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There is no doubt pc's are much more powerful than consoles. Why do Consoles always have the best looking games?

Yoboman

Member
The last time there was a PC graphical horse race was 2004-08, and it clearly didn't end great for anyone. Valve stopped making tech show cases, ID became a console focused developer, Crytek as well and are basically dead in the water now

The limited number of high end PCs are not big enough to support AAA games. And there is really only a 2-3 year window as the console generation wears on in which PCs pull significantly ahead of console hardware
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Sorry but those games don’t look better than anything on PC, not by far. Maybe if you compare to the average steam survey pc which has a weak GTX 1060, but if you’ve got a high end gpu even Crysis 1/2/3 will still look better technically than all the games you listed. Any of the battlefield games since 3 on PC at close to max settings wipe the floor with console games even today. Doom eternal with RT and DLSS looks phenomenal.

Console games only look better if you don’t have a pc better than the consoles.
 
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Lupin3

Targeting terrorists with a D-Pad
I wanted to put this claim to the test.

This is Alone in the Dark 2 for PSone:

kZeejNp.jpg



And here we have Battlefront 2 for PC:

VXw7EPG.jpg



I then ran the data through the Windows 10 calculator, and the result was shocking:

rIOog3W.png



I'm sorry, but:

4KMIMEh.jpg
 

Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
I thought we were comparing graphics? It’s not that impressive if graphically it doesn’t stand up to a title from 2013.



Those videos are no indication of the screenshot I posted, the character models in the 1hr vid aren’t even half as good looking.

This is exactly what I mean, people think it’s a great looking game when it’s just not, and as each day passes will only continue to look worse against the newer titles.

Shadowfall is focused on a few areas that are flashed out, it's not open world or something like SC what this last game makes impressive because it's freaking detailed. You can't just see it just from some random low quality shots. You said character look awful in Star Citizen but that's not the case. NPC's don't have to look all like hero characters ingame since that's not necessary.

The first video is from 2017, then 2019 and 2020 video. These models are improved over the years.

This is exactly what I mean, people think it’s a great looking game when it’s just not, and as each day passes will only continue to look worse against the newer titles.

No this is just you trying to shit on it without knowing anything about the game. Heck i do not even think you have ever tried it?
 

Haggard

Banned
And there is really only a 2-3 year window as the console generation wears on in which PCs pull significantly ahead of console hardware
I guess you mean the "average PC"? Because the current consoles are already heavily outclassed only 6 months after release and the gen will probably go on for another ~6 years.
 
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Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
I think this video is educative and tells why Windows is slow as fuck.


This is retarded. Sorry. You can't complain about an OS (software) for not being built to leverage hardware that literally does not exist on its targetted devices!

Also video encoding is a very specific sort of task, and is not representative of general applications which tend to lean heavily (or even entirely) on the CPU or GPU for processing.
 

JimboJones

Member
This is retarded. Sorry. You can't complain about an OS (software) for not being built to leverage hardware that literally does not exist on its targetted devices!

Also video encoding is a very specific sort of task, and is not representative of general applications which tend to lean heavily (or even entirely) on the CPU or GPU for processing.
The whole OS conversation is completely off topic too. People keep mentioning it yet despite being this supposedly big hindrance third party games will look better on a pc using Windows with more powerful hardware.
 

Daymos

Member
My PC isn't more powerful than a ps5 but since I can control the resolution and framerate.. and play all Xbox games.. well it's just "better" most of the time.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
Console games look amazing but often have many cpu bound limitations that wouldnt be present on pc. The non existent vegitation and water physics in the ps4 version of horizon zero dawn for instance.
 
Games cost so much to make , using the phrase making better games in all aspects for itself costs a fortune, pc is also a generic platform owned by no one, you can't expect magic stuff at the level of next gen consoles , that's just a fact.
 

Schmick

Member
That's not a game, that's a tool. I mean it is a game, but it has never been advertised as such. It's until now that suddenly people are hyping it as a game. FS has always been used as a teaching tool for pilots.
To the op, the answer is always 💲💲💲


Same answer as above, while calling it a game is a real stretch, it's a marketing vehicle for Azure, and budgeted accordingly.
If anything its a simulator available to the general consumer. Calling it a 'tool' is disingenuous.

I suppose I'll be calling Gran Turismo a 'tool' from now on since its been proven to be used by professional racing teams to recruit prospective drivers. And lets call R&C a marketing vehicle as well.... since that's a showcase for the incredible SDD/ I/O in the PS5.

Regardless FS2020 is technically one of the best looking games/simulators and should be considered on this topic.
 
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This line of thinking immediately breaks down when you consider what the PC as a platform is - scalable. Why would a PC-exclusive dev working on AAA games only target high-end users? They would more smartly target the mid to low-end and provide scaling options for high-end users.
RDR 2 sold 10 million copies in its first three days on consoles. It sold under a million in its first two months on PC. Including marketing costs, the game cost almost half a billion to make. You're not gonna get that kind of money out of a PC audience with a single player game, no matter how smartly you target the mid to low-end.
 

Yoboman

Member
I guess you mean the "average PC"? Because the current consoles are already heavily outclassed only 6 months after release and the gen will probably go on for another ~6 years.
I am speaking in general terms. There is nothing on PC that is heavily outclassing next gen consoles. It will take 2-3 years before we are seeing that as a standard and at least that long until there are any examples of PC games that the consoles simply couldn't do
 

Haggard

Banned
There is nothing on PC that is heavily outclassing next gen consoles.
Are you kidding? Ampere GPUs? Ryzen 5xxx CPUs?
we`re already at 2-3x the performance we have available on the consoles (probably a lot more than that for RT performance). When exactly does "outclassing" begin for you? :D

?
It's the same game. It's not like going from 360p to 1080p.
It's still 1080p with decent taa and stable 30fps on consoles.
It's not GAME CHANGING NEXT LEVEL visuals on pc. It's jus higher res and fps
And much higher draw distance, object density, lightning accuracy, shadow accuracy etc etc etc there are dozens of scalable engine features besides res and fps.........An that is vanilla. The moment mods come into the comparison it gets really ridiculous.
 
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Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
I think the thread title is wrong. I think you mean that developers creating higher budget games more for consoles then pc platform in general.
 

Optimus Lime

(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
I think the thread title is wrong. I think you mean that developers creating higher budget games more for consoles then pc platform in general.
Finally, someone on this fucking site actually understands the topic being discussed. And it only took five pages of pissing contest bullshit.
 

Yoboman

Member
Are you kidding? Ampere cards? Ryzen 5xxxx CPUs?
we`re already at 2-3x the performance we have available on the consoles. When exactly does "outclassing" begin for you? :D


And much higher draw distance, object density, lightning accuracy, shadow accuracy etc etc etc........An that is vanilla. The moment mods come into the comparison it gets really ridiculous.
2-3x is nothing.

Outclassing is when PC is doing Crysis compared to the consoles. When its doing Cyberpunk and Flight Sim compared to consoles

And you can see clearly how long it took last gen to achieve that
 
This is retarded. Sorry. You can't complain about an OS (software) for not being built to leverage hardware that literally does not exist on its targetted devices!

Also video encoding is a very specific sort of task, and is not representative of general applications which tend to lean heavily (or even entirely) on the CPU or GPU for processing.
Well, watch it: I'm doing it! Fuck Windows X64, it slows all our games! And welcome to Windows ARM with no X64 inside. We'll be millions to prise how such a modern OS makes games running better.

The question should be: how much power is Windows taken off X hardware under X64 to run a game VS ARM VS consoles? And tell me, Windows X64 does not slow everything.
 
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bitbydeath

Member
Shadowfall is focused on a few areas that are flashed out, it's not open world or something like SC what this last game makes impressive because it's freaking detailed. You can't just see it just from some random low quality shots. You said character look awful in Star Citizen but that's not the case. NPC's don't have to look all like hero characters ingame since that's not necessary.

The first video is from 2017, then 2019 and 2020 video. These models are improved over the years.



No this is just you trying to shit on it without knowing anything about the game. Heck i do not even think you have ever tried it?
It shouldn’t matter if it’s open world or not, it’s still failing a comparison against a PS4 launch title. That alone should tell you it isn’t good looking, especially by todays standards and just wait until you see the janky animations, it makes Mass Effect Andromeda look good.
 
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Fafalada

Fafracer forever
And lets call R&C a marketing vehicle as well....
That's literally the job of 1st party game/content offerings (to sell the hw/platform) so, yes?
My point was mainly that FS gets away with being a money losing proposition (as a product - in the long run indirect revenue impact may well be worth it) because of what it is. Which isn't the case for most other interactive software built for PC (games or otherwise), so their production values are drastically lower.

The fact FS is also crossing market segments (while it works as entertainment/game offering for some, it's definitely not that only, or even primarily) matters in so far as potentially offering other revenue streams. But I doubt that's enough to offset the investment MS made here, cloud marketing angle is the reason it exists in today's form.
 

Haggard

Banned
2-3x is nothing.

Outclassing is when PC is doing Crysis compared to the consoles. When its doing Cyberpunk and Flight Sim compared to consoles

And you can see clearly how long it took last gen to achieve that
First you talk about hardware, now it`s suddenly about the software. You´re heavily moving your goalposts here.

Fact is that the console`s hardware is already outclassed. What devs do with that (if at all in many cases) and how soon is an entirely different topic....
 
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the ultimate problem , was design , and consumerism. when a pc was the best gaming choice to the average lad , the atari st and amiga ran shit, good games , running 16bit systems to the max , then the dream always stayed with pc gaming , introducing new hardware , that software , chasing the component market , could never keep up with.

where's a console is , what you get on the tin.
 

Schmick

Member
That's literally the job of 1st party game/content offerings (to sell the hw/platform) so, yes?
My point was mainly that FS gets away with being a money losing proposition (as a product - in the long run indirect revenue impact may well be worth it) because of what it is. Which isn't the case for most other interactive software built for PC (games or otherwise), so their production values are drastically lower.

The fact FS is also crossing market segments (while it works as entertainment/game offering for some, it's definitely not that only, or even primarily) matters in so far as potentially offering other revenue streams. But I doubt that's enough to offset the investment MS made here, cloud marketing angle is the reason it exists in today's form.
You are making this way too complicated. You are clearly over thinking this and going off topic.

Its quite simple..... the OP asks "There is no doubt PC's are much more powerful consoles. Why do consoles always have the best looking games?". My answer to this was, "FS 2020 comes to mind.". Admittedly this is perhaps too vague but i'm pretty sure my answer is understandable. I'm only suggesting that FS2020 is an fantastic looking game and better than what is on console (not to mention the physics that go into this game/simulator). R&C is perhaps on par graphics wise. I consider FS2020 to be a game/simulator and therefore can be considered for this topic.

Now I suppose, considering that FS2020 is actually on its way to console, my answer bears no weight and that is something I have considered since posting my original reply. However the best way to play FS is still on PC.
 
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MikeM

Member
Back to OP's question- my guess is coding efficiencies and other optimizations for set hardware that will not change combined with low-level APIs to maximize access to said hardware. Something that you absolutely cannot do with the amount of hardware options out for PC, so while its known that PC has better hardware options, it certainly can't be said to be efficient use of that hardware.

Edit: I guess PC optimizations can be sponsored by Nvidia or AMD, so I guess it kinda happens on the PC side. Just not to the same extent.
 
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ClosBSAS

Member
Not all PC's are more powerful than consoles, people need to stop talking about PC as if it's a fixed platform. Console devs can focus on a specific set of specs, they don't have to worry about making the game run on dozes if not hundreds of configurations.
/Thread
Its as simple as this.
 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
Not all PC's are more powerful than consoles, people need to stop talking about PC as if it's a fixed platform. Console devs can focus on a specific set of specs, they don't have to worry about making the game run on dozes if not hundreds of configurations.

Exactly.

Which is why all this cross gen malarky on consoles these days is bad for console gaming.
 

matheusnienow

Neo Member
Most of those titles are exclusives, which means that the game is selling not just itself but the platform and the console as well. Because of that those titles can have big budgets and don't depend solely on the profits of the game itself, thus having more liberty and focus to create an truly astounding game. Crysis was developed with the goal to show the power of the CryEngine and what could be achieved in the pc gaming, it wasn't really focusing on hitting a large pc target, it was really pushing for the top systems. That's why Crysis was really hard to run many years after it's launch.

PC games generally focus on being able to run on most pcs, which generally have mid tier specs, and focus on having profits on the game itself, and not some pc platform.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
I've reached a point - due to the scarcity of gpu's and the bespoke design of the PS5 - that gaming on my PS5 is better than on my PC in some games.

. . .this also answers the OP's question. When you have a fixed platform, it is way easier to squeeze the ever-living juice out of the system as you know how it will perform for everyone who buys your game.
 

Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
It shouldn’t matter if it’s open world or not, it’s still failing a comparison against a PS4 launch title. That alone should tell you it isn’t good looking, especially by todays standards and just wait until you see the janky animations, it makes Mass Effect Andromeda look good.

WTF are you talking about? Again clearly you don’t know shit, same a lot of SC haters spreading bullshit based on some screens. But it’s clear you haven’t even followed the tech behind SC. Is is failing? Because 1 shiny building in Killzone makes it look better? That one building is the only building you can enter. The background is not even intractable compared to SC. You can’t go to the buildings in Killzone, it’s just background assets, nothing more. Handcrafted because you can’t explore.

Always fun to see someone trying to argue about things they don’t even follow. Killzone and Mass Effect looking good graphically, but they really not close tech-wise to what SC is doing. Even the building in killzone has just a little area you can enter. The game doesn’t even take place over there.
 
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assurdum

Banned
OT but I'm amazed to find Killzone Shadowfall still more impressive visually than Horizon Dawn Zero and than many other later games on PS4.
 
It's typical for the best and brightest games to be played or made on a console. Going back to the HD era of games this remains true with graphic king games. Gears of War, Uncharted 4, Read Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us 2, and Ratchet and Clank a rift apart wipes it's ass when any game out period. Despite these high end pc's having graphics cards that can cost as much as 3x as much as a Playstation 5 the math doesn't add up. Sure on pc you can play at 300fps with much higher resolutions but I can't really think of a pc game that was a real graphics king since Crysis. In short? Why aren't these pc's blowing console games out of the water while costing 4x or more as much?

Because unlike in the previous history, most games aren't made for PC but for consoles first since that's where they'll make the majority of their income.

In addition, the ability to focus on a single hardware spec, in the case of first-party devs on console, makes a huge difference in the late stages of development when increasing attention to detail, optimisation and polishing of titles is concerned.

Most PC exclusive titles these days are made for the broadest possible hardware spec, which is typically on the lower end, and often weaker than current console hardware. The top PC hardware has also fucking ballooned in price in the past 20 years, leading to a situation where only the tiniest portion of the PC player base owns the fastest hardware; rendering it even less of an impetus to push for bleeding-edge graphics in PC games.

On PC these days, folks have to make do playing console-fidelity games at insane resolutions and framerates. For most PC enthusiasts, that's enough.
 

Topher

Gold Member
I've reached a point - due to the scarcity of gpu's and the bespoke design of the PS5 - that gaming on my PS5 is better than on my PC in some games.

I'd still game on my PS5 even if my PC was maxed out, frankly. It still has awesome exclusives and I enjoy trophy hunting. I find more and more that I like having multiple systems that bring different experiences to the table.
 
actually , the point is not

, not all pcs are as powerful as consoles,
its about hardware being pushed , or not , for the market needs to be pushed , so pc , no disrespect , nerds , have to continuously want(no need) or need to upgrade , the games are under powered on some systems , and over powered on others , no optimisation , for numerous reasons , it ain all simple as the above.
 
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Tg89

Member
Most PCs are not more powerful than consoles. Look at steam surveys, the vast majority of PC gamers are playing on potatoes.
 

Melfice7

Member
Games are made for consoles, better pcs just have overhead power for resolution/fps etc.

Its very rare for an actual game to be developed for a "high end pc" in mind and have quality/polish, the last time i remember that being attempted was crysis

And as usual, just throwing money at it doesnt work, need quality devs putting the time and effort to make something special
 

theclaw135

Banned
Hardware isn't diddly squat without content. PC gamers should be mortified, outraged even, that the best they generally receive is console ports months after the hype has settled down - accompanied by new glitches and sharper textures.

If you want PC gaming to improve, speak out! Support exclusive titles. Encourage devs to exclude lower quality settings.
Rampant pandering to low end systems is a blight on the platform.
 

Mackers

Member
Platform doesn't really matter, what is considered the best looking game is always changing as time goes on.

So who fucking cares.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Hardware isn't diddly squat without content. PC gamers should be mortified, outraged even, that the best they generally receive is console ports months after the hype has settled down - accompanied by new glitches and sharper textures.

If you want PC gaming to improve, speak out! Support exclusive titles. Encourage devs to exclude lower quality settings.
Rampant pandering to low end systems is a blight on the platform.

Speak out......to who? PC gaming has no single company behind it. And why would PC gamers be "mortified" about getting "console ports" when consoles are now essentially PCs? The only ports coming "months after" are the ones from Sony. Most multiplat games are on PC day one.
 
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Fredrik

Member
Hardware isn't diddly squat without content. PC gamers should be mortified, outraged even, that the best they generally receive is console ports months after the hype has settled down - accompanied by new glitches and sharper textures.

If you want PC gaming to improve, speak out! Support exclusive titles. Encourage devs to exclude lower quality settings.
Rampant pandering to low end systems is a blight on the platform.
Multiplatform games are there day 1, some PS+PC exclusives too, all the AAA Microsoft games are there day 1, even earlier than on console in some cases. The future is looking bright as far as I’m concerned.
 
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