How to developers get these games to run on Consoles ten times worse than todays current PCs yet here i am with what most people would consider a decently high end PC and im worrying about running BF3, RAGE and Skyrim right?

I just dont understand it... 

Are games just not optimized for PCs? is it due to the driver software that we need PCs twice as good as console hardware to get the game to look as good?

Maybe some super duper techy Hardware and game developer guy can explain it to me because it makes no sense.

This is what im currently rolling with AMD Phenom x6 1100T OC'd at 4.0, 16gigs Ram, XFX HD 6970 2gig windows 7 pro.

I know its not bleeding edge, i get it but why with a system like that do i have to worry about the new games looking right while some dude with a 360 1/10th the power of my PC has no issues at all?

Seriously im stuck...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gj6fgnMvQw

Consoles greatly reduce visuals, you just don't notice it.

What you do have is almost bleeding edge.

when it comes to games on console its easier to build them, as the system arch-types are pretty much standard. where as user's PCs are random. 

case in point i use evga hardware with intel. you use AMD. while spec wise our systems could be identical the differances in arch-types some hardware may use, could be the leading cause of a BOSD for me and not you or visa versa. 

console gamers do not have to upgrade any hardware where a PC user does. you toast the console you just replace the whole thing, unlike a computer you replace the toasted parts. 

so there is more guess work in coding for PCs then console that is where the issues stem from. 

no 2 systems are the same, as well even the same systems may have differances in drivers or setup that cause other wise identical systems to be different. 

though im sure in a few years computers and consoles will be exactly the same, no longer will you have console gamers or PCers you will simply have a "user" gamer

The above is also true. There is only one line of specs to work with on consoles, either the PS3 or the Xbox, so they can focus much more on optimizing the game for the hardware.

However, your gaming machine will still make everything look much better than a PS3 or Xbox 360 ever could. If you watched the video and others (such as watching items draw mere feet away on consoles), you'll understand. :)

I was watching that Quakecon adress a week or so ago and Cormack brought up the difficulty with PCs and the different hardware configs and the issues they have with Graphics card drivers.

I think it made me paranoid, it was hard enough even keeping up with the guy during the whole speech but it left me feeling like ill always need to keep ten steps ahead of console tech just for peace of minds sake.

I watch a RAGE, Skyrim or BF3 video and im left worried "How am I going to run that on high settings? Will I need to upgrade so soon?"

after a few days of this im like WTF!! 

the best chance you have at getting quality game play graphics and gameplay is to make sure your system exceeds the min-specs. as the lower specs are actually the WORST the game will run on.. just meeting them will not give you a decent enjoyment of the game as you will chug along trying to play. meeting the ideal specs are what you want to strive for as those are the avarage suggested specs for the game..

so if your system meets or beats the suggested you are fine. and shouldnt have to worry at the least you may not play on 100% maxed settings (depending on the system ect) but you should still enjoy the game completely if you are atleast at the suggested spec level.

A lot of gear you'll find out nowadays doesn't come close to being fully utilized in most games.  You just have to find that balance between degree of future proofing (overpowered-ness) and price.  With a little research, it isn't that hard to stay ahead of the curve while only having to update every few years.

Originally posted by Ichmen

 

though im sure in a few years computers and consoles will be exactly the same, no longer will you have console gamers or PCers you will simply have a "user" gamer

Nah, that will never happen.  Consoles will look and play much better, more like we already experience on PCs when the next generation of consoles release, but even then they have to use older tech than what's available on PCs to keep the cost reasonable, plus with PCs, wait 3-6 months and even better hardware will be available leaving the consoles in the dust again.

Like with this generation, the PS3 and XBox 360 are still using a dumbed down ver of DX9, where as PCs are already nearly 2yrs into using DX11.  And by the time the PS4 and XBox {480 / 720?} are released and using DX11, which will be more affordable then, PCs will prolly have DX12/13 or higher ~ as well as the new 28nm GPUs.  And another thing, as of this moment no console could handle the heat output of the current top end GPUs, not to mention whats coming soon...

Console games mostly run at 1280x720 resolution and 30 fps, which is a huge downgrade from 1920x1200 and 60+ fps on PC.   A lot of console games are missing AA, or run very low AA.   There's also the issue of low resolution textures.  

I have my 360 hooked up to my PC monitor and most console games look pretty terrible in comparison.