Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Become A PC Gamer

Consoles seem to dominate the industry as the primary platform for video gaming. Much of game marketing seems to focus on the Xbox, PS3, and Nintendo Wii?think of it, when was the last time you saw an EA title marketed with the tagline ?buy it for PC today?? This is because Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are all willing to pay money to make sure ads tout games for their system in particular, but without a single manufacturer for gaming PCs, the platform lacks a similar advantage. Regardless of this unfortunate PR disadvantage, PC gaming represents the peak of what modern consumer technology can do, can deliver the ultimate virtual experience, and it this holiday season is the perfect time to get started on your desktop if you haven?t already.

It used to be that when a great console game was ported to the PC (after a long wait, no less), that the game?s settings would remain locked like they were on the console version. This makes sense on an Xbox, since every unit sold has more or less the same hardware configuration. That?s not the case for PCs, though. Users with serious computing horsepower found games that looked and played poorly with no way to change the screen resolution, amount of anti-aliasing, texture quality, etc. short of hacking away at the software?s code. Luckily, game developers and publishers have finally seen the light as exemplified in the recent release of Borderlands 2. The game?s video settings on the PC version are detailed and thorough, giving desktop gamers full control of everything they could want. It shows?the PC version of Borderlands on a high-end machine with the settings turned to the max looks great?easily better than the game looks on any console.

With better draw distances, more powerful anti-aliasing, and the ability to render higher-resolution textures, modern gaming computers really take today?s game?s to a whole new level. If you?ve played a AAA release like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on a console, do yourself a favor and check out what it looks like with settings maxed out on a desktop. It?s like night and day. The trend is even going into reverse?Dishonored is limited to a resolution of 1280 x 720 (720p) on the PS3 and Xbox 360, while the PC version can run at full 1920 x 1080 (1080p) and beyond?simply because the aging consoles can?t support the game?s graphics at any higher quality.

Console-exclusive gamers often shy away from PC games because they?re intimidated by BIOS screens, Windows updates, and the idea of liquid cooling?or they don?t like using a keyboard and mouse in lieu of a controller. Nowadays, both Xbox 360 and PS3 Controllers not only operate via USB, they both have drivers built into both Windows 7 and OS X, so no additional software is needed. With the release of Steam?s ?Big Picture? mode in September, the digital distribution platform was optimized for use with a controller not only in-game, but for the Steam store and community functions as well. That means you can sit on your couch, controller in hand, just like you would with your beloved console. And since game settings aren?t locked on PCs, feel free to remap the controller to your liking, or even use a third-party controller with extra buttons thrown in for macros, extra commands, or duplicate controls, just for kicks.

Speaking of controllers?aside from Nintendo?s newest controller-centric Wii U, there?s nothing truly new on the market in the way of console hardware. Sony recently unveiled it?s offering for the upcoming holiday season, the PS3 ?Super Slim?- a new form factor for the same hardware. For this six year old console in a slightly smaller package, consumers will pay more than the list price for the older PS3 Slim. Sure, the console is bundled with stuff that nobody really wants, but the issue isn?t really the price hike, it?s the fact that they?re still charging $270 for a six year old system (that still only has 2 USB ports). Microsoft has the same game plan and they?re in even more trouble than Sony as the Xbox 360 really starts to show it?s age. Released a year before the PS3 and Nintendo Wii, the 360 can?t really stand up to the Playstation?s processing and graphics power, let alone that of a modern gaming PC. In addition to the typical hardware we associate with gaming, consoles also lag behind in less prominent components, like storage media.? While consoles are stuck with decades-old magnetic hard drive tech, solid state disks for PCs have never been more affordable. 128, 256, and even 512GB models are falling in price and enable gamers to load and save data faster than ever. Hate load screens? Either pick up a 12GB solid-state European PS3 slim, hack your current hardware, wait another year (or two!) for the next-gen, or get on the PC gaming train.

The biggest barrier of entry into the world of desktop gaming is price. While gaming PC hardware is certainly more expensive than a new console, anyone with even the slightest DIY spirit can build a computer themselves from parts much more cheaply than buying one already assembled. An investment in a PC will outlast a console, since the modular machine can be upgraded piece-by-piece, extending its lifespan significantly past the average console product cycle. That, and it?s a computer in addition to a gaming rig. You can order pizza, browse Reddit, watch Netflix?all while playing some Civilization 5.

This holiday season, instead of adding the littlest PS3 or whatever iteration of the Nintendo DS is big in Japan these days to your console lineup, consider the modest PC?sure, it can help you do your taxes and look at porn, but it can also game harder, faster, and deliver a higher quality experience than any other platform on the market.

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