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Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 stand at the forefront of what console manufacturers are calling next-generation gaming but is there a PC out there that can match either of these beasts in gaming performance? MegaGames recommends some PC setups that promise frame rates at a price that will keep you fragging for years to come.
It’s next-generation time again and as is customary when new consoles launch, PC gamers are pushed into a corner, bullied and intimidated by the over the top claims of the giant PR machines of the console manufacturers. Suddenly the trusty, reliable gaming PC you had so lovingly set-up is no longer adequate for any game worthy of the description of next-generation entertainment.
For most seasoned gamers, the idea that a console can take parts manufactured by the same companies that produce PC components and claim to produce a superior end result, defies all logic. Console manufacturers rely on dedication since their machines claim to be designed in such a way as to harness every last drop of gaming power that can be provided by their systems. As console makers have become addicted to the smell of sweet consumer cash however, their projects have grown more ambitious and consoles are fast becoming black box computers offering many functions that are controlled by the content provider. The moment consoles are turned into a cable box they lose any advantage they hold over personal computers and that’s when a good PC can match a brand new console.
The current next-gen systems have emphasized the importance of multiple processors not because Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo R&D departments have spent years examining the effects of multiple processors on gaming but because that is the general direction that the industry is taking. These processors are already surfacing for consumer PCs and the graphics parts that feature in consoles, or their performance equivalent, will soon be available for PC gamers. No, believe it or not the main difference between a brand new console and a gaming PC, come holiday season, will not be performance in games but pricing. Buying a PC that can perform as well as an Xbox 360 in gaming can quickly turn into a nightmarish and very expensive experience for the uninitiated and the end result may not perform quite as well as expected.
So what are PC gamers to do? Should they admit defeat and be lured by the subscription infested promises of the dark side? Should we simply lay our WSAD left hands by our side and rest our repetitively strained mouse shoulders? Fear not hapless PC gamer, MegaGames is on your side and together we can take on the might of the dark forces of gaming that are trying to use the promise of exclusive titles, multi-million dollar budgets and wireless controllers to lure you in.
