Why so much hate for consoles?

[beez]

Technically speaking, consoles are PCs now. And the console game market is really trying to bring PC gaming down, no wonder people are frustrated. When you support a developer for years and all you get is shitty quality ports that run like crap (maybe even a delayed a lot), or judgement over you based on how they are trying to justify cutting costs on PC ports (Or the lack of them). Let's be honest here, every console player clings to the fact that PCs cost most.

Well, guess what, you don't need to sit on a golden Razer chair that has GAMING written all over it just to enjoy games. You can buy a modest PC that will run all your games for X years on, even if on medium after 3-4-5 years. If you don't bother, don't blame the PC. If you really believe that the skill to use a PC is too hard to acquire, even in 2013 and you might not use it anywhere else, then please gtfo.

This generation is really holding back games by now, admit it. That's it. I'm a PC gamer, yet I sometimes use a PS3 controller to play stuff, just because I prefer things that way. And I game on my laptop, which isn't even the highest end, yet runs everything I throw at it on high. It's portable, so that argument is shot down. It didn't even cost 2k $. When you buy a console for 5-600 dollar and buy games for 60 dollars, I don't think any argument that says you're playing a console because you are cost-efficient is valid.

Okay, you've grown up liking that. I've grown up liking mine. But when the industry tries to suffocate mine, because they are too lazy to make business on my platform viable, then please, do think about why people are prone to defend PCs.

And of course, in the future every nextgen console user is going to own a PC. I would love it tho if Microsoft justified their high price of the 180 and enabled people to separate X GB and install a windows on it. Or even on an external drive. I think that would justify the price of it.

Can we be friends now?

 

[Talvrae]

I'll be brief, I recognize PC's as superior platforms on multiple levels. However, I think the prices to buy good PCs are too high for me to afford. Instead of buying a $2000 PC, I buy a console for (lets use the PS4 as an example) $400, plus a nice game to go with it, landing at a total of $460. I still have $1540, still get reasonably good quality and I am able to play games that I enjoy. I see so much hate on consoles, but I don't quite understand why. Isn't the point to play games? Why do people seem to treat consoles like the apocalypse of the game industry? Are they? If so, why?


EDIT: I'm only using $2000 because my friend is building his own PC and this was the price he ended up with.

2nd EDIT: Actually, the price tag is more like $1300, however even if I bought a PS4 I'd still have $840 left over.

Actually thanks to the wonder of capitalism now you can have a good gaming PC for only 800$ It's still twice the price of a console... but a farcry of 2000$

 

[Yopaz]

It's simply the nature of the internet where no-one is ever wrong aout anything they say. When someone got a different opinion they are just wrong.

Now a PC is superior to a consle in almost every way, but preference is actually more important in these things. As long as we don't accept that this thread is bound to be reposted every once in a while.

 

[stabnex]

$2000 is far, far, far too much money to spend on a gaming PC. I don't know why that's the "go to" number in these discussions, but good gaming PCs don't cost nearly that much.

But to answer your question, PC fanboys are dicks just like console fanboys. You'll see a bunch of arguments about "holding the tech back" but I kinda like that. It means I can keep the same PC for years on end instead of having to upgrade every year.

Mine cost $4,000 once you include the over-sized monitor. It's a tank, within a beast, with lots of adoring fans.

OT: I think the argument at its core has to do with the limitations of the console that PC has always enjoyed. For example, in a PC game one can EASILY go into a game, mod it, hack it, re-arrange it to your own amusement, leisure, and modesty with little effort and lots of community backing. Whereas if you were to try that with a console you're GOING to end up where our poor friend George Hotz did when he tried it.

NOW the PC vs Console argument has boiled down to "Who's going to fuck up more?" because the companies that drive the consoles life are making said consoles their sole focus and bringing down all their corporate policies with them.

To put it bluntly, it's a genre war. PC is sandbox, Console is linear. Some like it one way, some the other. And we are a war-like species.

 

[SycoMantis91]

I don't know where you people have been, I'm rarely on here and I see it all the time. In short, because elitist jackholes exist, and it's annoying, nonsensical, and lessens the chances that you're a tolerable person. I don't have much in the way of a capable PC, it can run most indie games and MMOs, but it's nothing near say the newest Alienware behemoth. But I've always preferred the console experience. It's more comfortable, it's more streamlined (I've never understood why people complain when things are easier to do, at least in cases where nothing's outright removed), a lot easier to play local multiplayer, and they're catching up and getting more and more titles that would be PC exclusive 10 or 5 years ago. But Steam is hard to argue with.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

It goes both ways you know. Some console gamers (usually the fanatical fanboy type) generalize PC gamers as all being elitist "glorious master-race" snobs who eat baby seal while sipping expensive wine. In some cases this may be true, but those PC gamers who are decent human beings tend to disavow these bigots. I'm a PC gamer. Never had any consoles besides handhelds, but I, for one, have nothing against consoles, or console players. Hell, i'm thinking of getting a console soon (probably not next-gen, though. I might get one of those new "slim" PS3s). I hate the typical PC elitists particularly because they give us a bad rep. PC has certain advantages over consoles. Consoles have certain advantages over PC. For my particular tastes and way of life (moving around weekly), PC, specifically a laptop, was the only way to go.

Also, gamer PC's being stupidly expensive is somewhat of a misconception. Some PC gamers think having 2 meter high pure titanium cases with 5 million assorted LED lights, plus 3 glowing fans and 2 separate liquid cooling systems to accompany their in-built fishtank is necessary. You can get decent PCs capable of running pretty much anything on high-ultra at acceptable prices if you spend 30 minutes on google.

All-in-all, I think you're overblowing the hate aspect. The situation isn't that bad, but to answer the question in the title with one word: Fanboys.

 

[Dragonbums]

One thing I have observed is some of the PC folks hate on the consoles is because they have become "cheap PC's" well who's fault is that exactly?

The "PC Master Race" meme/fandom/crew/whatever the fuck it is have been loud and vocal about how "PC's can do things consoles can't" and as such devs and publishers alike have said "how can we make our consoles more like PC's" hence why they are now trying to do these things.

Consoles had their place, but people on the other side of the pond weren't satisfied with that and took it upon themselves to shove their superiority into everyone else's face whether they gave a shit about hardware/graphic superiority or not.
The same way you guys complain about consoles bringing over shitty UI, and DRM practices the same could be said for PC users- if it wasn't for your graphics superiority soapboxes and how "oh so much better" your PC's are at graphics, we probably wouldn't still be sinking shit loads of money into graphics because devs want to make games stand on par with the PC.

Also why is Steam Sales even a pro for PC's.
I can get games as cheap as $5.00 at Gamestop all year round on a console. PC gamers literally have to wait until summer or holiday sales to get games at that low a price.
Now is such a thing true for newly released games on consoles? Not necessarily, however it's not like newly released games on Steam are that much cheaper anyway.

At this point I'm so tired of it. No one platform is holding the other back. It's all on the devs on how they want to run things.
PC only people whine about console exclusives taking away games they want to play (get a console then), yet when a game is exclusive for the PC and console owners complain all we get from them is a sneer and "that's why your stupid for playing games on such inferior hardware." Like, get fucking real here. You sound like an ass. Stop it.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I have both, and I like each for different reasons. I don't have to worry about viruses on my Xbox or PS3, don't have to add memory consuming protection programs to them to keep them running smooth. I don't have to deal with multiple DRM sources (just the disc-based DRM that is inherent in the system). By the way I am not listing reasons I prefer console, because I don't. I use both, equally, for my own reasons.
There are a lot of things that bother "other people" about consoles that I find to be no issue for me.
1. Locked out of changing software in the system: Its a console built to play games made for it, why the fuck do I want to mess around with that unless I'm going to do something like *insert word that can describe a guy with an eye patch, peg-leg and a penchant for saying "arr"* games or other things that aren't for gaming.
2. Can't upgrade hardware: Fine with me, no need to run out and buy a new video card every 2-3 years so I don't suffer frame-lag. And I can save the money for a next-gen system if I so choose to buy it. Thats also an upgrade.
3. Backwards compatibility is either hit/miss or not there at all: So what? I still have a PS2, NES, SNES, Genesis and Dreamcast. Thats backwards compatibility for you.
4. Graphics aren't at their full potential: Despite this argument, I've still seen some damn nice looking games on console. So what if they aren't using every slider at max? I still can't do that on my PC for most games, especially if they're multiplayer. Why? Because I don't have the cash to invest in sli/crossfired video cards, a motherboard that supports it and a PSU that will power the system. I love my PC tho because it runs pretty much every new game at mid-level settings. Don't need to break the 3dmark benchmark test to feel good about my life.

In the end, I love my PC and my PS3 and my 360, and my Wii and all the other consoles I own.
One last argument, the difference in graphics in most games is about as tough to distinguish as the difference between the Hobbit movie's framerate versions for most people. So who the fuck cares?

 

[J Tyran]

So my entire family is stupid?

Possibly, that is one hell of a catalogue of hardware errors and its unlikely its random coincidence.

I had my liquid CPU cooler decided to break and spray all over my PC. My brother caught his computer on fire and my dad had his harddrive needle grinding into the harddrive. They're not immune to screw ups and they're not more stable than consoles. Except the 360 because that is plainly terrible, but consoles also have the indestructible Gamecube and Gameboy.

Do you and your family by overpriced pre-built junk by any chance? You know crap like Alienware, "gaming PCs" or cheap pre-built systems? All of those systems use the cheapest possible components often from unbranded manufacturers or ones known for high failure rates. Either this or you and your family are bodging them together and doing it wrong.

 

[Megacherv]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A decent PC will cost more than a console. To get something that's superior to one of the newer consoles (if someone simply compares clock speeds and the sort I'm going to kill a *****) you'll need to spend quite a bit more.

PCs aren't superior, spending more money is.

And that makes simple fucking sense.

 

[llubtoille]

On my part it's fairly justified fear.
I don't own any consoles, last one I had was the sega mega drive, so while consoles have arguably increased the number of games that get released, the vast vast majority of them end up as console exclusives, thus limits me from playing them - unless I buy the console.
The fear for me is that when the PS4 & Xboxone is released - and when sony & microsoft's desire for exclusivity is at its peak - the pc will see even fewer ports (no matter how easy it may be to port) thus blocking me from buying/playing many excellent games.

 

[silverbullet1989]

the whole "gaming pc's cost thousands of monies lolz" argument -_-
Consoles are cheap short term gaming solutions... i'll use the argument i use all the time... my pc cost me £650 to build 3 years ago, and still plays everything better then a console would. Ive had 2 xbox's in 4 years ive owned a console for, first one cost me £100, it got the rrod, i bought a brand new one at the time for £240 so theres £340 gone on consoles... for every game i own on the console that can be bought on the pc i add the average £10+ extra the console game costs... i currently own 7 console games that can be bought on the pc for £10+ less so lets call it £70 extra on console games that brings the cost up to £410... now lets count 4 years of xbox live subscriptions (im aware ps3 does not have this but since ps4 will it still counts) 4 x £35 a pop in the uk, its now £39.99 but lets say £35 = £140 which brings the cost too £550 which is less then my pc yeah but then lets not count the extra controller, head sets, online passes etc that they try and duct tape onto console games... gaming pc's are a lump sum expense in my opinion, you pay £500-£1000 for an investment of a machine thats going to last 4+ years before maybe the graphic card might need upgrading... but in those 4+ years your console will end up costing you more in the long run.

 

[Sing]

I think that the hate you see OP, mainly comes from people wanting to justify their choice. In my experience, some (not all, but the ones who makes the most noise) people tend to glorify their platform of choice and belittle the others. When it all really comes down to is preferences and personal taste. PC have their share of pros and cons and quirks while consoles have theirs. Which I believe is a good thing for the gaming industry as a whole. This phenomemon isn't really unique to the whole "consoles vs. PC" debate but can also be seen in for example what operativesystem you should be using and what type of phone etc.

Now, my gut tells me (let me remind you that my gut MAY be wrong) that there is a fair amount of PC enthusiasts here on the Escapist. That might be the part of the reason why you see so much hate.
That said I must agree with Windcaler: preference of PC does not equate hatred of consoles. I just think the hating guys get more attention.


As for consoles being the end of the gaming industry...nah. In my opinion the competition between PC and consoles is something nice that should lead to more creativity and better prices/services regardless of platform. Atleast, That's what I hope.

 

[cahtush]

A combination of many things.
Bad ports, PC game series suffering from bad cases of consolitis, level design and such being limited to fit the aging console hardware.
Imagine if a game came out on consoles that had 480p resolution and low res textures and gameplay and interface made to be used with a motion controller, just so that they could release it on the Wii too.
I'd imagine there would be quiet a lot of hate.

 

[Joccaren]

Now, my gut tells me (let me remind you that my gut MAY be wrong) that there is a fair amount of PC enthusiasts here on the Escapist. That might be the part of the reason why you see so much hate.

So far as the posting and voting population goes, yeah, by a large % PC gamers are the most common on this site. Can't comment on the non-posting/voting population as they don't vote in any of the polls or comment in any of the threads =P

Also, welcome to the Escapist. Don't go to the dungeon, and whatever you do do not press the red button.

 

[KOMega]

I think I made my PC for a little over $1000.
Maybe $1500. I dunno. But that was mostly because I was kinda splooging on it, since I was aiming for a much lower budget but my parents suddenly gave me a way higher number before I could tell them how much I think it should have been XD.

I feel sorta guilty about using that much money, but I think it'll last maybe 10 years so it'll be fine.

Anyways, I enjoy playing games on consoles more but PC does have a lot more options in functionality, and games are usually a lot cheaper on it too, imo.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

The only reason PC gamers don't like consoles is because they lost their domination of the market when large swathes of the PC market started paying and playing games like Everquest, Eve and World of Warcraft. They can't blame themselves because that is against human nature so they point at someone else and try to ignore their elitist bretheren that totally traitored against them and left them in the lurch.

The games industry moved on and it even left me, a console gamer, behind. The days of striving are over, all hail equality for the gaming community...you can all finish games now, no matter how incompetant and weak minded you may be

 

[Hieronymusgoa]

If you have a decent monitor, the tower with good hardware will cost 800? I#d say. At least that's what i pay for one which fits my needs.

It's a matter of how and where you want to play and which games you want to play.
I for example only like gamepads when it comes to Beatemups or Jumpnruns so I favor the PC.
Still I love a lot of typical Nintendo franchises but don't care that much for the few titles which are exclusive to XBox and PS.
I only once was close to buying a PS3 and that was actually for Demons's Souls. Since I got Dark Souls for PC I am content with watching DS per Let's Plays on YT.
I have a Wii which is great fun for playing Smash Brothers or Mario Kart with others. Apart from that I don't use it or used it a lot.

tl;dr: I don't hate consoles, I just don't care about most of them mostly. As long as I can play the most important for me on a PC as well.

 

[already in use]

What i dont like about consoles is games being hardwired to a specific computer configuration.
There are so many consoles that it would require thousands of dollars and a lot of space
to play any recent game you want.
Right now we have the wii, the wiiu, the xbox 360, the ps3 aswell as the ps4 and the xbox1 right around and of course several mobile consoles. To develope a game for all of those requires a lot of work, so games are often released for
only one or a few systems. If you buy a console near the end of its lifetime there will soon be next to no new
games for it and it will soon be stored away in the cellar. A new console is relatively expensive, you wont
be able to play the games you already have on it and you will have to wait a few years before there is a sizable catalogue
of games available which are then very expensive for extended periods of time.

What i like about the pc is that i get to keep my stuff. i dont have buy a whole new thingy,
store my peripherals and games away because they dont work with the new thingy. If i want to update my
pc i can do that, new Pc games work with a variety of old hardware, right now any quadcore cpu with 4gb ram and a midrange gpu from a few years ago (which you can get for the price of a new game on ebay) will play any game smoothly in 1080p with good settings.

 

[BleedingPride]

Uhh... no. PCs don't fuck up, period. Ok, if you're stupid or really unlucky they can, but not often, and there is always a way to fix it.
There is no such thing as Computer error, merely user error. I've been running my previous 2 PC builds for 8+ years without an antivirus, no problems. Its not 'cause I'm lucky, its 'cause I don't click any "You've won 1 million dollar" links, or anything else suspicious or stupid on the Internet.

There's a LOT wrong here. PCs don't fuck up period? That's just wrong. If you were to say that on TV you'd get the apple vs pc commercial putting all those disclaimers on the screen.