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Computer gaming market pulled-back by video cards market? Prices a rip-off?
EDIT: My point is NOT that I'm a console gamer, in fact I love to game on a PC, I just wish to discuss the price of PC hardware that I find outrageous. Not just because of the hardware itself, but because the softwares we use evolves very quickly too.
Here's the thing.
Consoles sell for around 300$ right now. They have a processor, graphics card, web browser, wi-fi. They can play all games in relatively high settings for consoles that have been on the market for a few years.
Now when it comes to computers, you can barely run Black Ops in high settings with a 3-4 years old graphics card, and computer.
2gigs of ram was high 4 years ago, now the standard is 4 to 8 gigs. hard drives are slowing down our pc's now that games fit a blu-ray rather than a dvd, and what do we get on pc's? uncompressed textures rather than optimized ones.
4 years old graphics cards will quickly overheat or do white artefacts in game because they cannot fit all the textures, so an upgrade is required.
let's look at the cost:
New graphics card - 400$
Requirement: New power supply: 100$
Need new ram (DDR3): 120$ (4 go)
New ram = new motherboard : 100$
New Board and GFX Card = New Processor: 200-400$
SSD Drive: 100$
TOTAL:
1100$ average (if you keep the old monitor, 1300$ average with a new monitor with HDMI)
So let's say 1300$.
Do you want to invest 1300$ every 4 years to play video games or 300$?
The only reason you have to upgrade between, is that computer hardware companies encourage game companies NOT to optimize their graphics and/or code to run smooth on YOUR machine.
Comments
You forgot the fact that the utility computers have versus a console. I couldn't browse to my hearts content (or very effectively) if I owned a console. PC's also hold many console titles and aren't specific to any one.
Plus, you can build a computer for $500 and end up in the midrange nowadays.
So would you rather spend $500 on a computer you can do a shitton things with, or $300 for a console that's brand bound and you can't troll MMORPG.com on. I know my answer.
He who keeps his cool best wins.
Thing is, PC gaming has always been a very expensive hobby. You dont need to buy top of the line stuff, go with something thats a year old, and has another generation of stuff after it.
Im still running a 1 gig 4870, 8 gigs of DDR2 ram, Phenom II X4 Black 3.0 ghz on a win 7 home system. I can still play anything I want. Maybe I cant play the most graphically intensive game on the highest setting at a very high resolution, but I really dont care to.
As much as I would love to buy use a console and be done with it they just don't offer what a pc does.
I find their controllers awkward and I'm constantly struggling with being precise with those little joy sticks. I always over shoot where I want to be. Also, using those controllers to navigate is a pain in the neck.
I can usually play these games at extremely high resolutions, all bells and whistles, which usually look better than the consoles.
If they can make a console that will allow me to use a mouse and keyboard then I could possibly give a bit on the graphics.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I have an ATI 4870 I paid $170 for and runs LOTRO in DX10 with max settings with 45 fps in crowded areas like bree and 100+ fps in outside areas. The marketing that you NEED a brand new card is completely wrong and just there to hype you into wanting a $400 card.
Also your price on ram is off. 8 gigs of DDR3 1600 is $120, 4 gigs wont even run you $100 anymore.
An i5-1156 socket 2.8 ghz quad can easily be overclocked safely to around 3.2 and is onlt $200 bucks. The 1156 socket can also fit I7's when you want to pay more money for a slighly faster processor.
You can pick up a Gigabyte 1156 socket, usb 3.0 with 2x pci for $119 bucks.
Also a gtx 465 1 gig (more then enough to tackle nearly all games out there) is priced at under $200 now.
That puts the total to $639. A ps3 with a 160 gig hdd that can never have any of its parts upgraded will run you $300+, $400 + if you want a 320 gig hdd.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
Especially they still look and run better then their console equivalents.
The goal is to say I LOVE PC GAMING, but they intentionally make it more expensive.
The OS doesn't justify the hardware price.
https://i.imgur.com/Dc8dU3M.png
Prices have gone down over the last 15 years for a computer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a high end computer was more in the 3,000 USD range a long time ago. On the other side, prices for consoles have gone up from 150-200 USD to 400 USD. HDTV, HDMI wiring and 2nd controller excluded.
And you are partially correct. High end video cards mean profits for the big manufacturers. You just don't need the high end graphic card to play most games.
If you're on a budget and/or you don't like PC gaming and/or you don't need a computer, then: use a gaming console.
I have always been, and always will be, a PC Gamer.
Additionally, both my career and my life revolve around computers. I invest a lot of time and money in my computer, because it's my livelihood and my primary form of entertainment.
My computer is getting old. Built from scratch over the past few years. But I gotta say it still handles nearly everything I throw at it. At this point, I see no reason to upgrade. I wouldn't mind having DDR3 (still running DDR2-800), but that's the only thing that really needs an upgrade. I'm content with what I have, for now... until the next great piece of technology comes out (the processor based on chaos theory, for example).
Quite possibly after all the corrections for currency value a early 90s top end computer would be closer to 5000-6000$ in todays money .... and back then u didnt have any aftermarket parts for sale ( not that i remember anyways ) so the only choice was to buy the latest computer every christmas ! .. if ya wanted to play the latest shizz .
PC gaming is cheaper than ever imo
But again, you are ignoring the quality of the picture an the utility of using a pc.
My games on my computer look great. Dragon Age on the pc looks better and from what I hear, plays better than the console.
plus I can tab out, go on the internet, check my e-mail, etc. and then go back to the game.
I purchased the parts for my computer and my roommate built it so it was about 1000.00. However, it's a geat machine and I play most games at all max settings.
From what I understand, there is only so "high" that consoles can go for graphical quality. Which of course makes sense because they are supposed to be more affordable.
But sure, get a console that has great graphical quality and allow me to use a mouse and key board and I'd buy another console. AS it is I have an x-box that is gathering dust that I believe I only used for 2 games. Not a very good investment.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Buy a new video card ,with decent amount of RAM
The OP does not take into account the extra accessories you are almost forced to buy with each console. For example, wifi was not included with the original Xbox 360 (not sure about now), extra controllers are $50+, the M$ keyboard is a rip-off, cameras and other alternate input systems are not cheap, and hard drives started off very small for the 360.
When you buy a computer, you get something capable of a lot more than your average console. You also don't need to re-buy accessories like the mouse and keyboard just because you buy a new computer. I've had my current keyboard for longer than the life of the Xbox 360 and original Xbox combined.
The OP also exaggerates PC performance. My video card is a GTX 260, so it is over 2 years old. My processor is a E6850 Core2 Duo which was released around January 2007. With 4GB of RAM, I ran Call of Duty BlackOps just fine, with over 30fps at all times. The things that slow down PC graphics performance are the extra graphical effects that are rarely necessary, like high levels of anti-aliasing, motion-blur, excessively-detailed shadows, and bloom. Console systems can't even do most of those.
If you buy a PC, you will probably get your money's worth out of it. It just takes a lot more knowledge to keep a PC running smoothly than it does for a console. That's probably why we see MMO's on PCs and not consoles. The people who buy consoles are looking for a short-term experience more often than PC gamers. That might also explain why titles like Halo never sell very well on PCs. Those games are all about getting the quick kill then pressing the reset button.
What if you COULD use a mouse and keyboard on a PS3, and BROWSE your files?
That's where I'm going with this. It's just a software issue rather than a hardware one, and this is why I say it's a hardware rip-off.
Between, 500$ machines don't play games very well in high resolution.
https://i.imgur.com/Dc8dU3M.png
Will a PS3 allow me to run Visual Studio, Expression Studio, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, WinAmp, Access, Excel, SQL Server, all simultaneously across a dual-monitor setup? While still leaving room for me to play a video game?
That's a typical scenario for me and my extremely versatile computer.
what ur really asking is that if PS3 would have even half the versatility of a PC would we buy Sony manufactured standarsized PC limited to games , software and accessories that are approved and licensed by Sony ..... for me the answer is no.
Software issues, but also a good reason why prices for those super console is down is because it is constant, not changing as much as your PC.
In the PC world, you want to be able to plug any GPU, CPU, Motherboard, HD and so on. You also want to be able to install any version of Windows or Unix. Well, that means you need to develop a lot of drivers to take care of the different, swappable hardware pieces you want to plug in and use. I wouldn't be surprised to know the software development of all that surpasses any hardware costs.
In comparison, your console only has to deal with a handful of hardware components. They don't have to write and test a ton of drivers to have it to work properly.
I built a budget gaming PC for $500 almost 3 years ago; that doesn't include the monitor, of course, but last I checked they weren't giving away free TVs with every PS3. I haven't had any trouble playing anything at 1920x1200 compared to the 480p and 720p most console games run at. I might have to tweak the settings a bit if I ever played Crysis, but most games run fine even at max settings.
The only real benefits of consoles right now are exclusive titles and that anyone can play one if they know how to plug one into the TV(or can get their parents to plug it in for them).
Comparing games written for consoles and for the PC
Consoles have a set hardware configuration that hasn't changed in years. In addition to that, they have a set of development tools that are available to many developers. Any code written for a console is optimized to use that console to the fullest (for the PS3, this is really just now happening).
Now, switch to the PC market and you have a nearly infinite number of variables. Different hardware configurations, different levels of software updates, 5 different operating systems (XP, XP 64bit, Windows 7 & Windows 7 64bit & cr@ppy Vista). You can only optimize the code so much before your game only runs on a specific configuration. What ends up happening is that the PC hardware has to get performance with brute force instead of finesse.
PC hardware isn't holding the PC market back, it's the only reason PC games are keeping up with consoles.
*edit* Other people have made much better points than I have. A PC isn't just for games. If all you're going to do is play games and all the games you play are on a console, then yes, you should get a console. However, I have a variety of things I want to do, and consoles don't do any of them. For that matter, pretty much none of the games I want to play are available on a console and I certainly can't use Steam to buy, download and play the games I do play. So for me, consoles just don't make sense.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
there are way too many free mmorpgs and really good games so you dont need to spent money if you dont like
you can downlaod emulators and play really old games like super mario n64 if you like
last year they tried to connect all consoles and pc together to have the same servers in the specific game and they found out in the end that pc gamers will destroy console gamers
Agreed. As someone whose first pc was a 386DX i can't believe how cheap it is to buy good quality pc's nowadays. My first pentium was the price of a small car lol. I now upgrade every 2-3 years and pass on old computers to my nephews and nieces. I also run multiple computers for different things for less then what my original pentium cost. A gaming pc, a backup/storage pc and a music centre pc.
They'll still look better than a console. Consoles look awful. You also forgot to add in (as others have said) controllers, additional cables/accessories (wifi, kinetic, chargers). If you're starting brand new like you did with the computer, then I guess you'll need to buy a TV as well.
He who keeps his cool best wins.
I'm STILL running an 8800gt and have every game I play at max settings, after all these years. I think the only two games it didn't handle at full is FF14 (had to turn off AO, everything else max) and Aion (only at sieges, rest of the game ran smooth).
And honestly, you don't need a 400$ video card. There are plenty below or around 200 that will more than suffice (mostly ATI). Maybe the games with a ton of fancy tricks will give it problems, I don't know since the only upcomming PC release I'm waiting on is Fable 3 (hoping another F2 doesn't happen).
Now, come deep into 2011, I'll definitely be wanting a new video card. But I sure won't be spending any more than 250 for one (if even that), and everything else in my computer will stay the same. If I had to get a new console, I wouldn't be able to say the same.
Besides, I'm also a large fan of customizing my games with ini tweaks and mods, something I can't do on any console.
As said by many ppl here, PC gaming is alot diffent then say Xbox 360. When you make a game for the Xbox 360 EVERYONE has the same setup. It is easy to max out what ever settings you want and make the game look great. Now take the PC , I have a blueray player do you ? I run windows 7 do you ? i have an ATI card do you ?? My friend plays on an apple do you ??? Game makers have to code a game to play on 1000's of different systems. So how do you make a game look good and play on old hardware ? Well you don't . And then theres the hackers that copy PC games and what not which make more and more compines not want to make them. When was the last time you burned a copy of black ops for your xbox to give to your friend ?
Played Aoc/DDO/FFXI/WAR / LoTRo / CO / Aion
Playing Rift
Waiting for FFXIV to be the game it should. so sad =(
For the most part yes but not 100%. That last sentence just makes me shake ym head lol. Pc hardware is not keeping up with consoles. Its blowing past them. Thats why its easier to work on consoles. Coding is slightly easier. You can take PC tech from 2005 and play most games nowadays with max settinges at 1280x1020. I'm running two 8800gt's in sli. I've never seen a hicup with say L4D2 or SCII. Hell even Cata, oblivion, and fallout. Now consoles and Pc's aren't far off. They both are using the same engines or are building engines from scratch. They test them on PC's with console emulators.
Its getting to the point where tech is so far more advance then console they are starting to slow down getting bigger and badder, and focusing more on streamlining and makeing efficient. Look at nvidia 500's vs 400's.
Plus there is still this mystique towards PC's. They are not the building nightmares they were 7-16 years ago. However people still think you need to throw down $1000+ for a "gaming rig." Thats simply not true.
One of the main contributing factors for years to keep console ports off PC was becasue of pirating. And Money.
Take Halo Reach for example. Multiplayer is the largest of any 360 game. M$ charges for xbox live. Thus making money off DLC.
Put Halo reach on PC and they can't control their little puppet anymore. They would have to make multiplayer free. And accept that people will customize content. That doesn't make money.
In the end its not the PC hardware thats holding itself back. Nore is it the consoles. Its the suits. The marketers with money. PC has a larger INDY games section then any console. So the heart and soul is there. But the brokers don't know better. Thye people with money want more money. Thats all.
I have an ati hd3570 or is it a 3750?
Anyways, it was the best ati card you could get at the time. I've had it almost 3 years, and I bought it for $200 through a new egg promotion. It still runs games at high settings. I ran Batman AA at max and the same goes for AoC. These games also look much better than their PS3 and XBox 360 counter parts. Unless you want to run games at insanely high resolutions with max settings on dual monitors, you really don't need high-end hardware.
I haven't even considered the need to upgrade and don't plan to for at least another 1-2 years. The trick is to make sure you do your research before purchasing. Another thing to keep in mind, sometimes you can find previous generation, top-tier hardware cheaper than current, middle-tier (and it will likely provide you with better peformance).