You can play chess on PC

that's so http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Chess

Positive. I would have been in grade 9 already when that thing came out.

It's just not the same playing against a machine.


Well that's a bit of a blast from the past. I used to have that game. it was kind of distracting having your chess pieces fighting each as I recall.

Won my first game of chess against a computer, sadly I haven't won since.

Your choice.

Personally, I would say do a mix of PC and maybe Xbox One (Depends what it ends up being by its release) AND keep your Xbox 360.

Reason being? For me, it's crap like Steam... So ye'h...

A PC comparable to either of the new consoles would only be more expensive temporarily, if it all. The hardware in both of the consoles is already technically outdated, and by the time Nvidia/AMD release their next series, the ~2 generation old consoles would be easy and affordable to replicate as a PC. This way you would have all of the advantages of PC gaming at the same price as the consoles, with equal or slightly better specifications. In two years you could spend the same money on a PC as you would on a console, and come out with significantly better hardware.

A new Ps3 is still going for almost $300, and one could easily build a comparable PC today for (a small) fraction of that.

Sony blew me away with the PS4 and it's PC-based technology. I thought it was amazing how they got so much power with their PC architecture and hardware, resulting in a machine that was as powerful as a PC with the same functionality.

They convinced me so much, I bought myself a new PC.

Does anyone have a simple explanation as to which console has the best performance, memory etc?

Also how is charging for their on-line gaming and what is the cost going to be?

On paper the Ps4 is marginally more powerful than the Xbox One, but in practice they will probably be fairly similar, with Sony having some exclusives that utilize the Ps4 hardware and stand out graphically.

Microsoft is charging for Live as before, and Sony is making Plus mandatory to play online games. However, Plus is $50/year versus Live's $60, and offers more free* games.

*As long as your subscription remains.

Ok thanks for that.

The biggest other plus for Playstation 4 other than the cost is that they didn't try and be mega greedy by trying to pull that horrific stunt to stop us using pre-owned game (which have at some point by bought with a considerable amount of hard earned cash and had the tax paid and is therefore the sole property of the person who bought it - not Microsofts!!). Sure Microsoft realised they'd shot themselves in the foot and soon went back on their word but Sony have been true from the very start.

Does anyone have a comparative list of the exclusives we already know about?

It's a pretty easy choice to be honest.The PC offers a better gaming experience and flexibility.

And I think all other stuff you can do on the internet with consoles is still free on PS4. Services like Netflix on Xbox One will still require a Live subscription, whereas they don't on PS4.

PC is certainly the cheapest way of gaming in the long term, after the first big investment. Games are cheaper, get deep discounts quicker, and you have access to games of all 'console generations' on one machine. And you don't have any additional monthly costs for playing online.

Lol, just like the Toyota commercial.

I'm not a fan of Metal Gear Solid, but there are some console games which I enjoy, such as Forza. However, having said that, most of my favourite games of the last few years would have been more enjoyable on a PC. For example...

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Sims 3

Minecraft

Skyrim

Fallout: New Vegas

My friends are PC gamers, but I actually picked the parts for one of their computers. I know more about computers than them. I have just not thought about PC gaming in the past. I know how to check for compatibility between parts, ensure the power supply is large enough, etc. I

The problem still remains of the price. The long-term savings are irrelevant if I can't get the funding to build the PC in the first place, which is likely. I've been struggling to try and build a PC that has the optimum balance between power and price. My initial build plans were around ￡600 pounds, but that was expensive so I cut back to around ￡500. However, those parts were then discontinued and similar parts were more expensive, etc. Costs are a struggle.

It isn't an easy choice. It's like saying that a Ferrari is better than a Ford. Sure, it is, but it's about whether you can justify the extra price. A decent PC is going to be almost double the cost of a PS4.

Are you looking at local prices or online? You can save a lot of money if you shop online. I'm currently pricing a system that will cost me about $2500 CAN online, but it would cost me at least $500-$1000 more if I were to get them from a local shop.


If the Ferrari could also make your toast, do your laundry and a whole bunch of other things as well, then it would be very easy to justify the price. That's the kind of situation between consoles and games really. Yes a computer plays games, but it can also do so much more that consoles can't.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/06/14/build-a-next-gen-pc/

EDIT: A gaming PC does not need to be more expensive than a new console. It can be if you want to take advantage of the absolute cutting edge hardware, but if all you are looking for is is something comparable to a console, a PC does not need to be more expensive. (And will be significantly less expensive as time goes on, obviously.)

http://uk.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/PlayStation_4_Launch_Titles

http://uk.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/Xbox_One_Launch_Titles

I'd argue that, for day one at least, the Xbox One has a better launch lineup.

The GPU and CPU alone total in at almost ￡350, the same price as a PS4. I'd still need to buy a case, a copy of Windows (most of these supposed ￡500 builds are actually nearer ￡600 when you factor in an OS), a keyboard, etc.

http://www.ebuyer.com/467670-cpu-core-i5-4430-3-00ghz-lga1150-box-bx80646i54430

http://www.ebuyer.com/489317-xfx-hd-7870-dd-edition-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-dual-mini-fx-787a-cdfc

Online. Haven't even bothered looking locally. The nearest PC-related shop to me is PC World and they don't have that great a selection of parts. They prefer selling PCs like HP and Acer, rather than parts.

Well, you did say that you had a budget of ￡500.

At their release, consoles will probably be cheaper than a comparable PC. This way Sony and Microsoft don't make much on a single unit, but they move more in the long run. As time goes on, the console prices remain the same, whereas PC hardware gets cheaper. If you don't want to spend any more than you would on a PS4, all you need to do is wait a year, and then you will have all of the PC benefits for a PS4 price.

Well, no, because by then PC games would have advanced and it would be outdated. That doesn't sound like reasonable advice to me, sorry.

Where did I say I had a ￡500?

I guess consoles are my only option, because I don't think I could afford a PC. A console, perhaps, at a stretch. Which would you recommend getting then?

There's the Xbox One and PS4, or I could even wait another year to get one of those (since the PS3 and Xbox 360 will both be supported for a fair while) and purchase either a Vita, 3DS or Wii U.

Sure, PC hardware will continue to progress. But if stagnation is an issue for you, then you definitely shouldn't buy a console. No upgrades for 7+ years.

A 6000 series card will still be a 6000 series card in 2020. If it's good enough for you on a console, why isn't it good enough on a PC?

Because games are optimized on consoles. The seven-year-old consoles still runs all the games. On a PC, a seven-year-old middle of the range card won't still run all the latest games.