Is high end PC gaming leaving you behind?

[mastronaut]

I recently spent big bucks on my computer so that I can play games like Half-Life 2, F.E.A.R. and Quake 4, yet I have a funny feeling that my machine will be obsolete in less than 2 years. Do you feel that the industry is going too far with new games? I kind of wish that we could have more games like 'Return to Castle Wolfenstein', that can run beautifully on high end computers, and still play great on a P3 500mhz. Am I alone in my thinking? Are you tired of upgrading to play the 'cutting edge' games? Just a thought.

 

[Nodsu]

All you need to do is to concentrate on games with content and playability instead of the ones with pretty graphics and massive hype

I can play most of my favourite games on a Pentium 100 no problem

 

[Candyman]

High end gaming...

I hear what you are saying. You spend a ton of cash building a new computer only to know that it will need upgrading in a few months. Some gamers love it, those that have jobs with free cash to spend, others, like students, hate it.

Gaming is a business and everyone, let's say at Epic (Unreal engine), is trying to outdo Id or Valve. If your graphics look old you get bad reviews online and in mags which leads to lower than expected sales. They push graphics hard, and then give gamers the option to scale back on textures and resolution. My 9700 Pro AGP played everything great until FEAR, then it stuttered and choked. I had to ugrade everything to PCI-E and that was a decent chunk of change.

To me, gameplay is way more important than graphics alone.

 

[Kev_Boy]

Actually, I ain't.

It's just something you have to deal with, every 2-3 years you need to upgrade your system and that's just the way it goes. I'd rather have it this way, than that technology in games would stand still or creep along.

Your older computer can still serve you well as a backup or perhaps test PC or just second PC, if you're like me, you might be doing compile work in a program that can take a while and you don't want to slow that process down even more, you just use your second (older) PC for a while

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Actually, I ain't.

It's just something you have to deal with, every 2-3 years you need to upgrade your system and that's just the way it goes. I'd rather have it this way, than that technology in games would stand still or creep along.

Your older computer can still serve you well as a backup or perhaps test PC or just second PC, if you're like me, you might be doing compile work in a program that can take a while and you don't want to slow that process down even more, you just use your second (older) PC for a while

Upgrading is a necessary evil IMO. You hate to spend all that dough though when u see BF2 running on full u think to urself, "Man, this was worth it!"

 

[Tommy529]

I agree I have to run BF2 on low settings and 800 by 600 resolution and i played it on my neighbors computer with all the specs on highest and it was amasing. It felt like I was actually in a battle!

 

[Ruben]

both graphics and sound evolve to make some games more realistic, especially FPS and racers, true. I am no exception: I like gaming but I do not like paying too much
Maybe Playstation or Xbox would be actually better value option in future...

 

[dady393]

yeah, I agree!

I´m already behind nowadays for christs sake, I´ve got a 1,7 ghz ,768mb ddr,64 mb ram graphic card. Games are getting way to demanding.

 

[osram]

who cares about being behind. at some point you will realise its way better to have a low-budget computer which manages at least the games you like.

unless you like spending over 120 hours of work on a gaming computer or you have rich parents who pay for you.

go spend some money on some sports equipment instead

 

[kens8]

You really don't have to spend a fortune every 2-3 years to keep your machine up to date. All you have to do is spend an average of a couple hundred a year. Put $2-$4 a week in a jar and leave it there. Most people can afford to do that. At the end of the year you'll have over $200. One year you may only spend $50 on your computer, but you'll have $150 to add to next year's pot. Then when you need to do a full motherboard/CPU upgrade you'll have the cash, or close to it.

It takes some discipline, but if you've got a fairly up to date system right now, this is the best way to keep it current.