Bloomberg: The Real Cost of Being a Video Gamer

[The Baconator]

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[td][QUOTE][B]PC Gaming[/B]
While Gordon uses his laptop to play Zynga games, many PC gamers are more hard-core. "PCs are the hot rodders of game play," says Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, which focuses on the game industry. [B]Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards, boosting RAM and optimizing graphics.[/B]

$3,333: Digital Storm Dreadnought PC with Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader -- Digital Storm
$800: Samsung SyncMaster 27-Inch 950 Series HDTV 3D Monitor Combo with Apps -- Amazon.com
$170: Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming -- Logitech
$100: Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700 -- Logitech
$80: Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard with Joystick -- Logitech

Running Tally: $4,607[/QUOTE]
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[td][QUOTE][B]Console[/B]
When online gaming company Zynga went public in December, Gordon, who joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 2008, turned a $35 million investment into a recent $178.5 million. While online gaming may be the future, consoles still have many years ahead and Gordon is a "big admirer of Xbox Live."

$300: Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim 250GB. Comes with one controller -- Wal-Mart
$50: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller -- EB Games/GameStop
$18: Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote -- Amazon.com
$90: FragFX Shark 360 for Xbox 360 -- EB Games/GameStop
$16: Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit -- Amazon.com

Running Tally: $474[/QUOTE][/td]
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[td][B]The Experience[/B]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 won't be fun if your monitor doesn't provide a crisp image and your network connection drags. Warren suggests an inexpensive TV by Chinese manufacturer TCL (under $400). For others:

$4,800: Sharp Elite PRO 60-Inch 3D LED-LCD TV -- Amazon.com
$2,400: For the hard-core gamer, Comcast's Extreme 105 Internet service with download speeds of up to 105 mbps ($199 per month for one year in San Francisco). That's 35 times the median download speed in the nation, according to speedmatters.org -- Comcast
$180: APC Power Saving Back-UPS Pro with Surge Protection -- APC.com
$33: Monster Cable THX 1000 HDX-8 Ultimate High Speed HDMI cable -- Amazon.com[/td]
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[td][B]Gaming on the Go[/B]
Gaming consoles have long battled for market share and it's no different with handheld gaming devices. The Sony PSP-300 for $130 and the Nintendo 3DS for $170 (famous for games such as Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda) are among the hottest portable players. Even so, Kill Screen's Warren says touchscreen technology and the app store make the iPhone 4S and the iPod Touch 64GB the best handheld gaming devices.

$400: iPod Touch 64GB -- Apple Store
$19: LevelUp Race Tilt Action Racing Controller for iPod Touch -- Amazon.com

Running Tally: $12,439[/td]
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[td][B]Motion Control[/B]
When Nintendo introduced the Wii and motion control in 2006, it attracted more people to video games. Now the PlayStation and the Xbox include it as well, leading to the success of games such as Just Dance 3, by Ubisoft.

$150: Xbox 360 Kinect -- JR.com
$30: Dream Gear Universal TriMount 3-in-1 Flat-Screen TV Mount for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii Sensors -- Best Buy
$27: Kinect Perfect Range Anti-Slip Gaming Mat -- Amazon.com

Running Tally: $12,646[/td]
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[td][B]Accessories[/B]
The holy grail in game play is to make your video experience as lifelike as possible. These help.

$60: For racing, two Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheels for Xbox 360 -- Best Buy
$60: For combat, Xbox 360 Gears of War 3 Wireless Controller -- EB Games/GameStop
$150: Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller -- Best Buy

Running Tally: $13,662[/td]
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[td][B]Gaming Furniture[/B]
For a cool $40,000, you can pick up NovelQuest's Emperor 200 Workstation with leather seating, LCD monitors, an integrated PlayStation 3 and many extras. Or your game room may benefit from these:

$500: Two BoomChair Sky Lounger Gaming Chairs with built-in speakers, subwoofers and extra-large seating -- Best Buy
$40: Atlantic Game Central M Rack -- Best Buy
$60: Generation Game Tower, to organize gaming gear -- EB Games/GameStop
$40: Rock Band Double Storage Ottoman -- EB Games/GameStop

Running Tally: $14,377[/td]
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First comment on source article:

[QUOTE=Wantmy15minback]This is the equivalent of a janitor writing a thesis on nuclear fusion.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.bloomberg.com/consumer-spending/2012-01-20/the-real-cost-of-being-a-video-gamer.html#slide10[/url]

[Creeper]

I have been enlightened.

I'm going to add a couple more motherboards to my computer.

[~ZOMG]

The sheer amount of stupidity has upset me greatly.

[Biotic]

Is this satire?

[Vornmusion]

And a car enthusiast can spend millions. It's a hobby, who cares how much the "real" cost is.

[Trogdon]

i like how it says the 3DS is the hottest gaming device but you need an ipad 64GB because it has a touchscreen

[carcarcargo]

Those crazy pc gamers optimising their graphics, everyone knows it costs thousands to optimise ones graphics, console master race man.

[AceOfDivine]

You gotta spend the money on something.

[ChilColdCoolaid]

[QUOTE=Axznma;34496765]And a car enthusiast can spend millions. It's a hobby, who cares how much the "real" cost is.[/QUOTE]"Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards, boosting RAM and optimizing graphics."

Somehow I think adding more motherboards to my computer would be tiny bit unnecessarily expensive.

[ToXiCsoldier]

Damm, i must be missing something, i only spend €700 on my laptop.

[install gentoo]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496714]Last time I checked my $5 mouse and keyboard has lasted me for three years with zero problems.[/QUOTE]

Your computer experience would be substantially better if you spent some money on a decent keyboard and mouse. Maybe not $270 but a hundred bucks can get you much greater comfort and last years.

[WishesForFishes]

[quote][img]http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iFgaGibLi0aI.jpg[/img][/quote]
I want one so I can put it on a controllable spinning podium in my room, when ever anyone enters I'll slowly spin around and grin like a James Bond villain.

[Mr. Someguy]

[quote]"PCs are the hot rodders of game play," says Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, which focuses on the game industry. Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards[/quote]

Using the same analogy, didn't he basically say people soup up their cars by adding engines?

[Vornmusion]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496797]Because this is all unneeded shit, anyone that actually has gaming as a hobby wouldn't buy a "Digital Storm Dreadnought PC with Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader" and multiple mother boards.[/QUOTE]

Unneeded is subjective.

The point I'm making is the article is making a big deal out of nothing. No one cares how much someone spends on any other normal hobby, gaming is just the current media favorite for stupid shit like this.

[carcarcargo]

[QUOTE=Katatonic717;34496845]I want one so I can put it on a controllable spinning podium in my room, when ever anyone enters I'll slowly spin around and grin like a James Bond villain.[/QUOTE]

It looks like fucking space jockey chair from aliens.

[install gentoo]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496854]No thanks, I don't need to have a $500 keyboard to have a good computer experience.[/QUOTE]

Mouse is a priority over keyboard + decent mechanicals aren't anywhere near $500.

[gbtygfvyg]

I don't know about you guys but that chair is fucking sexy.

[ExplodingGuy]

[QUOTE=install gentoo;34496838]Your computer experience would be substantially better if you spent some money on a decent keyboard and mouse. Maybe not $270 but a hundred bucks can get you much greater comfort and last years.[/QUOTE]I'm using a keyboard and mouse from dollar general, and there is no difference between this ten dollar set, and a five hundred dollar "gaming keyboard".

[acds]

That comment in the OP sums it up so well I don't have anything to say really.

[ac14]

why do you need 105mbps internet that costs 200$ a month to use xbox live?

oh and monster cable, cant forget that 33$ hdmi line.

[install gentoo]

[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;34496925]I'm using a keyboard and mouse from dollar general, and there is no difference between this ten dollar set, and a five hundred dollar "gaming keyboard".[/QUOTE]

Never tried a decent keyboard before, huh?

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496943]I simply do not give a fuck.

My "computer experience" doesn't revolve around my mouse and keyboard, it revolves around the shit I do on my computer.[/QUOTE]

And that "shit you do on your computer" would be easier on your hands and faster.

[Downsider]

Going from a 2k dpi to an 800 dpi for Quake 3 really made me notice the difference in mouse quality.

[acds]

[QUOTE=ac/14;34496950]why do you need 105mbps internet that costs 200$ a month to use xbox live?

oh and monster cable, cant forget that 33$ hdmi line.[/QUOTE]

It's not just a Monster Cable, it's a [B]Monster Cable THX 1000 HDX-8[I] Ultimate High Speed[/I] HDMI cable[/B], you're just jealous I can afford it because I have a job at McDonalds.

Also yeah not like the XBL servers will ever give you the chance to use those 105Mb/s anyway (also 200$ for 105? That's a high price).

[Trunk Monkay]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496854]No thanks, I don't need to have a $500 keyboard to have a good computer experience.[/QUOTE]

You're a fool if you spend more than a hundred, and he just said in his post "Maybe not 270$ but a hundred bucks can get you much greater comfort and last years". you can get a decent keyboard-mouse combo for 125$. Alot better than a shitty 12$ dell/microsoft mouse.

[install gentoo]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496999]I don't see how a keyboard is going to make my computer work any faster.

Oh hey look I just typed that sentence in three seconds. Wow I bet if I spend $100 I can shave one second off of that![/QUOTE]

70 bucks could save you a pretty large chunk of time + hand discomfort over the decade it would be in use for.

[Nurdock]

[quote] Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards, boosting RAM and optimizing graphics.[/quote]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/KLTDX.jpg[/IMG]

Guys it isn't working, what am i doing wrong?

[Downsider]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;34496980]No, it's not, you're not going to be locked out of games or be laughed at because you don't have a "$599 Alienware Logitech xtreme 64 button X5 Pro-edition mouse".

Shit like this is entirely unneeded and made for gullible idiots.[/QUOTE]

DPI matters quite a bit.. It dictates the level of precision your mouse movements can be picked up at, so I can use different sensitivities without sacrificing aim..

In Source, if you use anything higher than sensitivity 4 on a 1000 DPI mouse (cheapie mice are usually [URL="tel:[phone]"]500-1000[/URL]), you won't be able to aim at every pixel onscreen, you'll jump over some even if you move your mouse at the smallest amount it can sense.

High DPI mice aren't that expensive either, you can get a good one for only around 30 bucks..

[thisispain]

Poor Jamin Warren got misquoted

and now he looks like a total idiot.

[joost1120]

[QUOTE=install gentoo;34496963]Never tried a decent keyboard before, huh?

And that "shit you do on your computer" would be easier on your hands and faster.[/QUOTE]

I have had both a $5 one and one of those really expensive Logitech mice and keyboards. And in the end, I prefer the $5 one. It never broke in my entire life, while I chewed through 3 expensive mice and keyboards.

[Cush]

[QUOTE=Downsider;34497080]DPI matters quite a bit.. It dictates the level of precision your mouse movements can be picked up at, so I can use different sensitivities without sacrificing aim..

In Source, if you use anything higher than sensitivity 4 on a 1000 DPI mouse (cheapie mice are usually [URL="tel:[phone]"]500-1000[/URL]), you won't be able to aim at every pixel onscreen, you'll jump over some even if you move your mouse at the smallest amount it can sense.

High DPI mice aren't that expensive either, you can get a good one for only around 30 bucks..[/QUOTE]

I keep my DPI equal to my aspect ratio, so I use 1600 X / 900 Y and I can aim at every pixel on screen.