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Difference between PC & Console gaming

Gaming laptops aren't as expensive as they used to be. I am, right now, using a laptop for gaming. Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7400 (2.16 GHz, 667MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache), 2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 17" Ultrabright WSXGA+, 100GB 7200rpm Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS Graphics w/ 256MB DDR Video Memory. After taxes and shipping, just a tad over $1700 US.

I have yet to find a game I can't play with settings turned all the way up.
 

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Steel Wind, you're welcome to try making your point again without being so snarky about it. If you can't then you're welcome to leave the thread.
 
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Not sure what level of gaming you are talking about, but most modern laptops run typical games just fine. Only the higher end games (current FPS and some current RPGs) might provide troublesome.

And you do not need to spend a ridiculous amount of money for such a laptop, they are available for around €1,000 here.

Upgrading won't happen, though. You simply cannot upgrade laptops well, especially the graphics.

Bye
Thanee
 

Not really for Mac laptops. The only ones that don't use integrated graphics are the Macbook Pros, and they start at $2000 for only an X1600 with 128MB RAM. When you add in the inability to upgrade video cards, not the best way to spend your gaming dollar.

Now if the OP wanted to go to another brand he could get a better value probably, but it sounds like he wants a Mac. For that money he could get a Macbook, an Xbox 360 or a PS3, and a DS Lite while still saving $270 to $470 dollars. Heck he could forget the DS and pick up BOTH consoles and a laptop for that same $2000.
 


I am writing at my old Mac laptop (iBook G3 600) and I use a PS2 for gaming. It is a very satisfying setup. Still, it is time to upgrade once more. I plan to buy a new console next month, I am tending to the X360 but I might go with a Wii, depending on the online capabilities of each system -- I haven't looked yet so I am open to suggestions -- and a try out with the new Wii controller. No way I will burry my money in a PS3.

Regarding the notebook. I could go with a nice Mac Book Pro, but it is probably a poor decision. Unless you want to play games, you will do well enough with a simpler Mac Book.

The great advantage of consoles is that they will work with the games to be released in the next five years. If you buy a computer today, you may need to upgrade it in two to three years to keep up with the new game requirements.
 

Steel_Wind said:
The differences are narrowing considerably. Moreover, the plain fact is, all the development money is in consoles right now, so that is where virtually all of the development is.

And this trend is only going to get worse I think. The console dev money is huge. If you are a seasoned developer with great tech and Triple A talent - consoles are your main focus these days. That's the way it is and it is only going to get worse. (The reason is simple: it's all about piracy).


Consoles are not immune to piracy. In fact, I'd wager more console games get pirated than pc games these days. Xbox and PS2 games were being pirated about a year after the respective consoles release and the 360 already has a firmware hack that will allow you to play burned games, I'm sure the PS3 is not far behind.
 

Piracy is killing the PSP, actually. Game sales for it are terrible, because anyone can simply download games to their memory stick (most are pretty small if you have broadband, only a few 100 megabytes) and play them. (You need hacked firmware, but that's simple to install and there are instructions on how to install it on the official Sony message boards for the PSP. Really. And Sony banned me from them for complaining about all the talk by pirates on the official boards - since I actually buy my games, it pisses me off).

As an example, the message board for Monster Hunter Portable 2 is among the busest on Gamefaqs, yet the game is not available in the US (and since the game just came out in Japan, they aren't playing imported copies, either).

Piracy is a problem for the 360, but still, games need to be downloaded (which are several gigs) then burned to a dual layer disc, I think, which aren't super-cheap. Counterfeit games are a big problem though in Asia, apparently. Apparently, too, the deterrent for the original Xbox, Xbox live being able to detected a modded Xbox, isn't possible on the 360.

In theory, that will also help the PS3 - having really big games that will have to be burned to a Blu Ray disc. That is, if pirates can't figure out how to play from the hard drive, that is.

I'm not saying it's not a problem for PC games, but it's a problem for everyone. And sales of console games aren't that great, either. Sure, some titles sell really well, but then a lot of titles sell horribly. I think we'll see a lot of developers move towards casual games, not one particular platform, because casual gamers are less likely to pirate, and will buy games that require little effort to make. And more and more PC game makers will use some sort of DRM, like Steam or Stardock's Totalgaming network.
 

You don't need any mod chips or hacked firmware to pirate games on a PC. Just a standard DVD burner, a good BitTorrent client, and a quick search for a no-CD patch or crack.

It's not difficult to get a mod chip for a console, but I seriously doubt that more than a very slim percentage of console owners actually have a mod chip installed in their systems.
 

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