Looks like ive switched to console from pc.

Caporegime
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I just thought I'd post why and hopefully not get too much bashing!

Proviso.. This is my personal opinion, ie IMHO lol

I built my first pc from scratch i7 920 with 6950 just when the gpu was out, played a lot on it but always tempted by that ever extra ability to get to the next graphics setting.. I was happy and played my games etc not too bothered I couldn't always get to the top, the visuals were much better than I had seen.

After a while I guess I wanted more, I wanted to play metro at max, I got a second 6950 eventually, it improved things, but not by much tbh, and only in a few games, I quickly found myself tinkering and getting frustrated more than playing. Cf gave me issues sometimes to make the fps gain not worth the dips and crashes with one card not liking the particular overclock, I realised I wasn't playing much and sold the second one, didn't loose much so all OK.

After that I almost found it has put me off pc gaming, especially with less time due to work etc and maybe just being older?? I guess I almost was worried I would fire up a game, know I wasn't at the limit and then spend time in the settings again! I even bought some old games knowing I could max them out and couldn't get better visuals. I guess I couldn't stop getting the most out of what I had, couldn't stop trying to achieve the best possible with my hardware.

Sounds silly?

I recently got a 360 (partly because of the above but partly multiplayer and the gf likes it) Andi have to say I prefer it. I can't get any better, there are no settings to tweak, I just turn on and play. I know the pc I have gives a better visual but it's the damn tweaking I just can't leave lol.

I still play old c and c style games and civ etc, but good new ones aren't made anyway, on the pc because it's a no brainer. Also old games I missed, half life I only recently got.

Just wondering if anybody has been through similar just because it's easier basically?

Again, I dare not post this in the pc section due to the inevitable.. Enjoy your 720p gaming roll eyes smiley

Edit
Also the whole xbox brand new cost less than the single 6950 used! Cost is another big factor, no upgrade temptation! Cost per playing hour much smaller
 
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4T5

4T5

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I switched to PS3 a while back & game far more than I used to on my PC. I used to waste gaming time messing about on forums/surfing/tweaking where as now I just sit down on the couch & pick up my controller. I also prefer kicking back & playing on my big flatty with the sound screaming out of my surround sound system rather than being up my desk with headphones on.
No more upgrades & a level playing field is also a bonus. :)
 
Caporegime
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Yep, less distraction, and I rarely visit the gpu section now!

I have a new sofa coming, the room is a work in progress, need to move the 5.1 and Htpc in, the gt30 is in there waiting to be setup.

My hands are too small for playstation controllers
 
Man of Honour
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I was tempted - then I picked up a new sofa, 42" LCD and Xbox controller - imo this beats any console by a mile tbh.

I will admit that recent games have been frustrating me a fair bit, constantly needing tweaks to get them running.

I suspect I will get the next generation of consoles, but I will never ditch PC gaming altogether - there is always that one special title that makes PC gaming worthwhile (Total War comes to mind).

A huge bonus to PC gaming recently has been the so called 360 ports - along with the 360 controller it is like have a 360 anyway, but with improved graphics and loading times. Probably a large factor that has kept me away from consoles.
 
Associate
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I've always preferred console over PC and I understand exactly what you mean about spending more time looking at an FPS counter rather than enjoying the game!

I only play PC exclusives on PC, everything else gets bought for console. Sure, PC games will look better but I find the console experience much more immersive/enjoyable.
 
Soldato
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I keep my PC updated to a reasonable spec for the PC exclusives but I game much more on my 360 & PS3 because it's just easier to fire up a game for an hour or so without worrying about drivers, hard drive space, is my rig good enough, etc. I have a 16 month old daughter so sometimes I only get half an hour to grab a bit of gaming and console gaming just suits that pick up and play style. I also get to enjoy our comfy sofa and 40" TV rather than playing in an office chair in front of my pretty average monitor.

It's also expensive to play PC games as designers intended, I know that a game on my 360 will just work (unless it's made by Bethesda ;) ) and I won't be playing a "compromised" version.

I can't ever see myself leaving PC gaming completely, I need a pretty decent PC for work and there are some games (Civilization for example) that would also drag me back.
 
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Just wondering if anybody has been through similar just because it's easier basically?

As a PC gamer i can understand where your coming from graphical options can create a temptation to upgrade as you know whats missing; but on the flop side it means you don't need the latest and greatest to play the games you just knock a few settings down.

Some games like the elder scrolls games i can understand how you can spend lots of time tweaking settings and mods and fixing them if they go wrong.

It just feels like you wanted to use settings that was just good enough for a enjoyable experience with the best graphical settings and when things get crazier later i.e more monster/explosions you then had to tweak it again to improve frame rates. Just use tone down the options to begin with knowing that things will undoubtedly get crazier. It just come across you wanted everything because it was there or using large resolutions. Its just use options you can use all the time like its sensable not to use a gun thats going to explode in your hands when you need it most. Pick the one thats slightly worse but always fires is less hassle in the long run if not as lush.

Sorry if to it comes across as i'm having a go at you i'm not Its not nice knowing what your missing but I personally I'd rather not deal with the hassle so just use more mediocre options and not deal with the damn things most the time because i'd run into the issues you mentioned and i'd rather be playing.

Consoles are ment to streamline these things for a play and play style and they do. As i've got older and have less time it is becoming a more attractive and valid option ofc you sacrifice things like keyboard and mouse and somthings on the graphics front. But if before all you were doing was sifting through options does it actually matter because i guess you didn't plonk your money down for graphically better menus with more options :p.

Glad your actually enjoying games now thou ;)
 
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Caporegime
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These posts are all fair and constructive

I will as said keep an ok pc, for games like civ... Just seen generals 2 is out in 2013 lol

I was going to stick with pc until xbox 720 or whatever comes out but gave in to forza etc, maybe after a bit of xbox I will be able to fire up the pc and not need to push everything like I did. Hopefully as I much prefer keyboard and mouse.

About resolution, the 1440p doesn't help!
 
Caporegime
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My hands are too small for playstation controllers

Don't you mean Playstation controllers are too small for your hands? The 360 pad is much chunkier than the Dual Shock 3! :)

I love both the 360 and PS3, yes the PC is capable of far greater things from a technical standpoint, but consoles are cheap, require virtually zero maintenance, have no complex settings to play about with and are fairly good media extenders which is a plus in my book. I have Sky Go on my PC but why would I want to sit looking at the 15" screen when I can fire the Xbox up and be watching Sky on demand on my TV. :)
 
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Caporegime
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Don't you mean Playstation controllers are too small for your hands? The 360 pad is much chunkier than the Dual Shock 3! :)

I love both the 360 and PS3, yes the PC is capable of far greater things from a technical standpoint, but consoles are cheap, require virtually zero maintenance, have no complex settings to play about with and are fairly good media extenders which is a plus in my book. I have Sky Go on my PC but why would I want to sit looking at the 15" screen when I can fire the Xbox up and be watching Sky on demand on my TV. :)

I think it's the analogue sticks, I can't keep my thumbs on them as they are convex, the xbox has concave ones and the left one in particular is easy on the xbox, as an example I used to ace ssx on my friends old xbox, on the ps2 at the time I was no where, the console is good, controller makes it unplayable for me.

The big tv thing is quite a plus, might see how mine does with its 3d conversion
 
Caporegime
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I think it's the analogue sticks, I can't keep my thumbs on them as they are convex, the xbox has concave ones and the left one in particular is easy on the xbox, as an example I used to ace ssx on my friends old xbox, on the ps2 at the time I was no where, the console is good, controller makes it unplayable for me.

The big tv thing is quite a plus, might see how mine does with its 3d conversion

If you're planning on switching to console as your primary gaming platform then I would definitely recommend persevering with the joypad. I used to game on PC quite a lot, when I went back to consoles it was horrible, I couldn't aim in FPS games and it was really frustrating, eventually you'll just click with it though. Sure, it lacks the precision of a keyboard and mouse, but it's so much more convenient to lean back with a joypad than sit bolt upright at a work surface.

Of course you can buy adapters which enable keyboard and mouse on console, though many people on these boards disagree with using these online as it does create a huge advantage for you over the joypad users. Plus the adapters that actually work are quite expensive.
 
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About resolution, the 1440p doesn't help!

:( yea thats why i didn't want a bigger monitor sure looks cool but ties me to a upgrade cycle i just don't want. The cards can handle 1080p well (a few exceptions) but 1440p the ground just starts to fall away so i'll be keeping my 22" for now. Even help with the console FoV (motion sickness) for me as a few games have been missing it recently (Yay more things to TRY to fix):mad:.
 
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OP this is why I switched. I'm so OCD I just need things simple. Use to spend loads of time configging in MP games to get best performance but also not to be at a disadvantage to those with low settings (16 bits smoke, LOD, AA settings, CL_commands for weather etc etc)

But also none of my friends in real life play PC anymore so playing with them online is what gaming is all about to me. I had online "friends" on PC but its not the same.

I love getting a new MP FPS game and just being able to put it in and start getting good with a couple of simple tweaks to brightness and sensitivity.

Fixed platform just suits me very well :D
 
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Associate
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I think i'm in a similar position to you OP, but somewhat switched.

I started with console gaming (from Mega Drive beginnings to my current 360), but have started slowly building a gaming PC. I enjoy the comfort of a controller and being able to sit on the couch while playing - plus, the experience online is (mostly) even for everyone - but I have some PC only games that I really want, and some games that I have on the 360 that I want to experience on PC, mostly for better graphics and the proposition of modding.

I think it is best to have both a console and a PC, for more casual gaming and the more in-depth endeavours, respectively.
 
Soldato
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Have been wanting to drop pc gaming for some time, but consoles just look too dated now in graphics department.

Yeah, I know graphics aint everything, but really, some of them just look terrible, and plus 3D on consoles isn't brilliant with the low res.

Hopefully the next round of consoles will fly through 1080p and 3D.

I want my current setup (still waiting for Ivy Bridge CPU) to last me for years (like 2016/7), and possibly be my last gaming pc.

Like some of you, I can't help bu tinker. E.g. having found a good stable OC on GPU's, I still want to get more, and have wasted hours this week chasing a few more Mhz. Am done now. They will be running stock til they struggle a little, for which I have a first step OC, and if they struggle a little a while later, I have a high level OC.

I love that consoles are so easy to just pick up and play, with nothing to fiddle with.
 
Soldato
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I agree with some of the comments about the PC but it's mainly down to the user. Myself when I buy a PC game, I install, play on default settings as if I was gaming on a console. If I need to change anything then it would be the screen resolution and nothing else.

PC gamers feel the need to ticker with settings just because it's there and they can, if the PS3 or 360 had customised settings for graphics etc then it would be the same situation.

You can easily install and play most PC games but users choose not to, they feel the need to mess round just to get the extra FPS and get upset when they cant (e.g. situation with Rage with it was first released on PC).

These days a lot of newly released PC games are console ports so the default settings would perfectly be fine. Along with the added bonus, PC games are cheaper than the console versions.
 
Soldato
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Yep, less distraction, and I rarely visit the gpu section now!

I have a new sofa coming, the room is a work in progress, need to move the 5.1 and Htpc in, the gt30 is in there waiting to be setup.

My hands are too small for playstation controllers

Enjoy the Panasonic GT30 it's amazing, I love mine.
 
Soldato
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Dont switch!! Switching implies you only get the lovelies from 1 set device.

Personally I have a 360 and Ps3(Girlfriends) And I do not have a PC. But I'm getting one. There's just too much variety out there to stick to 1 over the other.

I'll never get used to playing Strategy games with a pad, I played Tropico a few months back, loved it. But constantly wished for a mouse.

Then there's the bethesda modding scene... :p Skyrim is awesome on console, But I hate seeing all the nice stuff released on PC.

I suppose those are my main pro points with regards to PC, Note I didnt even mention graphics. I really do not care with regards to that, I just want my games smooth at 1080p if possible, And I'll happily drop down AA to achieve that.
 
Associate
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Im the other way round. Bought a PC (its ancient now) and went to ps3 as it got too old and now am getting frustrated by consoles lack of graphics, the scale of the game is much more limited and the lack of rts games. So will be buying a new PC in the summer hopefully.
FF
 
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