So what is the advantage of a console?

[Bostur]

The most obvious advantage of any platform is the games that are available. If the prefered games are only released on one platform, thats the best platform. This has been true for as long as platform wars have raged. Speccy or Commodore? Atari or Amiga? Sega or Nintendo? Mac or IBM-Compatible? 'PC' or 'Console'? It all depends on what games you want to play.

The saddest thing about platform wars is that for the last 10 years the concept of different platforms has not been a technical necessity. These are artificial boundaries that companies like Sony and Microsoft has created to try to corner the market. For me the distinction between console and PC makes no sense, because they are the same machines. I would love for someone like Valve to make an open console platform without the implied DRM that current consoles have.

Wouldn't it be cool to have a small or large box that could run all games? With different pricing depending on performance. With the option to choose the OS and software of your choice, and the option not to make any choices at all? The only hurdle is marketing not tech.

 

[Entitled]

Like if I wanted to play games on my PC, it would have to be on my laptop, which would take up big old chunks of the memory on it. So my choice is to either only play old games, turn off the enhanced graphics that supposedly make PC gaming worth it...

Bull. Shit.

Threads like this are pretty much the only place where graphics are argued so regularly. The idea that PC gaming is all about the graphics, is mostly an invention of the mentality that "graphics are dumb, just like people who care about that", as part of the whole "PC gamers are ignorant elitists who don't realize that all platforms are equal" meme.

The only reason why graphics are even brought up in threads like this, because it's a practical, quick, tangible demonstration of how much more flexible PC games are than consoles. That you CAN either buy console-quality graphics for $300, or a personal supercomputer for $2000 if that happens to be your thing, and you can decide how long you allow it to degrade without upgrading, while with consoles, you are stuck with default.

If you happen to be a retro gamer, then the PC has a bunch of emulators, and that's what makes PC gaming worth it. If you are a history buff, we have mods to make your favorite niche strategy game even more historically accurate, and that's what makes PC gaming worth it. If it's porn games that float your boat, we have those.

The point is, that what makes PC gaming worth it is the freedom, to indulge in whatever specific interests you have, and modify and bend it to your even more specific interests, instead of just accepting whatever Microsoft is coming at you with.

To make a dedicated gaming PC of good quality will cost at minimum about £300. And that would be the sort of rig that wears out quickly and doesn't give a very good game besides. So right away with a PC you're looking at perhaps £500 as the starting block.

Actually, a £500 PC would wear out quicker. Buying a stronger system that will last longer is a myth. My PC was mid-range 5 years ago, and it's still lower-mid range, while if I would have bought a $1000 beast at the same time, it would also be a mid-range system by now. The only reason to pay anything more beyond the current system requirements, is if you are a hardware hobbyist and want to build strong systems for the sake of building strong system. Established mid-range systems will be the focus of developer interest, and they will be catered to as long as most gamers are having them.

Then there's the additional (admittedly minor) cost of a monitor, keyboard and mouse (maybe up to £150?) and the game itself at £40.

Or I can buy an XBox 360 basic for £150, a 250gb harddrive for £35 and a controller for £20, a game for £40, hook it up to the tv I already have...

Hey, you already have a TV, but you don't have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard? Or, for that matter, a basic desktop PC that only needs to be upgraded? Well, that's possible, but it doesn't necesserily work as a general example. A PC is worth investing in even for more comfortable internet usage alone, even if you are not a gamer. Those laptop touchpads are fucking retarded, the keyboards barely have any feedback, and the monitors are dim and tiny.

For example, I don't even have any TV, because I'm watching my movies on my PC monitor, from the recliner at my desk, so for me, upgrading my PC next year to be ready for the new generation, (by buying a RAM/video card/processor combo, would cost significantly less than buying whatever the consoles wil be, plus a TV. Plus a couch, for that matter.

Then I have to install the game onto the PC (potentially this could take hours) and fiddle with the settings for a bit to make it work with my PC because the best gaming PCs use bits from all different makers which have to be configured right

Have you even SEEN a PC game ever? Installatios don't take more than five minutes. If yours takes hours, you are doing it horribly wrong. And The second sentence makes so little sense, that you might have as well said "you have to fiddle with the microchips that are reversing the polarity of the cyberspace simulation".

 

[The_Lost_King]

Cheaper (To a good extent)
Split-screen (I love gaming with my cousin next to me)
Less hassle, no need to install them (optional) and no disc swapping (a lot of old PC games did this) Just pick up and play.
Exclusives (Big point)

There are more, but I'll leave it at that.

I would use a PC for gaming, but slightly improved graphics and mods are not enough to make me buy a gaming rig, especially since I game very little on my console these days (3DS is sucking up my time at the moment) Haven't turned on my 360 in 2 weeks. That will change when Persona 4 Arena gets released (whenever that is) and Assassins Creed III.

No disc swapping? I never have to swap discs on my PC because they are installed on my pc. I always have to swap when I am playing one of my mass effect games even though I installed them on my X-box.

 

[mysecondlife]

Consoles are generally easier to carry around during travel (if you feel really compelled to bring it with you). Console, controller, games, and HDMI cable is all you need these days. Realistically, its lighter than carrying your PC hardware around.

Assuming we're not talking about gaming laptops.

 

[ElPatron]

I also heard it's physically impossible to sit back and relax on a sofa whilst gaming on a PC.

>2012
>not having some form of computer plugged in your main TV in the living room

ISHYGDDT

It's called Accessibility.

1. Buy a 360/PS3/Wii
2. Buy 360/PS3/Wii Games

That's all you need to know.

Didn't really happen with the whole PSP Go, Nintendo DS, DSi, Lites, XLs, 3DSes, etc. Anyone who wasn't big on the industry could have been fooled into wasting money just a couple of years ago.

And I still don't know what the hell is the Wii U and how it related to the Wii. Along with probably 90% of the world.

Oh and affordability.

You mean the 500? launch price for the PS3? Or 70-60? for every game? Even the difference between 60 bucks and 50 bucks in the US is significant. Don't forget Steam sales.

No having to be connected to servers, no having to wait for patches to download for hours

Not true. My xbox is a pain in the ass anytime I connect to Live, patches take forever to download and they take a load of time to install. My experience with the PSN is even worse when it comes to patches and updates.

Meanwhile, in a PC I can download a patch while I'm doing other things, not that it takes too long because the downloads are much faster from FTP/torrent than trough Live's service. I still haven't figured out how to do anything on the xbox without cancelling the download.

Another pc vs console topic where i can post this and be amazing

console = Kia
PC = Ferrari

One is cheap and chearful. Other is about high performance and optional extras

But you know what the interesting thing is? I never hear of a "Ferrari Master Race" out there, even among the big time motorheads and car fanciers. Interesting, neh?

That's because it's a awful analogy. Ferraris are by far the best cars ever made, with all due respect to their engineers.

Obviously there is the Rolls Royce Master Race. Still wouldn't make an analogy with cars.

3. No steam. No online required to play.

No Steam is actually a drawback. Their deals are awesome and the pricing is much more fair than retail. Here games take months to drop prices. Duke Nukem is still at 50? for some reason.

Anyway, when I'm playing on a PC not all games are installed trough Steam. Go to any store and actually check how many require online connectivity to Steam or Origin?

Also, even if I have Steam games I can play Singleplayer without internet connection. I don't think you can enter the MP but if you don't have internet you don't need it.

 

[8a88leph1sh]

I'm a console gamer in huge part because I hate Microsoft's OS...but I love my xbox. I'm a backwards person OK?! GOD!!

Mac4lief!! <33
(and also xbox)

 

[The White Hunter]

As for something I do have experience in: Hand-held consoles. I've got a couple of those and they are quite invaluable when you're out and about for a longer amount of time.

The advantage of those is the digital crack known as Pokemon.

A console is cheaper, easy to set up, easier to get into, exclusive titles, simpler for must end users to navigate. Cheaper. Power to cost ration is much better on a console in general, though the current gen may be pushing it in another year in that regard.

Now I own a lot of consoles, though I only own a PS3 and Wii this gen. I'm also investing £900 of my pounds in a pretty swanky gaming rig in the next few months to build myself.

I'd say to learn to build your PC is easy, whats challenging is choosing components. Took me ages to choose a GPU because the market is so saturated with things differentiated by a few FPS difference and £15 difference in price.

 

[OblivionSoul]

For me, it's that if I buy a game on my console, I know it will run on the console. I don't get that guarantee with my PC. I like both, but I do prefer console. Other advantages (for me personally) is the gamepad, and the seating.

 

[Entitled]

Another pc vs console topic where i can post this and be amazing

console = Kia
PC = Ferrari

One is cheap and chearful. Other is about high performance and optional extras

But you know what the interesting thing is? I never hear of a "Ferrari Master Race" out there, even among the big time motorheads and car fanciers. Interesting, neh?

Because only gamers are that ridiculously obsessed with creating caricatures about all of their subcommunities, and with constantly trying to differentiate themselves from the more invested members, to prove how "normal" they are.

Well, it's gamers, and nerds in general.

 

[ElPatron]

"Did you say you stream movies on Netflix? Clearly you're too lazy or stupid to jump in a car and go down to the DVD rental joint."

That's not the argument because both require an identical level of skill. Actually, that's the argument. PCs were designed to be easy to use and they are. Claiming their complexity is superior to everyday objects like cellphones or washing machines is inane.

Anyone who can perform tasks such as learning how to drive can use a PC. It's not the same thing as flying a helicopter or learning Quantum Mechanics. And anyone able to drive that claims that PCs are too hard to use is lying to himself and using stupidity as an excuse.

There are a myriad of reasons to chose console over a computer, but complexity is not an issue. If I'm not mistaken a lot of you people are posting on computers so you obviously can deal with their complexity.

 

[Entitled]

"Did you say you stream movies on Netflix? Clearly you're too lazy or stupid to jump in a car and go down to the DVD rental joint."

That's not the argument because both require an identical level of skill. Actually, that's the argument. PCs were designed to be easy to use and they are. Claiming their complexity is superior to everyday objects like cellphones or washing machines is inane.

Anyone who can perform tasks such as learning how to drive can use a PC. It's not the same thing as flying a helicopter or learning Quantum Mechanics. And anyone able to drive that claims that PCs are too hard to use is lying to himself and using stupidity as an excuse.

There are a myriad of reasons to chose console over a computer, but complexity is not an issue. If I'm not mistaken a lot of you people are posting on computers so you obviously can deal with their complexity.

You are being unfair there. If someone doesn't learn how to use the PC, it isn't because they are STUPID, but because they are ignorant.

In the same way as some casual mobile gamers or Wii gamers are too ignorant to learn how to use a gamepad, and which games would run on any given console. They could learn it, any sane person up to 3 years old could learn it, they just don't CARE.

It's not a bad thing, for example, in the same way, I didn't ever learn how to play chess, even though the basics would only take a few hours, because I don't care about it. I am ignorant about chess. I didn't ever pay attention to the movie industry, so you could say that I'm ignorant about movies.

The problem is, that when someone doesn't care about movies, they don't care if a movie elitist calls them ignorant, because there is no emotional reason to argue with it. For some reason console gamers formed enough emotional connection with gaming in general, that they will start slipping into WILLFUL ignorance, to reaffirm their own superiority.

Like when they try to spin this as something to be proud of, that their platform's lack of features is an advantage, and start patting each other on the back over how awesome they are for being normal, down-to-earth folks and not obsessive, arrogant graphics whores like surely every PC gamer must be, who would assemble his own system, or even dare to point out that you can do things beyond a console's capabilities.

 

[Emperor Nat]

I like the Xbox controller; it fits neatly in my hands.

I like the fact that I know a game will work, as there is conformity in terms of processors, drivers and graphics cards.

I like the fact that consoles aren't hugely expensive.


Other than those three things, a PC will always come out on top because it is simply better hardware, provided you have the money to invest. The only reasons besides those three above that you'd have, as far as I can think of, are based on downsides of the PC platform (poor ports, becoming outdated very quickly, etc) rather than benefits of the console itself.

 

[00slash00]

convenience. simple as that.

pc gaming is expensive and involves at least a decent amount of technical knowledge. console require no upgrading. its a one time purchase and then you dont have to buy new hardware until the next console comes out. and its easy to set up. plug it in and turn on the tv. for people who dont have the money or dont want to spend time upgrading and such, consoles are the superior choice

 

[Spearmaster]

I think all the fighting between PC and console is really a matter of weather or not a game is going to be released on your platform, console gamers hate PC exclusives as PC gamers hate console exclusives and they both hate crappy ports. Both sides are fighting for better representation by claiming superiority in some way to bolster their ranks so when a software publisher looks at numbers they wont get excluded from a title.
Nothing is really better on either because every positive each has also has negative that goes with it. I'm a PC gamer and I know its not for everyone, its gotten way better over the last 8 years or so but its still overwhelming for many gamers who like to be able to just flop on the couch and just play some games which is why I still have a PS3.

 

[Entitled]

Like when they try to spin this as something to be proud of, that their platform's lack of features is an advantage, and start patting each other on the back over how awesome they are for being normal, down-to-earth folks and not obsessive, arrogant graphics whores like surely every PC gamer must be, who would assemble his own system, or even dare to point out that you can do things beyond a console's capabilities.

When the PC'ers cop the "We are a Master Race over you" because of it? I'd say it does become a warranted mentality.

That whole "Master Race" joke was made up to mock PC gamers, to begin with.

When to the criticism, that you are irrationally making up stereotypes about a group, the best retort is NOT that "It's warranted, bcause they keep saying that [exaggerated parody lines that we put in their mouth in the first place]"

The problem is not even just that some PC gamers act arrogantly. I'm sure that they do, since some people of every group do.

The problem that made PC gamers stand out especially, is that even if a PC gamer says something entirely neutral, like the fact that not wanting to learn how hardware upgrades, mods, or emulators work is a form of ignorance, (like I said, in the same sense as someone who doesn't follow Hollywood's trends is "ignorant about the movie industry"), console gamers, who created their own sub-culture of the gaming culture where they are their own "the master race", instantly refuse to even consider the possibility that there indeed is a segment of gaming that they are simply not sufficiently informed about.

 

[newdarkcloud]

I'm glad you asked:

http://pressstarttodiscuss.blogspot.com/2012/08/34-pc-vs-console-which-is-better.html

 

[wrightguy0]

I prefer my console for gaming because i've had games that suddenly stop working (Bioshock won't boot up anymore and i only played it a few times, and it's not the only one)

PC's also become very unstable and divide their processors up too much, not to mention the alerts and update warnings that drop your game to desktop just so they can tell you what new antivirus software yo should upgrade to

I also like th pick up and play factor, my laptop takes a while to boot up, and even then it takes a while to get all the programs it needs to run going, PCs are always going to have games as a secondary or tertiary focus, even purpose built machines, which only make the process easier/less frustrating.

Cost is another thing, most people are not going to get PS3 or 360 level performance on a PC for the same price as one of those consoles, it's a huge cost to build a gaming rig, especially if you don't know what you're doing.

which brings me to my next point, most people don't know enough about computers to build a decent rig.


and to PC gamers who complain that Consoles hold games back due to outdated hardware/software, do any of you really think you wouldn't be pissed if you bought a PC to play a game, and then you discovered that the release you wanted 6 months later wouldn't work on your computer because the requirements were too high. (I've had to wait a year to play a game on PC because of this exact issue, twice, there was nothing wrong with the computer so we weren't willing to get a new one) it was a very painful year to have the game and not be able to play it at all. Having consoles around extends the life of gaming rigs, since developers code for the consoles first and base all ports off of that (though there have been some shitty ports, we're looking at you, Dark Souls)

So what i like about consoles is; Price, longevity, ease of use, and the specialization and more solid architecture (PC's do get really, really crappy the older they get, with a life of 3-5 years as opposed to the 7-10 years of the consoles)

I'm not totally against PC gaming, i just find it to be an egregiously frustrating experience that has brought me into near fits of unbridled rage.

 

[Entitled]

do any of you really think you wouldn't be pissed if you bought a PC to play a game, and then you discovered that the release you wanted 6 months later wouldn't work on your computer because the requirements were too high.

Yeah, I would be at least as pissed as at the time when I bought a PS3 game then I realized that I only have a PS2.

Protip: There is a list of "system requirements" on the back of the PC game's box. If you have a last-gen video card, then don't try to buy a game that is explicitly advertised for current gen video cards.

It's not like some random russian roulette where with every piece of hardware you own, you have a cumultative 1/6 cance of surprisingly breaking the game. If you are at least familiar with the most basic parameters of your PC, it's the most self evident thing not to buy games that were not made for it.

 

[RatRace123]

It has more games that I want to play and I don't care enough about high quality graphics, I can take a few less frames per second, and outside of a scarce few, mods are uninteresting to me; many games released on PC I can also pick up on console. Plus there are fewer cases of draconian DRM enforcement methods on consoles, given that they're not expected to be connected to the internet at all times. I like playing with a controller over a keyboard and the computer's I've had have been far less reliable than consoles.

To me it really all boils down to the games and how much of a hassle I'm willing to go through to play them.

Console wins it for me in those regards.

 

[ElPatron]

You are being unfair there. If someone doesn't learn how to use the PC, it isn't because they are STUPID, but because they are ignorant.

Ignorance is tolerable. The refusal to learn isn't.

In the same way as some casual mobile gamers or Wii gamers are too ignorant to learn how to use a gamepad, and which games would run on any given console. They could learn it, any sane person up to 3 years old could learn it, they just don't CARE.

No. They can use a gamepad because a lot of modern technology has button clad "pads" for entry of data such as cellphones or TV remotes.

Personal preference =/= ability.

snip

Yeah, that was a long but uninteresting analogy.

Like when they try to spin this as something to be proud of, that their platform's lack of features is an advantage, and start patting each other on the back over how awesome they are for being normal, down-to-earth folks and not obsessive, arrogant graphics whores like surely every PC gamer must be, who would assemble his own system, or even dare to point out that you can do things beyond a console's capabilities.

No.

I spin this out as people blatantly saying "PC gaming are for nerds with no life" to "I'm proud of being too stupid to figure this out", which is exactly what happened and not a wild guess. This is a very close paraphrasing of what has been said on previous "pc vs console" threads and you can find people virtually being proud of not knowing X in any subject, even in school.

It has more games that I want to play and I don't care enough about high quality graphics, (...) I like playing with a controller over a keyboard and the computer's I've had have been far less reliable than consoles.

Well I also don't give a shit about graphics (my PSU is in it's deathbed so I've been playing recent AAA games at 1024x800, feelsgoodman.jpg).

The problem with controllers is that while I can't bother to pay more than 15? for a PC controller, xbox controllers are over 60?. Unless you're paying the same price as in consoles, you won't get the same reliability.