Guides
The PC isn't just a word processing unit, nor is it a TPS report creator, it is also a high-quality gaming machine. Giving you the best in hardware and input customization.
History
Personal Computers have gained popularity in the 1970's where IBM dominated the market. Back then, PCs were mostly for business work, making documents that you tell the computer to make. By 1977, the personal computer market boomed. By the 80's, there were all sorts of PC makers and models, ranging from IBM, Apple, Atari, Commodore, and the Amiga. What helped the growing populaarity of vthe personal computer was the growing popularity of videogames. Using a computer, yyou were able to program your own games. In fact, Apple founder Steve Jobs helped Atari in making Breakout. With both of them growing in popularity, a new age in technology was born.
Operating systems
Before operating systems, you had to learn complex coding in order to get something to work. With the formation of Operating Systems, it's more accessible for people to use the computer.
Microsoft Windows
Windows was originally an extention to Microsoft's own coding system MS-DOS back in 1985. With Windows, people could easily surf through their files and can easiy do things that were not easily possible back before OSes. Windows has grown in popularity that it became the most popular OS in the world, having support from PC makers like Dell, Gateway, and HP.
Windows has gone through many innovations, starting with the MS-DOS days, having OSes like Windows 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11. Then came the Windows 9x OSes like Windows 95, 98, and ME. Then came the current Microsoft system, NT, which lead to the creation of NT 3.0-4.0, WIndows 2000, Windows XP, Windows VIsta, and the future Windows 7
Mac OS
Back in 1977, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs made the Apple 1, Apple's first computer. They later gained popularity with the Apple II. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh, which was the first Apple computer to have an OS. The Mac OS lineup was born. Then later, Apple switched to Unix-like coding, creating the Mac OSX lineup, which is still used in the new Apple computer lineup today.
Linux
Linux is a Unix-based OS. Unlike Windows and Mac OS, which require specific hardware for the OS to work properly, Linux is a software-based OS, which will work on practically anything. There are many different OSes that use Linux like Ubuntu and Xubuntu. For this OS, the creators of this OS is by the community helping each other trying to get certain programs to work on Linux. You can get many Windows products to work on Linux using specific Windows coding software for Linux (like WINE). For some products that won't work with Linux, you have the option to dualboot Linux with another OS. You can have them share the same hard drive or use separate hard drives.
Parts of the Machine
There are many parts to the computer. What's different between PCs and consoles are you can easily take apart and replace parts of a computer. This will help in expanding your use of the computer. The main parts to a computer are the case and the power supply (the more things you have in your PC, the more power you need to run it), the central processing unit (which controls the entire computer, the better the CPU, the faster the game), a motherboard (which connects all of the pieces of the computer together), memory (which accesses saved data of the PC), Hard drive (which stores data to the computer), video card (necessary to show detail on the PC, the biggest part of a gaming rig), sound card (plays sound in the PC), monitor, keyboard, mouse, and CD drive, There are optional parts where you can connect via USB ports or special slots in the computer.
One big part of a computer is the internet, where you can explore sites and do other things with an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) For gaming, it allows you to play against other people online.
Game lineup
Gaming has been on the PC for years. Back on the old computers, you had the option of using specific controllers or using a keyboard. When operating systems came, a mouse was implemented. Games were saved onto discs that were usually sold in either Ziploc bags or in Vinyl slips. When CDs came, they were put in cases. You still have the option of using a separate controller via USB.
Back then, you mostly had text games or ports of arcade games. When the PC became popular, more original games came in. You had RPGs, which came as text or adventure form (like Ultima or Heroes of Might and Magic). RPGs evolved in a more real time sense with games like Baulder's Gate and Diablo released in the 90's. You had strategy games, which are now in RTS or TBS form. These are the games that take skill and time. These games have evolved from early games like X-Com, Dune, and Civilization and branched off into Starcraft, Warcraft, and Command and Conquer. There are FPS, which started off back in 1992 when Id created Wolfenstein 3D. IIt branched off into other games like Doom and Quake and became a huge phenomenon with games like Half Life, Unreal, and Call of Duty.
Although these genres are on consoles. they are considered better on PCs due to their control schemes with a keyboard and mosue. For games like RTS and FPS games, the freedom of a mouse and the use of hotkeys makes playing the games a lot easier than it would be on a console and with its controller. There are other games for the PC like racing, action, and adventure games (reformed to point-and-click form). Games on the PC are cheaper than console games, with new games costing up to $50, compared to console's $60 price points. Thanks to the ease of upgrading, your PC can last longer than your console and can save you money from buying a new console every few years.
Although there has been a decline due to a growing popularity of console and the fact that games need more money to run on superior hardware, there are still a large group of PC gamers still playing today.
PC - Recent Games
PC - Upcoming Games
Images
| Platform Name: | PC |
| Release Date: | Aug. 12, 1981 |
| Online Support: | True |
| Install Base: | 76,000,000 |
| Original Price: | $0 |
| Producing Company: | |
| Total Games: | games |
Recurring Appearances
|
David Beckham first in |
34
|
|
Steven Gerrard first in |
32
|
|
Dopefish first in Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle |
28
|
|
Darth Vader first in Star Wars: Jedi Arena |
27
|
|
Avatar first in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar |
23
|
|
Gordon Freeman first in Half-Life |
23
|
|
Luke Skywalker first in Super Star Wars |
23
|
|
Frank Lampard first in |
22
|
|
Kiesha Phillips first in Backyard Baseball |
22
|
|
Pete Wheeler first in Backyard Baseball |
22
|
|
Earth first in |
514
|
|
Space first in Spacewar! |
309
|
|
New York first in |
164
|
|
The United States of America first in |
163
|
|
Europe first in |
109
|
|
Japan first in |
102
|
|
Chicago first in |
92
|
|
Castle first in |
81
|
|
Russia first in |
73
|
|
Cave first in |
69
|
|
Health first in |
568
|
|
Death first in |
554
|
|
3D first in Elite |
536
|
|
Explosion first in |
418
|
|
Non-Player Character first in |
404
|
|
Melee first in |
384
|
|
Direct2Drive first in |
376
|
|
Digital Distribution first in |
340
|
|
Cutscene first in Pac-Man |
333
|
|
Tie-In first in |
327
|
|
Gun first in |
755
|
|
Sword first in |
499
|
|
Pistol first in |
354
|
|
Shotgun first in |
283
|
|
Grenade first in |
282
|
|
Rifle first in |
252
|
|
Sniper Rifle first in Snipes |
250
|
|
Helmet first in |
245
|
|
Spaceship first in Spacewar! |
234
|
|
Ammo first in |
228
|
PC
-
blizzvalve
480 points -
Cyclonus
62 points -
LordAndrew
58 points -
Axersia
36 points -
Sneakybadger
33 points -
Endogene
27 points -
jlrm01
26 points -
SultS
25 points -
Pop
21 points -
guermo
20 points
-
VACkillers
453 posts -
xruntime
321 posts -
Bucketdeth
232 posts -
sculsoldi3r
220 posts -
Cartman
194 posts -
DeadlyPain
157 posts -
unclejohnny79
150 posts -
albaker
149 posts -
Black_Raven
113 posts -
Demilich
113 posts
