Hi guys,

A new convert to the series, I picked up Fallout 4 on PS4 yesterday and am loving it so far. That being said, one of the reasons I got it on console was *cough* in case I didn't end up loving it and decided to trade in, as Skyrim was the only Bethesda game that I genuinely enjoyed before. But that's not the issue, a couple hours in and I'm sold on the game for sure, and wish I didn't miss the ship on Fallout 3.

That being said, I have a week to decide if I swap it for something else, meaning I could presumably go to PC from PS4 from where I bought it. It seems my aging (5 years old but holding up) rig would still have no problem running this well (i7 2600 3.4 GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 760 superclocked. 1080 only, no 4k monitor).

Staying relatively tame on mod use for Skyrim in the past, would the potentially larger pool of mods for PC be enough to get you to switch from console? As a dad of 3, it's a big perk for me to be able to just turn on the home theater, expect little to no bugs on console, versus benchmarking and adjusting settings incessantly on PC like I used to when I had a lot of free time I'm also assuming I can play via Steam's Big Picture mode with a controller, as I'd much rather chill on the couch than sit in my home office.

Another plus for me if I stick to PS4: I do have a PS TV and Vita.

Thanks for your advice, I'm really not looking for a graphics comparison/debate as there isn't much of a debate there, just getting a sense of whether or not my PC setup will give me that much better of an experience or not in your opinion, given what I'm equipped with.

Thanks a ton, and looking forward to diving deeper into the Wasteland, whatever platform I end up on.

-Azzkikkrr

I am playing on PS4 because my PC is a bit old with i5-760 4gb ram and gtx 670. The moment I upgrade I will switch F4 to PC and support it with mods.

Still, playing on big screen is cool. I very dislike aiming with pad but there's VATS for that. PC will be due to mods. I liked heavily modded skyrim

Both are good.

Superclocked? is this one over an OverClock... and what if there was one over and over overclock... that would be called a super duper clock card

You PC can handle it. You might not get ultra settings but it will still look better than the console version. There was a youtube video comparing the XBOX, PS4 and a budget PC of around $400 that showed that even with the PC on a mix of medium and high settings to match the console it still looked and ran better than either of them.

For what it's worth, mods will eventually be coming to consoles, so if that's the main reason you're considering switching over, I'd hold off.

Eventually, but who knows when and which ones A ton of the most popular mods use script extenders like SKSE or FOSE, Will those work on consoles? The PC version will be able to use ALL the mods that come out instead of some or most of them. The consoles certainly won't be able to handle any extra graphics mods as they are already running at 30 fps and any extra high res textures or meshes will only make that drop.

He only has a week to decide and he is better off spending his $60 on a version that you know will work with all mods in the future.

Make sure if you pick PC and want to use a keyboard that you are OK with NOT being able to remap they keys!

I'd go with PC, if I were you. PS4 edition has some game breaking bugs that haven't been worked out. *cough* Confidence Man *cough, cough*

True, but.....

There are already very nice mods out for PC users at Nexus.....

Also, I'd not expect console mods to be availble for months. I'd guess months after the toolset is released sometime 'early 2016' as....

far as I know, both SOny and MS will have to approve any mods in conjunction to whatever system Bethesda sets up for console mods.

Also, it is a sure bet many mods that one can get for PC will never be found on the console version for.... reasons.

That said, if I had a borderline PC, console is the obvious choice unless one likes to spend money on hardware.

As for the OP's rig. On paper, it sounds okay for this game, and I dont' see why it would not run okay on high settings.

THough, if it was me, I'd consider plopping in a more modern Nvidia GPU in that thing, be prepared to invest in something along lines of GTX970, or

just have Steam rebate button handy if you are let way down on performance expectations with current hardware.

I will note though, this game loves to also munch CPU cycles, as compared to other 'intensive' games I play. Up to 50 percent or more of CPU and

I have I7 2600k at 4.4Ghz, GTX980TI (About 50percent GPU load) at 1920x1200 / Ultra settings, FOV 90.

Hit the nail on the head. That's what I'm trying to figure out. Ultimately, is the larger mod pool and better performance that much better than the convenience/simplicity of PS4 + ability to stream gameplay to my Vita and PS TV. Impossible to answer concretely, but going with peoples' gut feelings. I didn't get particularly deep into Skyrim modding, but from what I've seen the potential is huge. If I don't end up running a ton of mods on PC, PS4 has some nice perks for me given I have 2 secondary devices I can play it on.

Thanks! I'll look around for it and see if it's that big of a difference.

https://www.evga.com/Products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=D34D9B88-00D7-4F24-A92D-76ECD7BB6346

Thanks for the input. I got the card barely a year ago, and it was originally my "get a video card instead of a XB1 or PS4" compromise. Ended up getting a PS4 a few months later anyway, lol. So, not upgrading the PC.

It's all personal preference. Play where you most enjoy playing the game. I greatly enjoy console because.. surround sound, big t.v., large comfy couch. I play plenty of pc games as well.. but it's just not as comfy cozy a setup as my console so it's harder to do some things.. like have a 12 hour gaming session. Since the G.E.C.K. (official modding program) won't be coming out for a few months there just aren't going to be a major amount of good mods on pc until that time. Also, as others have pointed out.. Some mods will be coming to console. It's yet to be seen how much or what type of quality we'll be getting.

Biggest point. Your save games aren't going to transfer from ps4 to pc. If you've made any progress at all that's all down the drain and you'll have to start over if you get the pc version. Personally I'd just stick with the console version for now. Play through the game all vanilla, figure out what you like and don't like.. then grab the pc version later at a reduced or sale price and mod it to your little hearts content.

Just finished this quest today on PS4, worked perfect for me...

You can do all that with a laptop. Just hook it up to a TV and use an XBOX controller. I play racing games at my friends house like that all the time. Not only do the games look much better but they load faster as well. Most people either aren't willing or don't want to swap out their slow ass drives on the consoles for an SSD and if you are going to spend money on an SSD for your console you frankly are just throwing it away as at that point there is no question your losing value compared to just buying are upgrading a PC.

Regarding Mods on console, the only ones that would be applicable, personally, are any that make the textures a bit better (not that they are awful now, but any that aren't taxing on the hardware) which do not require script extenders. But in the end I would prioritize the Unofficial Patches as they make for a more playable game. As long as I can put those on the PS4 I am happy.

You're not wrong but he does have some good points. While my PC is hooked up to my home theater so I can still chill on the couch with a X360 controller, I CAN eventually grab it on an inevitable Steam Sale down the line when I decide to go on another playthrough months/years from now (Fallout 4 is my side-chick from Destiny for now while I wait for new content in there) and I've sidelined Dragon Age: Inquisition for Fallout 4

Like I said, I'm not upgrading my PC, so seeing as it's near a medium-high range for performance based on a couple websites I've looked at, it's not a clear-cut decision. Running too many mods on a PC that isn't well above the recommended range may just bring my performance back to the console range anyway.

Really appreciate all the input so far!

I just went through the same conundrum... and ultimately decided to buy an X1 and have been very happy with the decision. I have an aging PC, but in her day she was a beast, in fact, FO4 is the first game that she didn't meet expectations... and she will still run FO4, but she isn't happy about it. After messing with settings, resolutions, and configurations, I can play at 60 fps... but it isn't pretty, it isn't always smooth, and it causes the old girl to chug-a-lug. I mean I had to tinker with crossfire, tessellation, and other graphics terms that I know very little about. And like yourself, I decided I could drop $400 - $1200 to get my PC up to snuff again.... or I could buy a console for the same price and get back to gaming.

I love PC gaming, which is why I haven't had a console till now... but I decided that I can just buy the console and still play the games I love, while only sacrificing mods - which while they are a huge for most, were never really an issue for me. Like it or not, the majority of AAA games and companies are focusing on consoles... they drive sales and that's what a company is all about. Even the pc versions of these games are just ported from the console versions.

So I finally gave in... save me time and money... and the game just works without any input necessary from me. As a dad, like yourself, being able to just play and enjoy the time I have to do so is just more important than maintaining the gaming PC specs, worrying about optimizing performance and graphics... tweaking this and this, overclocking, etc. Are there bugs on the console, of course, but those will be addressed - because they have to be addressed. But if your PC catches a snag due to hardware or optimization issues, good luck figuring it out.

I'm not quitting pc gaming, but I'm just happy to have the more convenient option of the console.

Just my 2 cents.

With the PC you've got, there is no question. Go PC! You'll run the game better and faster, you'll get all the mods you want, and you get to aim with a mouse instead of cludging around with a controller. The UI is much easier to handle with a mouse and keyboard as well. As a bonus, you can use the console to fix weird bugs that might pop up without having to load a save... stuck behind an object? Clip out. Lost companion? Teleport them to you. You can play the game how you want as well and not necessarily the pre-approved Bethesda/Console way. Don't like running out of object space in a settlement? Hack the object count and build as much as your system can handle.

Yeah, I know console will get some of the mods. They won't necessarily be the mods you want to use though, particularly not if they require any modification of the core game itself (such as with script extender).

If you can go PC, there is no question. Go PC.

Well, I am mostly going by money saving logic. You really don't need to upgrade your PC. With the exception of your graphics card your build is very similar to mine. You just spent $60 dollars and if you don't exhange it for the PC version then you will not only be spending another $30 dollars down the road but the $60 dollars you spend on the PS4 version will essentially go to waste as you aren't going to get much back selling it on ebay or taking it to gamestop where they will give you only $10 at best by that time.

I found the video and notice that they actually had to turn down their graphics settings to match the consoles so you card should still run fallout better looking than the console version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iipDWbd6HNg

1 toddler, and twins that are just a few months old. You at least have an idea when I say the simplicity of the console is a major perk. It's why I picked one up before my twins were born. We still need our leisure time, not troubleshooting PC issues getting in the way. Pros and cons to both environments, but you get where I'm coming from. Game time is while I'm waiting on loads of laundry to finish washing/drying once the house is quiet

Go with the PC, and if you like controllers - use it on the PC. Works great.

Ha! Then it doesn't matter which version you get. With three kids you will NEVER be able to play any video game ever again. The second you start to play you will have to go feed or clothe or play with them especially at that age. You just better off resolving yourself that you won't be able to play anything for at least 4 years. My cat has killed me more times than anything when she jumps on my keyboard for attention time and you have three children who are far worse than any cat.

Haha! I've been lucky for now. My twins have been sleepers since they were born, unlike my first kid who didn't until he was 10 months old. I actually manage to raid in Destiny regularly with an awesome circle of gamer dads (dadshideout.com) and indulged in Fallout 4 while I wait for more content to come out in Destiny. While I don't get to sit down until late evening when they're all asleep and chores are taken care of, I appreciate the limited hours I manage to squeak in per week for gaming. Helps maintain some sanity

It seems the opinions are pretty split, just like I was when asking the question. But part of me is leaning towards sticking with the PS4 version and if the mods do end up really limited on consoles down the line, Steam Sales FTW. But not decided yet. As a former PC Master Race advocate, I'm very conflicted, lol!

He's mentioned relatively tame mod use for Skyrim, and that he's loving the game so far. If was wanting to heavily mod the game, or was going to rely on mods fixing things he hates about the game right now, then yeah, mods are a big deal and he should switch to PC post haste. If he's going to just want to add some content or alter his experience after he's already enjoyed the game (like it seems he's doing right now)? He might as well stay on console. It doesn't sound like the potential for mods would outweigh the definite ease of access for his circumstances.

Personally, I'd keep playing the PS4 for now and pick up the PC version on some winter/summer sale down the line when there's plenty of mods.

I'd go for PC, you can take it and lock yourself in the closet with mouse keyboard and monitor if you don't have a laptop...Alternatly you can lock the kids, the cat and the noisy neighbor in the closet but for some reason that's frowned upon in most societies, goddess knows why *shrugs*