Back in the gaming scene... help chose a console.

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masshole

[H]ard|Gawd
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So it's been a while since I've done any sort of gaming, which is why I looking for some advice on here.

Here are the consoles/options I was looking at:

Build a pc with mini-atx, PS3 or x-box 360. (Open to other suggestions.)

Games I've played before and loved. FPS, Madden Football, Hitman and the Police Quest/SWAT series and C&C.

I have a new 46" Samsung TV with a blu-ray player, so the PS3 with that feature isn't a selling point. I also have 5.1 surround sound and would need a wireless controller if I went that route. (playing distance would be 8-10'.) I'm using a laptop for all my computer needs, so building another one I could benefit from, but not a huge necessity.

I guess Im looking for the following:

No lag (speed), graphics and sound experience, top rated FPS games and a system that will give me the best bang for the buck (without breaking the bank.)

Thanks for any help and I hope this is enough information.
 
What is your budget to build a PC? A new PS3 or Xbox 360 will run you ~$200 or so; building a gaming PC for that much would be pointless.
 
Well you're going to get all kinds of answers and probably more confused. None of them are really that much “better” than the other IMHO.

As far as consoles go, look at the exclusives (Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War, Gears of War, Halo) that appeal to you.

Do your friends play online? What consoles do they own because you may like to play with them online.

For PC…well the sky (or wallet) is the limit.
 
The budget would be no more than 1,000 for the pc. Would that give me a better gaming experience ie faster/better graphics and sound and better fps games vs the other consoles?

Thanks.
 
masshole said:
The budget would be no more than 1,000 for the pc. Would that give me a better gaming experience ie faster/better graphics and sound and better fps games vs the other consoles?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

For a $1000 Gaming PC; a Xbox 360 or PS3 won't come anywhere close graphically or performance wise. Hell, even a PS4 or Xbox One would have a hard time keeping up.
 
Kinsaras said:
Well you're going to get all kinds of answers and probably more confused. None of them are really that much “better” than the other IMHO.

As far as consoles go, look at the exclusives (Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War, Gears of War, Halo) that appeal to you.

Do your friends play online? What consoles do they own because you may like to play with them online.

For PC…well the sky (or wallet) is the limit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I kinda figured it would be subjective. One of my buddies has a ps3 but I probably won't do much online gaming or go to many LAN parties. Space is limiting for the pc (no floor options) which is why I would need a small case to place on my desk. I was thinking about going to a local game shop and demoing the two. I've just always
valued the opinions of the folks on [H].
 
You can build a pretty smoking PC for a grand considering you already have a TV and 5.1 surround.
Just buy a slightly older i5 or i7 (not the newest revisions), 8GB of RAM, and a top tier video card.
Wireless keyboards are cheap and you can get a really nice wireless mouse for $50-75.
For controllers, the 360 controller and wireless dongle will cover that base.
 
Interesting... I never thought about using the TV as a monitor. I guess I could just hook the PC up to my receiver via an HDMI cable. Would there be any loss in resolution by doing that? Or would it look better on a smaller monitor? Maybe I've been spoiled for watching Blu-ray discs and HD tv...

I was looking at the Sandy Bridge as I read it got some great reviews. Basically I would need a case, memory, cpu, sound and graphics cards and the controller. (I already have wireless keyboard and mouse.)

What do you guys think the lowest price I could go without sacrificing game lag for today's top games?

Thanks again for everyones help too, btw.
 
I've been using a TV as a monitor for years. There's no difference in fidelity compared to most monitors...as most TV's these days are just monitors with TV tuners and whatnot built into them. The only real catch will be that you won't be able to go any higher than 1920x1080/60fps. That's not a big deal for most users, but if you're accustomed to higher resolutions or 120hz it could be an issue. Still, I'd rather play at 1080p on a big TV than a higher resolution on a smaller monitor. Not everyone agrees, so keep that in mind.
Just plug it in via HDMI and you're good to go. You get sound, too.
If your AV receiver accepts HDMI inputs, it's actually THE BEST sound output as modern video cards will transport 7.1 lossless audio of every variety.
 
To get a really diverse range of games, I would go with your suggestion of a console and PC. Only, I would build a nice small gaming HTPC, and then buy a Wii-U. The Wii-U is a perfect complement to a gaming PC. The PC can play nearly everything that the XB/PS systems can (short of the odd exclusive) only better. The Wii-U provides games that you don't see on any of these systems, not to mention some great multiplayer stuff for when you have some friends/family hanging around.

A PC and either XB/PS is going to have big overlap, and if you buy something for one of them, and then the PC version ends up better, you may be in for some disappointment.

If you don't want to build the PC, then the XB/PS would definitely be great options. You'd just be missing out on some of the cool Nintendo stuff that's recently come out, or is about to.

A PC with Steam is perfect in the living room setting. Switch it to "Big Picture" mode, and you can control everything with a game pad from your couch. It just keeps getting better, with cool features added all the time. (like streaming. You can stream you games from a desktop machine to a lower power machine like your laptop.)

Anyway, you've got a lot of options. Personally, I enjoy the PC/Wii-U combo daily.
 
OK, so I think I've narrowed it down...more or less.

• HTPC
• XB
• PS3
• TBA

The TBA could be something that Im unaware of that could provide a great gaming experience. i.e. wii, gamecube, Atari etc.

Of those, I think I could categorized them into HTPC and then the consoles.

How would the HTPC benefit me over the consoles or vice versa (in terms of performance, sound and video?)

Thanks again for the help.
 
If you're not worried about dealing with a keyboard and mouse in the living room (or wherever) then I'd get the HTPC with an actual HTPC case. If you use XBMC and Advance Launcher you'll be impressed but it takes time to configure properly (to be keyboard & mouse free)

If it's only between the 360 and PS3 go where your friends are otherwise get a PS3. Its library of exclusives are remarkable.
 
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masshole said:
How would the HTPC benefit me over the consoles or vice versa (in terms of performance, sound and video?)
Click to expand...

In terms of sound/video, it's the most flexible. A HTPC with an install of Media Player Classic Home Cinema (a free program) will play any format under the sun. Plus, if you use your HDMI-out to an A/V receiver it'll play all of those files using surround sound if they have multi-channel audio. You also have the option of using XBMC and all of it's wonderful options as well. That's tough to beat.

The real catch is that there are almost no good options to playing Blu-Ray movies for free on the PC. Programs like PowerDVD and TotalMedia Theater are usually at least $50. There are some ways to rig VLC and MPC to do it, but those aren't very elegant solutions.

If you go the HTPC route, save a little extra cash and get PowerDVD. With a little luck you might be able to find it on sale.
 
I use an HTPC to game on. I would only recommend it if you don't feel like running an HDMI cable and changing output displays. But I find its a great option to play games especially for the games that came out on the PS3 or Xbox 360. Usually my HTPC is able to play them at max settings at 1080p easily. I also got the wireless dongle, so I use a wireless xbox 360 to play.

I also use my HTPC to play blurays as well. Here is my thread for my HTPC just give you an idea of my setup. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1779470
 
Thanks for the input! I don't really need to watch BRD from the PC or console, since I already have a Blu-ray player. This will be strictly for gaming.

My setup is as follows:

Samsung 46" TV
Oppo Blu-ray player
Marantz AVR
5.1 surround (Infinity speakers and SVS sub)

Im not sure if that helps or not.
 
I first and foremost like my PC. but a ps3 is a good addition to that, there are some nice games only available for it (Littlebigplanet, dragons dogma, uncharted,god of war, etc)

im not sure how much you're going to like playing PC games on a TV. you'll need to make sure your TV is 4:4:4 before even thinking about it.

sounds like you're going in the right direction though.
 
Thanks DF-1! I was able to play with Xbox-one and PS4 today at a local gaming shop. I was really impressed with the graphics. Since I prefer FPS, I need to figure which will also be best. I remember playing on a PC and was able to sight the target with quickness using the mouse. Not sure how that would translate to the controller.

The TV I have is a Samsung UN46H7150. I read that it was a 4:4:4, but could be mistaken.
 
Just an update- I ended up going with a PS4. This was based on several factors. My budget changed dramatically, so I would have had to spend around 400, the price of the PS4. I don't think I would have been able to put something together that would have been comparable to the PS4. I didn't go with the Xbox 1 because I didn't need to watch blu-ray discs from it and I personally like the PS4 games selection.


Thanks for everyones help here- much appreciated.
 
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