[Rant] PC gaming is too expensive. 'Sup consoles.

Well, it's the nature of the beast. You give someone a platform that provides endless customization and they'll attempt to optimize as much as possible. Likewise, developers aren't going to stand on their laurels just because they can, they're going to try to go for the highest common denominator-- because it makes them look good, and because it sells games.

I recently spent a grand on updating my PC using my tax return. I didn't have to, but it means more games open up for me that I wouldn't have played before because of the requirements, or because I wouldn't want to play them without the special effects. FEAR, for example, or Neverwinter Nights 2, or Rainbow Six Vegas.

I could try to play some of these on console, but I've always been a fan of the mouse/keyboard setup, and if I'm going to play a game, I want it to perform and control well.

The reason I love PC gaming is that you can always go back and play your older games at the same time. So I see it as an investment not just in future games, but in past ones as well. While you don't need the latest stuff to be able to play older games, it does help if you want to run them concurrently (like having a larger hard drive.)

My PC is my media center, so I do pretty much everything photo, audio, and video-related on it, making it reasonable to me to want to keep it working in top shape. I might have spent a grand this year, but I won't be upgrading again for probably another 5, so I don't see much of a problem with it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.