What type of PC spec is as good as a 360?

[Craig321]

so far as far as i can see the only game with better looks is gears of war, and apparently its game play was pants. plus its built using the unreal 3 code anyway so PC`s are more than capable of matching it, its just been a slow year for PC gaming due mainly to DX10/Vista transitions.

How can you say Gears of Ware has bad gameplay? It's one of the best games I have ever played.

 

[CHokKA]

How can you say Gears of Ware has bad gameplay? It's one of the best games I have ever played.

I totally agree. It's one of the most imaginative and creative titles that's come along in a long time, regardless of it's platform.

As for the processing power of the 360 vs PC's, I believe there was a quote somewhere from the Gears of War project leader saying something along the lines of "they have barely scratched the surface of the power of the 360" so make of that what you will. I'm both a PC and 360 fan. I play games on both, but for all-round coolness, the 360 wins in all areas. MS have done a really good job in the design and implementation of the entire package.

I think a lot of PC's around today would be hard-pushed to match the power of the 360 in all areas.

 

[Dark_Angel]

How can you say Gears of Ware has bad gameplay? It's one of the best games I have ever played.

I must admit, there is something about GOW (even single player) that I LOVE.

I think one of the good things about the game (even though its also a negative) is the fact it is so short. It means it is perfect for Live co-op and the like.

I have played thru the game 3 times already, and could probablly feel like doing it again already.

The night time level where going in the pure dark gets you killed is AWESOME.

 

[FatRakoon]

What nobody has mentioned ( Unless I have missed it ) is that Consoles run on a TV

PCs run on a Monitor.

Regardless of what GPU its running, what resolution does a Console game typically play at ,and what does a PC play it at?

Runnign a console through the TV will not be a very good picture compared to running the same game on a PC through the monitor will it?

For example... I have Need for Speed Underground 2 and Carbon on PC and XBOX and you can see that the PC version is immensely far superior in the graphical detail in every possible way. the game plays faster and smoother and even my 7,8 and 9 year old kids say the PC is much better...

I dont have much other games to compare to be honest though!

Or am I on the wrong track?

 

[hashcake]

What nobody has mentioned ( Unless I have missed it ) is that Consoles run on a TV

PCs run on a Monitor.

Regardless of what GPU its running, what resolution does a Console game typically play at ,and what does a PC play it at?

Runnign a console through the TV will not be a very good picture compared to running the same game on a PC through the monitor will it?

For example... I have Need for Speed Underground 2 and Carbon on PC and XBOX and you can see that the PC version is immensely far superior in the graphical detail in every possible way. the game plays faster and smoother and even my 7,8 and 9 year old kids say the PC is much better...

I dont have much other games to compare to be honest though!

Or am I on the wrong track?

You are correct in comparing a TV to a monitor with regard to resolution.
However, an Xbox 360 can be plugged into a monitor and the resolution is far better.
This is why my Xbox 360 is permantley plugged into a monitor

 

[DaveyD]

What nobody has mentioned ( Unless I have missed it ) is that Consoles run on a TV

PCs run on a Monitor.

Regardless of what GPU its running, what resolution does a Console game typically play at ,and what does a PC play it at?

Runnign a console through the TV will not be a very good picture compared to running the same game on a PC through the monitor will it?

For example... I have Need for Speed Underground 2 and Carbon on PC and XBOX and you can see that the PC version is immensely far superior in the graphical detail in every possible way. the game plays faster and smoother and even my 7,8 and 9 year old kids say the PC is much better...

I dont have much other games to compare to be honest though!

Or am I on the wrong track?

1280x720 is the standard and rendering resolution for the Xbox 360 (well, for 95%+ of the games), wheras PC, 1280x1024 is the preferred option. 0.9 megapixels compared to 1.3. Not massive, but still a small jump. You just need a decent HDTV.

 

[hashcake]

I've said this elsewhere but I think it's relevant to this topic.
For years I was a die hard PC gamer.
I've spent bucket loads of cash over the years making sure I have a top notch gaming PC.
Then in 2006, the PC gaming market was, well, for want of a better word, 'dire'.
I honestly can't think of any other year when it was so bad for PC games.
My personal point of view is that the developers just can't be bothered writing a game for the PC when you need a £200+ graphics card to play the game with graphics that look as nice on a console that costs £300.

This forced me into buying an Xbox 360 and I haven't any regrets at all.
Will I ever again spend in excess of £200 for a graphics card?
I very much doubt it, I'd want more than a few average games for me to jusify the money.

 

[toxic]

I've said this elsewhere but I think it's relevant to this topic.
For years I was a die hard PC gamer.
I've spent bucket loads of cash over the years making sure I have a top notch gaming PC.
Then in 2006, the PC gaming market was, well, for want of a better word, 'dire'.
I honestly can't think of any other year when it was so bad for PC games.
My personal point of view is that the developers just can't be bothered writing a game for the PC when you need a £200+ graphics card to play the game with graphics that look as nice on a console that costs £300.

This forced me into buying an Xbox 360 and I haven't any regrets at all.
Will I ever again spend in excess of £200 for a graphics card?
I very much doubt it, I'd want more than a few average games for me to jusify the money.

I guess evryone has their oipinion...and I agree with yours totally. I bought my kids a 360 for Xmas and thought that I would play it also. Nope...apart from playing a bit of Sonic with them I just cant get into it at all...so I went and spent 400£'s on a 8800GTX...lol. I also agree that PC parts and costs are outright stupid....but to me its also an interest.

Going back to the original comment....Consoles have never past PC for gaming. For some strange reason they manage to look better (some games)...but if your a PC gamer then its very hard to convert to consoles and Im not sure why.

 

[FatRakoon]

I just cant get used to the stupid controlers myself.

( Knackered left arm and near total loss of control of my left thumb sort of forces this )

And of course the obvious one...

Keyboard & Mouse for playing FPS games.

Where is the mouse on the consoles?

Fast gaming with Consoles just isnt possible surely?

Car racing games and such like, yeah, tetris, columns etc for sure, but FPS games no.

 

[bfar]

Could ye not stick to the subject?

 

[Cannaton]

Keyboard & Mouse for playing FPS games.

Where is the mouse on the consoles?

Fast gaming with Consoles just isnt possible surely?

Im a die hard pc gamer, i have to admit, im playing rainbow six vegas on 360 an the controller offers a really good level playing field, its far from slow paced...

 

[locutus12]

How can you say Gears of Ware has bad gameplay? It's one of the best games I have ever played.

read my post properly please, youl find i said nothing of the sort. Youl find the word "apparently" used, i.e. not my opinion as i am unable to give one on its game play due to not having played it.

 

[malfunkshun]

What cracks me up is that your average, non computer savvy, console user knows nothing of a consoles capabilities beyond the marketing hype. Trying to explain to them that I have been beyond the 720p resolution (though not in WS to be fair)for at least two years is not easy, especially when I have to explain about IQ capabilities.
Anyway, its apples and oranges, both PC and consoles play games but they are not the same thing.

 

[Si MPS]

i've always been about PC gaming, but since getting my x360 the most look in my PC has got has been Office

 

[RaMDOM]

so far as far as i can see the only game with better looks is gears of war, and apparently its game play was pants. plus its built using the unreal 3 code anyway so PC`s are more than capable of matching it, its just been a slow year for PC gaming due mainly to DX10/Vista transitions.

No offense but I don't think you should make statements about the gameplay of titles which you haven't played - particularly those which where so well received by press and gamers alike. I assume that your 'appearentely' was influenced by some people on these forums. Probably the same people who said that Half Life 2 was rubbish when it was released. please.

As the posters said above = GoW is an amazing experience.

again - no offence.

One thing to be said about the whole 360 v's PC thing - with now owning both I feel like I have side stepped out of the hardware upgrade race (which I was never winning). I currently have a AMD 64bit 3800 CPU. I have heard that late 2007 titles like Alan Wake will be multi core only. Well there is no way I am upgrading this year, however at least I will be able to play these titles as they are also coming out on the 360. phew!

 

[hashcake]

It's interesting to see more and more PC gamers switching to the Xbox 360 and also finding the controllers good to use after some practice.
I was begining to think I was alone with this

 

[hashcake]

I just cant get used to the stupid controlers myself.

( Knackered left arm and near total loss of control of my left thumb sort of forces this )

And of course the obvious one...

Keyboard & Mouse for playing FPS games.

Where is the mouse on the consoles?

Fast gaming with Consoles just isnt possible surely?

Car racing games and such like, yeah, tetris, columns etc for sure, but FPS games no.

When I first started playing FSP games on my 360 I would agreed with you.
However, I now find that the controller is better for me than the keyboard and mouse.
I think the overall control is much better.

 

[FatRakoon]

Overall control much better?

Not for me though... No way on earth is a controler faster, for me...

For example, I play UnReal Tournament & UT2K4 and I have it on both the box and the PC.

Now, lets say for arguements sake, ( And I need to do this in many games )... That I am running along, minding my own business, there are half a dozen enemies in front, another half a dozen behind me, I throw my translocator into the air, shoot it with the sniper rifle, transport all the way up to where I shot the translocator to, throw a redeemer into the enemy base, and sniper all the enemy all before I hit the ground again.... Can the controler offer that kind of speed and precision?

Or, more basic, someone has just shot a redeemer at you, can you suddenly turn around, select sniper rifle and then shoot the redeemer out of the air, killing the person who shot it at you, and then turn back around and continue killing the enemy all in the space of... What? half a second, maybe 1 second tops, cos oyu dont have much lee-way in the middle of a fire-fight?

I myself cannot see that a controler can be anywhere near as quick or precise as a mouse for looking around although a controler does have plenty of buttons, they have nowhere near as much as a keyboard.

I have no doubt that you find the controlers better ,and sure, thats great, but not me... I just cannot get round them, and its not for lack of trying... Dotn get me wrong, for games like Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct and such like, the control pad rules, but for FPS, the Mouse / Keyboard cannot be beaten or even come close.

Sayign that, for Driving games, I am keyboard ONLY... I use the A-S for L/R and P/L for FWD/RVS and O/K for gear UP/DN and Space for H/Brake... No other combination will do, and this harks from my old Spectrum ( HA ) and Commodore days and its stuck with me... Still use them in NFS games now.

So, its what you are used to for sure.

 

[disco Stu]

My Mrs has just got me a 360 for my birthday and while I'm still a pc gamer at heart I must say that it's nice just to turn the 360 on and it works without any messing,games look better than most games I have on the PC and it's just a joy to play.But, when it comes back to some sim play I've always got rfactor/gtr2 to keep me going on the pc. The best of both worlds is a nice place to be.

The whole console v pc is always gonna be flawed due to the way consoles have a custom way of being programed so push it as far as it can go. While Pc's = spend more on an upgrade every 6 months to keep playing current plays at a decent level.

I'd love to see a £300 pc run a game like gears of war or Test Drive:U

I am not a console fanboy but thats how it go's.

 

[MNuTz]

I'd love to see a £300 pc run a game like gears of war or Test Drive:U

I am not a console fanboy but thats how it go's.

Im not stirring the pot here, but...isnt the Wii the only console ever to be sold for a profit? Ive always been under the assumption that the developers take a big hit to get as many consoles out there as possible, so that they can make the profit up in sofware?

Yes, the user gets a good deal on the console but you get screwed over on your games. New games for PC and consoles vary from £29.99 to £39.99, however, after about 2 months the PC game will be closer to £20 while console owners are still having to pay full whack. The PC owners get the budget releases, classic games for a fiver. Console owners can buy one game for £30 and i can buy 6 for £30 and get more value for money.

Its something i find really frustrating as im after Stubbs the Zombie for the PS2, however, i dont think its really worth £20 and once its finished ill probably never touch it again. For the PC, i could pick it up for a fiver now.

Its swings and round abouts, and next gen console + HDTV can easily equal a decent gaming PC and monitor.

Id also like to state that i built a new gaming rig last summer, the one before i had for 4 years and it was only just starting to show its age.