Most popular PC games = low specs

WoW, Starcraft, CSS, Half-Life 2 are among the most popular PC games out there.

yet these games do not require cutting-edge hardware to run. opinions?

Console ports are low specs.

What's your point?

In 2004 CSS and HL2 required high end hardware to run.

Console ports are low specs.

What's your point?

DeckardLee2010

HL2 was a high spec game back in the day.

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

HL2 was a high spec game back in the day.

Espada12

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

Vesica_Prime

Opinions? The free market making decisions in their own interests, offering lower spec games to broaden the hardware install base they can tap; while keeping development costs to a minimum. I hear StarCraft 2 is pretty tech heavy (haven't played it) but it's designed for a long lifespan.

The sheer number of cross platform games on PC/consoles are also a free market reaction, developers operating under their own interests.

Farmville FTW

[QUOTE="Espada12"]

HL2 was a high spec game back in the day.

CwlHeddwyn

It ran ok on old hardware but it would have some extremely long loads and eye candy would be down. CSS on the other hand could run fairly easily on older hardware.

WoW, Starcraft, CSS, Half-Life 2 are among the most popular PC games out there.

yet these games do not require cutting-edge hardware to run. opinions?

CwlHeddwyn

I was just about to post a thread like this, I never understood the point of people upgrading their hardware to play these games. However there are a few exceptions to this real, I have noticed people on PC love Battlefield games (including Bad Company 2) which is a very high specs game, also the total war series is fairly popular as well, another high specs game.

Still it annoys me when PC gamers complain about console games looking so bad when half the time their still playing CSS.

[QUOTE="DeckardLee2010"]

Console ports are low specs.

What's your point?

The-Mosher

Not talking about his listed games. I'm talking about pretty much all games except high-end PC exclusives are low spec by now. Black Ops, for example, doesn't take much to run.

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

Vesica_Prime

FSX is also pretty popular despite all that had happened. Didn't MS have to send a message out earlier this year saying they have to revamp the activation process due to demand? The demand* was so great they ran out of activation keys.

FSX can scale pretty good. But, it can easily humble the most powerful PC fully maxxed and modded. It makes Crysis and Metro 2033 look very well-optimized.

* Darn thing still sells for $30 up to now while games that came later have dropped to $19.95.

[QUOTE="Vesica_Prime"]

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

xsubtownerx

WoW. An MMO. i.e. not a casual game

Nowadays, some of the most popular games aren't very demanding, I agree. It stands to reason considering the vast majority aren't High-End PC gamers.

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="Vesica_Prime"]

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

DeckardLee2010

WoW. An MMO. i.e. not a casual game

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"][QUOTE="Vesica_Prime"]

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

DeckardLee2010

WoW. An MMO. i.e. not a casual game

If a game has lower specs, more PCs can run it, so more people can play it, and the market for that game will be bigger.

It's quite logical really.

I don't know. Traditionally the most popular and talked-about PC games have been a mix of graphics-enthusiast games and simpler casual games.

Today, there really are no 'high spec' PC games anymore. Just about everything out there will work on a simple dual core and 8800 GT and still look great.

Sure, it's possible to ramp up the features on Metro 2033, Arma II, etc. and make them struggle on lower-end hardware, but it's just as easy to make the games look great on relatively old hardware. And Crysis, well... it's no longer 2007. I have no doubt developers are aiming for lower specs to increase the potential install base of PC gamers, and that is probably a wise thing to do.

If a game has lower specs, more PCs can run it, so more people can play it, and the market for that game will be bigger.

It's quite logical really.

DraugenCP

[QUOTE="DeckardLee2010"]

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"] What do you think the most popular PC game is right now?xsubtownerx

WoW. An MMO. i.e. not a casual game

It's neither hardcore nor casual. An MMO could never be casual. Casual games are shovelware, mobile games, and a lot of Wii games.

Learn your definitions.

[QUOTE="DeckardLee2010"]

[QUOTE="xsubtownerx"] What do you think the most popular PC game is right now?xsubtownerx

WoW. An MMO. i.e. not a casual game

Half-Life 2 was the graphics AND physics king when it came out....But yeh HL2 (its mods), CSS, and Garys Mod are still games that I play regularly along with lots of other people. So I guess I see your point, more PC players STILL play HL2 instead of Metro 2033

Half-Life 2 was the graphics AND physics king when it came out....But yeh HL2 (its mods), CSS, and Garys Mod are still games that I play regularly along with lots of other people. So I guess I see your point, more PC players STILL play HL2 instead of Metro 2033

MIYAMOTOnext007

Personally for me Metro 2033 slaughters halflife, I found HL2 really boring even with the cinematic mod, while Metro immersed me in its world.

Are people forgetting the obvious issue here? The lower the specs, the more people that can run the game..........shabab12

Does that really mean that games from 6 years ago should be the mainstay? I would expect people to have better hardware right in 2010

WoW, Starcraft, CSS, Half-Life 2 are among the most popular PC games out there.

yet these games do not require cutting-edge hardware to run. opinions?

CwlHeddwyn

[QUOTE="MIYAMOTOnext007"]

Half-Life 2 was the graphics AND physics king when it came out....But yeh HL2 (its mods), CSS, and Garys Mod are still games that I play regularly along with lots of other people. So I guess I see your point, more PC players STILL play HL2 instead of Metro 2033

NanoMan88

Personally for me Metro 2033 slaughters halflife, I found HL2 really boring even with the cinematic mod, while Metro immersed me in its world.

Yeh Metro is actually pretty good (not better than HL2 though), I would probably give it more of a chance if it wasn't so hard to run :oops:

Most popular console games = casual games.

Opinions?

Vesica_Prime

its a well known fact TC

Blizzard have even said they make their games low end on purpose

[QUOTE="shabab12"]Are people forgetting the obvious issue here? The lower the specs, the more people that can run the game..........NanoMan88

Does that really mean that games from 6 years ago should be the mainstay? I would expect people to have better hardware right in 2010

I think there could be a misunderstanding on console gamers part.

Yes, most developers don't feel the need to fully utilize PC hardware these days. But this creates the assumption that low spec = low end. It's 2010, hardware performance has trickled down into the lower end ranges these days. So a $80 GPU like the Geforce GT 240 can max Resident Evil 5, it can do Far Cry 2 if you turn off the AA and so on.

So don't underestimate low spec PC gaming hardware.

Its a testament to how strong the communities are on PC games. Most of those games were high end at launch.

WoW, Starcraft, CSS, Half-Life 2 are among the most popular PC games out there.

yet these games do not require cutting-edge hardware to run. opinions?

CwlHeddwyn

Of course you don't need a high end PC to run this games. But is you what to play with max settings, high resolutions and 60fps minimum then you need a high-end PC, try play Starcraft2 4v4(200 units each player, 1600 units total) on an mid range pc and you will see how low fps you will get. the same goes for WoW Cataclysm in big battles, if you want max setting, DX11, and high fps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ5GuLMxn6c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FanW3OUz_ck

as for CSS, Half-Life 2 ther are just old games from 2004...

Here is Half Life 2 for ya.

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