Can PC gamers move to the couch? Do you have a solution to make your PC the Cadi... Aston Martin of consoles?

OK, Cadillac if you're my Dad. Lexus if you're my (former) boss, and Nissan Leaf if you have Roy Orbison glasses.

I listen to a few podcasts, so I sometimes get the source jumbled, but my recent listening experience finds me hearing a lot of talk about hooking up the PC to the big screen.
I believe it was the recent conference call which mentioned The Witcher 2 as a PC game which doesn't need a keyboard overlay, and perhaps even controls quite well with a game pad.

I'm just curious about whether or not you see your PC gaming experience moving to the couch. Maybe you have a keyboard solution there. How do you accomplish that. It seems to me that the ideal solution would be to have computers located centrally and each workstation or access point is just controls.

I know, as a home office worker, I spend 8-14 hours a day, often 6 days a week, and lately I find myself on the couch playing PS3, just to be somewhere different when I do happen to get some gaming time.

Let loose. Where to you see it going? Where are YOU now?

If at all possible, I'd say try to stay away from the mouse for shooter defense. I don't want it to become a control scheme debate. I'd like to hear about solutions, hardware, personal comfort, gaming for relaxation, the user experience.

I do however understand that shooter exclusive gamers will be extremely one sided on this. Shooting like RDR or FO3 are good enough for me. I'm a story gamer though, not a precision shooter sportsman.

I see the reverse more. With more focus online and solo, the console, at least Xbox and Playstation are moving out of the living room. Are media functions enough to keep games in the living room?

I could. I have an HDMI cable that runs to our TV, and I have a wireless keyboard & mouse combo. But then, I don't have any real desire to move to the couch. And my PC is already in my living room.

I've actually just done this for streaming media, but plan to also try it out for gaming.

I have a home theatre system in the basement with a projector that shoots a 10 foot screen. My computer room happens to be right next to this room so I just purchased a 20 foot HDMI cable and ran it from my video card to the receiver. So now my computer basically acts like it's a dual monitor setup except when I put focus to the projector screen it also channels sound through the HDMI. I actually was wondering how that was going to work and was glad that either the video card or Win7 is handling all that for me so I didn't have to figure that out.

So, as you mentioned, the only hurdle now is the controllers. I thought about wireless at first but my current plan is to purchase a 20 foot USB cable and run that from the computer to the living room and plug in a USB hub. So then I can just plug in a keyboard and mouse and any other controller I need and have it there. I'm a little curious if it will let me have 2 keyboards and 2 mice plugged in at the same time or if I will have to unplug the KB/Mouse from the computer room if I'm going to game in the living room.

The only other issue I'm trying to figure out is the computer display on the projector is a bit dark. Regular TV is fine so there must be some setting with the video card but I haven't had time to mess with it.

I actually just moved my 360 into my computer room to hook up to my 24inch monitor. I took it off my 40 inch LCD, since it got moved into the bedroom for my wife, who is just more comfortable in the bed since she got pregnant. I don't really miss the big screen at all, as there is something nice about being super close to the game play. That being said, I have hooked up my PC to the big screen once when the wife was gone for a week. It was glorious playing Torchlight, and I'm sure would be fun with a ton of other games. Back then i used a VGA cable, as my video card did not have HDMi out, but with my new 6870, I would just have to run an HDMI cable and hook up sound. Then just get a usb keyboard with a long cable that has a USB port built into it. You can plug a USB headset and a mouse in there, and your all set.

Cadillac

I periodically have my PC hooked up to my TV. My setup is that I run a USB extension cable from the PC by the TV around the baseboard to a USB hub at the end of the couch. Plugged in there, I have the receivers for the wireless mouse and mini keyboard (MS Arc, which has full size keys, but no numpad, and is just about perfect for lap use). Mouse and keyboard go on a lap desk. There's also a wired 360 controller plugged in down there.

The problem is that text at that distance (46" TV at about 9') is really small unless you enlarge it. For web browsing, I have to go up at least 50%, and you can't do that in most games or applications. For that reason, if I need to do actual work that's application heavy, or playing a game that's text-heavy, I have to move it back to the desk.

However, for gaming that's not text-heavy, the big screen is fantastic. It's gotten so that I've been buying multiplatform games on PC if I can because they're generally cheaper and higher resolution. I can use whichever control method I like best, and get the benefits of big screen gamin'.

About the only down side is that my PC currently can't output 5.1 sound to my receiver, so I'm limited to stereo. If I need to have surround, I can always use my 5.1 headphones though. I don't really get any utility out of watching media on it, since I can stream everything to my consoles anyway.

Let me tell you, Mass Effect 2 at PC resolution at 46" is a sight to behold. I guess my ideal solution would be having both a desktop PC and a PC hooked to the TV so I wouldn't have to move it back and forth. At this point though, I've got all the required wires at both places, so all I have to do is move the tower and connect everything.

psu_13 wrote:

Cadillac

Thanks! That's killing me.

Yoreel wrote:

...but with my new 6870, I would just have to run an HDMI cable and hook up sound.

That should be taken care for you as HDMI runs both video and sound. I have mine coming out of a 6950 and they must have their own sound processor in the cards now. I was actually surprised when it was outputting 5.1 to my receiver.

MannishBoy wrote:
psu_13 wrote:

Cadillac

Thanks! That's killing me.

+1 (hint, hint)

MisterStatic wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:
psu_13 wrote:

Cadillac

Thanks! That's killing me.

+1 (hint, hint)

Me too..

I have tried the living room idea with the PC and, while it works, I still prefer to use a monitor on a desk. All PC interfaces are designed for viewing on a monitor up close. W7 improved the scaling options in Windows, but it is still just a stop gap. I am much happier with the 360 under the TV, the PC next to my desk, and an iPad within reach.

I want to know what date to mark on my calendar for Valve's Big Picture mode for steam.

I've been contemplating running wires in the walls on and off (mostly off), but Monoprice make a couple of good arguements along with running ethernet and putting some audio cables into the walls as well. I've got a couple friends that want to try and convince me to go with ceiling mounted rear speakers, but I'm still not convinced they're what I really want. Anyways, there are a number of controller based games I'd like to try and have on the couch. All I know is if I run anything, I'll more than likely run it all. I just don't want to have to crawl up in the tiny attic space I have over the vaulted ceiling to do it.

Anyways, the only other solution I might try would be a PS3 controller and Montioninjoy, which apparantly has had signed drivers for a while now, for those that tried it before when it didn't. Otherwise, that USB cable and a hub might help drive a keyboard, mouse and 360 pad.

I just got an Alienware M18X for this... My Gaming PC's are huge towers that are a pain in the ass to move.. and my girlfriend would not tolerate in the living room.. this way I can break out the laptop.. connect the HDMI and the 360 wireless controller and sit back for some PC gaming on the bigscreen. Its how I'm planning to play the new Deus Ex.

TheGameguru wrote:

... My Gaming PC's are huge towers that are a pain in the ass to move.. and my girlfriend would not tolerate in the living room...

This is more like what I was asking. Why is household computing not centralized and each workstation or access point like a TV, just HIDs. Why not have the PC know if you're looking at the big screen TV and tailor the resolution accordingly. The PC can easily address the same resolutions as consoles; though I suppose the point is using the latest hardware to push high resolutions and effects.

Spelling corrected. Thank You. Well, at least that one word.

Ghostship wrote:

Spelling corrected. Thank You. Well, at least that one word.

Still wrong

Cadillac.

My desktop setup at home is a 24" Dell monitor on my computer desk and a 37" Vizio about 4 feet to the left of it. The only thing I don't like about the setup is that I went too small on the TV :). Should have bought a 42" (if I bought a 42", would I want a 46"?)

I want to know what date to mark on my calendar for Valve's Big Picture mode for steam.

I did not know about this but I cannot wait! I prefer using a controller to mouse and keyboard (except for multiplayer shooters).

TheGameguru wrote:

I just got an Alienware M18X for this... My Gaming PC's are huge towers that are a pain in the ass to move.. and my girlfriend would not tolerate in the living room.. this way I can break out the laptop.. connect the HDMI and the 360 wireless controller and sit back for some PC gaming on the bigscreen. Its how I'm planning to play the new Deus Ex.

About a month after I bought my M17X they roll out with the 18. I was a little miffed but got over it quickly. I have been wondering hooking the comp up to the TV. I just got back from the sandbox and picked up the new Samsung 55" 'borderless' LED TV and have been dying to try it out with my new laptop. More than likely though I will just use my old wireless keyboard and mouse that I had from an old media center setup and see how that goes.

Tough crowd.

My PC is already near the living room TV and I can hook them up with the HDMI cable whenever I want. Trouble is, I'm nearsighted and I prefer playing without wearing my glasses, so I naturally gravitate to the PC interface, just because of my vision problem. I use the PC as an HD movie player from time to time.

Ghostship, now I think you are just trying to fester my OCD with spelling.

Cadillac

Ferrari

May I suggest a google check prior to posting?

Sit on your couch, TV-out from your computer to your TV, USB controller in your hand, console-style game playing. It is now indistinguishable from a console. Anything else is just tweaking.

Lotus is easy to spell.

Malor wrote:

Lotus is easy to spell.

Yeah, if the man drives a friggin flower.

Astin Marton.
Had to be done.

Ghostship wrote:

Astin Marton.
Had to be done.

I see what you did there....bastard!

I prefer Toy Yoda anyhow.

Not to put the thread back on track or anything but...

I had the full gaming on a big screen setup in the livingroom for a while about 5 years ago. I was single (of course, you almost have to be to get away with this) and had all the components that make this easy. A projector was the key, that kept the crazy far reaching wires to a minimum. My PC was set up right next to the couch, on the floor between the couch and the wall, so it was nicely out of the way. I didnt even need wireless keyboard or mouse with the PC being that close. Surround sound completed the set up. Defcon at 110 inches was a pretty insane experience, as was Supreme Commander. I played a lot of WoW that way too. The glory ended with a move in with roommates. The projector is still running and pumping out all the gaming beauty of the 360 (ok it's mostly used for Murder She Wrote on Netflix when I'm not home)

It was great while it lasted. And I would just smirk at PC vs Console arguments. I probably wouldn't go for the setup again though because of my PC gaming tastes, just because Terarria doesn't beg for the big screen the way STALKER did.