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[Kazza]

I was just browsing the Steam best-sellers list, and noticed what an impressive variety of games which are available on the platform, including many types of games that you wouldn't have seen a few years back. While the arguments for getting a PC frequently revolve around the "power" issue, as with consoles it is the games that are the most important factor. Here are a couple of screenshots from the top 50:

You can see that there are a good selection of traditional PC games (some of which are now making their way to consoles):
- Civilisation 6
- Euro Truck Simulator 2 (not my cup of tea, but seems really popular)
- Age of Empires
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Three Kingdoms: Total War

Formerly Playstation Exclusives:
- Death Stranding
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Detroit Become Human

Formerly Xbox Exclusives:
- Halo
- Sea of Thieves

The type of Japanese made games which were absent from the platform for a long while:
- Persona 4 Golden
- Sekiro: Heroes Die Twice

While it could be argued that the PC is lacking some of the wow-like marquee game games of the past (with many games being made with an eventual console port in mind), stuff like Half Life: Alyx is still pushing the boundaries. For some of the games (notably the Playstation stuff) PC gamers will still have to wait a while for a port, but Xbox games at least is pretty much day and date now. Apart from Nintendo, is there anything else really missing?

For me, it would be nice if Xbox could expand their support to include the BC games from the OG Xbox and 360. Nintendo stuff, including the Switch now, can be emulated pretty well, but not everybody wants to go through the hassle of doing that. I personally wouldn't want to bet any money on Nintendo stuff officially coming within the next decade.

So, for those with better knowledge of the PC than me, has there ever been a time when there were a greater range of PC and console games available for the platform than today?

 

[psorcerer]

So, for those with better knowledge of the PC than me, has there ever been a time when there were a greater range of PC and console games available for the platform than today?

1. PC is not a platform.
2. There was. 1998-2003 the most of the best PC games ever were produced then. Including Crysis.

 

[TaySan]

Not really honestly. There is just about everything for everyone and it's never been easier to jump on the platform and have very little reason to buy a console anymore outside of exclusives.

 

[GHG]

Probably not, no.

And if not for the covid induced shortages (and price hikes) I'd say we're in one of the best times hardware wise as well.

However I'll say that the games that were being produced in the late 90's/early 2000's were far more groundbreaking and innovative than most of what we get now. The choice and variety of games is what makes it better now.

 

[HE1NZ]

No. 90% of all games are arriving to PC these days. What a turn around from 10 years ago when it was considered a dying platform.

 

[Kagey K]

I’d say the mid to late 90s were better just because PCs were running games not possible on consoles.

This is a nice resurgence for PC gaming though.

 

[German Hops]

I can't get first party Nintendo games on PC, so

 

[ACESHIGH]

No, folks in forums like this one and era don't mention it but the PC platform is the one that "won" the generation.

Sony dominated in console gaming as usual, mainly due to MS fuck ups at release. And Nintendo had to basically lose one SKU to stay relevant.

 

[idrago01]

PC still deserves better, It's a shame that games are judged based on their PS4/Xbox versions when the PC counterparts look and play so much better, i.e. death stranding, plus you can mod or use reshade/sweetfx, etc.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

I mean...considering that backwards compatibility is basically 100% ensured, either simply because it's a big focus in the platform or because it's open and emulation is easy to achieve, the software library only gets bigger...there's never a better time to game on PC than when you're asking the question; it only gets better and better as time goes on!

I can't get first party Nintendo games on PC, so

Kind of a null point when emulation is a thing that exists and Nintendo first party titles are basically #1 priority in that regard. I played Breath of the Wild from start to finish in Cemu with flawless performance (and only the occasional minor bug, which have long since been fixed) not that long after release and Super Mario Odyssey has been playable for a while now. If there's anything that doesn't work it's usually the third party stuff.

 

[Kazza]

However I'll say that the games that were being produced in the late 90's/early 2000's were far more groundbreaking and innovative than most of what we get now. The choice and variety of games is what makes it better now.

That goes equally for console and PC games, to be fair. I think the real innovation these days is happening in VR (both on the PC and the PS4).

 

[Myths]

PC still deserves better, It's a shame that games are judged based on their PS4/Xbox versions when the PC counterparts look and play so much better, i.e. death stranding, plus you can mod or use reshade/sweetfx, etc.

GTA 5 is looks amazing with a time cycle mod and Reshade. PC will likely continue its domination.

 

[GrayChild]

I'd still say the 90s were a bit better for PC gaming. Mainly because you could get dozens of titles which were pushing the available hardware to its limits. There's just handful of these today.

But apart from that PC gaming is thriving right now. Especially when 95% of all games that are being made finding their way to the platform in one way or another.

 

[Elektro Demon]

There really is no reason to buy a console other then for exclusives. Pc always was and will be the best and most versatile platform for gaming.

 

[Guilty_AI]

In terms of variety and innovative titles, i'd argue its ahead of all other platforms, although in terms of pure graphical output there isn't a whole lot going on for it as it once had.

 

[Dr.D00p]

...Everything would be peachy in PC Gamer land if we had some decent competition in the GPU market, as it is, we're being bent over every two years and right royally penetrated by Nvidia, without even the courtesy of some lube.

 

[OutRun88]

dYiNg pLaTFoRm!

 

[Kazza]

There really is no reason to buy a console other then for exclusives. Pc always was and will be the best and most versatile platform for gaming.

I think it's arguable that at the start of the next gen the consoles have a price advantage. If the consoles are really cheap (and I mean unrealistically cheap - £199 for the S or £299 for the digital PS5), then I might well bite and put off building a PC until 2022 or so. Otherwise, I'll be going PC.

That said, although the consoles this time around appear really well balanced (CPU/GPU/SSD etc), the stuff from Nvidia recently, especially things like DLSS, make me wonder if PC is on the cusp of something big that will leave the consoles behind quicker than I thought they would.

For games, I have no complaints whatsoever, especially now that the likes of Yakuza are coming day and date. For Nintendo stuff, I plan to buy a Switch anyway for portability, and will crack it and have my PC act as the docked version.

 

[Kazza]

...Everything would be peachy in PC Gamer land if we had some decent competition in the GPU market, as it is, we're being bent over every two years and right royally penetrated by Nvidia, without even the courtesy of some lube.

I don;t know man, people complain about the rising prices, which is fair, but I don't think Nvidia are holding back in terms of innovation. That DLSS 2.0 is some seriously impressive stuff. The software/driver/machine learning side of things may turn out even more important than the hardware side iteself in the coming years.

 

[OutRun88]

...Everything would be peachy in PC Gamer land if we had some decent competition in the GPU market, as it is, we're being bent over every two years and right royally penetrated by Nvidia, without even the courtesy of some lube.

We do.

The AMD 5700 series was a pretty big shakeup to the mid-upper market in terms of price to performance.

I will concede that Nvidia single handedly has the super high end market to themselves.

 

[evanft]

Nope. PC gaming is easier and better than ever.

 

[down 2 orth]

I'm fairly new to PC gaming, but loving it more and more as I go along. The variety of games is great, and so is the feeling of playing a game with graphics and performance that can't be topped on any other system.

 

[kruis]

I can't get first party Nintendo games on PC, so

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Pc always had variety you are talking about

It is going to get most (all) xbox titles and some PS titles as well. So yes it's the best time.

 

[Knitted Knight]

Assuming you don't own a PS4, then Yes.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

I agree with the OP on the thread title, however I personally prefer the games released in the 90s to the ones we have now.

There really is no reason to buy a console other then for exclusives. Pc always was and will be the best and most versatile platform for gaming.

My main reasons are a) cost effectiveness (frames per Euro) in relation to what's "good enough" for me and b) space (a little plastic box is smaller than even a standard mini ITX system)

 

[Elektro Demon]

I agree with the OP on the thread title, however I personally prefer the games released in the 90s to the ones we have now.



My main reasons are a) cost effectiveness (frames per Euro) in relation to what's "good enough" for me and b) space (a little plastic box is smaller than even a standard mini ITX system)

Spoiler

jk

 

[bitbydeath]

I concur with a lot of the others. The 90’s was the best time.

 

[German Hops]

Ok, that looks completely legal.

 

[Birdo]

Most of those are console ports.

PC gaming was best when it was the other way around. When PC games led the way.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Ok, that looks completely legal.

tbf, the emulation itself still falls into uncertain legality areas. So you should be fine(?) if you own the games you're emulating.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The 90s, personally. PC was the best place to play certain genres (FPS, point and click adventure, hex wargames) or the only place to play certain genres (most cRPGs, RTS, 4x strategy, civ).

Nowadays, the PC is the best place to play the best-running, highest-fidelity games designed for consoles.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Most of those are console ports.

? Half of the titles on that list had their initial releases on PC or are currently PC only

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

Ok, that looks completely legal.

Emulation is legal. Piracy is not.
Emulation =/= Piracy

 

[I Love Rock 'n' Roll]

1. PC is not a platform.
2. There was. 1998-2003 the most of the best PC games ever were produced then. Including Crysis.

Came to say this. To me, today's pc games are shit. For me the golden age comes with Quake and ends around Deus Ex.

 

[Guilty_AI]

1. PC is not a platform.
2. There was. 1998-2003 the most of the best PC games ever were produced then. Including Crysis.

Crysis is from 2007 no? Even the original Far cry was only released on 2004

 

[kruis]

tbf, the emulation itself still falls into uncertain legality areas. So you should be fine(?) if you own the games you're emulating.

Nothing illegal about playing Nintendo games on PC emulators if you own the game. I've got a dozen or so Wii games, but I think I spent more time playing these games on the PC than on an actual Wii because of the horribly low resolution. I even completed Xenoblade that way. Super Mario Galaxy is also a looker in HD.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Nothing illegal about playing Nintendo games on PC emulators if you own the game. I've got a dozen or so Wii games, but I think I spent more time playing these games on the PC than on an actual Wii because of the horribly low resolution. I even completed Xenoblade that way. Super Mario Galaxy is also a looker in HD.

I say its uncertain because Emulators need the console BIOS to work properly, so you'd either need to own the console yourself to extract that BIOS or that BIOS would need to fall under fair use.

 

[Yumi]

If playstation and Nintendo exclusives aren't your jam then yes I guess.

But I agree with what other people are saying. Being a teenager and having diablo 2, world of warcraft, the sims, arena shooters? And top down isometric rpgs. That was when PC offered games you couldn't get anywhere else.

 

[Diddy X]

Yeah PC is great, sucks that hardware has gotten so expensive.

 

[BadBurger]

Please don't take this as "PC master racing", but I have thought PC was the best place to game since I was a teenager - if a person only had one option.

Now that I have disposable income I also own some consoles because I like to play some genres on my couch on my large TV. I don't want a PC in my living room, I don't want to run cables across the house, and all of the streaming options suck or are too expensive. And I guess I also really enjoy the Sony and Nintendo exclusives. Microsoft has some hits too but I own a One X because of Game Pass.

 

[Ten_Fold]

If Microsoft will continue to release Xbox exclusives on windows PC day one, then yeah I agree it’s a great time to be a PC fan. I don’t really buy too many PC games, think I only got FF14, gamepass and Bloodstained, gamepass makes my PC pretty much an Xbox. I still love the switch more than any system out though.

 

[The_Mike]

I’d say the mid to late 90s were better just because PCs were running games not possible on consoles.

This is a nice resurgence for PC gaming though.

Agreed. The pc genres like shooters has been dumped down alot since they were common on consoles.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

I say its uncertain because Emulators need the console BIOS to work properly, so you'd either need to own the console yourself to extract that BIOS or that BIOS would need to fall under fair use.

Some do, some don't. A lot don't these days. Just as the emulator is a result of clean room design (or should be to be truly legally compliant) you can apply exactly the same development philosophy to your own implementation of the BIOS.

Edit: Besides, it's kind of neither here nor there, because even if the emulator does need the original BIOS to work it doesn't make the act of emulating illegal, it's the piracy that the user commits that is the crime. The same argument can be said of the games. Some people legally dump them, some legally download them from Nintendo's CDN's after buying them...and some...some pirate. But it's not the emulation that's illegal, it's the piracy.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Depends on how you look at it. Growing up gaming on PC, the platform used to be the place to play games you wouldn’t play anywhere else. Big time games. First Person and Real Time strategy games along with western RPGs. Big games.

These days the platform is basically a console port machine.

 

[Guardian's Light]

1. PC is not a platform.
2. There was. 1998-2003 the most of the best PC games ever were produced then. Including Crysis.

1998-2003, and dos years, it had some of the best and most memorable / replayable games ever made

If only og Duke Nukem Forever ever came out at the right time, '98 /' 03 would even have been much more awesome

 

[Guilty_AI]

Some do, some don't. A lot don't these days. Just as the emulator is a result of clean room design (or should be to be truly legally compliant) you can apply exactly the same development philosophy to your own implementation of the BIOS.

Edit: Besides, it's kind of neither here nor there, because even if the emulator does need the original BIOS to work it doesn't make the act of emulating illegal, it's the piracy that the user commits that is the crime. The same argument can be said of the games. Some people legally dump them, some legally download them from Nintendo's CDN's after buying them...and some...some pirate. But it's not the emulation that's illegal, it's the piracy.

Putting it like that, i suppose its indeed as you say.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

early 2000's til 2004 maybe

 

[midasmulligan]

...Everything would be peachy in PC Gamer land if we had some decent competition in the GPU market, as it is, we're being bent over every two years and right royally penetrated by Nvidia, without even the courtesy of some lube.

It’s like trying to compete with Windows OS or Amazons AWS. The product and the company, in Nvidia, are similarly best in class when it comes to hardware and software. There is nothing remotely close to Nvidias flagship products (Titan/Ti) or software (DLSS), and they are reaping the rewards hand over fist (as they should, frankly, given the R&D required).

 

[Kamina]

We live in good times. More people can enjoy good games that used to be exclusive to others before.