We’ve all been there. After hopping into the wonderful world of PC gaming, with its high frame rates, lofty resolutions, and the ability to customise each and every part to our heart’s desire, we boot up the latest 90+ Metacritic console exclusive to find it running at a sludgy sub-30fps, smeared with depth of field and motion blur effects, and struggling to hit a native 1080p. A fantastic game marred by the hardware it's tied to.
This isn’t elitism, it’s just a marked change from what many PC gamers are used to. It can make playing even these highly rated games a struggle, especially for those who are particularly sensitive to low frame rates.
The slightly sad part is that before you touch PC gaming, consoles seem perfectly fine. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them when you’re used to them. Like eating a fine steak before having a gristly pork chop though, the fall from grace can be disappointing. We get used to using a mouse & keyboard; modding out gameplay elements we don’t like, or tweaking the graphics settings for visual perfection.
Some struggle far more than others. I’ve heard plenty suggest that console games are now unplayable to them. If you’ve become accustomed to 144Hz the drop to 30fps is no doubt significant. For me personally, I don't really struggle. Sometimes it gets to me, particularly when a game slows down, knowing that it would run faster on a different platform. Usually though, only takes me a few minutes to become accustomed.
So how do you find switching from PC to console games? Does the drop in frame rate and/or resolution bother you, or are you just happy to play the great games wherever they are? Get voting and let us know why below!
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PC Specs
yes
PC 4 LIFE
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pc is my preferred platform but i dont mind playing the switch once in a while or the xbox one for some specific games but 95% of the time im on a game im on a pc lol i grew up on pc also i like i can do multiple things on it with ease the multitasking is great
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Because I'm not an elitist hack, I can play on anything.
I have been playing Monster Hunter on the DS for years which is less than 480p I believe.
Not to mention console has amazing exclusive games.
Horizon Zero Dawn is still one of the best games I've ever played.Fat chance of that ever being on PC.
Zelda: BotW, and soon Super Smash on Switch.
There are so many great games people miss out on
PC Specs
Man we won't miss out much, thanks to emulators. I have enjoyed lots of retro SNES, NES, genesis, GBA games on my pc. But with exception of Nintendo, other consoles don't even justify, since they are essentially low spec pc just locked down.
PC Specs
And I don't buy Nintendo because they have no direct sales in my country, and imported console and games have 20-25% taxes, unlike steam, where game prices are adjusted to the economy, like lots of games sell here around 15-20$ even at day one.
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I have no issue playing on 30fps 1080p on my Xone, but I do if it can't even handle that. I blame game devs for making games only for the PC, then downscaling it to match a console. It almost never works or you're left with the bare minimum, which makes you wonder why you would even want a console.
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I think you got it wrong, games are made mainly for consoles and then get ported over to PC, except for some games.
PC Specs
That's actually not necessarily the case. This is why downgrades happen constantly. For example, the new DOOM Eternal game - id even said in the interview at QuakeCon (it's on youtube) that the demo they showed was running on a "very high-end PC" and that they will try to do their best to keep it as visually close to the demo as possible for consoles.
PC is where the games are developed to begin with (well, duuh, you can't code on a console) and a lot of demo and trailer builds are shown running on PCs before being ported to the target platforms.
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That is completely true. There are quite a few PC games that were developed for consoles and then ported to PC. Some notable examples include the first Borderlands game GTA IV and V. For the most part you can tell the console to PC ports, because just like Borderlands they have terrible M+KB support.
PC Specs
Of course there's also the difference between processing power of the consoles and their pc-equivalent at the time of release. That's getting bigger with each generation of console. Also, having played over 700 hours in GTA5, I think that's more of a game engine quirk than anything..
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Hmm I thought that most of them are developed for console so games don't run well on pc.
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struggle to play? not really. struggle to buy anything? Yes. underpaid white-collar.
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I get the feeling that most of the guys on here are blue-collar. I could be wrong though. Just seems to me that white-collar guys working in an office and probably making a salary are gonna have a much easier time buying and maintaining a PC than a blue-collar guy, ie maintenance, general labor, and that sort of thing.
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keyword. underpaid.
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Ya got me.
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Underpaid white collar are worst class, because most people think white collar people earn more anyway, even if underpaid and have their lives sucked out both in job and outside job.
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Like I struggle playing some games that just has too much forced motion blur or fov. Like for example God of War PS4 Pro I had the pro it was loud as hell which was my first issue even after cleaning it nothing so sold the pro bought a slim and next issue was the game. The Camera was so damn close to Kratos It was so annoying lol. Controls are only an issue for me in first person shooting other than that consoles are ok; just difficult if you play pc more than console
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The heat off my PS4 Pro scared me. I bought a vertical stand for it that had some fans built in that blew the air up through it, but I contemplating building for it but using some Noctuas on the bottom and the top.
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Jesus, that's some nigh unintelligible gibberish on my part there. lol
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XD. Once a pc nut, always a pc nut eh?
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I think so.
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But graphically I think pc is much better as it’s looks so real when played on PC and think ps4 has a complete different graphics. I need to play games released on both PC and console to confirm it
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Initially I was very bad in playing games with a controller especially FPS games, but now used to it and playing all games in controller. I recently got a ps4 and had/having blast with uncharted, GOW, Horizon zero dawn etc.
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Im actually playing the new Spider-man on ps4 pro in 4k/hdr and im having a hell of a lot of fun!
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Personally I have no issue playing on consoles from FPS or refresh rate perspective. As long as they can deliver good frametimes, it is fine. Though I don't do 144hz on PC as well. I only have 75hz monitor. Only issues I have is because I do better with mouse and keyboard, I am not that used to gamepad.
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I spent much time assembling a PC for my needs (+ budget) with aligned components to avoid bottlenecks. I actually loved the planning. Moreover, it's a shame, but I'm not able to play properly on a controller after many years with mouse+kb.
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going from yakuza 0 to yakuza 6 was real bad, I am mostly a pc gamer
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Not really too bothered, I can notice if a game is 30 FPS, but then I just get used to it after a while.
I own both a PS4 Pro and Switch.
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I'll play certain games on a console, but I'm very particular about it.
I ONLY own handhelds. My PC takes care of anything I throw at it and I've got it set up with a powerful sound system and even a 4K TV, if I need to. No point in owning a stationary console.
I find it hard and annoying to adjust down to a lower framerate after having sampled what things run like on my rig and the 165Hz display I have. It sorta works fine-ish on small hand-helds, but anything bigger than that and the framerate becomes jarring.
And controllers... I'll play a racer or Mortal Kombat with one, but EVERYTHING else MUST be played with a M/KB combo. I could never play a shooter without a mouse, for example.
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Reso is fine, I mean, I stream with steamlink to my tv, but I just can't work those controllers. I've tried every genre like GTA 5, Witcher 3.. designed for consoles..but it just won't work with me. I always have issues with the camera and all that jazz.
Would've been great playing my PC games from my bed or tv, but man...
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Only time I struggle on console is when I'm not use to the controls. I don't really mind the graphic and fps difference between console and pc. As long as I'm having fun, I don't really care about any changes from pc to console.
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I've been playing the latest Spiderman game. In the opening scene I was noticing a lot of screen tear and blur. But as soon as the game started and I could move, it didn't feel that bad for me. The motion blur helps a ton. I turned it down and instantly noticed how bad the framerate was.
I guess it all depends on the game.
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I play console games in waves. I don't play much on PC when I play on console so the 30fps is not so noticable.
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I only have the PS2 and PS3 and I can still play PoEII on my 2009 DELL PC.
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If the fps is stable, I can get used to 30 after some time, but the slight nagging in the back of my head will still be there cause of being used to playing at around 60fps almost my whole life.