahhaahahahahaha.

[QUOTE="Airsoul"]

I agree getting a 360, would last for like 5 years, and games will come out. But PC gaming is different, cuz after 2-3 yrs, the newest parts u have rite now, will get outdated in 2-3 years. PC hardware needs constant upgrade, like 1 or 2 years, in order to keep with most current games at max settings.

But it really depends on what games u like to play.

The_Great_Samu

lol

Getting an xbox to play the same games as on PC might sound good but u must understand that xboxes tend to break and every single xbox is faulty, games look better on PC, u have to play with a pad, a console is not a PC. And if u are interested in console games u should rather get a PS3 or a Wii. Still IMO u should stick to PCs, even if u don't have a lot of money.

i got one of the very first xbox 360s and i have not had a single problem and i have atleast 6 friends that have them aswell and got them about two months after release and they have no problems aswell. So please do not say they break because there is probably i one in 20 chance of this happening even if i does Microsoft is extending the warrenty so that if your xbox does happen to break they will fix it for free. Actually i would say if he couldnt afford a pc get a 360 or ps3 because if he got a 360 he could get all the games on the PC without lag and if he got a ps3 he could get some of the great games they have available. As for the Wii i love the idea but there are no good games yet. Although there will be 100 new games for it before chrismas which is amazing.

So please do not spread lies about any console for not every single xbox 360 is faulty..... i could very well say that all the ps3s or wiis are broken lol

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

Jalannom

just letting you know - you don't have to buy a "killer rig" to enjoy PC gaming

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

Jalannom

Oh, so you'd rather buy a completely new console than upgrading your PC; you don't like the way you're forced to buy a new videocard and get a new operating system, but you're perfectly fine with buying a completely new machine??

Enough said.

Are we supposed to take you seriously?

You aren't broke, you are deluded.

[QUOTE="The_Great_Samu"]Getting an xbox to play the same games as on PC might sound good but u must understand that xboxes tend to break and every single xbox is faulty, games look better on PC,tidusjeff

And if u are interested in console games u should rather get a PS3 or a Wii. Still IMO u should stick to PCs, even if u don't have a lot of money.The_Great_Samu

This is just not the case in PC gaming.=I know quite a few people who have built their own comps for cheaper than it is to buy a PS3, with top notch vid cards.Alkpaz

generally speaking high end PCs are more expensive yes, but todays Hi-def consoles are a lot more expsive than they used to be,as the companys that make them try to make their consoles do more and more things other than a gaming only machine which to me was the point of buying a consoles in the first place. Now we have microsoft and sony using their machines as multimedia/movie players. This will only add to their cost ie hard drives intergrated NICs etc... on top of this as more people buy and use these devices to access the internet whats stopping virus writers and the darker side of the big wide web from turning their attentions to them instead of say windows :). Sony will then have to add anti spyware and anti virus into theres systems as well then.

I rekon there will come point when these systems will be too far removed from what we call consoles and may as well be called a PC as well.

[QUOTE="Jalannom"]

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

doubutsuteki

Oh, so you'd rather buy a completely new console than upgrading your PC; you don't like the way you're forced to buy a new videocard and get a new operating system, but you're perfectly fine with buying a completely new machine??

Enough said.

Are we supposed to take you seriously?

You aren't broke, you are deluded.

Ok. Im not broke. Butwhat Imeant to say is thatI spent alot of money (IMO) on computer gaming and my imaginary savings account for PC gaming is broke.Maybe I wasnt a smartest shopper but I did shop on black friday and anniversary sales events at frys. You can call me whatever you want. Maybe if youre into WOW or stretegy games, you probably wont understand where Im coming from. I've been playing PC for a long time and I spent almost every single penny on PC gaming so far. A few years ago I couldnt decidebetween a $300 video card and xbox 360.I ended upspening 300 dollars on a 7800GS AGP from Newegg just when 360 came out. Now whats making me sick is how theres so many xbox,wii and ps3 exclusives that I've been wishing to play. Sports games such as 2K series, boxing series, fighting games are not available for PCs. I got so pissed when they made Call of duty 3 only available for consoles. Didnt it start as a PC franchise? I didnt meant to start a console vs PC fight in here, but I think its just too expensive to upgrade and stay up to date with the newestgames.Remember,PCgames are notfree either. If I already have a computerthats capable of playinggames such as battlefield 2142, do you think its actually worth itfor me toupgrade my PC for DX10? Iknowwhat PC's are capable of, I own one!If I dont own a PC Im sure that 700 dollar rig will be worth more thanthe Xbox 360. But once again, I have a PC already. I would love to play the newest DX10 games, but I just think its not worth it to spend extra 300+ on my rig to play it.

[QUOTE="doubutsuteki"][QUOTE="Jalannom"]

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

Jalannom

Oh, so you'd rather buy a completely new console than upgrading your PC; you don't like the way you're forced to buy a new videocard and get a new operating system, but you're perfectly fine with buying a completely new machine??

Enough said.

Are we supposed to take you seriously?

You aren't broke, you are deluded.

Ok. Im not broke. Butwhat Imeant to say is thatI spent alot of money (IMO) on computer gaming and my imaginary savings account for PC gaming is broke.Maybe I wasnt a smartest shopper but I did shop on black friday and anniversary sales events at frys. You can call me whatever you want. Maybe if youre into WOW or stretegy games, you probably wont understand where Im coming from. I've been playing PC for a long time and I spent almost every single penny on PC gaming so far. A few years ago I couldnt decidebetween a $300 video card and xbox 360.I ended upspening 300 dollars on a 7800GS AGP from Newegg just when 360 came out. Now whats making me sick is how theres so many xbox,wii and ps3 exclusives that I've been wishing to play. Sports games such as 2K series, boxing series, fighting games are not available for PCs. I got so pissed when they made Call of duty 3 only available for consoles. Didnt it start as a PC franchise? I didnt meant to start a console vs PC fight in here, but I think its just too expensive to upgrade and stay up to date with the newestgames.Remember,PCgames are notfree either. If I already have a computerthats capable of playinggames such as battlefield 2142, do you think its actually worth itfor me toupgrade my PC for DX10? Iknowwhat PC's are capable of, I own one!If I dont own a PC Im sure that 700 dollar rig will be worth more thanthe Xbox 360. But once again, I have a PC already. I would love to play the newest DX10 games, but I just think its not worth it to spend extra 300+ on my rig to play it.

[QUOTE="doubutsuteki"][QUOTE="Jalannom"]

Im broke. And I stilllove PC games. I've been playing it since my highschool days. which was about 8 years ago. The problem with PC gaming is that upgrades are getting ridiculously expensive. Buying a PC is definitely worth it, (watch movies, mp3, games,download, communicate,go online) its endless how much you could do on it. But I don't like the way they make us upgrade our videocards and operating system so I could play the newest direct X. I also don't like the way the PC gaming companies turn their back on us and go into the consoles and many sports titles are not available for the PC. Now I'm serious about buying a Xbox 360 instead ofreplacing my agpmotherboard, a new graphics card, and a new CPU. I could just be happy playing Battlefield 2142 on my AGP system for a while.Until Icould afforda killer rig or they make things easier for me,thats just the way its going to stay.:cry:

Jalannom

Oh, so you'd rather buy a completely new console than upgrading your PC; you don't like the way you're forced to buy a new videocard and get a new operating system, but you're perfectly fine with buying a completely new machine??

Enough said.

Are we supposed to take you seriously?

You aren't broke, you are deluded.

Ok. Im not broke. Butwhat Imeant to say is thatI spent alot of money (IMO) on computer gaming and my imaginary savings account for PC gaming is broke.Maybe I wasnt a smartest shopper but I did shop on black friday and anniversary sales events at frys. You can call me whatever you want.

I'm not really into calling people things, but your post was so full of bull.

Maybe if youre into WOW or stretegy games, you probably wont understand where Im coming from.

I'm not into WOW, but I enjoy strategy games, especially turn-based strategy games.

I've been playing PC for a long time and I spent almost every single penny on PC gaming so far. A few years ago I couldnt decidebetween a $300 video card and xbox 360.I ended upspening 300 dollars on a 7800GS AGP from Newegg just when 360 came out.

Well, you can spend alot on a PC. No doubt. In theory it could be the same on a console system - although then it would probably not be considered a console anymore - but you're not given that kind of freedom there. You are stuck with the same hardware until a new console comes out. A PC is expensive, if you buy all the latest hardware for it as soon as it comes out. Which is a waste of money if you ask me - but go ahead and spend all you want, fellow PC gamers out there, I'm not going to tell you how much money you should spend. You can spend alot and get good stuff.

Now whats making me sick is how theres so many xbox,wii and ps3 exclusives that I've been wishing to play. Sports games such as 2K series, boxing series, fighting games are not available for PCs. I got so pissed when they made Call of duty 3 only available for consoles. Didnt it start as a PC franchise? I didnt meant to start a console vs PC fight in here, but I think its just too expensive to upgrade and stay up to date with the newestgames.Remember,PCgames are notfree either.

The first Call of Duty game was for the PC, you are right about that. There are many more exclusive titles for each system, like you said. I don't like it. I'm not defending it. I'm not defending anything. I'm just trying to figure out what you're on about.

I am probably what you would call a "smart buyer", so therefore I cannot relate to what you say about the PC being so expensive compared to consoles. But does one really have to be so smart to avoid buying expensive hardware when it isn't really neccessary? I think not, but I might be wrong. I am sure there's still a ton of games that your PC can play, but if you want to play the newest games upon release - well then it's not that strange that you're going to need more recent hardware, is it? Again, on a console you're stuck with the same hardware. Sure, if you cannot afford new hardware it doesn't matter, so you're right there. But even so, there's much more freedom on a PC than on a console. Patches, mods, new content that you can download to expand a game - not to mention the overall freedom that you have on a PC, but not on a console.

If I already have a computerthats capable of playinggames such as battlefield 2142, do you think its actually worth itfor me toupgrade my PC for DX10? Iknowwhat PC's are capable of, I own one!If I dont own a PC Im sure that 700 dollar rig will be worth more thanthe Xbox 360. But once again, I have a PC already. I would love to play the newest DX10 games, but I just think its not worth it to spend extra 300+ on my rig to play it.

You might feel cheated for having spent so much on your PCs, and what with DX10 and Vista, I don't like it either. So I agree there. They're basically forcing you to upgrade to Vista eventhough the games could work fine on XP. Now that's money wasted!

And this is it! What is so different? Microsoft forces you to upgrade to Vista, while your favourite developers start to develop exclusively for consoles. Upgrading to Vista or getting one of them new consoles, is it really that different? You're angry about it, but you just choose to go to the consoles. I cannot see what it has to do with the cost of PC hardware. Besides, a current generation console too isn't that cheap. Most people already have a PC - you do too - but not a Xbox 360 or PS3. Do you get more "bang for your bucks" on a console? Are consoles better? Overall, I think no - personally. To me it just sounds like you want to get a console instead of buying new PC hardware. And there's nothing wrong with that. But PCs aren't bad just because you spent most of your money on PC hardware. Consoles might be a bit different, but they have their negative sides too.

If you want to keep up the best thing to do is sell your hardware before they become obsolete so it's much cheaper to upgrade. The longer you keep hardware the harder they become to sell and the bigger the loss. I sometimes do that with Graphics cards so usually end up paying very little to upgrade.Deihmos

The same can be said about cars.. which is why most upper middle class Americans trade in their 2-3yr old vehicles for the newest models.

A car devalues as soon as you drive it off the lot.. the same can be said about a PC.. a PC devalues as soon as you run it.

PC gaming is expensive? Well, so is driving a new car every 3 yrs.. if you look at it that way.

Speaking of expenses.. I recently spent $3,100 on my vehicle just in new parts alone.. new struts, new tires, new windshield and I bought the car in 2004. 3K on a new comp? Pfft.

Well, you can spend alot on a PC. No doubt. In theory it could be the same on a console system - although then it would probably not be considered a console anymore - but you're not given that kind of freedom there. You are stuck with the same hardware until a new console comes out. A PC is expensive, if you buy all the latest hardware for it as soon as it comes out. Which is a waste of money if you ask me - but go ahead and spend all you want, fellow PC gamers out there, I'm not going to tell you how much money you should spend. You can spend alot and get good stuff.

Freedom? Consoles dont force you to upgrade just to play their newest games. You dont get stuck with their medium/low setting games like PC games do which is very often. Xbox 360 came out November of 2005 they are still at a peak and theres no sign of new console by microsoftanywhere. You make it sound like console gamers are "stuck". What makes you think theyre stuck? I'll be stuck with my directX 9 video cards when they start making exclusive directX 10 games. How many frames do you think I'll be getting on myAGP 7800GS256mbwhen Crysisgets shipped? You call low setting at 10 FPS freedom?

And this is it! What is so different? Microsoft forces you to upgrade to Vista, while your favourite developers start to develop exclusively for consoles. Upgrading to Vista or getting one of them new consoles, is it really that different? You're angry about it, but you just choose to go to the consoles. I cannot see what it has to do with the cost of PC hardware. Besides, a current generation console too isn't that cheap. Most people already have a PC - you do too - but not a Xbox 360 or PS3. Do you get more "bang for your bucks" on a console? Are consoles better? Overall, I think no - personally. To me it just sounds like you want to get a console instead of buying new PC hardware. And there's nothing wrong with that. But PCs aren't bad just because you spent most of your money on PC hardware. Consoles might be a bit different, but they have their negative sides too.

Microsoft forces me to upgrade to Vista to play direct X 10 games, which makes me spend more money! Is it different from getting a console? ofcourse it is! I'll be safe with Xbox 360 for a good 3-4 years without upgrading anything compared to PC, where I have to upgrade my CPU, motherboard, memory, videocard, new VISTA, and plus I gotta be a smart shopper like you to find a good deal. You also would have to go through the hastle of installing the damn thing to make it work. Nowonder many game developers are turning their backs on us.Im just sayingits damn too expensive to make it stable andkeep up with their pace.

jalannom, I think you should sell off your 7800gs and wait for the x360 to drop in price. I think you would be much happier that way. In the next few months I will be selling off my 7900gt to get a 8x00gt. Minimal loss really and I get to keep up with technology. I wouldn't want to be stuck with one of these "next gen" consoles 4 years from now. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Freedom? Consoles dont force you to upgrade just to play their newest games. You dont get stuck with their medium/low setting games like PC games do which is very often.Jalannom

That's true. You're not forced to upgrade to play the games. But on a PC you will eventually be able to play all those games on the highest settings, because, well, sooner or later you upgrade your PC or buy a new one, don't you? Or do you intend to keep your old PC the way it is forever? You DO get stuck on a console, because you don't have a choice - no graphics settings on a console game. You get fooled. Of course, you can play all the games that come out for the console. But in a couple of years I'd say you're stuck with outdated technology. ;)

Xbox 360 came out November of 2005 they are still at a peak and theres no sign of new console by microsoftanywhere.

It won't be that long, rest assured.

You make it sound like console gamers are "stuck". What makes you think theyre stuck? I'll be stuck with my directX 9 video cards when they start making exclusive directX 10 games.

I answered that above.

How many frames do you think I'll be getting on myAGP 7800GS256mbwhen Crysisgets shipped? You call low setting at 10 FPS freedom?

No, I don't. You should read my posts more carefully. Sometimes you have to upgrade to play the new games, just like you have to buy a new console sooner or later. That's the way it is. I didn't make it that way.

Microsoft forces me to upgrade to Vista to play direct X 10 games, which makes me spend more money! Is it different from getting a console? ofcourse it is! I'll be safe with Xbox 360 for a good 3-4 years without upgrading anything compared to PC, where I have to upgrade my CPU, motherboard, memory, videocard, new VISTA, and plus I gotta be a smart shopper like you to find a good deal. You also would have to go through the hastle of installing the damn thing to make it work. Nowonder many game developers are turning their backs on us.Im just sayingits damn too expensive to make it stable andkeep up with their pace.

I heard there are workarounds that enables you to play those games without actually having Vista installed.

Meh. Personally I could do without the region locks, copy protection, licensing bull and other crap - such as the inability to switch hardware as I like. I'm not saying the PC - or everything on the PC - is perfect. But it clearly has advantages over consoles. PCs aren't as expensive as you say, just go to the PC hardware forum here on GS to find out.

Imagine where PCs are going to be in 4 years - when Xbox 360 consoles are going to be common in flea markets. I guess I'm safe with my NES... Heh. (And I do enjoy the NES by the way)

But, whatever rocks your boat. Like I said in my previous post, it justs sounds like you want something that works right out of the box and that doesn't tempt you to buy new hardware - a console. It might be a good choice for you, I don't know.

Personally I've always been gaming on both computers and consoles, but I would never dream of claiming that the PC is expensive compared to consoles, because it isn't - just because there is PC hardware out there that costs alot. But I'm not that crazy about upgrading all the time either. Still, I mostly have no problem playing new games as soon as they are released on at least medium settings, although upgrades are necessary sometimes. But I just wait until there are enough new games that won't run well on my machine before I make the leap, or else I'm likely to end up wasting my money. And no, I don't always like having to wait to play a game. But if I never upgraded my PC I wouldn't get to play the new PC games on it anyway. If you simply don't want to keep up with the pace but still play new games, well then, a console. But if you want to keep up with the latest games (and technology) you are fooling yourself if you think that moving to consoles is a solution.

In the end I can't help but shake my head at these people.. They never give any conclusive data, research anything, build their own, look for the biggest bang for the buck NOT the most shiny piece of hardware.. List goes on, the majority of people who talk about this are very uninformed.. Specially when a PC in the end imo is far cheaper then a console.. Because unlike a console a pc does numerous more things not to mention gives you unsurpassable customizability..

In the end the limit to the pc is the limit in the person.. If you do not research parts and their prices, realize certain products like $1000 processors may have a minor performance increase over a processor thats half as much.. In the end I can build a computer for under $1000 that will outperform any console out there and play the games in the next 2 years at high... Lets not forget that in the end to get the full experience of a console a HD tv is required of some size inless your planning on sitting 12 inchs away from the screen.

While I whole-heartedly agree with everyone saying you do not need to spend the fabled amounts of money in order to play games on "high" I think people are missing some points. It all boils down to the games. Sure, you can play PC games on in their respective glory, but if the game sucks where is the arguement?

I think people need to stop making threads about how PC Gaming is "better" than consoles (or in this case how PC Gaming is "teh ub3r expensives!1" and just think about the upcoming or available games respective to each platform and in the end that alone should determine what platform you most prefer.The hardware debates can only go on so long.

While I whole-heartedly agree with everyone saying you do not need to spend the fabled amounts of money in order to play games on "high" I think people are missing some points. It all boils down to the games. Sure, you can play PC games on in their respective glory, but if the game sucks where is the arguement?

I think people need to stop making threads about how PC Gaming is "better" than consoles (or in this case how PC Gaming is "teh ub3r expensives!1" and just think about the upcoming or available games respective to each platform and in the end that alone should determine what platform you most prefer.The hardware debates can only go on so long.

xcryonicx

Its already a given fact sense the Xbox360 has been released the Pc has dominated in ratings with 5 AAA's matching the Nintendo DS while Xbox360 has only about 2 or 3.. While the pc also has a whooping 43 AA's.. OUr gaming library reviews are beating the crap out of consoles right now.. Not to mentin the numerous classics people play..

In the end I can't help but shake my head at these people.. They never give any conclusive data, research anything, build their own, look for the biggest bang for the buck NOT the most shiny piece of hardware.. List goes on, the majority of people who talk about this are very uninformed.. Specially when a PC in the end imo is far cheaper then a console.. Because unlike a console a pc does numerous more things not to mention gives you unsurpassable customizability..

In the end the limit to the pc is the limit in the person.. If you do not research parts and their prices, realize certain products like $1000 processors may have a minor performance increase over a processor thats half as much.. In the end I can build a computer for under $1000 that will outperform any console out there and play the games in the next 2 years at high... Lets not forget that in the end to get the full experience of a console a HD tv is required of some size inless your planning on sitting 12 inchs away from the screen.

sSubZerOo

Its already a given fact sense the Xbox360 has been released the Pc has dominated in ratings with 5 AAA's matching the Nintendo DS while Xbox360 has only about 2 or 3.. While the pc also has a whooping 43 AA's.. OUr gaming library reviews are beating the crap out of consoles right now.. Not to mentin the numerous ****cs people play..

sSubZerOo

I wasn't trying to say that the XBox 360 has better games than the PC.

a point i think youre missing is that just because youre not running a game on maximum graphics, doesnt mean it wont look good. Half life 2, for example, looked really good and ran fine on my old geforce fx 5500, which was pretty obsolete several years ago. i think crytek have stated that crysis will scale really well, and heck their last game, far cry, still looks good, so if youve got a rig that can run that at highest settings or close, youll probably be able to make crysis look pretty nice.

Youre not really required to upgrade, until your components are beneath the minumum specs for most games. And then as you (or someone) said... if you dont think its worth it, dont upgrade!

I think why lots of people are complaining currently, is that pc gaming is about to make some pretty big jumps. Games like sup-com have already come out, that require some insane processing power to run a large game with a high unit count. Crysis and UT3 need high level rigs to reach reccomended requirements. And of course, theres directx 10 and vista (which i have, and its nice, runs better than xp for me, the only problem is that nvidia 8800 drivers arent great yet... oblivion still isnt running well for me:( although the rest of my comp isnt so great either, its pulling my lovely gfx card down... its just jealous)

a point i think youre missing is that just because youre not running a game on maximum graphics, doesnt mean it wont look good. Half life 2, for example, looked really good and ran fine on my old geforce fx 5500, which was pretty obsolete several years ago. i think crytek have stated that crysis will scale really well, and heck their last game, far cry, still looks good, so if youve got a rig that can run that at highest settings or close, youll probably be able to make crysis look pretty nice.

Youre not really required to upgrade, until your components are beneath the minumum specs for most games. And then as you (or someone) said... if you dont think its worth it, dont upgrade!

I think why lots of people are complaining currently, is that pc gaming is about to make some pretty big jumps. Games like sup-com have already come out, that require some insane processing power to run a large game with a high unit count. Crysis and UT3 need high level rigs to reach reccomended requirements. And of course, theres directx 10 and vista (which i have, and its nice, runs better than xp for me, the only problem is that nvidia 8800 drivers arent great yet... oblivion still isnt running well for me:( although the rest of my comp isnt so great either, its pulling my lovely gfx card down... its just jealous)

bmaisey

Agreed. It seems as though we as gamers now are complaining that graphics are essentially getting better on the PC as each year goes by. If you want to experience these new snippets of graphical enhancements, you either upgrade or dont. This by no means says you HAVE to, but essentially when you complain about having to upgrade you are really saying "i am not happy with the fact that i have to upgrade to keep up with evolving times :)"

Get real. That lame ass excuse PC gaming is too expensive is a load of crap. Anybody that runs out of money with PC gaming is doing something wrong.

I just recently spent $800 on a top of the line new rig in March, which is the first rig I have built since 2002. My rig from 2002 (amd athlon xp lol)all I did was get the latest top of the line AGP card and throw in another gig of ram and it can run anything out there just fine, I use it as a guest computer for any friends who wanna use it when they come over to game. This rig will last me a good 4-5 years and the only thing I will have to upgrade is a video card which I will wait for a top of the line one right now to go down to $250 and maybe another gig of ram and thats at least a year or two away. When this computers time is done and I build a new one in the future, I guarantee you this one will take the place as the new guest computer and run any game out at that time just fine.

Also the games are 30-50 dollars. Damned 360 games are like 65 dollars.

Guys.. thank you all for listening to me while I whine like a little baby.Although I was arguing back at some of yourposts, I agree with most of the things you wrote. I'll be a smarter shopper, dig in for weekly specials on fry's ads.I thinkeven if I bought a 360, I would be whinning about how PS3 has "motor storm" and how wii has those funky joysticks. I'll be whinning about hownew 360 got a face lift and how it has more hard drive space for cheaper price. It'll be an endless crave for consoles. I think I will stick with PC games for a while. I will probably doing some upgrading, starting with my CPU and down to the motherboard, etc. I can't imagine myself playingXbox 360 gamesover Crysis, Call of Duty 4, Unreal Tournament, and Quake wars: Enemy Territory. Its just too hard to pass. Plus I can't stand playingFPS on joysticks. Mouse and Keyboard is the ish! You know what I would reaaally like though? A perfect X360 Emulation on the PCs. Emulation will kill off all the competition.Now I will shut up and play some morebattlefield 2142.

Guys.. thank you all for listening to me while I whine like a little baby.Although I was arguing back at some of yourposts, I agree with most of the things you wrote. I'll be a smarter shopper, dig in for weekly specials on fry's ads.I thinkeven if I bought a 360, I would be whinning about how PS3 has "motor storm" and how wii has those funky joysticks. I'll be whinning about hownew 360 got a face lift and how it has more hard drive space for cheaper price. It'll be an endless crave for consoles. I think I will stick with PC games for a while. I will probably doing some upgrading, starting with my CPU and down to the motherboard, etc. I can't imagine myself playingXbox 360 gamesover Crysis, Call of Duty 4, Unreal Tournament, and Quake wars: Enemy Territory. Its just too hard to pass. Plus I can't stand playingFPS on joysticks. Mouse and Keyboard is the ish! You know what I would reaaally like though? A perfect X360 Emulation on the PCs. Emulation will kill off all the competition.Now I will shut up and play some morebattlefield 2142.

Jalannom