Anyone recently switch from PC to console?

[cmdrdredd]

I have an iphone and ipad and never, ever go for them when I'm at home and want to surf the web if the laptop is free. I can type 100+ wpm on a keyboard, and even on the ipad air 2 surfing the net efficiently is slow and sucks. I can open up multiple tabs with a mouse and move around them far better than on an ipad.

The point is that you don't always need a computer any longer. Whether it is better or not doesn't matter.

 

[sweenish]

I agree with what you are trying to say, but there is no need to belittle everyone as you say it. All you are saying is that there are many factors for which only the player can decide are important. Your long list of questions certainly isn't more than a "half decent argument."

I wasn't making an argument. I was pointing out some of the many factors, attempting to display why pretty much all posts were stupid by focusing on just one aspect and treating it as the main decider. You could say that it was an argument in and of itself, and in that case I'll admit that it was poor. But reading three pages of stupid didn't lend well to trying to reason. It was obvious reason has no place in this discussion.

I will say that you were not a target of that post, as you made many good points that were well presented.

All in all, I'm just very tired of seeing people constantly feel the need to defend their purchases [not by talking about how much they're enjoying themselves, but] by putting the other side down and marking it generally inferior.

He's not "pushing" anything. No need to be so abrasive to others. He gave one example of what a lot of console gamers do. I've done it before as well. Sometimes trade-ins are lucrative. I traded in GTA5 for PS3 for $30 credit toward GTA5 for PS4. Then I traded GTA5 for PS4 for a $40 credit toward Dragon Age Inquisition for PS4. That is a nice option for those that don't like to keep a library of games sitting around. No agenda pushing being made here lol.

They posted three consecutive [or very close to it] times about cost effectiveness making broad assumptions about trade-in happening, when they happen, and how often they happen. The push was that trade-ins negate cheap digital sales on the PC side, and it is largely false. There were also false implicit assumptions about the cost of PC hardware necessary.

For them, it might. For me, it never would because I don't trade my games in (For the record, I game on: PC, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii, Wii U [consoles to the left there constitute one large bookshelf of games], Android, with the occasional SNES and GCN). Many others don't have the time or don't play the kind of games that can be traded in for close to retail value. Citing their niche case and passing it on as a general argument is not a smart thing to do.

About as much as the poorly framed general arguments go, the cost one gets me the most. I hate that argument. If cost is so important, why are you even spending $400+ (on just the box) on a purely optional thing in the first place? Get a cheaper hobby. And why does the PC always have to built from scratch? Throw an appropriate GPU in a PC, and you have a gaming PC. Typically for less than a console. But Craigslist! But this, but that. The cost argument is stupid. You can afford your hobby or you can't. It sadly is that simple.

It's not as if I don't chime in on these debates, it's just near impossible to have it be of any worth when people apply their personal tastes and preferences and budgets to everyone else and declare them wanting. I have my tastes, I've expressed them before, but I never tell anyone my way is the better way if they do differently. That's the main reason this entire thread is garbage.

 

[calyco]

I didn't really switch, still a PC gamer at heart. FPS for example, PC only. Just cant get used to the gamepad. However ever since PS3, 90% of my gaming is on consoles. More relaxed and to my speed nowadays, also Netflix etc. Loving my new PS4

 

[anthd56]

The thread is about gaming, this is a gaming forum. My PS4 and XB1 can watch Netflix, play blu-ray. XB1 can control my cable box and stream via DLNA. So in effect they also do more than gaming. PC games also aren't much cheaper at launch. Dragon Age launched for PC and console at $59.99 in the US. You can point to all the websites that sell discounted digital games as well but then I could also find a sale somewhere that would apply to a console game. I don't normally wait for games to go on sale. I buy new release games because I want them when they are fresh for the most part. Both PC and console games have cost me $60 just about every time. From my point of view the real difference is in the cost of the hardware for the purpose of gaming.



Not anymore. I can use my phone to do email, browse the web, even shop online. Unless you use a PC for work or gaming, there is very little I can think of that you "need" a PC for anymore.

I understand what you're saying but an actual computer isn't a necessity for many any longer since you can do a lot of stuff from a phone these days, even print from it.

I know this is the gaming forum subsection, whats your point... PS4 and XBO can stream netflix but so can a PC. I admit that they work easier as multimedia devices though. I don't know the situation in the US so I'll take your word for it. But in the UK, PC games are pretty much always £5-10 cheaper. Take GTA 5 and Fifa 15 for example, the PC version is both £10 cheaper on Amazon. Pretty substantial imo. Yes, for gaming only, PC gaming has a higher price of entry. However with a PC, you have a full blown OS and lets be honest who uses a PC only for gaming? Also I don't buy into the argument that PCs are useless and tablets/smartphones does the job. You still need a PC to manage content on mobile devices properly and do any form of productive work, sure you can get by without one but you'd be making your life harder.

The reason I went to the xbox 360 was because I got sick of the PC upgrade mill. Every year it seemed I had to upgrade my video card to play the latest games. But in the last few years that has changed. I built my PC almost 2 years ago and it's still good enough to do the 1920x1200 resolution for any game I've wanted to play. I'm guessing I'll get another 2 or 3 years out of my computer before I have to upgrade it.

I didn't even build my PC to game, I built it to help prepare for a tech exam and to have a windows workstation for a project. The HD7970 was on sale, so that's what it got. I was skeptical that I'd want to make the switch, but 6 months ago I sold my xbox 360 and I have no plans currently to buy a xbox one.

Yeah, thats what I've noticed over the last few years. You can buy a mid range GPU now and still be able to play games properly in 4-5 years. That would've been impossible back in 2006. Back then the PS3 and 360 was ahead of PC in hardware on launch, nowadays the PS4 and XBO is just a mid range PC. Shows how good hardware is nowadays really.

 

[rancherlee]

Not really switch but grabbed a 280$ assassins creed bundle over BF since a few of my non PC real life buddies already have XB1. It's way easier to play games with real life friends with "plug and play + works 99.5% of the time" consoles. The 30fps of most games starts to give me a headache after a few hours though, I wish most would offer a 60fps @ reduced graphics option!

 

[jlee]

I wasn't making an argument. I was pointing out some of the many factors, attempting to display why pretty much all posts were stupid by focusing on just one aspect and treating it as the main decider. You could say that it was an argument in and of itself, and in that case I'll admit that it was poor. But reading three pages of stupid didn't lend well to trying to reason. It was obvious reason has no place in this discussion.

I will say that you were not a target of that post, as you made many good points that were well presented.

All in all, I'm just very tired of seeing people constantly feel the need to defend their purchases [not by talking about how much they're enjoying themselves, but] by putting the other side down and marking it generally inferior.



They posted three consecutive [or very close to it] times about cost effectiveness making broad assumptions about trade-in happening, when they happen, and how often they happen. The push was that trade-ins negate cheap digital sales on the PC side, and it is largely false. There were also false implicit assumptions about the cost of PC hardware necessary.

For them, it might. For me, it never would because I don't trade my games in (For the record, I game on: PC, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii, Wii U [consoles to the left there constitute one large bookshelf of games], Android, with the occasional SNES and GCN). Many others don't have the time or don't play the kind of games that can be traded in for close to retail value. Citing their niche case and passing it on as a general argument is not a smart thing to do.

About as much as the poorly framed general arguments go, the cost one gets me the most. I hate that argument. If cost is so important, why are you even spending $400+ (on just the box) on a purely optional thing in the first place? Get a cheaper hobby. And why does the PC always have to built from scratch? Throw an appropriate GPU in a PC, and you have a gaming PC. Typically for less than a console. But Craigslist! But this, but that. The cost argument is stupid. You can afford your hobby or you can't. It sadly is that simple.

Unfortunately, this is my cheap hobby. It's also a very casual hobby, so I was curious about other alternatives. If I stop buying used PC hardware, though, I'd have to buy things less often.

It's not as if I don't chime in on these debates, it's just near impossible to have it be of any worth when people apply their personal tastes and preferences and budgets to everyone else and declare them wanting. I have my tastes, I've expressed them before, but I never tell anyone my way is the better way if they do differently. That's the main reason this entire thread is garbage.

This was never intended to be a debate - just to get different perspectives.

 

[Arkaign]

No, simply because there are too many games and genres that can only be played and/or excel on one platform or the other. For instance, I'm a strategy and sim fan. That's simply not going to happen on a console. Period.
And I've been playing FPS on consoles for as long as they've existed, but there's simply no denying that the kb+m combo is and likely always will be light years better for FPS. Console/gamepad can still be plenty playable and fun, but compared to PC setup there simply is no comparison.

That said, the PC is obviously and unambiguously the "hobbyist" platform; that is to say the returns are usually greater, but at a higher entry point, and with more potential issues required. So people who generally enjoy playing PC also usually enjoy the hardware side as a hobby.

My last PC I built this time of year in 2009 and it lasted me up until two weeks ago when I built the PC in my sig. Could it play everything "maxed"? No way, but it could play everything at or above most console levels and lasted me a solid 5 years.

No denying the cost is higher, but its a different experience as well.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. It just depends on what you want out of your games, and what kinds of games you're playing.

This is exactly my feelings.

There really is no 'wrong' way to look at this from any perspective as long as you're not looking down at anyone else.

 

[sweenish]

This was never intended to be a debate - just to get different perspectives.

I can respect that. But it can never be that; too many people insecure about their choices.

I've been focusing more on PC lately, and I'll likely stay there for a while.

When money was good, I got some decent upgrades (i5, SSD, GTX 760). Money has got tight, but I have a large back catalog that I'm able to finally attack. Same goes for my last gen consoles. They each have enough of a backlog that new stuff, while potentially still awesome, can wait.

Gaming can be a cheap hobby in that regard. Games can be replayed or old impulse purchases can finally be enjoyed when things get tight. But when it comes to initial investment, people usually just have to pony up.

At the same time, I've been hyping myself up for DA:I, and replaying DA:O on my 360.

And then there's the occasion where I want to play some FF, and the PS3 gets booted for that.

I play where I play. Sometimes people shift platforms because that's where the stuff they want to play goes.

 

[TeknoBug]

Get a cheaper hobby.

Actually it's cheaper than MOST hobbies out there (aside stamp collecting). I had a few different hobbies over the past 20 years and quit them all because of costs, RC cars/planes was one of them and oh boy you have no idea...

And why does the PC always have to built from scratch? Throw an appropriate GPU in a PC, and you have a gaming PC.

It's not exactly that simple, I'd love to see you pick up a $300-500 Acer, Lenovo or HP PC from Walmart or Best Buy and throw in a GPU and call it a "gaming PC".

 

[jlee]

Actually it's cheaper than MOST hobbies out there (aside stamp collecting). I had a few different hobbies over the past 20 years and quit them all because of costs, RC cars/planes was one of them and oh boy you have no idea...


It's not exactly that simple, I'd love to see you pick up a $300-500 Acer, Lenovo or HP PC from Walmart or Best Buy and throw in a GPU and call it a "gaming PC".

Melting power supplies like a boss