Technical barriers to entry for PC gaming

[xurtis]

TL;DR: mostly a rant about how high the bar for technical knowledge seems to be to enjoy the benefits of PC gaming; perhaps looking for ways to call out those in the industry who can lower that bar but who don’t seem to have put sufficient thought into it.
 

I'm a software engineer but not much of a PC gamer myself but I have many friends who are, although some of them are not as technically savvy.

 

I've recently been helping a friend out getting a new laptop, setting up windows (I'm primarily a Linux user) and installing some of their preferred games.

 

I'm astounded by how hard each step of this process has been and how much technical knowledge is required to get through it all; I'd forgive them for getting overwhelmed and giving up.

 

Simply logging in to windows for the first time took hours; they didn't think they already had a  Microsoft account and didn't really want to have Microsoft having so much control over the device.  Setting up a new Microsoft account was a pain; it turned out they did already have one but the process of resetting the password seemingly obliterated it and we tried to create a new one. We made it all the way up to a screen to enter a code to verify the email address of the new account and they spotted a button to skip using a Microsoft account to set up Win11 that MS had seemingly forgotten to remove… so we managed to set up the computer without a Microsoft account in the end.

 

They particularly wanted to play FFXIV and I’m not sure I’ve seen such an absurd array of conflicting authentication and account recovery processes for a single online account. Their account initially got blocked due to suspicious activity. The login for the game installer implied the need for a 2FA token but I don’t think the account ever had one configured. The failure to log into the game installer resulted in a password reset email being delivered to the email account; following the link therein initially didn’t seem to work to reset the password. We then tried the password reset flow through the website; unlike the game login which gave us a reset link after only a failed login attempt, the website flow wouldn’t give us a recovery email unless we identified what account security questions had been selected for the account in addition to which answers were provided, and we didn’t have records to hand as to what they were. We eventually retried the link in the original email and that actually let us change the password.

 

The latest development is that they installed Nvidia GeForce experience to install the latest drivers and their laptop display no longer functions; they also don’t have easy access to hook up an external display. Looking at the windows recovery boot process, that seems to have become far more confusing to initiate with multiple conflicting official guides on how to trigger it. I swear there was just a specific key required during windows boot when I last checked (some 8 years back).

 

How is any of this reasonable? How is someone without the existing technical knowledge expected to be able to figure out what they actually need to buy in the first place, set up, and maintain a PC for the purposes of gaming? I’m not a fan of it myself but I can appreciate those who find great joy in it and I could only imagine you’d be frustrated if you understood just how high the bar was to be able to join in and start having fun with it.

 

Is this something that can even be improved? It almost feels as though it wouldn’t even be in the interest of the companies that would need to work together to make this process more seamless.

 

Would be interested to see a video that followed someone without the existing technical background through the process of purchasing a gaming PC or laptop, setting it up, and getting a bunch of common games working on it without support to see where the pain points lie (maybe even compared to the same process with a Mac).

 

P.S.: Why is there no disk encryption option on Windows Home edition if you don’t have a Microsoft account!?

 

</rant>

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

13 minutes ago, xurtis said:

P.S.: Why is there no disk encryption option on Windows Home edition if you don’t have a Microsoft account!?

Likely some arbitrary decision to still justify the full BitLocker being held hostage in Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions. 

[aDoomGuy]

Puuh hehe. Lemme see..

 

Well it is still possible to log on Windows witha local account but I think you need Pro version to do that and it seems that was what you were using. I don't know why it is not included on home. Luckily I upgraded my 7 Home licence to 8 Pro when I upgraded to Windows 8. Yes, still able to use my "Windows 7 OEM licence" on a completely different Windows 11 machine. That's something.

 

As for the suspicious activity on FF XIV account. I think that is related to IP adress change. Once I tried to log on to my XIV account but had forgotten to turn off my VPN and I got the same. Annoying to be sure but got it sorted without too much hassle. They recommend 2-factor login but it is not required. I have never used it. When it comes to the SE (Square Enix who is the developer of the game) webstie(s) they could definitly improve them both in terms of useability and performance.

 

Geforce Experience is just messy bloatware filled with bugs. I recommend not installing it (driver installer gives you the option not to).

 

Yes, these things can definitly be improved. Why they haven't as of yet.. I dunno, maybe their software developers that designed these things aren't the best. I mean FF XIV is a great game. Nvidia drivers have mostly been stable for me, though I currently use AMD card. Microsoft is Microsft but that's just how it goes.

 

Is any of this reasonable? I don't think so. There is much that needs changing but it doesn't seem to be a priority. I mean I get by fine but if I look to my friends they aren't as savvy and I have to help them out from time to time. Allthough if a computer is too complicated, there are consoles and they're pretty good now.

 

I don't think there is BitLocker on Windows Home period. It is a Windows Pro, Enterprise etc thing.

[Godlygamer23]

32 minutes ago, aDoomGuy said:

Geforce Experience is just messy bloatware filled with bugs. I recommend not installing it (driver installer gives you the option not to).

I recommend using NVCleanstall when installing NVIDIA's drivers. You can really cut back all the NVIDIA nonsense. 

[Blqckqut]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

I recommend using NVCleanstall when installing NVIDIA's drivers. You can really cut back all the NVIDIA nonsense. 

whats that? i only know of DDU

[Godlygamer23]

2 minutes ago, Blqckout said:

whats that? i only know of DDU

It's an application by TechPowerUp. It allows you to only install and use what you want from the NVIDIA driver package. You can also use it to get rid of all of the telemetry nonsense.

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-nvcleanstall/

Edited January 30 by Godlygamer23

[aDoomGuy]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

I recommend using NVCleanstall when installing NVIDIA's drivers. You can really cut back all the NVIDIA nonsense. 

True, I thought about mentioning it but with the nature of this thread I didn't feel like recommending third party software with more advanced settings than the normal installer. I guess it wouldn't harm if I mentioned it though. But yeah, I also think it's a must have for Nvidia users.

[Blqckqut]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

It's an application by TechPowerUp. It allows you to only install and use what you want from the NVIDIA driver package. You can also use it to get rid of all of the telemetry nonsense.

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-nvcleanstall/

ooo cool

[Blqckqut]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

It's an application by TechPowerUp. It allows you to only install and use what you want from the NVIDIA driver package. You can also use it to get rid of all of the telemetry nonsense.

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-nvcleanstall/

is there one for AMD?

[aDoomGuy]

1 minute ago, Godlygamer23 said:

It's an application by TechPowerUp. It allows you to only install and use what you want from the NVIDIA driver package. You can also use it to get rid of all of the telemetry nonsense.

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-nvcleanstall/

Not to mention bloatware and it's included bugs!

[Godlygamer23]

Just now, Blqckout said:

is there one for AMD?

I'm not aware of one for AMD, but I'm not familiar with AMD's driver package, so I don't know how much control they offer. 

[Blqckqut]

18 minutes ago, Godlygamer23 said:

I'm not aware of one for AMD, but I'm not familiar with AMD's driver package, so I don't know how much control they offer. 

they allow a lot of control, in the software itself, wich seemed pretty sturdy to me

[Arika S]

4 hours ago, xurtis said:

Simply logging in to windows for the first time took hours

100% you're doing something wrong, it should take like 5-10 minutes tops to get through the setup process

 

4 hours ago, xurtis said:

I'm astounded by how hard each step of this process has been and how much technical knowledge is required to get through it all; I'd forgive them for getting overwhelmed and giving up.

says the Linux user...

[PDifolco]

All of this ain't really PC issues but is due to corps absolutely wanting to control everything and making horrible "security" features that are just a pain for normal users...

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

i disagree with most of your rant. most of my computers are pretty janky (as i don't have a lot of money), mostly built from used hardware, and i don't have any of the issues you mentioned. 

 

Windows 11's requirement for a microsoft account is very easy to bypass if you know how, and even if you don't it takes 2 minutes to google that. 

 

as for the black screen after installing the nvidia drivers, i have a laptop with a GTX 1060 (again, janky, old laptop from a friend that is quite temperamental) and i've never had it just black screen purely because of drivers. 

 

in general it is true that pc gaming is more complicated than console gaming, but i'd argue that that is pc gaming's strength too in a way, because it's a lot more versitile. you can trade quality for fps, you can mod games, you can overclock your hardware, etc. none of those things are possible on a console. you're stuck with the shitty 30fps experience and no mods on a console. 

[Stahlmann]

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

Simply logging in to windows for the first time took hours; they didn't think they already had a  Microsoft account and didn't really want to have Microsoft having so much control over the device.  Setting up a new Microsoft account was a pain; it turned out they did already have one but the process of resetting the password seemingly obliterated it and we tried to create a new one. We made it all the way up to a screen to enter a code to verify the email address of the new account and they spotted a button to skip using a Microsoft account to set up Win11 that MS had seemingly forgotten to remove… so we managed to set up the computer without a Microsoft account in the end.

It's not Windows' fault that your friend forgot he already had an account and lost the login data.

 

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

They particularly wanted to play FFXIV and I’m not sure I’ve seen such an absurd array of conflicting authentication and account recovery processes for a single online account. Their account initially got blocked due to suspicious activity. The login for the game installer implied the need for a 2FA token but I don’t think the account ever had one configured. The failure to log into the game installer resulted in a password reset email being delivered to the email account; following the link therein initially didn’t seem to work to reset the password. We then tried the password reset flow through the website; unlike the game login which gave us a reset link after only a failed login attempt, the website flow wouldn’t give us a recovery email unless we identified what account security questions had been selected for the account in addition to which answers were provided, and we didn’t have records to hand as to what they were. We eventually retried the link in the original email and that actually let us change the password.

I'm starting to notice a pattern.

 

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

The latest development is that they installed Nvidia GeForce experience to install the latest drivers and their laptop display no longer functions; they also don’t have easy access to hook up an external display. Looking at the windows recovery boot process, that seems to have become far more confusing to initiate with multiple conflicting official guides on how to trigger it. I swear there was just a specific key required during windows boot when I last checked (some 8 years back).

 

How is any of this reasonable? How is someone without the existing technical knowledge expected to be able to figure out what they actually need to buy in the first place, set up, and maintain a PC for the purposes of gaming? I’m not a fan of it myself but I can appreciate those who find great joy in it and I could only imagine you’d be frustrated if you understood just how high the bar was to be able to join in and start having fun with it.

The bar really isn't that high. It gets high once you get into modding and stuff like that. But just setting up a computer and installing a game shouldn't take longer than 30-60 minutes, even if the user has no prior knowledge on how to use windows.

 

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

Is this something that can even be improved? It almost feels as though it wouldn’t even be in the interest of the companies that would need to work together to make this process more seamless.

He really should write his login information down somewhere. That's not up to Microsoft or any other company.

 

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

Would be interested to see a video that followed someone without the existing technical background through the process of purchasing a gaming PC or laptop, setting it up, and getting a bunch of common games working on it without support to see where the pain points lie (maybe even compared to the same process with a Mac).

LTT has done dozens of videos like that. Well, close enough anyway. Have a look at the Secret shopper series for example.

 

5 hours ago, xurtis said:

P.S.: Why is there no disk encryption option on Windows Home edition if you don’t have a Microsoft account!?

I'd say a normal user doesn't need disk encryption. Plus it adds another potential barrier to a future recovery process.

 

 

Overall it's very easy to setup a windows computer for the first time. The main problem here really seems like he constantly loses login data and then gets cought up in the recovery process. I admit recovery can be buggy at times, but it's a very avoidable problem. You don't need to be a software engineer to understand Windows 10 or 11. Even my grandparents figured it out and they're around 80.

[Vishera]

7 hours ago, xurtis said:

TL;DR: mostly a rant about how high the bar for technical knowledge seems to be to enjoy the benefits of PC gaming; perhaps looking for ways to call out those in the industry who can lower that bar but who don’t seem to have put sufficient thought into it.

Gamers now days have it easy...

 

In the 90s the barrier for entry was even higher, yet normies didn't have a problem trying as long as they could get their job done and/or game on it.

Now days everything is brain-dead easy and people complain and give up?!

 

Seems like as time goes on people are just getting more reluctant to use their brains.

 

And smartphones are literally brain-rotting level easy to use.

[WildDagwood]

8 hours ago, aDoomGuy said:

Well it is still possible to log on Windows witha local account but I think you need Pro version to do that and it seems that was what you were using. I don't know why it is not included on home. Luckily I upgraded my 7 Home licence to 8 Pro when I upgraded to Windows 8. Yes, still able to use my "Windows 7 OEM licence" on a completely different Windows 11 machine. That's something.

Don't need pro, but they are making it increasingly annoying to make a local account, and most "basic" users won't know how.

[mdk777]

11 hours ago, xurtis said:

TL;DR: mostly a rant about how high the bar for technical knowledge seems to be to enjoy the benefits of PC gaming; perhaps looking for ways to call out those in the industry who can lower that bar but who don’t seem to have put sufficient thought into it.

The insanity never ends.

Setting up a new TV seems to require hours messing with streaming service log in and trying to match up the best connectors to your other devices.

 

I travel on business and the differences in ANDROID AUTO compliance on new cars varies wildly.

I just want to use my phone and googles map for God sake...how hard can it be?

PS... While I'm ranting....how about stopping the function of various controls while driving???

Nothing says safety like replacing a simple knob with a 4 layer pull down menu....that doesn't work !!!!

So you end up driving down the highway at 75-80 mph staring at a screen trying to figure out why you can't change the setting...OH FOR SAFETY....of course....so obvious.

 

 

My point is that the problem isn't unique to the PC market.

 

It is everywhere.

 

Heck my stove doesn't turn on util you finish the programming.

 

Wait, I hit Bake and 450 and you don't presume that i want the oven to turn on? Really??

If I don't his start afterwards you thought i was just pressing buttons for shits and grins?

 

TLDR

With the ability to "program" everything in your life, there is no logic or conformity. There are as many standards as there are OEM.

You can simplify your life some by staying in one ecosystem (why APPLE does well) but there are barriers to crossing over to anything new.

Drive an AUDI or BMW when you have driven GM all your life.

APPLE VS MS

APPLE VS ANDROID

SAMSUNG APPLIANCES VS ANYONE ELSE

 

Don't want to game on a PC?

PLAYSTATION is a real option.