Console or PC? Returning to gaming

[clockworks]

It's been about 15 years since I stopped gaming ( lack of time).

I've had a few consoles, but mostly used a home- built PC. I prefer using a keyboard and mouse rather than a controller. Mostly played FPS and driving games.

How much would I need to spend on a PC to get something comparable to a PS5?
What spec should I be looking for?
How noisy are they these days?

It'll be used in the lounge, connected to a 6 month old mid-spec 65" Samsung TV and a Denon AV amp with reasonable Atmos setup.

[NDA]

I have been tempted to buy a console, but it seems you need a monthly subscription, which puts me off.

Sorry OP, slight drift (!), but will be watching this thread.

[Jasandjules]

I spent just over 1k to get a "gaming" PC. It will run Horizon, Days Gone and Fallout etc on settings that are graphically superior to my PS5. That being said, I now want a better one which I think is about 2k.....

[Deep Thought]

I went console. XBox Series X.

[Deep Thought]

NDA said:

I have been tempted to buy a console, but it seems you need a monthly subscription, which puts me off.

Sorry OP, slight drift (!), but will be watching this thread.

The standard network subscription is free, though you can opt to pay for a GamePass.

Free would allow to play any games you've bought yourself without any monthly cost.

That subscription gets you 100+ free games though, with more added each month (and some drop off).

More than enough for the casual gamer.

(Speaking from the XBox perspective).

Edited by Deep Thought on Sunday 28th January 13:58

[clockworks]

CheesecakeRunner said:

If that TV is a 4k one, then a console is a better bet. To get a PC capable of driving a 4k TV at the same quality of a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you need to spend a fair chunk of cash. Couple of grand at least. Different story if you’re 1080p gaming on a 32in monitor.

If you really want to use a keyboard and mouse, just connect them to the console by USB.

Yes, TV is 4k. The AV amp can handle 4k HDMI too. Seems like a PS5 would be a fair bit cheaper then.

I didn't know that a keyboard and mouse could be used with a PS5. Is that true for all games, or just certain ones? Can Bluetooth K&M be connected?

[marksx]

Deep Thought said:

NDA said:

I have been tempted to buy a console, but it seems you need a monthly subscription, which puts me off.

Sorry OP, slight drift (!), but will be watching this thread.

The standard network subscription is free, though you can opt to pay for a GamePass.

Free would allow to play any games you've bought yourself without any monthly cost.

That subscription gets you 100+ free games though, with more added each month (and some drop off).

More than enough for the casual gamer.

(Speaking from the XBox perspective).

Edited by Deep Thought on Sunday 28th January 13:58

The game pass games are mostly a year or more old, but that's not necessarily a negative. There are occasional new releases on there too. Starfield flas a recent example. I haven't used a PC for gaming for years. For convenience, and space considerations I'm fully console (Xbox).

[Deep Thought]

marksx said:

The game pass games are mostly a year or more old, but that's not necessarily a negative. There are occasional new releases on there too. Starfield flas a recent example. I haven't used a PC for gaming for years. For convenience, and space considerations I'm fully console (Xbox).

Yeah it's not the latest releases but then some of the best games aren't.

I like it for the variety but yes I've also went out and bought games.

I went Series S first but some of the games I want are disc only so availed of the deals before Christmas and upgraded to an X which is giving me best of both worlds.

[MMarkM]

I'd have thought if you're connecting to your TV then a console would suit better. If you've got a completely seperate room set aside for gaming/office then PC will be best, BUT will be a lot more expensive than a console if you need monitor/s GPU/S etc

[Steven_RW]

clockworks said:

CheesecakeRunner said:

If that TV is a 4k one, then a console is a better bet. To get a PC capable of driving a 4k TV at the same quality of a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you need to spend a fair chunk of cash. Couple of grand at least. Different story if you’re 1080p gaming on a 32in monitor.

If you really want to use a keyboard and mouse, just connect them to the console by USB.

Yes, TV is 4k. The AV amp can handle 4k HDMI too. Seems like a PS5 would be a fair bit cheaper then.

I didn't know that a keyboard and mouse could be used with a PS5. Is that true for all games, or just certain ones? Can Bluetooth K&M be connected?

The setup you described is more of a living room with a big TV if I have it right. Playing with a controller on a modern console would appear to suit that environment more. If I wanted to play keyboard and mouse I'd stick to a gaming pc and not have it in my living room. As it's quite hard to get a good physical setup for leyb&mouse in most living room setups. Just my view.

I'd give a ps5 or Xbox series X a go and see how you get on, just using the controller. It takes a while till you are natural with the controller for aiming but that doesn't matter so much unless you are playing competitive multiplayer first person shooter games.

If you want to buy ps5 and use keyboard and mouse id make sure and watch a few videos on how good the user experience with console key&mouse. I know it was a somewhat compromise when trying it with PS4. I'd just verify before going that route on ps5. You could use a cheaper pc and just set the resolution to 1080p and let it upscale on to your TV as it takes a strong pc to be able to play smooth 4k. Not necessarily the highest spec but likely a GPU that alone costs as much as a ps5. Cheers

[clockworks]

Steven_RW said:

The setup you described is more of a living room with a big TV if I have it right. Playing with a controller on a modern console would appear to suit that environment more. If I wanted to play keyboard and mouse I'd stick to a gaming pc and not have it in my living room. As it's quite hard to get a good physical setup for leyb&mouse in most living room setups. Just my view.

I'd give a ps5 or Xbox series X a go and see how you get on, just using the controller. It takes a while till you are natural with the controller for aiming but that doesn't matter so much unless you are playing competitive multiplayer first person shooter games.

If you want to buy ps5 and use keyboard and mouse id make sure and watch a few videos on how good the user experience with console key&mouse. I know it was a somewhat compromise when trying it with PS4. I'd just verify before going that route on ps5. You could use a cheaper pc and just set the resolution to 1080p and let it upscale on to your TV as it takes a strong pc to be able to play smooth 4k. Not necessarily the highest spec but likely a GPU that alone costs as much as a ps5. Cheers

Yes, want to set it up in the living room, rather than in isolation in my study/office.

I used to have a PS3 set up in the living room, and a gaming PC in the spare room/office.

These days I use an iMac for office stuff, so not much use for gaming. A Windows box would only be used for games if I bought one.
The last game I played was an RC flight sim, on a Mac Mini running Win 10, plugged into the telly. Ran OK, but it was a very basic game. Think I've still got some old PC games that will run on the Mini - if they work with Win10.

I might also dig out my old PS3, see if it still works, and if I can get on with using a controller.

[Steven_RW]

Sounds like it's console time. Plenty fun games that suit controllers more so than FPS games. I've been a mouse n keyb player since doom so I really struggle with the finer points if aiming with a controller but for games that are one player it doesn't matter so much in my opinion. You don't need to be so perfect.

Currently I'm playing GTA IV on my PS3 and loving it. I've got a hi end gaming pc and gtaV sitting there but I've settled nicely into the story of GTA IV and have no real care that the frame rate isn't so good at times on the PS3 and the gfx are all kinda low res to allow it to run.

If you want a halfway house just pick up a second hand PS4 pro and have some fun with the tonnes of games you have missed out on by having not played gamer aof ten years. Cheap as chips and quality fun.

Good luck with it all. Plenty folk on here for advice no matter which route you head down.

[clockworks]

My old PS3 powers up, but won't connect to the Internet.

Tried wifi, sees network, but won't connect. Didn't really expect it to.

Can't connect using ethernet - fails trying to obtain IP address during test, and I can't figure out why

[Wayoftheflower]

Current gen consoles have been around a few years and are now a generation or two behind available new PC components. So for 4k gaming you will only need the budget end of the latest gen GPUs to equal current consoles. Choose to spend more and you'll get smoother and more effects without a doubt.

For FPS and driving games a PC has the huge advantages of a vast back catalogue of compatible games and an astounding amount of quality mods.

Assetto Corsa with mods is a stunning looking game with any car or track you care to name will have been added by modders.

Quality wireless KB&M can be lounge room friendly and there's plenty of PC compatible controllers too if that's your preference.

If you've even the smallest tolerance for tinkering then a PC would give you so much more.

[Steven_RW]

clockworks said:

My old PS3 powers up, but won't connect to the Internet.

Tried wifi, sees network, but won't connect. Didn't really expect it to.

Can't connect using ethernet - fails trying to obtain IP address during test, and I can't figure out why

I googled your issue as it intrigued me. There are quite a few recommended fixes to try. I have three x PS3 and all of them still work fine online. Right back from a launch day PS3 fat and up to 2x PS3 slim. Have a quick Google and see some options. One easy one just involves turning your router off for five mins and turning back on (though it's hard to decide why a whole 5 mins is needed) through to others such as starting your PS3 network configuration from scratch as it's maybe holding some old data on cache. It should be fixable. Let us know how you go.

[Steven_RW]

Wayoftheflower said:

Current gen consoles have been around a few years and are now a generation or two behind available new PC components. So for 4k gaming you will only need the budget end of the latest gen GPUs to equal current consoles. Choose to spend more and you'll get smoother and more effects without a doubt.

For FPS and driving games a PC has the huge advantages of a vast back catalogue of compatible games and an astounding amount of quality mods.

Assetto Corsa with mods is a stunning looking game with any car or track you care to name will have been added by modders.

Quality wireless KB&M can be lounge room friendly and there's plenty of PC compatible controllers too if that's your preference.

If you've even the smallest tolerance for tinkering then a PC would give you so much more.

Cheapest gpu that I could consider as capable to 4k game is RTX3070 which is toe to toe with older rtx2080ti. 2nd hand that's £300 to £350 ball park. Which is the same price as a 2nd ps5. I'm not looking to argue about it but I was wondering if that's the sort of GPU you had in mind with your suggestion?

[Wayoftheflower]

Steven_RW said:

Cheapest gpu that I could consider as capable to 4k game is RTX3070 which is toe to toe with older rtx2080ti. 2nd hand that's £300 to £350 ball park. Which is the same price as a 2nd ps5. I'm not looking to argue about it but I was wondering if that's the sort of GPU you had in mind with your suggestion?

I did a quick Google that returned articles that a 4060 being equivalent to a PS5 graphically.

If you shop S/H for ps5 that's a can of worms. I picked up a 3070 for £200 last weekend to replace a RX580 I'll hope to get ~£100 for next week.

[s p a c e m a n]

I had always been an Xbox player until a few years ago when I thought that I'd try pc out as the games seemed to be more plentiful and cheaper to buy. I have a living room setup, 4ktv sitting on a unit and a big L shaped sofa with a couple of coffee tables.

The pc is bigger than a console, I had to modify the unit to fit it in and give it enough airflow. The keyboard stays sat under the TV as if it's left anywhere near the sofa it's in the way of normal life and gets damaged, the Xbox controllers and mouse sit on one of the coffee tables.

I like having a pc as a gaming unit but it's not as easy to get along with in a living room as a console is and if I had a decent laptop/other pc in another room I would definitely go with a console for just gaming in the living room.

[clockworks]

Steven_RW said:

I googled your issue as it intrigued me. There are quite a few recommended fixes to try. I have three x PS3 and all of them still work fine online. Right back from a launch day PS3 fat and up to 2x PS3 slim. Have a quick Google and see some options. One easy one just involves turning your router off for five mins and turning back on (though it's hard to decide why a whole 5 mins is needed) through to others such as starting your PS3 network configuration from scratch as it's maybe holding some old data on cache. It should be fixable. Let us know how you go.

I went through the network setup, and it looked like it was doing it from scratch, but maybe it wasn't? Connection test "failed to obtain IP address", but it had what looked like a valid IP in the settings.

I wonder if that was actually the IP from the last time it was used, rather than a new one from DHCP. I'll try and delete the settings.

[dundarach]

Without sounding aggressive, if you're asking on the internet, just get a console, buy the basic monthly package and be done with it.

We've most varieties in our house from ZX Spectrum through SNES\Gameboys to PS4 and Xbox X including several gaming PC's (joys of a being a parent and a long time nerd)

I'd give serious thought to the Nintendo Switch to be honest, son has one and depending on your life circumstances, might be what you need. Decent enough graphics in reality, you can play on the big screen and\or play on the settee, bed, work and out any about, which other options may or may not do. (ideal for married people!). I wouldn't worry too much about steamdecks alike, again if your wondering which way to go.

For me, if I had nothing and wanted to play some more modern games, I go switch - xbox\ps5 depending - pc in that order

£400 for Switch with Mario Kart 8 if that's your thing??