J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

That isnt an invite to a console v PC battle by the way, Its just I have been away from PC gamin for ages, my kids still use the pc, mainly for HL2 and associated mods but the machine is obviously creaking under the strain so I was thinking of upgrading but got to wondering whether its worth bothering.

Are there many new releases for pc, do you still need to fanny about with setting for hours ?

KiwiGTI

I don't think you need to fanny about much these days, most games will just install and work. (HL2 was and is a nightmare for me though as I still can't play it without an Internet connection)

Undoubtedly the Xbox 360 (maybe PS3) and HD TVs have had a big impact though.

But then you still have games like WoW which have 8 million players on which is obviously bigger than any console game.

MJW

It depends what kind of games you're after really. I use my PC for quite a variety of stuff including race games (GTR2, Flat Out 2, TOCA Race Driver 3 ) which you'd normally associate with a console. It mainly gets used for first person shooters though which are always better on a PC due to the control system. Haven't had any serious fannying about issues, except with Battlefield 2142 which has been a pain in the **** due to it being released before they'd actually finished programming it.
If you or the kids like these sort of games, and online stuff like RPGs then its worth upgrading the PC

Beefy

Personally I couldnt live without my PC for games. As mentioned above, for driving games, flight simulators, adventures and FPS's you cant beat it if youve got a decent spec PC.

The Dell XPS is a good place to look if you want to buy something that will cope with the latest software. I would suggest building your own but not if you dont fancy messing around too much.

I would say there are usually 1 or 2 really good releases each month, but some months there can be 3 or 4 really good releases. All genres are pretty well catered for really.

Most games install no problem provided you have the required levels of equipment. In order to stay up-to-date with the latest game patches I would install Gameshadow from GameShadow.com – Get the latest patch, demo or trailer for your games as its a free and easy way to keep all your installed titles fully patched (this is vital for online play).

EddScott

I tend to use consoles only for driving games.

I only play first person shooters (HL2), RTS games (Command & Conquor, Dawn of War) and driving games. Only reason I don't have driving games for my PC is space for wheel etc and its impossible to play driving games with a keyboard.

I got some decent internal upgrade parts in the For Sale section if your interested and car build your own. Should keep you going for a while - or at least until Vista becomes a "no-choice" operating system.

MJW

I bought a couple of USB joypads for the driving games, easier than the keyboard, and a bit more console-like !