Why buy consoles?

[Vigormortis]

Controllers, no DRM, no worrying about it overheating, and JRPGs. Honestly, as gaming moves from a niche thing to a thing that everybody does, the need for technical stuff has to go down, any ape can plug a cord into a tv, and another cord into a wall, but it takes average intellect to make sure your computer runs at, at least, minimal specifications, and to memorize what all the buttons do. (We all know that when mapped on a keyboard games have waaaaay more things to press, where as a controller has limited buttons, thus limited actions, thus easier to grasp) basically, when people say that PC gaming is dying, they aren't kidding, but it's more "gaming is dying" cause soon enough, people will be satisfied to play Farmville and CoD clones, which will leave people who like depth to their games, high and dry.

I'm sorry, but what?

DRM? What do you think your console is? What do you think the overbearing aspect of Live and PSN is? It's all DRM. Telling you how, where, and when you can play your games. I point you to Microsoft, for example, removing games from it's marketplace. I had a friend who purchased a game from the market place. To his chagrin, not a week later, MS had removed it from the Arcade. Now, my friend still had the game on his hard drive, but after a system update shortly there after, he could no longer access the game. If that's not the most extreme form of DRM I don't know what is.

Lastly, overheating? Really? I guess you weren't aware that the most common cause of console failure among the PS3 and 360 is CPU damage caused by over heating. Why do you think Microsoft redesigned the new Xbox slim with a "slightly" better heat sink and installed a script in the OS that auto-shuts down the console if the CPU gets over a certain temperature? I'm pretty sure it wasn't just so they had an excuse to paint it black and charge an extra hunsky.

 

[Kunzer]

Why buy consoles?

Hell if I know.

Don't get me wrong, I love my PS3. (mostly because it is a very reliable blu-ray player)

Truth be told, every game that I could play on my PS3 I prefer on my PC.

Most PS3 games look "modest".

Very little or no Anti-Aliasing. Minimal Anisotropic filtering. Even with that in mind, the FPS generally fluctuates between 30-45 FPS.

To finish it all off, every new game (that I would want to play) for PS3 is $59.99.

You know what, most of the games that run twice as well on my PC are $20-$40 on Steam.

I don't see the point of consoles anymore.

 

[natster43]

1 I am poor.
2 I don't know how to build a good Computer for gaming.
3 I like the exclusive games.
4 I grew up with Nintendo so I will always own their stuff.
5 All of my friends use Xbox or PS3.
6 Certain game are better on consoles.
Though once I go to college I will get a PC.

 

[dementis]

1. To avoid being included in the PC elitists.
2. Don't have to worry about system requirements.
3. Don't have much of a computer hardware understanding to build a rig and defiantely can't afford the high end gaming PCs.
4. I love Halo.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

Because there are people out there that have no idea how to work a computer.

Also poor people.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

Because a game like assasins creed just does not work on keyboard and mouse. There are a lot of games that are better with controllers.

Furthermore up until recently I never had 1000 pounds for gaming. the £165 that the 360 cost me when I got it was FANTASTIC.

 

[ten.to.ten]

I wish I could play games primarily on the PC but I can't afford it. Whenever I've gotten a new PC that could play games (not a dedicated gaming PC admittedly) I've almost always had some sort of compatibility problem and had to play with the graphics turned down and even then with an unacceptable framerate. PC games are a lot more volatile too and prone to crashing more often, at least for me.

I play on consoles because it's cheaper than buying a comparable PC, and I can stick a game in and play it with no issues, I know it's going to work and run smoothly (with the exception of Fallout).

 

[MrA]

I'll give you an example.

I recently purchased Magika over steam. Before I can play it I have to install something else (Microsoft XNA or something along those lines) Halfway through the install a long winded error message pops up, the installer crashes and a help window with no other information than "Update Windows" appears (guess what: updating windows didnt work). Now on a console, I wouldn't have this problem.

And that is why consoles are my platform of choice.

 

[psicat]

To play games.

 

[imperialreign]

Wow . . . the amount of deluded, mis-guided myhtological ideals being stouted in this thread is phenomenal.

I'm surprised it hasn't boiled down into a flame war yet.

 

[n03s]

If money is not a problem and you can afford high end hardware..
yeh.. no reason to buy a console except the franchises.
But for gaming im pretty sure that consoles are the best value for money.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Because the PC is extremely fiddley and inaccessible for those gamers who don't possess the technical skills to use it. I find it quite annoying when I buy a game for PC and it tells me that the something-or-other didn't configure properly or that the set-up failed to initialize or that it just feels like being a dick and not working. When I put a game into a console, it installs, and then works. No trouble, no talking to tech support or troubleshooting the increasingly ridiculous issues. Hardcore PC gamers tell me that all of the problems with PC games I've encountered are easily fixable, which is more or less irrelevant. The very fact that they occurred at all makes the PC less appealing considering that consoles provide a platform on which I can play games, and not have to troubleshoot; I can just sit down and play.

 

[moonlantern]

Not all of us can afford to keep up to date computers, and I like to know that if I buy a game I will actually be able to play it.

 

[xFullmetalx]

For me its comfort, not having to worry about specs, simplicity and the all around feel of console gaming.

 

[solemnwar]

I bought an xbox360 for the sole purpose of being able to play Fable II. Then I got prototype, dead space for it since I had played those on my cousin's '360 so I was more familiar with the controls... then I bought a few more for the '360 just so I could have more games for the damn thing LOL

But I'm mostly a PC gamer. Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Dragon Age... I also prefer FPS on PC since mouse is easier to aim with than a console...

 

[xFullmetalx]

Oh and local co-op.

 

[Berserker119]

I haven't had a computer that isn't a Mac for years now, so for a while, it was tough to get good games that I could play, and I got used to consoles.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Because the PC is extremely fiddley and inaccessible for those gamers who don't possess the technical skills to use it. I find it quite annoying when I buy a game for PC and it tells me that the something-or-other didn't configure properly or that the set-up failed to initialize or that it just feels like being a dick and not working. When I put a game into a console, it installs, and then works. No trouble, no talking to tech support or troubleshooting the increasingly ridiculous issues. Hardcore PC gamers tell me that all of the problems with PC games I've encountered are easily fixable, which is more or less irrelevant. The very fact that they occurred at all makes the PC less appealing considering that consoles provide a platform on which I can play games, and not have to troubleshoot; I can just sit down and play.

Have you gamed on this console generation, I've had more trouble getting my consoles games to work correctly out of the box than I do PC games. Hell don't get me started on the shoddy PS3 ports.

 

[Dr_Steve_Brule]

I don't buy a console because of the controller.
I just hate it. It feels so robotic and un-intuitive. The mouse at least lets me determine the amount of acceleration input, but controllers just make me feel like i'm controlling a robot.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Because the PC is extremely fiddley and inaccessible for those gamers who don't possess the technical skills to use it. I find it quite annoying when I buy a game for PC and it tells me that the something-or-other didn't configure properly or that the set-up failed to initialize or that it just feels like being a dick and not working. When I put a game into a console, it installs, and then works. No trouble, no talking to tech support or troubleshooting the increasingly ridiculous issues. Hardcore PC gamers tell me that all of the problems with PC games I've encountered are easily fixable, which is more or less irrelevant. The very fact that they occurred at all makes the PC less appealing considering that consoles provide a platform on which I can play games, and not have to troubleshoot; I can just sit down and play.

Have you gamed on this console generation, I've had more trouble getting my consoles games to work correctly out of the box than I do PC games. Hell don't get me started on the shoddy PS3 ports.

I have, and I've never had any trouble getting PS3 games to work.