The Best 3D Gaming

Kel Taylor - March 14, 2000

Some think the best 3D game machine would be a high-end PC with a huge monitor, 3D acceleration cards, controller pad, and, for multiplayer games, a high-speed internet connection. However, what if I told you there is a machine that could rival any computer that costs around $100, is equipped with a seemingly obsolete processor, and has no hard disk, no accelerator card, no 3D software, no monitor, no operating system, and, get this, is 100% crash free?

Such machines exist. Video Game Systems (I'll refer to them as VGS's from now on), including Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast, produce output equal to (if not better than) any PC at a fraction of the cost. (This, of course, excludes the use of emulators such as Connectix Game Station, which emulates the PlayStation, basically turning any Mac into a VGS.) Lets have a showdown. I'll start at the beginning.

Installation

No contest here. On a VGS, all you do is put the game in and push a button. There's no setup, no installation, no restarting.

VGS - 1, Computer - 0.

Compatibility

This is also rather obvious. Since video game makers know exactly what machine the game will be played on, you don't have to worry about your processor speed, amount of RAM, operating system, acceleration cards, or current 3D software, such as OpenGL. Any game made for the PlayStation will work on any PlayStation.

VGS - 2, Computer - 0

Loading Time

Computers offer a little competition for the PlayStation in this round. PlayStation is infamous for the extended loading time due to the use of CDs. However, the Nintendo 64 is instant, as is the Dreamcast, although it also uses CDs. When the PlayStation 2 debuts soon, loading time on any VGS will be instant.

VGS - 3, Computer - 0.

Versatility

VGS's can't compete here. They are made for one and one thing only: to play games. Although soon, even that may change. Computer's are almost limitless in what they can do. When the last time you did your taxes on a Sega?

VGS - 3, Computer - 1.

Multiplayer

This is a toughie, but the VGS wins again. The internet is making multiplayer games more common on the computer, but not as fun as a group of friends can have playing Goldeneye on a Nintendo 64. Computers can have many more players with the help of a site such as Battle.net for Starcraft. However, these players are faceless, and can only communicate by typing. Multiplayer on a VGS is a far better experience.

VGS - 4, Computer - 1.

Display

This battle varies from household to household. The largest consumer monitor is about twenty-one inches, and that's expensive. A VGS is played right on your television. In a almost any household, the TV will be bigger than the computer monitor. I have a 55-inch TV in my den, so even the split four player screens equal the size of a very large computer monitor. Not everyone has a big-screen TV, though. However, the fact remains that a household's TV will be larger than their computer monitor.

VGS - 5, Computer - 1.

Location

I would rather play games in a lazy boy or a bean bag than at my computer desk. However, what if I have an iBook? Then I could play anywhere: my bed, the kitchen, the front porch, or even the bathroom. However, most computers are desktops. Therefore, this would have to go to the VGS.

VGS - 6, Computer - 1.

Titles

I can count the number of successful 3D games still in production for PC on my fingers; there are even less for Mac. Of them include Rainbow Six, Half Life, and Quake. VGS's have hundreds of titles for a lower price. From Mario 64 to Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo, there have been dozens of successful and popular 3D games. The PlayStation has the most, but I believe they are of lower quality than the Nintendo. Computers still can't compete here.

VGS - 7, Computer - 1.

Longevity

Computers go obsolete as fast apples turn brown. I can't play the most recent 3D games on my beige G3 without another RAM upgrade (I bought an extra 32 MB awhile back), and its only two years old! The Nintendo 64 has been around for four years, and the PlayStation even longer. The only video game that has ever required an upgrade is Donkey Kong 64. It requires a RAM booster that comes packaged with the game. I wish Quake 3 would come with an extra 64 MB of memory and a new 3D accelerator card!

VGS - 8, Computer - 1.

Price

If you buy a computer just for 3D gaming, you are simply stupid. If you take 3D gaming potential into consideration when buying a computer, I believe you are still a little crazy. I have never heard of someone putting down a computer for entertainment expenses, although I'm sure some people have.

To play the latest 3D computer games to their fullest potential, one needs at least a base level G4 with a little more memory. That's at least $1,599 for the computer. Add a monitor, you're up to at least $2,000. If you want a computer that may not play the latest 3D games flawlessly, and you don't need G4 speed for Photoshop or other graphic applications, save $1,000 and get an iMac. Spending an extra thousand dollars, or even an extra $500 dollars, just for the hardware to play a feeble number of 3D games at a computer desk for up to two years is simply stupid. Unless, of course, you have money out the wazoo and can afford to spend like that for games. However, for most of us, 3D computer gaming is not economical.

VGS - 9, Computer - 1.

Reliability

I have never had my Nintendo crash. I have played thousands of times and not once has it frozen. I wish I could say that about my Mac. This one needs little discussion.

VGS - 10, Computer - 1.

Game Size

Okay, I had to think up something else for the computer to win. Nintendo 64 has a major limit to game size. Dreamcast and PlayStation don't have so much of a problem. The next generation of VGS's will not have problem at all. The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 2000 (or whatever they are going to call it) will be equip with DVD. However, for now, computers win.

VGS - 10, Computer - 2.

Conclusion

VGS's are far superior for 3D gaming. This isn't to say that computers aren't good for gaming. For simulation, such as Starcraft and SimCity, the computer is better for obvious reasons, foremost the mouse. I myself believe that the best games aren't 3D action shooters at all, but simulations such as Starcraft and RPG's like Zelda. Remarkably, my favorite VGS game is GoldenEye (a 3D game), and my favorite computer game is Starcaft (a non-3D game).

If you want the best 3D gaming experience, don't look on the Macintosh. In fact, don't look on a computer. Look on a video game system. If you want the funnest games, you'll probably find them on a Mac. I remember playing Shufflepuck on my sister's Performa 200 for hours. Being 3D doesn't make a game fun. I'd take Tetris over Rainbow Six any day.

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• The October 2008 MacBook Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.15. Apple changed the entire MacBook lineup on Tuesday. How do close-out prices compare to the new ones?
• G3 and Low End G4 Mac Performance Comparison, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.15. Factors that impact performance are the version of CPU, the size and speed of the Level 2 cache, and how much RAM is installed.
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Apple Design, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Apple has produced some beautiful computers and iPods over the years, but also a few of the ugliest and most ungainly computers ever seen.
• 3 Reasons to Use a Mac, and Pismo Troubleshooting, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. Why one Windows user is also a Mac user, a Pismo that can't see its AirPort card, and sources of kernel panics.
• MacBook (Unibody), 10.14. The MacBook gets the same aluminum treatment as the MacBook Pro - and dedicated GeForce 9400M graphics.
• 15" MacBook Pro (Unibody), 10.14. The new MacBook Pro's case is carved from a block of aluminum for increased strength.
• MacBook Air (GeForce), 10.14. More storage, a video port, and GeForce 9400M graphics improve the MacBook Air.
• MacBook White, 10.14. Entry-level white MacBook gets a SuperDrive, retail price reduced to US$999.
• Death of the iPod 'Way Off in the Future', Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.14. Someday Apple will decide that the iPod is no longer profitable and discontinue it, "but that day looks to be way off in the future."

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

• Best MacBook Deals, 10.15. Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.4, $1,049; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,175 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r.
• Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 10.15. Used 2.0 GHz Core Duo, $1,000; 2.16, $1,100; refurb, 2.4, $1,349; new, $1,444 after rebate; refurb 2.5, $1,499; new, $1,644 a/r; refurb 2.6, $1,799; new, $2,594 a/r.
• Best MacBook Air Deals, 10.15. Used 1.6 80 HD, $1,200; refurb, $1,349; new, $1,549; 1.8 120, $1,999; 1.6 128 SSD, $2,299; used 1.8 64 SSD, $1,800; new, $2,100.
• Best Intel iMac Deals, 10.14. Used 20" 1.83 GHz, $599; 2.0, $730; 2.16, $800; 24", $950; refurb 17" 1.83, $699; 20" 2.0, $949; 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates on new.
• Best iBook G3 Deals, 10.14. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 DVD, $200; CD-RW, $240; 700 Combo, $250; 900, $369; 14" 600, $230; 900, $449.
• Best Classic iPod Deals, 10.14. Used 60 GB color, $150; used 30 video, $140; 80, $170; refurb 80 classic, $169; new 120 GB, $240; refurb 160 GB, $249; new, $280. New & refurb include shipping.
• More links in our archive.

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged. Mac to the Future ©2000 by Kel Taylor.

Support LEM

Affiliates

The Apple Store
.mac
iTunes Store
Club Mac
MacMall
MacResQ
ExperCom
eBay
Amazon.com
PayPal
PCMall
PC Zone
Crucial Memory

Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed price quotes and advertising information, please contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.