PC vs. Consoles

[KezraPlanes]

Okay, since this topic is all the rage these days I decided to create a thread so just everyone can speak their minds when it comes to this.

I would just like to ask people to behave and have interesting discussion and not mindless namecalling.

I'll kick it off myself:

I'm on both ends of the spectrum tbh, since I own a PC, 360 and PS3. I've had some good moments with my consoles but I have to admit I'm finally going back to the PC (even though I still game on my consoles, but mostly local mp games with buds). What drew me back to the PC (besides Steam that is), is the fact that the more console games I play, the more I feel that the games are overly scripted and dumbed down. Another thing that brought me back to the PC was the indie scene and the really good games that are being developed for PC: Terraria, Minecraft, Jamestown, Beat Hazard are all games that while not PC-exclusive are games I came in contact with on that platform. Also, modding is a big part in any game because not only does it extend the lifespan of a game, but it can add to it in a big way, and I'm a real fan of modding: NWN, Half-Life, Civ IV and more recently, Oblivion. This is also something I cannot get on consoles.
Doesn't mean consoles are bad though. They also have good points like being cheaper, since they are 5-6y old hardware that performs solidly most of the time with games and have awesome exclusive IPs. Also controllers are a plus, but you can do that on the PC aswell.

Discuss on fools!

 

[Hardrive]

Like you, I own all three consoles and a PC. Personally, I am partial to PC gaming still. While it is frustrating at times (I spent three hours trying to get BC2 to work online - wound up being a router issue OR I had to download a community patch for Assassin's Creed II to work with the wireless 360 controller) I think it's worth it. For console ports, the games look and perform far better if your machine has good enough specs. And the online community for the most part is better. Plus steam sales are awesome.

That being said, there's something being said for kicking back and playing on the couch.

I personally don't think there should the flame war. Yes - everybody has their preferences. Each platform has a big community that is happy with their choice/preferences. Easy as that.

 

[Seth]

I like Consoles myself, as just like you I own a PC, Ps3, 360, Wii and own about 200 games. While I love steam and the mods, I hate the install times and the glitches that come with the PC side of gaming. Also gaming is a social need of mine playing a fighting,raceing, or side scroller on a Pc just feels wrong. I could never load up a game like Halo chill on the couch and invite 3 friends over and just play in the same room. Co oP is the same ordeal my friends are more is to have a 360 copy of a game then a Pc copy of the game. While having a party chat can work on PC I just see it hapen to much. Same with achievements while steam does have a achievements system is no where near as orbost or satisfying on top of that with other things like EA system and other game download systems just feel fragmented to me. Also I hate DRM and keyboard and Mouse. Also while there are some good XBL arcade games for PC the psn or 360 often get the way before steam. There also the cost of upgrading your pc vs just paying 400 bucks for a 6 year life span.

However there a great deal I do enjoy about pc gaming, I am abit of a spec junky I love having that new gfx card or seeing a game use 8gb of ram or a game like the witcher 2 that I can see the Ubersampling. I love haveing not working about disks or cd keys from EA, I love steam cloud, after loseing the past 2 years of save data from my ps3 from upgrading the harddrive and not having a lame 250 mb limit and not worrying about sync the newest save data. I love the loading speeds of games and that steam autopatches the games in the background. I like how I can have a better HTPC then my ps3 will ever be. Or that I can plug a great deal into my pc and not worry about usb ports like my ps3 2 usb ports. The steam sales are bomb and most of the XBL sales stuff sucks.

Over all I like PC gaming but hate that in real life it not a very social thing.

 

[ultimakillz]

i havent been a big pc user since the olden days of age of empires or the first starcraft, but i will get on and play a little steam now and then (half life 2, etc.) other than that im pretty much strictly a console gamer. one of the things i really like about console gaming over pc gaming is you dont have to worry about system requirements (yes i know, how silly of me). thats probably the main reason i got out of pc gaming.

that being said there are some great games being developed/released for pc at this time as Kerza said, and i sometimes feel like im missing out. but then again i sit in front of a computer all day at work, so its nice at the end of the day to relax in my recliner and kick a little console ass.

 

[Craig Fairfax]

I largely prefer console gaming, but I can't shit on pc games because I no longer own an xbox 360 and there are some games I wouldn't be able play otherwise. I don't like using a keyboard and mouse but that is strictly a personal preference.

Basically PC gaming isn't my first choice, but I like it nonetheless.

PC gamers themselves are a whole different story. Most of em' fucking annoy me to no end.

 

[KezraPlanes]

One thing I forgot to say is related to the pricing. Even though a PC might cost more (at least a decent gaming rig) the games are much cheaper, and in the long run might make the whole deal cheaper. Console games are severly overpriced and tbh, most aren't worth what the publishers are asking for.

 

[Sinfulfate]

The way I see it is PC gaming is like Mass Effect 1 and console gaming is like Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 1 offered a great gaming experience but was bogged down with way to much inventory management and that's exactly how PC gaming feels. PC gaming can offer a great gaming experience but is often bogged down with a lot of non gaming moments like searching for mods, finding out what [insert error code name here] means, or waiting for that 6-12gb game to download.

Console gaming on the other hand is, like Mass Effect 2, very streamlined. They pretty much got rid of all the tedious things you have to deal with with PC gaming so people can just play games as hassle free as possible and as I get older and have less time to game that's exactly what I want.

 

[slicer4ever]

i'm mostly a console person myself, but that's generally due to lack of havng a good gaming pc, my laptop's graphics card was barely able to play portal 2(which i was impressed i could even play at all tbh). what draws me to consoles over pc pretty much is simply that i do not have to worry about if i meet minimum specs, sure this would be fixed if i invested into a real pc for gaming, but at the moment, i can live with a shitty computer, and play most of my games on my xbox.

 

[KezraPlanes]

The way I see it is PC gaming is like Mass Effect 1 and console gaming is like Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 1 offered a great gaming experience but was bogged down with way to much inventory management and that's exactly how PC gaming feels. PC gaming can offer a great gaming experience but is often bogged down with a lot of non gaming moments like searching for mods, finding out what [insert error code name here] means, or waiting for that 6-12gb game to download.

Console gaming on the other hand is, like Mass Effect 2, very streamlined. They pretty much got rid of all the tedious things you have to deal with with PC gaming so people can just play games as hassle free as possible and as I get older and have less time to game that's exactly what I want.

I don't know if I completly agree with that tbh.

I would say it's more like Metal Gear Solid 4 (Console) vs. Quake 1 (PC). Metal Gear Solid 4 is pretty and plays really well, but on the end most of it is scripted and you feel more like a spectator in the action that a part of it, Quake 1 however makes you explore, find those damn keys and never handholds you through it, you're either good and wish to master the game, or you're not. I would daresay consoles are more of a "casual gamer" (not in the sense of Wii Casual) and the PC is for those who can dedicate more time to it.

w00t, 3000 posts xD

 

[Joey]

PC and Console gamers are all embarrassing, entitled man children. Discuss.

 

[BlackSheep]

I prefer PC but it is very expensive so I play on consoles

 

[Sinfulfate]

I don't know if I completly agree with that tbh.

I would say it's more like Metal Gear Solid 4 (Console) vs. Quake 1 (PC). Metal Gear Solid 4 is pretty and plays really well, but on the end most of it is scripted and you feel more like a spectator in the action that a part of it, Quake 1 however makes you explore, find those damn keys and never handholds you through it, you're either good and wish to master the game, or you're not.

Any story based game is scripted and most Japanese games(especially JRPGs) feel like your just a spectator since most of the coolest moments happen during cutscenes. Crackdown, just one example of a console game, is nothing like MGS 4, there are very little scripted events, you can do all the exploration you want, and you don't feel like a spectator. On the PC side of things, Dawn of War II is nothing like Quake, all the missions take place in small maps with only one way to complete the mission and there is no exploration. Both the console and PC have such a diverse library of games its untrue to say that games on either platform play a specific a way.

My comparison was simply to show how different PC and console gaming experience is, not the games themselves. And its true console gaming is very streamlined and simple while PC gaming is far more complex and time consuming.

I would daresay consoles are more of a "casual gamer" (not in the sense of Wii Casual) and the PC is for those who can dedicate more time to it.

I dont know about that. The benefits of both are so varied that they attract a pretty varied group of people.

 

[eldiablov]

PC and Console gamers are all embarrassing, entitled man children. Discuss.

The way I see it, you can either be this dude:

Or a console playing Keanu Reeves:

Personally, I'd rather be Keanu.

 

[Joey]

The way I see it, you can either be this dude:

Or a console playing Keanu Reeves:

Personally, I'd rather be Keanu.

/thread

---------- Post added at 12:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ----------

This is actually a stupid thread. If the question is which is better, there isn't an answer because they fill different needs. If the question is who has the more insufferable fan base, the answer is they're both equally insufferable, in their own insufferable ways.

 

[KezraPlanes]

/thread

---------- Post added at 12:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ----------

This is actually a stupid thread. If the question is which is better, there isn't an answer because they fill different needs. If the question is who has the more insufferable fan base, the answer is they're both equally insufferable, in their own insufferable ways.

Stop being a douchy insufferable twat Joey. I thought you were better than that.

This thread is for people to discuss why they choose what platform and what they believe are strong points or weaker points in one and the other. If you have nothing to say, just don't post. It's not that hard and you won't be bothering anybody.l

 

[x3sphere]

PCs significantly improve the gaming experience for me. It's hard to play on consoles with the sub-30 frame rate in demanding scenes and below HD resolutions.

As far as ease of use goes, driver upkeep is no less painful than having to download the constant firmware updates on PS3. In fact, it takes me longer to boot up a new game on the PS3 when I'm forced to download a new firmware AND game update. At the very least, I'm looking at a 30 minute wait. Never takes that long on PC.

These days, I never experience any crashes while gaming on PC either. Windows Vista/7 did away with BSODs. They only come up if you have a hardware failure or hosed system. For some reason, the PC still has this stigma that it's extremely complex and lacks the stability of console platforms. The only time I experienced that was when I had a dual-GPU setup.

The only advantage I feel consoles have are exclusives and community, everything else can be replicated on a PC. Apart from FPS titles, I play most of my PC games from a couch with the 360 controller.

 

[FrozenIpaq]

x3sphere hit it straight on the nail as far as I'm concerned. If I didn't have as many friends as I did on the Xbox 360 then I would stick most exclusively to PC gaming just due to the advantages it provides. With my, now 2 year old, computer I am still able to run games extremely well and at a more consistent and higher framerate than the consoles. Some games, such as League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, DotA, are only possible on the PC right now (as well as most RTS games) and the immediate access I have is always a plus (rather than swap discs and wait for the console to start up).

 

[Joey]

Stop being a douchy insufferable twat Joey. I thought you were better than that.

This thread is for people to discuss why they choose what platform and what they believe are strong points or weaker points in one and the other. If you have nothing to say, just don't post. It's not that hard and you won't be bothering anybody.l

Sorry, I'm just bitter after years of defending PC games to console gamers, and vice versa, because I play both, because it's ultimately the same shit. Plus, any "This vs. That" thread ultimately dissolves into a bitch fight over the dumbest shit, and my way of acting preemptively is to just insult everyone before they start insulting each other.

I'll leave your thread alone, I've said my peace.

 

[Robby]

The way I see it is PC gaming is like Mass Effect 1 and console gaming is like Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 1 offered a great gaming experience but was bogged down with way to much inventory management and that's exactly how PC gaming feels. PC gaming can offer a great gaming experience but is often bogged down with a lot of non gaming moments like searching for mods, finding out what [insert error code name here] means, or waiting for that 6-12gb game to download.

Console gaming on the other hand is, like Mass Effect 2, very streamlined. They pretty much got rid of all the tedious things you have to deal with with PC gaming so people can just play games as hassle free as possible and as I get older and have less time to game that's exactly what I want.

I see what you mean which is exactly the reason why I prefer console gaming.

It's just easy to pop in a game and play instantly on my couch or bed and to be able to play with friends who come over my house. That plus the fact none of my friends PC game and for the most part, PC gamers annoy the hell out of my with their self-titled elite status.

Alot of PC gamers talk about better graphics but I personally don't mind. A couple days of playing a game and I don't even pay attention to the details like that. First time playing Crysis was awesome, but I play it now and don't look at it anymore then just another FPS.

 

[MenaceInc]

With a PC, you can play EVERY game available except for xbox 360 or PS3 exclusives. The reverse is not true.

This fact as well as the higher image quality and performance means that the PC will always be the technical superior.




However, there are lots of reasons why console hardware and software sell so well. Simplicity, social, cost, used sales.

As x3 said, PC gaming has a stigma of being overly complex and difficult to do/setup.
Even in this thread, there have been people complaining about install times for PC games as well as online/download services being fragmented.

Installation is an issue on console games as well with many games on the 360 taking about 10 or 20 minutes to copy over files to the hard drive.

On the flipside of fragmentation is choice. There are a number of different services which PC gamers can purchase their downloadable games and content. In contrast to Xbox Live and PSN, PC gamers have a choice and aren't restricted to just a single outlet.
If an xbox gamer doesn't like the price of a game on xbox live, they can't check another download store. This monopoly on digital sales on their respective consoles means that Microsoft and Sony can charge whatever they want and there's not a thing you can do about it other than not buy what you were looking for.


Console gaming is also a more social form of gaming compared to PC gaming. It is a lot easier to get a few friends round and play games on a console than it is for a PC (although not impossible).
As well as this, a lot more people would be more willing to admit to having a xbox or playstation than playing games on a PC could be attributed to the stigma of difficult to setup and associated 'nerdness'.

Due to this social acceptance of consoles, a lot of kids in schools or adults in the workplace would discuss games for consoles and offer to play against/with each other online as an extension of their relationship in real life. This in turn re-enforces sales of consoles as more and more people use them as social focal points.


The initial outlay for a PC is daunting to the majority of people.
In the minds of the general public, they don't consider buying a PC for games, they just want it for youtube, facebook and homework. They usually try to go for the cheapest option and portability which tends to be a cheap Toshiba laptop or such.

Also, when most people hear gaming PC, they think of the