Jump to content

Why don't more people play on PC?


Recommended Posts

I am new to PC gaming, only been a few years but I honestly am shocked there are not hardcore gamers on PC's playing. There is more to play, more to customize, and you get more out of your gaming experience.

Because Steam both saved and killed PC gaming at the same time. I do play PC but usually titles I have owned for years if not longer already. Of course I think the PC is better than any modern console, not even a contest and some type of games can only be offered on a computer unlike modern consoles.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of my friends prefer playing on a console because you need to frequently upgrade to play the newest game.With an investement of only 1/3 of a gaming pc you can enjoy every game for at least 6-7 years or not ? (cough ps4 pro)

But personally as i own both i dont really care

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of my friends prefer playing on a console because you need to frequently upgrade to play the newest game.With an investement of only 1/3 of a gaming pc you can enjoy every game for at least 6-7 years or not ? (cough ps4 pro)

But personally as i own both i dont really care

That never held true in regards to having to upgrade that often. You can get a great set up that will last you for more than 5 years of gaming easily, you might not actually be able to set the graphical settings to max in the newest games as they are released but it would still outperform a console in graphics. PS4 pro isn't even 4K and is very deceptively marketed. A computer also has far better so called backwards compatibility and life of your product vs modern consoles. Personally I think you get far greater value out of your money on a computer than you ever will on any PlayStation or Xbox. I think at this point people just hold on to things for tradition and not wanting to leave their comfort zone but again, personally seeing as how the new systems are in fact just computers with different OS, I think it is just a matter of time before they too see that computer far outweighs a modern console in every feature and price.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's more to do with the perception and the era that we are in. At one point you would say you got a PC and that would be a good conversation starter, as PC's at one point were expensive and lots of games were advertised for it. I used to see more gaming ads running on windows than actual work related programs. I don't want to use this word but it's almost a FAD to some extent. Not saying that computers are a fad, but gaming on pc's now seems to have that close approach to it. Once everyone almost has one it doesn't have the same feeling again. When your parents would take you to the movies, that was a special occasion. You loved and looked forward to it when they would tell you that you are going on a certain day or whatever. But when you grow up and can go to the movies on your own as a teenager or a adult, it doesn't have that special feeling again it once did as you can afford it. At the drop of a dime you can go whenever and see whatever. Same here, it was a luxury to play pc games and wait for a new game to come out as you had friends who were like you, but over time we get older and move on.  And over time people grow and get used to other things, everyone is it's own crowd. You got xbox crowds, PS crowds and Nintendo Crowds, everyone went their own way. You factor in smartphones which do more than pc's 15 years ago, and a new generation of people doing things differently than you and i did a long time ago and you come to the conclusion that nobody plays PC games, board games, pick up basketball games and so on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread continues to amuse me.  If you look at the amount of interest PC Gaming mags receive here at Retromags, you'd assume no one cares about PC gaming.  And if you read this thread, you might think the same.

 

But seriously guys, just do a google search.  PC game sales worldwide are stronger than console sales.  A lot of that revenue is from casual games and social MMOs, but a game is a game, and facts are facts - lots of people ARE playing PC games.  Just not most of the visitors to Retromags, is all.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread continues to amuse me. If you look at the amount of interest PC Gaming mags receive here at Retromags, you'd assume no one cares about PC gaming. And if you read this thread, you might think the same.

But seriously guys, just do a google search. PC game sales worldwide are stronger than console sales. A lot of that revenue is from casual games and social MMOs, but a game is a game, and facts are facts - lots of people ARE playing PC games. Just not most of the visitors to Retromags, is all.

Yep, in fact I read this year both PC and mobile has surpassed console gaming including handhelds combined. With PC at nr1. Also if memory serves me right Apple now makes more net profit from games than MS and Sony do which is amusing.

Personally I care more about retro mags about consoles because I enjoyed them more in the past also at least speaking for myself and friends who played PC we had a very low opinion of PC magazines and if we did read one we would do so to make fun of how bad the "journalists" were. PC gaming websites is where people went for their news, places like Gamespy and IGN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I care more about retro mags about consoles because I enjoyed them more in the past also at least speaking for myself and friends who played PC we had a very low opinion of PC magazines and if we did read one we would do so to make fun of how bad the "journalists" were. PC gaming websites is where people went for their news, places like Gamespy and IGN.

 

 

That may have been true of the PC mags where you're from, but I can assure you that it was the opposite case in the US.  PC Game mags in the US were written for adults and console mags were generally written for kids (anyone was free to read either, of course.)  Whenever a console mag with well-written articles and reviews came along (such as Next Generation) it really stood out from the crowd and had a very "PC Game mag feel."

 

As for GameSpy and IGN, those didn't even exist during most of the gaming years I'm interested in.  I didn't get the internet in my home until the late 90s, but I'd been reading PC (and console) mags since the late 80s.  By the time gaming websites were important enough to eat into magazine sales, they would have taken business away from ALL gaming mags, not just PC ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've logged 56 hours on Battlefield One since it arrived on PC, hence the somewhat sporadic updates on OGM recently. I don't think any other game has taken up so much of my spare time since, well, Battlefield 2 really. I have the later versions but they just didn't do all that much for me. All the rest of my gaming time tends to playing using emulators to play older console games or arcade games via M.A.M.E. For that the PC is king!!! 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That may have been true of the PC mags where you're from, but I can assure you that it was the opposite case in the US.  PC Game mags in the US were written for adults and console mags were generally written for kids (anyone was free to read either, of course.)  Whenever a console mag with well-written articles and reviews came along (such as Next Generation) it really stood out from the crowd and had a very "PC Game mag feel."

 

As for GameSpy and IGN, those didn't even exist during most of the gaming years I'm interested in.  I didn't get the internet in my home until the late 90s, but I'd been reading PC (and console) mags since the late 80s.  By the time gaming websites were important enough to eat into magazine sales, they would have taken business away from ALL gaming mags, not just PC ones.

I have read some American magazines as well but wasn't impressed, the one I disliked the most was PC gamer to me they never lend well to PC and I feel it is a different beast to cover. I did visit sites that existed before gamespy and ign but their names are lost on me, I have had internet since 1991. Of course the internet has taken business away from not just gaming but all publications but I also think overtime the quality has gotten worse. Today's magazines are just awful but I also think new games are awful so perhaps the two go hand in hand.

I'm sure there were exceptions and we all have different tastes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've logged 56 hours on Battlefield One since it arrived on PC, hence the somewhat sporadic updates on OGM recently. I don't think any other game has taken up so much of my spare time since, well, Battlefield 2 really. I have the later versions but they just didn't do all that much for me. All the rest of my gaming time tends to playing using emulators to play older console games or arcade games via M.A.M.E. For that the PC is king!!! 

 

The worst part about having MAME and any other emulators is deciding how to control them.

Should I use a dial to play Super Sprint?

8 way joysticks are the standard but should I buy Sanwa or the American style bats?

Should I also have a 4 way joystick to play Burgertime and Pacman?

Should I get a ball to play Simpsons Bowling, Golf and to use as a mouse?

Sit down, stand up, or bartop?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have read some American magazines as well but wasn't impressed, the one I disliked the most was PC gamer to me they never lend well to PC and I feel it is a different beast to cover. I did visit sites that existed before gamespy and ign but their names are lost on me, I have had internet since 1991. Of course the internet has taken business away from not just gaming but all publications but I also think overtime the quality has gotten worse. Today's magazines are just awful but I also think new games are awful so perhaps the two go hand in hand.

I'm sure there were exceptions and we all have different tastes.

 

LOL, different tastes, that's true.  I can't speak for any issues published beyond the 1990s, but for everything before that I consider PC Gamer to be one of the best American gaming publications.  Computer Gaming World was often a bit stuffy, especially in the early days when 90% of their coverage was of impenetrably complex wargames.  As I said before, Next Generation was a journalistically-sound mag that covered consoles (though it covered PC Games as well.)  The videogame-only mag I liked the most was EGM, but I have to admit is was often very juvenile.  And other mags like Nintendo Power, GamePro and Game Players were very clearly intended for children.  I'm curious as to which game magazines you consider good?

 

Oh yeah, and I wanted to mention I think it's pretty cool you had the Internet right from the start when the world wide web was first launched in 1991.  Hell, according to an article I read about it, the first image wasn't even uploaded to the www until 1992, so I can't imagine what it looked like back then (pretty sure I'd never even heard of it at that point).  I guess technically I had online services around that time (access to BBS and whatnot), but that was pretty useless to a kid, so I never really used a computer to actually access the Internet until I started college in 1996, and I definitely still got almost all of my gaming info from magazines at that point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL, different tastes, that's true. I can't speak for any issues published beyond the 1990s, but for everything before that I consider PC Gamer to be one of the best American gaming publications. Computer Gaming World was often a bit stuffy, especially in the early days when 90% of their coverage was of impenetrably complex wargames. As I said before, Next Generation was a journalistically-sound mag that covered consoles (though it covered PC Games as well.) The videogame-only mag I liked the most was EGM, but I have to admit is was often very juvenile. And other mags like Nintendo Power, GamePro and Game Players were very clearly intended for children. I'm curious as to which game magazines you consider good?

Oh yeah, and I wanted to mention I think it's pretty cool you had the Internet right from the start when the world wide web was first launched in 1991. Hell, according to an article I read about it, the first image wasn't even uploaded to the www until 1992, so I can't imagine what it looked like back then (pretty sure I'd never even heard of it at that point). I guess technically I had online services around that time (access to BBS and whatnot), but that was pretty useless to a kid, so I never really used a computer to actually access the Internet until I started college in 1996, and I definitely still got almost all of my gaming info from magazines at that point.

We had computers from the late 80's and through work at university well technically internet was available then at 89-90 at this point it wasn't commercial at all and it wasn't until 91 that I started using it. As for the first picture uploaded, pretty sure it was a naked photo and not whatever else mentioned ;)

I also had internet at home before it was commercially available for most people. The magazines you mention from the 80's were good true, the other one you mentioned I have never read so I take your word for it but PC gamer both the American and UK was a joke to me and still is.

I personally love Nintendo power, I also liked EGM a lot and Famitsu and some region specific ones like Super Power later named Super Play. Then a bunch of other ones including Mac and Amiga etc. Maybe they do come across a bit childish but my "inner child" loves it. Hence why I said different tastes, I enjoy it being less mature but I understand why someone wouldn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

 

DRM - And consoles are any better? Not that I can tell if you look at GOG.com for example. 

Steam - great collection of older and current games quite often for excellent prices when you factor in their sales etc

Origin - not as good as Steam but the only way to play EA games. You can include UBIPlay in this too .....

 

The above really aren't all that different to the console environments like Xbox Live which means there's no disadvantage there

 

Digital Activation - I'll give you this one although really, the consoles have esoteric disc formats which form the basis of protection along with mandatory accounts anyway, so I'm not sure how PC's requiring activation hurts when you factor in copy protection formats like Safedisc have been rendered obsolete by the latest Windows 7/8/10 updates. Disabling protection on the disc in favor of activation in theory allows for software backups once again.

 

Always on connection requirements -  Depends what you want to play I guess .....

 

Console Ports Gone Bad - Why on earth would anyone want a console port on a PC in the first place? They're generally fairly crap games with poor file saving and linear game-play in the majority of cases. Ugh!!!! As far as I can tell with Batman: Arkham Knight it sounds like they bit off more than they can chew touting features like 4K gaming etc. With the consoles pretty ordinary specs they had to dumb it down to get them running properly in the first place so either they overloaded the PC version or they simply have crap coders. I think it's a case of both scenarios on this one.

 

Buying a new video card - at least you can actually do that for a PC. Try that on any other platform. Nope ...

The whole point is that PC's are indeed upgradable unlike any other platform. Logic dictates that if a company codes for a given specification then in theory, every upgrade from that point on results in better performance. I know the counter argument is that software developers don't have a defined standard to code to but but as long as they define what specs they have set as a minimum criteria then it's up to the consumer to make a decision on whether they need an upgrade or not.

 

Forgetting all the above for a second, there's one undeniable reason for PC gaming..... Emulation. Nothing can touch a PC for emulating older gaming systems. Trying to keep consoles like the Dreamcast going when Sega has abandoned production of GD-R drives etc mean the PC represents the only way of retaining your ability to play it. Factor in the ability to use all manner of controllers (you can even use Wii controllers and Nunchucks for example) along with emulators for pretty much every older system ever created and that alone is worth it in my books.

 

I agree with all of this.  Are you sure your ready to join the 4K master race?

 

It is a pain in the butt to organize EA games from Steam games and Blizzard online only games but you have to take the good with the bad.  The good is you get all the benefits of previous console generation but you also need to adapt to the problems that go with it.

 

I installed VMware so I could have Windows 7 in a virtual operating System.  This helps remove the burden from the main operating system and also like Kiwi said, Windows 10 breaks securerom so hundreds of games like Battlefield 1942 no longer work.

 

Also I can have another copy of windows 10 that is used solely for retromags editing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Battlefield 1942 can indeed be run on Windows 10 as I am happily doing so. The BF1942F2P (free to play) version as it is a single installer with no DRM and it works fine apart from being designed for 4:3 screens rather than 16:9. There is even a internet server upgrade to find active servers. Grab it here

 

Battlefield 2 received the same upgrade. No securerom and no CD keys required. Get it here. In the next couple of months I will be getting fiber into my street and all going I will be running a ranked BF2 server permanently which will make it the only server in New Zealand.

 

Battlefield 2142 has recently gotten the same treatment and can be obtained from the link for Battlefield 2

 

If a game uses securerom and you want to play it I'd suggest searching for it. Many have likely been converted to run and are available on GOG one of the other sites anyway. Really old stuff that doesn't need high end graphics will likely run on an Intel NUC so rather than running a VMware session why not build up a mini-PC and run Windows 7 directly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I upgraded to a GTX 1070 a few months ago and was all hyped up to play The Witcher 3 and Rise of the Tomb Raider but then FFXV came up and I've been playing it ever since.  Then I've got Yakuza 0, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Nier Automata, Nioh and Persona 5 to look forward to.  I love PC gaming but the exclusives on PS4 are just so good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I upgraded to a GTX 1070 a few months ago and was all hyped up to play The Witcher 3 and Rise of the Tomb Raider but then FFXV came up and I've been playing it ever since.  Then I've got Yakuza 0, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Nier Automata, Nioh and Persona 5 to look forward to.  I love PC gaming but the exclusives on PS4 are just so good.

 

Nier Automata is available on PC, but I see your point.  If you love Japanese games, you'll be hard pressed to find many of them available on PC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
  • 5 years later...

I agree.  I play mostly fighting games and I find that nearly all fighting games on PC are better than their console counterparts.  They run better, they look better but the sad truth is that there are more players for certain games on consoles than they are on PC.  It's all about gamer populations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...
Affiliate Disclaimer: Retromags may earn a commission on purchases made through our affiliate links on Retromags.com and social media channels. As an Amazon & Ebay Associate, Retromags earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your continued support!