Skyrim 90% Consoles? Looking at Preorders

I played Nintendo and the PC when I was a kid. Both were great. Now that I'm older and grumpier I just prefer the PC.

BUT it has been proven that a really good games can be made for the console like Red Dead Redemption and Dark Souls.

It just sucks when games that are meant to be really good RPGs are first designed for the console. For Beth games it's not really a big deal. Mods can take care of most of the consolization that occurs with the game, but others haven't had such luck. If they can perfect a way to make great games for the console and then port it over to the PC while changing it to optimize what the PC can do (i'm not just talking about silly graphics, but like large icons and beyond stupid inventory management systems). Then I would never say another bad thing about consoles again.

They just need to get the porting down and take out all that unneeded console style UI. They can leave the graphics for all I care.

KnightPT said:

You don't understand consoles ? Well i much rather have the PC version, but i can understand people who want consoles also.

PRO console:
- Skyrim in a 32'' TV > Skyrim in a 19'' PC screen even with lower resolution on console.
- Skyrim with no driver problems > Skyrim with multiple driver problems (possibly, not stating it will be extra bad in the PC, i'm just comparing to Oblivion, people might be afraid)
- No need to invest in hardware for 4 years now, xbox is xbox!

PRO PC:
- Skyrim in 2 months after launch with modding > Skyrim in consoles with little chance of modding
- Skyrim with mouse and keyboard > Skyrim with controler
- Better graphics overall if you have an average/good PC


I much rather have skyrim on PC, but only because i have a fairly potent PC and a 27'' Screen. If i had a lower end PC and a 19'', i would rather play on xbox 360 and a large TV screen to be perfecly honest.

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Again everyone wants to list things that used to be pro's for consoles. Yes in the past big monitors were expensive but now there very affordable. I picked up a 46" vizio 1080p for 399.00 that I use as a monitor. You can't assume pc gamers are stuck on 19" monitors as a pro for consoles.

Also I'm not sure what driver issues there were with oblivion as I just installed it and played it no problem. Once I modded however was a different story. But modding is optional. (maybe)

I'm not so sure about not buying new hardware either. The kinect and move, hard drive upgrades, extra controllers. I also have friends that have had to replace their consoles after sending them in to get fixed so often. I'd be curious to see how many people get through the life of a console with out sending it in or replacing it.

As far as the pc pro's you listed I'd agree with mod's if they have a better system than oblivion did. also agree with the graphics and while I personally would agree with m+k being better, i'm sure some would swear on the controller.

blatantninja said:

One the advantages consoles have over PC's is not needing to constantly upgrade for the latest and greatest game. You buy a console and it will play every game that is ever made for it. Period. I have a lot of friends that are long time PC gamers, but for their kids, they buy them consoles to keep the costs down.

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Games for the most part are made for consoles so there's no need to constantly upgrade your pc to play them.

JDR13 said:

Yeah, and you also get a lower resolution, less options, and no modability.

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But the thing is that most people don't care about that stuff. The vast majority of people would sacrifice options for simplicity. Like it or not, most of us here would be sophisticated gamers.

blatantninja said:

One the advantages consoles have over PC's is not needing to constantly upgrade for the latest and greatest game. You buy a console and it will play every game that is ever made for it. Period. I have a lot of friends that are long time PC gamers, but for their kids, they buy them consoles to keep the costs down.

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I never get this weird statement. I only play on PC and I don't have to "constantly upgrade". Yeah, at some point over the course of 5 years or so you'll have to upgrade something, but generally only to the level of the current consoles, and then you can very quickly outstrip them. And of course, the lower cost of PC games will help make up any difference in the cost between a PC (useful for lots of things) and a console (useful for a handful of things).

On topic, I think this is probably another example of certain sales avenues being ignored to back up the "consoles are the only future" myth. However, most of my PC gaming friends tend to wait until a game is out and shop around for the best price rather than preordering, so I wonder how much of that figures in here.

I never get this weird statement. I only play on PC and I don't have to "constantly upgrade". Yeah, at some point over the course of 5 years or so you'll have to upgrade something, but generally only to the level of the current consoles, and then you can very quickly outstrip them. And of course, the lower cost of PC games will help make up any difference in the cost between a PC (useful for lots of things) and a console (useful for a handful of things).

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Not only that, but compare the price of a console at release with the cost of a new PC. A new PC is not a whole lot more expensive (if you bought a PC for the same amount of money that a PS3 cost on launch, then you would get a rather powerful machine), and will last you through most of a console generation anyway.

sakichop said:

Again everyone wants to list things that used to be pro's for consoles. Yes in the past big monitors were expensive but now there very affordable. I picked up a 46" vizio 1080p for 399.00 that I use as a monitor. You can't assume pc gamers are stuck on 19" monitors as a pro for consoles.

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Also most modern video cards in PCs have HDMI out and most modern television sets have HDMI in. Even if you have older connectors there are probably adapters you can get.

I run some games out of my PC to my 55" TV. The resolution is higher than I will get from most console games and you have the option of modability so it's still an improvement over using the consoles to me.

Accept it, playing Skyrim on a 360 or PS3 is a "consolation" prize compared to 1st place for the pc

sakichop said:

Again everyone wants to list things that used to be pro's for consoles. Yes in the past big monitors were expensive but now there very affordable. I picked up a 46" vizio 1080p for 399.00 that I use as a monitor. You can't assume pc gamers are stuck on 19" monitors as a pro for consoles.

Also I'm not sure what driver issues there were with oblivion as I just installed it and played it no problem. Once I modded however was a different story. But modding is optional. (maybe)

I'm not so sure about not buying new hardware either. The kinect and move, hard drive upgrades, extra controllers. I also have friends that have had to replace their consoles after sending them in to get fixed so often. I'd be curious to see how many people get through the life of a console with out sending it in or replacing it.

As far as the pc pro's you listed I'd agree with mod's if they have a better system than oblivion did. also agree with the graphics and while I personally would agree with m+k being better, i'm sure some would swear on the controller.

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Don't get me wrong please, i'm realy PRO-PC. I'm very fortunate to have a very good system (even though its already 2 years old, but kicks ass) and thus i wouldnt touch a console with a poke stick over 10 yards, but i have lots of friends that went console and now they think the PC is "old news", "bothersome", "work stuff", "expensive to get the best", etc, etc, etc.

And this were people that were very very hard-core PC fans from my Baldur's gate times, going up to The witcher, etc. I honestly can understand why they made that choice. I don't personaly agree with most arguments, but i understand them.


Some people say that PC has much higher detail at 1920x1080 vs 1280 over a console game, and that is obviously true, but playing on a very large screen in the living room at a certain distance the detail is quite honestly quite acceptable and in some cases quite good. On a PC, even at higher resolutions, its way more noticeable when a game "looks bad from origin".


My PC is equiped with an SSD and boots up to 100% in 10-12 seconds. Most people say that PCs are still wayyyy to slow to plug-in and play. I update drivers manually once a month and i have to say i rarely have any problems with new games, but still people say that PC is terrible for playing games with no hassle.

Thing is, bottom line, consoles are more "Fool proof". If you know what to buy in a PC market (spending little and wisely) and you know how to operate a PC, its miles ahead of any console, but if you are a newbie/dumb/lazy guy (no offense to anyone who doesnt fit here), then i get it that consoles are "miles ahead" of PCs.


There are however a few problems with PC gamming atm that doesnt let it "fly away":

a) Piracy is still a major problem. Not because its way easier than on xbox, but simply because people are "used to" having piracy on PC much more. Its a "tradition" almoust.

b) AMD/Nvidia drivers are a pain in the ass to work with for developers. Directx adds another layer between the developer and the hardware. So we're talking of 2/3 layers instead 1/2 of consoles. Harder to program, slower to run, more prone to bugs.

KnightPT said:

a) Piracy is still a major problem. Not because its way easier than on xbox, but simply because people are "used to" having piracy on PC much more. Its a "tradition" almoust.

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Sadly, the XBOX version of Skyrim was pirated almost two weeks before street date.

The PC version, which uses Steamworks release control, has still not been pirated so far. In fact, some of the essential files to make the game run are not even shipping on the PC retail discs.

I may get Skyrim for the XBox. Why? My my PC can't handle it right now, and I can't afford to upgrade. And frankly, I don't want to upgrade just to play a video game. And there's nothing wrong with playing a game vanilla-style, especially when it first comes out. Great mods won't be available for a while anyway.

Eventually I'll likely get it for PC once my machine is better and there's mods I really want to try.

Skyrim on a 50 in Plasma, sound thru a great 5.1 stereo system with me laying on the couch. Yeah, the XBox gets the nod from me over the PC.

Not that I think the PC is bad but I prefer the ease, convience (sp) and cheapness of the console nowadays.

Toff said:

Skyrim on a 50 in Plasma, sound thru a great 5.1 stereo system with me laying on the couch. Yeah, the XBox gets the nod from me over the PC.

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Nothing stop you from plugging your PC on your 50in Plasma and 5.1 stereo audio system. You can plug a controller into it too and play in the couch.

azarhal said:

Nothing stop you from plugging your PC on your 50in Plasma and 5.1 stereo audio system. You can plug a controller into it too and play in the couch.

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Actually, that's exactly what I do. I get the same experience except in higher resolution and with the ability to use mods.

This thing about the experience of playing console games on big screens is supposed to be better than PC gaming on a monitor/screen is kind of bs anyway. It's all about viewing distance relative to screen size, not only the size of the screen.

I don't understand why some of you want to argue this. Console sales are a fact. That a large portion of people like to use an easy-to-use game device is fact. Sneering at console gamers with their "outdated hardware" doesn't change the fact they are happily playing the same game as you. Each to their own.

I haven't upgraded my PC in AGES or else I'd get it for PC so it looks like 360 for me.

However, after buying Oblivion for PC on day one (even spent $300 on a graphics card and power supply) I tried playing it many times but after a few hours I would just quit. Just could not get into it. It failed to live up to my expectations after Morrowind.

Even tried tons of mods but I get to the point where if I have to change SOOOOO many game play aspects then it just sours me. I prefer mods for light tweaking, not complete overhauls because then I just can't appreciate what the original developers did.

Anyway, last year I decided to get Oblivion for the 360 because it was $10 and I figured, what the hell, I'll give it ONE more chance. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it. Playing on a 42" TV with the sound coming out of my 5.1 surround system was great - not only that but for some reason playing it on a console made it OK for me to have lower expectations Seriously, I looked at it then as an action/adventure game with light RPG elements instead of a full fledged PC RPG and had fun with it. And it's not like Oblivion benefited from a mouse + keyboard setup. And it didn't become my favorite game or anything but it was decent fun.

So I'm looking forward to playing Skyrim the same way. Sure I'd like the higher resolutions and mod options but I'll probably have a blast anyway. And I likely won't be getting a new PC (I need a full overhaul) until next Spring/Summer anyway - too many expenses recentl, just bought a bunch of stuff including 2 laptops and I want to get a decent gaming rig. By then I'm sure there will be some really worthwhile mods and if Skyrim hooks me half as much as Morrowind did, I'll be playing it until then anyway.

And some of you say you can plug the PC into HDTVs and still play on the couch/large screen but that is inconvenient in some cases. I don't have room in my bedroom where my current desktop is for a large monitor. I also can't leave my PC in the living room permanently either: my TV stand already holds a 360, Gamecube, DVD player, cable box, PS2, receiver, and the center channel from my 5.1 system.

I like my set up now because if the wife and/or daughters want to use the living room, I can just go to my bedroom and game there without disturbing them or vice versa. And when I want to use the consoles I have a bigger screen and a couch.

Also, I've been playing on consoles for as long as I've been playing PC games (a LONG time) so I don't see consoles as some "poor man's gaming solution" compared to the PC. There's is plenty of stuff worth playing on both. And say what you will about higher PC resolutions but most of the games I've played on the 360 through my HDTV look pretty damn awesome. And from 5 or 6 feet away from the screen resolution isn't as big a deal as it is from say 1.5 feet away.

Strange that digital sales are not counted - seems to me that digital sales would be easier to 'count' and digital sales don't have to take into account the difficulties of 'sell through'

I know. The digital sales thing makes no sense. I'm surprised that some law hasn't passed that would force game companies to disclose such numbers. I wish Steam, etc would voluntarily give out such info, but that's a pipe dream.