So what is the advantage of a console?

[Joccaren]

WTF?!?!?!?!

You're from Australia?

Seriously?

Sadly yeah, though Sweden is where I'm going to try and head when I get enough money.

Them you have no reason to ***** about prices at all.

Despite paying double for pretty much anything related to IT and technology compared with most if not all other places in the world, even online, yeah, we have no reason to complain. The government's just doing its investigation for fun.
Though the prices stated are still valid, as it simply turns from a argument about which is cheaper overall into another "It depends on..." argument, thus nullifying it for both sides.

Besides the fact you can ride kangaroos to and from places, You get double the pay for flipping burgers, so I have no sympathy at you.

Mate, don't forget the Dropbears we've got to put up with. Those things are brutal:

And if $6.00 an hour is double the average wage for flipping burgers in other countries, then I feel seriously sorry for them - more sorry than I do for my friends stuck with that job.

 

[asinann]

Basically all games will have controller support, while it's not in all PC games, looking at you Bioware.

Power vs. value is higher in consoles. How much would a PC that was as powerful as the PS3 cost back when it was released? My guess is over $1,000. Even now, good luck getting a gaming PC as powerful, meaning plays games as well as the PS3 for $250.

No DRM.

System resources are not wasted on non-gaming tasks like they are with PC. Why there isn't a dedicated gaming OS for PC's I have no idea.

Actually, on release, I could build a PC that was better than a PS3 for about $300. Now, I could build one that is better for about $200.

Consoles are running on 10 year old PC parts. The difference is the games that are on consoles are set up to be compatible with the consoles specifically and a game on a PC has to be compatible with millions of different configurations so doesn't work as well with all of them but runs better than it will on any console with the PC set ups it was optimized for.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Why do we constantly debate over people's personal preferences? Yes, objectively and factually a hypothetical singular PC is better. But at the end of the day, it's whatever you can afford, whatever you want out of a machine, and what games you want to play that determines whether or not you buy a console over a PC.

There are a few singular variables we can actively say and endorse that PC is better than console in. There are even more, though, that rely solely on subjective opinion and response to circumstance. I'll defend PCs and I will defend consoles but I will not condone anyone trying to pick a "winner".

System wars are for children. Grow up, childrenz!!!1!111 ;0

 

[Vault101]

I would not give a fuck if some asshats would not start invading every decent discussion about technicalities with BS about "graphics don't matter" and that the gameplay is not different blah blah. Yes, it is different if I have only 30 FPS. Yes, it is different if I have a FoV under 90°. Yes, it is different if I have to put up with muddy textures if I was shown that it can be different. And why the fuck do people complain about elitist if they label every PC gamer "elitist"?

one that gets me....

"yeah but consoles are better for racers/platformers/action" *sigh* just plug a fucking cotroller in..there...done


anyway, I would only call somome a PC elitist if they act like your scum if you don't build it yourself or *gasp* consider using a laptop...I mean for fucks sake we all have preferences people....

 

[wabbbit]

None of them are superior.

The PC has lots of advantages that I won't list due to being obvious.

The console will work with any game. No specs. No drivers. No crashing.

 

[tau_random_dude]

Technicality-wise, there is next to no advantage over PC the console has.
<< (Best wording ever)

has spent nearly five grand on PC graphic cards, RAM, cases, mice, keybpoards, monitors, etc, since the 360 was released (Granted, that's not that much since the 360 came out in 2005, but still...five grand is a fair bit of money).

Jesus fuck! FIVE GRAND?!?!?!?! a decent gaming PC is 8-900 MAX.

 

[Kukakkau]

Ease of use (stick disk in and done, easy set up etc)
Less controls for the less dexterous players (kids, people with less pc experience etc)
No system requirements for games - they will all run fine
Cost of system compared to a gaming rig (excluding games costs)
Easy to relax while playing (can sprawl back in a chair/lie down, instead of having to be over keyboard and mouse)

 

[Angie7F]

You can plug it into a TV, pop a disc (or cartridge, cassette, possum skull, etc.) in, and play.
No having to be connected to servers, no having to wait for patches to download for hours, no having to deal with compatibility issues (unless you're trying to ram a SNES cart into a PS3), and you can just play.
Also, consoles are cheaper and require less work to maintain than a PC. A gaming rig needs upgrading every couple years with at least one or two new parts, and you've got to deal with all the issues of a PC as well as a console.
Sometimes, a consoles is just easier.

I am not 100 sure if this is a good analogy, but a console is like an iphone.
You buy it, you use it, it works.
Apps are approved by apple so usually it works fine.


Computer games are like androids.
The game may or may not work smoothly on your particular computer due to spec differences.
But if you are into fiddling around for the perfect setup, you have amazing gaming experience.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The advantage?
On the internet, it's mostly the privilege of calling PC gamers elitist.

Oh, and it doesn't take any work to set up and play.

 

[StriderShinryu]

The advantage to me is simple: The games. The types of games I like to play are on consoles and generally not on PC. So yeah, that's pretty much the personal nail in the coffin right there.

 

[conanthegamer]

In US you can't trade PC games. You can trade console games. While they don't give you a lot for those trade in's, they do help. If I pay $60 bucks for a new game and trade it in for $15 store credit. So I only spent $45 for that game. That is cheaper than you could buy that game off of Steam. Also considering PC games are starting to go for $60 on Steam. The big advantage to consoles is price. The initial price for the console is usually a one time fee of $300-$400 (or $600 for PS3). For a PC that runs most new games you're going to need around $1000. To play all games at the max settings, you would need twice that amount(or more). And that's not including doing upgrades. The other advantage is dealing with software and hardware compatibilities. It's nice to put in a game (download an update) and play it. 99% of the time I can play that game when I first stick a disk in the console. That can't be said for PC's . Although through my experience with PC gaming it's probably 90% of the time they work the first time.

 

[Reaper195]

Technicality-wise, there is next to no advantage over PC the console has.
<< (Best wording ever)

has spent nearly five grand on PC graphic cards, RAM, cases, mice, keybpoards, monitors, etc, since the 360 was released (Granted, that's not that much since the 360 came out in 2005, but still...five grand is a fair bit of money).

Jesus fuck! FIVE GRAND?!?!?!?! a decent gaming PC is 8-900 MAX.

Over the course of seven years. He goes through peripherals like a ************,nd has slagged god knows how many power supplies somehow.

Also, New Zealand doesn't get as cheaper a specials on PC stuff as it should.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

It's easier to buy/set up.
Exclusives.
Locked hardware.
Buying a new end console near release is a lot cheaper than buying a high end PC.

This.

You can play games distributed by major Japanese publishers.

Also this.

And finally - I own a laptop for work. I do not want a ton of random video games on it. Why? Well, first off, it's for work. Secondly, PC games overheat my laptop, meaning that A) playing PC games is actually damaging my work computer and B) I have to set all my games one the worst graphical settings. Mass Effect looks a lot less awesome when you have to turn all the graphics down to the minimum settings just so the game doesn't force a shut-down when I try to talk down the hallway.

So yeah, I'd rather just play on a console because then I know everything will work and I get factory standard graphics (not the best, but not minimum settings either).

Also, I can use my laptop to look up Gamefaqs while playing on my PS3 and TV. If I was playing on my laptop, I couldn't use it for Gamefaqs without minimizing the game first.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

With a console, I can pop in a game and, with near 100% certainty, not have to do anything beyond that to be able to play. With PC games, I constantly have to optimize, fix, patch, etc. to even be able to play at all.

Gotta install patches on all consoles, and gotta install games to play them on PS3. Otherwise, yeah, games not liking your hardware is something we could all live without.
OT: $300 for a system that will play everything made for it. That's about it, really...

We have motion controls! Yeah, how can you beat that?! [small]nope[/small]

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

You do realize that its possible to hook a PC and a tv together? I had a friend who used a fair sized TV as his monitor, and my dad used to use a tv as a monitor, too.
Edit:

I've seen people threaten violence against console users on the Facebook comment pages on Escapist. That pretty much cinced it for me.

Don't know who the fuck does that but... its facebook. Next you'll be complaining that people are mean on Youtube or something.

 

[ElPatron]

[small]Well I'll be damned, because to play games you don't have to do that.[/small]

Isn't it great?

So, the motherboards, cards, processors all install themselves? Fascinating.

>implying inplications

Several stores have a very cheap service that assembles them. I did that because I didn't know (and still don't) how to assemble a computer.

And yes, I know my PS3 can't do it, but if I"m going to invest and be one of you "master race" types, I want to at least have a machine that's past that point of criticism.

The problem is that I am not telling anyone to build a PC, I am just dispelling the myths and lies that I am reading.

If I were you I'd go to the attitude store because you seriously need a new one.

 

[Vagon123123]

If everyone has the same hardware, then it's a lot easier for devs to make the most of what they have without worrying about different permutations.

Couldn't have put it better myself. Also split screen and standardised controllers.

 

[ElPatron]

if you want to take full advantage of the benefits of pc gaming then yes, it is expensive. i mean maybe you have more disposable income than i do (highly likely since i work in theatre which pays way below minimum wage) but would you seriously make the argument that pc gaming is cheaper than console gaming. i spent about $300 on my ps3 and in the time ive had my ps3 i have spent probably between $500 and $800 on computer upgrades.

and yes, i do feel pc gaming requires a decent amount of technical knowledge. certainly more than console gaming does. i know a lot of console gamers who shy away from pc gaming because computer specs are just confusing to them.

I have been taking the "full advantage" (or whatever that is) and I am a complete idiot when it comes to computers. Like I said before I can't even assemble them. And it isn't expensive.

 

[Ljs1121]

The two main ones I can think of are convenience and cheapness. It's much easier to be able to plop down into a chair, turn on the console, put a disc in and go. Plus it tends to be quite time-consuming and expensive sifting through parts to find the best ones to build the perfect gaming computer.

Of course, I've never actually experienced PC gaming so I might have no idea what I'm talking about. I do want to give it a shot at some point, though.

 

[ElPatron]

"Not shopping for games with your mother?"
Are you stupid? Parents BUY GAMES FOR THEIR KIDS. IF you don't comprehend that a parent buying a "360 game" compared to a parent buying a game set to certain specs for a PC is different then I don't know how to help you.

Because only children play videogames.

"PS3" or "Xbox"

is easier to remember than

4 GB Dual core
Radeon ATI 7500 card
etcetera and so forth.

Write in a piece of paper or take those pills for memory enhancement.

So if a guy can MAKE money, making a configuration file don't you think that's credence to the fact that maybe it's not very accessible? That most people aren't going to bother and try to figure out something like dosbox.

If you're using Dos games and making an argument on how hard retro-compatibility is, take into account that consoles might not even give you that option.

This shit isn't accesible to the averag gamer. If it were, people would not be able to make money off of it. So to say that "Backwards compatibility" for the PC is a boon is a joke becuase it's not accesible, particularly not if you have an obscure game.

Yeah, have you heard the whole spiel about Sony fucking up their retro-compatibility? The "average gamer" was not able to install those games without having someone explaining him how.

Not everyone uses Steam.

Your point being?

What you do or do not do is irrelevant. What's at issue is whether the console or the PC is more affordable. The basic Console rig is more affordable. There are sales on the console just as there are on the PC. There is the option to trade in games on the console, which is NOT on the PC.

1. My PC was cheaper than a console when I bought it, and I think that the PS3 is still more expensive in my country.

2. If Steam sales are so comparable to retail sales, then why is everyone bitching about Steam devaluing games? Retail sales have nearly no sales, most times they are only at certain times of the year (unlike Steam) and our prices drop much slower (Duke Nukem Forever of PC: 50? - still at launch price).

3. It was deemed legal by European courts to resell PC games. We might have a resale business in the future.

And what game is this?
Games are priced at what the market can bear. If a game is priced at 70 quid it's because someone is willing to pay that price to buy it.

Oh, so it's the consumer's fault?

First, that's ridiculous. Second, prices are jacked up because of distributors, not because of the market.

Any console game will range from 60-70? at launch (my Max Payne 3 for x360 was 70?) but PS3 can achieve 80?.

Hahaha, "Pretty Graphics don't make stories any better" yet you're probably someone who in another thread would say that "PC is better because of the graphics, durr".

If you really knew me you would understand that I don't care about graphics. But I am not going to repeat myself because you're being a jerk.

I'd insult you back but I don't need a ban right now.

Either way, whether you care about Blu Ray or not doesn't matter. Other people do.

Fair play to them. I said I didn't like Blu-Ray, not that I care about what others do with them.

My point was that Blu-Ray is completely worthless to me which means I never found the PS3 cheap.

And one doesn't need top graphics to play a game, in your post you also say you can still play BF3 with your rig. I'm betting it's not at full settings. So why do you say it helps your argument to play with shitty graphics on your PC, but when a console plays with shitty graphics on a TV it's a bad thing? You can't have it both ways.

Stop insulting my rig, please. I can play 1680x1050 high/medium settings, no AA.

I bought a 720p Sony Bravia for the low price of 700?. Full HD models were over 1000? which translated to dollars is "a lot".

I've played dozens of games on a 360 and without the benefit of a HD TV and I don't give a rat's ass.

I play 360 on a really old TV.

But low def TV defeats the usefulness of a cheap blu-ray player.

Oh, so your computer actually cost 430 quid not 250 right? Because you know, you sort of needed a monitor am I right?

Read again.

"By the way, I had (and still have) a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW that I scavenged from my previous computer. It was 180?, which at that time was a steal and much cheaper than 720p TVs."

I also used the same peripherals including sound system.

PC Gamers always talk about upgrading when they talk about the cost their gaming takes, but you have to take the perpsective of someone who's never had a gaming rig in the first place

>mfw you don't have a PC screen

And no, a guy's not going to hook his computer up to a TV. I've never met anyone who does that. I'm sure someone out there does, but that cannot be used as justification for saying the PC is cheaper.

Of course not. TVs are expensive.

Yeah I'm sorry but live interaction trumps all of those.

Oh, you meant "real" social, not "internet" social.

I'm sorry, but I have a 360 and that's the least "real" social thing in my life. For starters my gaming is a pretty lonely habit and the fact that I am not a kid anymore doesn't help. I don't know many people around me that play console (I don't know a lot of people around me, period. Most are old people and Asian immigrants I can't understand).

Most of my friends are not in my area and they also have the habit of not liking them games I like/having PS3 instead of xbox.

"Split screen competitive"? Fuck off. Don't stack questions to avoid obvious answers that would otherwise defeat it. Howabout ANY multiplayer that you can play in the same room at the same time:

That includes a truckload of side-scrolling fighting games, which also exist on the PC.

I asked competitive because they take advantage of the split screen (instead of 4 Mario characters sharing the same screen) and the multiple controllers.

If you want to include co-op there is a metric fuckton of PC games that use the same keyboard.

I'm talking about GAMERS playing.

Travel back to me and some of my friends in the 90's/early 2000's. We have been there, done that.

I go to my brother's house, the kids play multiplayer games on the Wii. Dancing games. Racing games. Lego Star Wars games. etcetera and so forth.

Amazing. The problem is that it implies that one person has to buy one of those games/console beforehand.

Gave a damn about Lego back when they were new, but that ship sailed long time ago. Don't like racing games, I prefer driving a real car (which isn't something I like a lot). I respect the Wii but can't give a single damn about it.

I don't own any party game past PS2-era and I don't know anyone who does except my girlfriend. She has Singstar or whatever for PS3, but for some reason when I'm at her house I am not interested in videogames.

So yes, consoles are more social because you can get PEOPLE IN THE SAME ROOM playing the same game.

Yeah, excuse me for not knowing exactly what you mean from ONE word. Said word is also used for anything these days.

 

[ElPatron]

I ain't the one copping a superiority kick and designation of "master race" based on what toys I play with.

I ain't the one either. Next.

Then why did someone have to cite AUCTIONS to meet the 300$ price range I threw out?

Because 300 bucks is a ridiculously tight budget - and someone was able to clear that challenge so my hat is off. Try 300?. My PC was 250? with all the discount prices, 238? would force me to ditch an important component.

With 300 bucks you can buy a console in the US, but not here. Ours are priced in Euros which makes them more expensive. For some reason.