Valve: Why the PC is the future

When Valve summoned a handful of US and UK journalists to its Seattle headquarters at the end of last month, it promised to talk about the future of Steam, its digital distribution system. That it did, revealing the ambitious Steam Cloud service for remote storage of game data, and boasting that it would soon be making more money selling games digitally, all the while remaining untroubled by piracy.

Valve mastermind Gabe Newell and his cohorts had an ulterior motive for bringing reporters together, however, and unusually for an ulterior motive, it wasn't a wholly self-interested one. It was this: to evangelise the PC as the games platform of the future.

[titntin]

Well you can't blame the guy for bigging up the platform he's most comfortable with, and he does have some good points to make.

But he's also missing a lot of issues and problems and is downright misleading in many of his statements.

Of course the sales figures for PC's are enormous, but its a very small fraction of these that are used for serious gaming. I have three high spec machines in my home office and am just about to invest more than £4000 in another workstation class machine, but I can't remember when I last bought a game (it might have been Half Life 2 actually..)

Sales of PC titles are overall, a small piece of the market and trends clearly show its shrinking. Whilst tending to have a longer shelf life, sales levels of software titles are very poor.
Piracy doesn't help - its the platform thats the most plagued by software piracy.

The games market now is no longer limited to hardcore gamers. The majority of gamers want simple pick up and play titles. Struggling with hardware incompatibilities, constant driver updates, variable performance, buggy titles, and requirements that often have you spending as much on a single graphics card as for an entire 360 or PS3, are all turn-offs for the majority of gamers.

A properly configured cost no object system is indeed always going to be the cutting edge of technical innovation, and will no doubt continue to be the play-thing of the devoted hard core gamer, who's prepared to put the effort and money in to get the very best technological gaming.

But for most people, its more effort and money than its worth, and when you look at the kind of stunning titles you can play from 360 and PS3 on a 1080P TV, it clear to see why people are buying games in these markets, and not for PC. Its simply less bother, and far less money - the performance per buck is greater.

In many ways, the PC is the past of gaming, and whilst it will always be the top end hardcore purists platform of choice, it will never regain the 'middle ground'.

[QuackPot]

Consoles will continue to dominate games sales with PC gaming only for the diehard gamers who are willing to fork out big bucks.

If it wasn't for the memory limitations and having a game OS instead of a traditional OS, the next gen consoles are essentially PCs(CPU, GPU, HDD, ethernet, K & M etc).

It is just a matter of time that the consoles will offer EVERYTHING a PC does. And these consoles will unlikely include a Windows OS but some new one based on Unix or Linux. But you never can underestimate Microsoft to make windows the main OS for the future xbox.

So Gabe can keep dreaming. The future is consoles not PCs; in particular, cheap, future proof PC CONSOLES - one off hardware purchase that will last at least 5 years and not requiring any expensive h/w upgrade.

[ChampIDC]

A lot of PC revenue for companies comes in the form of the free ad-based games and games with in-game stores. Sure, there's a lot of gamers on PCs, but a ton of them are little kids playing Maplestory adn such. Steam has a good thing going for it, but consoles are gradually taking over.

[Lethal_Venom]

I'll take the word of some successful businessmen, then some nobody children on a public board.

[Statix]

Or maybe you're just a biased fanboy who only believes what you want to hear?

[Lethal_Venom]

No, I'd just rather listen to people that actually matter.

[SaiyanFury]

Well hate to break it to Gabe, but the future is in the living room, and not in some corner of your house. I, myself, spend a fair buck on my PC keeping it upgraded where I can play the latest games, but I spend far more time on the couch in front of my 1080p HDTV with my PS3 and Xbox 360. Most gamers don't want to be bothered with the cost of an expensive PC as upgrades do need to be performed once every year or so to keep with top performance. It was only recently that I started building my own PC where I could play games. I've been playing consoles ever since I was 7 back in the 80s. Considering performance, today's consoles often offer a visual and aural experience that is directly on par, and sometimes above and beyond what a PC can offer. I remember at launch, many people griped about the high cost of the PS3. Well the simple fact of the matter is, that a good gaming grade PC is generally more costly so I'm pretty sure those people would rather invest their money in a console that will have a lifespan of at least 5 years rather than a PC where the hardware will need to be upgraded in 12 months. Just a personal thought there as a hardcore gamer of both console and PC platforms.

[titntin]

@Lethal_Venom

Whats your problem dude? This is a site for people to discuss their own take on ideas and speculation in the media..

If youw ere referring to me as I kid I take that as a compliment. I'm 44 and I've been a professional artist/animator making video games for more than 15 years. Of course this doesn't make my opinion any more valid than anyone elses, but its more than the bleating of kid on a public site!

Simply being sucesful doesn't mean he has a hotline to the future any more than anyone else who works in, or is keenly interested in, the buisness.

Gabe famously said the PS3 was doomed and sony should throw it away and start again. His crystal ball was working too well then was it???

[Nineball2112]

I agree 110%. I gave up on trying to keep up with the PC requirements.

I could buy a console for less than a nice video card, I don't have a surround sound system with my PC, but I do with my widescreen TV, I don't have to upgrade all the time, I know the games will work out of the box, and it IS more comfortable on the couch.

I think Gabe is way off on this one.

[N4g_null]

What is misleading about 120 million a month from WOW subscriptions? What is miss leading about 15 million steam users? Gamers where not suppose to hear about that meeting because it is the future of gaming unless you want to be like square and wonder what your sales are going to be like because of SONY miss steps on a very competitive HD console.

Simply put they are not playing buy the same rules as every one else most companies have no idea of what or how that future would work until now it seems. You may not play lots of world craft but I know tons of WOW and even starcraft addicts. Those players along will make up for the millions of fanboys who will refuse to buy a game because of a system bias.

Crysis is a triumph tech wise for artist just the way MGS4 was for kojima yet more people would have played it if it was free. Neither game has a really great replay value for most. Then on top of that you are not committed to the game play. He is also right that console gaming has way better PR. Hell I'm sure some of your favorite hardcore gamers on this site might just be getting paid just to do that, if not being paid out right at least you got stock options. I kid....

Believe what you will but I don't see them laying people off and they seem to be wanting to make a Wii game just for the fun of it. What ever flavor cool aid this guy has I want some, I'm guessing "it's great business plan green".

Just imagine how many people would have bought MGS4 if they didn't have to get a PS3 for $500-600. I understand most gamers are not worried about such things and only want their console to win.

Also Tin what are you putting in your box that's going to make it £4000 in US cash that's about $7000 dollar I think. Another question what are you going to use it for?

[N4g_null]

Hey your an artist also great! Gabe does have his points and I'd rather be working with some one like him than against him. Truthfully the PS3 was still born and nursed to life by believers of the many promises and hype that sony drops on the masses.

"Gabe famously said the PS3 was doomed and sony should throw it away and start again. His crystal ball was working too well then was it???"

Truthfully he was telling the truth. SONY could be on top RIGHT now! but they are not and 20k above the xbox 360 on avg is not good. The xbox 360 has some great games but what has come out lately? And all they could get was 20k yes MGS did a nice couple 100K and fell off yet the game still sales. If you remember that exactly what the GC did to the xbox 360 till the end. The xbox is a fricken zombie man and bills money is the life blood LOL. The problem with having fans is they will be let down sooner or later and when they are they will hopefully leave in peace yet most will bash your system because that's what fan do. The PS3 is not good for developers is what he is trying to say. It is also in direct competition with steam and can not hope to provide the revenue that they currently make. What is the highest selling PS3 game?

Steam is a console in a since and it works on a phantom install base. If he gets what he wants he will also have content that people want to pay monthly for. If he can get that content I don't mind paying yet I don't need trophies. Free to pay and ads that enable that are going to be big.
It's like movies you see product placement yet movies only last a few weeks or a few month in box office games can go on forever it seems I mean the PC version of quake war has the next UFC match on the wall I didn't even notice it till my brother showed me and hell I though that was cool because it was some thing I want to see any way. Yet that same poster can be a victoria secret model if they want to the next week. In games you would get a patch in good online games it's downloaded in the games engine.

Maybe you don't like gabe or you think he is too fat. He doesn't have a crystal ball he just doesn't go along with the rape train that many sheep love to ride for what ever reason. I also understand the argument that you want to play in the living room. I got a PC there too every thing is wireless also. Hell that's what I do with my old PCs. I'm not sure what your problem is with Gabe maybe you work on PS3 games I don't know but It would be nice to work on what you want to rather than what you have to. That's a big jump though. Hey nice talking to you man and good luck out there! You should come to the states the pay is way better over here for game artist as long as you don't work for lucas!

[titntin]

@scissor_runner

thanks for your comments mate - its all opinion and you have every right to yours!

Your right I do think Gabe is over opinionated, but hey, I'm not alone in that view in the dev communitty, right! ??:) In fact Gabe wrote his opinion specifically to counter all the opinions and articles and analysis which specifically agrees with how I feel, so I'm definately not alone in my conclussions. How much intesting PC stuff will be shown at E3 this year compared with , say, 5 years ago?

You asked a few questions so will answer you! The PC I'm about to get it a Quad core Xeon, 8gig ram 3.5 TB (but raid 1 for data security), and a serious FireGL pro card - I need proper Workstation performance and you gotta pay for that. Gamer cards are fast for shaders but not too hot on pro work. I also need proper 10 bit output as I'm currently doing a feature film and 24 bit graphics is not good enough for film work. So you gotta spend about £1K to get a good graphics card for what I do.

I work on games titles for all platforms, Playstation, 360, Wii and Cube and plenty of PC titles - many AAA games over the years. they are all good and I have and use all platforms including every hand held. I had invites to the states dude, but I'm married and love life here in the UK. My brother is in LA though!

[MANCREEP]

"...the rape train that many sheep love to ride..."

I. Just. Shat.

Dude, I have had the worst day ever. Usually coming to N4G is a hassle b/c its hard to sort thru all the crap, to find decent opinions and tips on where I can find more information I am interested in. So, here I am at work, going thru the motions, wishing I was at home(NEED SLEEP). And then I found that segment in your comment about Gabe Newell. At first it was a insane giggle....but then the "mental image" hit. Soon after, a sudden burst of gas left my anus, forced out by the constant tensing-up of my abdominal muscles(laughing). But something was hitching a ride on that methane pony. Now, I am at home. And its not because I am off early. Its because I shat my pants. Not alot. Just a smudge. Am I embarrassed? Not at all.
Next time something terrible in my life happens, I'll be prepared and will make it thru. Thanks, honestly.

[N4g_null]

Nice rig yet I don't think I'll be updating right yet again. I'm waiting to see what the next wave of professional cards are going to do. Good luck on the films man! Nice to see people branching out. The first wave of HD stuff is going to kill you though LOL. I'm betting my money on a really sick GPU setup coming out with the current move to shader support in the big hitters. You may not be able to wait though and I understand. I never can either when I need equipment.

I don't mind gabe though. He can say what ever he wants and it does not phase me unless I get a contract with him. No need to roast him when his stuff is obviously taking off. Most people hate him for the PS3 remarks and that's about it. I guess if he was slim people would let him criticize more things also. I don't care about those things though because an artist needs money! He seems to have a plan that's doing pretty well.

It take a strong opinion to be a winner in this game guys sheep are most likely employees and you know it. If gabe thinks it will not work for him then that's that.

[DeadlyFire]

I myself see PC gaming as the perfect platform that is and always has been the best of the best and likely will continue. PC gaming has slumped over the past few years in some areas like the US, but not there major territories. China, Korea, EU, and few other areas have big online populations. It will not die though. It will adapt and change to its market. PCs change first as well before consoles.

Valve is right about the PC and the console markets. Microsoft doesn't play a big role in supporting the PC market and until they do console gamers will tell everyone that the market is dead when its not. They are not the only ones to blame though. AMD, Intel, IBM, NVIDIA also play a role. Valve is the only company out there with its own internal PC server with downloads, anti-piracy, and server and mod support all linked into it. Since XP Microsoft has been solely focused on the X-box and until that favoritism goes away then noone will look at facts of the PC market.

I don't know about you but 260 Million active Gamers on the PC vs the how many on the PS3(13.68) + X360(19.41) + Wii(28.07) = 61.16 Million + PS2(115.36) = 176.52 + about 80 Million Gamecubes and Xboxs sold = 256.52 Million. So last generation + this generation still doesn't add up to the number of PC gamers in the world. You can't say that doesn't dwarf the console population. 260 Million compared to the 61.16 Million new console owners with even some playing the old consoles still it doesn't add up to the number of PC gamers out there right now. I know all owners of the last generation don't play the new consoles just yet as well and that a majority of new console owners don't play their old ones that much. That's 76.48% of gamers that prefer the PC over the new consoles globally.

Its not that expensive to keep an up to date PC. You don't need a new GPU and updated PC every year to play new games. You don't need to pay $1500 for a new PC either every time you buy a new one either. The newer Graphics cards and GPUs are getting cheaper as well with each generation now that they are moving to multi-chip and multi-core designs. You can find a good Dual core or Quad-core for $100-200 bucks and a new graphics card for $100-500. Motherboards range from $50-300. Rest is under $100 a piece for Good Power supply, Good amount of Memory, Hard Drive, Disc drive, any other small parts.

Consoles will copy few more features with their next generation in 2010-2012. Not sure on which though. Sure consoles have Netflix and stuff coming to them, but PC users have that as well. Its not built into something like X-box Live or PSN, but its on the net and available to us.

[DeadlyFire]

- Delete

[Snoozer282]

I class consoles as un-upgradable PCs. They have their own OS, graphics cards, hard drvives, games etc. The only real difference is you play with a control pad at a high res.

[Drekken]

The good thing about consoles is it is an equal playing field for devs to create and for players playing online.

When playing games online on PC there is always someone with the advantage because they have a better rig. With consoles everyone is equal which makes it preferable to me over PC's.

Once KB/M become more standardized with consoles this argument is moot. I would rather know my machine is equal to everyone, plus I'm in my lazyboy playing on my big screen. Cant beat that!

[Lethal_Venom]

well my chair is better than yours, I guess the experience isn't as equal as you thought.

[Drekken]

LOL!!!

I remember a while back playing CS my game was totally off and I couldnt figure it out. Well, I finally figured out someone messed with my comp. chair and it was lower then usual. I put the chair back up and started killing as usual. SOOO DAMMIT, you have a point! hahaha

[thereapersson]

So in a way, he's right. He's still a fatass whiney little punk who stays way too far into his own development comfort zone, however.

[perseus]

Nononono.

He's a fatass, whiney BIG punk. And he smells. Like doritos. And sour milk.

[juuken]

Um...perseus, have you been sniffing the guy's clothes or something? xD
j/k

But that was funny.

[jessupj]

He's right in this just like he was right that the ps3 has no future and it's a piece of crap. Just one look at mgs4 makes him look like the biggist a$$ right now.

Gabe is a stupid, closed-minded, arrogant d!ckhead. True story...

[Swiftfox]

I will agree on the fact that the PC with its cutting edge technoligy is they leading factor in graphics and communications properties. However, when all is said and done, nothing has changed on the PC except these feilds. Innovation in game design has taken a back seat to Graphics Cards and Internet Connections.

Also, to me, there is a draw to console gaming in the software alone. When I buy a console I know in 5 years or so I will be able to buy the newest game and play it on that console. I wouldn't even get half that life out of a new PC.

The upkeep is massive, and to the faithful it's well worth it. For me however, I will stay with consoles becuase I get a more complete gaming experience.

[Bazookajoe_83]

It´s kinda hard to play splitscreen on pc and you cant play at the same time as youre relaxing in the couch..

[deeznuts]

I hear this all the time. If you got a comfy chair, why not relax on the chair as well? Just get a better chair.

They're both good (PC vs. Console) they both have their faults, they both have their place.

Now, just hide your twinkies when Newell is around ...

[N4g_null]

Or just use HDMI get your self a wireless key board get a couch and a adjustable desk for serious FPS gaming and your fine. Yet you can always use controllers and even config your own button layouts.

[juuken]

Haven't played PC games in a while so it'll be hard for me to get back into it. I prefer consoles now, sorry. :/

[ChampIDC]

You're part of an ever increasing group these days. I've been straying from my PC more and more as well, but I'll never be completely away from it as long as Blizzard keeps making games.

[juuken]

Yeah, you're right.

[solar]

Team Fortress 2 designer Robin Walker weighs in, noting that the PC version of the shooter has had no less than 53 updates since its release last year - something that certification cost and time have prohibited for on console - and that this "ship continuously" ethos is a key component to the success of the best multiplayer titles. Steam, he says, makes that process fast and transparent.

"I don't want anyone between me and my customers," says Walker. "I want to write code today and I want all my customers running it tomorrow." Possible on the PC - Steam in particular, naturally. Not possible on consoles. For his part, Fitterer added achievements to Audiosurf in a total of two days. This constant iteration creates a feedback loop between developer and customer that, reckons Walker, can only improve the quality of the game. "The more I talk to my customers, the better my decisions will be. Without a system of talking to my customers, I will make bad decisions."

QFT. the certification process by the console manufacturers are hurting some multiplayer titles :(

[Revvin]

"The more I talk to my customers, the better my decisions will be"

Its comments like those that really annoy, where are Valve when it comes to listening to angry PS3 users and the Orange Box? they sit there with their hands over their ears. The PC format is great for lazy developers to push out games with a 'patch it later' mentality and Steam allows them to do it. Of course developers will tell you the console certification procedure is annoying because it stops them shovelling out poorly optimised rubbish onto gamers. While some games manage to get through the certification process (ironically Valve's Orange Box) on the most part that certification process means console gamers get quality releases.

[N4g_null]

@Revvin so your mad because you want him on the PS3? You call GTA4 quality? The bugs in that game actualy make it fun to replay and don't give me crap about they put them in there on purpose either. As long as games are 3d and basically fake every thing there will always be problems. The fact is games like this need patches why because you will start seeing games ship with less features due to the simply fact that said feature did not make it to completely stable code builds.

It is up to SONY to make a system that works great for a developer vision. So far I'm having a hard time seeing the wisdom in sony using the cell or blu ray. So far they are mostly benefiting from that move. It hasn't shown us any true upgrades in CPU power in game or graphically yet. I know I know developers are lazy well go to the library and learn C++ for starters and then show us how lazy these developer are.

It will cost them more to help keep the PS3 on life support till SONY decides to drop the price to a normal level. Who cares what it cost in R&D it needs a price drop gamers are not rich.

[Revvin]

I'm not mad, I already had the Orange Box on PC long before the PS3 version came out so I didn't buy it on PS3 but I feel for the gamers who did. If Valve didn't want to support the PS3 format then thats fair enough, there are plenty more PC only developers and thats fine but don't farm out a port of one of your games and take no respinsibility for the end product then wax lyrical about wanting dialogue with gamers, thats just outright BS and marketing fluff.

There are plenty of developers on the PS3 and 360 formats doing just fine with the hardware. I can understand if a company doesn't want to work on the 360, PS3 or Wii but don't release garbage on a format you have no intention of supporting. A lot of these developers will cling to the PC format because it continues to give them an method of rushing out products to suit the holiday spending periods and not worry about quality.

[N4g_null]

I don't see how PC developers are rushing out lots of games? The PC game industry has more people saying it's done when it done than 2008 is going to be the year of hype for us. Most patches are for cheaters any way. Any info on this problem with orange box any way? Oh it was frame rate issues. Here we are on a PC gaming post and value is having problem with frame rate issues on the fix function shader pipeline of the PS3... Yeah that's the problem right there. I bet this thing would run better on the xbox 360 with a unified shader pipeline. So what is the fix? killing the special effects and that means portal will be more like black hole. HL2's engine was the first big shader hungry app. They did not compromise it either. There is no extra power to milk people you simply just turn off certain shader operations the same way you scale stuff back for old video cards. If you look back at when that engine first hit you will see that the same un-unified shader engines had trouble with this game also.

Basically the game shouldn't have been done for this system. Yes lots of games look great but HL2 is a bench mark and it's showing the PS3 age already. They need to give it a patch to turn down certain shaders or at least limit them. Yet this may not even be doable since I'm sure they had to hack their own game to get it to work. You have it on the PC how does it run? Now go get a old MX fixed pipeline card and tell me how it runs? Case is closed... Yeah it's a super computer running on a onboard video card!

I mean they could have done this game like lost planet and boy would you guys be pissed then.

[Citizen Cook]

Don't you mean the past?
Alot of the top PC developers are maiing the 360 their primary platform of choice, PC second...

Oh and Valve, make a NEW engine you lazy fu(kwits!
I want to play Half-Life3, not 2.1,2,3...

HA HA HA HA!

[trancefreak]

I have steam and ps3 like alot of people do and i hardly touch the pc now compared to the ps3. i think this generation of games look good enough compared to the pc counterparts to keep me on my console.

when the next series of consoles come out in a few years i really dont see the need to play on the pc as much myself, I mean the tech will be really good in comparison to the pc.

If you have noticed the trend of late that most games with the exception of crysis are really comparable from console to pc.

Id rather have a dedicated game system running at 200 watts then some beast with a 600 to a 1000 watt power supply trying to churn games.

[Le-mo]

Why PC is the future?

Because Blizzard says so.

Gah I can't wait for Starcraft 2.

[Pain]

You can stay in the past and work with old inferior technology we wont miss you.

[REDZEV]

hey pain its not that they cant make or learn to make games on the POS3 its just a considerable waste of time and resources to throw at a console thats not developer friendly. you see.... moneys time and time is money. you want to bring quality games out quicker not half-ass games that take like 5 years to make. So hope you learned something today.

[trancefreak]

@red I dont think your argument is quite valid anymore. I just picked up BAd Co and it plays fantastic.

Imo you are referring to blockbuster titles that take some time to create regardless of platform choices. What we are witnessing now are fairly equal multiplat games. game devs want to share their games equally on both systems so everyone gets the same experience that was visioned.

In house titles are the ones that usually benefit from superior tools and better production but not alwaws.

[Xi]

but only as long as you make sure that the game you developed is optimied enough to run on weaker hardware to reach that wide appeal/audience.

wow is great because you can run it on almost anything, and so almost everyone has it. Keep making games that are good and that most people can play and the PC will be back on top in no time.

[ChampIDC]

That's part of the reason Blizzard is always going to be popular (other than their obvious development quality). They never strive to push the cutting-edge technology. They always have a broad range in quality settings. WoW, for example, is a pretty good looking game(for its release in 2005) if you turn up the settings, but it can run on crappier computers with low settings. It's a formula you really can't lose with.

[Xi]

same goes for valve, I mean the source engine has aged like fine wine.

Even though it's like 4 years old or w/e it was able to run on a decent 800 dollar machine without a problem, and even today it runs well on a 500 dollar machine.

[REDZEV]

your partialy correct trance. the thing is when smaller developers work on a lead design of a game they will usually farm out the other platform versions to other developers and thats where the problems start to arise.

[Panthers]

Gabe Newell: "Why Burger King is the future"

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

He can preach all he wants about the PC (Personal Computer) being so superior but who can afford it. It's like preaching mansions are much better than town houses, which is true but the real question is, who can afford it?

He uses World of Warcraft as an example of how profitable the PC platform is. Let’s go back to launch dates North America (NA) / Australia (AUS) version was released in Nov. 23, 2004. The Europe (EU) Feb. 11, 2005 it is now the year 2008 (4 yrs later), don't you think most PCs can run the game by now? Crysis is the bench mark title for the PC but can run the game without lags? Don't get me started with installs especially with Gears of War.

I understand why Gabe thinks this because PCs are becoming more common these days. Having a gaming PC is different graphic cards along will cost you at least $499.99, you can get a PlayStation 3, XBOX 360, or Wii with that. In total an average high-end gaming PC will cost about $4,000.00 - $5,000.00. Who is really going to dish out $4,000.00 every five years?

I also think piracy isn't the issue and more so with hackers / viruses with individual PCs. Like for example, I'm one of the people who received the "MICROSOFT EMAIL PROMOTION" which is a scam to get your information. He doesn't point out that the PC platform is thee most vulnerable platform available today. How many times have you had to send in your PC for respires? Every computer must have an anti-virus, firewall, backup storage, good enough RAM (Random Access Memory) for multiple applications etc. It may be thee most common platform but it’s still thee most vulnerable.

[DeadlyFire]

Crysis is not a great optimized and streamlined game for performance and it will not be. Its successor Warhead claims it will be though.

As far as the Graphics card goes all the new ones are leaps and bounds faster than the ones in the PS3, X360 and Wii. They just don't have all optimized games coming out for them since a new one is released every 4-6 months. 500 bucks? That isn't a problem besides you can get the new 4850 for $200 bucks. You could get the 8800 GT or GTX from last year right now for 100-200 bucks as well. A small performance gain of 1-10% is not worth investing $500 a year into. You should only buy a graphics card or two every 4-5 years.

Where the hell do you do you shopping for $4-5k PCs? You are looking at the top of the top Server computers with workstation cards not gaming PCs. You can setup a good Gaming PC for $700-1500 Max. You don't need 20 GBs of RAM or 5 TB of Hard Drive space.

CPU
- E8400(Dual Core)*$190
- E8500(Dual Core)*$220
- Q6600(Quad) *$200
- Q9300(Quad) *$290
Motherboard
- *$60 (1 PCI Express, 4 GB max, Micro ATX)
- *$135 (1 PCI Express 2, 16 GB Max, ATX)
- *$150 (2 PCI Express 2, 8 GB Max, ATX)
Memory
- *$72-80 (4 GB DDR 2 (600-800 Mhz))
Disc Drive - $20
Hard Drive - $45-150
Power Supply and Case - *PSU $50-100 *Case $45-250 some with PSU
GPU - Best bet is the new ATI line-up its cheaper than anything else and outperforms or equal to almost everything else with few frames difference.
- 4850 512 MB ATI (roughly equal to NVIDIA's 8800 GTX or 9800 GTX) *$200
- 4870 ATI (Equal to NVIDIA's 260 card)*$300 **Yet to be released
- 8800 GT 512 MB *$160
- 8800 GTS *$200
- 8800 GTX *$270
- 3870 *$150
- 3870 X2 *$260
- 9800 GTX *$200
- NVIDIA 260 *$400

Total = $637 - 1170
Throw in another 30-60 for keyboard + mouse + speakers, and another 100-400 for a monitor if you need a new one. PCs can be cheap and play games well. I know these setups will all play Crysis in Meduim - High settings with decent framerate not perfect on the higher settings though, but still above or around average.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

X-Play - Building the ultimate gaming PC HTML: http://video.aol.com/video-...

High-end budget gaming PC will run you about $3,000.00.

[DeadlyFire]

You don't need all of that for High end system though. 4 GB, Any CPU from last 2 years in the high end area and any GPU card from the last 12 months in the mid to high end area. That is all that is needed for a High-End system I don't see why people never get it. The "Ultimate" setup is a good system you don't need that to play games though unless you just love throwing money away. You can get more for less.

Also as well this Ultimate PC special thing is old and if you look up the same stuff you can find most of it for cheap like the RAM and Video cards and HDD. The E8500 can outperform the QX6850 and it costs a hell of alot less than the QX6850.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/art... < Intel Wolfdale and E8500 in games.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/art... < The QX6850 in games.

[freediro]

they arent even smart enough to develop for the PS3, look at insomiac, infinity ward, konami, naughty dog, ninja theory, rockstar, and many more company who made highly successful and beautiful looking games for the PS3!

Here comes that douchebag from valve, meh i am lazy and stupid the PS3 sucks and could never be properly developed for, well you and your retarded coworkers get laughed at when there are games that out do your game on the PS3!

whats wrong with these people are they afraid if they develop for the PS3 and they dont do a good job they will go out of business?

i guarantee you if Sony threw them a giant pile of cash they would 'learn' how to develop for the PS3!

damn i hate this guy he just needs to keep quite and do what he loves and not voice his opinion if he has nothing helpful to say!

[solar]

wow. just wow. are you really that ignorant?

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

Valve doesn't like learning new things so the new achitecture the PlayStation 3 has they don't like. Just You Tube search it and you'll find the interview with valve.

He actually doesn't really like the XBOX 360 all that much but since development isn't too different he settles for it. Valve just thinks PCs will take over and there should be no more consoles because of the power they have.

[Ali_The_Brit]

haha valve are delusional, why spend upwords of 1 to 2 GRAND on a high spec computer and screen

when you can get a PS3 for say 500 or an xbox for 300 which can do the same job for cheaper, have loads of good features, is simple and i really cant see why anyone would want to PC game over console game..

[user858621]

yup a really dnt have the times to optimise my computer, get the ryt hardware, download drivers etc etc etc

id rather just put in a game n enjoy

console gaming ftw!!!!

[REDZEV]

nevermind

[Raoh]

with all these tv services coming, netflix, ps3 features, 360 features, great games with large budgets to consoles

sorry gabe i gave up on buying a new video card then to follow it with a new processor that required a new motherboard which demanded new memory to play a $50 dollar game.

i wont take away from pc gaming and its strengths but some of these dudes act like console gaming is a minor gaming fad that will be out of style in 2 years LOL

i think some of these guys are scared to step out of their comfort zone. they claim to only make pc games, dont mind making 360 games cause its so close to a pc like development tools wise. what happens when 360 eventually goes next gen and tries at its own architechture?

rely on pc game sales?

i spent way to much money in the past on a yearly basis just to keep the computer running up to speed, not to mention the downtime of the upgrade and running systems tools and at times having to reimage my computer from scratch....

no thanks