First post, by Yasashii
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You've probably seen people making fun of consoles for their rather puny performance when compared to PCs. In contrast to modern gaming rigs they can't handle 60 fps (or more) at 1080p, XBOX wants you to pay for the ability to play online, you have a limited choice of controllers and so on and so forth. All of that is true.
Because it is true many people make fun of console users. They call them Dirty Console Peasants, and they call themselves the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race. They do have a point. I really don't see why anyone should accept gameplay at 30fps in this day and age. You might say that it doesn't make that much of a difference... but it does, really. I've played some games on both PlayStation and Xbox. The fact of the matter is they feel sluggish. Due to the low framerate, one can feel a slight delay in control response. I can tolerate a game looking bad but I can't tolerate it feeling bad to play. It defeats the whole purpose. But I digress.
As you've probably noticed by this point: I am a PC supporter. I don't like consoles. If I was to post all the reasons in detail, this post would become too long. The gist is: FPS, resolution, functionality, choice.
On this occasion, however, I'm going to unearth the truth about the so called Glorious PC Master Race, even if it means shaming myself.
So let's talk about the people themselves first. I joined the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race group on Facebook some time ago. What I saw deeply saddened me. Turns out the community is mostly comprised of immature, middle school and high school kids showing off the expensive gaming rigs their parents bought them. Normally, I would have nothing against showing off your system to the world. However... these people didn't build them, and they (in most cases) didn't even pay for them. It's pathetic and it's disgraceful! How can one be proud of something they didn't put any effort in? I built my own computer, for my own money. At the time it was considered a fairly powerful machine. Yet, I didn't go shouting to the whole world how great it was.
BUT... it's not what grinds my gears the most. What does is the fact that all the glory of the PC Master Race is an illusion kept alive by naive people. Take a look at the technology market. You'd have to be bloody blind not to notice that everything is heading towards mobile devices such as phones and tablets and such. The reason is obvious and undeniable: they are small, you can carry them around everywhere, they have a long battery life, they don't have active cooling and therefore don't make any cooling fan noise, and most importantly: they are efficient.
They are unbelievably efficient! There are games available for smartphones and tablets which look nearly as good as the newest PC titles and they work smoothly on devices which fit into your pocket! Keep in mind that the performance of mobile devices is growing at an incredible rate. I foresee that within the next several years, mobile devices will not only match the performance of top-shelf PC's; they will surpass them. Computers have evolved a lot over the years. Remember the early ones? They were huge machines taking up several rooms. People theorized that there would eventually be a computer that fits in one room. They were right. Then, they said there's going to be a computer that fits onto a desk. They were right. Eventually, someone dreamed up a computer that fits into your pocket. They were right as well. The point is: the desktop PC is a milestone... of the past. Well, laptops and netbooks are still PC's. They are technically mobile devices. But people buy less and less of those in favor of tablets. They are cheaper, smaller, lighter, and they have a much better battery life, after all.
Right now the ONLY people who still actually buy desktop PC's are gamers. Hardware manufacturers will eventually abandon the rapidly dwindling customer base. All we'll be left with are mobile devices (which, by the time this happens, will likely have the performance of PC's but due to their small size will still be too uncomfortable for serious gamers) and... (hopefully) consoles (which, by then, will become their only choice if they don't want to play using touchscreens or tiny attachable keyboards).
The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race makes fun of console users, they deface their fellow gamers, while they remain unaware of their soon-to-come demise. It's just wrong. It brings my blood to a boil, because I can't just separate myself from these people. I am technically a PC supporter after all, but I want it known that I feel dirty for being stuck in the same bag as those disillusioned, naive, gloating people. All I can do is sit back and watch their fall, as my favorite hardware becomes obsolete as well.
I know I should feel excited about this. I'm going to be a witness to a birth of a new era. However, all I feel is sadness, because I know I'm going to fall along with the old era. I promised myself years ago I wouldn't become one of those old geezers saying that life was better in the old times but... you can't build your own tablet or phone. You can't install any operating system you want on them. You're stuck with whatever the manufacturer wants you to use. There's barely any room for modifications of the systems. There just isn't room for much creative thinking with it. I know that long after everybody else has put their old PC's into the attic to rot, I will be still rocking the big old noisy cans, desperately looking for rare spare parts online. I just can't let it go, and I never will.
My point is: if you've ever met a console gamer and thought: "What a gullible peasant!", please rethink your opinion. You will probably become one yourself soon enough.
