Borderlands 2 shows the sad state of PC gaming…

DigitalBattle: "Has PC gaming sunk so low that simple PC settings are now considered "features"?"

[vortis]

LOL...yeah exactly.

"FOV slider"

Yup, because somehow that's the difference between a console and PC...an FOV slider. Right.

Had they mentioned mod support, difficulty slider, extra multiplayer networking tools or a console, then we're talking PC features.

[catfrog]

difficulty sliders arent pc specific, it just requires extra balancing work and some implementation time

anyways, theyre probably just trying to give confidence to pc gaming customers. lots of pc gamers complain when developers dont put some of these things in, which is ironic. they put extra time in to make sure basic pc gaming stuff is taken care of and they still get a headline "borderlands 2 shows the sad state of pc gaming".

[vortis]

That's because PCs are open and in-game consoles, engine editing tools, etc., are already right there out of the box for the Unreal Engine.

The problem is that the game is designed on PC but made specifically for consoles which means many standard PC systems are locked out.

Basically they're going back and "opening" some of these features back up that were removed, which basically shows the sad state of PC gaming.

[nanostar]

FOV is for field of view which most games don't have an option for or requires editing a file

[catfrog]

@vortis

the game is obviously not made specifically for consoles, maybe made with consoles in mind, but theyre obviously putting time into the pc version as well by going through and allowing these things.

going and 'opening' these things back up doesnt show that the state of pc gaming is doing bad, on the contrary, theyre saying that its worth the time and money to focus on the pc release a little bit more. if past publishing/devloping partners neglected pc gamers, and now theyre not, it shows a positive for pc gaming, not a negative.

im not sure how anyone came to the conclusion that developers are starting to spend more time/money on the pc version of their games is bad for pc gaming, that just doesnt make sense

@nanostar

why are you telling me this? what made you think i didnt know this? lol

[vortis]

Oh I'm not knocking them for adding stuff PC games used to get right out of the box during the 90s and very early 00s, it's just funny because this stuff used to be standard and now PC gamers are getting excited about stuff we used to get all the time regularly.

More than anything I was just being sarcastic about the irony of it all.

[Laxman]

It almost sounds like you are under the impression this article is bashing them, when its rather just showing how its sad that these features have become so uncommon from other developers. If anyhting, its praising Gearbox for at least having these 'basic' features which some developers decide to not even bother with.

[zag]

I don't exactly get the whole thing of "sad state of PC gaming" these days PC gaming is all about MMOs.

Games that don't work or can be done on a console, therefore PC gaming becomes unknown of console only players.

Anyway, all these features haven't been in games of the 2000's mainly because the next step was going going over the net.

FOV isn't something all FPS games do on a PC, but PC GFX cards can handle stupid distances these days, in fact some people use it as a way of cheating in games.

100% mouse useable menus/keubinds - Comes from games that have been made for a console but all the menus and keys are based on the use of a game pag of some kind, this does not work on a keyboard/mouse setup.

Assassins creed is a classic example, it's pretty crap on a PC.

Native match making - is just going back to in game match making which some games had to use the games for windows crap, or steam for match making basically not using 3d party crap that should really be in game match making.

LAN support - hasn't been seen since doom, serious sam etc the old DOS FPS games, it doesn't use the net so you don't need a net connection at all to be able to multi play.

higher res - most console ports to PC are poor simly because they can't goto a high res, so you get stuck with being face planted to the objects in the game as the engine can't handle pulling out to any sort of decent distance, also consoles generally struggle trying to do a 720p res anyway where as a PC GFX card might struggle on a 2 x 1080p or even 3, the newest cards easily do 6 screens these days.

The rest I'm not overly fussed about as a PC gamer.

I have a couple spare terra bytes of space so saving to HD shouldn't be a major problem.

[BattleAxe]

If you're a true gamer and you like to have fun playing the games rather than playing the settings, then this shouldn't be an issue. The only setting that I hate not to have is Vsync, other than that, I'm not too picky.

[Gamer1982]

Ah people don't realise this was a shot at those who moaned about hoe bad the fist game looked compared to console titles nothing more. Its the developers having a laugh and now people are taking it a little too literal.

But yeah they are features and sure they have always been standard but maybe people need to remember how great a PC is because they seem to have forgotten. I have Mass Effect 3 on my PC on full settings. My PC cost me £400 to build and ME3 plays in full 1080p on my 40" TV and looks AMAZING compared to the console versions. In fact its so good I wonder why people still buy console ports? I only use my console for console exclusives now. PC games are not only better looking games they are cheaper.

At first it was cheaper to get a console than a gaming PC but its got to the point now you can get a PC powerful enough to run games better than a console for the same price.

[JohnnyMann420]

What I want to know that if Gearbox made the choice to name it as a feature, how does that speak for the entirety of pc gaming?

[ninjahunter]

Excellent. Im happy because 99% of the games in the past 3 years dont have these features. Ya know, some of the super PC elitists (i play games exclusively on PC fyi) will be like *derp, Im ungratefull and will trash talk them anyways*.

But thanks Gearbox, youve done right by me from the looks of it.

[Tsuru]

Im a PC elitist. And i dont think those thoughts at all. I for one am glad alot of those things are included.

[Kran]

Sorry. I'm not even gonna give this site a click.

"Has PC gaming sunk so low that simple PC settings are now considered "features"?

Thats funny because on the back of a box art on the PS3/360, it seems to show you stuff like HDTV/720p/1080i/1080p (xbox 360 for example) IN THE FEATURES SECTION ON THE BOX ART! That's simple settings too tbh. Is the Xbox 360/PS3 in a bad state? Uh... no.

[geth1gh]

Funny thing is, 99% of the games on consoles (especially 360) run natively in 720p no matter if it is technically outputting in 1080p. So what your referring to is in essence a lie.

As for the article, so what? Yea its standard stuff but at least they are making a pc version, and one that wont be a straight port.

I think games like bf3 show that there is no worry about the pc market. A game that sold more on each console individually than the pc. They knew this would be the case too, and still bf3 on a mix of high/ultra settings on my pc makes my 360 look like a ps2.

Articles like this are simply dumb.

[GamingTruth]

if i get a pc and i dont see this difference you will never hear the end of my trashing pc so i hope you either tall-tail stretching the difference in the pc version of a game vs the "console" version or i hope for your sake as a pc fanboy that what you say is true

[geth1gh]

@gamingtruth

I grew up on consoles because i never had cash for a pc. I have owned all of the current gen consoles and have only been a pc fanboy since getting my pc about a year ago.

I used to think games like uncharted 2 and killzone 2 whereon par if not better than most pc games.

After going without a ps3 for a while and gaining the gaming pc plus games like bf3, I got the chance to go back and play these ps3 games again. Even the difference between pc and top notch ps3 games is amazing.

Check out some screens from bf3 that I took on my rig. This around a $800 build and runs a 50/50 mix of high/ultra settings. The detail like being able to read the label on the repair tool or the gun textures are something you wont see on the consoles.

Just imagine this on a much larger scale, 64 players, and you start to see why the difference is so astounding.

http://i9.photobucket.com/a...

http://i9.photobucket.com/a...

[Gazondaily]

I will attest to the power of the PC too. Having recently built a rig for only £400-450 and owning copies of games like Battlefield 3 and Crysis 2 on both PC and 360, the difference in visual fidelity is staggering.

Playing Battlefield 3 on console and then jumping to PC is such an odd experience.

I actually am in a weird position where I play the PS3, 360 and PC equally in terms of time dedicated (still way below average in total compared to your average gamer) and I do think that games designed primarily for PCs first then scaled to consoles is the way forward. Pc gaming isn't in a sad state of affairs- its just finding its place with developers as far as development of games is concerned.

[Celeras]

Agreed. It's only being mentioned because Borderlands was a subpar console port feature-wise, and they're trying to get peoples attention that they made the game right this time.

[wicko]

I don't think you understand what he was talking about.. he's saying it's sad because these were standard features in the past before consoles took over and PC started getting console ports instead of the other way around.

Considering how PC gaming used to be it is kind of sad to see these settings are considered features when something like mod support is being implemented by many other PC games.

I'm still grateful gearbox is implementing some of these things (a few I could care less about), but 10 years ago these kinds of things were standard with a PC game..

[Jovahkiin]

These articles are getting more whiney as the days go on.

[Voxelman]

It is a little sad that these kinds of features are just a given, I mean a lot of them are easy to implement and can make a big difference in the experience on PC.

But considering the current state of most PC ports, Gearbox should be commended for taking the time to get feed back and implement the features. And also to let gamers know that they will be implemented.

3 cheers for Gearbox I say

[kesvalk]

"PC specific UI"

this is kinda great in fact.

[theeg]

"Borderlands 2 shows the sad state of PC gaming"

,,,,lol..... yeah pc gaming sucks so much.... paying so much less than console prices, getting free mods instead of rip-off day one dlc, and....get this....on pc you don't even get those awesome jaggies that console games are smothered in.

LAME!!

Plus, on pc you have to CHOOSE you native resolution!! The horror! You don't get that sweet blurry vasiline smeared sub hd look that all console games are gifted with.

And with the framerates so fast i cant even tell whats going on,
I like my frames at a nice console-like 10-25 frames per second, that stuttering in games like dark souls, skyrim, dead island, saints row 3 and BF3 and so many more gives me more time to think!

Plus, On pc you got those awful dedicated servers, wtf!!

There no lag on those like the sexy peer to peer on consoles, I love it when the host rage quits, then i get to stare at a screen to contemplate my next move more!

Speaking of staring at screens, (which i freaking love obviously)
pc games load WAY too fast, If I'm playing a game, I want to look at loading screens for 30-45 second constantly, DUHHH!!
That's what I bought the game for.

Not to mention, On pc, the games are all already looking next gen, I'm not ready for next gen!! I like 720p or less and crappy low res textures.

I want next gen whenever the masterful figureheads at sony and ms tell me its time.

PC gaming sucks!

/damn, that much sarcasm is draining

[GamingTruth]

your comment about pc games looking next gen is sarcasm and i still need a game that i see on pc to impress me asmuch as killzone 2

[Ghost250]

go look at Crysis and Crysis Warhead

[geth1gh]

Man, I watched killzone 2 with much anticipation since the very first controversial e3 trailer back in the day.

The game finally came out and it surprisingly lived up to all my hype. I loved the gameplay and the graphics were amazing. Killzone 2 and 3 have been one of my favorite games to play and one of the few fps that i can keep a highly positive k/d in.

That said, as stated above, I went without a ps3 for a while and got my gaming pc with games such as bf3.

Now going back to even newer games like killzone 3, there is no comparison to what bf3 looks like on my pc.

The fps alone is worth the upgrade. After getting used to the constant 60fps on my pc with bf3, killzone 3 seemed to run at like 20-25fps and it almost felt like i was constantly lagging when a explosion or two came into play.

Its a major difference, and this is coming from somebody that thought the killzone 2 graphics were the second coming of Christ.

as for your statement, bf3 pc does make killzone 3 on the ps3 look next gen. I put no exasperation into the fact that the pcs are already on the next gen level.

They are making games to max out current $2000+ systems and you are comparing it to a system that was $400 6 years ago? How can you not expect it to look next gen in comparison?

[GamingTruth]

well thats just your eyes and any pc fanatics, but as for me and the silent minority on the internet its just not so, and anyway games that aim for photorealism just arent very impressive to me anyway killzone 2 and 3 would rape battlefield 3 even more if they didnt have an artstyle just like crysis and battlefield 3, but it does

[theeg]

@gamingtruth

you said...

"your comment about pc games looking next gen is sarcasm and i still need a game that i see on pc to impress me asmuch as killzone 2 "
you need to change your name to

GamingInAWorldofDENIAL!!..... .lol

lol....pc games from 2007 make killzone 2 look last gen son,

enemy territory quake wars 1080p....lol KILLZ Killzone

Crysis...lol...next gen consoles wont look as good as crysis dx10 1080p 16xaa and af

Stalker Annihilates Killzone!

Unreal 3......1080p max, DESTROYS Killzone

World in Conflict DX10 1080p....nothing on console looks that good

Everyone of those game is from 2007 son, and decimates eveything on ps3 or 360, you obviously have never seen them actually running on a pc maxed out or i wouldn't need to tell you these things, consoles are TWO FULL generations behind pc now....soon to be 3!!

killzone 2 looks like a pc game from 2005 or 2006 at best!

[Mrmagnumman357]

Hey man, i use to be a huge ps3 fanboy, and thought kz3 was god like, seriously, and thought everything on the 360 was a joke. Then i built my own pc with a GTX 570, and i can't explain how big the difference is, i have played about 20 hours of BF3 on the 360, and have played atleast the same on pc, and they barely looked like the same game. I started up the second level on the 360 and thought it looked ok, then i played that level on pc and was blown away at the difference, BF3 on pc looks photorealistic at times. It really is a gen ahead of ps3, and thats without mentioning modding, but here is the original C2
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r...

and modded C2
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r...

MODDED C2
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v...

[geth1gh]

^^^
I'm running a 570 as well. Got the asus dc2 though. Best 570 imo, or aftermarket gpu in general (the asus dc2 series that is). Have it overclocked to near 580 specs with no issues. I love it. Either way the 570 seems to be the best bang for your buck card out there these days and a lot of other manufactures are making good aftermarket 570s as well.

@ gamingtruth

Well there is nothing more I can say to you man. I tried to tell you that I had nothing to do with pc games for all of my life up until a year ago. Also the fact that killzone 2 is still in my eyes one of the best games on the consoles.

So I was pretty much in your shoes.

But you refute anything I am saying as if I have always been a pc fanboy. I think I might have mentioned being a pc fanboy above but in reality, I am a gaming fanboy.

It is you who seems to be a console fanboy.

[Shane Kim]

Wether KZ2 looks worse or not, you PC gamers got shit to play. PS3 has some kick ass exclusives and what have you got? Tropico 4? The only good game is Diablo 3 this year. You have one good exclusive a year. Now you can spew all the shit you want about settings, but when all you have to play is Tropico, it really doesn't matter...at all.

[hiredhelp]

HA HA Seriously...
Well you know im not gonna yet again dig threw a list of titles that PC do have this year cos ive done that already pain the ass to go on sites just to copy paste over.

But your right comming from a sony fan to a longterm pc avid Gamer i do miss my uncharted my heavy rain my god of war oh kratos you old dog you.
But you know thats the thing with life you cant expect to have everything in one.

So i have sacrafised them for my PC witch i started years back.
But i got fedup with This online fee charge that got made up, i got fedup with promises of us all sony gamers to have deadicated servers witch now boils down to matchmaking.

not only that i can see theres just not that much more comming from consoles engine wise thats one reason i made my move back to my pc.

But dont be a fool and say no games out on pc cos there is.
and all of your multiplatform games witch we do have the benifit to have controll over unlike sadly the consoles. but consoles wernt built for that they built as a plug in and play system.

witch why i have my psvita with me by the bed at night.

right whilst i get ready for ARMA III ill just play some ghost recon online for free and wait for crytek warface.

[STONEY4]

News Flash: PC gamers don't really care about exclusives in the same way console players do. What they care about is that they get ports that at least take advantage of the PC and have good controls.

You didn't see a huge outrage when the Witcher 2 was announced to go to 360, did you?

[Awesome_Gamer]

PC gaming is dying because of stupid people that pirate every game and give us "real" PC gamers a bad name

[annus]

Oh yeah, just like how Music/Movie/Television are dieing... PC Gaming isn't going anywhere, it is still thriving.

[StayStatic]

Nice to see Gearbox knows a PC Game ≠ Console Game :)

[Sgt_Slaughter]

The amount of complaints from "gamers" lately is TOO DAMN HIGH!!

[vortis]

+1 bub for Jimmy Mcmillan reference.

[benpicko]

They made it because the PC port was so horrible last time. End of story. Full stop.

[ATi_Elite]

.....more like the sad state of LAZY developers who port CRAP to the PC just to make a few extra bucks and then wonder why their crappy port gets pirated all to hell! Like Gamers are supposed to pay $$$ for CRAP! Get Real!

No real PC Gamer gives a rat's ass about borderlands 2. I for one will be too busy playing Guild Wars 2 and Diablo III!!

If your not gonna make a proper PC version then just leave it on the consoles. PC Gamers have plenty to play!!

Remedy redid Alan Wake for a Proper PC version and it made Remedy a profit in a few hours.

Fable 3 was a CRAP port that very few PC gamers paid attention 2 while The Witcher 2 sold very well!!

Your crap product only reflects your studios work and not the AWESOME state of PC Gaming!

[Mrmagnumman357]

Brilliant, also pc gaming isn't dying, in facts its getting more popular based off recent sales. I hate how devs say that a game didn't sell on pc because of pirating, usually its because pc gamers can tell a crappy game from a good one. For instance, crysis sold around 4 million on pc, crysis 2 sold about 0.3 million, its not because pirating went from a small problem to a national threat in 4 years, its because crysis 2 is a console game, it released with DX9! Thats a step back from crysis, and to make matters worsed they dropped the open world for cod sized levels.

[wicko]

I'm sick of hearing everyone say "lazy developers". You don't work in the industry, therefore you don't understand how the industry works. There are so many decisions made that don't reflect the studio's opinion, or individuals within that studio. Also, a studio isn't one person. Not everyone in a studio feels the same way, has the same opinion, or is responsible for problems with a product. Nor do they have control over what a publisher says/thinks/does.

[ATi_Elite]

LAZY DEVELOPERS or Cheap Publishers End of story!!

you have good PC Games and then you have CRAPPY Console Ports!

I only play Good PC Games from top notch PC Devs/Pubs!

[wicko]

Seriously, grow up and admit there's things about the industry you don't understand.

Lazy developers.. yeah, working 12-14 hour days for weeks on end to meet a milestone, so lazy. We just sit around watching youtube videos and watch the money roll in.

[PixL]

Hey PC elitists. I have a question. I've been thinking about spending some money on GPU upgrade and am looking for some games to justify it. My old GPU can run all current PC games on console resolutions but I became curious about this next-gen experience you are describing.

I don't play simulators, RTS and MMO games. I'm not interested in RPGs in fantasy settings. Indies already work fine. So, can you name some upcoming AAA titles exclusive to PC which meet those criteria? Something I can't get on consoles or at least with unique features like Battlefield 3 has (more players, bigger maps). Modding is out of my interest, I don't have time for that. I like FPS and TPS games, I like games with good stories. If you can name some titles, maybe I can spend some money and join that elite club of yours. Luckily it just requires spending cash, how nice.

[Bladesfist]

Stick with your console, You just ruled out most pc only games unless you like competitive FPS or really want the extra graphics.

[PixL]

Thank you for your answer. I'll keep checking every few months. Maybe some day PC platform will have something for me. To those 6 people who disagreed with a question: lol.

[wicko]

Herp derp why are people disagreeing with me when I start my post with "Hey PC elitists".

[susanto1228]

What's sad is that there are people reading this STUPID article on N4G that's sad. And that people like you are given such rights to express themselves about companies in articles like these...a down right disgrace.

[Agent_hitman]

Another article made by Console fanboy that really wants to assume that PC will die.. Though unfortunately there's no such proof to strengthen the assumption like this. PC will still fight even though not that best seller as that of consoles.

[Eyesoftheraven]

Now if only more gamers would do their part and through respected retailers, actually buy the game.

[OMEGAZONE]

The PC trolls are here i see yet, upset that everyone will be playing Borderlands 2 on the PS3/Xbox360?

[debian_zac]

not really, I see a lot of people upset that things that used to be standard are now considered "features".

Sadly most console gamers don't mind the lowering of standards that Devs and Pubs should be held to.

[ziggurcat]

is gearbox saying that these things aren't standard? why are you getting your panties all up in a bunch over it?

[debian_zac]

I think you got my point mistaken as someone who is upset with gearbox. I'm glad they are putting these things in their game. However it shouldn't be news worthy, because if it was standard than most if not all devs would release games that are of this standard, but thats not true as devs try to justify not making games to this standard.(starcraft 2 anyone?)

[Seafort]

I'll be playing Borderlands 2 on PC as I did with Borderlands 1.
I'm currently waiting patiently for Diablo 3, Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World.

PC gaming has never been better in my opinion. So much choice for games I'm actually swamped with games to play.

I'm also currently supporting 3 projects on Kickstarter and a few other indie games which are in development atm. :)

I have a PS3 as well but I haven't turned that on for months. I might do in the next few months to play Journey.

[Chaotic_Lament]

I ****ing hate port forwarding.

[fullmetal297]

There are several things I do agree with the author. One being the sad fact that most mutiplatform games have been nothing more than console ports. Very rarely do you see a game that has the PC platform as the lead development. The only only games I can thing think of in recent times is Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, and the Witcher 2. But despite most mutiplatforms having consoles as the lead platform, even PCs with a mid-end card can outperform them.

[kevnb]

well it makes sense to start from the least powerful system first. I dont really care how they do it, Im still happy with the end product.

[kevnb]

flame bait, some of it is standard stuff but cmon. They are just listing every little difference. I think someone is just either an "elitist" or a troll.

[josephayal]

PC is good for ebay, facebook and and .... hmm hmm

[chadachada123]

I don't see any problem with what Gearbox is doing. They're basically saying "hey, most other developers don't do this stuff, but we're doing it because we support PC gamers."

They aren't saying that those things are "features," except for pointing out that most other games from other developers don't have those options.

[Publicglutton]

OH MY GOD....why dont you all just Shut The Fuck Up.....................It is what it is...

[Dugstar]

It will be interesting to see what they do with the story this time as the story in Borderlands 1 wasn't really that great.. the Game world itself was good to roam around if annoying with re-spawning enemies but was an enjoyable game with Claptrap added wonderfully well for Comic relief.

As for PC standard features.. everything I've played after switching to PC gaming has looked a hell of a lot better than its PS3/XBOX 360 counterparts..

Skyrim with mods is a godsend but the biggest shock was The Witcher 2 on how great the game looks and I'm wondering how good it will actually look when it releases on Xbox.. as a lot of stuff will have to be dumbed down I imagine.

[jeenyus]

Overdramatic article, like most here trying to get hits.

[Rupee]

Yup

[urwifeminder]

Boringlands as far as im concerned zzzzzzzz.

[Rupee]

Whaaaaaatever. This article is stupid. They could have made it console exclusive and they chose to try and support it for pc. They seem to just be trying to reassure pc gamers that they're trying. Kinda like cdproject (sp?) and their release of the Witcher2 on 360. Either way, I'm buying it for 360 and I'm going to have a helluva lot of fun!