Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, California laying the smack down on electricity-guzzling televisions, sports venues fighting it out for Pacquiao/Mayweather (which hasn’t even been negotiated yet), or Mick Foley’s appearance on The Daily Show, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
In the mid to late ’90s, I played games on every platform I could. It didn’t matter if it was on a console or on a PC — I played. Somewhere along the line, I totally dropped PC gaming. I’m not even sure when it happened, but I definitely know why it happened. I used to play PC games because they offered a wide variety of experiences that was better than most things on a console. That’s just not the case anymore.
Console have gotten better and better. The original PlayStation started a tremendous wave of mainstream popularity for home systems. As more and more people started gaming in their living rooms, more and more developers followed them. Meanwhile, PC gaming has stagnated and high-end PCs still carry a premium price tag. Sure, there are a handful of games that offer an experience you can’t get on a console, but to me it’s not worth the cost of admission.
I still remember playing all sorts of cool games on a Commodore 64 with my brother. Much later, I graduated to Civilization II, Baldur’s Gate, Doom, Total Annihilation, Age of Empires, and more. Those were fun times and they’ll be remembered fondly, but I just don’t see myself being a hardcore PC gamer ever again.
How about you? If you’re a lapsed PC gamer, can you see yourself getting back into the scene? If you’ve always been a console player, do you see yourself ever getting serious about PC games?
i really only used to use pcs for rts games, i dont understand pc gamers, they frighten me
I've never been comfortable using a keyboard as a controller.
The short answer would be : Yes. I use a Mac and developers still insist on not writing in binary. (glares at NCSoft's Aion)
Long answer: Yes because Blizzard still develops for PC and my consoles can't use a mouse and keyboard for starcraft and diablo. At least as far as I know anyway.
Well, I'm definitely not Politically Correct… oh, the other kind of PC.
I'm on a Mac so my options are limited. I've only just recently played a portion of the games I could. I was playing Sims 3 (It took me all of 2 to get bored with) but now I'm back on Xbox.
*2 days
I used to be all about playing PC games. Nothing felt more natural than shooting with a mouse. I remember hating console FPS games. I used to take pride in owning a $600 graphics card, the fastest processor (I paid $800 for my current one 4 years ago now it like $80), a raid array of raptors and being able to bump up my resolution higher than all my friends. But no I would probably have to scrap my entire pc to play games the way I used too. Last game I bought and played on PC was Bioshock, but I had already been out of PC gaming for a little while before it came out.
I won't get back into PC gaming, I just don't have the money or the time for all of the upkeep needed.
I definitely started my days as a PC gamer. I had games like Duke Nukem on those ginormous floppy discs that were actually floppy.
Games I enjoyed in my teenage years on the PC were Rainbow 6, the sims, Age of Empires and several of the Civilization games. I liked to take advantage of the PCs perks. some RPGS I like to have on both console and PC cause it is a totally different experience. I own Kotor and Oblivion on both PC/Xbox. To be honest I never thought Rainbow Six was quite as good when it made the jump to consoles. It's gotten back to it's former glory though.
One game I'm really glad I got for the PC was SWAT 4. that was a really good tactical shooter that unfortunately Sierra never made a console version of. I'd like to see a sequel to that.
I dropped off several years ago though, probably a lot of that was getting a Mac but when I got a Mac I purposely got an Intel so I could install Windows. I go over to Windows from time to time for emulators and some programs. I thought I'd use it for games too but I just don't see the point. last PC game I bought was Spore and that one got old after a day or 2
The problem with PC games is that PC gamers have ruined it. Give me a Games for Windows Live game and I will play it though.
@Smartguy
All three of the current consoles can use keyboards. Mouse support is still not there though.
I am in the same boat as Smartguy. As long as there is a Blizzard game on the computer, or rather until they release one that sucks, I will continue to purchase their products, whether it be WoW, diablo, or otherwise. The one caveat to this is Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare had me at hello there… they had me at hello.
@larcenous
you guys are in a dorky boat
but i collect gi joes in their original boxes, so who the hell am i?
You sir, are the Captain Stubbing to our Nerd Love Boat. How many Gi Joes do you have? Don't you know you shouldn't throw glass houses at people with rocks?
lol
yeah i have about 60 "moc" gi joes
including an afa graded duke, destro and scarlett
havent yet been able to justify to the gf the 2 grand necessary to buy the cobra commander or firefly
all things considered though id rather be the bartender with the air pistols
what was his name?
ray would know
Issac Washington – thanks Wiki!
So yesterday I got a FingerHut magazine in the mail. I haven't seen one of these in years, still don't know what i did to get one either. I am looking through it and everything says low payment of 19.99 per month or some such. I see a PS2 and it says now $50 off 16.99/month or $189.99 was $239.99. You get Lego Batman and a Justice league dvd. WHAT A RIP.
PS3 $599.99 w/ 2 games & 80Gb hdd
Wii $399.99 w/ Wiifit and 4 games
360 $329.99 with NO games and NO hard drive, but it does say it include a lifetime XBL Silver membership for free
@Slicky – lol at lifetime silver membership for free
@SlickyFats
LOL what rip.
@Slicky – how about a MW2 360 bundle for only 599.99?
http://www.fingerhut.com/productgroup.aspx?offerg…
@Shockwave
Haha thats outrageous. Right below that it says Bundle this with an extra controller and pay only $659.98.
Man they try and get you every which way. New controllers @ Walmart are only $38
FingerHut.com has a clearance on Rockband 2. 50% off you now pay only $130. Man these people are killing me.
I was at Costco last night and they were running that same 360 deal for $329, but it had 2 games (don't remember which ones). They also had the PS3 Slim + Uncharted for the same price.
nope. unless another Ultima comes out, I could care less about PC gaming.
Even though the 360, Wii, and PS2 are my main forms of gaming (in that order), Steam has gotten me to continue gaming on my PC (and Mac running Windows) and play some older titles that I have never gotten around to playing. They have a great library and good prices as well as a fully integrated community.
-M
Mmm I've played my share of Diablo, AoE, CaC and KotOR. But my last few years of pc gaming have been all MMO with FFXI and WoW. But I love the feel of console gaming better then pc.
my first game i installed on my pc was starcraft. that game actually introduced me to core and multiplayer gaming. the last pc game i ever played was left 4 dead. PC's are awesome, but expensive. if only i have a job to buy my own alienware. that would be heaven.
With most gaming I now prefer the console, but RTS is still PC only for me. There are lots
of games that I love on PC- Doom, wolfenstein, age of empires, commander keen, and TONS of old shareware/freeware games. The problem for me though, is that my laptop right now is so slow I can hardly handle even an old PC game. I'm hoping that that can change soon when hopefully I het a new laptop (mine is 4 years old now) but I still dislike paying for PC games in any
case. I don't have a real reason why, I just know that I would rather spend my money on a console game rather than PC.
I will go back to PC when Star Wars: The Old Republic comes out. Other than that…anytime I really casual game I keep in console…
@RPAD – looks like ATT has started to fight back with Verizon.
I personally didn't find it as clever as the Verizon Ads and Geeze Luke Wilson has gained a few pounds
I've been a PC gamer forever and I see no reason to stop now. PC FPSs are completely superior to console FPSs, RTSs can only really be played with a M&K, Valve is the best game developer EVER and their games are ALL primarily PC games with constant free DLC.
I've got my PS3 for console games like sidescrollers and platformers and my PC handles the rest.
@sandrock
Are you talking about that wacky keypad or an actual keyboard? Still a deal killer with no mouse support though. Good info though.
i'm actually a pc gamer now. I never look at my pc but when i upgraded to my current asus laptop, the first game(s) i played was the orange box. Ever since then I've tried to play fps's on a console but I either suck tremendously or it doesn't feel right, like Modern Warfare 2 which i just got on my 360. I have to say, Bioshock, L4D(2), and the Orange box, all change my viewpoint on pc gaming. I may not play rts's or play another other type of game on the pc but FPS's now have a new home for me. :]
@SlickyFats You said, "Nothing felt more natural than shooting with a mouse."
I'm pretty sure mice felt otherwise.
*snicker*
I can't say for the Wii, but the 360 and PS3 will take any kind of USB keyboard, even wireless ones. (the USB receiver has to be connected to the console of course.)
@sandrock
Isn't that weird? Allow for a keyboard but hell no to the mouse. What's one without the other now a days?
If they allowed a mouse, then people would want it to act like a PC. Consoles rely on not being a PC in order to sell, like Macs. Lump them together and only the PCs will sell.
Allow developers to support a mouse then. Halo Wars is a great example of why mice are needed. Also a good way to bring RTS to consoles in general not too mention a good way to sell wireless mice.