The Assault Rifle Discussion

[Farley4Fan]

Well, the main reason is that my PC broke in the first place.  I knew that there would be some high end games coming out in the next few years and that I'd be able to play them on console anyways.  Console hardware is reliable(most of the time) and you don't have to upgrade it ever.  Don't tell me you guys didn't have to upgrade for crysis lol  I heard people were spending in the thousands to get it where it could even run the game.

I just thought, what the hell, I might as well get a console then.

[neth]

2-3 years and youre gonna have to buy xbox720...

[Cyntrox]

Don't tell me you guys didn't have to upgrade for crysis

My, like, 4 years old PC can run it. So can my school PC. On low graphics settings, sure, but it can.

[frvge]

My PC runs it at low. It's like 2 years old but it wasn't top of the line when I bought it.
I get a new one every 3-4 years and usually an update in between.

[Farley4Fan]

My PC runs it at low. It's like 2 years old but it wasn't top of the line when I bought it.
I get a new one every 3-4 years and usually an update in between.

Damn.  3 years you buy a new PC?  Like how expensive?  + an update?  Wow.  This was the reason I got a console.  You get some great games, they are still fun, and it's much cheaper and reliable.  Not dissing on PC because I know how powerful those things can be and everything, but still.

[frvge]

Expensive? No, usually mid-range. This is my first PC, which cost 650 euros, I added 512MB of RAM. So 700 euros for 2 years. But I use it for work and surfing and stuff, so it's ok.

[Farley4Fan]

For console it's like 300 dollars for 7 years with no updating in between.  Of course games cost 10 bucks more but it's no biggie.  And that isn't so bad frvge, what you pay I mean.

[Spekkio]

My PC runs it at low. It's like 2 years old but it wasn't top of the line when I bought it.
I get a new one every 3-4 years and usually an update in between.

Damn.  3 years you buy a new PC?  Like how expensive?  + an update?  Wow.  This was the reason I got a console.  You get some great games, they are still fun, and it's much cheaper and reliable.  Not dissing on PC because I know how powerful those things can be and everything, but still.

You are using the example of one game to support your point. Fact is, most games don't work like that. My system has hardware in it that is 5 years old, and I am able to get 40+ fps consistently out of games released as late as winter, 2006.

You can buy a top-of-the-line PC for around $1,200 these days. And that's with premium everything, and starting from scratch -- no keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. After that, you can save the case, DVD drive(s), hard drives, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and sound card for all future updates. That means updating will cost you in the realm of $300 - $800, and the price mostly depends on whether or not you need a new motherboard to support your better hardware.

The cost of the 360 when it came out was $500 -- that's with only one controller. Factor in that, if you want internet like almost everyone has, you need to buy a $500-$700 PC, and you need another $50 controller, and now you're up to pretty much the same cost as a gaming PC. New consoles cycle around 4-5 years, not 7.

[Farley4Fan]

4-5 years? Nah.  Look at the release times for xbox-360 and ps2-ps3.  It was longer than 4 years.

I don't want to spend 1,200 dollars for something to play games on.  Thats' just something I do for fun.  Maybe like 1 or 2 hours a day, sometimes a little more.  I will admit though, that Rock Band cost me about 170 bucks, but that is an experience that PC cannot offer.  PC also is a little less social.  I mean you can have your friends come over and you can all play at once.  PC you'd have to take turns and whatnot, and it's not as fun.

PC's are going to cost you a little more money obviously.  Imo, consoles offer experiences that PC's can't.  And PC's also offer some experiences that consoles can't too.  But I like the stuff consoles have going for them, except for the 10 year old community that sings into the mic.  One of my only complaints.

[Spekkio]

I don't want to spend 1,200 dollars for something to play games on.  Thats' just something I do for fun.  Maybe like 1 or 2 hours a day, sometimes a little more.  I will admit though, that Rock Band cost me about 170 bucks, but that is an experience that PC cannot offer.  PC also is a little less social.  I mean you can have your friends come over and you can all play at once.  PC you'd have to take turns and whatnot, and it's not as fun.

But it's not just for playing games. PCs can play music and movies. They also have this nifty hookup to the internet that you're using right now. They can be used for school projects and work functions as well.

When you invest $1200+ into a gaming PC, you're not just investing in a gaming system. You're investing in a PC that is capable of playing graphically demanding games.

The Xbox was released in Nov, 2001. The Xbox 360 was released exactly 4 years later in Nov, 2005.

Playstation was released in Sept, 2005. The PS2 was released five years later in Oct, 2000. The PS3 was released in Nov, 2006. Considering the specs and cost of the PS3, you can see why it took longer than average to release it.

The Sega Master System was released in Oct, 1986. The Sega Genesis was released merely 3 years later in Aug, 1989. The Sega Saturn was released 6 years later May, 1995*. The Sega Dreamcast was released 4 years later in Sep, 1999.

*Inbetween the Genesis and Saturn was the Sega CD, an add-on system of its own for the Sega Genesis.

The Nintendo Entertainment System was released in Oct of 1985. The SNES was released almost 6 years later in Aug, 1991. The Nintendo 64 was released 5 years later in Sept, 1996. The GCN was released 5 years after that in Nov, 2001. The Wii was released 5 years after that in Nov, 2006.

The industry standard life of a console is approx. 5 years. Sony's 6-year period of PS2 ---> PS3 is abnormally long, and there is no major company that waited 7 years between releases since 1990.

[InvisibleMan999]

The main advantage to consoles that I see is that you eliminate a lot of the bullshit problems you get with PC games. I can't even count the number of times Doom 3 has frozen on me or some other crap because i didn't adjust the graphics right, or needed to update my drivers or some other BS to try to optimize my hardware with the game. And it gets to the point where you're spending like 3 hours sometimes just trying to get the damn game to run.

With a console, you just open the drive, pop the game in and it works like it's supposed to. Want your new controller to work? Just plug it in and go. Getting your xbox live network connection to work? Well I just plugged in the ethernet cable and it worked. No problem. Want to use a mic? Just plug it in and it works, instantly. No mic configuration bullshit, no drivers. It just works. So when you start up CT on your xbox, you don't have to worry about turning on your merc flashlight and crashing the game because some random software/hardware fault doesn't like your graphics card.

If there's a plus to console systems, it's definitely that.

[Overstatement]

Unless you have a 360.

[Cyntrox]

PC also is a little less social.  I mean you can have your friends come over and you can all play at once.  PC you'd have to take turns and whatnot, and it's not as fun.

Yeah, that's why thousands of people gather at LAN parties ::)

[Spekkio]

The main advantage to consoles that I see is that you eliminate a lot of the bullshit problems you get with PC games. I can't even count the number of times Doom 3 has frozen on me or some other crap because i didn't adjust the graphics right, or needed to update my drivers or some other BS to try to optimize my hardware with the game. And it gets to the point where you're spending like 3 hours sometimes just trying to get the damn game to run.

With a console, you just open the drive, pop the game in and it works like it's supposed to. Want your new controller to work? Just plug it in and go. Getting your xbox live network connection to work? Well I just plugged in the ethernet cable and it worked. No problem. So when you start up CT on your xbox, you don't have to worry about turning on your merc flashlight and crashing the game because some random software/hardware fault doesn't like your graphics card.

If there's a plus to console systems, it's definitely that.

I agree there. I was simply saying that the life of a gaming PC and the life of a console are not that different. The cost of a gaming PC is definitely more, but when you factor in that you will also be buying a PC for all the other stuff you do, the cost difference is a little less striking.

On top of that, internet gaming for PC is free.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides. Like I said, I'm simply pointing out that Papa was grossly exagerrating how often one has to upgrade his computer to play games.

[Farley4Fan]

Unless you have a 360.

I haven't experienced NEAR as many problems with my 360 in years as I had with my PC in less than 3 months.

Yeah, I have a PC that does everything you said Spekkio.  And even with a brand new 360 bought at the same time as a PC, it didn't cost half as much as it would to buy a high end gaming PC.

PC also is a little less social.  I mean you can have your friends come over and you can all play at once.  PC you'd have to take turns and whatnot, and it's not as fun.

Yeah, that's why thousands of people gather at LAN parties ::)

What?  I wasn't even talking about big huge gatherings  :D  I was talking about your friends just coming over, playing some halo, jokin around, all in one room.  Or everyone playing Rock Band - I'm on the drums, and my friends are on the mic, guitar, and bass.  You can't get that experience from any PC game.  It's much more fun than thousands of sweaty gamers gathered in one big gaming pile lol  Consoles are more social than PC's.