Anyone else finding themselves leaving PC gaming behind?

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dejadeadnz

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#2579773 5-Oct-2020 21:37

networkn:

Not everyone's PC would easily move to the lounge, nor would they neccessily want it to even if it was possible/practical.

In my house it would be a massive PITA. Far more than any benefit I would get.

What he said. My PC is also a productivity device and I really don't want it in the living room.

Handle9

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#2579797 5-Oct-2020 23:27

SpartanVXL: So uh...you can totally just plug your PC into those nice 4k TV’s and game via controller if you wanted to. Steam big picture makes it easier to couch game to your preference.

Personally I wouldn’t be spending over a grand on monitors. They’re just not that good compared to what you’d get from a proper TV, especially now that some of them are coming with 4k 144Hz and g-sync/freesync support.

If you’re after flight/drive sim then you’d be much more immersed in VR. Try and snag a newer HP or a OG vive, maybe even use a psvr headset with the custom driver on PC for sitting-only gameplay. A great example is the recent Star Wars Squadrons in VR mode. Puts a extra level of depth when you play in a x-wing cockpit, looking out at capital ships and other fighters zipping around.

There is also the option of ‘suspending’ a game via Resource manager in Windows. Find the process, right click and suspend, although it may not work across all games or while sleeping the machine.

And whoever said mouse aiming is too twitchy probably needs to disable acceleration and lower DPI/sensitivity. Accuracy is the main benefit, if it’s ’twitchy’ or feels too bouncy/overshooting too much then you’re going toooo fast :)

So I have to dis-assemble my home office and re-calibrate my mouse if I want to play games?

Nah, I'll just go and play a game on my PS4.

SpartanVXL

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#2580141 6-Oct-2020 15:46

So just putting my comments out as suggestions as there are many ways to try things out, I might have come off the wrong way in my wording, everyone knows what works for their situation better than others.

If physical re-arrangement is impractical there are other things to try. HDMI over ethernet, usb extension or wireless peripherals. You can even dip your toes into in-home LAN streaming via Steam or other services which are great on the go as it works across TV’s/mobile/tablets.

Or do the complete opposite and commandeer the nice TV as a monitor while nobody is looking :D

I mention the mouse issue because it’s come up on the occasions where people who are used to controllers swap to mouse and find it too ‘jumpy’ (for a lack of better term). Default settings aren’t the best, and some games don’t even do proper mouse tracking.

(It’s just a few settings, disable Enhanced pointer precision and set 6/11 in windows mouse settings. If your mouse lets you, change the DPI to 800 and/or adjust in-game sensitivity to suit.)

Not to say having and using a console doesn’t have a place. I’ve used features of my ps4 pro which are great for pick-up and go convenience. Plenty of use of the controller and remote-play, stopping a game and coming back later to play again where I stopped.

Some things do need just a bit of effort to enjoy. I have a good friend who absolutely refuses to do VR due to an outdated impression that VR requires physical movement (not to mention setup effort). Which is a shame because they’d likely enjoy games in that medium, but it’d be a battle and a half to get over the ‘just want to plop down and game’ discussion (and he games on PC!).

PsychoSmiley

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#2580165 6-Oct-2020 16:35

I've considered the notion of having a HDMI cable and USB set up to go from one end of the house to the other so I could plug my PC direct to the TV without moving it but thats $$$ and effort for the cabling install. I've got a Steamlink on the TV but even that I consider to have an unacceptable amount of input lag for what I play on my PC.

My PC and consoles provide me with different gaming experiences and I'm content for them to remain mutually exclusive.

Handle9

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#2580232 6-Oct-2020 18:27

SpartanVXL: So just putting my comments out as suggestions as there are many ways to try things out, I might have come off the wrong way in my wording, everyone knows what works for their situation better than others.

If physical re-arrangement is impractical there are other things to try. HDMI over ethernet, usb extension or wireless peripherals. You can even dip your toes into in-home LAN streaming via Steam or other services which are great on the go as it works across TV’s/mobile/tablets.

Or do the complete opposite and commandeer the nice TV as a monitor while nobody is looking :D

I mention the mouse issue because it’s come up on the occasions where people who are used to controllers swap to mouse and find it too ‘jumpy’ (for a lack of better term). Default settings aren’t the best, and some games don’t even do proper mouse tracking.

(It’s just a few settings, disable Enhanced pointer precision and set 6/11 in windows mouse settings. If your mouse lets you, change the DPI to 800 and/or adjust in-game sensitivity to suit.)

Not to say having and using a console doesn’t have a place. I’ve used features of my ps4 pro which are great for pick-up and go convenience. Plenty of use of the controller and remote-play, stopping a game and coming back later to play again where I stopped.

Some things do need just a bit of effort to enjoy. I have a good friend who absolutely refuses to do VR due to an outdated impression that VR requires physical movement (not to mention setup effort). Which is a shame because they’d likely enjoy games in that medium, but it’d be a battle and a half to get over the ‘just want to plop down and game’ discussion (and he games on PC!).

I'm like a few other people in this thread who are reasonably comfortable financially but time poor.

I still come back to why would I bother with the hassle of what you are suggesting? What's the compelling benefit of using a PC in my lounge? In the types of games I play on the TV I can't see it, even less so for next gen consoles. I can spend $1k on something that "just works" and immediately play games or I can spend, at best, similar money on all the bits and effort required and not have anything that is more compelling.

Similarly with dicking around with mouse settings. A controller is fun to play games with out of the box. A mouse isn't, it's ok but I don't like it. I'll just buy a controller.

dejadeadnz

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#2580316 6-Oct-2020 20:47

Handle9:

I'm like a few other people in this thread who are reasonably comfortable financially but time poor.

I still come back to why would I bother with the hassle of what you are suggesting? What's the compelling benefit of using a PC in my lounge? In the types of games I play on the TV I can't see it, even less so for next gen consoles. I can spend $1k on something that "just works" and immediately play games or I can spend, at best, similar money on all the bits and effort required and not have anything that is more compelling.

Similarly with dicking around with mouse settings. A controller is fun to play games with out of the box. A mouse isn't, it's ok but I don't like it. I'll just buy a controller.

I think for a lot of us, it's not just being time poor. That much is often true but there's also another factor: hassle intolerance. To your point, why bother? I don't disagree at all that when viewed closely PC graphics with a modern video card absolutely kicks the pants out of our soon-to-be last gen consoles, even if you run the "pro" versions. But you know what, relatively minute graphical details just don't matter that much when you sit "living room distance" from even a large TV as opposed to, say, sitting less than a metre away from a 27 inch monitor. Consoles offer a much tighter and more predictable experience. I don't have to shut down all my browser tabs or restart to ensure there's no memory leak from Chrome or whatever before I start a game.

Subjectively, I also overwhelmingly prefer the PS4 controller over the Xbox ones. To use the former on my PC, I have to download this and that app. Can't be bothered. HDMI over ethernet certainly can work for me but again I have to plug this and that in (after buying another extra device), and bring a wireless KB and mouse downstairs or to the wife's/our common office/games room to control the PC whilst I try to game on the TV. Can't. Be. Bothered.

And I am even less inclined to bother when the next gen consoles come along. For the first time in a long time, their specs are considerably closer to a top-ish end PC than previous gens console have been. I think I am leaving PC gaming behind this coming gen.

Mighty Ape

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networkn

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#2580324 6-Oct-2020 21:04

Same, I also *much* prefer the PS controllers over the Xbox ones, though I have become used to playing with both.

Until recently I barely used my Xbox. If a game came out for both consoles, I bought it for PS, I only owned a Xbox for the exclusives, and to be honest the ones I can't live without are few. Having said that, Xbox Game Pass ultimate makes the Xbox great value and I have actually found the cost of that, offset the cost of my hardware purchase already, so..

My PC won't be getting an upgrade this round, except a 3070 depending on price, the games I play which are exclusive are also few and aren't usually massively demanding.

I still *vastly* prefer to play FPS using a mouse and Keyboard though.

When I missed out on the first wave pre-order of the Xbox I wasn't that worried, though Mid December now is a long wait, but if I had missed the first shipment of PS I would have been mad an as hatter. There just isn't any massively compelling titles for next gen Xbox I care about. I may just wait on a sale or something.

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