PC vs console: Choose your weapon!

There is a massive, long-lasting debate over which is better, PC or console gaming. Let’s be honest up front, neither suck. Here are a few select reasons why both consoles and PCs are good to get your fix of virtual reality in your spare time.

[Ask]

I think the console vs pc argument is something that needs to be discuss for an aspect that is never given any kind of consideration. The new gamer. What they actually try to game on will actually define whether or not they get into the culture of playing games. Finding the right platform for you is VERY important and without knowing the ins and outs of both you could be doing yourself a huge disservice.

It may be common sense to everyone else which should suit which but a lot of people just don't get it. I've found a lot of my friends who get into gaming have done so by trying something they weren't prepared to play and have found it to be much more enjoyable than they thought it would be. This is especially true of those who go from consoles to PC games as they think them to be too fiddly or dull when compared to their console counterparts.

I don't want to start a flame war but I do think it's sensible to know the limitations and advantages of each platform from the perspective of a non-gamer. Because at the end of the day those who argue about "What's best" already know what works best for them.

[DA_SHREDDER]

I would prefer to play all my games on the WiiU game pad. IDK who these people think they are telling me what I want and need?

[reynod]

Well console gaming is expensive because every game costs more to begin with, then you need pay to to go online, the accessories like HDs can cost a ton since some consoles use proprietary parts.

However the real kicker is consoles have no BC. I bought over 150 games on Steam in the last 5 years. Even if i dont consider the discounts i got to purchase those games, my library is probably worth 6000-8000usd. If i was to buy those games on a console i wouldnt be able to play them on the next box. Hence these sort of losses make consoles unreasonably expensive.

[shivvy24]

PS4

[Gazondaily]

Choose my weapon? I choose to duel wield.

[MikeMyers]

If I only had one platform to choose it would be the PC. It's the best platform to sustain a never ending supply of games and can be scaled pending on investment. In theory I could play the latest Battlefield for example on a mid-priced system and have it toned down to run smoothly. Then in a year I could upgrade if I so choose and have a new experience with the highest settings. I can also play the original Grand Theft Auto or even older titles that are still being sold today.

The consoles have great exclusives, there's no doubt about it, but the PC will always have the largest library and the best hardware available with the most freedom and versatility.

[trenso1]

@reynod what are you on about? The only thing that was true for all consoles was the games, not all consoles require you to pay to play online only the 360 does that. Not all consoles have proprietary HD's the ps3 uses a sata drive that can be manually swapped out, i plan on switching mines soon on my fat model.

[Lior]

autoaim takes all the skill out of gaming period

[LogicStomper]

As in aim-bots? Then most definitely yes.

[Hellsvacancy]

Silly me, I thought the article was actually about m/k vs gamepads

Its not though, its just another "PC is better than consoles" bs article

[Ask]

Sorry I read it and went off on a tangent - my bad! It is essentially that. I prefer gamepads personally for games that require dexterity of character movement but for an FPS game I much prefer a mouse. I can't hit anything otherwise.

[Corpser]

Console games have aim assist, some games you can't even turn it off.

And some console gamers think Aim assist means auto snap on to enemies like the default in cod games (in campaign). That's not what it means, it means when you aim down the sight, the game helps you by "assisting" you target toward an enemy, all console games do this.

[majiebeast]

Im the master race!

PC/PS3/Wii/Vita is the combo.

-Pc for multiplats and exclusive's.
-PS3 for exclusives and multiplatform games i dont like to play with a keyboard and mouse, like Assasins Creed(keyboard twister).
Wii for exclusives like Xenoblade.
Vita for indie's and portable console experience.

[Oh_Yeah]

You do know you can use a ps3 or 360 controller to play games on pc right?

[RAYMEISTER]

Yep, I use my ps3 controller on my PC all the time

[starchild]

Assassasins Creed on PS3 sucks @ss. You can easily use a controller on pc.

[Williamson]

Console for me...only because thats all that Ive gamed on in my life.

[Kran]

That's a dumb statement.

I gamed on consoles most of my life and the transition to PC gaming is really easy. Too easy in fact.

[trenso1]

i disagree while i was transitioning to PC its not that easy, learning mouse and keyboard takes getting used especially playing the arma mods, also with going to PC it would be wise to learn all the technical details to so that you can build a better rig down the road. It certainly has some learning curve to it.

[Williamson]

How is it dumb? Ive only played games on consoles since I can remember, I wasnt bashing pc gaming. I know games on pc look better,play better, and you can get mods for most games on it but im fine with consoles since thats where I can find sony&nintendo exclusives.

[Despair666]

Its like choosing between a bazooka and a bb gun

[Blackdeath_663]

pc is better than a console in absolutely every way shape and form if you don't take money into consideration. i'm not saying pc's are expensive but if you compare a console to a pc of the same price then console are indeed impressive, thats if you don't mind paying $60 for every game. there are many reason why people prefer console gaming and rightly so but you cannot argue that consoles are better in terms of performance that is indeed like comparing a bazooka and a bb-gun. i have both btw mostly console but trying to move to pc more

[Typical-Guy]

I'll stick to console gaming. PC folks can enjoy their own world, too.

[Brucis]

I choose both. I'm such a rebel.

[Tundra]

Who says you're limited to just one system?

Pick what you like. I just happen to like the PC/PS3 combo so I went with it. Simple as that.

[isarai]

Both? i don't miss out on any good games that way.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

Only one answer.......

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Tatsuya]

PS4/PC for me. I've already decided, nothing you or any pc boys say can change that. I'm here for the games not just jaw dropping beautiful graphics.

[cayleee]

"I'm here for the games not just jaw dropping beautiful graphics."

True but PS4 has no games :( its only just launching and may only launch with handful of games :(

[Tatsuya]

no games? What are you smoking?

-Killzone Shadowfall says hello
-Drive Club says hello
-Infamous SS says hello
-Knack says hello
-BF4 says hello
-Watch Dogs says hello
-Black Flag says hello
-The Witness says hello
-Wolfenstein: The new order says hello

I'm just listing games that are confirmed/has a high rate of chance of being launch titles. What more do you want? and trust me, more is coming. My gut is never wrong.

[Bladesfist]

I think he meant PS4 has no games as it is not out yet. I'm sure it will have a nice selection at launch. PC / PS3 / Vita here. PC will always be my primary gaming device though.

[cayleee]

Those are hardly 9 games you listed and who even knows when they release.

PC has over 600 AAA games from this gen alone. If you add indie that 1000's more. If you add games before this gen its again 1000's of games add in console emulations and again thats another ton of games.

Relatively speaking PS4 will hardly have any games in comparison. Not until its 3-4 years old atleast even then PS4 library will pale in comparison to PC.

Also Please list exclusives, Half the games you listed are coming to PC too. The exclusives are just a handful, Hence yea PS4 really hardly will have any games in comparison to a PC, Its like comparing the size of planet earth to island really. PC has far far more games.

[KingMe42]

Yes because it is totally fair to compare a a PC game library that has been growing for years to something new.

Lets take a step back in time when PS3 was about to release. Lets compare the PS2 game library to the PC back then.

[TechnicianTed]

' Lets compare the PS2 game library to the PC back then. '

Pc still had more games. Obviously.

[MeetMyHand]

Por que no los dos?

[Lone_Man]

we can choose weapons....but wot bout the ammos....!!

[kingduqc]

Kinda sick of console bullshit.. Just look at game pricing ffs, It's like 70$ + tax right now for metro last light on 360*ps3 (probably going to raise for new console) and it's like 37$ on pc. Half the fucking price and you get teh better version.

[KingMe42]

Before my family could only afford 1 PC for the whole family, for work, school, etc. Did you really expect me tot urn our 1 family PC for games? No we bought a console.

I'm sick of gamers forgetting 1 thing. Gaming is a luxury, and an expensive one. Not everyone can afford to have high end stuff. And please don't give me the "You can make a PC for $600" argument. It takes knowledge and time to do so that not everyone wants to do.

[leogets]

tbf updating drivers getting the right graphic cards etc is a pain in the arse for me. out of the box n play boooom!

[Kran]

Both, because nobody tells me what I can and can't enjoy my games on.

[TheUndertaker85]

Here's a thought for PC gamers to have:

Tablets are overtaking your market. Even MS, the creators of your beloved Windows is now happy to center their OS around tablets. Schools are now replacing their old setup with iPads, meaning the generation coming in is now seeing that as their medium and getting more hands on time with it over PCs of old.

If that's not enough with each new revision compatibility mode is doing less and less, limiting older running software and hardware that ran just fine before. Programs of old are now being converted to apps that have a third of the functionality they once had but make ease of use skyrocket for the average user.

If that's not enough too dedicated PC stores are closing down by the boatload every day while companies like GameStop that advertise consoles, handhelds, phones, and tablets over PCs are springing up more and more. Advertisements for games affiliated with computers has gone the way of Angry Birds, Minecraft, and multiple other little mini titles that don't require anything near high end PCs and can be taken with you on the go on devices such as the aforementioned handhelds, phones, and tablets.

And if that's not enough PC games really aren't catering to those super gaming machines many of you claim to have, but rather cater to the average PC you can find as the "standard" at any Walmart, Best Buy, SAMs Club, K-Mart, Target, and numerous other retailers across each and every country in the world.

People are finally getting smart enough to realize that if everything really doesn't require these "high end" gaming PCs why do they? They'll spend a boatload upgrading just to find out there really isn't anything they can do that they couldn't before. Graphics only go so far when you realize you're playing the same game or running the same application. Then they also realize that if all PCs catch up and make the "standard" what their gaming PC is today, they could spend half the cost buying it later.

I use the term "standard" for PC loosely since really, there's the edge PC will never catch up to consoles with. Those PCs don't have a "standard" meaning developers will continue to cater to the average, not the high. Consoles don't have that worry since they're all the same out of the box.

I moved away from the PC and am happy to say I won't be looking back.

Here's a pun for you though: Even Valve sees the "Big Picture".

[TechnicianTed]

'Here's a thought for PC gamers to have: '

Go on then.

'Tablets are overtaking your market.'

I don't see tablets playing the latest games, they play simpler games. Try getting Crysis or X3 on a tablet. You're just talking nonsense. And besides, you don't think tablets are overlapping into the console market?

I'd be more worried with the fact that tablets have begun to be popular in the last few years, and their technology increases by the day. A pc can scale by the year, a console will be stuck for years and get overtaken by tablet power.

Let's continue.

'Even MS, the creators of your beloved Windows is now happy to center their OS around tablets.'

Duh, it's called business. They are in the mobile sector too, it's not much of a problem. Windows 8 still works just as well with pc gaming. It's a non-issue.

'If that's not enough with each new revision compatibility mode is doing less and less, limiting older running software and hardware that ran just fine before.'

That's happened with every revision of Windows. Old news. I can still play games from over 30 years ago on my pc, can you do that with a console?

'If that's not enough too dedicated PC stores are closing down by the boatload every day while companies like GameStop that advertise consoles'

I don't know if you got the memo, but pc gaming is largely digital now, and has been for years. What's your point? That's the way that console gaming will go as well, it will just take a bit longer to get that way. But eventually most console games will be bought online. Look at pc gaming as a way to look into the future.

The rest of your post is just nonsense, well even more nonsensical than the start of your post.

You don't like pc gaming, I get it, but you are missing out on a lot of the positives when it comes to pc gaming, which is not surprising.

Pc gaming includes a wealth of gaming that just isn't possible or available on consoles. Not to mention that it is customizable to however you want it, and how much you want to spend on it. It offers a wide selection of gaming choice also when it comes to control, you want to use a dualshock? Go ahead. Want to use Keyboard and mouse? It's there. Xbox controller, Wii controller, pretty much any steering wheel? You can use it.

But you just look at the negatives. Pc gaming isn't for everyone, but you're just painting it in a light that fits your view.

You're pretty much just talking a load of crap.

'Here's a pun for you though: Even Valve sees the "Big Picture". '

That's just...weak. Valve realizes that more and more people use their pc with their tv, and have catered for them. But you use it as some idiotic attempt to make a shallow point.

Pathetic.

[Phils_Libra]

Both! Although I'll admit I have shifted back and forth between these two. In the mid-to-late 90's I was mostly a PC gamer but also played some (few) exclusive games on a Nintendo console. Then the PS2 came out and I started to move away from PC gaming. Last year I returned to PC gaming again, building a new gaming PC to accompany my PS3. So right now I am enjoying this PC/PS3 combination and am open to buying a next gen console too (probably a PS4) when I see a must have exclusive or two. Having a gaming PC this last year has been a real pleasure as there are gaming experiences unmatched on any current gen console such as game mods (DayZ, Skyrim, & Portal 2), MMORPG's, and very out-of-the-box indie games, plus the better graphics, which are the general reasons why I got back into PC gaming really. I think it is very smart of Sony to go after indie games with the PS4, and if they can just start bringing some MMORPG's too (EverQuest?), perhaps I won't have to upgrade my PC in a few years.

[Surt]

I have a sexy rig and ps3. Both treat me nice. But There is no way I'm going to buy the whole PC AAA titles. FPS and horror? Yes, thats what I use my rig far. Console ports? HAHAHA! You know what happens to ports on pc? Exclusives on consoles.

exclusives on pc? what.. you mean the korean MMOs? the indie games? No. I love both my darlings, but if these are pc AAA then it's nothing to be proud of. High end kick as engine, and what do you use it for? to mow the lawn. geez..

[DrRichtofen]

PC!