PC vs. Console: Which is Better?

Enigma of Gaming Furever has been playing games for almost his entire life. One thing you learn when being a part of this sub-culture is that the people who populate it tend to be very... tenaciously fanatic when comes to decisions they make. This causes gamers to debate a lot. One of the major debates that has cropped up more often of late than usual is whether PCs or dedicated gaming consoles are superior to the other. There are points to be made for either side. This week, he tries to apply his analysis onto this debate and attempts to come up with a satisfactory answer. For this analysis, he will look at several factors and analyze them to see whether PCs or Consoles do better in that category.

[CrAzYbRoS]

I will always be a console guy, myself, but you're right, it is a personal preference thing. I grew up on PS2 and Xbox Live, and because of that, a ton of my friends reside on there. Lately I have found quite a plethora of smaller indie games to enjoy on computer, which is what I really am excited about.

Sites like Kickstarter, Humble Indie Bundles, and Steam make the PC a better gaming destination now than in the past.

[Blankman85]

Lol I love these Jerry Springer type articles that have only one purpose, to start a fight!

[ABizzel1]

Simple answer.

PC is better because...

PC is better for playing games at their best. They offer the best fps, best resolution, best controls, and an overall better experience whether it's larger multiplayer maps / player count, mods, etc...

PC games cost a lot less than console games starting at $50, and quickly dropping in price. There are a lot of PC games that are F2P and are actually really good games, which is rare among consoles (PS3 leading the way on console).

Console is better because...

It's simple. Simply plug in your 2 cables, stick the game in, and play.

Consoles also allow you to share your gaming experience with your friends, via Split Screen.

Consoles are generally cheaper to buy than a gaming PC (although you don't need a max spec. PC to play games). And consoles games / graphics are good enough for most people.

Exclusives.

[ChickeyCantor]

"Console is better because...

It's simple. Simply plug in your 2 cables, stick the game in, and play. "

Doing the same with my PC. Where only one cable is necessary; gamepad. Steam allows me to "click and play". It's already hooked up to my 52" trough HDMI. As a console lover, I miss absolutely nothing when I play on my pc.

Games that don't support a Gamepad can be used with XPadder to emulate keys and mouse to your gamepad.

It all comes down to the games you want to play. But I don't get why "console" people don't want pc gaming as well. I mean everything is pretty much plug and play nowadays

[A-Glorious-Dawn]

They both have a place.

I have a PC and PS3 and I am very glad I have both.

The PC is great for melting your face with pretty graphics, and anyone who knows me knows I'm a graphic whore. Also the openness of the platform means that you get the community improving your games and making new ones. DayZ is definitely a highlight of this generation for me. The money saving potential as well, The amount of games I whore in the steam summer sale is ridiculous, it puts console game prices to shame...

But the PS3 has a very well deserved place under my TV. Obviously Sony's exclusives are a must have for all gamers, They are the reason I bought a PS3 and finally got on console. They don't disappoint. The gems like Demons souls and Ni No Kuni (and Starhawk <3) make me very, very glad I bought the console, Sony has some incredible talent working exclusively for them and I am being a part of that no matter what.. But other things as well make it worthwhile, like the fact that it's easy to set up and use, it's much quieter than my PC and also more reliable.

Diagnosis of problems with a PC can be a headache for even the most well versed computer wizz. I remember a time when my PC would shut down while playing games. Diagnosing the issue and fixing it took many hours and a lot of frustration. And it's happened a few times. I am really so glad that when frustration reached it's peak I could just say "screw you PC", flick on the ps3 and relax... But I'd never give up PC gaming, as I said before, with the graphic whore that I am, and with the amazing games PC gets, I guess the frustrations are worth it.

[Kin23g]

PC is far better, but consoles are more comfortable. I say, it's a tie.

[Getowned]

yes I agree it's personal preference in the end, but performace wise PC is King. I play on both so I don't really care, I couldn't really pick one over the other. I do game on my consoles more than my PC but not by to much. There are things I like about both PC's and Consoles. I do love the freedom of the PC and PC is better in ever aspect, even when people complain about not wanting to use a M&KB they can always hook up a controller, there are plenty of controller programs out there. You can hook your pc up to your tv and be lazzy on your couch just like with your console. I Have my dualshock hooked up to my PC for certant games which was vary handy sometimes. I will always have a gaming PC and a Console or two.

My comment may sound like I am on the PC side, but I'm just being real PC is better with out a doubt, but that dosn't mean we have to like it better or dislike it. I like both and I will continue to use both. Consoles for exclusices and lazyness and PC for everything else. The other reason I do like consoles tho is that you don't have to worry about your console running certant games because all (for example) PS3s are the same(more or less).

Really this article is 100% useless, it's boring, stupid and I lost intrest in a few paragraphs. who approved this garbage ?

[solar]

I am a PC elitist. Been gaming on PC since Commander Keen and Wolf 3D. But i dont care what others want to game on. I love my PC centric games, console players love a dumbed down gaming experience, and that's fine with me. Have fun on whatever platform you want. But gamers are not equal via the platform we play on. PC's and consoles are different animals.

[SilentNegotiator]

I would have sided with consoles a few years ago, but the experience has gotten less and less convenient over the years. At this point, I'll just as happily deal with similar issues on the PC and then play my game with some pretty settings. I primarily play on PC right now.

Still, I'll always prefer the (theoretical) advantages of consoles. Everything being equal works better for me...no tuning, games designed to be work well and be relatively issue free for that specific HW...that sort of thing.

[crawling182]

While I'm mainly a PC person, I love my PS3 and Vita. For me my console is indispensable for its exclusives and I'll admit that I usually enjoy Action/Adventure games on a console and FPS/RPGs on my PC.

[schlanz]

Simple answer is whichever platform gives you the most current gen games. PC has a few games I can't get anywhere else (Diablo, Guild Wars, ect) but PS3 and Wii have more exclusives I would never dream of missing out on.

Obviously in a perfect world everything would release on one platform (PC) and consoles would be a thing of the past, but as that has not happened with it, I'm happy playing right along.

[Shok]

Not one of these again........

Regardless of what the author says, any article with "Which is better?" in the title or anything akin to that should be automatically rejected.

[CrAzYbRoS]

I think that's why they call it an opinion piece. I agree that there are a lot of them, but as the old saying goes, "If you don't want to read it..."

Personally, I like hearing varied voices.

[Shok]

Nah I'm just sayin, all these kinds of articles do is encourage flame bait, whether the author meant to do that or not. We can't have actual civilized discussions here on N4G when it comes to comparative articles.

[Feralkitsune]

@Shok, dude. People will flame each other rather the article is flame bait or not. Welcome to the internet.

[swice]

@Feral

True, but it doesn't have the same flavor as N4G

[Irishguy95]

Yeah but

http://n4g.com/news/725072/...

That's the way this site is.

[josephps3]

Yet you were compelled enough to click on the link and make a comment and then check for updates and reply. Huh? Obviously its still a relevant topic and judging by the number of other people here it is a interesting topic.

[Shok]

"Yet you were compelled enough to click on the link and make a comment and then check for updates and reply."

Um, yes, and........?

"Obviously its still a relevant topic"

Nobody said anything about relevancy. Holy crap man you're REALLY over-thinking my comment lol.

[MysticStrummer]

"Obviously its still a relevant topic and judging by the number of other people here it is a interesting topic."

N4G seems to exist primarily for providing links to worthless opinion articles, with or without flamebait titles, so sure it's relevant to this site but I bet it's not interesting enough for most people to read before commenting.

[Persistantthug]

Give it go, Shokio. :)

[TedCruzsTaint]

If you are willing to front the initial cost of a gaming pc, then that is the superior way to play games.

If ease of use and a relatively cheap initial investment is what concerns you most, then it is console gaming.

Not much there for discussion. I think everyone knows the pros and cons of both platforms when it comes to games.

[josephps3]

Yup its as simple as that. PC has a much higher upfront cost but you do get a better experience. Is that relatively better experience worth the cost? Up do you to decide. If you game a lot and its a major part of your leisure time and provides a lot of enjoyment then its worth it to you. Other people may enjoy video games but also enjoy biking or cars or camping and choose to spend top dollars in those activities. Simple. Done. End of discussion.

[avengers1978]

my thing isn't the start up cost, it's the upgrading, 360 and PS3 are both 6 or so years old and games that come out on them now are better then when they first came out, but A 6 year old pc, even with higher end tech, would still need to be upgraded to play games that are currently coming out...
PC's are better, but for the price, slightly better isn't really worth the, much more expensive.
Hell if you bought a high end gaming rig in 2008, you still probably needed to upgrade to run, say battlefield 3 at full capacity.

[Bladesfist]

Yes but the consoles play BF3 on Low. A Gaming PC from 2008 could also play BF3 on Low.

[TedCruzsTaint]

That depends, really.

There is a build I am looking into at the moment that ($1,200), if I were to build it now, it should be able to handle games for a good while moving forward.

The only thing that ever really needs to be upgraded within a 3 - 4 year window is the graphics card, considering you put out for a quality build. I feel that, considering you do well with your cash, a gaming pc could last you about the length of your (average) console generation, this one being a bit long in the tooth. Update to gpu potentially needed. And this is me talking about still playing many games at high, or at least medium setting at full HD.

There is indeed extra cost that comes with pc gaming, however, and gamers need to decide whether or not that cost is worth it. For me, it definitely is. I put enough time into playing that I can easily justify footing the bill to enhance the experience. The difference, in my opinion, definitely justifies the cost - open platform, access to steam, being able to play games at their full capacity (and then some, depending), etc.

To be honest, I would say that a good number of people would see pc gaming a bit differently if they were to choose it as their platform for just one console generation. That's just me though. I still say that people should own both, considering they can afford it, if only for the exclusives. I just know, considering I had to choose one or the other, that I would stick with pc gaming.

[JBSleek]

Both. End of discussion no fighting no arguments they both have pros and cons and as a gamer it is better to have both. End.

[SolidSystem]

THey are equal, different crowds will like one vs the other.

I love my PC, i've been an avid PC gamer for years. I have built and rebuilt my machine 5 or 6 times.

I'm slowly liking consoles more simply due to the ease. no longer do i spend hours frustrated when trying to set up my virtual surround sound, or wondering if i have my settings right. I put the disk in and play.

but I do like how PC is open. I have options to use great software like Steam, and I can even mod some of my games.

Personally, Ill probably use both for ever. PC has great games I cant get on consoles, consoles have great games I cant get on pc.

[seanpitt23]

its got nothing to do with which one is better its what you prefer i have always had consoles so thats my choice.

[Relientk77]

It depends on the games and my mood, I like console and PC games, and they both have great exclusives

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Both! But as far as graphics go right now pc. As far games goes it depends on what you like.

[_LarZen_]

If you only have a Pc you are missing out.
If you only have a X360 you are missing out.
If you only have a PS3 you are missing out.

If you have all 3 you are #Winning

[jsslifelike]

I think you're missing one...

[Trago1337]

oh boy, one of those articles.

well, i game on Both. i usually get multiplats on PC simply because of better performance, and games on steam are usually cheaper, however, consoles have multiplats that are only on consoles as well as exclusives that i would be willing to buy.

so yeah, do what works for you, personally, i go where the good games are.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

To avoid starting a flame war, I will choose Gundam.

[Hicken]

Isn't choosing Gundam how you END the war?

[ChunkyLover53]

I own all the consoles, usually end up buying every one. I don't own a PC at all. I think its great if people enjoy playing games on a PC, its just not for me. There are a ton of reasons why I prefer consoles, but I'm sure everyone has heard them all before.

Console gamer for life here.

[bub16]

It comes down to what is easier. my friends LOVE gaming but they have NO IDEA! when it comes to specs. Drivers, Programs and all the other funky stuff you pc gamers use.

Consoles are for people who don't need to know what spec their pc is. just go to a shop. look at games you like and buy the one with PS3/XBOX written on the top.

[Treian]

Uh no. I had no idea how to work a console, and I learned it on my own. I had no idea how to work a PC and I learned it. I think you are just lazy....

[KingOfArcadia]

Pizza or Hot Pockets?
McDonalds or Wendys?
Coke or Pepsi?
Swimming Pools or Lakes?
Peas or Beans?
Poodles or Terriers?
Budweiser or Miller?
Cake or Ice Cream?
Coffee or Tea?

Which One is Better?

[JBSleek]

Pizza
Wendys
Pepsi
Lakes
Beans
Terriers
Budwesier
Ice Cream Cake
Coffee

[DarkTower805]

Pizza
Wendys
Diet Pepsi
Pools
Beans
Terriers
Bud Light
Ice Cream
Coffee

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Pizza or Hot Pockets?

Pizza. Who the heck likes those poop pockets where the box shows them being full of filling and then when you bite into it, there's nothing in there?

McDonalds or Wendys?

I don't really eat fast food but based off commercials, I'd probably say Wendy's simply because of the Baconator!

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke. Simple enough

Swimming Pools or Lakes?

Hell no to public pools. If private, I'd probably go them over lakes, although, with lakes, you can go skiing, tubing, and such.

Peas or Beans?

I actually like both.

Poodles or Terriers?

I'm not a fan of little yappy dogs that can fit in a purse so I'll go with a Standard poodle. Not only are they big but they are one of the smartest dogs out there.

Budweiser or Miller?

Budweiser. I'm from St. Louis. It's basically required by law there.

Cake or Ice Cream?

I really only like fresh homemade ice cream. I'm a snob like that. I hate hard ice cream. I also don't like cake because it's too dry. I prefer brownies over cake.

Coffee or Tea?

I like both. Coffee is good for waking up and tea is good for going to sleep.

Did that answer your question? :)

[Getowned]

Tea is not good for going to sleep, it has more caffine than coffee XD

There Is caffine free tea tho, but im sure thats what you meant ;D

[kingduqc]

You are talking about food, witch taste is subjective... Here we can put numbers on many thing, pixels count, latency,frame rate, Cost, Number of options ect.

PC offer a better experience on all those cases and by quite a large margin. I wont elaborate more on that it would take too much of my time, but frankly anyone saying that the experience on console is better just didn't play on PC at all.

[Jirachi]

Pizza
Burger King
Pepsi I guees because moutian de is my second favorite soda(i like root beer most)
Pools for swimming lakes for fishing
Beans
Neither i like Gold receivers more and cats>dogs,imo
Don't drink beer
Cake
Cofee is better to wake up but tea taste better over all so tea

[aliengmr]

Pizza
McDonalds
Dr.Pepper
Swimming Pools
Beans
Cats:P
Bud
Cake
COFFEE

Bubble for injecting some sanity in an absurd debate.

[billy_biff]

Both are good, kind of comparing a porche and a vayron, both are great, but no denying the vayron is better but costs more. i guess what i'm trying to say is you get what you pay for.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Who approved this article? What a stupid topic. Not only has it been done to death, it's totally pointless and subjective. Enough with these types of articles.

[yabhero]

I own a PS3, PC a 3DS and plan to get a WiiU do I'm OK...

[DigitalAnalog]

I saved more money on my PC with nearly triple than my entire library of PS3/Wii and 360 put together. That, is INCREDIBLE value.

[beerkeg]

I play more on pc. Pc is obviously better for me.

[wiiulee]

wiiu is better....i feel nintendo has it so right...something pc nor anything else can do and they have the right launch games

[Bonerrr]

PC. We've been in "next gen" for a while now. Console owners seem to think their jump to "next gen" will be massive.... It won't. Not if Sony don't want to end up bankrupt. Same goes for MS. PC may be expensive but it's literally a one off payment into a world of brilliance. It goes along side personal preference... If you have the money go for it.. If not. Enjoy your 20FPS consoles with sub par textures, screen tearing, jaggies, lack lustre promises from Sony. Close platform conformity that you have to pay for... Etc

[ninjahunter]

Pc, simply put, you pay more, you get more.

[Series_IIa]

The PC has games like:

- Crusader Kings
- Europa Universalis
- Hearts of Iron
- Civ IV and V
- Total War series
- Company of Heroes
- World in Conflict
- ARMA 2
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R Series

That's why I prefer PC, not to mention the potential for graphical enhancements compared to its console counterpart. Plus most of of the games are £10 or £20 cheaper on PC which is always a plus, but PC gaming sucks when you have Ubisoft style DRM and crappy ports where you get a UI which caters to controller rather than a mouse, or no graphic options leaving you with no or minimal AA.

... Mods are also sweet too.

[iistuii]

Depends how you like your graphics. I love Gears of war on my 360 also uncharted on my PS3, however if they were on pc that would be the version I'd get. Battlefield 3 on my gaming rig maxed out is amazing & makes the console versions look very sad, however it costs a lot more than both consoles put together, but as gaming is my thing, i think it's worth it.

[GamerzElite]

PC ????? whats that... never heard that!!!!! Have 2 mac PS3 and XBOX 360.. should I need PC but why... when I am getting before months on PC release, console get games, DLC and many more before PC. I can play on my 50inch HDTV with full Dolby sound experience. Really do I need pc?

[h311rais3r]

The fact that you have a Mac means you wasted your money. Could have BUILT a pc 2x as powerful for half the price.

[PersonMan]

Some people (like me) just prefer the Mac and Mac OS. It has nothing to do with gaming. I wouldn't buy a Mac if I was only buying a gaming machine, but they are wonderful computers. Plus, I boot mine into Windows and play PC-based games natively. No issues whatsoever. I also use my PS3 controller.

So basically, I have a Mac, a PC and 2 PS3s (I sold my 360... it was just collecting dust...literally...)

Go ahead and disagree with me if you want, but I pretty much have everything I need to play games on.

[ExCest]

@^ From what I've experienced, booting Windows on a Mac is pure hell.

[GamerzElite]

LOL, I waste my money! Bro I have 2 MAC's and in future I will buy it again. For gaming I have console and You never understand power of mac.....

[the_hitman3000]

As someone who has a pc and ps3 I do find my self on pc games more but games like red dead infamous and uncharted are some of the reasons I like my Ps3. I say its a tie between the two but having both a console and Pc I say is a win awesome console exclusives and nice looking multiplats.

[taquito]

vhs or bluray

ford fiesta or dodge viper

there is ZERO denying that pc utterly and completely smashes every single thing about a console

graphics, obviously, DECIMATES consoles sub-hd, jaggies, screen tear, terrible framerates

mods, well pc has them, consoles DON'T (oh yeah, little big planet and unreal tournament 3, lol....cool)

Emulators!!! -the pc plays more console games than any console does, ps2, ps1, gamecube, wii, ds, psp, gameboy, genisis, nes, snes ect....all on pc, all in hd, no freaking lame remakes to buy if you own the original and it is 100% legal as long as you own the game!!

controls, pc has options, console does not, mouse keyboard, joystick, controller (ps3 or 360 or 100's of others) flight sticks, racing wheeels, the wii controller, kinect all on pc!

multiplayer, pc has dedicated servers, higher player caps, better communities, clans, leader boards, teamspeak vent

better prices, like, way better, more competition between amazon, steam green man gaming, gamersgate, gog, uplay, ubishop, origin, thq, ect....ect......

mmos

rts

strategy

simulation

genres that while may be on consoles RARELY, even when they are, they are utter trash, lol....have you ever seen a game like lord of the rings battle for middle earth with more than 100 units on screen on the xbox 360, SLIDESHOW, and that game would run on a crappy laptop, You think maybe we needed new consoels 2 years ago???

multitasking, email, do work, video chat, buy a pizza, order movies tickets all that and more by just alt tabbing and going back to your game

[deletingthis34675334]

PC. Cheaper games, more exclusives, more customization, more genres of games, more choices for controls, superior online play...for free, and better performance depending on your hardware configuration. Consoles may be cheaper, but that doesn't mean they are better. They are clocked at that hardware configuration permanently save for the hard drive, and you upgrade it by replacing the ENTIRE system, while PC you can just replace certain parts that is necessary.

[HonestDragon]

I have a better question: Who cares? Sure the article writer brings up that it's all about a person's "preference", but at the end of the day, I see it as a trivial question. Who cares what you game on? You have PC, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Personally, I game on all of them. Each has its positives and negatives. None are superior to the other. Unless you have those fanboys come in and give reasons why their platform or system is better followed up with the unsurprising insults and cursing.

[Jirachi]

I mostly stay awy from pc games as i can't STAND keyboard and mouse controls.
Ever pc game i play uses a gamepad.

[TheObserver]

PCs are better in power and capabilities. Consoles just are more affordable,more user friendly, and more profitable. That is the simple truth.

This is like asking which is a better vehicle: an F1 or a Toyota? It all depends what you are looking for.

I personally prefer PCs because that is where gaming is pushed to the very limits. Sadly, consoles gaming is holding that back. Multi-platform is the rage nowadays and not too many developers want to make a PC exclusive with high requirements.

Luckily, I am able play multi-platform with mods that would make consoles explode.

I have PC, PS3(For exclusives), and 360. But the 360 is rarely used.

[AIndoria]

"Sadly, consoles gaming is holding that back. "

*Sigh* To each his own, I guess. My opinion on your quote would be, "NO!"

[TheObserver]

You can have your opinion, but no matter how many times you say "NO!", the facts wont change.

A case of denial at its finest.