Help me settle a bet!

[The Lawn]

So I recently invested in a new motherboard, ram and cpu. Dropped about 400 bucks on the upgrade.
And my console gamer friends are saying I'm an idiot for "wasting my money on something that's worse than a console." And I aim to prove them wrong!

But they won't take my word for it, convinced that consoles are vastly superior in every way (including graphically, but I don't want to get into that).

So I am looking for a current, as in within the last say.... 3 years or soon to be released, that my computer could not run that a console can, or a game that performs better on a console than my PC.
To measure the capability I'll use that can you run it thing.
For the love of all that is good help me put this argument to rest.

Specs:
Windows 7 Ult
Phenom 2 x4 955 3.2ghz
8gb DDR3 1600mhz
Radeon HD 4850 x2 2gb 256bit GDDR3

 

[Nihilm]

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Worst Console port ever, I heard that many people as well as myself jsut can't play it even though they should, lag, stuttering, framerate drops, you have a 1-3 chance of getting it to work if you have the reqs, but it doesn't matter how good your PC is. Although it has nothing to do with technical capabilities, but it has to do with the fact it was made for consoles then copy-pasted onto PC.

 

[The Lawn]

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Worst Console port ever, I heard that many people as well as myself jsut can't play it even though they should, lag, stuttering, framerate drops, you have a 1-3 chance of getting it to work if you have the reqs, but it doesn't matter how good your PC is. Although it has nothing to do with technical capabilities, but it has to do with the fact it was made for consoles then copy-pasted onto PC.

Works fine for me, smooth 90fps on max settings with 4x AA from day one.
But yeah, did not want to work on my friends PC at all when it first came out.

 

[Savagezion]

So I am looking for a current, as in within the last say.... 3 years or soon to be released, that my computer could not run that a console can, or a game that performs better on a console than my PC.

Specs:
Windows 7 Ult
Phenom 2 x4 955 3.2ghz
8gb DDR3 1600mhz
Radeon HD 4850 x2 2gb 256bit GDDR3

Based on your specs that game doesn't really exist. Your friends need to get with the times and learn a bit about technology. There will never be a day that consoles are more powerful than PCs. It's just a fact of the world. Roughly speaking, consoles mimic "affordable" PC technology thus PCs gets the "powerful" stuff first. Your system has more power by a ridiculous amount than any current gen system.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

So I recently invested in a new motherboard, ram and cpu. Dropped about 400 bucks on the upgrade.
And my console gamer friends are saying I'm an idiot for "wasting my money on something that's worse than a console." And I aim to prove them wrong!

But they won't take my word for it, convinced that consoles are vastly superior in every way (including graphically, but I don't want to get into that).

So I am looking for a current, as in within the last say.... 3 years or soon to be released, that my computer could not run that a console can, or a game that performs better on a console than my PC.
To measure the capability I'll use that can you run it thing.
For the love of all that is good help me put this argument to rest.

Specs:
Windows 7 Ult
Phenom 2 x4 955 3.2ghz
8gb DDR3 1600mhz
Radeon HD 4850 x2 2gb 256bit GDDR3

Yeah, as Savagezion said, if there's a game a console can run your PC can't, then it's not gonna exist.
Your PC is at LEAST a generation ahead of the 360 or PS3, and your friends are seriously deluded.

 

[Alakaizer]

This argument between you and your friends is pointless, as it's more a matter of which games function better on what. For example, platformers will always work better on a console, where RTSs will likely always work better on PCs. When things start falling into groups like that, it's just a matter of what game/kind of game do you prefer? Me, I like platformers, the occasional JRPG, some action-adventure stuff, so I'll tend to look to consoles before I look to PCs for gaming.

 

[Solo-Wing]

So I recently invested in a new motherboard, ram and cpu. Dropped about 400 bucks on the upgrade.
And my console gamer friends are saying I'm an idiot for "wasting my money on something that's worse than a console." And I aim to prove them wrong!

But they won't take my word for it, convinced that consoles are vastly superior in every way (including graphically, but I don't want to get into that).

So I am looking for a current, as in within the last say.... 3 years or soon to be released, that my computer could not run that a console can, or a game that performs better on a console than my PC.
To measure the capability I'll use that can you run it thing.
For the love of all that is good help me put this argument to rest.

Specs:
Windows 7 Ult
Phenom 2 x4 955 3.2ghz
8gb DDR3 1600mhz
Radeon HD 4850 x2 2gb 256bit GDDR3

Wow that beats my computer to a bloody pulp.

Windows 7 Home Premium
AMD Athlon II P320 x2 2.1ghz
3834 Mb RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250

Not only that it could eat all 3 consoles and still have room.

 

[The Lawn]

Snip

Snip Snipington

Thank you for helping with the last few nails in that coffin i needed.

This argument between you and your friends is pointless, as it's more a matter of which games function better on what. For example, platformers will always work better on a console, where RTSs will likely always work better on PCs. When things start falling into groups like that, it's just a matter of what game/kind of game do you prefer? Me, I like platformers, the occasional JRPG, some action-adventure stuff, so I'll tend to look to consoles before I look to PCs for gaming.

Plug a 360 controller in, no longer an issue.
Don't get me wrong, I love me some console exclusives, but the certain genre working on one platform better than another is a pretty invalid point since they work equally well on both with the right tools, at least in my eyes.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

As a console gamer, I can't help you. And it's not because those specs you listed are meaningless to me, it's because I have an inexplicable sense of loyalty towards consoles despite the fact that they were sold to me by massive, evil,faceless corporations. I should really get back to my foxhole, the other soldiers might get suspicious.

No, really though, it's because those specs mean nothing to me. I guess you should just buy whatever games your friends play so the comparison is as direct as possible.

 

[Kashrlyyk]

But they won't take my word for it, convinced that consoles are vastly superior in every way (including graphically, but I don't want to get into that).

Ask him if consoles are used to program console games.
Ask him if consoles have programs (3dsmax, Cinema4d, Maya, ...) to render CG animation short movies.
Ask him if console games have unofficial patches long after the official support has been shut down (e.g. most of Troikas games) or if there are unofficial mods for them.
Ask him if there is anything comparable to root [http://root.cern.ch/] or Gadget 2 [http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/gadget/] on consoles.
Ask him if you can increase the performance of a console by changing two things(CPU and GPU), which in most cases allows you to run all the older programs too.
Ask him if there are SNES emulators for his console.

 

[Solo-Wing]

But they won't take my word for it, convinced that consoles are vastly superior in every way (including graphically, but I don't want to get into that).

Ask him if consoles are used to program console games.
Ask him if consoles have programs (3dsmax, Cinema4d, Maya, ...) to render CG animation short movies.
Ask him if console games have unofficial patches long after the official support has been shut down (e.g. most of Troikas games) or if there are unofficial mods for them.
Ask him if there is anything comparable to root [http://root.cern.ch/] or Gadget 2 [http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/gadget/] on consoles.
Ask him if you can increase the performance of a console by changing two things(CPU and GPU), which in most cases allows you to run all the older programs too.
Ask him if there are SNES emulators for his console.

SNES emulator? Check out the Wii. Other then that... HA! FAT CHANCES!!

 

[Madman123456]

You could dl some pretty mods for oblivion. You can fly a dragon through five world areas in the time the xbox takes to load one.


You know what? Just pay up.

Your Friends are believers. They believe that the consoles are better. Every PC game has some Element that looks better in some other, completely unrelated consolegame. Even if that same console game is also on PC and looks better there.

You have entered an argument with believers. Just pay the money for the bet and see it as a fee for learning this lection for live. See it as the Price you have to pay for being not intelligent enough not to enter an Argument with retarts.

The PC really is worse then a Console, at least in some ways. Maybe you will be able to convince them that Graphics are better when you show them flashy effects. Go download a light saber mod, the same game on the xbox doesn't have lightsabers, only metal swords. So the graphics are sooo much better on PC.
I have seen this happen.

You can have mods with new magic for oblivion and cast laser spells. Or nuclear explosions. You can't do that on the xbox version, so the graphis are better. Again, i have seen this actually happen.


You may be able to convince them the PC is better with some tools for certain games. Go spawn yourself many many Ressources for mass effect 2, so that you wont have to play the mining minigame.
Spawn the mako in the citadel in mass effect one or outfit your shepard with every power that mass effect has, along with enough points to upgrade them all to maximum.
Don't play mass effect 2 as Grunt, that will generate clipping and your Friends will tell you that this clipping wont happen on the xbox version and therefore the xbox is better.


it's all moronic anyways; If you wanna play a game with the controller in your Hand and the relative ease that comes with console gaming, you have no choice but to buy the console.
If you want to be able to fiddle with your games and use tools and/or mods to work around this and that bug or design oversight or just something that you don't like in this game or maybe just for fun, you will have to buy a PC.

 

[The Lawn]

If you wanna play a game with the controller in your Hand and the relative ease that comes with console gaming, you have no choice but to buy the console.

Incorrect, I'm currently playing through Assassins Creed 2 on PC using a 360 controller.
Same for Darksiders.

 

[Lord Devius]

snip

....Augh, this hurts to read.

The only thing I can agree with is the last sentence.

Because even the second-to-last sentence is pretty invalid. Have you ever heard of this crazy new invention called a USB cable? I hear that you can use it to connect your 360 and PS3 controllers to your PC to use in games on it!

A greater variety of games awaits you on the PC, along with better graphics (yes, if you want that), the ability to mod games (to an extent, of course. Some games people don't bother modding, but oh boy, Fallout3/NV/Oblivion/Morrowind mods are abundant.), not to mention the ability to do all this alongside basic stuff computers are used for. (internet, word processing, etc.)

Only reason I have a 360 at all is for console-only games and sometimes the earlier releases than on PC. *sigh*

Also, your spelling could use some work.

Welcome to the Escapist, by the way. (if I'm qualified to say this, being such a low-post-count fool as myself)

 

[Da Chi]

Condemned 2. When playing through, I had a TV screen 26". The text was hard to read and the game suffered because of it. When moved onto a 42" TV however, the game was beautiful (So to speak). I understand that PCs CAN be hooked up to modern television but the convenience of that is somewhat questionable. Even with a wireless mouse and keyboard, a gamer would need a new table at a better height than your standard coffee table. And that brings me to my real point. Consoles are convenient. Wherever you have a TV, you can have a console. Simple as that. PC games require a bit more work. Setting up a PC isn't a quick job, especially if you own a separate sound system. They require space that alot of folks don't have. I know three people who I have lived with who own an actual desk. Travelling is also a big deal. When I first moved away from home, I owned a tower PC. Packing that up and taking it with me was a huge burden on the limited space in my car. When I bought a console, it was easier to transport, pack away, and protect while moving. And with that I discovered a whole new joy in console gaming, that I could take my console over to a friend's house and play for a few hours before quickly packing up and going home. I'm not saying a console is BETTER than a PC. But a PC isn't BETTER than a console either. It's what you want in your gaming platform that makes it better for you. Simple as that.

 

[Madman123456]

....Augh, this hurts to read.

I'm sorry to hurt you.
I could've been more specific about this. If you want to play games on a couch in front of your TV, you could do that too with a PC. I meant to say that the consoles are relatively easy to play with. Find someone who doesn't know how to set up a pc in a way that you can play with a 360 controller on your tv. I think you wont have any difficulty to find someone who wouldn't know what to do here.

Now find a Person who has no Idea how to set up the 360. You'll agree that someone like that may be harder to find.

Playing games for a console is generally easier to do. You could argue that you can install no-DVD patches for every game and then, after the one time installation of the games which isn't all that hard, you could play the games with a click in your quick launch bar, or wherever you've put a shortcut and you wouldn't even have to reach over to the shelf where your game discs are.

But my Point is that consoles are easier to set up and play with. If you want that, you'll have to buy a console.
And if you want to fuck around with the settings or download tools and mods or texture packs maybe you will have to buy the PC.


As for the rest of my text; I have actually seen this happen. I had some people over who where genuinely unimpressed at texture resolutions seen on my Computer that the Xbox or the PS3 could not pull off.
A Lightsaber in Oblivion was met with amazement. As was pretty much anything bright and flashy.


About the OP: If he or anyone at all meets someone who can not grasp the Fact that the PC has at least some advantages over the consoles (and the other way around, this is me trying to be neutral) you should not argue with them. Explain that you like the PC better and since you do like the PC better you do not have much choice but to buy the PC.

You should not argue that PC or console is better all around because neither of them is.

 

[Tharwen]

Wait for Crysis 2.

...then laugh at them.

 

[Choose a Username]

Sorry OP theres no way you can win this bet, console gamers dont have the intellect to understand that the PC is better, they are not members of the PC gaming master race

Their consoles are the equivalent of 2005 PC's xbox 360 = X1800XT playstation 3 = 7800GTX, both ancient by PC standards, cell processor sucks because its difficult to program for, the IBM triple core in the xbox is much better but still far behind anything we have on the PC today.

Explaining that to your friends though is pointless as i said their button mashing analogue stick waggling minds are unlikely to understand.

Are you serious?
It's a matter of opinion, for a 'master race' you're pretty ignorant.
Now sure the OP's friends are ignorant but their opinion is that consoles are better, so why not just accept that?

As said the PC will likely always be better than consoles at some things and vice versa, but it still is just YOUR opinion that PC gaming is superior.

 

[BENZOOKA]

There isn't such a game. That's a nice build. I assume you did get a nifty sound card as well. I don't get it why people so often ignore the other half of an audiovisual experience in regards to PC gaming. It's way easier and simpler than building a home theaterish high-fidelity system. Even 40 ? on a soundcard and 60 ? for a pair of decent headphones, and the sound will be a hell of a lot better. 80 ? for a better sound card and 100 ? for a pair of better headphones and the best listening experience around will be on your own computer. And I'm not saying that the pricier, the better, as different people want different things from headphones/headsets. Enough of that complete side-railing though.

As for convincing those friends that the sun is hotter than a fireplace. It's not your fault if they religiously believe the other way.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Wait for Crysis 2.

...then laugh at them.

Actually Crysis 2 looks pretty damn good on consoles from what I see. Apparently the CryEngine 3 works well on multi-platform.

OT: The thing is the 360's hardware may have been cutting edge in 2004, but the thing is technology has progressed since then, and no PC gamer with a rig from 2004 could call it, legitimately, superior to a high-end current day PC.

The issue is in the business side where developers can make more money by releasing the same game on consoles and PC, but it wouldn't be worth while to build the PC game again for the most modern hardware. What you need is some sort of Tech demo that is specifically built to show off high end PC hardware. Also benchmarks are useful.