I'm literally doing this as we speak. Other than Sony exclusives, everything here on out will be on PC.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Has anyone recently moved to PC gaming after years of being console-only?
- Thread starter pswii60
- Start date
For me at least, 2010 would have been a bad time to drop consoles.
Back then, many games I wanted to play were still console exclusive, and (most) consoles didn't require a monthly fee to make use of their full feature set.
Now -- with Japanese publishers flocking to PC over the past years -- almost everything I want to play is on PC, and online (as well as features such as cloud saves) is still free. So that makes it much easier to forego consoles entirely.
I'm considering a full focus on PC in future. My interest in first party exclusives has never been lower and my favourite 3rd party stuff is largely heading to PC as well. I don't think there's been an easier time switch between the two what with much better gamepad support and ease of connecting to a TV.
I switched in 2011, growing up with Nintendo+PlayStation. It was already not a difficult process 7 years ago, it's even less of an issue nowadays with controller support being the norm and PC gaming being the console-est it's ever been. Welcome to perpetual "HD remasters" and an intimidatingly huge library you haven't ever experienced! :P
Me last year and I love it. Just wish my pc was in a more sociably acceptable location in my house.
I personally like to own physical copies of my games and when looking at my current gen console collection if I was to not care about that, I could have gone full on PC after getting into PC gaming for real last year. On my Xbox One I could say I have Fallout 4, Mordor, Assassin's Creed, Batman, FF Type 0, and Borderlands which are all on PC as well I believe, yet of course Halo 5 is not which is the only exception in my XBONE games. I could say the BC of OG and 360 games could but games like KOTOR I & II, Force Unleashed, Jade Empire, Psychonauts, and Jedi Academy are on PC though Lost Odyssey is not. For PS4 it is also similar, Watch Dogs 2, Fate Extella, Danganronpa series, Zero Escape series, .hack GU Last Recode, Berseria, Nier Automata, FFXV, FFX/X-2, Okami and now Yakuza 0 and Kiwami are on PC, but Kingdom Hearts, Uncharted, Gravity Rush, the rest of the Yakuza games, and Persona 5 so I will probably be held down by console gaming for a while more.
I grew up on consoles and finally built my own gaming PC about a year and a half ago. At first I was skeptical but now it's everything to me. It's my home. Games look fantastic on it, so much is available to play, and you can alt-tab and have whatever open simultaneously as you play and it's just fantastic. I only play my Switch anymore and that's only sometimes, and always while sitting in front of my PC with an earbud from each system in different ears. Not going to get a PS5 anymore. I can't be pried from my lovely PC corner and I highly recommend it to OP.
Only drawback is I really should learn to play with KB and mouse but can't be fucked. Still there's controller support on nearly everything nowadays.
Only drawback is I really should learn to play with KB and mouse but can't be fucked. Still there's controller support on nearly everything nowadays.
I'm 29 years old, I was an exclusive Nintendo/Sony gamer until 2012 when I finally built a PC.
There is no going back, it's incredible, the mod support, customization, emulators, cheaper prices. So many games that I love are so much better on PC that it's not even funny, and even as someone that plays mostly Japanese games, PC gaming gets better and better.
It's amazing, I love PC gaming.
I still love my Switch and PS4 but they are only for exclusive games.
There is no going back, it's incredible, the mod support, customization, emulators, cheaper prices. So many games that I love are so much better on PC that it's not even funny, and even as someone that plays mostly Japanese games, PC gaming gets better and better.
It's amazing, I love PC gaming.
I still love my Switch and PS4 but they are only for exclusive games.
Last edited:
I did. Played on consoles from 1994 to 2015, with some pc gaming here and there, then full pc since 2015/16
I bounce back and forth a few years into each generation. Every time a console generation starts up, that becomes my avenue for games (console-side), then a few years later when PCs can handily outdo them at a more reasonable price, I tend to buy a new gaming PC for the third-party ports at higher resolutions and framerates. Eventually, PC kinda just becomes my MMO and Battlefield machine, and I drift back to consoles.
I do generally prefer the console exclusives, though, particularly those that exist with PlayStation and Nintendo. They tend to be my favorite games ever, and unfortunately never surface on PC with high-end features. Otherwise, I'd probably just stick with PC all the time.
I do generally prefer the console exclusives, though, particularly those that exist with PlayStation and Nintendo. They tend to be my favorite games ever, and unfortunately never surface on PC with high-end features. Otherwise, I'd probably just stick with PC all the time.
I've been using PC exclusively for about 10 years now. I never played exclusively on consoles before that, mind you, but I only ever played strategy/simulation game on PC and everything else was on console. Then my brother left home, taking the console and I used that as impetus to buy a proper high spec PC. There are a few exclusives I might miss but there would be a hell of a lot more I'd miss if I switched to console exclusively. I also can't really justify getting a console just for one or two games I'm interested in. At least PC software support is getting better in that regard, with Xbox sharing its exclusives and previously exclusive series like Yakuza being ported now that Japanese devs see the value in the market.
An added bonus of a powerful PC is that I can work from home too. Saves me time and money.
An added bonus of a powerful PC is that I can work from home too. Saves me time and money.
I built my first PC in early 2013. It had a Phenom II X4 965BE with an HD 7870. I think the first game I played on it was the Tomb Raider reboot on an old Compaq CRT monitor. Other than Halo PC and Doom (ZDaemon and Skulltag) on a Dell Dimension without a GPU, I pretty much played console only. I still buy Sony and Nintendo strictly for (Sometimes Timed) exclusives, but that's about it. There's no way I can go full time on PC. Next big step is 100% Linux exclusivity. Once Wine can work around DRM and someone somehow gets UWP working on Linux for Xbox exclusives, I may switch.
I switched back over to PC gaming back in 2010 and never looked back, only getting a Switch for its exclusives and for portable Bayonetta.
-Where the hell are you getting an One X for $400? It's closer to $500 wherever I look.
-That 1080ti is still going to demolish anything the One X is going to do, especially if you have an even remotely modern CPU to pair it with.
-You can get a 1060 6 gig that's on par with a Xbone X's GPU for ~$275, and if you have a decent CPU will perform better.
This post has quite a few inaccuracies:
-Where the hell are you getting an One X for $400? It's closer to $500 wherever I look.
-That 1080ti is still going to demolish anything the One X is going to do, especially if you have an even remotely modern CPU to pair it with.
-You can get a 1060 6 gig that's on par with a Xbone X's GPU for ~$275, and if you have a decent CPU will perform better.
Getting tempted to move to PC and Nintendo only next gen.
PS4 is my main platform this gen, but as the generation went on, most games I play ended up getting a PC release, so come next gen unless Sony internally develops some enticing Japanese games like JRPGs, I'll most likely drop them and move to PC.
PS4 is my main platform this gen, but as the generation went on, most games I play ended up getting a PC release, so come next gen unless Sony internally develops some enticing Japanese games like JRPGs, I'll most likely drop them and move to PC.
X sales are very common if you even casually follow deals. I guess it depends on your definition of demolished. Personally, I wouldn't classify Ti at 4K 40-60FPS Ultra as demolishing an X at 90-100% of 4K/30 High. It's better for sure, but it's not the 576p Sub-30fps Medium to 1080p/60 Ultra I was referencing in my post, that's demolishing.
I just sold my Xbox X with the intention on buying a pc to play my Xbox games on and then some. But looks like to get something that can dp 4k/60fps consistently I'm gonna need at least $1,300 which is a little high.
I buy consoles once every 2-3 years to play through the exclusives, and then sell them again and go back to PC.
I just don't find any pleasure of playing any multiplat on a console.
But I also love the KB+M combo and think it is a waaaaaay superior input method.
I just don't find any pleasure of playing any multiplat on a console.
But I also love the KB+M combo and think it is a waaaaaay superior input method.
Been slowly making the move back to PC (played on PC as a kid, before I was ever introduced to consoles) , over the past few years. I still own every console and often play on them but only because I have not invested in a dedicated gaming rig as the idea of a tower was just not appealing to me.
Now that laptops are getting thinner, and less "gamerified", its helping accelerate the process.
Being mobile is a must for me, I don't see myself setting up a traditional gaming rig for a few years yet.
I'm also not someone who needs to play with settings maxed, etc. Medium , 1080p with a stable framerate is fine for me.
Also with big publishers releasing their games on PC, huge indie market, and mobile devs releasing newly balanced games on PC, there is so much variety.
Consoles will be for exclusives only, or games friends who prefer console want to play together in.
Now that laptops are getting thinner, and less "gamerified", its helping accelerate the process.
Being mobile is a must for me, I don't see myself setting up a traditional gaming rig for a few years yet.
I'm also not someone who needs to play with settings maxed, etc. Medium , 1080p with a stable framerate is fine for me.
Also with big publishers releasing their games on PC, huge indie market, and mobile devs releasing newly balanced games on PC, there is so much variety.
Consoles will be for exclusives only, or games friends who prefer console want to play together in.
That very well could be why I'll stick with consoles unfortunately.
I've tried to, and continue to, but never am able to do it.
Humble monthly gives out some amazing games. Twitch prime is great too. Cheaper games, better sales, better performance.
But even with big picture mode and such, it's still not "just sit on your ass and hit go". Mucking with shit for an hour trying to get it to run optimially (No Man Sky was brutal for this recently) and proper support for the dual shock 4 (as in it just works and has the proper button prompts) is too infrequent.
As such, I am probably 50% PS4, 30% PC and 20% Switch.
Humble monthly gives out some amazing games. Twitch prime is great too. Cheaper games, better sales, better performance.
But even with big picture mode and such, it's still not "just sit on your ass and hit go". Mucking with shit for an hour trying to get it to run optimially (No Man Sky was brutal for this recently) and proper support for the dual shock 4 (as in it just works and has the proper button prompts) is too infrequent.
As such, I am probably 50% PS4, 30% PC and 20% Switch.
Gen 7 lasting forever made me consider PC gaming.
sub 30fps, 720p, no aa, mud textures etc was awful.
^ None of that was an issue with CRT sets but it became clear as day with HD monitors and it wasn't pretty at all.
I still play consoles (switch, PS4) but I use PC for the best experience.
Say Resident Evil 2 Remake will be played on PC first.
sub 30fps, 720p, no aa, mud textures etc was awful.
^ None of that was an issue with CRT sets but it became clear as day with HD monitors and it wasn't pretty at all.
I still play consoles (switch, PS4) but I use PC for the best experience.
Say Resident Evil 2 Remake will be played on PC first.
I did this back in the 360/PS3 era kinda. I gamed on pc back in the 90s but stopped for a period. Had a PS4 but it broke. I do have a switch however but I consider that a handheld and I love the convenience factor with it.
Two years for me. Playing 360/PS3 era games in 4k and open world games at 60fps makes it worth the money. A lot of the texture work for those older games are lost within the lower resolutions they were played at on console.
2018 has been my year of PC (and Switch). I'm pretty happy with my rig and changing up games between a controller and k/m has been fun. With subscriptions like Twitch Prime and Humble Monthly, so many deals out there. I'm getting close to just selling my consoles because PC gaming is just that much better - like, should I play Overwatch on my GSYNC monitor will high FPS or solid 4K/60 on my other monitor?
PC gaming is great if you can afford it but all of my fav games are almost all console exclusives.
I feel discussions surrounding PC as the choice of platform are often centered around its capabilities for better visuals and performance. While certainly a strong point, I feel what really separates it from any other platform is user choice.
The ability to use any input device you want (controller, keyboard, mouse, arcade stick, HOTAS, etc.), to modify your settings (turn off chromatic aberration, choose which settings are more important, etc.), to modify your game (mods, fixes, etc.), to upgrade your hardware (your box isn't obsolete when the next thing comes out, determine your own hardware needs, etc.), to use a fully-featured OS (you can pretty much do anything on a desktop OS), and the numerous advantages of an open-platform really makes it an enthusiasts platform.
I don't fall into the situation the OP presented though. I've always played on PC. I used to purchase most (if not all) of the available consoles each generation though. The software libraries used to be incredibly different, sometimes even between consoles, but that hasn't been the case for many years now. Japanese publishers/developers have embraced the PC, and compelling exclusives are very rare. The consoles I do play now are considered retro, either through emulation, or original hardware with an OSSC.
The ability to use any input device you want (controller, keyboard, mouse, arcade stick, HOTAS, etc.), to modify your settings (turn off chromatic aberration, choose which settings are more important, etc.), to modify your game (mods, fixes, etc.), to upgrade your hardware (your box isn't obsolete when the next thing comes out, determine your own hardware needs, etc.), to use a fully-featured OS (you can pretty much do anything on a desktop OS), and the numerous advantages of an open-platform really makes it an enthusiasts platform.
I don't fall into the situation the OP presented though. I've always played on PC. I used to purchase most (if not all) of the available consoles each generation though. The software libraries used to be incredibly different, sometimes even between consoles, but that hasn't been the case for many years now. Japanese publishers/developers have embraced the PC, and compelling exclusives are very rare. The consoles I do play now are considered retro, either through emulation, or original hardware with an OSSC.
I have been a console gamer for about 20 years. My last gaming PC was a 486. I bought a gaming pc about 2 years ago and have mixed feelings.
- Playing at higher frame rates is excellent but some games aren't well optimized so you end up with a console experience. Assassin's creed origin is a case in point. Most run better on pc
- You cannot always use a controller. Most games support a Xbox controller but online is all about keyboard and mouse. So if you don't like keyboard and mouse it is worth considering.
- Games on steam aren't always cheaper. PSN has great deals.
- Some very poor ports but most run no problem.
- You can spend a long time messing with settings to get a game to run well. The annoyance is knowing it should run well and doesn't.
- Consoles offer a better experience for the living room.
- Consoles are becoming more like PC's. It will be interesting to see the latest ms offering.
I recently bought a gaming laptop with a 1060 in it after not playing PC games for years. Even when I did, I only played RTS games and 4X games on PC, maybe the occasional FPS and that was it. So far I really like it and have been playing that and my switch, not the PS4 or XBox.
What turned me off of PC gaming was the increasingly worse performance and always having to upgrade. The laptop I got has been able to play everything just fine and still plays GtAV better than the console versions. Controller support has been really good, no pay for the occasional online play, lots of choice. I dont see myself playing consoles as much for awhile.
I'm not really a graphics person, dont care as long as it looks decent and consistent. Performance really just want something consistent. The laptop is nice since I can play with it on the couch with me and watch TV. I would recommend at least getting a decent PC/laptop.
What turned me off of PC gaming was the increasingly worse performance and always having to upgrade. The laptop I got has been able to play everything just fine and still plays GtAV better than the console versions. Controller support has been really good, no pay for the occasional online play, lots of choice. I dont see myself playing consoles as much for awhile.
I'm not really a graphics person, dont care as long as it looks decent and consistent. Performance really just want something consistent. The laptop is nice since I can play with it on the couch with me and watch TV. I would recommend at least getting a decent PC/laptop.
I think the most important point is we're now in the age where the PC actually tends to get more and better exclusives, albeit usually not AAA 'graphics' level exclusives, but almost every compelling console game that isn't first party is on PC.
Until VERY recently this simply wasn't true, there was no point in choosing one over the other for the previous 30 years of my life, they were completely different experiences almost entirely.
Until VERY recently this simply wasn't true, there was no point in choosing one over the other for the previous 30 years of my life, they were completely different experiences almost entirely.