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What's your gaming setup?
With all the new people running around, thought it be a good time to ask what everyone uses for gaming...
Are you a console convert?
A portable gaming pro?
Desktop diehard?
Lifelong laptop leaderboard-er?
Teak-tabletop-till-you-die?
Archive level retro-gaming repository?
Custom collectible card game covers?
Tired of my poor attempts at alliteration?
I've got a computer I've just upgraded for like 10 years.
Kind of a ship of Theseus issue since all but the hard drives have been replaced now, including the tower.
I've got a Ryzen 5 and 32 GB of DDR4.
I think that's pretty good but my gpu is still an RX 570 8GB which still runs games, just not on max settings (which is fine for me).
Building it myself has been a lot cheaper than buying a prebuilt for sure, I'm lucky I had my dad to teach me how to do it as a kid.
I've been running a PC my whole life. Recently I upgraded to a 3070 which despite the lack of VRAM is still a far cry better than my old 1070 I was using before. I still love my PC but I find myself playing my switch more often. Mostly because the types of games I play like Metroidvanias and rogue lites/likes are just better on a handheld device.
I'm hoping to get a steamdeck sooner or later so that I can take some of those that I've either gotten for free or paid next to nothing for to be portable as well. I think that's probably my end game right there. I have another handheld device a retroid pocket 2 but the screen is a little gimped and I need to replace it. But with my big hands I'm a little bit paranoid about working with small electronics so it just sits on my desk collecting dust
As someone with "massive mitts" (as they've been called) a good set of precision screwdrivers and a magnetic mat or other small fastener holding apparatus work wonders for the electronics I've repaired.
I was in the same boat for games with low requirements/tons of the free or bundled games and is one big reason I picked up a Steamdeck. It often felt kinda wrong to play Metroidvania games on my main PC as it's overpowered for such.
I used to be solely a PC gamer for the longest time, but my spouse was all in on console gaming both for the big screen and for the convenience aspect - no headaches around system requirements, graphics card updates, etc, just plug and play and everything works. The two of us have fairly similar taste in games, and they had a much stronger preference for console than I had for PC, so I ended up playing a lot more games on console just so we didn't have to re-purchase again on multiple platforms. They've kind of converted me now, though, to be honest. The haptics on the PS5 controller are incredibly well designed, and really add a lot to the gaming experience when the game designers take full advantage of them - done exceptionally well imo in both Stray and Horizon Forbidden West (of the games I've played on PS5 so far). I do occasionally stream games on twitch as a hobby, and that's much easier from PC. All in all, I'm pretty split 50/50 these days between PS5 and PC, with the occasional switch or mobile game thrown into the mix (usually either due to portability/convenience or exclusivity on those platforms).
I'm in a similar boat. I think the console experience has improved faster than the PC experience. Plus, games in general don't get as much value out of raw horsepower as they used to. I think those are the main reasons I've been finding myself spending more and more time gaming on PS5 and less on my PC.
I'm in a weird spot. I have a gaming capable laptop (i7-8750H, 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB), but the device I've been using most often lately has been my Steam Deck, both for gaming and otherwise. Amusingly, I have been watching gaming streams and videos a lot more than actually playing video games.
I get into kicks where I mostly watch rather than play myself as well. I’m mostly a fan of FromSoft speed/challenge runs. I also really enjoy the GamesDoneQuick charity events because the cause is good, the people are all so wholesome, and I’m exposed to games I’d never check out otherwise, often either really obscure or old or both.
I am a huge PC user but do own a laptop, PS4 pro, xbox one, and a switch. However, I hardly use any of the consoles, preferring my PC for all things media and game related. I have over 1,300 games on steam, but only touch about 10% of them unfortunately. I do suffer from a severe case of "I have nothing to play" syndrome. I eventually want to get a steam deck though.
My current PC rig is:
I built this around 2 years ago and will probably think about upgrading maybe in 2025, since all the games I play now are running at max settings no problems. However, I play at 1440p and will switch to 4k in 2025.
I have a desktop PC and an Xbox Series S.
I've been a desktop gamer almost all my life. I tried to switch to console gaming when Series S was first launched, and I stuck with it for almost a year, but then I upgraded my computer and forgot about Series S, except for times when I have friends over.
I have a new monitor arriving tomorrow (Dell G3223Q) and I will certainly try Series S's performance on it, as it will be the first time I have a 4K display in my house. If I can manage to put it somewhere close to my desk (it's currently connected to my TV, which I almost never use), I can switch to it more often, at least to play games that are much better with controls but it might take some work to get it fit.
My desktop PC's specs are:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5600
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B450M-A II
GPU: Intel Arc A770 LE
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB, and two other WD and Intel SSDs
Case: NZXT H5 Elite
PSU: Corsair Vengeance 750M
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster BX2450, until tomorrow
Keyboard: 60% WASD Keyboard with MX Blue switches
Mice: Razer Basilisk v3
Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, Shure SRH840, and HyperX Cloud II Pro for voice comms.
How do you like the Intel Arc?
It's excellent!
I was terrified before ordering one because it's a first gen product that had a rocky launch with terrible drivers, but it's been nothing but smooth sailing for me apart from one issue during my first week with it. Occasionally, Windows 11 wouldn't let me launch any games because it wouldn't recognize the GPU. It was rather strange because I could see the GPU listed on Task Manager, have the OS run under full resolution (I have no iGPU on my system) and I was able to utilize hardware acceleration where possible. Basically everything but games and curiously enough Snipping Tool would launch.
A system restart would fix the problem temporarily, but after re-installing the drivers, I haven't encountered the issue ever again. I've been using it issue free for 3 months now, knock on wood.
I keep thinking that I might try one out if I ever decide to upgrade my GPU again. But my gaming desktop has been regulated to YouTube while I paint miniatures, so not much reason to spend that money right now.
Even if I don't particularly like Intel, I'd like to have a third player in the GPU space.
Well, I recommend it if you're ever in the market for one. It's a great value for what you're getting.
You're completely right that the more competition, the better. I think their next gen GPUs, Battlemage, will be even better. I just hope they don't give up on it. Nvidia need to be kept in check by more than a single player.
Thanks for sharing that. I'm keeping a side-eye on Intel's GPUs and hoping it grows in this space. I want to seriously consider it for the future and hope that it makes AMD/NVidia pay attention and better their products.
I see you, fellow Arc user. Had mine since launch. Very few issues, oddest one was 7 Days to Die cratering my bitrate while streaming.
I've never streamed with it, except for a couple of times on Discord, but I heard it's a beast for streaming due to its AV1 support. I hope you're not still dealing with the issue!
I haven’t tried 7DtD lately, but most other games I’ve streamed have done well. And very few issues just playing games, if any these days.
That's good to hear. I'm very excited to see how it will perform in a higher resolution output tomorrow. I've read in various avenues that it actually performs better higher resolutions but I don't know if that was people shilling for it or there's a technical reasoning behind it. It might have some truth behind it seeing how terrible it performs compared to DX12 stuff.
I game at 1440p, so that could be a factor in my experience. Main genres are adventure, roguelikes, some FPS, RPGs, platformers. Not really into esports titles, so not frame chasing, and honestly I'm old enough that as long as I'm above 30 fps, I probably don't care for a single player game.
Yeah, I'm pretty much the same. I mainly play WoW, Flight Simulator, and now Diablo 4. On the console side I occasionally play Forza 5 and some sports games when I have someone to play with. As long as I'm getting a stable FPS above 30, that's good.
For what it's worth though, my monitor arrived and I'm currently using it. I tested it both on WoW and Diablo 4, and it runs the same as before. I didn't encounter any stutters at max settings at 4k. I guess those strangers on the internet were right!
That's awesome, congrats on the new monitor! The best part about Intel getting into the GPU market and being this successful is competition is good. For a first gen product, I'm suitably impressed.
Thank you! Indeed, it's pretty good for a first gen product. I hope they keep improving on it. It takes two to tango, though, but I think Intel has enough pull in the industry to make it work.
Maybe we ought to create a new meme... "I use Arc btw" :D
You're the first person I've ever seen mention actually using cloud gaming and I honestly figured all those services had died.
Any plusses/minuses you'd like to mention?
I built my own PC as soon as I was able to afford one, this was fairly recently so I haven't had to swap out anything besides the graphics card because my old one seemed to just die on me out of nowhere. Now I'm running on a 3060 rather than a 1050ti so at least it was a worthwhile upgrade, my next plan is probably to upgrade my CPU
My current specs are:
16GB RAM
AMD Ryzen 5 1600
RTX 3060
800W corsair PSU
MSI 48" monitor
Hoping to upgrade CPU sometime in the near future to maybe a ryzen 7 but we'll just see, I built this PC about two years ago and I have never felt happier gaming on a PC
You could breath so much life into it by upgrading to, for example, a Ryzen 5 3600 or a Ryzen 5 5600.
yeah im well aware i should be upgrading more, like i mentioned my next goal would probably be a new CPU, these things arent exactly cheap so i gotta wait until i can afford something
Small Form Factor PC (rip r/SFFPC) Meshlicious build running undervolted/overclocked 3700x, FE 3070 Ti and 32GB 3200Mhz RAM, 144hz 27in AOC monitor, logitech mechanical mini keyboard (update your gaming keebs to USBc logitech, no one uses usb mini anymore), G604 mouse. I've been mulling the idea of getting a steam deck at some point because I'd like to play some single player games in bed since I spend too many hours at the desk.
The Meshilicous is such a good case! I built a pc in one for my brother recently.
If I can find a market for it, I'd make it a side job of just building PCs in the meshlicious. I did the stand off mod for the motherboard, additional insert for a top fan, and replaced the card slots in rear GPU area with the 60mm fan inserts.
We have two PS5s, which is really overkill because we aren’t the biggest console gamers (and in fact, I used to be a solely PC gamer), but we love being able to coop together without being trapped into only couch coop games of which there are far too few (but we have enjoyed several). My favorites have been Elden Ring and Returnal, both for the solo experience and the fun we’ve had playing them together.
We also have a Switch but I’ve almost never used it. She’s been playing the hell out of Tears of the Kingdom on it since it came out. I want to get around to playing Breath of the Wild eventually.
We finally upgraded my old PC (6700k 1070) a year and a half ago, to a 3700x 3070 build, and turned the old one into mostly a Plex server (currently 16 TB), sometimes game server for whatever game we may be into that could use one. The old PC was starting to really struggle with a lot of newer and poorly optimized older games. The last game I played through on PC was actually also Elden Ring lol. Not sure what NG I’m on now, but it’s safe to say I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of that game.
Current stuff I play on (basically, stuff I've played on in the past year) listed in order of how much I use them:
PC (Ryzen 7 3700x, 32GB RAM, RX 6700 XT)
Modded old 3DS XL
Steam Deck
Modded Wii
Nintendo Switch
Still rocking a GTX 960 because GPU had been crap for so long. I've taken this as an opportunity to play older games that I can get on a deep discount. Currently that is SnowRunner.
Switch is still my preferred gaming platform, which of course means Zelda TOTK.
And my PS5 is gathering dust. But to be honest, I am the target audience for Sony's weird little Project Q device. Just hinges all on the price.
I'm a "whatever plays the games I'm into at the moment" fan. Sometimes it's consoles (action or story-driven games), but usually it's PC (resource management types, simulators, etc.). PC games are also considerably cheaper, so if it exists on both, I'll probably get it for that.
Right now I've got an original PS4 (Playing Spider-Man on that was LOUD, let me tell you), Xbox Series S, and a Switch. Switch aside, none of that is the latest/greatest, but it covers the exclusives fairly well and I'm still gaming on 1080p, so it doesn't matter much to me.
Also have a ASUS ROG Strix G16 gaming laptop that is pretty close to latest/greatest (as far as laptops go anyway). It runs everything I've thrown at it and I've got room to expand the RAM and storage a bit when the time comes. 16GB and 1TB only go so far, after all.
I'm general I'd describe myself as a PC gamer and the whole hobby is more to me than just playing games. I've designed a custom case from scratch and had that manufactured, and a second one on the way. I'm water cooling those systems as well.
At the same time I find myself playing a lot on a Steam Deck lately. It's been nice to lie on a couch and play some Hades for example.
As of the past few weeks it's been Zelda on a Switch. Sprinkled in with some CS and other multiplayer games on the PC.
EDIT: I'm also very curious how Apples game porting software will work out. Would be great for work trips.
What I have is my father's hand-me-down 7 year old gaming laptop he used to use for his CAD renders and stuff for his job. I've had it for 2 years and it has served me well, despite the recent overheating (I've even tried replacing the thermal paste on the CPU, but nada.) Anyways, it's running a quadcore i7-6700HQ, which goes between 2,6GHz and 0,8GHz when it becomes just a tad bit too spicy. It's paired up with a GTX 960M which has served me well unlike the processor. Hell, I've even tried to play VR on it. Which kind of worked. Thank god for Quest 2's standalone games, though...
I've always managed to do well with the low-end. Before this, I used to use a Samsung Chromebook 3 after my old Acer laptop blew up in spectatular fashion. That Celeron n3060 punched way above its weight, running some decently demanding games after I loaded Arch Linux on it. Good times!
Now that I'm entering university in a few months, I'm hoping to see an upgrade. I'm going to look for something around 14 inches but is still a decent powerhouse because, damn, I love playing games on a PC.
edit: forgot to mention its keyboard is dead, so I'm using another older laptop as a keyboard/touchpad solution for it over a program called Barrier, which is like Synergy (sharing keyboard/mouse over network). Oh, and both of them don't have batteries anymore since those decided to go all balloon-mode. I have a really stupid setup.
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Soul 110 54 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280, Crucial BX500 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive, Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB, Seagate Barracuda 2 TB
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card
Case: Lian Li O11 Air Mini ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power
Case Fan: Lian Li ST120 69.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack
Monitor: Asus TUF GAMING VG259QM 24.5" 1920 x 1080 280 Hz Monitor
Keyboard: Keychron C1
Mouse: Razer Orochi V2 Wireless Optical Mouse
Speakers: Creative Labs Pebble 2.0 4.4 W Speakers
https://i.imgur.com/cfyrlHP.jpg
Also 2015 MacBook Pro, and Xbox Series S, I'll be updating to a Series X soon enough.
Greasy PC, PS5, Switch
Recently upgraded my 2070 to a used 3090 off ebay.
It makes zero sense for me to buy an Xbox though when I can play everything on my PC. My worst fear is one day Microsoft will reverse course and start doing console exclusives again and I'll have buy more junk.
I have a PC I assembled myself and a Switch, but I basically only use that for party games if friends are over or a few platformers. PC has a 3080 FE, 5800X3D, and 32 GB of RAM (I play modded cities skylines, so I use that RAM lol). Case is a white be quiet! Pure Base 500DX. I mostly play strategy and racing games, for which I have a sim rig with a 49” Samsung G9 ultrawide and Fanatec DD2 wheelbase.
I've always hopped back and forth between everything. Right now I play mostly on Switch and Series X (moreso Switch right now because of Tears of the Kingdom). I've got an aging PC with a Ryzen 5 1600X and a GTX 980 in it - I opted to buy the Xbox instead of upgrading because I use Game Pass a ton.
I also love retro stuff. I've got a sizable but not comprehensive collection of 1000+ physical games and a bunch of consoles, mostly stuff post 1996 or so (I've ever collected anything before N64/PS1). I really enjoyed collecting in the 2000s but with the way prices have shot up, my retro enthusiasm is more limited to playing what I have or emulating unless there are modern collections available.
I treated myself to what some would consider an oddball gaming PC.
CPU: 13700k
GPU: Intel Arc A770 LE
Mobo: MSI Pro Z790-A DDR4
RAM: XPG D45 64 GB 3200 MHz
Storage: 1TB Adata Premium
1TB Teamgroup Cardea
2 TB Adata Swordfish
PSU: Vetroo 1000w
Case: NZXT H7 Flow
Cooler: DeepCool LT720
Headphones: Philips SHP9500
Mic: HyperX Quadcast S
Monitors: Monoprice Dark Matter 27 inch 1440
Acer 34 inch ultrawide.
Honestly I have a 6 year old PC that has been an absolute trooper for me but since buying a Steam Deck I've turned it on about once. I have a toddler and a newborn so the Deck really works well for slotting in game time in little bursts.
Xbox Series X, a 60” 4K TV and a Klipsch 5.1 surround sound. I don’t get a chance to play often, but it’s pretty fun when I do.
Previously a console gamer for years. 3 years ago, switched to PC gaming. Still play console games a little bit, but mostly on PC now. Steam on Linux. Upper-mid-range graphics card and CPU.
I have 3 monitors, but usually play on only one, since most games don't have multi-monitor support. One notable exception was Euro Truck Simulator (which I played with a steering wheel). Main monitor is a nice 4k.
For games where the audio matters (for gameplay) or is nice to hear, I use some decent prosumer headphones (Sennheiser HD 280 pro), including some system-wide adjustment to the frequency response.
One unusual thing I have in my setup is foot pedals (3). They look like another keyboard to the OS. The pedals can be mapped to any keys. I haven't tried it much with other games yet, but with the MMORPG I'm currently playing (Guild Wars 2), it is an advantage in combat. Including what my multi-button mouse provides, I have 12 buttons/keys that are not on my actual keyboard. It makes you quite versatile and agile in such games, being able to move (hand on WASD) and look around (hand on mouse) without needing to change hand positions to activate any of those 12 actions.
I went all out
7800 X3D
RTX 4090
32GB DDR5
TB SSD
Paid good money and super happy with it, then went to sit down to find some good games to enjoy and ... Nothing that I haven't already enjoyed.
So now it's a super expensive chess machine
I've been primarily gaming on my Thinkpad T480s lately.
i7-8650u
24Gb RAM
MX150
Generally, I hate sitting at my desk to game on my gaming desktop, which, while aged, is still better than my laptop or Steam Deck. But, that's all well and good, as I play stuff that doesn't really require all that much horsepower. I mostly just like to set my computer on the arm of the couch and get comfortable.
Also like to use my Vita quite a bit, as it's great for emulation, as well as straight-up PSP games, of which there are many that I love.
I feel a little bad that I haven't been motivated to use my Deck, which I've had for about a year and used exclusively for almost that entire time. I've been in a sort-of FPS mood and playing without a mouse and keyboard just feels frustrating to me, as I know I ought to be more precise.
I've got two gaming desktops, one modern and one retro. The modern one has a triplehead setup with an ultrawide monitor in the centre and the retro PC uses one of the side 16:9 screens.
Other than that, I've got a gaming HTPC that gets whatever parts I'm taking out of my main desktop when upgrading and a bunch of modded retro consoles such as a PS2 with a 1TB SSD in it and a PS1 with a PSIO.
It's a bit old compared to some here. I haven't yet found a good excuse to upgrade... it was even able to run Jedi Survivor at a mostly playable state!
Also have a Switch, been playing a lot of TotK :D
AMD Ryzen 9 3900x 12-core, 24-thread
64GB RAM
RTX 2070 Super
4 1080p monitors
Kubuntu 22.04 Linux
2TB NVME, 3x4TB SSD
Gaming held me back for a while from switching to Linux full time. I've used Linux at work and home for almost 20 years, but always kept my main PC with Windows for the games. I finally made the jump to full time Linux about 5 years ago, and haven't looked back. Yes, there are some games that don't work well, or at all, but there are so many games out there that I'm fine if I can't play one specific one, or I have to wait a while for Proton to get better support.
PS5, Xbox Series S, Steam Deck and a gaming laptop (Asus Zephyrus g14 GA402RJ).
Haven't played any games on the consoles in the past few months, need to get back to using them. I find the Steam Deck very convenient to use for most games that I play, and use my laptop for more demanding games or games that are incompatible with Proton/Linux.
Current build includes a 3080, i7 10700k, Dell 21:9 1440p monitor, and a pair of AKG K712's. Currently yapping into an EV ND86 cause it's comfy to use.
Console order: NES > SNES > Sega Genesis > N64 > PS1 > Gamecube > PS2 > Wii > Xbox 360 > PS4
I highlight PS2 as that was also when I really got introduced to PC gaming. Runescape and Puzzle Pirates came out around that time which really propelled my interest in PC gaming (as well as anything on Newgrounds, AlbinoBlacksheep, and Miniclip :D). During and after the PS4 era was when I really jumped into the streaming and youtube stuff alongside gaming, so nowadays a lot of my gaming is a joint hobby with video editing. I'm a gigantic fan of VR, however I have not really dabbled in a very long time because I'm incredibly miffed at the VR market due bad headset options and corrupt/incompetent companies behind them. But VRChat, Onward, and Phasmophobia were my go-to's when I used to play daily.
I also really enjoy table top RPG's and boardgames. Just played a game of The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 and Ransom Notes to name a couple over the weekend. Recently ran the TTRPG Dread, and plan on GM'ing a game of either DnD or Blades in the Dark for a 1-shot soon.
I was a PC gamer since 1998 (12yo). I managed to collect some money and aso parents threw some in so I could upgrade. In 2005 I got what could be described as gaming laptop - Inte Cetrino 1.6GHz singlecore with X700 Mobility Radeon. This could run Oblivion at native 1280x800 at around 45 fps more on the quality side.
Then hwardware problems with notebook made.me switch to Linux and I had nowhere to game anymore, so I bought PS3 and became console gamer for a few years.
In the meantime I bought new desktop PC - Corei5 750 (4c/4t) woth Radeon HD 5570 (it was HTPC case, low profile). But I couldn't get drvers to run and then GTS450 came out and I bought it. It may have been around the time when Valve made Steam working on Linux, so I could actually play some games on it. I also got a bit into Wine configuration, so I could play a few Windos games too. I have upgraded to GTX750 eventually and then Valve released Proton and I could play much moregames. And just before GPU shortage in the end of 2020 I managed to get GTX1650. A few months later I got i5-3470 for free and got a board for free too.
So I'm PC gamer for quite a few years again! My current setup is i5-3470 (4c/4t), 16GB RAM and GTX1650 GDDR6, I use Gentoo Linux as my only OS on it. Oh, and it's still that HTPC casefrom 2011 when I bought it. I also have the same Arctic Fusion 550W power supply in it! I have changed everything else though.
If you wanted to ask how I managed to cool down 95W CPU in such case, I used Scythe Bug Shuriken with Noctua 14cm fan on top sucking air through he cooler and pushingnit out of the case though grating/mesh/holes (I'm not native English speaker). The board for i5-3470 (77W) couldn't fit this cooler due to socket placement so I bought Shuriken 3. Noctua can't fit anymore and board does't support voltage control anyway, so I left Scythe fan on. It is much quieter anyway due to lower heat output.
EDIT: I have also played on PS2, PSP, PS Vita, Switch Lite and currently I use Steam Deck most of the time.
Primarily PC, but also have a Switch and eventually want to get a PS5 for the exclusives (before they come to PC that is). Have some big expenses coming this year so holding off on upgrading PC GPU to probably a 4070. Also have a Steam Deck that's come in handy for long flights or when the office/gaming room is being remodeled.
If/when i have time anymore, Series X, PS4 Pro, Switch, and sometimes I use my kids’ gaming PC for some Steam games. I plan on playing Starfield into 2025, so long as it isn’t a complete sh*tshow.
I am a casual gamer. I have an iPad Pro that I plug into an external monitor and play Minecraft. I have a Switch that my wife plays more than I do. I play NBA 2K on my PS4 and NCAA Football 2014 on my Xbox 360. Every time I start a new game, like Hades, I eventually give up and go back to playing one of the other games I mentioned.
Though I’m a casual gamer, I’ve used a dedicated box for gaming (neighbor friend’s Atari, arcade games, eventually my own Nintendo) since before I had a PC (yeah, obvious kid of the 80s, games on a computer were too associated with school to be cool). I wobbled a bit around 1999 (when I got my first mac, lol, because it came bundled with a pretty cute dinosaur game that I enjoyed), but even now, almost a quarter century later, I console game 99.9% of the time—PS5, disk version (like most older folks, I prefer to own my games and think a license-only offering practically constitutes criminal exploitation of buyers). Digital only and online only experiences on the console may eventually push me to PC, just because you can curtail unfair licensing crap and access a huge back catalog of games (even some old console games with, for example, PS emulators). And, yes, it will be a sad day for me when my PS2 finally kicks it.
Used to mostly be (desktop) PC for me, but I'm mostly playing on Steam Deck nowadays. A little of Switch for TotK. Handheld gaming is too comfy, and plopping down behind a TV feels too committal lately. With a handheld I can sneak in a few minutes when I feel like it.
With the whole remote-work shift, I actually came to dislike my PC since it was set up in the same location I worked in. I don’t have the space to separate them, so I just distanced myself. I’ve moved to my PS5 and steam deck more just wanting to be anywhere else in my apartment when I sign out of work.
Bought a PS5 as a huge treat in 2021. Was a months-long project to track one down (retail, not scalped). The day it was ready to collect was like recapturing some childhood wonder. The last time I'd owned a current, new console was the N64 back in 1997. Since then, I'd upgraded to a PS2 in like 2010, then an XBox 360 in 2015. Well behind the curve, but Skyrim was still new and flashy to me even if everyone and his dog had experienced that 5 years earlier.
But I got a 15-year service award from work, my partner urged me to spend the bonus on something just for myself, so I figured I'd get on the cutting edge of console gaming one more time. Firing up Astro's Playroom when I got it home, really was like playing Mario 64 for the first time. I'd never seen graphics anything like it, and the controller was such an impressive way of interacting with the game world. A grown man doesn't get to inhabit his 12-year-old self very often. Even if I don't have time to play it often, seeing it in the corner puts a smile on my face.
Also bought a desktop late last year, needed something a bit meatier than my old laptop for school - went back to study postgrad data science, and a decent amount of ram was becoming a need. Since the whole cost would be a partial tax write-off, I figured I may as well spend a little more and make it alright for gaming too (Ryzen 5 5600, 32GB, RTX 3070 8GB), do some proper flight simming and things that the PS5 wasn't really made for.
Desktop diehard checking in - R7 5800x3D, 6800XT, 32GB, 27" 1440p/144hz (with two additional 24" 1080p monitors). However, my living room gaming setup has begun to compete for my attention in recent weeks ever since I bought a 75" 4K TV. It's run off the older gaming rig which my current one replaced (i5-6600k, RX 480 8GB, 16GB), but man is indie/retro gaming in 75" 4K ever sweet, and plus that RX 480 is a workhorse that can still handle a lot of modern games reasonably well if you're not too picky on your settings.
I used to be more into tabletop as well, but once you're pushing 40 it becomes harder and harder to get a reliable group of people together on a regular basis. I used to be big on CCGs too until I realized that most of them are P2W (and also that your average FNM attendee has roughly the same level of social skills and personal hygiene as a drunk two year old).
I've done most of my gaming on desktop PC through my life but have done a fair bit of gaming on consoles, handhelds, laptops too through the years. I don't really exclude any format except straight-up mobile phone gaming, but I put the most time into PC because I've been into an MMO more often than not.
Here's my current gaming device roundup:
Moderately aging PC with an i7 10700K and a GTX 1660 Ti
PS5
Switch
Steam Deck
Analogue Pocket
Analogue Super NT
New 3DS XL
Nintendo Wii
PS3
PS2
With all of the above and emulation, I feel like I can play almost anything I would want to in some way.
I don't really do tabletop. Had a few runs with MTG but decided for the last time about a decade ago that I'm not into the monetary aspect of engaging with the game for any constructed formats. I've always considered myself open to the idea of exclusively playing draft MTG (as it could financially compare favorably to other types of recreational outings) but I've never actually made an effort to be studied up on current sets and go out to draft nights.
Desktop forever!
Computer specs:
Operating System: openSUSE Tumbleweed
Kernel Version: 6.3.7-1-default (64-bit)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Memory: 16 GiB of RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6600
Mouse: Logitech G502
Keyboard: Keychron K8
Displays: Two 144hz 1920x1080 monitors
I play most things on PC: Ryzen 9 3900x, 4080, 32GB but also been playing a lot of super nintendo games on a SuperNT, sometimes I turn on my switch.
I have a ~5yo PC that I've built when I moved countries.
Still going strong, most games are 60+ fps, unless set to ultra graphics, but I'm already seeing 2080Ti on "recommended" specs list, which is disconcerting, means soon it's going to run games @60fps on Medium instead of High.
No plans to upgrade so far, but I might change my mind next year, when MS Flight Sim 2024 is going to be released. It's current iteration is already limited by 9700k, so it might be the time. But with current value propositions from hardware vendors (looking at you, Nvidia, I have little desire to shell out stacks of euros for a somewhat marginal upgrade.
I use Arch btw.
My main rig is still my old & trusty combo of i5-8600k and a GTX 1080 and I am still quite happy with how it performs. Besides this PC I mostly use Playstation 2 and Steam Deck (great for emulation), as well as PS4 that I also mostly play on Steam Deck using remote play (Chiaki app). Other than that I also own some NDS, GBA, GBC and 3rd party emulation handhelds (like Anbernic) but since I've got a Steam Deck these are more of a collector items to me.
Nintendo Switch and PS5. My computer is my steam deck which I love and it works perfect for the games I like to play. There’s ton of games on steam that don’t require ultra hardware to play and are great.
As I get older I keep flirting more and more with becoming strictly a "retro gamer". I've been playing games since the NES was first released and my personal golden age of gaming was 6th gen (GCN, PS2,) and prior, especially 8 and 16 bit. I still have the majority of my collection for my old consoles and handhelds but in the last year I've gotten more and more into emulation once I got my hands on a cartridge dumper. It's just a lot more convenient to me rather than constantly hooking up systems to my tv and digging out games. I've really fallen in love with retro handheld emulators recently too, like the Miyoo Mini.
I waited and upgraded recently from a 7700k. Happy with my setup and I plan on using it for many years.