Retard thread - It's not you, it's me

[Friend of Dorothy Parker]

I scrolled through a few pages of threads and searched "beginner," and didn't find my questions, which is not surprising, so here goes.

Let's say someone has never played video games before. (OK, some MarioKart/wii stuff with kids 5 years ago, and before that it was this:


and arcade games bitd.

So: no console, no knowledge of best ways to play, no equipment, no idea what's the best media/method, nothing.

But there's a game I heard about today that seems interesting, and as I looked around I saw maybe there are others.

So my beyond-basic level questions are:

• If you're using a console, does that means connected to TV and not computer?
• Can consoles connect to computer?
• Are games any good played on a basic computer?
• Are most games downloaded, streamed, or hard media?
• Is it better to have hard media or digital?
• If using TV does it need anything special other than (I assume) an hdmi connection? Does it need to be smart (I have 2 smart and 1 dumb, and the dumb one is in the most likely playing place.)?
• Is it a very dumb idea to think you can play decently on a decent laptop (even assuming adequate video card)? (I'm not talking about combat games atp - the specific game that was interesting to me was Disco Elysium, so active but afaik not a lot of explosions and chases.)
• If playing on computer will it eat up all the memory, or is it really the video card that is used/impacted?
• If buying a console, which is best? From what I've picked up here and there people here seem to like PS4 best? (I also quickly cruised the Sony thread and it shit all over the 5 as hype, which if true is great bc as a "hmm, I wonder if I would enjoy this" whim, I'd prefer a relatively low startup investment and only care that if I enjoy playing I'm not going to be stuck with something that can't play many things well. And also that if I don't enjoy it I could resell it for a few bucks.)
• What else do you need? I don't foresee playing games with other people online but I guess you never know.

I know I can get this info elsewhere online, but I'm here so thought I'd ask some experts :-). Can't stand being ignorant about things so even if I don't like it at least I'll know more than today.

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

I'm not a consolefag so I'll skip some questions

• If you're using a console, does that means connected to TV and not computer?

Connected to a TV screen or monitor.

• Are games any good played on a basic computer?

Depends on the game in question. If you're looking at older games, it should be fine.
One big hurdle is integrated graphics card versus dedicated graphics card. Basically, if you don't have a graphics card, the only thing doing the graphics is integrated in the CPU, and that thing is not particularly strong.

• Are most games downloaded, streamed, or hard media?

Physical media are almost extinct. "Streamed", there are some very silly people trying to make that a thing, but it's doomed to fail for physical (physics-related) reasons. Typically downloaded and installed locally and launched locally. Physical media, on PC, are also installed locally.

• Is it better to have hard media or digital?

PC: For convenience and storage, digital. For preservation and archiving, physical. However, unless you are allergic to piracy, you can let others do the work of archiving physical copies.

• If using TV does it need anything special other than (I assume) an hdmi connection? Does it need to be smart (I have 2 smart and 1 dumb, and the dumb one is in the most likely playing place.)?

Smart TV is not needed at all. Can use a CRT TV if you got the right connectors.

• Is it a very dumb idea to think you can play decently on a decent laptop (even assuming adequate video card)? (I'm not talking about combat games atp - the specific game that was interesting to me was Disco Elysium, so active but afaik not a lot of explosions and chases.)

Not very dumb, especially if the laptop is less than 6 years old Jesus fuck, time flies! If it's less than 10 years old, you should be fine. Nvidia made really big leaps when it came to their mobile GPUs.
Disco Elysium is not a demanding game whatsoever, you'll be fiiiine.

• If playing on computer will it eat up all the memory, or is it really the video card that is used/impacted?

Depends on what you're doing. I'm used to gaming with, let me check... Apparently, right now, I've got 467 Google Chrome tabs open. And running two other browsers on the side. And running video editing software, databases, audio editing software, and multiple messengers as well. This is perfectly fine with 32 GB of RAM.
Nowadays they probably don't even sell laptops with less than 6 or 8 GB of RAM. Anyway, it should be fine.

• What else do you need? I don't foresee playing games with other people online but I guess you never know.

Bring a good mood, don't forget to drink water and get off the seat regularly and focus your eyes on objects that are farther away.

 

[Chin of Campbell]

Ninja'd by somebody smarter than me, lol

1. Yes, consoles connect directly to your television. You can emulate an older console and play a lot of games that way.
2. Uh, probably technically, but I wouldn't bet on it.
3. It depends on how basic we're talking. DOOM can run on anything and is a banger. AAA games will not run on anything inexpensive, but a lot of indie joints will.
4 & 5. The vast majority of games can be downloaded these days. Games that are streamed are not worth it. Hard media is good, because there is always a risk of losing data, but digital games are more convenient. There are multiple platforms on PC that will allow you to buy games directly from a storefront and download them immediately onto your computer. Steam and GOG are two of these.
6. You shouldn't need anything other than an HDMI connection.
7. Well shit, nigga, that's all you had to say! Disco Elysium should run on just about anything!
8. Depends on the game. You shouldn't have much trouble with either playing DE.
9. Consoles right now are fucking awful. Only the Switch is worth it, and only because of the occasional good game that will NEVER come to PC, and I doubt you're interested in playing Metroid Prime Remastered or Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Don't bother with console, seriously.
10. If you're just wanting to play Disco Elysium, you just need to make an account on Steam and buy that shit, unless you feel like searching around for a better deal. You could also pirate it if you're feeling frisky, but that might be better saved until you get your sea legs.

Link to where you can purchase Disco Elysium on Steam. Unfortunately, it's not on sale for cheap right now. I hope I was helpful.

 

[Calandrino]

We only really do retard threads here so don't sweat that

 

[DumbDude43]

If you're using a console, does that means connected to TV and not computer?

consoles connect to screens directly, that can be a TV or a monitor. the console is its own computer, you don't need another one to run it.

Can consoles connect to computer?

i don't think they are intended to.
if you have a laptop with an hdmi input port (or some kind of hdmi to usb adapter) then you could probably connect a console to the laptop to display the consoles output on the laptops screen, but i don't know much about that stuff.

Are games any good played on a basic computer?

depending on what games you want to play, yes and no.
generally, the more modern and the more visually impressive a game is, the more it requires powerful modern hardware.
more simple games, or just older games, will require less powerful hardware.

with games new does not always mean better, many of the most played pc games right now are titles that have been around for over a decade, and many titles that are considered the best games ever made are even older than that.

Are most games downloaded, streamed, or hard media?

downloaded is most common today.

Is it better to have hard media or digital?

digital is more convenient and cheaper. really the only case for hard media these days is nostalgia, or if you are super excited about playing authentic retro games on original hardware (old consoles)

If using TV does it need anything special other than (I assume) an hdmi connection? Does it need to be smart (I have 2 smart and 1 dumb, and the dumb one is in the most likely playing place.)?

hdmi input should be all you need for modern consoles.
old consoles use different connections, if you want to do funny things like hook up a SNES from the 90s to a TV from the 2020s then you might need to look for special adapters to get it to work.

Is it a very dumb idea to think you can play decently on a decent laptop (even assuming adequate video card)? (I'm not talking about combat games atp - the specific game that was interesting to me was Disco Elysium, so active but afaik not a lot of explosions and chases.)

a laptop is perfectly fine if you don't mind the smaller screen (and if you want a bigger screen, you can use hdmi cables to plug your laptop into a bigger monitor or even a TV and use that instead)
just make sure you plug a real mouse in, cause trying to play games with a laptop trackpad is pretty annoying. it can be done if you play titles that don't require fast and precise mouse movement, but it's not very enjoyable.

there are some downsides to laptops (high price and bad cooling) but to get started a laptop is perfectly adequate.

If playing on computer will it eat up all the memory, or is it really the video card that is used/impacted?

by 'memory' do you mean storage (hard drive and SSD) or do you mean working memory (RAM) ?
installed games take up space on storage, and a running game also takes up space in RAM. the amount taken up varies widely between different games.
if storage is your concern, you can buy external drives for extra storage, they're pretty cheap these days.

If buying a console, which is best? From what I've picked up here and there people here seem to like PS4 best? (I also quickly cruised the Sony thread and it shit all over the 5 as hype, which if true is great bc as a "hmm, I wonder if I would enjoy this" whim, I'd prefer a relatively low startup investment and only care that if I enjoy playing I'm not going to be stuck with something that can't play many things well. And also that if I don't enjoy it I could resell it for a few bucks.)

i can't recommend consoles cause i don't use them.
i'd advise you to stick to PC, since you most likely already have a computer in your house you can just use that and get started without having to buy anything new.
if you decide later down the line that you want something better, you can then decide if you want to get a modern gaming computer or a modern console. both have their pros and cons depending on what kind of experience you are looking for.

What else do you need? I don't foresee playing games with other people online but I guess you never know.

to get started all you really need is a working computer with a mouse , a keyboard, a screen, and an audio device (speakers or headphones)

since you mentioned disco elysium, that's a 2D rpg from 2019 so it should run well even on weaker/older hardware. you can buy it on steam i think, but if you don't want to pay that money upfront (especially if you don't know if your computer can even run it) then you can always just pirate it for free from thepiratebay.org (you need a torrent client to download torrent files, i recommend Deluge)

 

[vomitusdeux]

Can consoles connect to computer?

Not the computer itself, but if both console and computer monitor have HDMI you can use that instead of a TV. I prefer a TV because most monitors don't have a built in speaker.

 

[herefortheactualthreads]

Link to where you can purchase Disco Elysium on Steam. Unfortunately, it's not on sale for cheap right now. I hope I was helpful.

here's a link to cheap keyshops for consoles and PC shops

 

[Friend of Dorothy Parker]

Thanks, all! I'm digesting the info but you clarified a few things for me. Sounds like I'm good at least to start with what I have with minimal investment. Thank you for making me slightly less retarded about this stuff.

 

[Whatevermancer]

Is it a very dumb idea to think you can play decently on a decent laptop (even assuming adequate video card)? (I'm not talking about combat games atp - the specific game that was interesting to me was Disco Elysium, so active but afaik not a lot of explosions and chases.)

From my experience the biggest problem with playing on a laptop is not lower specs than a regular PC, but the overheating. They easily heat up to the temperature of around 80°C, and when that happens, they start throttling(i.e. slowing down the CPU and the GPU) to prevent overheating, which causes a game that ran at a steady 60 FPS to drop to something like 15 FPS.
So you'll either have to get some device to cool your laptop, like a fan stand, but from my experience they're not good enough, or install some software to raise the temperature threshold when your PC starts throttling, but then you're risking damaging it.

 

[peachlover669]

heh, use linux

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

If buying a console, which is best?

Switch, it's perfect for a casual user, and it's the cheapest option. Steam Deck if you want an easy to use computer with a console-like design.

 

[Cougar Pump]

If you want to play Disco Elysium you have two distinct pathways:
EITHER Buy a games console and a copy of the game (either from a store, online shipped to you, or as a download from the console's digital store), connect it your home HDTV. Nothing more is required. It will definitely work. It doesn't really matter which console you buy as long as it's one of the ones that the game actually came out on.
OR Install Steam on your existing laptop or desktop computer and buy the game as a digital download. You don't need to do anything else to get it running but you should check the minimum requirements (on Steam's page for the game) and your machine needs to at least roughly meet them.

As others have said, Disco Elysium is not a demanding game so there's a good chance your existing laptop or desktop will work fine.

All of this changes if you're trying to set up for other games, but just getting underway for Disco Elysium should be pretty straightforward. It's not expensive on Steam, I'd just install Steam and chance the cash to see if it works on your laptop with no other work or cost involved. If not, you're out the cost of the game and nothing more.

 

[GloryHole Stalker]

Thanks, all! I'm digesting the info but you clarified a few things for me. Sounds like I'm good at least to start with what I have with minimal investment. Thank you for making me slightly less retarded about this stuff.

Just out of curiosity, what's the game that piqued your interest? I had't played modern games since around 2012, and Street Fighter 6 and Blood Bowl 3 brought me back to the fold. I sort of regret the former, but I love the latter.

 

[ShamefurDispray]

I open this thread expecting majestic retards in their natural habitat.
My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

But serious answer: maybe buy a second hand gaming laptop first? If you can get it at a good price even better.
That's how I got into PC gaming back when I had very little money. A bonus to this option is that you can decide whether or not to pursue getting a better rig over time.
Sometimes you don't need the latest and great especially if you enjoy indie games.

 

[The Real Me]

Just don't use a Playstation or Xbox if you intend on playing any shooters, using sticks to aim is very janky for anyone who hasn't been playing that way for years.

 

[I'm Retarded?]

if you have no idea what you're doing or where to start, get a PS5. it's a very solid piece of hardware, has plenty of games, and all you have to do is drop it next to the TV, connect the power, connect the video cable, press the button and start. everything is digital these days so don't worry about getting a PS5 with a disc drive on it. disc media is extremely cringe and loads slow as fuck compared to anything installed directly on the PS5's internal drive. note that you will need an internet connection, either through wi-fi (the PS5 has it built in like everything else these days) or a network cable that will reach the console.

I personally like PCs a whole lot more to the point where I just stopped buying consoles entirely many years ago. however, getting into PCs requires a much higher initial financial and effort investment. if it's all the same to you, just get a PS5, it's essentially a decent gaming PC for half the price of building your own, the one huge screaming downside being that it's a Sony box and Sony gets to tell you what you can and can't do on it (which is why it's cheaper).

 

[DumbDude43]

I personally like PCs a whole lot more to the point where I just stopped buying consoles entirely many years ago. however, getting into PCs requires a much higher initial financial and effort investment. if it's all the same to you, just get a PS5, it's essentially a decent gaming PC for half the price of building your own, the one huge screaming downside being that it's a Sony box and Sony gets to tell you what you can and can't do on it (which is why it's cheaper).

yes buying a new gaming pc is significantly more expensive than buying a new console

overall you get a lot more bang for your buck with the pc, because it offers a lot more options (30+ years of backwards compatibility, free games from piracy, ability to emulate a bunch of old consoles and play their games for free, ability to make and use mods, better input devices available, and it's not just for gaming but also covers all your personal and work related computing needs) but the downside is that there is a bit of a learning curve to getting into all of that stuff, especially if you are not very experienced with using computers

 

[Calandrino]

But honestly, there's no compelling reason not to just stick with the Coleco... it's not really been surpassed

 

[FuckMeGentlyWithAChainsaw]

the specific game that was interesting to me was Disco Elysium

This game has a somewhat active thread over here.
I finished it some years back on very outdated hardware and it went fine. Any PC produced in the last ten years should do, but I would choose PC (or laptop) over console because you'll want to use a mouse, it's very point and click heavy.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

I open this thread expecting majestic retards in their natural habitat.
My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

There are plenty of threads on here filled with actual retards already.