Michael Pachter´s nonsense statement about PC gamers

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Have we all had enough of the overuse of PC buzzwords yet? I mean, you’re sexist if you don’t want to watch Ghostbusters 2016, Pepe the Frog is a hate symbol, and now (in a recent interview with the Daily Star) analyst Michael Pachter wants to throw his hat into the ring. As he compares PC gamers to racists.

‘I think PC gamers are like racists where they only like their own kind and have no interest in mixing with other races. PC gamers are arrogant twits who are convinced what they do is better than what anyone else can possibly do’. – Michael Pachter, via Daily Star

This is the conclusion he comes to when considering whether or not PC gamers would be willing to fork out for the new PS4 Pro. It’s an absurd analogy, perhaps borne out of the ironic irreverence of the PC Master Race meme.

The gaming industry is a competition in which the competitors are actively trying to outdo each other. It’s a meritocracy with people judging which system will have the best line-up of games, the best longevity, the best backwards compatibility, and the best technology. Of course, preference towards particular games is subjective. However, from a hardware standpoint PC gaming rigs are objectively better than consoles. PCs are the Brock Lesnar of gaming, and anything standing in the way gets sent to Suplex City.

GLORIOUS PC GAMING MASTER RAAAAAAAAAAACE!

The main pull of the upcoming PS4 Pro is its 4K display features, and 4.20 teraflops of computing power. Nice indeed. However, compare that to the Radeon R9 390 graphics card which does 5.1 TFLOPS, and consider the fact that it’s already been available for over a year. Graphics cards are ever improving, and it really isn’t that difficult for people to build their own PCs or to upgrade them. High-performance PCs are expensive, but this is offset by the incredible deals available. It doesn’t take long to amass a collection of dozens, or even hundreds of games, with the knowledge that these will be performing at the best quality available.

Won’t you come and sit by the fire?

I mean, look at what the modding community has done for the longevity of Skyrim. They’ve done everything from more varied weapons and clothing, greater graphical detail and better environmental effects, and even completely new quests, areas, and voice acting. Don’t get me wrong. I still play the sh** out of my PS4, as the PS4 has some really bad-ass exclusives. You know, titles like Bloodborne and The Last of Us Remastered, and others I’ve yet to try like Uncharted 4.. Well, I think you get the idea 😉 And you better believe that I’m going to be all over Hideo Kojima’s “Death Stranding” like a kid on Christmas. You see, PC gamers aren’t racists. PC gamers are hobbyists. I dare to say that PC gamers are also likely to own consoles.

I’m just not blind to the fact that PC gaming is five steps ahead. Sure, while expensive, VR gaming is already a viable option for PC gamers. I had the opportunity to try the Oculus during London Comic Con, with classic Doom. Even with an older game and no headphones, the level of immersion was something else – being able to move your head in reality, and for your view in the game to match your movement, to feel like a wall or a monster is just there within arm’s reach tricks your brain at least partially into thinking you are somewhere else. I can’t wait to try it with a more graphically detailed, modern game. I believe VR gaming is going to be huge over the next few years, and ‘PS4 VR simply won’t be able to compete with Oculus, or HTC Vive’s room scale VR.

To buy, or not to buy the PS4 Pro. That´s a question that quite a lot of people have been wondering about since the console’s announcement.

I won’t pretend to know how well the PS4 Pro will perform. I think the main factor against it is that it’s so soon after the release of the original. There aren’t any Pro exclusives. Any upcoming games will play and look just fine without dropping another $399. To get the full benefit of the Pro, people will have to get 4K televisions. Although, the prices of 4K TVs keep coming down all the time, so it may not be so much of a stretch for gaming enthusiasts.

What bugs me is this idea that Michael Pachter has any special insight. He doesn’t.

We’d probably be better off flipping a coin.

This is a dude who once thought GTA III would only sell 325,000 copies, and that people should sell Netflix stock and buy Blockbuster. He’s like a **** psychic, or a tarot card reader. In other words, just another overpaid Wall Street ass hole. He simply doesn’t know anything, and we can quite safely dismiss his ‘analysis’. Sorry Pachter, but PC gaming remains…Glorious!