2010 - The start of a new golden era in PC gaming?

[CrispyXUK]

A made a point in the Mass Effect 2 thread of saying how I'm happy with the 360 version of ME and people told me it was so much better on PC but much like kernow I really can't be bothered.
I've seen a few 360 vs PS3 vs PC graphics comparisons on the web and whilst the PC undoubtedly looks better it is not THAT much better.
I bought my 360 60Gb new for ?94. You just can't beat it for value, performance/?, integration and I actually prefer the controller over kb + mouse plus is is virtually plug and play. I work with PCs everyday and would consider myself pretty hardcore tech wise but until PCs are cheap and as easy to use as a console I won't go back to using one for games.

The reason ME is better on the PC is because of mouse control. You can control more of the team than you can in the 360 version.

I wouldn't bother with the PC project, it seems a waste of money just to see games in 1080p

[mekanor]

don't underestimate the power of increased resolution!

I bought a new pc maybe midway through last year and I've definitely got the use out of it! The Wii/pc are pretty much all I use. I do have a 360 but it is only ever used for console exclusives, if given the option I always go for the game on pc.

as other people have stated, visual customisation is the best thing about it. my computer is a beast so i generally get into a game and just max out all settings and run it at 1680x1050 and they look stunning. you do get a bit of a mixed bag sometimes though. arkham asylum was fantastic, rocksteady did a great job of optimising it for the pc to the point where I couln't imagine playing it on a console. on the other hand you get something like assassin's creed. the game looks stunning on the pc but you can tell it's a bit of a lazy port. the game is locked at 16:9 and the menus are poorly designed (you can't exit the game from the title screen, you need to log into a profile first).

apart from the extra power pcs offer though, the other 2 big draws for the pc for me are steam and games for windows live.

i think I've had a steam account since the day half life 2 launched. back then it didn't have a lot to offer, aside from streamlined patching. after a few years break console gaming, I come back and the amount of games on offer is astounding. compatibility with older games has always been a bit of an issue for the pc, but on steam there are heaps of quality older games all running properly on windows 7, not to mention all the great download only games.

gfwl is also a bit underrated in my opinion. I know not everyone likes achievements but I love the idea of having some sort of overall record of the games you've played. the digital distribution aspect of it holds no interest for me at all (steam has that market wrapped up) but i think more pc games need achievements.

[sj33]

Steam is a big draw for me. Not only do they continuously do excellent offers (Mass Effect and Dead Space for £3.24? GTA4 for £4.99?), but the fact that you can access your content anywhere, on any PC in the world, it's digital distribution done properly.

GfWL is love/hate. Steam has achievements, the problem is that they're not unified. GfWL is great in that aspect, but doesn't actually offer much else of interest to the PC gamer - the PC gamer doesn't like control over online play being taken away from them, for example... and PC users have their own solutions for chat and friendlists. But as an implementation of the Live service on PC, it's difficult to fault. I could do without having that extra 'layer' though, it's just not very relevent to the PC market.

[Resonance]

I am pretty much agree with what has been posted here. Since I can never see myself buying another desktop (Laptops only for the foreseeable future) the only time I will PC game is when I purchase a new laptop.

For me PC gaming is just way too much hassle. The inevitable Windows reinstall forces you to hunt around in bizarre locations hunting for your saves before you backup, then later realising that you missed something and have lost your hard gaming graft!.

Couple that with the driver/hardware lottery and just how some sequels despite not looking much better run poorly (MW2 is an example) and I am ready to throw in the towel.

That said, I am not too impressed with this generation of console graphics. True Hi Def gaming (1080p) is a bit of a rarity and good anti-aliasing is often a bit of a pipe dream. It is a bit crushing knowing that the game you are playing on your Ps3/360 looks much better somewhere else. But the trade-offs in price, convenience and lack of hassle make it worth it.

[kernow]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y278/parple/index.jpg

[Resonance]

lol

[capcom_suicide]

As the OP, I'd just like to thank everyone for making this a superb thread with excellent & well thought out arguments "For" and "Against." That last picture was also extremely thought provoking, and I have decided that I'll skip a new gaming PC for now. I am very satisfied with my Asrock 330 Blu-Ray player/HTPC under the TV for media/Bluray/DVD/Spotify and I think I'll wait on the uber gaming machine for a while.

This really was a great dicsussion, and thanks again folks!