PC Gaming Is Expensive and a Hassle, But I’m Lovin’ It

February 23, 2008

CrysisSo Paul’s latest comparison between PC and console gaming has created quite the firestorm. His financial analysis shows that console gaming is, in fact, cheaper even if plenty of commenters take issue with his assumptions.

But an important piece is missing from his analysis, which swings the vote even more so toward the console side: PC gaming is a huge hassle. This can’t easily be measured in dollars (hence the reason it’s left out of a financial analysis), but here’s my latest ridiculous example:

I play Crysis and think it’s both the most beautiful game I’ve seen plus one of the most fun games I’ve played in the last couple years (well worth the $45). Having said that, it’s still a love/hate relationship. You see, like many PC games, a patch was released a few months after the game was released. I didn’t find out about it until weeks after its release, of course, because no one told me. And I’m not actively browsing gaming sites daily in hopes for a patch release.

But it gets worse. I install the patch since it’s supposed to fix some bugs and better optimize the gaming experience. It seems to do so until about half way through the game. All of a sudden, it starts taking 5 minutes for any game saving (which you can do at anytime and which happens automatically at every checkpoint). The game become unplayable. Even not saving the game manually (just saving at the automatic checkpoints), I was waiting more than playing.

So that got old really fast, and I started browsing online game forums for clues. I found two forums with hundreds of gamers frustrated by this same issue. In fact, one of the forums is an official EA forum (publisher of the game) but has still seen no response by any moderators. After reading through the comments, I did find a solution. Here’s how it works:

The issue I was experiencing apparently had something to do with the new patch. The fix entails uninstalling the game, then reinstalling it, and finally downloading and using someone else’s saved games to pick up in the part of the game you left off. You can’t backup and use your saved games, you see, because they’re corrupted. And, of course, the most important part is that of NOT installing the patch that the publisher recommends for “better performance,” ironically.

So there you have it. A few hours of my life wasted on something that would have never happened with a console game. It’s 2008, why don’t PC games download and install patches automatically (when they become available) from within the game? Why is it acceptable for patches to break the game and the developer to simply ignore it?

At least this time I was able to find a solution to the problem. My previous gaming problem with Gears of War still has me with a $50 gaming paperweight. But I’ll say again what I said the first time around:

PC gaming is more fun for me. I enjoy being on the cutting (bleeding?) edge with the best possible graphics and games. I prefer the precision of the keyboard and mouse to the clunkiness of the console controller. But in terms of price and the “hassle” factor, it’s no wonder PC gaming has seen a decline in popularity recently. PC gaming is for fools, but I’m lovin’ it… when it works, that is.

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Filed Under: Gaming, Just For Fun

Viewing 42 Comments

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    Bob, they don't automatically download the patches because they screw up your game duh.... :)
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    no kidding.. I am still addicted to pc gaming.. yet I spend every session fighting with graphic card drivers trying to get playable frame rates.. one forceware works with 1 game.. but not another.. and vice versa. It is annoying as shite. eventually I just have to live with one or two games getting absolute shite frame rates so I can play the others
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    Well, World of Warcraft downloads patched automatically. Call of Duty 4 doesn't download them automatically, but a button appears on the main menu when there is one.

    I think part of the reason they don't update automatically is because of issues like the one you had. Imagine instead of a few pages of users with patch problems, everyone who bought the game had those problems.

    On another note, the Wii is my only 'next gen' console, mostly for the family fun aspect of it. I have a problem with buying a console that will just play games. It's mainly a one-use tool. Sure, you can load media onto the 360, but why screw around with a controller to play a video file? I also can't browse the internet very effectively with a console, because even HDTV can't pull off web content very nicely. Even if I could see pages correctly, what about flash and java? Good luck with getting those to work on your console.

    I agree that console controllers are pretty clunky. The fact that most shooters have to have some sort of 'auto aim' feature just to make up for the shortcomings of whatever controller they are using attests to that fact.

    Will I ever buy a console again? Undoubtedly. Will it be whatever comes after the 360 or PS3? Probably not. The days of the standard game controller should come to an end.
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    Amen. My bro has a 360 and the same games I play on the PC have been dumbed down for the console. Very uninspiring and less challenging. That's why I always say consoles are the 'arcade' equivalent of PC games.

    PC trumps consoles every time for performance and future proofing.

    The other thing to consider is that console owners upgrade just like PC gamers, and in fact can cost more. Here's what I mean.

    Did you own a PS2, and now own a PS3? That's technically upgrading. The only way you can play the new generation games is by buying the new generation of console. The money I spent upgrading my PC to be able to play Crysis in all it's glory was cheaper than the cost of a brand new PS3. So who's spending the real money here?
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    PC games FTW!!!!
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    Bob, I know how to solve your gears of war issue.

    If you look online you can look for a patch called

    GoW_Hamachi Fix. you wont be able to play on windows live (the culprit) but you will be able to at least enjoy the singleplayer.

    This worked for me, since it replaces the wlive application which crashes upon starting the game or a minute into it.
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    I wonder if any of you guys actually have me.
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    Wow. So you had one bad experience with a patch, and that leads you to 'report' that all computer games have these issues.
    Amazing reporting job, you couldn't be anymore ignorant on the entire subject.
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    Well I had much more issues trying to patch halflife 1 back in the days when the internet was on a dialup. The version numbers were very confusing.
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    I'm glad the PC gaming alliance was formed. So far they have done a great job of fighting misinformation spread by sites like this. PC gaming on the decline? Industry professionals say otherwise:

    "So does PC gaming need saving? The PCGA doesn't think so. Citing statistics from leading research firm DFC Intelligence PCGA President Randy Stude - who is also the Director of Gaming Strategy at Intel - evangelized the business of PC gaming. Stude's figures stated that PC gaming revenue was worth approximately $2.76 billion in 2007, a 12% increase year-over-year from 2006. The forecast for 2008 is an estimated 14% increase over the 2007 revenue. From the look of the numbers the PC gaming business is growing not shrinking, and the 263 million PC gamers online at the end of 2007 will only grow substantially through 2008."

    Bam:
    http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/20/gdc_long...

    LONG LIVE PC GAMING. The bane of retards who have trouble installing patches
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    Well let me just say there are very strong points to this topic "EA" is the biggest criminal when it comes to allowing gamers to suffer for a patch or support but like others that have done this it will catch up with them. As for the dwindle in PC game front I have to say my worries are Microsoft and the forced up grade game they are playing all the new PC games are being pushed with the new direct x 10 I don't mind hardware updates but this is a direct slap in the face of XP users because direct x 10 only works on Vista and thats the pinch point they are trying to kill XP ...there own product and If you want to play Xbox 360 games on line with your PC friend well they better have Vista . I hate being forced this way.
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    I'd also like to mention the $300 paperweight I have in my room thanks to the Xbox 360 and it's infamous Red ring of death. At least if that were a computer I could open and replace whatever part had gone bad but now i'm forced to stare at the thing I bought just 6 months ago while it whirls around making funny noises while it flashes it's newly acquired red rings.

    Also a little funny story. Over my buddies house a week ago. Opened his new ps3. First think it does is install a firmware update. He throws in DMC4 and he cant play until a 20 minute install is complete. Time from opening box to playing game....a cool 40-50 minutes. So much for convienient
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    Let me get this straight--you're panning PC gaming because one game publisher produced a retarded patch and was further retarded by not notifying you the patch was out there?

    Oh wait there's a complaint about gears of war too. Interesting the thread you linked from your article complaining about GoW attributes the primary problem you described in your other article to 3rd party software running on your PC, which brings up an interesting point. If you're going to build a PC for gaming and compare it to console games, you shouldn't be doing anything else with it. No web browsing, no taxes or file sharing, no downloading of 'naughtily portman' videos (reference used without permission, sorry User Friendly) or ripping music. Care to tell us what else you use that PC for? I have two PCs, one for gaming, one for 'daily driving' (browsing the web, e-mail, etc). The daily driver is a non-microsoft based OS, so it's relatively safe to click around to unknown sites. The other is a lean, mean, gaming machine. I don't mess around on the web with it, and it stays clean of the detritus so frequently picked up over time flogging the info highway with your browser. It has no antivirus, antispyware, and benchmarks show it behaving the same now as the day I built it last spring if not slightly better (yay firmware patches and software updates). If people would treat their gaming PCs like consoles and -only- game on them, I suspect they would have a better result.

    Now, to address the thrust of this article:

    I have yet to play a recent console title that didn't have a patch available within the first 5 weeks. Has your experience differed? I can say the same for PC titles. Did you miss the PS3 Assassin's Creed threads? How about the Orange Box ones, both 360 and PS3? Don't get me wrong, I'm a 2-generation quad-fecta (nintendo/sony/microsoft/pc) gamer. Each platform has its own benefits and deficiencies. But--before these last few generations, it wasn't even possible to patch a console game. At that time, yeah, I could see your argument being valid about PC vs. Consoles inasmuch as the console games 'just work', or they were recalled. Not anymore though, both sides release 'Beta 0.9' and then patch post-release to get to market as fast as possible. With the introduction of 'live' (online) elements to console gaming, and the birth of the console game update, the playing field has leveled out in this aspect.

    And think about the gargantuan task of creating a PC port. Console ports require knowing one (count 'em UNO) platform. PC ports have to basically guess what type of hardware the consumer is going to be using, and try like hell to make it run as well as possible on as many combinations as possible. No small task, to be sure. So, given the fact that you home-built your PC and it doesn't seem to be faring that well, it might be more journalistic to try a few other builds before making blanket statements about the state of PC gaming? Yeah, I know you read the forums about bunches of people that are having the same problems you do, but again, are these people objective about their own rigs, or are they letting their kids use the PC in the afternoons hosing it up with every free click-me offer that pops up? I can't tell from the posts on the links you supplied, can you?

    My point is that I think it's pretty unfair to cast PC gaming in that kind of light without taking a more comprehensive look at the factors involved. Even without doing that, being able to quote at least as many examples of buggy or flat-out non-functional console games at release as you've listed as examples to support your 'PC games are fun but frustrating' angle here really doesn't make for a very compelling argument.

    I just think you're pointing out a tree in the middle of the a forest then screaming about the fact that it has leaves, Bob.

    P.S.
    Also--backups? You don't copy your game saves to a different location before you patch? If I know my console (or PC) is going to patch I dump all my game saves I care about to removable media before I let it go. I think it's awfully thin to completely blame anyone else when a few moments of prevention on your part could have prevented any loss of gameplay. That said, it's just as dumb that a patch doesn't back up game saves before patching. That leaves both you and the manufacturer wearing the same egg on your face, doesn't it?
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    bitbucket-

    1) More than one game publisher. Sure, this is an anecdotal experience, but it happened twice in a row for me. But I never claimed this to be some sort of statistical analysis.

    2) I do have a separate gaming PC. And I don't run much of anything on it. Remember that I read all those forums too. So I've already tried the "make sure other software isn't in the way" solution, which, by the way, is a cop out of an answer.

    3) I did backup my saved games, but they were unusable. The point is that the game only works (for me and hundreds of others) without the patch installed. But the problem persists if you uninstall then reinstall without patch but use your saved games from when the patch was installed. The only solution is play unpatched with only saved games NOT created from a patched version.
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    Bob,

    In response to Rebuttal #1:
    "But I never claimed this to be some sort of statistical analysis."
    Right, but you're using this experience, supported by references to pages of forum threads to give a nod toward console gaming as a less hassle-free experience. What about my comments about recent console game release fiascos like Assassin's Creed and Orange Box? These are two games I can think of instantly to counter your claim about hassle-free console gaming.

    To Rebuttal #2:
    "So I’ve already tried the “make sure other software isn’t in the way” solution, which, by the way, is a cop out of an answer."

    I was trying to point out -gently- that a huge percentage of problems with PCs are rooted in the actions at some point of a user. I've built identical machines, one for myself, one for a close friend, over many generations. After 3-6 months, he starts having problems--disconnects, lockups, etc etc, while my version of identically built hardware/software keeps on performing day-in, day-out. This is a theme that repeats from the 486 days. It illustrates the point I was trying to make, not just in PC gaming, but PC support in general. I support hundreds of PCs and servers. I feel I can speak with some authority.

    How about shouldering some responsibility for fact that your build may just not be the most compatible build out there? I didn't see you posting your specs, only how much you spent. In your GoW article you reference THE main hardware forum with its 68 pages of GoW issues saying, "I'm not alone" (now up to 119 pages btw), but the issues range greatly from "It won't run from autorun" to "my PC blue screens when I run on max settings". Neither of these particular problems for instance are related to problems with the game vs. the machine and operating system, and are a huge chunk of what the forums are filled with.

    Again, my point is you're using a broad brush (discussion forums) to point to your narrow problems as evidence of a poor PC gaming experience (twice). Do you think this is a sound way to support your argument?

    What I'm hearing is, "I'm tired of game developers shipping beta products in a rush to market. Then I got a patch with unpleasant side affects, and I didn't prepare properly for it", and "I got a sloppy port of a console game". Is this the platform's fault? I think not.

    To your rebuttal #3:
    So let me see if I have this straight.
    You say you backed up your saves before patching.
    You say that you had to go to an unpatched version of the game because the patch was broken.
    Patched game saves don't work on the unpatched version.
    You uninstalled and reinstalled the game.
    I'm not seeing the problem here. What happened to your pre-patch game saves? The egg's still there Bob, unless you can clarify this some more.


    Closing:
    You've written two articles and referenced a 3rd party's about how PC gaming is more expensive and more of a hassle to enjoy, contrasting that with the console market.

    You've blamed the platform for:
    -Sloppy port work (Game manufacturers)
    -Bad patch practices (Game manufacturers)
    -Failure on your part to adequately back up before patching (I'm willing to retract this, but the way you describe it here you're still on the hook)
    -Poor release practices (Game manufacturers)
    -Hundreds of pages of forum postings, a huge percentage (I'd say over 50%) of which are neither the fault of the platform or the game. (Hundreds of pages of unique and unrelated problems to yours and PC builds and users).


    I'm pointing out that your experiences, and the supporting information you supply are not the fault of the platform--indeed it's highly probable its' anything but. The PC platform is by definition as unique as a snowflake, especially after the user gets their hands on it, regardless of the hardware, and especially because control is unlocked vs. consoles.

    What's more, in the age of internet update/patching for console games, these problems are far from unique to the PC platform, yet you seem unwilling to acknowledge this fact, and are arguing to the contrary.
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    Bitbucket, what issues are you talking about with Orange Box or Assassin's Creed? I haven't played AC, but OB works great on my 360, and I haven't heard of any problems with it. Are the issues on PS3?

    2. The reason it is a cop out is the fact that a user can have a software installed that will screw things up. That is the hassle. Have you ever heard of a console gamer having issues playing game Y because they have played game X? Me neither...

    3. The fact that you have to do all those steps just to be safe for a patch illustrates the hassle. Some people complain that it can take a week or two for patches to get through Xbox Live's certification because they get it two weeks later. Personally, I love it, they always work.
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    bitbucket-

    Here goes again:

    "What about my comments about recent console game release fiascos like Assassin’s Creed and Orange Box?"

    Point taken. Consoles have at least two screw ups too. BUT, you say something later that has a side effect of working in my favor, ironically:

    "[Y]our build may just not be the most compatible build out there?"

    Actually, I put a lot of time and research into my build and have four years experience working in a computer store. It's not like I just bought random part and hoped they worked.

    But that's beside the larger point: Do consoles have a nearly infinite number of configurations? Is the compatibility different for every single game? Answer: No. But the same questions asked for computer games? Nightmare.

    Now, granted, that's not completely the fault of the developer (though I'd argue the developer shares plenty of the blame). It's part of how gaming has evolved. Computer gaming is very open and console gaming is very closed (in terms of hardware OS). By definition, which do you think has more problems? You [sort of] already answered this:

    "The PC platform is by definition as unique as a snowflake, especially after the user gets their hands on it, regardless of the hardware, and especially because control is unlocked vs. consoles."

    I don't disagree. And I'm willing to admit consoles can have problems (so far, I've heard of two, the ones you gave me). But keep in mind that I've owned about four different consoles in my lifetime and haven't had one single problem. With computer games? I've had dozens of problems at least (only mentioned two).

    The funny thing is that I'm way more of a PC gamer. My original point was in response to Paul's financial analysis showing that PC gaming is more expensive than console gaming. I agreed and pointed out that it's more expensive in non-financial ways as well (i.e., the HASSLE factor is higher in PC gaming than in console gaming).

    We may disagree who is to blame for what problem and to what to degree. But, to me, that's a miniscul sideline discussion. Again, the point is in the title: PC gaming is more expensive and more of a hassle than console gaming (by definition ala the "open" vs. "closed" nature). Do you disagree? If so, what would you say to refute this point?

    But again, I have plenty of reasons why I still prefer PC gaming to console gaming, higher expense and hassle notwithstanding.

    Lastly, to answer this question: "What happened to your pre-patch game saves?"

    I had hardly any. You see, I installed the patch early on in my Crysis gaming experience. The nature of the problem (caused by the patch) doesn't present itself until half way through the game. So I had several hours of gameplay (and subsequently dozens of post- patch saved games) without seeing the problem. So even though I DID backup ALL my saved games, only the first few were useful. But then, I'd have to replay several hours of the game. I elected to use someone else's pre- patched saved games to pick up where I left off. Making sense yet?
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    Speaking about compatibility, I have to mention that Bob's computer is a single nVidia 8800GTS, an Intel Core 2 Duo in an Intel Motherboard (not just chipset), and nothing is overclocked. That sounds like a compatibility nightmare...
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    posted my solution to it. Took me two months to finally figure out what was wrong. I hope it works for you too.
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