"Will your next game 'Console' be a PC?," Maximum PC's December 2012

Gordon Mah Ung writes about how the current generation of consoles are very old in comparison to PC's. The Xbox and the PS3 are both 6 hardware generations behind modern PC's. While most computers play modern games at 1080p at 60FPS, consoles are struggling to keep up. They are behind, at around 720p at 30FPS. Not to mention the scaling down of the details in graphics and the longer load times. But there is now an option for gamers who want to play on their couch and in their living room. Valve is coming out with a new UI, or user interface, for their digital game distribution software Steam. It is called big picture mode and its made for computers to be connected to T.V.s, much like consoles. It is made to be used with console controllers and be on a large display. This offers users the option of using a console controller and the comfort of the living room, yet you wont sacrifice load times and graphics like you do with consoles. So your next console may be a slim gaming pc, like an AlienWare X51 or Falcon NorthWest Tiki using Valves big Picture mode on Steam instead of a PS4 or Xbox 720.

In my opinion I completely agree with Gordon Mah Ung. The current generation consoles are already old enough, Gamers shouldn't have to sacrifice being comfortable to enjoy their hobby. I am very glad that Valve made this move and created this User Interface. It may not be very useful for someone like me who has a gaming mouse and keyboard but it will for people who are old console gammers coming into PC gaming, enticed by its power and flexibility over consoles. In conclusion, I would highly recommend reading this article if someone is interested in converting over to PC gaming or is a PC enthusiast thinking about making a new HTPC for gaming.

Reviewed by SSN, grade 9.
Montrose Library