BolognaBaloney said:
Mornelithe said:
Anyone who discounts one, over the other, is looking at it through biased eyes. The consoles have their place, and the PC's have their place. But, I must say, that PC's can and will do anything the consoles do, better. If you have the money to shell out for the parts. Fact of the matter is, consoles just don't have the ability to be as competitive as PC's, because they're comprised of static hardware, that stays static for multiple years, up to a decade. What's interesting, is that, in the past, the consoles were the supreme leaders in graphical fidelity, while PC's struggled to keep up. But since this hardware cycle came out for the consoles...they STARTED on last-gen technology. Sure, their GPU's are hybrids....but...not hybrids of the current gen tech. They're hybrids of 7900 series Nvidia cards, and the R500/R600 of ATI's.
But, it's really the application that's important. I'm not about to play Tekken, or Street Fighter, on my PC. Even if I had a controller for my PC. It's just stupid. Same with any other fighter for that matter. Likewise, with Gran Turismo, that's never going to hit my PC (even if PD would release it on PC), I prefer the pressure sensitive PS3 controller, because...well, you don't just hop in your car and mat the gas, when you're taking off. That's silly. But, FPS, RTS, TPS? PC is the ultimate ruler. In my 'opinion', mouse and keyboard support vastly exceeds the abilities of controllers in most genres. Again, this is opinion, so please, take a deep breath before you respond. Heh.
So, it really comes down to what you're using it for. I have a PS3 for fighting games, racing games, and other 1st/2nd party games that Sony distributes, that will never hit PC. I have my PC, for all multi-platform titles, FPS', TPS', RTS' and the like.
Morne
While PC is superior, the cost of purchasing and maintaining a decent gaming computer drastically reduces it's market, hence cutting the potential for companies to create pc-games. So while PC is by technical means superior, consoles receive more attention because of the mass of the market that they control.
Well, if you approach building a rig like I did, it can actually be a relatively easy expense. Simply stretch the purchasing out over 6/mo or so. Draw up blueprints for a rig that utilizes ridiculous power, and DON'T settle for lesser parts, simply to get it built faster. That's what I did. Started with one of the best mobo's you can purchase, and basically, over the course of 6/mo. Bought pieces and parts that complimented it, not parts that were crap and would ultimately make the mobo just window dressing (since the mobo = really fast, and settling for lesser parts, caps the speed at your lowest end item).
As for 'maintaining', see, that's where I'm going to disagree. I've had this rig built for 6/mo, and it's cost me nothing to maintain...because I know how to take care of my electronics. It's currently sitting in my bedroom, with my AC on, 24/7, at 60 degrees. It will remain that way. When winter comes, I'll simply turn the AC off, and turn the fan on. Once a month, I unplug everything, take a can of compressed air, and hose the sucker down, while holding a vacuum cleaner nozzle at a distance, to suck up dust bunnies and the like. It's quite simple actually.
The PC is superior. You can't deny that. It's about as absurd as saying consoles are worthless. Each have their uses and applications. But, the hardware available for PC, is beyond anything the consoles could dream for, with regards to gaming.
I will say this though, the Cell processor, still encodes H264 video, faster than an Intel i7 965 Extreme. So, that's still pretty competitive.
What I don't agree with though, is this thought that somehow, games on the PC are less profitable. Most developers who make PC games (yes, even Crytek), allow for hardware scaling, which means most PC's out right now, can play virtually any game. If you're (not necessarily you specifically...I just mean 'you' in general), are annoyed that it doesn't look all that it could...well, put more money into the rig. But, facts are, I know more people who pirate games for the 360 and PSP, than PC. Hell, I know people who have libraries of 100+ 360 games, and have actually purchased only 2. The numbers speak differently...there are more PC's out there, than consoles. It's that simple. Developers just need to learn to harness those numbers into revenue. Methinks they've lost their way.
Morne