Where are the NEW games?

[renau1g]

What country are you in? I'm guessing not the US or Canada as there are a few stores in each of these countries that still have PC games (I live in a border city).

Have you looked at the direct to drive stuff? Sure it might take 5 minutes of research to see if a game's fun, but after checking ign.com and seeing their rating + the aggregate ratings for a bunch of other sites (easily seen via IGN's rating system) you can tell if its for you. Actually, it's probably less time than getting up, driving your car (taking the bus) to the mall/retail location, talking to the guy, buying the game, driving home and opening the packaging.

 

[Kaodi]

...plus monitor...speakers (or headphones)...

Hold on a second here: This, at least, makes for an unfair comparison... No one ever complains that whenever they buy a console they need a TV to go with it, but the fact is that the TV is part of the cost. And while many people can expect to have a TV before they have a console, in this day and age many people can expect to already have some kind of monitor that they can attach to their computer.

 

[John Crichton]

Hold on a second here: This, at least, makes for an unfair comparison... No one ever complains that whenever they buy a console they need a TV to go with it, but the fact is that the TV is part of the cost. And while many people can expect to have a TV before they have a console, in this day and age many people can expect to already have some kind of monitor that they can attach to their computer.

People are more likely to have a TV than a computer monitor.

 

[Kaodi]

People are more likely to have a TV than a computer monitor.

So? How much more likely? More likely to have a TV that is satisfying for game use, or just any old one?

Regardless, the argument still stands: On the whole, a portion of the value of the television must be counted as an expense of a console.

 

[John Crichton]

So? How much more likely?

Considerably more likely.

More likely to have a TV that is satisfying for game use, or just any old one?

The same can be said about a monitor or anything else related to a PC. There are always upgrades.

Regardless, the argument still stands: On the whole, a portion of the value of the television must be counted as an expense of a console.

I disagree. A TV has multiple uses. A computer monitor is used for one thing.

 

[Kaodi]

I disagree. A TV has multiple uses. A computer monitor is used for one thing.

What uses does a TV have other than watching television, watching movies and playing video games?

A computer monitor is likewise used for multiple activities. Using the internet, working and playing video games.

 

[John Crichton]

What uses does a TV have other than watching television, watching movies and playing video games?

Those are three huge activities that can all be shared by multiple users at the same time. Most households have a TV. The same cannot be said for a computer monitor.

A computer monitor is likewise used for multiple activities. Using the internet, working and playing video games.

I'll strike "working" off that list since we're talking about entertainment devices here. And since video games also falls into the TV's arena that one is moot. Leaving the internet. And then there's laptops where the monitor is automatically tied to the price.

The point is that a console is always a cheaper entry price to gaming compared to a PC. You can try and tie in the price of a TV to console gaming but it still doesn't compare. The TV has considerably more uses that a computer monitor does with the main advantage being multiple simultaneous users. That and more people are going simply own a TV compared to a computer monitor. Why do you think the Wii sales were so high?

 

[renau1g]

Hold on a second here: This, at least, makes for an unfair comparison... No one ever complains that whenever they buy a console they need a TV to go with it, but the fact is that the TV is part of the cost. And while many people can expect to have a TV before they have a console, in this day and age many people can expect to already have some kind of monitor that they can attach to their computer.

fair enough, but a monitor is only $300 for a decent one.

 

[Felon]

I'm with you Felon, I keep hearing that but every time I look on NCIX for a quad processor, motherboard and decent video card I'm already over $600, plus monitor, RAM, speakers (or headphones), case, cooling system, sound card, NIC card, DVD drive, etc, etc...

I returned to this thread hoping that Axus or someone else would have posted their wondrous "nowhere-near-$1200-YEEESH!" gaming machine that would lift the scales from my eyes. No such luck yet.

I'll make things easier by tossing out an example of a well-received-and-award-winning gaming PC that is in that price range, the Velocity Micro Z30:

Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7) Desktop reviews - CNET Reviews

Kind of an old system, actually. Should be easy to top.

I didn't really want to offer an example, mind you, because I have enough internet experience to know what happens. The laws of human gravity hold that it is much easier, and thus more appealing, to deconstruct than construct. Ask for someone to present evidence, and you get silence. Present your own evidence, and you get people falling over themselves in a frenzy to explain all of the reasons the evidence should be thrown out. The resultant nitpicking and bickering takes over the discussion, and the whole thing goes into a tedious death spiral.

Hold on a second here: This, at least, makes for an unfair comparison... No one ever complains that whenever they buy a console they need a TV to go with it, but the fact is that the TV is part of the cost. And while many people can expect to have a TV before they have a console, in this day and age many people can expect to already have some kind of monitor that they can attach to their computer.

My suspicion is that most people who insist a good PC can be had on a sub-$1000 budget are scratch-building. Building a computer piecemeal often produces a machine with specs that seem similar to more expensive systems, because you aren't paying someone to put the pieces together and you aren't buying a warranty. Essentially, you are defraying up-front costs to until something goes wrong. Sort of like how buying a house supposedly conveys a nice itemizable tax deduction, but in reality you can easily wind losing money on upkeep.

 

[renau1g]

Well you are getting a warranty on the parts you buy, usually a fairly decent one as well. I've built 3 PC's so far (not super-optimized gaming rigs, but just fairly decent ones that can play most games well) and *knock on wood* the only things that have gone on me are my NIC (three times).