HTPC's and Gaming
I have been gaming on a Home Theater PC for years now (check my post on HTPC's: @xervantes/home-theater-pc-basics) and I would like to share the benefits of gaming on a HTPC.
I started out gaming on a console, loooong ago and never really enjoyed playing games on a PC. Don't ask me why but it never felt right to me to play games with a keyboard and mouse (yeah, yeah, I know PC master race and all that). My friends still give me a hard time about playing on a PC with a controller.
When I built my first serious HTPC it was just for listening to music and watching videos. I used the onboard graphics chip because there was no need for a video card. If I wanted to play games I simply switched the input of my TV from PC to Game and turned on my Xbox (360). And PC support for controllers was lousy anyway. However things changed a few years back. Controller support became more commonplace and there were some great games on PC that were not available on a Console. Also I discovered Humble bundle and Steam introduced Big Picture mode.
My setup needed an upgrade anyway so I decided to add a video card to my HTPC. I bought a Asus Ati Radeon (now AMD) mid level video card so I could do some PC gaming at moderate settings. Anything with slightly better graphics than my Xbox 360 was acceptable. I got a wireless adapter for the Xbox controller and set up Steam. Game on! But as every PC gamer knows, soon other things needed an upgrade. I needed a faster CPU so that also meant a new motherboard and memory. While I was at it I could also use a bigger PSU.... You see where this is going? Long story short, I ended up replacing and upgrading everything, Case and all.
Now I own a decent machine with AMD CPU and AMD Graphic card, SSD, 16gb of RAM, Noctua cooling fans, everything to do some decent gaming at 1080P
One problem though, I recently bought a 4K TV, so it's not going to take long before it starts itching again and I decide that 1080P is not enough and I need to upgrade again. (Damn you AMD with your Ryzen CPU's). Also at the moment my PS4 Pro outperforms my PC and that is a no-no.
I really enjoy playing games on my HTPC because there are a lot of benefits.
Cost
Yeah, the PC might cost more than a Console but the games are much cheaper. I own 100+ games on Steam thanks to Humble Bundle and the Steam Sales. Also prices for PC games go down much faster than for Console games and don't get me started on the library of free-to-play games. My thumb rule is that I get single player games like Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed for PC and Multiplayer games like Destiny and Overwatch for the Console.
Mostly because I don't want to be slaughtered online by Keyboard/Mouse Warriors
It's basically a Console on Steroids
Well, In my case that was before the launch of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X (still can't get used to the name, even typing it feels strange). But if (more like when) I upgrade this still applies. When using the wireless Xbox 360 controller with Steam's Big Picture mode you have the same gaming experience as on a Console. Steam is easily accessed from KODI and you can seamlessly switch from KODI to Steam and vice versa.
You can find the instructions for integrating Steam into Kodi here: https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=157499
Flexible
I (me and nobody else) decides if I am going to play my games at 30 or 60 FPS (same goes for resolution) and not the developer (@Bungie, can you sense my frustration?) . With a Console these decisions are made for you (although things seem to be changing somewhat).
Controller
Hear me out. I like playing my games laid back on a couch with a controller in hand instead of sitting behind a desk with a keyboard and mouse. But that's just me. I know that I am at a disadvantage with a controller and a TV instead of keyboard/mouse and input lag free monitor but that's OK for me.
I really want to try out the Steam controller, if anyone has some experience with it, let me know in the comments
Backwards Compatibility
You can buy and play old games from way back when without problems. Try doing that on a console. Furthermore, ever heard of emulators? Nuff' said.
Final words, just to be clear
I am not saying that PC gaming is better than Console gaming (That is a another topic altogether) . I love both and enjoy the fact that I am able to decide whether to play on PC or Console. I just wanted to highlight the benefits of playing on a HTPC. There is a reason why Steam is introducing it's Steam Machines which are basically Linux driven HTPC's with fancy casings and a custom controller.
More on HTPC's:
@xervantes/home-theater-pc-basics
@xervantes/home-theater-pc-media-center
@xervantes/one-box-to-rule-them-all
@xervantes/the-best-streaming-tip-ever
References:
http://store.steampowered.com/
https://www.humblebundle.com/sekai-project-bundle
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=157499
