I need (really, really want) to play Fallout 4... Do I go down the XBOX One, PS4 Or PC path?

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  donga100 on 08/11/2015 - 20:48

  I'm in exactly the same situation as you. I'm also leaning slightly towards PC as it would be a convenient excuse to upgrade my old computer. PC gaming hardware seems to be a bottomless pit of spending/upgrades though compared to a console that never gets upgraded. Or have I got that part wrong?

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    scrimshaw on 08/11/2015 - 21:45

    +4

    One needs a PC anyway, so considering that $500 PC is what your average person owns, adding another $400 to it to make it into a gaming PC is worthwhile in the long run.

    It really depends on what you currently have and whether you can upgrade it. The initial costs of a desktop is much, much higher than a console but sales on PC games are much more frequent. If you already own a half-decent PC, then you need to consider the costs of adding stuff to it.

    I'm rocking a fairly old PC — it's a Core i5 2500k and it started out as a fairly low end rig — 4GB of RAM, dirt cheap Antec case, ordinary HDD's and a 5850 GPU.

    I then added the following parts over the next 3 years

    • Coolermaster Enforcer case ($30 second hand from another Ozbargainer)
    • SSD (Intel 530) $160 AUD
    • 4GB RAM kit ($70 AUD), two more 2TB WD Red drives to fit more crap
    • 7870 $235 (now retired and re-used for a second gaming PC)
    • and most recently a R9 380 4GB ($349)

    There was the $125 Enermax power supply as well (which qualified me for the $50 eBay voucher)

    Sounds like a lot, but realistically the only parts that mattered were the graphics card upgrades. The rest of the components that I splurged on was really for improving the performance of my PC, and didn't make much of an impact on game playability.

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      Adz81 on 08/11/2015 - 23:23

      As always, Scrimshaw, thanks for your advice… My current PC is a HP all-in-one job that I nabbed from an auction some years ago, and I don't believe it's all that upgradeable.

      Like I said though, I did spot an ex-rental PC from a Radio Rentals clearance house that would more than cover the requirements, and have room for future upgrades… It may be the way to go…

      I do miss the days of cartridge/pre-internet game releases though, where gaming companies lived or died by what they released on day one…

      • 

        scrimshaw on 09/11/2015 - 10:30

        Do you have access to the Ocau trading forums? I see people selling not so old gaming desktops for pretty good prices

        You need to be a member of the Ocau forums for 90 days to access the trade section.

        It's worth a look and I think it's better value than buying some random machine from radio rentals.

        In case you don't have a choice and have to get a second hand machine from other places, make sure you research or ask online before buying. You won't want to get a machine that is too difficult to upgrade ( for example you can't do much with a small form factor ex business machine.. They are not made for upgrading)

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  thepigs on 08/11/2015 - 21:25

  you can save money on pc games by buying cdkeys from india or wherever they come from.

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  aarcana on 08/11/2015 - 21:33

  +1

  Well the limitations of your current internet connection may be a factor, as the PC version requires a 24GB download for digital versions, or around 16GB even for DVD versions (as there is only up to 8GB provided in the box, the rest must be downloaded via Steam). There is also likely to be a further download required on release, perhaps another GB or so.

  PS4/XB1 versions I think require around 500MB download upon release, if I've read some online chatter correctly.

  That aside, the I would have to assume PC version will have the best mod support down the track and well into the future, if that's a consideration for you. But yes, you may spend up to a grand to get a decent gaming system going versus sub-$500 for the current consoles.

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  silverrat23 on 08/11/2015 - 21:48

  The problem is that is a trend with more games requiring a Week-1 patch to be downloaded, including Fallout 4. All 3 consoles may need one and without it, the game will be buggy (from little nuisances such as improper menus navigation to save-crashing bugs).

  Also, Bethesda (developers of Fallout 4) seem to have a history of buggy games from Day-1, so you may want to consider that.

  • 

    Adz81 on 08/11/2015 - 23:23

    Agreed, as I mentioned above, I miss the days of cartridge. or pre-"we'll patch it later" gaming…

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  Davo1111 on 09/11/2015 - 04:39

  +1

  pcmasterrace

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  iridiumstem on 09/11/2015 - 06:06

  I personally think PC would be nicer (solely because PC tends to get mods that fixes bugs to something that adds to much content).
  Considering that the modders will have more things to play around with (the armour seems to be modular, etc etc), I'd expect something amazing from modders.

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  Live Dimension on 09/11/2015 - 10:32

  For most games it comes to personal preference which system to use, but Bethesda has always had a largely active modding scene.

  Bethesda sandbox games are also always terribly buggy and need a large series of patches and community fixes to get the best out of them which can only happen on the PC. You can play it now and play it again in a few years after the mods are fully developed etc.

  However, the limit of $500 really throws the spanner in the works. You'll find it difficult to get a computer which can run it at the same quality a console can, even second hand. You could also try gumtree, there are always second hand computers for sale there.

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  Noodles93 on 09/11/2015 - 13:03

  Might be worth waiting until the full backwards compatibility list for Xbox One is released and then trading in your 360 console to upgrade to the One since you have "a metric sh_t tonne or there abouts of games for the 360, and still play it regularly". This might be the most cost effective method <$500.

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  tonyjzx on 09/11/2015 - 13:06

  Comes down to a few things…

  Control method: can you do an FPS with controller or kbd mouse? For me kbd mouse is necessary so PC it is

  Frame rate: console is either 900p or 1,080p at 30fps and going by prelimary reports, 30fps is best case, it dives to 20fps or worse… ayy lmao Bethesda

  So if 60fps is your fetish, PC is it. Sure it costs a bit, I reckon you need a 3.0ghz + modern CPU + a $300 gpu to run 1,080@60fps but I dont think I'm going to spare much expense to do that when the alternative is dire.

  I have two pcs that can do 60fps on fallout 4 so its a forgone conclusion.

  Bethesda's reputation on console is spotty to say the least.

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  Brouw3r on 09/11/2015 - 18:03

  I got it on PS4 because I figure it will just sit in my steam library otherwise. Although the apparent frame rate drop is scaring me

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    [Deactivated] on 09/11/2015 - 20:59

    PS4 just had an unexpected stability update. I wonder if it has anything to do with Fallout 4?

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  mordinhoz on 09/11/2015 - 22:55

  +1

  If you are planning on hooking up the system to your TV I'd recommend getting a PS4.

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    FrankMcFuzz on 10/11/2015 - 10:35

    +2

    Fun fact. The Xbone also connects to the TV
    ALSO a fun fact, the god damned PC hooks up to the TV. Has nobody heard of an HDMI cable?

    • 

      mordinhoz on 11/11/2015 - 20:17

      Yes a pc can be hooked up to a TV. But I don't think you'd be able to get something as sleek as a console or with as much gaming power (in a small factor) for 500. I own an xbone myself and I don't regret buying it at all but I think that the ps4 is the better platform so far this generation. You'd have to admit that at least.

      PS. And fallout 4 is running best on ps4 at the moment!

      • 

        FrankMcFuzz on 11/11/2015 - 20:28

        I haven't got either, because far as actually playing videogames, they're both poor at that, because everything they release is either a 'remade' (see; ported) version of a last generation game, multiplatform, or an overhyped and poor rating exclusive (with the exception of InFamous and Bloodborne).

        Yesterday, the xbone released a list of over a hundred games that will be backwards compatible, which will make the PS4 looks dumb when it continues to release ports of last generation games for $79 when everyone who had a 360 will be able to play most of the big hitters without taking a giant hit to their wallet to play something they've already payed for once, or something they never had a chance for.

        And no, you'd never be able to get a gaming PC for $500, but the PC pays for itself after a while with the amount of money that steam, GOG, and CDKeys saves us on PC games, the kinds of savings unheard of on the consoles. AKA, legitimate copies of Mad Max for $15 a week after release and The Witcher 3 for $50 3 days prior to release. Plus, well, if you want to play the exclusives card, the PC is winning by thousands and thousands of titles. I've always been console gamer until this year but… the inexplicable abandonment of actual gamers by the new consoles meant I had to find videogames elsewhere…. Unless I like playing that one sandbox game they keep releasing every month under a different title and development company. lol.

        PS: Fallout 4 is running best on PS4? That's great news! Oh… o-oh no what's this!? Oh no it's a metacritic page!!! http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/fallout-4

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        mordinhoz on 11/11/2015 - 21:07

        @FrankMcFuzz: Actually basing the ps4 claim from - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-faster…. and http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-fallou…

        Regarding backwards compatibility. OP mentioned they were happy to keep old consoles. So why limit him to the xbone just because of backwards compatibility?

        Can't really argue with anecdotal evidence about gamers leaving console.

        You'd save money with the online console subscriptions as well. Ie. Monthly PlayStation plus or xbl games. But yes pc games are generally cheaper.

        It all comes down to what experience you want. Do you want a streamlined experience in the lounge room? Or do you want a desktop experience? It'd be more clunky to implement a mid tower in the living room as opposed to a console.

        PS. I seem to remember Demon Souls coming to a console first? :p

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  mordinhoz on 11/11/2015 - 21:04

  deleted double post comment

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  [Deactivated] on 19/11/2015 - 00:52

  The default mouse. I love playing RTS and FPS. PC

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  suicine94 on 19/11/2015 - 13:14

  PS4 because you can play the game with a controller on a big TV (plugging a pc to the TV might be a chore if you need to move things around and grab dusty cables from the back of your PC/TV) and also you can sell the game after your done with it.

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  tasty-falafel on 22/11/2015 - 02:40

  Fallout 4 doesn't run too bad on lower specced PC hardware, I'm currently running it on medium settings, shadows high and godrays & DOF turned off and pretty much hit 60fps all the time.

  From what I've seen medium settings still looks just as good as PS4 (if not better), coupled with being able to run 60fps and mods for me it's the wise choice.

  Specs:
  i5 2500k @ stock (3.3ghz I think)
  8gb RAM
  GTX 580

  One thing to keep in mind that while this type of setup (would be cheap these days) will run Fallout4 at an acceptable level you may struggle with future games coming out which may mean it's not the most cost effective solution if gaming is your primary purpose for this PC.

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  [Deactivated] on 23/11/2015 - 14:12

  I'm loving every minute of it on PS4.

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  Third_Gear on 23/11/2015 - 15:36

  +1

  I used to be an avid PC gamer but gave it up as I spent enough time at work sitting in an office chair. I got fairly tired of having to deal with all the issues that come with PC gaming… Me I just want to put a game in and play. The amount of time lost because games were crashing and I had to hunt around to fix them or spending ages tweaking the game settings for best performance. Update this driver or sometimes roll back to a previous version… urgh. Too old for that #*@&!

  Now I am quite happy relaxing in my Poang Ikea Chair with my feet up in front of the TV not even having to think about turning on a computer and after a fair bit of practice I have gotten used to using the controller for FPS. PS4 btw.

  Also for anyone who really wants to use a keyboard/mouse on a console just get a Xim4. Don't forget console exclusives… can't wait for Uncharted!!!