[jr2]

[Jeff Vader]

 

Though if you asked me, 'Buy a PC' should be an option after every answer.

[Asuko]

Very nice. Concise too!

[BloodEagle]

I love flowcharts.





Note: I didn't make those.

[Asuko]

Haha, where'd you get those flowcharts from?

[Dysko]

If you go in my uni's lab, you can find this flowchart on the wall:

Sorry if something was lost in the translation...

[BloodEagle]

Haha, where'd you get those flowcharts from?

http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=071201

http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/2007/08/faq-if-i-mail-you-my-book-will-you-sign.html

[Asuko]

Yay!

[Admiral_Stones]

Back to topic: Wii FTW 

[redsniper]

PC FTW

[Mongoose]

...maybe someone can 'splain this to me.  I play games on my computer.  I play games on an old N64.  I play games on a DS.  I greatly desire to acquire a Wii so that I can play games on that.  Some (perhaps even the majority) of the greatest game series ever made were produced for consoles.  So...where does this whole either/or, us-or-them thing come from?  I have to say, the vast amount of PC elitism out there is intensely amusing when considering the fact that the majority of PC releases today are ports of console development.

[redsniper]

Ah, but you see, you can play all games from the previous console generation all the way back to Spacewar on a PC.
Wii and DS are valid arguments though, because of their unique control schemes.

I don't have anything against consoles. I own a PS2 and a GC, and I desperately want a Wii. However, the ability to make custom content and mods, as well as do a whole lot more than just play games, sets the PC apart, I think.

[Mongoose]

Can you do so without resorting to illegalities, however?   (Well, actually, you technically can, if you have something like the GameTap subscription I'm utilizing right now, but you know what I mean.)  There's also something to be said for playing games on their initial hardware.  I'm sorry, but no keyboard in the world could replace that wonderfully non-ergonomic little brick that was the NES controller.

In any case, that's not the point that really jumps to the front of my mind.  I'm as much for gaming on a PC as anyone, but several of the arguments that hardcore PC fanbois use just make me want to laugh.  Here's an example: my computer's old hard drive recently died, so I spent a good $80 or so to get a new one twice as large.  I have a rather pitiful amount of RAM by modern standards, so I'm probably going to spend another $80 or so in the near future to get that up to snuff.  My video card was pathetic back when I purchased this computer, so I'd probably have to spend a good $80 or so to get one that's at least adequate, and even that won't be anything near top-of-the-line.  Add all that money up, and I could have very easily bought a Wii.  Add on $50 or so, and I'd have an XBox 360 capable of playing games like Bioshock and The Orange Box at a far greater level of detail than my upgraded PC could.  And either of those console purchases is good for 4 or 5 years of brand-new games; try playing new releases on your current PC four years in the future, and it'll just laugh at you.  Despite any arguments you make for PC-exclusive gaming, the fact remains that it's prohibitively expensive for the majority of people out there.

[phatosealpha]

Red herring.  It's only prohibitively expensive if you ignore the supplemental costs and uses between the platforms.  Start factoring the cost of the display alone, and things stop looking so peachy keen in console land.  Start factoring peripherals, if you want to play with a second controller it's going to cost you.  Online subscription?  PC costs what your cable/dsl line costs.  X360 costs that plus an additional yearly fee.  And you're likely to be paying $10 more for every game.

In short, both instantly become prohibitively expensive as soon as you start looking at what you really have to pay.  Consoles only seem cheaper.

[TrashMan]

8 bit theatre...you gotta love Black Mage, Red Mage, thief and Fighter!


Some of the Red Mages experiments and theories almost made me choke from laughing..really.

[Mongoose]

Red herring.  It's only prohibitively expensive if you ignore the supplemental costs and uses between the platforms.  Start factoring the cost of the display alone, and things stop looking so peachy keen in console land.  Start factoring peripherals, if you want to play with a second controller it's going to cost you.  Online subscription?  PC costs what your cable/dsl line costs.  X360 costs that plus an additional yearly fee.  And you're likely to be paying $10 more for every game.

1) I already own a TV, so the display cost is nil, just as it is for the computer.  I have no plans to upgrade to an HDTV until I'm forced to, so that has no bearing at all on console usage.

2) It's true that if you're looking to buy three extra controllers, the price adds up, but the same is true if you want to replace your generic keyboard and mouse with quality replacements, or buy a decent joystick.  In any case, said extra controllers are really only useful if you have people over for multiplayer gaming, which isn't a frequent occurrence for me.

3) I don't have much incentive to play console games online, or even to hook up a console online; the only one I'd probably do so with is a Wii, so that argument is moot.  Even if I did decide to go with XBox Live, the price of a yearly subscription is $50, which I consider utterly negligible.

4) I don't buy any games I play brand-spanking-new, so the $10 price tag doesn't mean anything.  Anyway, that'd only apply to 360 titles, as I believe the Wii's are $50, and even then, $10 more for a brand-new game isn't going to break my bank any time soon.

I'm not trying to bash PC gaming (how can I, when I partake in it) or just play a random devil's advocate, but I do strongly believe that so many of the anti-console arguments out there are deeply flawed and only serve to make the arguer either look snobbish or foolish.  There's this long-held stereotype among the general gaming populace of "elitist PC gamers," and I've seen enough to make me realize it's often a fair assessment.  The simplicity and value of a one-time hardware purchase that's guaranteed to play every game released for it at a solid framerate and a certain level of graphical quality for a good 4 years or so can't be just overlooked.

(As a side note, I'd like to know how many people making anti-console arguments have never benefited from a title released on a console in one way or another.  How you can call yourself a true gamer without having partook in things like Mario and Zelda over the years is rather beyond me. )

[redsniper]

Can you do so without resorting to illegalities, however?

Actually...

[Asuko]

Haha, seriously?

[Mongoose]

Woah, awesome.  I wasn't aware of that.

[Dysko]

On PCs you can play flight sims.
'nuff said

And no, I don't consider Ace Combat, Over-G and Heatseeker flight sims.

I know, Microsoft released an HOTAS for the XBox 360, but without a keyboard and a mouse you can't play a serious flight sim...