Why PC gamers should love (or at least not hate) consoles

[Popido]

I dont know. The console market is pretty controlling and manipulative. How about I dont want you up here with Valve already helming the steer.

 

[Swifteye]

We must interbreed them!

The ease and idiot-proofing of consoles, the power and performance of a PC. All plugged into a controller with rumble!

Though if I had to give the edge to one, I'd give it to consoles. Keyboards and mice are lame when rumble gets into it. Who would have ever thought that rumble would be such a hit?

That's some awefully jerkish words your throwing around there. Personally I like all things given what they are best at doing. And PCs can play games okay. Yes they look better but it's not at default. You have to have the tech to back it up. And then when a couple years pass you have to have new tech and old tech to maintain your library. Consoles don't suffer from that much. Things in the case of what controller someone uses well. There's a reason why there's been things like joysticks and controllers just for the PC(personally playing mugen or any shooting game is a lot harder without a controller but hey that's what I personally prefer) Saying rumble was a selling point is breathtakingly patronizing. I honestly hope you were joking.

People always talking about the day when consoles become niche and were all playing games on our computers and Ipads but I can't really see that genuinely happening without some sort of middle ground seeing as with my experience with PC games is that PCs can play certain types of games really well but to handle all the different types that exist on consoles certain things would have to be changed in order to ease a non nerdy audience.

 

[CleverNickname]

b) We're not all always fortunate enough to have super-deluxe computer desks and chairs.

Don't get me wrong, but I think you're being a little cocky and narrow minded if you're just going to judge the way I, and many others feel, to be "dumb".

They are dumb arguments to make against a platform because they're irrelevant and are a convoluted way of saying "I don't wanna"; and jumping to "super-deluxe furniture" is even dumber. Everything in my home is dirt-cheap. You know what my desk is? A long wooden board held in place by opposing walls, 3 planks and some wishful thinking. My chair was on sale and lost a wheel after 3 months.

I understand platform preferences perfectly well (I'd go for a Wii over the others, most Escapists don't);
I also understand being unable to afford a good Gaming PC (graphics card are expensive as hell, I wish I could get a new one);
and I understand having no desire to bother with technical specifications and hardware installations (nobody can argue against it if someone is going for the consoles because they're really just plug and play)

but "I don't play on my PC because I hate sitting on my own damn furniture" is outright dumb (when it's one of the first reasons they bring up).

And stop taking this personally when I specifically say I hate the argument, and only the argument, when you just happened to make it in this thread. It's not my fault your kitchen chairs are covered in barbed wire, don't take it out on me.

 

[Towowo2]

There are just certain types of games that work better on consoles or PC's with their respective primary input.

3D Platforming and Racing games generally work better with analog control more than they do for WASD.

RTS's and FPS's will work better on a PC simply because the mouse is much faster and intuitive for these genres.

 

[Bludge]

Lets face it you can not build a computer that will play games at the same level as a current gen console for under $100. I paid $150 for my 360, 4 controllers and seven games. Face it the PC will never be able to compete with the prices of the used market.

Hang on a second, are you comparing the price of a SECOND HAND console to that of a BRAND NEW pc??

I was going on the price of a new xbox and new pc components, and i priced it up before making my post.

You can get second hand pcs and pc components you know, same with games. I have picked up some amazing pc games second hand for pennies. I would even go as far as to say that in general, second hand pc games are cheaper then second hand xbox games.

 

[Katana314]

You forgot about the cheap bastard who wants to play AAA games but doesnt want to spend very much money.

But you can build a games worthy pc for not much more then the price of an xbox. and then save yourself some money on microsofts silly live subscription.

Lets face it you can not build a computer that will play games at the same level as a current gen console for under $100. I paid $150 for my 360, 4 controllers and seven games. Face it the PC will never be able to compete with the prices of the used market.

Well, to be fair, you CANNOT build a gaming station for under $100.

You have the console itself, you have the TV (BIG part of the price!!), you may need special cables, and you may want a second controller, all before you buy games themselves.

I can anticipate your argument. "But wait, Katana. Just about EVERYONE owns a TV already. That's an existing item that most people own, and that they all already use daily for other things."
That's a good argument I can also apply to your standard, run-of-the-mill desktop computer. Like a TV on its own, it cannot be used to play games (except maybe low-spec indie games). For a TV, you can add a console such as an Xbox, and it becomes a great gaming entertainment center all in one. For a PC, all you add is a fairly powerful graphics card (running $100 or lower these days to run most games, likely including Crysis) which essentially just slots in.

I'll admit that argument has holes, such as laptop computers and weaker computers with less RAM or CPU power, but for the most part it's a great way to get involved in PC gaming.
Plus, the big one for consoles is ease of use. Inserting a graphics card is not complicated, but I can imagine it intimidates some people. Still, the fact is that especially when you take individual games into account, PC gaming is no more expensive than console gaming.

 

[Drudgelmir]

I love PC games, and they are usually better. Usually.

Then again, there are games that were made for a console, just for the sake of the gamepad.

I couldn't imagine playing GOW3 or Infamous on the PC (No particular reason why I mentioned 2 PS3 exclusives, I just happen to like them very much)

Consoles are becoming PCs with a weird OS and strict hardware range. It's only a matter of time until they (PCs and Consoles) merge into the ultimate Gaming Console.

I thought you meant Gears of ... Then I realized.

I like the modding community on PC (TES games are a great example of this) But I dislike using a keyboard and a mouse (not because I can't, just because it makes more sense to have one combined controller than two).

Personally I dream of a day when all gaming is shared equally Ps's and Xbox's have mmorpgs and are able to play the Sims without being a massive hassle, and that PCs developers realize that being a good game isn't necessarily equal to having way too many controls, and having to upgrade your computer every few months.

 

[Sunder845]

I am a PC gamer to the core and to be honest, the only reason why I dont switch to console for most of my games is the lack of precision and speed in a controller. The mouse and keyboard is much better suited to quick precise movements, and when I try to play a shooter on the Xbox (the only console I own) it just feels "Gummy" to me. Not trying to troll anyone, thats just my opinion.

 

[GiantRedButton]

I love PC games, and they are usually better. Usually.

Then again, there are games that were made for a console, just for the sake of the gamepad.

I couldn't imagine playing GOW3 or Infamous on the PC (No particular reason why I mentioned 2 PS3 exclusives, I just happen to like them very much)

Consoles are becoming PCs with a weird OS and strict hardware range. It's only a matter of time until they (PCs and Consoles) merge into the ultimate Gaming Console.

Why couldn't you imagine playing them on a pc? considering you can use whatever controller you like on pc?.

 

[shrekfan246]

Lets face it you can not build a computer that will play games at the same level as a current gen console for under $100. I paid $150 for my 360, 4 controllers and seven games. Face it the PC will never be able to compete with the prices of the used market.

Hang on a second, are you comparing the price of a SECOND HAND console to that of a BRAND NEW pc??

I was going on the price of a new xbox and new pc components, and i priced it up before making my post.

You can get second hand pcs and pc components you know, same with games. I have picked up some amazing pc games second hand for pennies. I would even go as far as to say that in general, second hand pc games are cheaper then second hand xbox games.

Pardon me for asking, but since you're claiming you priced it up, then exactly how powerful of a computer could you get for $300 (The price of a new Xbox 360, as far as I know)? I'm pretty sure a modern* graphics card alone costs about half that, not to mention hard drive, processor, cooling systems, casing, screen, mouse, USB slots, power supply, wireless card, sound card, keyboard. . . I'm not saying you can't get a powerful computer at a relatively "cheap" price, but no, you cannot get one competitively priced with a console, unless you want it to perform on a very similar level with said console.

*"Modern" meaning nVidia Geforce 9 series/2xx GT series or better, or ATI Radeon 4xxx series or better, which at the cheapest, sure, are less than $100, but they also have severely reduced performance capabilities compared to today's cards, on par with say a console (Due to being almost 3 and a half years old now).
For something like the Geforce GTX 4xx-5xx series you'll easily be spending anywhere from $100-$400 or more, and a Radeon HD 5xxx-6xxx could run you anywhere between $100-$600 (allowed for large gaps of pricing because I'm not going to go digging around the websites trying to find the price of each graphics card; and yes I will concede that the low-medium ends of both the GTX 4xx and Radeon HD 5xxx series may be able to be found under $100).

TLDR; Yeah, you can get a nice computer for a relatively cheap price, but it won't perform THAT much better than a console, and the operative word is relatively: It'll still cost more than a console itself, because:

Spoiler

You forgot about the cheap bastard who wants to play AAA games but doesnt want to spend very much money.

But you can build a games worthy pc for not much more then the price of an xbox. and then save yourself some money on microsofts silly live subscription.

Lets face it you can not build a computer that will play games at the same level as a current gen console for under $100. I paid $150 for my 360, 4 controllers and seven games. Face it the PC will never be able to compete with the prices of the used market.

Well, to be fair, you CANNOT build a gaming station for under $100.

You have the console itself, you have the TV (BIG part of the price!!), you may need special cables, and you may want a second controller, all before you buy games themselves.

I can anticipate your argument. "But wait, Katana. Just about EVERYONE owns a TV already. That's an existing item that most people own, and that they all already use daily for other things."
That's a good argument I can also apply to your standard, run-of-the-mill desktop computer. Like a TV on its own, it cannot be used to play games (except maybe low-spec indie games). For a TV, you can add a console such as an Xbox, and it becomes a great gaming entertainment center all in one. For a PC, all you add is a fairly powerful graphics card (running $100 or lower these days to run most games, likely including Crysis) which essentially just slots in.

I'll admit that argument has holes, such as laptop computers and weaker computers with less RAM or CPU power, but for the most part it's a great way to get involved in PC gaming.
Plus, the big one for consoles is ease of use. Inserting a graphics card is not complicated, but I can imagine it intimidates some people. Still, the fact is that especially when you take individual games into account, PC gaming is no more expensive than console gaming.

Lets be honest. The average computer owner who randomly decides they want to play a few games on their PC is not a person who will know how to "slot in" a fairly powerful graphics card, and will want to either buy a pre-built one or pay for another person to do it (They may not even know which graphics card ARE fairly powerful). The average PC gamer would probably know how to interchange hardware, but again, let's be honest: Would they really have a PC that was built on hardware made before 2008-2009? And, yes, graphics card and processors are much cheaper than they used to be if you're not getting the most current models, but the point is that when it's all put together, it costs more than a console (and if they did have older hardware, also take into account the cost of UPGRADING, maybe?).

But this is where I yield part of my argument to you for bringing up a good point: A television. When you take that into account (which most people wouldn't because as you said, it's an item most people have already), ta-da, the price finally becomes about even. Unless they bought a really cheap television like the one I have.

Also, I'm really bad at TLR's.

EDIT: The real TL;DR: If you want a computer that will simply run most games, yes, you can probably get it similarly priced to a brand new console, but if you want to be sure those games will run really well, it'll cost more.

Extra EDIT: Depending on the TV/PC, you could even argue that purchasing a console could be more expensive, if someone pays for a massive HDTV and all of the special cords they need for the console to connect and play in HD. You could easily get a very powerful computer for a little over $1k, but buying some 45-60" HDTV costs the same or even more, and then you'd have to tack on EXTRA for the console/peripherals.

 

[Cridhe]

b) We're not all always fortunate enough to have super-deluxe computer desks and chairs.

Don't get me wrong, but I think you're being a little cocky and narrow minded if you're just going to judge the way I, and many others feel, to be "dumb".

They are dumb arguments to make against a platform because they're irrelevant and are a convoluted way of saying "I don't wanna"; and jumping to "super-deluxe furniture" is even dumber. Everything in my home is dirt-cheap. You know what my desk is? A long wooden board held in place by opposing walls, 3 planks and some wishful thinking. My chair was on sale and lost a wheel after 3 months.

I understand platform preferences perfectly well (I'd go for a Wii over the others, most Escapists don't);
I also understand being unable to afford a good Gaming PC (graphics card are expensive as hell, I wish I could get a new one);
and I understand having no desire to bother with technical specifications and hardware installations (nobody can argue against it if someone is going for the consoles because they're really just plug and play)

but "I don't play on my PC because I hate sitting on my own damn furniture" is outright dumb (when it's one of the first reasons they bring up).

And stop taking this personally when I specifically say I hate the argument, and only the argument, when you just happened to make it in this thread. It's not my fault your kitchen chairs are covered in barbed wire, don't take it out on me.

I'm not arguing AGAINST anything. I prefer to play games with a controller for the reason I have stated. Comfy seat is a damn good reason. If you don't like that I have a preference for console gaming over this maybe you need to check your maturity level.

 

[Bludge]

No im comparing the price of gaming on consoles to gaming on pcs. You can not ignore the second hand market when you look at console gaming, especially when were talking about cheap bastards like me. Also due to drm you cant really buy very many pc games used that were made in the last four or five years.

Ok, first off as a general rule multi-platform games are cheaper on the pc then the consoles.
I bought myself battlefield bad company 2 for £15 a few months after release, when it was still going for £30 plus on the xbox. just looked on amazon now, pc 10.99, xbox 17.91.

And i am not ignoring the second hand market, it seems like you are though.
A quick scan on ebay shows you can pick up a nvidia 8800gt for about £30, few years old now, but i played though crysis on a 19" monitor with one with all the settings ramped up. Fair enough a bit of framerate dropping when things got busy but nothing to make the game unplayable.
And crysis is still gpu intensive by todays standards.

Dual core athlon 2ghz cpu for about the same price on ebay too, could probably get 2gig of ddr2 ram for next to nothing as well. case and peripherals? crt monitors? if you check places like freecycle its easy to get that kind of stuff for free.

I totally agree with you on the DRM front, but how long do you think it will be until its the norm on consoles too? consoles are getting easier and easier to modify, and piracy is only going to grow. Sony/microsoft/nintendo are only going to start fighting back with the same intrusive measures as the pc developers are at the moment.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Why is it that console fanboys can use a argument but when the PC fanboys use it the console fanboys just say nope you don't get to do that.

 

[Dexiro]

- Some games are much better when played with a gamepad. You can get gamepads for PC but I've generally had a bad experience with them, I imagine one of similar quality to current gen controllers would be a bit pricey.
- Consoles have less piracy.
- Consoles are much better for local multiplayer on one system, usually plenty of space and a nice big tv, as opposed to having people awkwardly gather chairs around a pc screen.
- You're running games on a standardised system, so you don't encounter some of the random errors encountered with PC games.

 

[Dexiro]

You forgot about the cheap bastard who wants to play AAA games but doesnt want to spend very much money.

But you can build a games worthy pc for not much more then the price of an xbox. and then save yourself some money on microsofts silly live subscription.

b) We're not all always fortunate enough to have super-deluxe computer desks and chairs.

My chair cost about £15 second hand and my desk was a hand me down. Chair is way more comfortable for gaming sessions then my sofa and surely all a desk has to do is have stuff on it and not collapse?

The issue might be that your sofa sucks then. Or that chair was a damn good purchase.

 

[Bludge]

Pardon me for asking, but since you're claiming you priced it up, then exactly how powerful of a computer could you get for $300 (The price of a new Xbox 360, as far as I know)? I'm pretty sure a modern* graphics card alone costs about half that, not to mention hard drive, processor, cooling systems, casing, screen, mouse, USB slots, power supply, wireless card, sound card, keyboard. . . I'm not saying you can't get a powerful computer at a relatively "cheap" price, but no, you cannot get one competitively priced with a console, unless you want it to perform on a very similar level with said console.

Ok first off, unless you are gaming at a ridiculously high resoultion, then you could build a worthwhile gaming machine on that budget (obviously not accounting for a monitor, as no one factors in the price of a tv when talking about the cost of an xbox).

Secondly; you dont need a soundcard and usb slots are incorporated into the motherboard. Wireless card? if you really needed wireless (which i would never recommend for a desktop machine) then you could pick up a usb dongle for maybe £5. cooling system? what exactly did you have in mind for that? as buying a retail cpu will always provide a heatsink and fan, and if you really needed extra cooling, a few case fans would run you a few quid.
For the case, mouse and keyboard, see my above post about freecycle. if that doesnt work go to an office and ask if they have any old computer gear they are chucking. i got a great haul of about 8 regular cases (all with functioning motherboards, cpus and ram, albeit old tech) and 2 sweet server cases, along with a load of keyboards.
Failing that, if you have to buy the stuff, you can get a cheap case for about £12, and a keyboard and mouse (if you are really short of cash) for about £6.

*"Modern" meaning nVidia Geforce 9 series/2xx GT series or better, or ATI Radeon 4xxx series or better, which at the cheapest, sure, are probably less than $100, but they also have severely reduced performance capabilities compared to today's cards, on par with say a console (Due to being almost 3 and a half years old now).
For something like the Geforce GTX 4xx-5xx series you'll easily be spending anywhere from $100-$400 or more, and a Radeon HD 5xxx-6xxx could run you anywhere between $100-$600 (allowed for large gaps of pricing because I'm not going to go digging around the websites trying to find the price of each graphics card; and yes I will concede that the low-medium ends of both the GTX 4xx and Radeon HD 5xxx series may be able to be found under $100).

Why does it need to be modern if it will do what you want? the xbox is 6 years old now.

TLDR; Yeah, you can get a nice computer for a relatively cheap price, but it won't perform THAT much better than a console, and the operative word is relatively: It'll still cost more than a console itself, because:

Spoiler

You forgot about the cheap bastard who wants to play AAA games but doesnt want to spend very much money.

But you can build a games worthy pc for not much more then the price of an xbox. and then save yourself some money on microsofts silly live subscription.

Lets face it you can not build a computer that will play games at the same level as a current gen console for under $100. I paid $150 for my 360, 4 controllers and seven games. Face it the PC will never be able to compete with the prices of the used market.

Well, to be fair, you CANNOT build a gaming station for under $100.

You have the console itself, you have the TV (BIG part of the price!!), you may need special cables, and you may want a second controller, all before you buy games themselves.

I can anticipate your argument. "But wait, Katana. Just about EVERYONE owns a TV already. That's an existing item that most people own, and that they all already use daily for other things."
That's a good argument I can also apply to your standard, run-of-the-mill desktop computer. Like a TV on its own, it cannot be used to play games (except maybe low-spec indie games). For a TV, you can add a console such as an Xbox, and it becomes a great gaming entertainment center all in one. For a PC, all you add is a fairly powerful graphics card (running $100 or lower these days to run most games, likely including Crysis) which essentially just slots in.

I'll admit that argument has holes, such as laptop computers and weaker computers with less RAM or CPU power, but for the most part it's a great way to get involved in PC gaming.
Plus, the big one for consoles is ease of use. Inserting a graphics card is not complicated, but I can imagine it intimidates some people. Still, the fact is that especially when you take individual games into account, PC gaming is no more expensive than console gaming.

Lets be honest. The average computer owner who randomly decides they want to play a few games on their PC is not a person who will know how to "slot in" a fairly powerful graphics card, and will want to either buy a pre-built one or pay for another person to do it (They may not even know which graphics card ARE fairly powerful). The average PC gamer would probably know how to interchange hardware, but again, let's be honest: Would they really have a PC that was built on hardware made before 2008-2009? And, yes, graphics card and processors are much cheaper than they used to be if you're not getting the most current models, but the point is that when it's all put together, it costs more than a console (and if they DID have older hardware, also take into account the cost of UPGRADING, maybe?).

Im not saying you can get an eye-waterly powerful pc for the same price as an xbox, im saying that you can build a machine that can play any game depending on the resoultion for roughly the same price. The you dont have to worry about ripoffs like paying for xbox live.
Also as i have stated new games tend to be cheaper on the pc.
And lastly, upgrading a machine is not a difficult task. yeah it takes some balls to go from knowing nothing to buying a new graphics card and fitting it yourself, but with a little research its a doddle.
And dont forget that one day the console you have will be completely obsolete, and you will have to fork out hundreds for a new one. no choice of upgrade, just new console or no new games.

But this is where I yield part of my argument to you for bringing up a good point: A television. When you take that into account (which most people wouldn't because as you said, it's an item most people have already), ta-da, the price finally becomes about even. Unless they bought a really cheap television like the one I have.

If you have a cheap tv then chances are you are running at a low resoultion. a common misconception about pc gaming seems to be " but you need an amazing graphics card". Yeah, if you have a 24" monitor! if you are playing on a 19" then getting a £200 graphics card is just overkill.

Also, I'm really bad at TLR's. [/quote]

 

[Bludge]

The issue might be that your sofa sucks then. Or that chair was a damn good purchase.

Ha! its a bit of both, the chair was a damn good purchase. so much so i have taken to gaffa taping it up and putting up with the broken tilt lock thing just so i dont have to get another one!

And yes my sofa does suck, but i wouldnt use it as an argument against console gaming.

- Consoles are much better for local multiplayer on one system, usually plenty of space and a nice big tv, as opposed to having people awkwardly gather chairs around a pc screen.

And yes this is true, its pretty much the only time i play games on my xbox is when i have the lads round.

 

[TheTaco007]

I just prefer the mouse to the thumbstick. It's ridiculous how much better aiming is. It's a shame that good gaming PCs cost so much, and that trying to do ANYTHING on Windows is ridiculously over-complicated.