Cheap Gaming PC? Under £30 to you

[Skunkmiester]

Also the fact that many PC gamers / owners are control freaks that are quite sensitive / protective of their little boxes of magic and that reduces the market even more.

I think the best market for this would be for Console players who want to play a PC only games like Arma 3, Squad or Star Citizen (whenever it comes out).

 

[maguire]

Also the fact that many PC gamers / owners are control freaks that are quite sensitive / protective of their little boxes of magic and that reduces the market even more.

I think the best market for this would be for Console players who want to play a PC only games like Arma 3, Squad or Star Citizen (whenever it comes out).

that's a niche market being made even more niche there. and some console players are just as controlling - I can see a lot of them, if they're that committed, just going straight to getting a gaming pc.

 

[lokiuk]

It isn’t comparable though because it’s a completly different sector. Streaming music is just essentially an evolved version of radio where you’re streaming small files that don’t have the quality of experience effected by latency. Streaming a game calls for massive amounts of data to be processed, a 1080p minimum stream to be constant at 60FPS or more and the experience is wrecked by any latency at all.

I was amazed when I bought my house in North Wales, I'd been used to a Virgin Media connection that rarely dropped below 100meg, but latency was erratic especially in the evenings, probably down to their high contention ratio for domestic users

Now I'm living up a mountain with internet via plain own telegraph cable (admittedly fiber to the exchange though) but my ping is a lot more reliable when we lived in a high speed internet area and gaming is a lot easier, despite my connection being a damn site slower

So connection not only matters, it's quite random in the UK what you end up with

 

[Graculus]

It isn’t comparable though because it’s a completly different sector. Streaming music is just essentially an evolved version of radio where you’re streaming small files that don’t have the quality of experience effected by latency. Streaming a game calls for massive amounts of data to be processed, a 1080p minimum stream to be constant at 60FPS or more and the experience is wrecked by any latency at all.

Not everyone out there is an OCD gaming nut, just as not everyone out there is an audiophile who will only listen to original pressings on their 1.5K Cambridge Audio Alva TT.

Once again, it doesn't matter, it could be any field, it isn't a direct comparison with medium, it's about startups being disruptors.

 

[JNM]

Depends on the exchanges, if you’re fairly close to a large one it’s rapid, if not you’re stuck on a massive ping

 

[Graculus]

my point is Spotify was far simpler to make work from a technical side. and if it hadn't worked, no one would be using it. this Shadow thing is more complicated and so there's more to go wrong. plus it's a smaller potential market than Spotify. everyone listens to music, not everyone games.

It doesn't matter. They'll probably crash burn but it'll be for their costing model or similar, no idea what their scaling is.

 

[Graculus]

More expensive too. Keeping up servers is expensive but add a what $1000 PC per customer in there and it gets worse.

Remember when everyone used to buy cars?

 

[JNM]

Not everyone out there is an OCD gaming nut, just as not everyone out there is an audiophile who will only listen to original pressings on their 1.5K Cambridge Audio Alva TT.

Once again, it doesn't matter, it could be any field, it isn't a direct comparison with medium, it's about startups being disruptors.

Do you even play games... a big latency will make a game UNPLAYABLE. It’s not about wanting the best experience it’s about actually being able to play the game. I was curious so I played Arkham City on Sony’s PS whatever it is on an amazing connection and I couldn’t play it. I’ve beaten the game at least 5 times to 100% and then the New game + mode another few times and I literally could not play the thing.

 

[Skunkmiester]

Not everyone out there is an OCD gaming nut

Until they start thinking that they may be losing in games due to lag, bottlenecks, monitor performance, TV performance and a hundered other possibilities other than they just suck at a game. Then they turn into an OCD monster.

 

[maguire]

I was amazed when I bought my house in North Wales, I'd been used to a Virgin Media connection that rarely dropped below 100meg, but latency was erratic especially in the evenings, probably down to their high contention ratio for domestic users

Now I'm living up a mountain with internet via plain own telegraph cable (admittedly fiber to the exchange though) but my ping is a lot more reliable when we lived in a high speed internet area and gaming is a lot easier, despite my connection being a damn site slower

So connection not only matters, it's quite random in the UK what you end up with

there are so many things that can affect it at all the different steps in the chain. we forget it's also still fairly 'new' tech domestically - BT and C&W (as they were then) only started to launch dedicated home internet solutions twenty odd years ago. and now look where we are where it's quite feasible to stream in HD to your mobile phone.

 

[Graculus]

I was amazed when I bought my house in North Wales, I'd been used to a Virgin Media connection that rarely dropped below 100meg, but latency was erratic especially in the evenings, probably down to their high contention ratio for domestic users

Now I'm living up a mountain with internet via plain own telegraph cable (admittedly fiber to the exchange though) but my ping is a lot more reliable when we lived in a high speed internet area and gaming is a lot easier, despite my connection being a damn site slower

So connection not only matters, it's quite random in the UK what you end up with

When I was working at a secret airbase near Huntingdon a few years ago it was universally shite. Dunno how fibered up the area is yet but appalling at the time.

Contention be the bugger that kills you.

 

[maguire]

Until they start thinking that they may be losing in games due to lag, bottlenecks, monitor performance, TV performance and a hundered other possibilities other than they just suck at a game. Then they turn into an OCD monster.

this. just my current mouse, keyboard and mouse mat combo is £200 worth easy, and it's taken me years to finally get a setup I was 100% happy with. (for anyone who cares, it's a Corsair K70 rgb, M65 Pro with custom PTFE feet, and a SteelSeries rigid mouse mat.)

 

[ThunderBox]

No thanks got my trusty Nvidia Shield (excellent media box, still the best out there I think )and my own gaming PC (upgraded since to 2080 Ti and 9700k i7, many thanks to a Norway deployment for top LOA) and mine does (is) this and has a flux capacitor: flux capacitor pc - Bing video

Although I don't find the game streaming to very reliable (both streaming from my PC and Nvidia game stream) so I have invested in an active USB cable extension and will also get a HDMI Fibre Optic cable (will work over 30m) so I can play in my living room in full 4k 60FPS (game dependant of course) goodness. Sorry I'm just showing off now.

Tell me more, I am just building a racing pit in a spare room and then buying a monster rig but I usually sit in another room with the wife, with this active usb and fiber thing I could have the PC in one room and still have 3 monitors and controllers in another?

 

[ThunderBox]

I signed up to give Shadow a try a few months ago, as the service offered looked OK and I don't really have room for a dedicated gaming rig at home. My Shadow "server" was ready after a few days. I signed in and installed a few of my games. All appeared well - well for a bit anyway........., then the following happened:

• Shadow wouldn’t boot. There is an option to restart through the Shadow application, which works on occasion, but generally doesn't.
  • Call helpdesk
• I booted up a couple of times and the graphic card drivers had popped smoke and f*cked off.
  • Contact helpdesk and wait (and wait, and wait, and wait) until they got back to me.
• I tried to log in to Shadow and was given the Windows BSOD, after a Windows update mangled itself.
  • Contact helpdesk and wait, and wait, and wait until they got around to fixing it. You can disable Windows updates, which I had done - so Christ only knows why the update still ran.

I finally contacted Shadow support in order to give them an ultimatum (ie. fix it, or f*ck off), they first tried to blame my internet connection (ha). Considering the problems which I identified, I couldn't fathom how that might be the case - anyway I played along for a bit, then forwarded on the results from Entuity (network analysis tool), which showed that at no point had my bandwidth dropped below 45Mb/s (if memory serves) over the period in question, I then stated that none of the issues I'd described could have in any way have been as a result of my non-existent network issue anyway.............

I was finally informed that Shadow does not work properly with Sky broadband, so they could not provide me with a resolution, but I was welcome to cancel my subscription and any money paid would be refunded. No worries I thought, so I cancelled my contract, every month since, they've tried to take my monthly subscription fee...........

Despite my initial misgivings (as I've always preferred PC gaming), I've subsequently taken the plunge and bought (well coerced 0A into buying me one for Valentine's day anyway) an XBOX One X. I've even acquired a number of XBox games which I've already got on my 6th gen i7 laptop (Elite: Dangerous, Battlefield V, Doom & Far Cry: New Dawn) - there's simply no contest. As far as I'm concerned, less the likes Civ VI and other strategy games, PC gaming is dead*.

It is good idea in principle, unfortunately ran (in this case) by shysters/snake oil salesmen/the clinically brain-dead.

Steer well clear.

I'd give it a few years for the technology to mature properly and for more reliable vendors to enter the market.


* Before anyone chirps up with the fact that the XBOX One X doesn't support VR, neither does Shadow.....

PC gaming is dead to you, its not dead by any stretch.

 

[JNM]

PC gaming is dead to you, its not dead by any stretch.

Tbf an Xbone might be worth it just for game pass now

 

[maguire]

Tbf an Xbone might be worth it just for game pass now

I took a punt on one after christmas as a treat and I have to say I'm loving it. as a piece of design it's totally a small object of desire, Forza looks wonderful and as a media centre it's the dogs. I use it for Sky, Prime, Netflix and YouTube. and if I could be bothered i'd stick Kodi on it.

 

[Graculus]

Do you even play games... a big latency will make a game UNPLAYABLE. It’s not about wanting the best experience it’s about actually being able to play the game. I was curious so I played Arkham City on Sony’s PS whatever it is on an amazing connection and I couldn’t play it. I’ve beaten the game at least 5 times to 100% and then the New game + mode another few times and I literally could not play the thing.

Capitalisation doesn't make it any more valid you know. I game occasionally but I'd rather read a book. For a sense of perspective:

Internet Speeds by Country - Fastest Internet In The World Map

There we are at 35....notice how many European countries are quicker? The froggies probably CGAF about rosbifs as well.

 

[maguire]

Capitalisation doesn't make it any more valid you know. I game occasionally but I'd rather read a book. For a sense of perspective:

Internet Speeds by Country - Fastest Internet In The World Map

There we are at 35....notice how many European countries are quicker? The froggies probably CGAF about rosbifs as well.

you really don't understand this, do you. imagine driving a car with a delay in the steering, rather than responding directly to your inputs immediately. this delay may only be two or three tenths of a second or so, but it also applies to what you see out of the windows as well. so an obstacle appears in your way, and you're two tenths of a second away from hitting it. you won't actually see it until your car has hit it, and any steering input you may have made won't have reached the wheels until after that.
now imagine the same thing when you're trying to play COD or whatever. do you really think people who are even halfway serious about gaming (and a £30 a month subscription is fairly serious) are going to put up with that for any length of time? no one's even mentioned the ping to the game servers themselves I don't think, which will compound this issue. do I really need to go any further?

 

[dogmeat]

Heh.

 

[Krazy_Ivan]

PC gaming is dead to you, its not dead by any stretch.

Thanks for repeating back to me, what I said in the first place................. less the bit about strategy games.......