Sometimes I wonder what the thought process behind the gaming aesthetic was. RGB (*if tunable) itself is fine and adds a nice opportunity for personalization, but are those tacky fonts, crystal-facet enclosures, and overall showiness just tasteless or do any gamers actually prefer that look?
I think the industry still thinks their target audience is 12 year olds. It’s evident also in the aesthetic of the games they make. That being said I am seeing a slow change for the better. If only I could say the same about the prices…
The eye grabbing lights and glass covers are fucking idiotic. My best builds are black towers, great airflow, minimal lights, and barely any noise. I’m focused on the game, not the machine.
The thing needs to be forgotten. It’s not the center of attention. The monitor is.
back in my day those were case mods. i disable that shit immediately
I have a keyboard that lights up because I like to type in the dark and my dexterity isn’t what it used to be but that’s about it. I would’ve preferred a solid color but RGB was all I found. Not a bad for $20, it’s a solid steel frame
Oh, right. No the “gamer ascetic” is garish as fuck. I just want something that works.
I got a plain black case without a window. I used to have Razer KB+Mouse but after a deathadder and viper died I’m trying a logitech mouse, the matched RGB was nice at first but I lost interest in it.
Why is almost everyone in this thread just talking about rgb? The OP directly says that this isn’t about rgb
I hate the gamer aesthetic, and I won’t buy a product that adheres to it (unless its an internal component for my PC because i have an opaque case anyway). Rgb lighting can be nice in moderation, as long as it is truly customisable.
yeah i like the gamer aesthetic
I like minimalist setup, I avoid RGB.
Yes, though not to the extreme.
I absolutely love the tacky gamer look. I think that most flagship tech these days has a terrible lack of whimsy which makes me a bit sad. Look at back at the old imacs compared to the laptops that apple offers today. Look at the phones of the early 2000s compared to what’s currently on offer. It’s all straight lines and greyscale now. I do understand that that’s a classier look, but I wish there was more out there for people like me who want something that looks a bit more colourful and fun whilst still having good specs.
In my opinion, the gamer aesthetic usually doesn’t go hard enough. When my PC is turned off, it’s just a black rectangle. But it’s the best I can get without breaking the bank or doing something super custom.
To be fair, those pretty old designs produced a lot of plastic waste. The aluminum ones are much better for the environment. Still, I do miss the interesting designs, shapes, textures and colors.
Gamer here, I do like my setup RGB matching the same color (Red)
But only because something has RGB does not mean I’ll buy it. RGB ≠ Quality
I would prefer basic, subtle, black. I don’t want rainbows and lights. I’m very function over form.
I’d also rather play a game on medium settings where it runs flawlessly and doesn’t make the fans go hard, than at high settings with worse performance.
Guilty as charged.
Edited to add, this is actually a slightly old picture. I have a white GPU now.
Needs a few of these little guys!
pause???
Did I just voluntarily watch an ad? Worse, did I just kinda enjoy an ad??? You have me spiralling here lmao
She’s a beaut!
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst-ass computer
Heck yes! The Gridnode PC!
Ok that’s pretty cool!
When I built my first computer I got a bunch of RGB and loved it, but by the time it was a few months old, I got bored of it and started to view changing the colors and whatnot as a chore more than anything, so when I built my second computer, I went without.
I liked the transparent/translucent electronics trend of the 90s and early 2000s, the transparent blue PS2 and green original Xbox models were great.
The modern gamer RGB aesthetic with RGB everything and the jacked up PC cases? I hate it, I think even the light bar on the PS5 is too much. And the new Xbox, I don’t even know what it’s called series something, it looks terrible.
the transparent/translucent electronics trend of the 90s and early 2000s
I’ve been feeling nostalgic for this look lately. I really like how it emphasizes the artificial nature of the device in question and invites you to think about how it works and how it was put together - while minimalist electronics do exactly the opposite, almost as if you’re embarrassed about owning it and want to pretend that it’s not there.