Anybody who meets me will find out pretty quickly that I am a PC gamer. There was a stint for about three years where I took a break from PC gaming and dove into the Xbox 360 and all it had to offer. However, there just wasn’t enough to Microsoft’s gaming machine that made me want to keep using the console. So, I went to being a PC gamer again and haven’t looked back since.
Why am I saying all of this?
There is a big misconception that PC gaming is not for the living room. In fact, from what I read on forums and even here at Gameskinny, many gamers think that the PC is just too complicated to be able to be used on a TV. Some even think that the games won’t function at all. I would like to submit to you that this is not the case and provide five ways that PC gaming is not only possible on the TV, but should be the preferred option to living room gaming.
Controllers are not just for consoles.
They can be used with a PC as well. For years, I have been using an Xbox 360 controller for the PC to play a number of games. I mostly use it for third-person action games like Mass Effect 3 or Splinter Cell: Blacklist, but I know plenty of people who use it for first-person shooters like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Planetside 2.
An HDMI cable is all it takes to have PC gaming on the TV.
It’s really simple. Most, if not, all HD TVs these days have at least one HDMI port; the same goes for PCs. For those of you who really don’t know, an HDMI port is the part that lets you plug in the Blu-Ray player to the TV you just bought to watch football. That one simple connection is all it takes, and if you can’t figure out, use Google for cryin’ out loud!
Owning a decent gaming PC is not nearly as expensive as you may think.
Now I know that getting a PC can be expensive, especially if you get suckered into believing that Alienware makes good systems. However, keep in mind that in order to play next-gen games at the resolutions the PS4 and Xbox One are making you play at, you could find or build your own gaming PC that is two times as powerful for the same amount of money.
The features of both the PS4 and Xbox One are not anything new.
In fact, everything either console can do, a PC can do better. Want to speak to your machine like Microsoft wants you to. Done. You can even write twitter messages and emails by just speaking using the integrated voice recognition software included in every copy of Windows 8. Want to have a gaming device as small as the PS4 so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in your home theatre cabinet? Yep. you can do that too. A PC gaming rig can be bought in what is known as a small-form factor machine.
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Steam Machines are right around the corner.
Save your money that you would have spent on a new console and try to have some patience. In 2014, Steam Machines will hit the market and you will be able to geta gaming PC tailored made for the console gamer.This is what you will want to buy if you are strictly a console gamer looking to possibly switch to a gaming PC. The folks at Valve have done an amazing job from what I have seen so far and I expect Steam Machines to only get better after release because, hey, they are PCs and PCs always get better.
I hope that I have convinced you enough of the joys of PC gaming that you will at least look into what it has to offer. Please, do not go buy a next-gen console simply because you think it is too difficult or it can’t be done. It can be done. I’ve done it. If I can do it, you can too!
Are you a PC gamer that plays PC games in the living room? Are you a console gamer looking to switch to the PC? Comment below!
Published: Nov 12, 2013 01:06 am