Ultra high-end graphics are "a terrible mistake" - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 11th Mar 2008, 10:05

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/03...ible_mistake/1

In a recent interview, Tim Sweeney has blasted the hardware industry on a number of fronts. He thinks gamers are being shortchanged.

Fod · 11th Mar 2008, 10:18

100% agreement.
PC gaming is pointless, overpriced, and overrated. I own a quad core system with an 8800 ultra, and it's not given me nearly as much fun as my 360 or even DS. There's just too much emphasis on OMG GET THE LATEST PHYSICS ACCELERATED QUAD GPU 12 CPU BEAST TO PLAY THIS GAME.

I can hand on heart say this will be my last gaming oriented PC. it's kinda sad.

lewchenko · 11th Mar 2008, 10:27

Give the PS3 a KB, mouse, and a connector to plug into a monitor and the PC gaming scene will die off. It easily has the power to cope with RTS, MMO, Shooter etc, and it gives people a choice then of replacing a gaming PC with KB/M console upstairs in the study or downstairs in the lounge for non KB/M action.

Sure.. there will always be a high end PC gaming scene, but it will be a bloody small one. For £300, the PS3 is a bargain (try buying a PC off the self for that much that can play UT3 and COD4 etc.. remember your average Joe does not have a clue about building a PC)

I would have used the 360 as an example as well, but we all know how Microsoft hates the thought of its customers using a Kb/mouse.

This interview speaks the truth. I have the best of both worlds.. high end PC and a PS3, but I agree with his comments.

kenco_uk · 11th Mar 2008, 10:31

Aye, when you look at it, the sheer range of graphics cards from just one side of the fence spans a huge range of performance.

The argument of 'you get what you pay for' stands true though. Obviously on a low end gfx solution, you are going to end up playing at 800x600 with low details. Spend a load of money and yes, you can now play at 1680x1050 with ultra details. It makes sense in a way.

Tri-SLi jism-powered cards would give you insane resolutions, far above the reach of consoles.

Buy a 14" Black and White Portable telly and it's not going to set your world on fire. Be the proud owner of a 40" Plasma and your eyeballs will thank you for evermore.

Glider · 11th Mar 2008, 10:35

At last someone that has some common sense...

If your PC uses as much power as the rest of the street, you overdid it (just a bit)...

Paradigm Shifter · 11th Mar 2008, 10:36

Give me a console that can have good keyboard/mouse control and fan-made mods at the quality and volume that are available in a lot of PC games, and I'll say that my days as a PC gamer are drawing to a close.

However, I have this little cynical part of me wondering if this is another thing that Epic are going to take back in another statement at some time in the not-too-distant future...

BlackMage23 · 11th Mar 2008, 10:38

Agree.
It would not be that hard enable keyboard and mouse surpport on the 360 and PS3 (you can already plug a USB keybaord into a 360 to type with). I don't know why they don't do it cus it make sence to me.

steveo_mcg · 11th Mar 2008, 10:42

Another thing is that for a modern console your going to need a HD TV or more liklely two one for you to game on and one for the living room for the gf to watch tv on. I game exclusively on the pc simply because i'd loose the battle of gaming vs tv and would rather drop £600 on a good pc and monitor than a second decent tv.
TBH though the most i've ever spent on a gfx card was £150 and given my 6600gt lasted me till the 8800gts came out i think i'll get another few years out of my current card. Which in my rambling way of speaking means i agree that stupid expensive kit is a waste of money but mid end stuff is still worth having.

Woodstock · 11th Mar 2008, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackMage23

Agree.
It would not be that hard enable keyboard and mouse surpport on the 360 and PS3 (you can already plug a USB keybaord into a 360 to type with). I don't know why they don't do it cus it make sence to me.

cause then they cant make you buy their controllers

Tim S · 11th Mar 2008, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveo_mcg

Another thing is that for a modern console your going to need a HD TV or more liklely two one for you to game on and one for the living room for the gf to watch tv on. I game exclusively on the pc simply because i'd loose the battle of gaming vs tv and would rather drop £600 on a good pc and monitor than a second decent tv.
TBH though the most i've ever spent on a gfx card was £150 and given my 6600gt lasted me till the 8800gts came out i think i'll get another few years out of my current card. Which in my rambling way of speaking means i agree that stupid expensive kit is a waste of money but mid end stuff is still worth having.

Yep, that's where I sit at the moment too - once you get above a certain point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Think 3-way SLI, CrossFireX and even CrossFire/SLI to an extent.

Tim S · 11th Mar 2008, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodstock

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackMage23

Agree.
It would not be that hard enable keyboard and mouse surpport on the 360 and PS3 (you can already plug a USB keybaord into a 360 to type with). I don't know why they don't do it cus it make sence to me.

cause then they cant make you buy their controllers

And I'm pretty sure Microsoft wouldn't want to kill its second revenue source from the gaming market.

DXR_13KE · 11th Mar 2008, 10:48

i agree...... i would love to see great cheap mid range GC more often..... that can play about anything under the sun and does not consume more power than your entire house....

Tim S · 11th Mar 2008, 11:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by DXR_13KE

i agree...... i would love to see great cheap mid range GC more often..... that can play about anything under the sun and does not consume more power than your entire house....

It's not as if there aren't enough in the market at the moment?

Xir · 11th Mar 2008, 11:22

Quote:"...60 percent of PCs on the market don't have a workable graphics processor at all. ..."

Yeah..and they're in offices, the people who bought them dont want the people who work on them to game!

Sheesh. Talk about ignorance

Lepermessiah · 11th Mar 2008, 11:29

FOD, your an idiot, for one, there is more innovation happening on Pc then any console, more independant devs on PC has consoles is run by the big corps, and too expensive to get into developing for. Stalker sold near 2 million, Crysis is at 1.4 in 3 months, I could go on. Your loss, as looking at 07, PC had the best lineup by far compared to any console. Pc rules. Tim does have a point about Intel, they suck, but other then that Pc gaming id fine, and the real sales figures show this.

Lepermessiah · 11th Mar 2008, 11:34

What games did the consoles have in 07? The 360 had what exactly that the Pc never had? FOD, if your console is giving u more enjoyment, then u must only play sports games. The lack of mods, customization, graphics that are already falling behind the best PC can do, I would never buy a game console that restricts me the way consoles do. Pc is always a smaller market, as people need to know how to upgrade, need PC knowledge, and a bit rroe cash (Not much more though). People need to realise Pc sales ARE NOT dropping, consoles have just gotten bigger, look at the real sales numbers PC gaming is actually growing, but it was never as popular as console, so what? It will always be there.

Fod · 11th Mar 2008, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lepermessiah

FOD, your an idiot, for one, there is more innovation happening on Pc then any console, more independant devs on PC has consoles is run by the big corps, and too expensive to get into developing for. Stalker sold near 2 million, Crysis is at 1.4 in 3 months, I could go on. Your loss, as looking at 07, PC had the best lineup by far compared to any console. Pc rules. Tim does have a point about Intel, they suck, but other then that Pc gaming id fine, and the real sales figures show this.

All about the denial train! woo woo! next stop, fanboy village!

learn some respect along with some grammar, douchebag. there's no need to attack me like that.
i KNOW what the PC market for development is like - probably more so than you; as i have a first class masters ****ing degree in 3d graphics. the PC is for sure the cutting edge platform that sees innovation in technology first - I don't dispute this. What i take issue with is the huge investment required to just play some games, which for the average consumer, is prohibitive. THIS IS WHAT IS KILLING PC GAMING.
As for sales, it appears you may be living in a dream world.

and the games i play? cute, but fail. no sports games for me

Lepermessiah · 11th Mar 2008, 11:35

Consoles are overrated, not PC, everyone thinks consoles are still "NEXT GEN", lol, consoles get all the hype and attention, yet the PC has already surpassed all of them, yet FOD says PC gaming is overrated? lol. Ignorance cheesecake, I highly doubt u have the PC u said either, I smell a console fanboy.

Lepermessiah · 11th Mar 2008, 11:37

FOD, once again, your blatant ignorant, it does not cost a lot to play any games on high settings, unless your dumb enough to buy an alianware. U can build a PC now for 6-700 that can play about anything on high. 900 will eve play crysis on high. Upgrade are cheap if yuor smart, If u look at the price of games, accessories, live, HDTV, the console are not that much cheaper. Educate yourself, PC hardware is very cheap.

steveo_mcg · 11th Mar 2008, 11:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fod

All about the denial train! woo woo! next stop, fanboy village!

learn some respect along with some grammar, douchebag. there's no need to attack me like that.
i KNOW what the PC market for development is like - probably more so than you; as i have a first class masters ****ing degree in 3d graphics. the PC is for sure the cutting edge platform that sees innovation in technology first - I don't dispute this. What i take issue with is the huge investment required to just play some games, which for the average consumer, is prohibitive. THIS IS WHAT IS KILLING PC GAMING.
As for sales, it appears you may be living in a dream world.

and the games i play? cute, but fail. no sports games for me

I know what your saying but, the huge investment you mention is more closer to urban myth than reality, £150 gets you a 8800gt which will easily cope with all games out there, even crysis you may have to drop the settings a little but honestly it still looks good.

11th Mar 2008, 10:05	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Ultra high-end graphics are "a terrible mistake" http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/03...ible_mistake/1 In a recent interview, Tim Sweeney has blasted the hardware industry on a number of fronts. He thinks gamers are being shortchanged. __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

11th Mar 2008, 10:18	#2
Fod what is the cheesecake? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: London Posts: 4,907	100% agreement. PC gaming is pointless, overpriced, and overrated. I own a quad core system with an 8800 ultra, and it's not given me nearly as much fun as my 360 or even DS. There's just too much emphasis on OMG GET THE LATEST PHYSICS ACCELERATED QUAD GPU 12 CPU BEAST TO PLAY THIS GAME. I can hand on heart say this will be my last gaming oriented PC. it's kinda sad. __________________ "Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters P, W, N, the number 3, and the letter D." I'm a pretentious git with a camera. ISPs want to spy on you. Join the fight against phorm XBL/PSN/Steam ID: FodT

11th Mar 2008, 10:31	#4
kenco_uk I feel your presents. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK Posts: 6,309	Aye, when you look at it, the sheer range of graphics cards from just one side of the fence spans a huge range of performance. The argument of 'you get what you pay for' stands true though. Obviously on a low end gfx solution, you are going to end up playing at 800x600 with low details. Spend a load of money and yes, you can now play at 1680x1050 with ultra details. It makes sense in a way. Tri-SLi jism-powered cards would give you insane resolutions, far above the reach of consoles. Buy a 14" Black and White Portable telly and it's not going to set your world on fire. Be the proud owner of a 40" Plasma and your eyeballs will thank you for evermore. __________________ MSI X58M - i7 920 4Ghz - 6GB Corsair - GTX260 648/2520 ::: Vote for bit-tech T - theevilelephant - "it sounded like bouncing around on a pogo stick, screaming in chinese while occasionally throwing a cat at a door."

11th Mar 2008, 10:35	#5
Glider /dev/null Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 4,102	At last someone that has some common sense... If your PC uses as much power as the rest of the street, you overdid it (just a bit)... __________________ There Are 10 Types Of People, Those Who Know Binary and Those Who Don't

11th Mar 2008, 10:36	#6
Paradigm Shifter Lethargic Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,213	Give me a console that can have good keyboard/mouse control and fan-made mods at the quality and volume that are available in a lot of PC games, and I'll say that my days as a PC gamer are drawing to a close. However, I have this little cynical part of me wondering if this is another thing that Epic are going to take back in another statement at some time in the not-too-distant future... __________________ Core i7 920 D0 @ 3.8GHz \| 6GB Corsair 1600MHz \| Gigabyte EX58-UD5 \| XFX 4870X2 2GB \| 4TB \| WUXGA

11th Mar 2008, 10:27	#3
lewchenko Supermodder Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 322	Give the PS3 a KB, mouse, and a connector to plug into a monitor and the PC gaming scene will die off. It easily has the power to cope with RTS, MMO, Shooter etc, and it gives people a choice then of replacing a gaming PC with KB/M console upstairs in the study or downstairs in the lounge for non KB/M action. Sure.. there will always be a high end PC gaming scene, but it will be a bloody small one. For £300, the PS3 is a bargain (try buying a PC off the self for that much that can play UT3 and COD4 etc.. remember your average Joe does not have a clue about building a PC) I would have used the 360 as an example as well, but we all know how Microsoft hates the thought of its customers using a Kb/mouse. This interview speaks the truth. I have the best of both worlds.. high end PC and a PS3, but I agree with his comments.

11th Mar 2008, 10:38	#7
BlackMage23 RPG Loving Freak Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Temple of Fiends Posts: 159	Agree. It would not be that hard enable keyboard and mouse surpport on the 360 and PS3 (you can already plug a USB keybaord into a 360 to type with). I don't know why they don't do it cus it make sence to me. __________________ I am the Black Mage. I cast the spells that makes the peoples fall down!

11th Mar 2008, 10:42	#8
steveo_mcg What owl? Join Date: May 2005 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 3,989	Another thing is that for a modern console your going to need a HD TV or more liklely two one for you to game on and one for the living room for the gf to watch tv on. I game exclusively on the pc simply because i'd loose the battle of gaming vs tv and would rather drop £600 on a good pc and monitor than a second decent tv. TBH though the most i've ever spent on a gfx card was £150 and given my 6600gt lasted me till the 8800gts came out i think i'll get another few years out of my current card. Which in my rambling way of speaking means i agree that stupid expensive kit is a waste of money but mid end stuff is still worth having. __________________ No boom today, boom tomorrow... there's always a boom tomorrow.

11th Mar 2008, 10:48	#12
DXR_13KE Madeira's banana is the best!!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Madeira ; Portugal Posts: 6,473	i agree...... i would love to see great cheap mid range GC more often..... that can play about anything under the sun and does not consume more power than your entire house.... __________________ *Renegade X - 0.40 Release!* <---- CLICK!

11th Mar 2008, 11:22	#14
Xir Supermodder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 531	Quote:"...60 percent of PCs on the market don't have a workable graphics processor at all. ..." Yeah..and they're in offices, the people who bought them dont want the people who work on them to game! Sheesh. Talk about ignorance __________________ SN25P A64 3700+ (San Diego) 2 GB DDR400 OCZ Platinum EL 2-3-2-5 1T X1800XT 512mb Sapphire 200GB Samsung SP2004C

11th Mar 2008, 11:29	#15
Lepermessiah Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 566	FOD, your an idiot, for one, there is more innovation happening on Pc then any console, more independant devs on PC has consoles is run by the big corps, and too expensive to get into developing for. Stalker sold near 2 million, Crysis is at 1.4 in 3 months, I could go on. Your loss, as looking at 07, PC had the best lineup by far compared to any console. Pc rules. Tim does have a point about Intel, they suck, but other then that Pc gaming id fine, and the real sales figures show this.

11th Mar 2008, 11:34	#16
Lepermessiah Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 566	What games did the consoles have in 07? The 360 had what exactly that the Pc never had? FOD, if your console is giving u more enjoyment, then u must only play sports games. The lack of mods, customization, graphics that are already falling behind the best PC can do, I would never buy a game console that restricts me the way consoles do. Pc is always a smaller market, as people need to know how to upgrade, need PC knowledge, and a bit rroe cash (Not much more though). People need to realise Pc sales ARE NOT dropping, consoles have just gotten bigger, look at the real sales numbers PC gaming is actually growing, but it was never as popular as console, so what? It will always be there.

11th Mar 2008, 11:35	#18
Lepermessiah Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 566	Consoles are overrated, not PC, everyone thinks consoles are still "NEXT GEN", lol, consoles get all the hype and attention, yet the PC has already surpassed all of them, yet FOD says PC gaming is overrated? lol. Ignorance cheesecake, I highly doubt u have the PC u said either, I smell a console fanboy.

11th Mar 2008, 11:37	#19
Lepermessiah Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 566	FOD, once again, your blatant ignorant, it does not cost a lot to play any games on high settings, unless your dumb enough to buy an alianware. U can build a PC now for 6-700 that can play about anything on high. 900 will eve play crysis on high. Upgrade are cheap if yuor smart, If u look at the price of games, accessories, live, HDTV, the console are not that much cheaper. Educate yourself, PC hardware is very cheap.