Busting PC gaming myths #1: "It's too expensive"

Article image: The IBM Blue Gene super computer costs $1.3 million. You don't need one to play Dead Island.

 

As gamers, we're always looking for a good bit of banter with those who have an opinion that differentiates from our own. Most will have a preferred platform to play on, and will have a list of arguments at the ready to defend said platform if somebody decides they prefer something else. As a PC gamer, though, I often find I'm defending my platform a lot more than the console crowd do, and often against arguments that are simply not true. So I've left my comfortable PC gaming home over at Ironhammers to voice my opinion here on Made2Game, hopefully quashing a few of these myths in the process.

The first thing that always comes up when discussing the idea of playing games on an actual PC is the cost. “Why should I spend £1,000 on a gaming PC when I can buy a console for less than £200?” That's something I often hear. Or, after overcoming that hurdle, “you still need to upgrade every six months to keep playing the newest games!” Two things you've likely either read, heard or even spoken. Both are completely untrue. But just how much does PC gaming cost in comparison to the consoles?

Of course, you can spend a near-infinite amount on a PC set-up should you wish. Especially if you listen to Razer's recent bid to show PC gaming is not 'dead', which involved the launch of a laptop priced around $3,000 USD. That's certainly a whole lot more than most PC gamers will ever spend on a machine, but my first real argument is this; while a PC can pretty much replace the need for a games console, the same is not true when switched around. Whether it be for work, school or just browsing Facebook and shopping online, most console gamers still have a need for a computer in their home.

If that's the case, and you've got a computer already, you're more than half way there. There's likely already a bunch of games that can be played on the system, and if was bought within the last few years, it's likely that you'll only need the addition of a graphics card to be playing all the latest releases in a much higher fidelity than their console brethren. As an example, the current cost of a card such as AMD's Radeon HD6770 sits at around £80-90 – and while many will be a little nervous about installing such a piece of kit, it's really not that hard. If you've ever built a flat-pack wardrobe, you've succeeded in a task of much greater difficulty. In this scenario, you've now got yourself a rig that'll run anything you throw at, will produce noticeably better visuals than your Xbox 360 and has cost you less than half the current asking price of a PlayStation 3.

To address those who don't currently have a PC or are laptop owners (which are far less likely to have upgradable graphics solutions), though, you're obviously going to have to spend a little more than £90 to get gaming on PC. But is it going to cost the £1,000 that's often used in a bid to belittle the efficiency of the PC as a gaming platform? Not at all. I'd say £400-500 is a good estimate to get yourself a nice system. Which may still sound a lot at first, but it's necessary to look at what you're really getting for this money. It's far more than just a gaming machine, you're going to have a fast computer that'll not only get you around the internet, but is also good for video editing, office work and, well, there's not much that can't be done with a PC, and this one will do mostly all of it at lighting pace.

Allow me to go a step further, though, what if you just use it for gaming? You're out of pocket, right? No, that's wrong too. Let me introduce to you PC gaming's secret weapon of cost-reduction: the price of games. At the time of writing it's the beginning of the week in which F1 2011 releases. I can go over to a retailer such as Play.com and pre-order the 360 or PS3 versions for £39.99. If I decide I want the PC version – bearing in mind that on a £400 computer it'll actually be the superior version of the game – it'll set me back just £17.99. Now, mathematics isn't my greatest subject, but I can narrow that down to a saving of around £22.00 (and that's without a calculator). Buy ten games with these savings throughout the life of your machine, and that £220 saving will bring the cost of your £400 PC back down to less than the cost of Sony's current console.

Which brings me onto my final point, one that regards the duration of this computer's lifecycle. After all, 'Mr. Console Gamer' in the second paragraph told me it'll need to be upgraded within six months. Well let me dispute that statement with a little anecdotal evidence. Last week I found myself staying away from home, but I'd just started THQ's Space Marine before leaving. At my disposal was an old computer that contained an Nvidia Geforce 8600GT graphics card within. A piece of hardware that released five and a half years ago in April of 2007 – and was probably a similar price to the HD6770 mentioned above at that time. I installed Steam and downloaded the game. An added bonus at this point was that Steamcloud would sync the game to where I left it at home, for free. Then, as could be perceived by those of lesser knowledge as an act of magic, I did something unthinkable. I played the game. It looked great, and I even hooked it up to the 32” TV and plugged in an Xbox 360 controller for console-like authenticity.

If you're still not convinced, keep an eye out for the second part of 'Shattering PC gaming myths', where I'll look at the common accusation that PC games are all just “crappy console ports” anyway. In the meantime, feel free to refute my above claims in the comments. I'll be watching.

Bobby Gooding started out gaming on an Atari 2600, but these days struggles to shift away from his keyboard and mouse. You can find his words about PC gaming daily on Ironhammers.org, or hear his rants about which option menu was missing from the latest PC release by following @ironhammers on Twitter.

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