Any point building a gaming PC for single player anymore ?

Flaccus

Right now I have 1 desktop and 1 laptop, neither of which are capable gaming PC's (thanks to selling most of my parts). And I have not been into PC gaming since Crysis. My reason - more and more single player games these days seem to be console ports and can run badly on PC's unless you have a very high end machine, are prepared to upgrade, and even then there is the endless patching. And of course the financial cost. So I bought an Xbox 360. However lately I have been thinking about PC gaming again, as I do miss copious levels of AA and native 1920x1200 gaming which consoles simply can't provide.

But wait..there just seems to be a lack of big ticket games coming out. Just now I was looking at what games are coming out on PC's in the next 6-8 months, and besides Starcraft II and the new Stalker game, almost everything I found which I might be interested in is coming onto the Xbox 360 and later ported to the PC. In other words, there doesn't seem to be much coming out which will do justice to a brand new pair of GTX295's or i7 975. No more games written specifically for the PC it seems, at least not ones I am interested in. Nothing to top Crysis graphically either.

For example, these are all coming to the 360 before the end of the year, and some to the PC. But historically PC ports usually suck.

14th August - Wolfenstein
22nd Sept. - Halo 3 : ODST
25th Sept - Tekken 6
23rd Oct - Forza Motorsport 3
30th Oct - Bioshock 2
30th Sept - Max Payne 3
10th Nov - COD : Modern Warfare 2
20th Nov - Assassins Creed 2
27th Nov - Lost Planet 2
27th Nov - Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
27th Nov - Metal Gear Solid: Rising

So I've probably answered my own question here. Is there any point in building a PC for gaming, if not into multiplayer (Wow, BF etc..) and you already have a decent notebook. Is single player gaming dying out on the PC due to consoles ? Is there any point to these high end video cards, besides benchmarks ?

Your answers could save me a lot of money

Hogzy

COD Mod warfare 2 is what sticks out like a sore thumb and when i played the first mod warfare i thought it was brilliant on pc.

I never once had it crash and IMO its the most solid PC game iv ever played and touch wood the second one will be the same.

Im running

Quad 6800 and a pair of 8800gtx with slight OC'ing

Flaccus

Ok, I forgot that one. It will be better on PC for obvious reasons. But probably one game isn't worth the financial outlay of a gaming system when consoles are so cheap in comparison. Maybe piracy is just killing off pc gaming.

leninbenjamin

Flaccus wrote: »

Maybe piracy is just killing off pc gaming.

Definitely a major factor.

The other would be the ease of development on consoles. Long gone is the days of writing in assembly and having to add whatever memory you needed to the cartridge. With standardised industry pushed tools, and only three different platforms to care about, consoles are just easier to develop for these days. No having to test endlessly on different PC configurations and optimise for different chipsets.

Flaccus

As a result, I think building high end PC's (which I used do) has become an unsustainable hobby in the current climate. And there isn't games out (besides Crysis, COD4 etc..) to justify the expense now we have consoles that can achieve 80-90% of what a PC can do graphically, or at least do it good enough. Plus you can't play benchmarks.

cronos

I really wish you could play on a console with people playing a game on a PC. Obvious technical issues of course but im sure it would be possible.

For example if I own left 4 dead on the xbox360 and a friend has it on a PC, I would like to be able to play with him. That would save me buying a PC/Gaming laptop.

L31mr0d

I'm in the same boat, my 4Ghz E8500, 8GB's of RAM and 4870x2 runs everything at 1920x1200 fine. The only thing that taxes it is Crysis, but even then I can still run it maxed out 1680x1050 (warhead also looks just as good and runs a lot better)

Around this time of year I'd usually be looking to upgrade, but there's just no point. Nothing major is coming out on PC that I imagine will tax my hardware to the point of needing to be upgraded. As you said, a lot of the games are ports to PC and such have marginally better console graphics.

Even CoD:MW2, I can't see them caring much about the PC platform. Sure Activision have already made veiled threats that even developing for the PS3 would have to be reconsidered.

Knowing you Flaccus I'd say whatever you currently have won't need upgrading for the next decade. Nothing on the horizon (except maybe project offset which will probably go the way of Duke Nukem) looks like it will graphically tax any high end PC from last year.

Flaccus

I now have a macbook pro

My desktop is another story...it's just a bunch of parts. The temptation is there allright to go mad and build something special. Just to have it. No idea why. But the justification isn't there (and never has been), or the cash at the moment. Maybe I should just ask people to let me build their PC's for them instead.

Blazer

Flaccus wrote: »

I now have a macbook pro

My desktop is another story...it's just a bunch of parts. The temptation is there allright to go mad and build something special. Just to have it. No idea why. But the justification isn't there (and never has been), or the cash at the moment. Maybe I should just ask people to let me build their PC's for them instead.

I wouldn't let any filty McBook owning scum build my belowed Windows pc :P
only kidding flac

L31mr0d

Flaccus wrote: »

Just to have it. No idea why.

Kinda the same here. I just want an excuse to upgrade or start a new build as I enjoy doing it but the end result will be pointless as it won't get used or every stressed. As it stands my main PC gathers dust for the majority, and is used more by my OH to play the Sims 3 and check her email. Most of my gaming is now done on my PS3 or my HTPC (which only has an E6600 and 8800GT but still runs everything fine)

Crysis was like a false start, I expected a graphical war to break out with its release, with game devs competing to better Crysis and the CryEngine 2 starting to get used almost as prolifically as the Unreal engine. I think it raised the bar so high that the competition just gave up.

Flaccus

I know what you mean.

Also, I always wondered if there are any support groups in Ireland or even online that can help people that are addicted to upgrading PC's. I more or less broke the habit when I bought my Macbook (after upgrading it ), but on the flipside when I got out, I ended up with a load of unused PC parts, multiple desktops (some bought, some built...at least 4). I think I've passed the cold turkey stage now and reckon I'm clean, but lately I get the feeling I'm being sucked back in. The fact there are feck all decent single player games out there is probably a life saver. That, and 5 figures on the credit card

leninbenjamin

L31mr0d wrote: »

Crysis was like a false start, I expected a graphical war to break out with its release, with game devs competing to better Crysis and the CryEngine 2 starting to get used almost as prolifically as the Unreal engine. I think it raised the bar so high that the competition just gave up.

CryEngine 2 was a bit of a failure really. A lot of projects started using it, hit a brick wall as the thing was so buggy, and gave up. How many games have actually been completed that use it?

Sure they've started making 3 already as developers found it next to impossible to work with.

PogMoThoin

I don't think piracy is killing off pc gaming, its more that developers have gotten lazy and see that there's a bigger market in consoles, hence pc games are being held back because of consoles. Graphically they're not 80-90%, way less than that, compare FarCry2 on pc and consoles with no AA, AF or directX 10 effects, huge difference.

I've also seen in the COD forum that console gamers now pay for map packs for WAW :eek: this would never work on pc. Have the new generation of gamers become a soft touch?

Flaccus

What bothers me about console gaming besides no mouse support, is the screen tearing a lot of games have which you can remedy on the PC. And of course most console games are rendered at 720p or less and just don't look anywhere near as nice as a PC game. That and the fact the 360 manages 2xAA on a good day. Plus for some reason I have an aversion to using Xbox live due to early bad experiences, but that's me. Having said all that, those negatives don't outweigh the expense of building a new pc just for gaming. Then again, I've recently developed an addiction to buying brand new console games which I'd never do on the PC. Right now I have possibly 10 games I haven't touched.

PogMoThoin

Just build an average pc, thats all You need

Flaccus

Sure..sure..and within a month it will be an uber PC

darealtulip

Flaccus wrote: »

Maybe piracy is just killing off pc gaming.

You can hack your Xbox, Wii, DS or PSP aswell and games are still coming out for those. I think it has more to do with the ability of consoles to play on line. no need for a PC anymore.

Hogzy

Well Crysis is part of a trilogy and only one game has been released so that should be released fairly soon (within the next year and a half anyways).

Alan Wake is coming out but again this is going multiplatform and now that i think about it so will the other crysis games. TBH nowadays its a bit silly for developers to only release a game on one platform... Never the less tho games that were originally developed for PC like Crysis, COD etc etc should work better on PC. First person shooters are always better with a mouse IMO

Flaccus

I agree about FPS's being better on the PC over the mouse. But you see what I mean about a lack of new quality single player games on the PC that are developed specifically for the PC and not ports. All people are mentioning is the likes of COD,Crysis etc.. etc.. Where are the other games ? Just a glance at play.com for upcoming PC games reveals there is feck all coming out for the PC that is going to do it justice. I wonder why are ATI and Nvidia bringing out the 58xx and GT3xx series cards if there is nothing that will push them, unless you want to play current games at 2500x1600 with 32xAA ? Is it for the fanboys and the people addicted to benchmarking or upgrading just to have the best ?

darealtulip wrote: »

You can hack your Xbox, Wii, DS or PSP aswell and games are still coming out for those. I think it has more to do with the ability of consoles to play on line. no need for a PC anymore.

True, but I would guess the average console owner doesn't know how to do this. Where as the PC gamer would probably be more technical, plus cracked .exe's are a lot easier to download/install then a mod on a console. Still, I think piracy is only part of the problem. Online play on consoles (Xboxlive, PSN) is a big draw as you said. Consoles I'm told are easier to develop for, from a testing point of view and probably cheaper to develop for, plus I'd guess developers/publishers make more money from console games.

Blazer

They definitely made more money from a console game..
Crysis originally only sold 80,000 copies while COD4 one of the devs said 80% of people gaming online in it were using pirate copies.
Contrast that with a console game and if it's any good they could sell a million games worldwide, hence huge profit.
The only real pc gaming companies making that size of profits are Blizzard with WoW and Steam.

Venom

Mathew Reilly wrote: »

The only real pc gaming companies making that size of profits are Blizzard with WoW and Steam.

I think Bioware will soon be added to that list with SW:TOR not to mention the other games they make shine on the PC like ME. Whats killing PC gaming is rubbish ports like GTA4 not to mention rubbish support and gamplay like Ataris Ghostbusters.

Blazer

Bioware are a good company as well.
The thing is if EA did a proper version of Batlefield with no bugs they'd clean up..but the bastards only look at short term profits.

BeciMester

Well, I for one will always be a PC gamer. Firstly, I happen to enjoy it tremendously; secondly, I'm just unable to get used to the so-called "controllers" (more like failures) that come with consoles. I'll never give up my keyboard & mouse. If there are no more games worth picking up on the PC then I'll just give up on gaming (or keep playing my old favourites over and over) but I'll never get a bleedin' console, unless someone figures out how to attach keys&mouse to them. Not to mention that with a PC you're not limited to just gaming. So to answer the question on topic, yes there is, it's just a hella lot more fun. At least for me.

As for the constant upgrading: it comes with the territory. It's yet another thing you can't do with consoles, and that's the beauty of it. Nobody should be worried about it, it's the nature, the very essence of PC gaming. As long as you can keep it within healthy limits, of course.

TerrorFirmer

I'm a total graphics whore. If a game's not running at 1920x1200 max settings then I'm not happy. I had an Xbox 360 twice and found that I couldn't quite get into it; I've always been a console gamer too but even in this apparent golden age of console gaming I find myself more and more distanced from consoles....I just find personally that such a setup doesn't immerse me at all.

unless someone figures out how to attach keys&mouse to them

You can. For quite a long time now!

Anyway, I've always really been an online gamer - I never really even played COD4 or COD5 SP at all past the first level or two! But lately I've been getting far more into SP games - Stalker, Half Life 2, WarHead....for me it's definitely worth it. Last night I played Stalker for 6 hours straight, the first time I've done that in months, or even a year. 2 or 3 decent games can make an expensive machine very much worth it. Playing Crysis at 1920x1200 max settings is the way the game should be and was designed to be enjoyed.

marco_polo

PC gaming will always rule for three reasons.

1) Strategy games like AOE and Civilization.
2) Playing Football manager on a console is just plain wrong.
3) If Chuck Norris was a gamer he would use a mouse to kill terrorists, not a stupid thumb stick.

That is all

requiem1

I think the skill level on online PC gaming is alot higher than that of an xbox or ps3 which makes it more enjoyable. Some games like counterstrike and hl2 deathmatch still remain a good enough reason for me to play on a pc. Also I'm pretty addicted to the COD series.

Another reason that I build for gaming is that i could buy a ps3 which could have cost me 400 then i would have to get a laptop or something to do all the pc things i need. For the combined cost I may as well build a gaming pc. Also even though consoles have more titles than pc half of them are crap and i wouldn't buy them any ways.

Sure i have a wii and i have 4 games for it cause the rest are pure **** and its sitting there gathering dust currently

z0oT

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I don't think piracy is killing off pc gaming, its more that developers have gotten lazy and see that there's a bigger market in consoles, hence pc games are being held back because of consoles. Graphically they're not 80-90%, way less than that, compare FarCry2 on pc and consoles with no AA, AF or directX 10 effects, huge difference.

Exactly. The PC has always been ahead of Console gaming, and more than likely always will be. PC's have been churning out games at 1080p for years now, and it's only recently consoles have stepped up to that.

Even comparing the current consoles graphics engines to the PC lineup at the moment - The XBOX 360 has the equivilant of a Radeon 2000 series GPU and the PS3 has the equivilant of a Geforce 7800 or so. Both those are a far cry from the likes of a GTX 285, or even the been and gone 8800GTX.

MysticalRain

Don't get me wrong, I'm a dedicated PC gamer because I love my mouse and keyboard for FPS's. But sometimes I do wonder why I bother with gaming on a PC. It's more the software side of things than the hardware side that frustrates me the most because I actually think you get pretty good value for money these days in terms of graphics cards and processors. I bought Fuel of War the other day which required 4/5 patches amounting to about 1 GB, most of which had to be applied in sequence. An entire episode of the game crashed whenever I tried to play it. Then there are other general issues like DirectX 10 not being available for Windows XP. Plus anti-piracy mechanisms which often prevent me from playing a game I have actually paid for.

Solitaire

z0oT wrote:

Both those are a far cry from the likes of a GTX 285

Crytek Pun warning!

And its also worth remembering that almost all the games from smaller studios are limited to PC, so if you want to play anything other than flakey mass-marketed tripe or godawful movie franchise cash-ins (or should that be crap-ins?) its PC time. That said, if you don't have the money for an i7 monster you only really need to pay about as much as you would on a PS3 to get something that can play most games acceptably anyway!

Plus you can't mod modern console games very easily... even if you get Oblivion on console for example you're missing out on 90% of the content :P