Oblivion PC vs. 360

[MainEvent]

I own this game on 360 but was thinking of picking it up for PC as well to try it out because I think I may like it better. Also, do you think my computer would even be able to run this game well?

[fabulouscoops]

I think it will run just fine. I have a 3.0 P4 OCed to 3.2 GHz, a 9800 Pro and 1 gig of RAM and I can play it at 1024x768 with framerates dipping as low as 20 fps. Your results should be better.

As far as the game itself, I do not know the differences between Xbox and PC but I do know you want to check out the mods. Many of them make the game a lot more playable.

[Scott9027]

Not to mention additional content, which if there isn't yet, will certainly become available at some point. If you're a fan of the game on 360, you should pick it up for PC, but if you're hoping you will like the PC version because you didn't like it on 360, then I would recommend avoiding it.

[MainEvent]

No I really liked the game on 360, I just think it might be better on the PC.

[Spoudazo]

It will not run too good on your PC. This game was developed on a console and PC friendly engine, therefore, it doesn't run too good on the PC.

Oh yeah if you want to, you could just play Morrowind on your PC, as it'll play very well on your PC.

I'll give it to you for free as well, 'cause I never play it. It came w/ a graphics card I bought a while back. :)

[Burdman27911]

I have a friend with the game on 360, and it plays about the same as on my system (9800xt) minus the HDR (and some minor settings)... only thing I miss is that darn HDR, lol. Personally I'm having issues with crashing, but I think it's more of a personal thing and you'll very much enjoy the game on PC.

As others have mentioned, here are some benefits to having PC over 360:
-Mods (performance, looks, gameplay... making your own mods, which isn't too hard)
-better tweaking, I find my PC to run smoother than the 360
-Much faster load times (the biggest thing to annoy me about the 360 version)
-Personally I enjoy playing mouse-keyboard over a controller for all but racing games, but that's my personal tastes.
-An excuse to buy upgrades for your PC ;) (just kidding, but it's tempting for me at least)

I know there are many more, but my mind has left me as it's been a long day and I'm running on nothing but coffee. As you could have guessed, I'd say go for the PC version, you'll be much better off in the long run. Tho let me reiterate, on your system it will run the same or slightly less on some of the graphics settings if you want high frame rates.


EDIT: Let me mention that I'm refering to playing at a lower resolution, if you want to play at 1600x1200 then I'll guess you'll be very unhappy with your card.

[OC Noob]

Stick with the 360 for now and pick it up for the PC when there are better mods and it is cheaper.

Or sell your 360 copy while you'll still get a very good price out of it and use that to buy the PC version.

Your 360 in HD is going to look better, but not a whole lot and there are the mods to customize the game to your liking.

Personaly I am keeping my 360 copy till there are better PC mods (more content mods instead of the tweak mods offered now) and then switching over.

What you need to do is check what mods are available in Yuri's mod thread (do a search) and see if theres something you can't live without. If so the choice will be easy.

[lucasp]

Your pc will run the game just fine. I have it for the 360 and have played it on my pc. With my PC in sig I feel that it's very comparable to the xbox 360 on a... aaaa hem my SDTV.. shhh.. I figured I would enjoy the game more lounging on my couch then sitting for long periods of time in front of my pc monitor. I just finished the main quest today 40hrs into the game. I still have plenty of exploring and leveling to do before I would start searching for mods. However, the time will come when I do.

Since you already have it for the 360 and if you'r e looking for more out of the game. Buy it for the PC. Your PC will be fine running it. Just keep in mind that there will be low frame rates still very playable. Heck, my 360 has just as many frame rate issues as my pc did with it.

[jmt391]

its the same exact game on the pc as it is on the 360(with mods and all the stuff that PC's will always have over consoles)

using a mouse+keyboard will be better also, it's a first person game(except wen u switch 2 3rd but u dont use that often)

gamespot also said that it looks better on the PC if you have all settings maxed, high res, aa, af, hdr and all that good stuff - unfortunately not many people can do that. The PC also will give better framerates, i find that game for the 360 runs pretty choppy but it's still playable(people will argue me here but im not gonna bother i notice bad framerates but i happen to be obbsessed with them i cant stand when F.E.A.R. drops down to low 50's i notice the difference from that and 60)

and with a 6800GT im not sure you'll be able to(no doubt you'll be able to get some eye candy, but not all of it) so i would stick with the 360 version theres really no point in spending another 50 for the same game with a few better features.

[Bathroom Monkey]

I run it on a 6800gt and it runs pretty good. I have on a bunch of eye candy, but I keep my res at 1024x768 and I never dip below 20 fps, except when I'm around an oblivion gate, outside, with rain, and monsters running after me. Then the FPS drops a bit, but I tend to play with it looking pretty. I have done some tweaking and haven't done the beta patch, though, so there's more hope. I'm a morrowind fanatic and wouldn't play it if it was too jerky or too ugly.

But I'm one to pass on AA as it's not too important to me really.

I'd see the only advantages of the PC game are the mods out to make it better (bigger menus, etc), having a freaking mouse, and the future of mods to come.

[kd7aze]

I have it for both, and I honestly enjoy my 360 version better. The graphics are solid, and the gameplay is intuitive. I miss some of the mouse fine control, but once you get used to the sticks, the gamepad works just fine.

I think it was the graphics that clinched it for me, without turning a lot of things down, I couldn't get a steady FPS out of it. And let's face it, lower resolutions work in your favor when discussing the faces in this game. :shrug:

[jivetrky]

The PC version plays just fine on my old 2800+ @2.25 w/ 1GB and a 6600GT
It also plays on my friends 2.8Ghz Intel w/512MB and a 9600Pro! Of course he has the settings pretty low and res at only 640x480 or maybe 800x600...but it plays fine. maybe doesn't look quite as nice as it does on my machine (the one in my sig) ...but he still has fun playing it.

And I can't comment on the 360 version, as I've never seen it....but this game looks AMAZING with all settings maxed, HDR, and 1920x1200 resolution!

[TreeNode]

I have the PC version. I would stick with the 360 while you have it. The game is simply buggy on both. The final patch for PC should be out soon so you could always save the money till then (or for a subsequent patch, etc).

I wish I had a 360 so that I could've been playing on the couch for 200+ hours instead...

[Yuri_Svenson]

I have the PC version also. I would reccomend the PC version if you like to tweak the graphics past normal. The controls ( I find) are a lot easier with WASD and the mouse, instead of dual joystick.

It is also better in the sense that you can cheat. If you want to buy a house to store things, then you can add money or whatever. I found a program that allows you to mod (enemies, spells, weapons, etc.). It is really fun.

But if you want to play a legit game, then you should buy the 360 version. =)

[FudgeNuggets]

I have the PC version. I would stick with the 360 while you have it. The game is simply buggy on both. The final patch for PC should be out soon so you could always save the money till then (or for a subsequent patch, etc).

I wish I had a 360 so that I could've been playing on the couch for 200+ hours instead...

The game is simply not difficult enough to need to cheat :rolleyes:
I too say 360 as that is what I have.
You can get mods for the 360 but they cost like $2 each.

[jivetrky]

I just can't get into console games....especially first person typed games like this one. I have tried and tried (at friends houses as i don't own a console) and I just can't get used to a gamepad with jotsticks and stuff. As i play them I just keep thinking of how much easier it would be if I had a mouse and keyboard.
I paid like $450 for a PSP when they came out and I sold it cause the games I'd really be interested in playing on it (FPS and similar) just had horrible controls.
Only thing I really liked it for was playing emulators...but I couldn't see keeping a $450 8-bit game player...so i sold it!

[whitebloodcell]

its the same exact game on the pc as it is on the 360(with mods and all the stuff that PC's will always have over consoles)

using a mouse+keyboard will be better also, it's a first person game(except wen u switch 2 3rd but u dont use that often)

gamespot also said that it looks better on the PC if you have all settings maxed, high res, aa, af, hdr and all that good stuff - unfortunately not many people can do that. The PC also will give better framerates, i find that game for the 360 runs pretty choppy but it's still playable(people will argue me here but im not gonna bother i notice bad framerates but i happen to be obbsessed with them i cant stand when F.E.A.R. drops down to low 50's i notice the difference from that and 60)

and with a 6800GT im not sure you'll be able to(no doubt you'll be able to get some eye candy, but not all of it) so i would stick with the 360 version theres really no point in spending another 50 for the same game with a few better features.

My 6800GT works great with oblivion. Running at 1680x1050 with HDR and pretty much everything else pumped up to high levels. Aswell as using plenty of mods improving the textures. Runs fine as far as I can tell, no noticeable slowdown.

And I think the the Mods that alter the levelling system are just essential, so my vote goes for the PC version. And with mods being an archer is finally a viable way to play the game. Tis so much fun:)

[John G]

Oblivion on PC or 360...very much a personally based question.


If you don't like spending hours learning to tweak the game (tweakguides.com is a good start for this game), patching, updating drivers, finding optimal settings for gameplay and image quality, etc...console is nicer. You put it in and it just works.

If it bothers you when you have to turn down settings to make a game run decent, avoid the PC version. It WILL stress your PC to the max with medium-to-good settings. Maximum settings and resolution are completely out of the question. No, the game is not buggy or poorly coded for PC, it just takes some real computing power to render scenes with those kinds of draw distance, detail, and interactivity.

If playing with console commands and mods sounds like a lot of fun, consider the PC version. Sometimes you can fix issues in a game with a console command instead of needing a patch or having to live with it. Mods bring in endless possibilities. There's a lot of opportunity to customize the game to your liking.

If you are playing your 360 on a non-HD TV, you stand to gain some image quality in terms of resolution. You're probably looking at either 1024x768 or 1280x1024 depending on your settings and desired frame rates.

In nearly all other terms of image quality you're probably looking at some downgrades from the console. The interesting part is trying to find what to reduce and how far you can go with minimal effect on gameplay primarily and image quality secondarily. Draw and fade distances and lighting can negatively effect your gameplay if you're not careful.

Eventually, you might be able to upgrade your PC with future equipment that might someday clearly surpass what you can get out of the 360.

Where do you like to play your games? On the couch in front of the TV or at a desk in front of your computer? Do you have more or less opportunity to play one or the other? (Having to let others watch a TV or jump on a computer, etc...)

Which type of control interface do you like better? Controller or keyboard/mouse?


Things could easily balance towards one or the other for different people. It was a real tough call for me, but I ended up going with the PC version.

[jmt391]

My 6800GT works great with oblivion. Running at 1680x1050 with HDR and pretty much everything else pumped up to high levels. Aswell as using plenty of mods improving the textures. Runs fine as far as I can tell, no noticeable slowdown.

And I think the the Mods that alter the levelling system are just essential, so my vote goes for the PC version. And with mods being an archer is finally a viable way to play the game. Tis so much fun:)

oh that's awesome - I myself have never played it on PC(once i get some effing money im getting it though) and i was under the notion that the game takes an ubercomputer to run it maxed. I'm also getting a 20.1" monitor like you - is the widescreen really as good as everyone says?(and what monitor do you have)

i was unsure that I'd be able to run it at maxed settings but i guess I'll be able to

[whitebloodcell]

^I'm using the Dell 2005FPW, great monitor, and yeah widescreen is as good as they say it is:)

I honestly think you will be able to run it fine on your comp at the native res, tho clearly others disagree. But I can only give the evidence I have in front of me. CPU is a Athlon 64 @ 2.6Ghz. And the Vid card is overclocked slightly. As is my memory. But that can't make much difference.

[John G]

Anandtech has a really good article detailing what kind of performance you can expect out of different video cards at different settings. It was linked in this forum a while back, I think, so you could probably search for it here or there.

[whitebloodcell]

Anandtech has a really good article detailing what kind of performance you can expect out of different video cards at different settings. It was linked in this forum a while back, I think, so you could probably search for it here or there.

linky (http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2746)

Link to aformentioned GPU Performance Article
Still stand by what I said tho, my Single 6800GT does just great.

[Rozal]

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=451223

[John G]

I have no doubt that a 6800GT can play the game really well. I'm playing it with an AGP 6800 128MB at stock speeds and I'm enjoying the game very much. I just thinking if someone is used to playing on a 360 with an HDTV, there might be some image settings that have to be scaled back a bit in comparison. Then, they might ask themselves why they paid for another copy of the game and went through all the time of tweaking and setting it up to run well and still be less than what they already had. Now, if a person has more time to game at their computer, prefers a mouse and keyboard, gets wrapped up in mods, really values the console commands....who cares about a few little differences in graphics when the game looks and plays terrific either way?