Why PC Gaming Won't Die

[Null]

Originally Posted by Jason1

See, thats just wrong and backwards. The percision gained with a keyboard and mouse is so great.

many console fps games use a form of auto aim.. so they usually dont understand the point, and most have never truly familiarized them self with a keyboard mouse setup in order to make a decision.

best way i've always had to describe it.. is having a pointer on a console.. for something like a type window and using an analog stick. and see how fast you can go from the bottom of the screen up to a certain letter.......

then see how fast you can pick any spot on your pc monitor and nail it with the mouse cursor.... and thats how it is in game for aiming.

[gekko]

Originally Posted by Dyne

Anyways, PC gaming will never die because even console games need to be made on PC's. The link will always be there.

No they don't. Console games are made on PCs for convenience. Making a new text-editor, or worse, IDE, for every console on the market is a waste. Besides, remote debugging using a PC gives many benefits including a) the ability to debug while playing in full-screen mode and b) The processor has a lot less to manage.

But by no means is a PC a necessity to write code for a console. You could hook-up a keyboard and type the machine code, and you could easily create your own assembler. From there, you could build a compiler to run on the console, then a text-editor, and ta-da, you have game development. But the other issues like revision control and network storage come into play. It's just a thousand times easier to use the pre-existing software for PCs. But a console is a PC by every definition, it just isn't running the same OS.

But there are a large number of changes needed to make a game run on a PC vs. a console. Even if console development is always done on a PC, there's no guarantee the game will run on that platform.

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

PC gaming has a better online community, there's simply no argument.

Actually, there's plenty of argument. But the argument you're making for PC games is that there is custom content and it's community-driven. While that's great, not everyone wants it. I may not care about your mods for a game, because quite frankly, you're not a game designer and it likely sucks. I may play console games because the experience I get is pure and the game I play is exactly as it was intended for me to play, from the match setup to the playlists to the rules of the game.

You can go both ways. As for the online community, both consoles and PC games require effort. You can't sit there and tell me how great playing on your private server is and then complain because the quick-match you got playing Halo sucked. You can easily build up a large friend list and play private matches all day long on Xbox Live. Not to mention there's plenty of leagues out there where you can make teams and schedule matches. The support is there, on both PC and consoles.

Originally Posted by Jason1

See, thats just wrong and backwards. The percision gained with a keyboard and mouse is so great.

Sure, but does it improve the gaming experience? Yes, no? Maybe? Really depends on your preference.

As already mentioned, console games are designed with certain things in mind. One of those s that you're using a thumb stick for precise aiming, and there are auto-aim features incorporated, some easier to notice than others. Halo actually slows down your rate of traversal when you reach a target, and Call of Duty 4 changes speed significantly if you are aimed in or not. Many games also have dead zones on the thumbstick to help you stay level when scanning.

The other thing to consider is that PC games play a lot faster because of the precision you get with the mouse. You may like it, others may prefer a slightly slower game. Not everyone is into super-twitch game play. Also, many PC games are designed where you need to have near-pixel accuracy on your shots because of the mouse. Console games are deliberately a bit more forgiving.

There's not a game I know of which is a direct port from console to PC. They designers go through many hours of play tests and tweaking to find the perfect values to balance the controls. Not that either is worse, but both are designed to optimize playing on that particular platform.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by gekko

Actually, there's plenty of argument. But the argument you're making for PC games is that there is custom content and it's community-driven. While that's great, not everyone wants it. I may not care about your mods for a game, because quite frankly, you're not a game designer and it likely sucks. I may play console games because the experience I get is pure and the game I play is exactly as it was intended for me to play, from the match setup to the playlists to the rules of the game.

You can go both ways. As for the online community, both consoles and PC games require effort. You can't sit there and tell me how great playing on your private server is and then complain because the quick-match you got playing Halo sucked. You can easily build up a large friend list and play private matches all day long on Xbox Live. Not to mention there's plenty of leagues out there where you can make teams and schedule matches. The support is there, on both PC and consoles.

Mods definitely are a personal preference, and a lot of them do suck compared to polished and developed titles. However, mods have had their impact and have a pretty large roll in first person shooters. Counter-Strike was a mod originally created by a couple of college kids, Team Fortress is a Quake mod. In terms of development, I always think consoles will be one step behind PC shooters. But maybe that will change. We've seen a lot of big FPS releases on the PC and 360 this generation, so who knows.

I guess there's a few other things we can complain about, like how Xbox Live isn't free. The concept of paying to play a first person shooter is probably beyond a lot of PC gamers. Obviously, Xbox Live is a pretty polished system, but I'll go and argue that STEAM is as polished as Xbox Live.

Then there's the non-issue of controller vs. keyboard/mouse. This is personal preference, at least for First Person Shooters. SO I'll add that MMORPGS, Action RPGS (Diablo), and RTS games are going to remain difficult and mostly unplayable unless consoles allow for mouse and keyboard support. I can't imagine playing Warcraft 3 or World of Warcraft with a controller. Or how about Diablo 2? Would anyone want to play that with a controller?

There's a huge online market for MMORPGS and RTS games.

And, even outside the online gaming spectrum, I would hate to play a sim game with a controller. Rollercoaster Tycoon with a controller? Pass.


I believe online console gaming will catch up to PC gaming with racing games and first person shooters. I think consoles will always be number one for online gameplay with sports games and party games (like mario party). And, I think if more fighting titles come out those will remain console kings for online gaming. And I'm positive that console gaming is at some point going to be made free. But there will always be room for PC gaming. And what the hell, some of the best damn games ever made have been PC exclusive. Nothing wrong with a little PC love.

There's just some games that are smoother on the PC and some that are smoother on the console, at least for me. I would never want to play Zelda or Mario on the PC, and likewise I would never want to play Call of Duty 4 or Bioshock on a 360. To draw comparison, I've played through Halo on the PC and it's considerably easier to go through the single player with a mouse. Racing games are much easier to play with a controller or a steering wheel in my opinion, but I'm sure there's somebody out there who prefers having a keyboard. And, a keyboard is a must for me with RTS games or RPGs. Hot keys are the bomb. Fighting games are meant to be played with a controller. And, sometimes having the customization or the pimped out PC hardware is just cool. Whereas, consoles are more economic and practical.