Although I started gaming at the age of 4 on a Super Nintendo , I ’ve expend most of my lifespan as a PC gamer . I have nothing against consoles — I own a couple , still — but nothing beat out agaming desktopfor me . I have intercourse gambling on a PC for things like versatility , promote potential , and compatibility with many different game . But PC gambling is far from perfect , even in 2024 .
Even with more PC gamers than ever before , issues persist in PC release . Many of these moil down to the fragmentation of secret plan graphics , and how consoles run to justworkwhereas PC gamers have to fiddle with the setting before everything expect good . Here are a few of the PC play annoyances that we all have to contend with , and that I hope get addressed in the future .
Resolution woes
It ’s surprising how many AAA championship cover solution and descale in a weird style . By default , if you scat your monitor at its native closure , the game should detect it and accommodate to it . That ’s how it is on console .
First of all , that ’s not always the case for personal computer gamers . Even with a 1440p or4 K monitoring machine , you might feel title that start up at 1080p and need you to dig into the configurations to adjust to your native resolution . Gamers withultrawide monitorshave a whole newfangled conflict to deal with , asmany claim are n’t optimize for such firmness of purpose .
All of the above is n’t even the most plaguey thing about resolutions in personal computer gaming — it gets worse . The problem rear its ugly head if you reduce your resolution in Windows . Let ’s say you have a 4 K monitor , but you scale down to 1080p to run a really demanding game . Some deed of conveyance do n’t take kindly to that , and instead of adjust to your Windows answer , they become unplayable .
Everything gets pasture , and even if you wanted to fix the configurations , you might not be able to find the correct toggle because of how shaky the resolve is . This can come about in many game , such asCyberpunk 2077 , and in this solar day and age , it probably should n’t . It ’d be nice if every game just scaled up or down based on your settlement .
The first time you run a biz can be tricky , too . I ’ve had this problem in games likeCyberpunk 2077orRed Dead Redemption 2where the game automatically usurp I had a dissimilar resolution , presumably found on my GPU . Although I have an RTX 4080 , which is a 4 super acid gaming card , I have a 1440p monitor . Meanwhile , the game automobile - adjusted the resolve to 4K. As a effect , I could only see the upper - left 60 % of the game , mean that vertically , a Brobdingnagian chunk of it was overleap . Horizontally , the remainder of it bled out onto my second cover . It ’s a minor affair , but it was n’t pretty , and it made navigating the menus a headache .
Sometimes , you may not even be able to see your chosen solvent as an pick in the biz without execute the extra Roman mile and get hold the .ini filing cabinet . For example , inReturnal , the resolution will top out at 1440p , so if you ’re using a 4 K monitor , you ’re out of luck — it ’s time to do somedigging on the PCGamingWikito find out an .ini file to align .
The many different names for upscaling
By now , it ’s widely know that upscaling is a good thing in game . WhetherNvidia DLSS or AMD FSR , or even Intel XeSS , upscaling can aid improve performance or visuals . The problem is that actually finding out which choice to expend can get slippery in some secret plan , all because “ upscaling ” arrive with so many different name .
TakeCyberpunk 2077 , for exercise . The game refers to the setting as Resolution Scaling , but pretty much every game I ’ve checked calls it something different . InWorld of Warcraft , it ’s Resample Quality . Horizon Zero Dawnoffers perhaps the most aboveboard choice and just telephone it Upscale Method . But that ’s not all there is to it .
Beyond just do the choice between FSR and DLSS ( if it ’s even an pick ) and then narrow it down to a specific version , some plot give you a luck of freedom with what you want to do with these upscaling technologies . fateful Myth : Wukongcomes with a Super Resolution scale that let you pinpoint the exact proportion between performance and tone . Other title come with presets , which is still all right — you get to choose what to centre on .
On the other hand , many title , like the aforementionedWorld of Warcraft , only allow you toggle it on or off , and you never quite live what it is that they ’re doing . Further , a game likeDiablo IVwill straight up block other upscaling options depending on your graphics cards .
Entrenched PC players know what to do in the art menu , but the dynamic result useable in most console games means you could sit down and commence wager right away . On PC , you have to settle for a preset , continually tweak a slider , and implore that there ’s an automatic option .
Too much is never a good thing
Graphics setting are a dear thing in PC games , but some title take the idea right smart too far . While it ’d be nice to be able to control upscaling a bit more in many game , there are also titles that are guilty of have far too many option — many of which are fox to most gamers .
TakeRed Dead Redemption 2 , for exercise , orCall of Duty : Modern Warfare III;but in all silver dollar , this enforce to most modern AAA game . You have configurations for texture , shadows , and the comparable , but thing can get complex quickly . What ’s the difference between Mirror Quality and Reflection Quality inRed Dead Redemption 2?Are Persistent Effects killing my performance inModern Warfare III , and what even those effects in the first place ?
Of course , there ’s a workaround for this — most game just countenance you take from a number of graphic presets and then set all the smaller choice for you base on your pick . The affair is that some preferences can have a major wallop on performance , and others barely make a prick , so it ’d still be squeamish to know which I to line so as to better your frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) . No such luck — a million different graphics stage setting it is .
PC game have gotten well about explaining what options do and how much they sham public presentation . Still , we have n’t quite get hold of that well-chosen middle flat coat where each setting has a meaningful impact on performance , and in the case of games like the yearly Call of Duty outlet , the graphics computer menu has only ballooned with time .
What’s the difference?
Picking up from my previous peak , do you know what else I wish was more normalized in PC play ? Previews of what each computer graphic set up does . Maybe it ’s just me , but some options have such a subtle impact on visuals that I really ca n’t tell what ’s changed — but that does n’t mean they have no impact on performance .
For gamers who do n’t do it what each setting does by heart , choosing the correct option is n’t visceral . Some games , likeReturnal , come with resilient previews when you ’re tweak the preferences , and that ’s exactly what I ’d love to see more of . Other statute title show picture , which is worse , but still ok . But so many game show nothing at all and expect you to work out out whether this ambiguously describe setting made much of a remainder or not , and whether it ’ll suddenly knock your frame pace down by a third .
Another thing is that some configurations , while essential to gameplay , take a big hit if you frown your computer graphic preset . For example , pick out a lower preset inWorld of Warcraftaffects thing like visualise texture and particle density . With those turn down low , you might escape many crucial mechanics during combat — but you necessitate to get laid this in order of magnitude to pinpoint why you ’ve been bewitch standing in fire for the third clip in a dustup .
With time , most microcomputer gamers acquire what preferences do , nail the difference between , say , using another Call of Duty example , unchanging reflections and screen distance reflections . Even with that knowledge , there ’s no telling what the visual impingement will be unless you take a few screenshots and liken them side - by - side . biz can do that hard body of work for you , and they should .
To restart or not to restart
Call me nitpicky , but I enjoy a cohesive and seamless user experience in game and their menus . I believe that navigating the stage setting should n’t be a nuisance — it should be as smooth as possible so that you could jump right into the gameplay . Few thing annoy gamers as much as delays when they require to start play , and those are still a common thing in art options on a microcomputer .
Many games will take you to resume the form of address when you change some of the options . That ’s fair — I get that that ’s a requisite sometimes . Some of the most vulgar culprits here admit turn on things like DLSS inning generation or shaft tracing . hacker 2077,for illustration , tells you that some options will want a restart — but does n’t give you the option to immediately do so . You have to exit the configurations and restart .
But then there are the plot that do n’t tell you that you need to restart , or worse , secernate you that some preferences require a restart without pinpointing which ones . cyber-terrorist 2077is guilty of this , as is the recently releasedBlack Myth : Wukong . A restart alone is n’t a problem , but endeavor to practise down when you need to restart and when you do n’t is a hassle .
PC gaming could be more streamlined
I love gaming on a PC for how much you may do with a background , or even a laptop computer . If I had a PlayStation or an Xbox , I ’d be set to titles that are useable on those platforms , and I could n’t also use them for work . That ’s never a trouble on a PC .
With a PC , I have accession to a vast catalogue of game , let in ancient oldie that are now only available onemulators . Not everything ever makes it to PC — Nintendo is ill-famed for this , hence why I own the Switch — but many games finally do , and that ’s enough for me . The flexibility , ranking public presentation , and upgradeability are all cause why I ’m one of those people who always choose a PC in the endless argumentation of desktop versus console .
I still bid PC gaming came without these annoying caveats , though . console table gaming is almost always as easy as just downloading the game and starting it . But because PCs give you so many more options , they also can be much more of a fuss .
I ca n’t help but experience that some of the above annoyances could be fixed , but even if they never will be , I ’d still choose my PC any Clarence Day of the workweek . Still , I could never begrudge anyone who would rather just have a cabinet and let everything justworkwithout user input .
