HT / Gaming PC versus xbox 360 or PS3 console?

[Richard]

I am so on the fence...

The 360 is exciting with some cool and inspring games but lacks any real external controller support. While there are finally three wheels to choose from none have breeded the excitement of the GT4 / Driving Force Pro combo. Blazing Angels has really perked my interest and I have down loaded the PC version creating further excitement plus there are numerous choices for a joy stick while there are none for the 360 version. Call of Duty provides yet another irritating comparison because if you have ever played that type of game on the PC with a mouse the thought of using a controller is well like, cutting your hair with a chipped off rock. Bottom line is while the 360 has much to offer in terms of overall perfromance it lacks the human interfaces that can make gaming a very unique and enjoyable experience.

While the PS3 has yet to arrive there is little reason to expect it will not go the same way requiring 6-12 months for all the cool software and accessories to inspire me.

I am a huge IndyCar Series fan on the xbox so I figure I would start my investigation there by ordering the PC version. First dilema, the PC version is the original without the side view mirrors, one of the hugest gripes with the game that was fixed for the IndyCar Series 2005 version but that was released as an xbox title only upgrading that version to 16X9, 480P and the mirrors making a huge difference visually. That said, after loading the PC version to the office PC it was clear that it had far more to offer in terms of detail. next step was a wheel so I plugged in my PS2 Driving force wheel with it's USB connector and the PC recognized it. Downloaded some software to manage it and I was in business only to be immediately bummed. My office PC was dropping frames like crazy and the overall experience came across as choppy. What the xbox lacked in detail it more than made up for in an overall smooth and seamless experience. The next step coming in about a week is to install the PC version on a real gaming computer. Without going into the details it runs about $2000, screams with power and I have a guru to tune it for the best image.

What has me on the fence is price, convenience and performance. Consoles have two of those in spades, price and convenience yet with the 360 and PS3 consoles also keep up in the realm of performance for once.

In the end the question I am looking to explore and answer is whether or not a gaming PC is worth the hassle and extra expense.

[mjm76]

My son has a High end PC that he plays FPS games on (Halo, Call of Duty) and he was playing World of Warcraft which is a RPG fantasy game.

He just loves his gaming PC. I showed him your post and he said he felt you should only spend the money if you game alot otherwise he would recommend staying with the XBOX 360 or PS3 or even the Wii (new nintendo system coming out).

I prefer playing the XBOX 360 and the consoles but I like playing mostly major sports games like football, basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, etc.

I sometimes also play FPS such as Halo,Ghost Recons, COD, etc. on the XBOX 360.

My son also loves playing these FPS on the consoles!

My son and I would highly recommend you getting a high end gaming PC but only if you game alot.

But of course if you have the bucks and just game occasionally go for it!

[mjm76]

Here you go Richard a XBOX 360 steering wheel to consider for your race games. This is from Gamestop.com

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=802469

OK my BAD!

I am sure you already have seen that.

Sorry just trying to help.

[Richard]

Well your son I suspect is smelling the same thing I am... A PC is a lot of money, continued expense and requires maintenance and preliminary setup for peak performance with each game. Like he suggests, lots of gaming provides the value... Not sure I fit that mold since I can spend months with just one. On the other hand that creates a good arguement for playing with the best since it will be long term and I suppose that is my motivation as well as the controller aspect.

With consoles you have the convenience of a lot of cheap used games and also the value of trading in your old ones. Due to my time constraints waiting 6 months for a new game to be used at less than half the price works for me.

The plot thickens because I did my first calibration with a 360 in the system and the video levels are not meeting standards... just started that investigation and will post the results.

[mjm76]

Richard,

I will be very interested in hearing about the results with the 360.

Please post them as soon as you can.

Right now I view all my DVD movies from the 360 and was thinking about getting the HD DVD add on to the 360 when it is available this fall.

Thanks

Mike

[Richard]

Just ran into a VERY interesting 360 dilema during a calibration...

It appears the 360 is a standards mess. The DVD side is too high using 7.5IRE for the black level and the gaming side, I don't know what to call it, but it is way too low from the standard. For this particular client he may still have some buried blacks for the games as the brightness control was maxed out and I still could not get the bottom to light up.

Still awaiting some feedback before I go public with a specific thread.

[Richard]

Well so far so interesting...

I posted two reviews and the experience was 180 degrees different for both. One was easy and awesome, IndyCar Series, and the other a ridiculous frustrating mess, Blazing Angels.

I also have two demos that I am working with, Heroes of the Pacific and IL2, which have gone fairly well. Just picked up IL2 as part of a package deal and will see how that goes as the game version but suspect it will be smooth.

The PC card is putting out PC video levels so I have had to adjust it to prevent clipping whites or blacks. From that aspect this is no different than the 360.

One element with PC though is you have to setup the graphics for the best response through a provided setup menu or as a profile for your video card. Consoles are plug and play for this aspect.

It has become clear to me that no matter what all good games require some form of effort to get the best results whether I am tuning the wheel response for a console or the PC. With IndyCar Series you won't get too far if you don't put forth the effort to tune your car which can take hours. For some that is part of the fun and for others another chore preventing them from having fun. For me it could be both and most definitely a chore if it starts feeling like work which one recent race track was.

More to come as I delve into other games for the PC. One thing does seem clear at this point though for flying sims and games; joystick support is very poor regardless of the author. I have yet to check out a game that read either of my joysticks correctly and that is sad because flying WWII combat planes is the venue I desired most for this application!

At this point PC clearly requires more effort but if most games are like IndyCar Series the additional effort is minor. It seems my main beef with this may all be controller related rather than PC gaming in general that uses your mouse and keyboard and is the most convenient plug and play form to enjoy your game without any hassle. For me the controllers are half the game creating a huge enhancement to the game having experienced GT4 on PS2 with the Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel and now again with IndyCar Series.

[l1ake]

Ive heard a lot about PCs being a hassle, how they arent plug and play. There is however, a point to be made. While you do have to set everything up: install the game, update it with patches, chose your graphical settings, force settings through your gpu drivers, set up your controls, etc etc, would you really give all that up so it is plug and play? I mean, the only thing you could complain about is installing the game, which takes less than 30 minutes on a good pc. Once its installed and everything is set up, it is essentially plug and play. Patches too can be a pain, but here's the point: with a pc you have options. You can set up every game to your preference. You aren't stuck with say poor anti aliasing and horrible frame rates. You aren't stuck with an odd control scheme the developers implemented. The reason the pc is not plug and play is because of the options, and honestly, after 6 years of gaming, the settings are almost an after thought. I know I want vertical sync, I know I want at least 4x AA and I know I want 8 to 16x AF. Ive set that up so many times it takes less than a minute. When I get in game, I know how I want my controls set up because I set all my games up the same way, so that doesn't take long either. So in terms of PCs, the only thing you can realistically say is not plug and play are two things 1) installing the game and 2) patching the game. Computer games come with default settings just like any console game, so you changing it to your preference is not part of the non-plug-and-play issue. So what makes a computer great is the fact that it is not "plug and play". You have choices. If the game doesnt run well at ultra high graphical settings, you dont have to live with 20-30fps, you can lower them. If your system can handle 8x AA, it is your choice to enable it. Games like Splinter Cell: Double Agent are why PCs have such an advantage. The game is clearly too much for the XBOX 360, but it was released anyway. I dont want to be forced to play a game at 30fps or not at all.

In essence, the only advantage consoles have over PCs are the following:
1) Price. There is no possible way you could build a PC that can do what current consoles do at the same price. Just the video card would cost just as much as an entire gaming console.
2) The hardware standard: all games run off the same hardware, therefore all users get the same exact experience, and further more, all games (with very few exceptions) will be released bug free (i.e. no patches or horrible experiences like King Kong Gamer's Edition and Blazing Angels).

Note: this is my personal opinion. It is not law, so feel free to respond with your own thoughts on the subject. I'll be honest, I enjoy a good debate. ^_^

[Richard]

Well gee... nothing more needs to be said from me. Thank you for that perspective which in essence completes this thread!