Any PC Couch Gamers here?

[Deleted member 4346]

I am. Or I was, I should say. Bought a nice rig in 2017 (i7-7700K, 1080 Ti, Fractal Design mITX case). I used that, with a Corsair Lapdog and matching mechanical keyboard/mouse, plus wireless controller, all running through my 65" OLED and Aperion/SVS HT system. Eventually I realized that I was using my desktop rig a lot more so I scrapped the idea after a year. A few times a month I do use my PC on the couch or back on my old Pioneer plasma but mostly it's at my desk now.

It's nice but some caveats:

• It's more of a hassle compared to console. For instance, HDR support on Windows is terrible compared to X1X/PS4. On NVIDIA's drivers Dolby Vision worked unreliably or just wouldn't work at all. HDR10 would work in some games but not others. Surround sound "just works" on console but on PC it was a shitshow getting 5.1 to work, combination of the on-board audio chip and Windows drivers, wouldn't encode right over TOSLINK. And a lot of other little things that were annoying. Bluetooth headset quality sucks with the on-board BT adapters on PC.
• For multiplayer games, just my opinion, but sitting at a desk with mouse and keyboard my play is simply more focused. I performed worse on couch.
• PC was louder than my Xbox One X.
• GPUs still can't hit the 4K60 max settings, not even the 2080 Ti, in every game. It looks better than console and a lower GPU can hit 4K30 console res, with better visuals and smoother fps but...
• Price. I spent about $1800 on my HTPC, after price matching/rebates, and prices were lower then than they are now. For that price you could get 4.5 Xbox One X's. So I gained the ability to run at 4K60 in some games, smoother/prettier 4K30 in others, but at a high cost.
• Windows 10's 4K text support is... lol. Well, if you've tried it you know.
• No VRR until last year's Samsung TVs. This year, still only Samsung and now LG (that last is a big win). No high refresh rates unless you drop to 1080p.
• No 4K Blu-ray. No 4K Streaming apps.

Playing singleplayer games, especially RPGs and shooters, was very nice, I will say that. More relaxing and immersive. OLED TVs make mincemeat out of any PC monitor you can buy at any price, hell even the FALD LCD TVs from Samsung, Sony, and Vizio are far superior in image quality for gaming.

I'm actually going the opposite route, doing double monitor at my desk and using a smaller 55" OLED as a gaming/media display, with a PC monitor for desktop work and MMO gaming. It's not as comfortable as a couch but it gives more of the best of both worlds.

 

[Lockjaw333]

I've actually gone the opposite way of most in this thread. Ive been PC gaming for over 20 years and only played consoles on my TVs. A few years ago I moved my consoles to my desk and I've never looked back. I enjoy PC and console gaming at a desk, on a monitor way more than gaming on a TV.

I do have a 50ft HDMI cable that I run to my 2010 Panasonic plasma (1080p) occasionally, and the imagine quality is phenomenal, but I vastly prefer playing on my 1440p 144hz gsync monitor.

The only thing making me want to maybe explore couch PC gaming is HDR. The state of hdr monitors on PC is pathetic unless you want to spend $2k for real HDR. I could get an OLED or great TV with local dimming for far less. So I've been considering doing that and trying out the couch route.

I'm someone who really enjoys high end PC peripherals though. What wireless keyboard is everyone using? I have a g900 mouse so that's not a problem, but I love my cherry mx mech keyboard. K63 wireless??

 

[psilocybe]

I have posted this photo before, but here it is:

There is indeed the need to use mouse and keyboard. I turn my PC on and launch my games in the old school way. I don't find big picure mode necessary. It is only on BPM in this photo because it looks nice. Even on BPM sometimes you will still have your mouse cursor in the way or a game will decide to not launch on fullscreen. Nothing major, you get used to it pretty quickly.

(please, don't mind the cables under the desk. I really tried to organize them).

 

[MrBob]

I've actually gone the opposite way of most in this thread. Ive been PC gaming for over 20 years and only played consoles on my TVs. A few years ago I moved my consoles to my desk and I've never looked back. I enjoy PC and console gaming at a desk, on a monitor way more than gaming on a TV.

I do have a 50ft HDMI cable that I run to my 2010 Panasonic plasma (1080p) occasionally, and the imagine quality is phenomenal, but I vastly prefer playing on my 1440p 144hz gsync monitor.

The only thing making me want to maybe explore couch PC gaming is HDR. The state of hdr monitors on PC is pathetic unless you want to spend $2k for real HDR. I could get an OLED or great TV with local dimming for far less. So I've been considering doing that and trying out the couch route.

I'm someone who really enjoys high end PC peripherals though. What wireless keyboard is everyone using? I have a g900 mouse so that's not a problem, but I love my cherry mx mech keyboard. K63 wireless??

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Yeah I bought the Corsair k63 wireless keyboard, works well. You can buy it in a lapboard combo too if you want something to use on the couch with your mouse. That's what I bought, the keyboard/lapboard combo.

 

[Kumomeme]

not exactly using couch, but i gaming on floor..with monitor put on short table like how usually tv being put is..both console and pc i play that way while laying or lean on floor with pillow

 

[MrKlaw]

All of you that run long HDMI cables and USB extenders for controllers - have any of you tried extending a VR cable that length? I have a WMR set so I don't need lighthouses etc but I'm guessing it might be sensitive to very long cable runs?

Have more room in the living room for waving arms around

 

[CheeseWraith]

I'm just wondering if there are any PC gamers here who actually do use their PC as they would a console, for couch gaming in the living room? I'm not talking about couch gaming in your bedroom ;)

Replacing my X with a high-end PC is certainly something I've considered for a while given PC mostly shares the same games. But I've never had the courage to do so because I would be using it in a purely couch gaming perspective, where consoles are typically better suited. Multiple launchers, tweaking etc, it's not something I really want to be doing. I just want to wake the thing up with my controller, choose the game, and play it. The X's small and horizontal form factor also fits nicely in my living room entertainment set up.

So, for those who do couch-game with their PC in the living room, perhaps almost exclusively, convince me to do the same: Please share photographs of your set-up, showing the form factor, share your experiences, how loud your PC is compared to consoles, how often do you have to get a mouse/keyboard out, what benefits are you enjoying over console g

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My setup is fairly simple:Ikea Poang armchair, wireless keyboard/mouse on a side small table, DS4 as main input, 55" 4k tv. Viewing distance about one and a half mt.

The chair is extremely comfortable with the cheapest cotton cushion (the leather one is waaay expensive) and also light enough to be moved out of the way in seconds.

PC is on the right of the tv inside a fractal design meshify c mini (which is actually pleasant to look at without any rgb light). Very little sound out of it because it's an all SSD solution with quiet fans.

I moved last year and I still have to reconnect any console.

No regrets!

 

[RedSwirl]

This is a quick pic of my interface setup. I was just lucky to have a board the perfect size to act as a lapboard, and it's allowed me to play most games with MKB the same way I would on a desk. There are a handful of games I play on my laptop, either on a desk or on another lapboard-type thing I have -- usually low-end games built specifically for the desktop experience, but I play many of them on both computers.

So this is kind of interesting, Corsair just released an entertainment keyboard that you could use easily with your tv (alongside other devices). Video review here:



I wouldn't necessarily use this to play games but this would more than sufficient to navigate windows from your couch.

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I could maybe see getting this in addition to my current setup. What I really want though is a media remote for Windows that somehow also works when you're streaming stuff in a browser. I guess that would require it to have a trackpad or something. The Steam Controller works fairly well for those situations.

 

[Chettlar]

I absolutely would, but I have a really hard time playing on TVs. Often makes me motion sick.

 

[floridaguy954]

Not a couch gamer but I do use my 55 inch 4k TV as my monitor. I don't know how most people deal with those little 27 inch monitors.

 

[inner-G]

Not a couch gamer but I do use my 55 inch 4k TV as my monitor. I don't know how most people deal with those little 27 inch monitors.

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We sit in front of them at a desk? I don't know how you could deal with a 55" on a desk unless it's like 3' back, with having to look way up at the corners and the PPI of stuff that isn't 4K. Even a 27" seems too big sometimes.

 

[chrisypoo]

Yeah I've been a couch PC gamer for about 7 years now, and it's pretty much the bee's knees.

 

[floridaguy954]

We sit in front of them at a desk? I don't know how you could deal with a 55" on a desk unless it's like 3' back, with having to look way up at the corners and the PPI of stuff that isn't 4K. Even a 27" seems too big sometimes.

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It works for me. Before my current screen I was using a 40 inch TV since around 2014.

 

[Fadewise]

All of you that run long HDMI cables and USB extenders for controllers - have any of you tried extending a VR cable that length? I have a WMR set so I don't need lighthouses etc but I'm guessing it might be sensitive to very long cable runs?

Have more room in the living room for waving arms around

Click to shrink...

I have both an Oculus Rift and Vive extend to about a 30 foot HDMI/USB 3.0 run, and they work just fine. HDMI is passive, USB is active.

 

[Snowfruit]

I used to be a couch PC gamer but then I got dual monitors, I prefer those over one giant screen.
I'm sure I could do a TV + one monitor setup near the couch, but I wouldn't know how to manage the cables so it doesn't look messed up.

 

[BasilZero]

I do.

75'' Sony x900f

4 seat combo theater room sofa set


Got my PS3, PS4, WiiU and gaming laptop all hooked - and its been a blast since!

 

[Deleted member 35071]

i've only seen someone do this once in my life. And it was just an experiment for a day

 

[FaceHugger]

After I move I am thinking about looking into something that can stream 1440p - 4K, as I don't want to run cables or have a PC in the living room. It was kind of cool when I tested the Steam link, but 1080 only and poor audio support killed it for me.

 

[Fat4all]

 

[HououinKyouma00]

I use the Steam controller, but as a couch gamer the gyro is useless because my hands are often behind my head.

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How the fuck do you play? Lol

 

[texhnolyze]

How the fuck do you play? Lol

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Lmao. I tried that pose just now and it's impossible for me.