PC Games Will Outsell Consoles by 2014

[Low Key]

I don't see why PC games shouldn't be more popular. Every time Intel releases a CPU, the integrated graphics get better and better. Pretty soon, you won't even need a high end card to run taxing games at a decent FPS.

I was just doing a budget build for a friend which could handle something like TF2 on medium fairly easily. All the parts cost about $700, which is about how much it cost for my GPU alone. He won't be able to run Battlefield 3 maxed out like I will, but his build will do better than most for the kinds of games he wants to play.

 

[Zom-B]

Oh come on, you're deliberately misunderstanding me. I didn't say that the Xbox hardware failure is "better". I was making a distinction. Xboxes were RRODing because of poor hardware, correct? Most PC crashes are due to software, bugs, viruses and the like, not inherent flaws within the PC build. So comparing shoddy Xbox hardware to PC software bugs is apples and oranges.

Why is comparing shoddy hardware against shoddy software not valid? They both have the same result in the context of the conversation, they impede stability, that was the argument.

Ok yes, comparing software/hardware is totally valid on some levels, but not for the point I was making. Those RRODing Xboxes came like that from the manufacturer, so nothing that the consumer was doing to it (other than perhaps playing too long) was really contributing to the RRODs, whereas a PC may be tip top, running fine but when you put your copy of... whatever, Witcher 2, in, you may have a problem. Maybe your specs are too low. Maybe you've got a bug, it doesn't matter. What matters is as the PC owner you can trouble shoot until you get that game running and that's fine. As a console owner, people practically don't have to deal with that sort of scenario at all. At most, you have to perform a system update, install to the HD or maybe even download a patch via Xbox Live or PSN, right? And even then, those are massively simple actions. Your PC fix for Witcher 2 might also be massively simple, but it also might not. The point is, sometimes PCs just give you a problem and there are simply more problems that can crop up on PCs. I realize that consoles have their issues as well, but mostly, usually, you get a game, pop it in and play. And that's what every Dick and Jane out there wants: They want to put the game in and play.

You say you don't understand the "convenience" factor of having a laptop and a console, yet at the same time, for whatever reason, you purchases yourself an Xbox and you have at least three handhelds. So if it wasn't gaming "convenience" that spurred you to buy those, what was it? By your own words, there's no point in a console if you've got a PC. Unless, of course, you want to do portable gaming, right? Handhelds are pretty darn convenient for that, so I think you entirely understand why someone might choose to have a console over a PC.

It doesn't sound like you're trying to remove dividing lines when you can't even be honest with yourself about why you have purchased in the past a console for gaming and probably still use at least one of your handhelds regularly. Either that, or you're just taking the piss.

I never purchased a console in my life. The original Xbox I got handed down from a friend, i used it as a DVD player mostly. The small amount of games for it I bought because they are not available on PC (Metal Wolf Chaos, Otogi, Otogi 2, and Buffy) and like I said the 360 in the household isn't mine.

My PSP was a gift from my boyfriend, the only game I bought for it under pressure is Monster Hunter Freedom so he had someone to play it with.
Admittedly though I bought the GBA Micro and the DS, but that was because they were bundled on a garage-sale for 50$ with a bunch of games including Ninja Gaiden (one of my favorites from the past AND INB4 complaints, NO I NEVER OWNED A NES OR SNES EITHER, a friend had it, i played shit on it with him).
Their novelty really wore of fast. I am not going to buy a Vita or 3DS.

PS: Handhelds werent really even in the discussion, its apples to oranges, don't red herring me.

To be fair, in trying to demonstrate how inclusive you are, you initially brought your three handhelds into the discussion.

Anyway, I'm not trying to catch you out or anything, but it always feels like, in these discussions, that PC gamers really try to illustrate how good PCs are by pointing out how bad consoles are. We all know that PCs provide better graphics and other performance based advantages over consoles. Consoles provide a consistent platform with fairly trouble free gaming. Yes, I realize that PCs aren't some delicate ecosystem thrown out of whack every time you put a new game in, but for every person you present that says "I have no problem running any game on my 2 year old PC" I bet you I can find one that says "My PC/game crashes all the time" or "I can't run that new game until I upgrade X component".

It's like PC gamers refuse to see things from the other side or can't admit that, despite it's downsides, console gaming is not only perfectly fine, but it's also fun and there's really nothing inherently wrong with it. Not to overuse the car analogy, but it's like the difference between driving a luxury two seater sports car and a minivan or SUV. Sure, that sports car goes like stink, looks great and is really comfortable, but you can't haul a load of furniture or a family in it. That doesn't make one inherently better than the other, but they definitely have different demographics in mind.

Same with gaming, imo. Listen, I like PC games too. I'm thinking about getting a laptop just for gaming (I don't need one, but it would be a luxury purpose), but I don't have the money for even a cheap one right now. Nor do I have the space for a desktop PC (which is why I would choose a laptop). But I have a PS3 and I get tons of enjoyment out of it, even if the graphics don't measure up. That doesn't bother me. I play for fun, not for graphics. And anyway, the whole "PCs have better graphics/performance" byline kind of loses steam when you look at how popular a very graphically simplistic game like Minecraft has become. The graphics don't matter in that came because it is fun and that's why people play it, not because it's some sort of benchmark game like Crysis.

You and everyone else can have their preferences, but it's just silly to say that someone else's choice is wrong because it doesn't line up with yours. PCs and consoles are both awesome for gaming, they just appeal to different people.