I was cruising the forums at Quartertothree.com when I came across this gem. It’s a video that ostensibly comments on what games might win Spike TV’s VGA award for best game of the year. However, I’m not going to comment on the game choices, but rather this bit of ignorant commentary that begins around 57:45 in the show.
It’s in response to a question: “What are your thoughts on how PC gaming is dying?”
My first thought: way to pick a loaded question. But then oft-quoted analyst Michael Patcher goes on to demonstrate his ignorance, by saying: “Nobody has a PC that’s faster than a PS3.”
Say what?
Patcher launches into this chewy tidbit focusing on the CPU, rather than the platform. The PS3 has certain computational strengths because of the cell processor, but it’s something of a CPU dead end. IBM recently announcing it was ending its own development efforts on the Cell. As Intel moves forward into 32nm, with the upcoming Gultown, Arrandale and Clarkdale CPUs, the PC processor is still advancing.
The ignorance doesn’t end there. The commentators throw around other juicy bits of misinformation, like “dual quad Pentium 3.2…” “ … that costs $2,000.”
But the PC isn’t just the CPU. Any PC consists of memory, storage, chipsets… and, of course, the graphics card.
Right now, I can build an $800 PC with an AMD Radeon HD 5850 that’s arguably substantially more powerful than the PS3. You can even see it in games that run on both platforms, where I can get higher, smoother frame rates in titles like Borderlands and Dragon Age at higher resolutions than I can on a console.
There are the logical fallacies, like dismissing Starcraft II because it’s irrelevant. After all, “Anything that’s gonna sell in Asia and anything that’s gonna have a subscription” doesn’t count in Patcher’s book.
In other words, a data point that doesn’t agree with the premise isn’t valid. And neither are Asian gamers or MMOs.
At times, it also just gets insulting, like the idea that “the gamer is the guy who’s gonna play by himself.”
Good job dismissing woman gamers and all those people playing online. Say, isn’t one of the Xbox 360’s main value proposition its strength in online gaming?
And to think people pay these guys for their insights.
I’m not going to argue the strengths and merits of console gaming versus PC gaming. That’s a topic for another, more lengthy discussion. Rather, my point is that if you’re getting paid for your insights and knowledge, maybe it’s a good idea to have those insights be, you know, accurate.
Or am I asking too much?
This sort of misinformation is all over the web. There are a couple of Zune forums that drive me crazy with misinformation and Zune Team idol worship…and I own 3 Zunes. I generally chalk it up to fanboy/girl mentality. I try to correct the garbage info once in a while but most of these misgivers are way too sensitive and defensive to have a sensible dialog with.
Thanks for the info and blog.
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Holy Cow. When information is that … biased … it makes me wonder where the money came from for that advert.. I mean, “opinion”.
I’m not sure what is up with this Pachtermania. You can’t watch anything on Gametrailers or read gaming blogs without that paid advert/guessmachine-man showing up.
Pachter doesn’t get paid for his appearances in public interviews, and consequently he treats them as recreational trolling — sort of like John C. Dvorak. The industry analyses that he does get paid for are probably solid, but those are never made public.
Pachter was referring to the laptops with Intel Integrated Graphics that everyone uses for work and school. Of course, you can get affordable game-ready super desktop builds, but almost everyone is choosing laptops instead.
Even laptops, have newer/better CPU and RAM compared to consoles, but those GPUs really ruin their ability to play console style video games.
BTW, I don’t think he gets paid to do the Bonus Round stuff. I think that’s just entertainment for him.
He’s not getting paid, but he is representing his company, and making comments that simply demonstrate his ignorance doesn’t add to his credibility.
He didn’t specify what type of system, and the viewer was left with the implication that you need to spend $2K to get a good gaming rig… which is ludicrous.
Plus, to ignore the advances made in GPU computing and graphics is also silly. GPUs in PCs are far beyond what exist in today’s consoles.
Not to mention how RAM-deprived consoles are and how cheap PC RAM has gotten.
Unfortunately it often doesn’t matter how cheaply you can get a fast PC because most console gamers easily accept the sub-HD 30 fps graphics they get and only shrug at proper 1920×1200 antialiased 60 fps goodness.
So Pachter gets away with comments like that because most gamers don’t care and have already long ago jumped on the PC-gaming-dying-bandwagon anyway.
Well I can go the extra mile and say, console gaming is for wussys, any game in a console is a fraction of good as can be on a PC (unless they make a bad console port to the PC) no ps3 or xbox 360 has more power than a regular PC, not even graphics, I want to hear about next year many games on PG be DX11 and consoles are still on DX10 or isnt DX9? I dont know and dont care. When I see a friend playing his FPS or RTS on a console (and I feel a gag in my throat) and then I show them the same game on a PC they always get bedazzle with the faster pace, accuracy and improvements of the mouse+keyboard, can you imagine those consoles using mouse and keyboards via USB, I can but the manufacturers dont want to, cus they will then build chear linux computers instead game consoles.
PC games are for pro ppl, and consoles are for lay back couch players. No MMO can be use the poor and slow interface of consoles.
PCs are always in top, cus all they advances that any console has was developed and testes on PCs years before.
“recreational trolling”
Oh. I can sort of see that now. Well, erm, then, let me say, he’s very good at THAT.
I agree Loyd. Although 90% of my games are on my PS3 and PSP, I still like the PC for games too. Although PC is not my main preference, it is still a good game platform. I think Modern Warfare 2 had showed that. I was offended by that guy’s lack of knowledge of PC components. I am a power user and very hardcore with PCs, Which I use for my DAW, Graphics programs, etc. Please. PCs are very modular in nature, one of the reason why there is a new game system every five years vs. just upgrading components in a PC.
There is no doubting the Cell’s “RAW” Power, but the system was only outfited with 512MB of RDRAM and the GPU is about three generations back. Although the Cell can take some of the GPU’s duties, I would feel better with a better GPU and more RAM so the Cell could really go with its full potential. Also, with Ken Kutaragi’s Retirement, and IBM stopping further R&D on the Cell, this will be the last chip made unfortunately.
I have to disagree though completely with A.Hernandez. Not all games can be played so easily on PC because of the coding of the system, especially in the PS3’s case. Also, DX11 haven’t got off the ground yet, whit DX10 not even really big yet (Vista was just release last year). I love playing RPGs and and FPS on my system. I rather play with the controller (or steering wheel on GT5, or “Eye” if you want to be deep), even on PC, than the keboard and mouse. I use my keyboard for messaging in the game. Console games are also more user friendly (aka the Wii, even though I don’t like it) and appeals to a more diverse crowd than PC just for the selection of games. I also don’t always like a “faster” pace game.
One reason that I liked about the Gran Turismo series is that every car felt different, and feel like they had “weight” it. You can tell a difference from driving a Viper and driving a Civic. I want the game to feel real, not just everything you can turn on a dime and shoot two guys with a single bullet. They also have to be fun, and challenging. Graphics, Hardware, and Names are nothing if you don’t have the experience. Also, Usually as far as the CPU is concerned, the consoles will start with the more powerful chip, and PC will catch up and surpass it.
With all that said, it is ultimately up to the user to decide to what their preference is. I do sales and I don’t try to sell things based on what I like depending on the needs of the customer. Maybe this person is better with the PC, and the next with the 360. The good thing is that there is a lot of choices for us consumers and it is a win-win situation for everyone
.
Also, to add to what I said, I know Sony was going to try to make the Playstations more modular. They was trying to do that with the PS3, but the cost would be about $1000+, which it really should of been in the first place. I think if the user can add more RAM and a upgradable GPU, then the consoles would have a longer life itself. Remember, Gaming systems are technically computers too. They just have a specific job to run games. Just like servers have a specific job to host a site or run programs to the client machines. Hopefully the next gen would add more modularity. I would be happy.
These people should hire me. I can troll far better than this, and do it without having to say something obviously false.
LOL. He said it cost $2000 for a dual Pentium Machine. Funny. You can get a high end Core i7 with a good GPU with that.
PC FTW! I’m building a P55 based system to play games. $1200 with an ATI 5850!
He didn’t even make a weak attempt to be accurate; then again, who watches this show?
Suck it, PS3. I have Arma 2.