Why Consoles Have Succeeded Over PCs in Gaming

Ryan Hillis of Gaming Irresponsibly writes: Recently, our great leader Frank Moricz outlined some highlights of PC gaming over consoles and the console ports of traditionally exclusive PC titles, as well as their effect on the industry and the games themselves. I will offer the other side of the story and follow the steps of Frank when I say I mean no offense to PC gamers. PC gaming is responsible for most of what gaming is today, and I respect that. I am simply highlighting the advantages consoles have over PC gaming. With that being said, lets begin.

[maskren]

If anything, PCs have always been more aesthetically pleasing to me. SHINY LIGHTS AND TWISTED STEEL.

Consoles these days look like half-formed turds.

[agentxk]

I love the accessibility of consoles. I try to play PC games with my brothers and half the time one of their PCs can't run the title we want to play.

[blitz0x]

Yeah, one of the unfortunate downfalls of gaming on a PC. Devs likely spend a lot of time worming out all the issues that can be caused by hardware variants.

[blumatt]

Consoles will always have the trump card due to not having to deal with upgrading all the time. You buy your console and you're done. You can go out and buy all the game you want for that console and never have to worry about them not working due to hardware requirements. Not only that, but there are alot of niche titles like Journey (I can't wait for that game!!!), Flower, and Pixeljunk that are only on consoles.

@evrfighter
lol Yeah, the irony. haha

[evrfighter]

to make an account on a video game website, post regularly about games, and then to call other people nerds.

stay classy my friend

[-Alpha]

@blumatt

Consoles are more accessible for the masses, but PC's don't have to be upgraded "all the time"

You don't always have to pump the best out of your wallet to get current gen games running on your PC. A majority of PC gamers are really hardcore and spend the money because they are really hardcore about it

PC gaming is also becoming a lot easier for mainstream audiences to pick up as various companies are releasing built lineups.

The thing with me is that I already own a console. I'm already quite busy with what I have. But I do want a PC as its clearly the most superior product for multiplats (BF3) and has a ton of great exclusives. The cheaper games and the endless mod support are really something that extend the life of any title you own.

I also find the community to be much stronger and mature. I can't count how many times I've played Combat Evolved and said to the enemy team "Hey, you guys have more experienced players, mind if some of you switch sides?" Players are friendlier and work much better together and communicate so well. Games just aren't made like that on consoles, the openness of PC gaming is something I really love

It's clear that you get a lot out of what you pay for a PC. Think of all those people who paid $400+ for a console and compare that to a $1K PC from the same year. It's tough for me to be a console and PC gamer, but if I went solely with a PC I don't think I'd have a problem with such an investment

[kevnb]

of course you have to upgrade your console, if you buy one now you have like two good years left and you have yo buy a new one or just play old games. If I build a half decent pc now, I should get 3 years or so before an upgrade, maybe more since we are already gaming at 1080p and well beyond what the consoles can do today. Now if I want to stay bleeding edge all the time, well I could waste alot of money but in no way do i have too. And the hardware variant thing people talk ab out is just bs, we have api so we can avoid that. Any game with problems has problems across pretty much all hardware, or maybe ati or nvidia... but we dont see issues with specific combos...

[Bull5hifT]

Pc are more easier to get cracked games played on , where some consoles you have to mad them internally.... So devs lose alot of potential sales on pc and choose to do the console thing..... See the psp died to devs cause all you needed was a memory stick, im not sure how Apple Does it, with the jailbreak scene ... It was just my opinion

[Ducky]

"Not only that, but there are alot of niche titles like Journey (I can't wait for that game!!!), Flower, and Pixeljunk that are only on consoles."

There is an equal number of such 'unique' games on PC from the indie scene (ex Polynomial, ThePath) and even some mods add unique twists (such as 'TheCube' mod for Fallout3 or 'DearEsther' for HalfLife2)
In fact, it seems the PC market (in terms of exclusives) is pushing more towards these kinds of smaller games.

[limewax]

I purchased a £500 laptop a few months ago and that runs every game I have bought for it, Including crysis, Can even get DX10 and some settings on very high for a slight drop in resolution.

Until you try PC gaming at this current time you could be given a false impression, because there certainly used to be a lot more difficulty than there is now. For the price I bought my laptop I could have got a much better rig if I had anywhere to put it, And it can do so many other things, Cubase etc... Thats where your paying extra, You can follow all your hobbies along with gaming on a PC.

For gaming a console is more accessible yes, But a decent PC will give you superior games along with a tool most households have nowadays. I see why people pay that bit extra for a gaming pc, But I don't see why its so hard for others to understand why people do, as it seems to be fairly straightforward.

[NukaCola]

Although the PC is just as great as console and has many, if not more, titles than the consoles, the one thing PC has not established in the house is the Mascot.

Nintendo has Mario which is a name that is more popular than Mickey Mouse in many homes today.

Sega and Sonic have shown the energetic power that was the Genesis.

Sony started with Crash Bandicoot and set a name for itself and now big leaguers like Drake and Ratchet and Clanck and Kratos define the brand.

Microsoft stepped out of the box with Halo which is the the defining and world renound FPS. Even games like Fable and Gears which are on PC, are the faces of Microsoft.

When you think PC, at least for me, I can't think of anything that says "Look at me, I represent PC gaming!"

I love PC gaming tons, but I have to give it to the console boys for creating icons that sat well with the household and have made names that children have grown up with. Just my thought. I may be wrong, but I really think that it's those mascots and brand names that consoles have really embedded into the home market.

[Iroquois_Pliskin]

imagine if they start making upgrades for consoles? PC will be dead by then imo

[Ducky]

^ That would be the death of consoles, not PCs, as you'd essentially be getting rid of one of console's biggest advantages: static hardware that doesn't have to be upgraded and guarantees that a game will be playable.

That, and console upgrades have been attempted in the past... and failed.

[HydroCopper]

Contrary to popular belief, upgrading is one of my favorite parts of PC gaming. Im always looking forward to the next new powerful piece of hardware that I can add to my rig. Consoles just don't do it for me anymore. I own a 360 and PS3. Its so frustrating playing a game on such ancient hardware when I know technically, the game could be so much better. Gears 3 and Uncharted 3 will be the only console games I play in the next year.

People complain that PC gaming is so much more expensive. Maybe initially yes. But once you have a decent PC, you save so much on software compared to consoles that all the money you save can go towards that new video card next year to keep your PC current. And all the while enjoying a way better gaming experience. Take a look at the steam summer sale recently. Brand new games for 50% off.

[guitarded77]

Accessibility, accessibility, accessibility. Pop in a game and go... no hardware updates, no settings to worry about... everyone can understand that. PCs have a performance advantage, but accessibility is king.

[slayorofgods]

Personally, I feel it is important to own both a gaming pc and console to really understand what each of them brings. I'm not going to say either one is better then the other, but each offer advantages over the other.

Have consoles succeeded over pc's in gaming? Absolutely not, A PC gamer understands why.

[SkyGamer]

If it weren't for PC, ps3 wouldn't have a lot of their catalogue of games. X360 is like PC but ps3 isn't. That means for ps3 users, NO

Bethesda
iD
Valve
Bioware
Edios
Epic
Crytek
Duke Nukem
Bioshock

And many more that are on PC that just get ported to console.

[lil Titan]

articles like this bring out the fanboys in people smh to each his own people!!!

[Theonetheonly]

@ nuke cola.

dude ... gordon freeman.

[DeadlyFire]

Main reason has always been price point.

One major benefit of PC gaming is dedicated games. An exclusive PC game can last you years with right online modes and fun. There is no main server cutoff switch for most games.

Well in today's world you can get decent PCs for around 600-1000 bucks. Any console + HDTV combo costs about the same. So its really not to bad.

You can get the newest graphics card. I mid range Quad core CPU, 4-8 GB of RAM, decent HDD, sound all for under $1000 bucks and it will play any game you want.

I can see PC/Mac gaming catching up to consoles in the future.

[dangert12]

most pc are not in a relaxing environment in homes
example

pc - desk and computer chair
console Tv and bed/ sofa

alot of people don't understand a console is a limited pc,

alot of people don't know of steam gfwl etc

alot of people find it hard to adjust to wasd and and dont think to buy console like pads

pc have never really been promoted as a gaming thing though we have gaming pc's we call em lol

[Agent-86]

"most pc are not in a relaxing environment in homes" Well, my computer chair is more comfortable than our sofa. It's an executive style with padded armrests (sofa only has one you can use unless you're really fat and can reach both sides). It also has a high back which gives neck support for long gaming sessions (the sofa is low back and causes neck strain after a while). I also took a plastic milk crate, turned it upsidedown, and made it an ottoman. Believe, I'm very relaxed when on my PC.

Actually, my gaming PC and PS3 are both hooked up to a 40" HDTV and I can switch between the two with ease. If I want, I could also rotate the screen and would able to play or watch from my bed. However, I do have an extra set of wires connected to the downstairs TV, if guests come by and want to play the PS3. Some people actually do have comfortable, relaxing PC setups.

[maskren]

On the contrary, I'm not comfortable unless I'm sitting in front of my PC in my chair.

Anything else is just weird for me.

That being said, I agree. Most people are ignorant.

[RememberThe357]

Frankly I'd rather lay on by bed or sit on my couch and play video games than sit at a desk and play video games. Its just more comfortable.

[dangert12]

@RememberThe357
same here

[Neckbear]

You know, I'd pretty much prefer sit in front of a desk to play videogames rather than lay on a bed or sit on a sofa. The former is just too awkward for me to do whilst playing videogames, and the latter just ain't as comfortable as a computer chair.

That's exactly why I have my consoles hooked up on my desk, alongside my PC. It's just more comfy and less awkward in my personal opinion.

@RememberThe357

A couch? Perhaps, but I don't really use it. A bed, however? Hah!

It's just awkward to play while laying down, man. At least for me.

[RememberThe357]

@Neckbear: You need a better couch and bed ;)

[Arnon]

Hook up your PC to your TV with your HDMI, and use any controller available if need be.

You'll have a more immersible experience with better graphics and possible 3D capabilities depending on the game since that's apparently what everyone wants. Then, once you're done gaming, you'll have a PC connected to your HDTV running at 1080p (I shouldn't have to explain why this is awesome).

Problem solved.

In the long run, you spend about 200% less with PC gaming, as upgrading is not required for quite a while. Not to mention about 90% of all PC titles are cheaper than console titles. I've purchased and have been gifted around 30 titles on Steam during the summer sale, and have spent roughly $60-$70 total.

[pixelsword]

If I can't be buck-naked, covered in yogurt being fanned by redneck hookers then I can never be comfortable.

Oh, wait; we're talking about gaming...

[Godmars290]

Really doubt the article is talking about you which is the common mistake PC gamers make when this subject is touched. The one that always make.

Consoles have been about accessibility. The toy parents could leave their ten in front of that happens to plug into that old dependable babysitter the TV.

[fluffydelusions]

Sorry but consoles have always trumped PC imo. Maybe not from a technical standpoint but from a games perspective almost certainly. And I also game on PC. The most iconic games are nearly all console. Mario,donkey Kong, metal gear etc etc.

[kevnb]

doom, wolfenstein, world of warcraft, starcraft, counter-strike, sims, flight simulator, myst and well you get the point. Iconic games for adults live on pc.

[Fruit Loops]

halo...

[gamingdroid]

Hell yeah!

StarCraft, C&C, Dune II and Warhammer!!!

Can we please has a StarCraft for Xbox 360 with Kinect support?

[Trunkz]

Who cares which platform you play it on, it's all about the games... Everyone will agree theirs is better so lets just say everyone is a winner in the end. Consoles and PC machines can live side by side.

[theonlylolking]

Everyone can not be a winner. If you own a PS3 and want to play halo reach but you dont have a 360 then you are not a winner but you are still a gamer.

[Trunkz]

@theonlylolking

Your a Winner if your on 360, you get stuff like Halo, your a Winner if your on PS3 you get stuff like LBP, Nintendo well obvious what they have.

[omi25p]

you turds most look pretty damn awesome then

[BeOneWithTheGun]

It's the casual market that is doing them in. Mom and Dad are not going to give little Timmy a $1000.00 computer and let him play games on it. Little Timmy probably does not know how to format a hard drive, let alone adjust advanced settings, trouble shoot in the game files, download mods, etc.

Mom and Dad buy a little square box that only requires Timmy to push a button and insert a disc to play his games.

[andyboy13]

Please stop using the pc gaming is so expensive bs. It really isn't these days. My $529 CAD laptop plays crysis tf2 cod and pretty much anything else just fine.

[BeOneWithTheGun]

@andyboy: My point is a parent is not going to buy a nice gaming rig for a child. A console is just one square piece of plastic that is kid friendly. If you listen to the mentality of those people on LIVE and PSN, they do not exert a great deal of common sense.

I would never buy my 13 year old kid a gaming PC and expect her to be able to take it apart and switch out graphic cards and whatnot. It would be broken in a week.

Consoles are there, in one box, ready to go.

[HydroCopper]

BeOneWithTheGun

You are talking about an entirely different market. Lets be honest, teenage girls for the most part wouldn't be interested in 90% of the games out there. And little Timmy is only a small percentage of the market also. Thats why they have kid games for Timmy. And mature rated games for adults.

Any adult (or teens even) who are seriously into gaming has the ability to format a hard drive or change a graphics card. Its not rocket science. I've been doing those things since i was 12 years old. Ive also been gaming on consoles since i was in kindergarten. I just understand the advantages on PC gaming far out-weigh the disadvantages.

And only top of the line rigs are expensive. You can get a very capable gaming rig for pretty cheap these days.

[fullmetal297]

So console gaming is for little kids?

[BeOneWithTheGun]

@fullmetal. no, not at all but uninformed parents are not going to invest in computers so their kid can play games. they see console at waLlmart and on tv so that is what they buy.

[Frak]

shiny lights and twisted steel... sound like my turd

[darkziosj]

console have the best exclusives games, most of the best exclusive games of pc are mmorpgs or rts

[showtimefolks]

but because there are more gamers on consoles and unlike a lot of pc gamers we don't steal games

that's why many of the pc franchises are coming out new consoles because you can make a lot more money on consoles

[Bladesfist]

1) Piracy is not stealing. Its Copyright Infringement.

2) Used game sales hurt developers a lot more.

[kramun]

@showtimefolks

Well consoles have piracy, and rental and second hand markets which cost devs a lot more than piracy. Why do you think more and more games are being sold with codes for online play? It's because they are obviously losing money, mostly from the rental and second hand side of things.

The biggest reason pc franchises come to console is because they are in the business of making games to make money. They may well lose money from piracy on pc, but they also lose money from piracy on consoles. They simply want to broaden their market, the more systems their games are on means they sell to a wider audience. Profit.

And besides, piracy and loss of sales from piracy is another topic entirely, and is more complicated than a simple loss of sale argument. It could be argued that many who pirate may not even buy the game if they weren't able to pirate it.

Anyway, if you were to ask a dev what hurt their sales most, it would likely be the rental and second hand markets. Piracy would be a smaller issue.

[spdarksky]

@showtimefolks

"Console gamers don't steal games"

All my friends used pirated copies for their console games mostly PSPs and 360s especially when it's single player only games. They only bought legit copy when they want to play online. So, saying that console gamers don't steal games is full of bull$h!t.

[NanoSoldier]

Consoles > PC according to gaming.

[SephirothX21]

It depends on the PC. Consoles are the hardware the average person has access to and therefore game developers target console owners and can easily make games that utilise a particular console's ability. This isn't the case for PC as everyone has a PC with different specs. However, seeing as all games are made on a PC, it is not so difficult for developers to release a title for the medium. Piracy has driven down PC sales but services like Steam have kept the PC gaming industry alive. Players might be able to play PC games offline for free but they will be banned from Steam for playing pirated games online. Its easier to play pirated games online on the 360 and not be banned than it is on the PC. I have a high-end PC that I play all multiplatform games on. Though I use my 360 and PS3 a lot for exclusives.

[ABizzel1]

1. The reason consoles have succeeded over PC's is because they take the PC gaming experience and simplify it so everyone can play. With a console it's plug in and play.

2. A mouse and Keyboard can be more intimidating than a controller especially when you have to plug in key commands etc...

3. Some people just don't know/understand PC's. They don't know you can connect your PC to your 50" and play on it, they don't know PC games are much cheaper than console games, they don't know about service like Steam, and they don't know about installing games or plenty of other things involved with PC gaming which again points back to the simplicity of console gaming.

[subtenko]

lol this article is the counterpart of the statement that PC has dominated over consoles xD it was only a matter of time b4 this article was made,hah

[BeastlyRig]

Consoles wins with big budget content/PC wins with innovative content..

They say Consoles have more variety but only with 3rd person games..

PC games(Like Minecraft, Terraria, Overgrowth, MainiaPlanet, Frozen Synapse, Planetside 2, mod community) are based off of new ideas!

And Console games like(Fortress craft, Call of Duty, Halo, and just about every shooter) are clones!

Besides LBP there really is not much fresh to play!

Everything is ducking behind cover of shooting for killstreaks or slamming you back to a wall for cover or some other mainstream crap!

Please find shooter like this on consoles with so many new mechanics.. 64 players btw..
- http://www.youtube.com/watc...

or a fighting creation game..
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

or a shooter/rpg/racing creation game.

http://www.maniaplanet.com/

[blitz0x]

I think nintendo is the clear winner for hardware innovation though.

[Ser]

I'm sorry, but Red Orchestra, as a series, has always looked very meh to me.

Not just graphically, the gameplay looks very bland and unexciting. I prefer Battlefield 1942.

[nightmarex121]

mine craft is comming to console anywayz, even on the mobile phone.
What are you like 12 pc went through a shooter phase too, with bunch of shooters like doom quake wolfestin, half-life, cod, battlefield, halo. And notice it still a shooter platform as well b/c only shooters have had take advantage of the hardware like crysis and now bf3.

[kevnb]

all those big budget console exclusive games dont actually add up to much at the end of the day, there isnt that many of them worth even a try (marketing makes it seem like there are way more than there are). At the end of the day, if I couldnt play starcraft 2, stalker, or total war I would be quite sad :(.

[agentxk]

I will say, PC certainly boast a much larger library of games. Heck I picked up some PC exclusives today during the steam sale.

[maskren]

STEAM SUMMER SALE FTW

[Agent-86]

More of the PC vs Console crap. Why not own both? I have a gaming PC and a PS3. I miss out on very few games. It makes a great gaming combo in my opinion.

[maskren]

Because we want one rig to rule them all.

[blitz0x]

I agree with the thought, but also understand that where people are at financially may not be ideal. Right now is a difficult time economically to get together multiple systems and also the accessories, games aside.

[Agent-86]

This is true, but we still don't need to have this PC vs Console war. If you only had to pick one, they come out roughly equal in the end. PC has high upfront cost, but lower game costs overall while consoles have lower upfront cost, but higher game costs overall. No choice is really a bad one over the other. Pros and cons on both sides. But I guess conflict sells and gets hits, so it's PC vs Consoles, PS3 vs 360, blah, blah, blah, etc.

[Neko_Mega]

Pricing is the number one reason why people play on consoles.

If you want to do PC gaming then you got to have the money for it, if not then you go console. I do both, because theirs some games that aren't on console.

[Pandamobile]

I have a PC to play about 99% of my games, then a PS3 to play the couple of console games that catch my eye each year.

Just about all of my PC gamer friends have some sort of console in their house, but mainly used as a media hub.

[Danielmccue]

I think it depends on what your friends own too. i Have literally no friends who have gaming rigs.

I think i have like 1 friend on steam right now.

[Pandamobile]

Well, I have groups of friends that are all Xbox gamers who only tend to mingle into PC gaming for the LAN parties that I host once a year, but even they all own Steam accounts with at least a few games, lol.

I've got about 7 or 8 friends who I've converted to PC gaming using TF2 and Crysis over the last 3 years.

[Bladesfist]

Same Panda, I have 4 friends who have quit / sold their consoles and bought parts and I built it for them. All my xbox friends I know irl have quit gaming.

[BlmThug]

Consoles Have Lots Of Games. PC Has Few

[Pandamobile]

PC has more games than any other platform, lol.

You've got big budget releases, quirky indie games, casual Facebook games, Flash games, everything.

Steam has a catalog of over a thousand games that you can buy, download and play in minutes.

Nice try though.

[Laika]

lol facebook games?? really?

[caboose32]

Ignorance.

It never ceases to amaze me.

[Huntmaster17]

you can't be serious....

[ViserysTargaryen]

Consoles also have the most ignorant fanboys as illustrated by Blm Thug's post and many him.

[Ravenor]

Yeah having a catalog that spans from now to the mid 90's or even further back with some of the great emulation for older "pc" platforms is not many games.

[kevnb]

they havent really, unless you have an extremely narrow view on what gaming is. Its typical that console gamers only want to think of the games available on console, anything only on pc doesnt really count...

[helghast102]

Games.
It's all about the games.
You hear PC gamers talking about graphics
and console gamers talking about games

Games.

[solar]

you got to be kidding me right? didnt your extremist buddies just get done crying about BF3?

[helghast102]

What? Where did I mention BF3? I don't give a flying shit about ANY silly modern shooters, which is seemingly all PC gamers care about, along with their oh so purdy graphics.
Stay mad PCfriends

[gcolley]

PS3 fanboys only talk about graphics.

[SkyGamer]

Wow. I can't believe someone posted that. All I ever hear is how the ps3 is so graphically advance and that kz this and uncharted that. Yes I do hear people brag about Crysis, Metro 2033 and Witcher 2. Difference is that people that have sunk money into buying nice video cards, etc wants a game to take advantage of the perspective hardware. We PC gamers don't want every game to come out and we can max it with over 85 frames. ps3 people may be satisfied with your watered down 7800gtx but not everyone is. Yes i said ps3 people because you are the worst at making ridiculous claims, 120 fps, dual hdmi, etc, etc.

Oh and you don't have to afford it all at once. I built mine piece by piece. On a note, DO NOT scimp out on mobo. If anything, spend some dough on a good mobo because once you change mobo, you have to reinstall.

Side note, a parent is willing to shell out 600 bucks for a gaming pc, which the kid can do school work, properly surf the web, check email, write reports, etc. If people shell out 600 bucks on a shiny black box that tries so hard to be like a PC, but falls so short, then people will spend 600 bucks on a decent PC.

[ViserysTargaryen]

The vast majority of console games are multiplat. Which is something the PC totally dominate in. If you line up the sheer number of core games that are PC exclusives vs the console exclusives, the PC would probably win by triple digits.

[liquidhalos]

Pricing and standardisation. Allot of people are against the idea of spending hundreds/thousands of $$$'s on a top end gaming rig when its going to be out of date in a few months. Consoles have the edge in that department, get one at release and its good for 5/6 years. Consoles are cheaper, more accessible and popular for gaming in the mainstream

[SolidSystem]

its not your fault you believe such stereotypes.
PC gaming is not drastically more expensive than consoles. its higher yes, but not thousands of dollars.

[gcolley]

over 6 years it is

[SolidSystem]

@gcolley

and every 6 years people buy a new console.... once again taking the price differences to roughly equal again.

i maybe spend 100 dollars a year on maintaining my pc.

i save 10 dollars on every pc game i get vs a console game....

so its the same price range if you ask me.

[liquidhalos]

PC gaming is much more expensive than consoles. My console cost me £220 new, find me a PC that was capable of playing games at the xbox's release on high settings that is still capable of out performing a console today for £220. Its impossible, any rig that old would need regular updating to play games on decent settings. That costs money.

i7 + mobo, £300
GTX580 £390

One nice upgrade is enough to get 3 consoles and you cant save that kind of money by stashing £10 everytime you save on pc game prices. Lord knows that over the last 5 years ive spent much more than that keeping my rig up to date.

Don't get me wrong, i love my PC gaming and have done now for over 20 years but consoles are like i said, cheaper, more accessible and are enjoying huge popularity in today's mainstream. Gaming is no longer an exclusive for geeks.

[Substance101]

@liquidhalos

Why compare state of the art tech against half a decade old tech then complain about pricing.

Everyone knows most games dont use more then a dual core CPU, plus any 50GBP gpu can outperform consoles. So again why are you comparing a 400GBP gpu against ancient tech, its not like consoles can perform on simular levels, you should compare it to hardware which performs simularly, which in this case would be a 50GBP gpu.

Also you arent taking into considerating how much cheaper PC games are.

Thats how the console makers model works, they sell you the hardware for cheap then rip you off on the games. Guess what you only need to buy the hardware once however you need to keep buying new games, you need to keep renewing your online XBL charges. In the end console will turn out to be much more expensive then PC.

[spdarksky]

@liquidhalos

Why do you need i7 + mobo to play XBOX quality games?
I still using Core2 Duo and play Modern Warfare 2 1080p 60fps at max with 4xAA.

Why do you need to buy GTX580 to play XBOX quality games?
My old 8800GT can outperform XBOX graphically and performance any day.

With £220 i can get build a PC with twice the quality that XBOX or PS3 can deliver.

[SolidSystem]

3-4 times the cost of a console?

maybe if a console is 200 dollars. a gaming rig to get you playing just about every game on at least medium if not high will be near the 700 dollar mark. and that rig will last you a few years and does not require this "constant upgrading"

the article is obviously a console guy writing about a subject he knows little about.

I agree consoles are the easiest solution, but dollar for dollar my PC has always given me more back. my strong gaming computer is a strong computer do do any of my work on it.

also, =) d-pad on my PC makes it basically a 360 when i play games like Prince of Persia or Assassins creed. PC gamers are not limited to mouse and keyboard at their desk.

[kevnb]

plus whats the shelf life of a $200 almost ready to be replaced console?

[White-Sharingan]

and what's the shelf life of a PC that's constantly being outdated yearly, technology moves at such an amazing speed. Look at cell phones, you buy one now and 6 months from now it's old news. That's why consoles are appealing to a lot of gamers, you buy one at launch and you can use it for 6+ years without the need to upgrade (except maybe the hard drive, but that's not needed). Sure you may say "you don't need to play all PC games at maximum settings, so there is no need to upgrade" and I say, what's the point of PC gaming then? If I'm a PC gamer I want to be playing its games at its maximum settings, that's one of the main points for me of what PC gaming is, I also wouldn't want my online buddies to be playing a superior version of the game while I would be playing at the lower quality one, meh. On consoles everyone is equal in terms of gameplay and graphics.

[SolidSystem]

@white

just because its outdated doesnt mean its unusable or anything of that nature. my ipad1 didnt stop working....
my 2 year old PC rig still plays most games on very high. only the witcher 2 needed to be turned down.

so what does outdated do for any argument here? the 360s outdated, so is the ps3.... the difference is support. just like how you can turn games down to low and still have a game support older/weaker computers

[White-Sharingan]

@Solid- Like I said, my problem isn't that PC gets outdated, my real problem is that my PC will get outdated and other players will have a better overall game because they can keep up with the tech progress. I prefer playing an outdated game, that everyone is playing the same outdated game, than playing an outdated game, while a lot of users are playing the game on the updated version. Knowing that I could pay X or Y amount and have the updated game would force me to keep updating my PC constantly, which means more $$$

[silencedwriter]

For gaming, the PC is always more expensive. Always. Games maybe $10 bucks cheaper, but they will always get you in the long run.

[Chnswdchldrn]

The only reason to own a console over a PC or a PC over a console is exclusive games. Games that are multiplatform are typically uniform across PC and consoles,save the sometimes poor console ports, but exclusives like halo reach and starcraft 2 and killzone are reasons to own platforms other than PC or to own PC.

That and if your friends all own a particular platform, youd probably have a better time if you bought what they own.

Other than that, PC gaming is superior to console gaming in every way possible; this much is a fact. Cheaper games, better service with awesome sales, better looking games, the ability to totally customize your experience, PC gaming has it all.

It is true PC has few heavy hitting exclusives, but developers like Valve put so much love into their multiplatform titles for the PC that you might as well consider the PC versions of them exclusive.

I have played their PC-Ports on the console, the orange box and l4D2, and its almost night and day difference when I play the same games on my PC. Framerate on the console is shit and the controls are totally fucked because of the controller, which is why to truely experience correctly them I play it on PC

[Ulf]

PC games are nightmarish to support, and it costs loads of money to do so.

People just don't understand that writing games becomes WAY less fun when you spend half your time struggling with video card drivers under a half dozen flavors of Windows. Pro devs, and companies that are not looking to pay millions after release, for support, prefer making console games for this reason, as well as the sheer volume reasons that the easy-to-use console design provides.

Who wants to code defensively for months on end, so they don't have to dish out millions in returns? Who wants to write games for the lowest common denominator (which is a laptop with lesser specs than a 360, even today), when you know damn well that the rig you're coding on can handle so much more?

Consoles are the only serious target. Contrary to popular belief, consoles actually help keep the lowest common denominator for PC gaming from becoming an utterly ridiculous turd of a machine. It'd be worse, if consoles didn't hold the line, because yes, 5+ year-old mid- to low-end PCs are extremely commonplace.

[Huntmaster17]

This screams ignorance....

[Ulf]

Enlighten us, oh wise one.

[Laika]

i do agree with you on some things. im always having problems with my pc and gaming. ya i can fix it and find out the problem but its such a pain in the ass. what i like about consoles is the simplicity and speed

[Bladesfist]

I can program in C# and if I want to make a PC Game all I have to do is download UDK, Xna or unity. If i want to make a xbox game i have to pay £60 for a indie game licence. If i want to make a AAA game for xbox. I have to find a publisher and loose a percentage of the income and pay a license fee. If I want to make a Xbox and Ps3 game I have to buy 2 licences get a pulisher and code a direct x and opengl versions.

[spdarksky]

True enough..I agree..

[stu888]

this isn't ignorance, this is fact. I've gamed on PC before and its always been hold back for me because of this... drivers, patches, hardware

[BioDemon-]

Ignorance, it's everywhere.

[jaredhart]

Good read.

[blackbirdi]

flaming

[CrescentFang]

Most people nowadays still don't know how to work a computer. Something like a TV or DVD player is probably more pleasing a simple. For consoles, put in a disc/cartridge, turn on system and viola you can play your games :)

[Snake-eater]

i think thats why consoles will always come on top

[Black102WingS]

Sad thing is most of the people on n4g comment sections don't even bother reading the article? Lol the author states nothing but facts so, anyone disagrees please provide proof. And remember, simplicity is everything.

[MaxPower]

Are you kidding?
Almost all PC games are cross platform with PS360, so you need to upgrade every year to run a game that was designed to run on 6 year old hardware.
And PC costs are lower than ever... you could easily build a gaming rig for $3-400. The "facts" in that article are completely twisted.

In the end, the one thing the author gets right is that it is about the games... but he neglects to mention that the same game could be significantly different on different platforms. Good luck playing a 64 player game of COD4 on a dedicated server playing a custom map with a custom mod on your PS360!

[Snowii]

thats what im alwats saying!

try to get a good gaming pc in 300$

[Ulf]

LoL @ the disagrees.

[BioDemon-]

The disagrees are because he's as idiot. I could go build a PC right now on newegg for $300-350 that could easily outperform a console, that however is irrelevant when taking into consideration that my Steam library is $1200 retail but I only paid $300 for all of my games.

[Substance101]

True getting the same games on console would cost a fortune.

Hardware is pointless without the software (wise versa).

If a console costs cheap but then rips off on the software then you need to take into account the entire package.

PC hardware maybe few hundered usd more expensive initially however in the long run due to much cheaper software PC easily wins.

[solar]

i hate the exclusive game argument. yes a console might have 10 exclusives, but if only one is worth actually buying, is it really an advantage?

as a PC/PS3 owner the only exclusive ive played so far for the PS3 that is actually worth buying has been UC2. a game i hold up in high reguard as one of the best games ive played. the only othere exclusive that i want to play but havent yet is the LBP series. that looks fun. and the next exclusive ill turn my PS3 on for is The Last Guardian.

brain fart edit: put MGS4 in there as a 2nd exclusive worth buying. a fantastic ride with a terrible ending.

ill reserve judgment on how great UC3 is when i play the SP mate :)

[Motorola]

No Uncharted 3? I think you forgot that one.

[nightmarex121]

Heavy rain, god of war 3, infamous 2, demon souls and mgs4 all good single player experience.
Well i only play 2 games on my pc but i spent more time on pc then my ps3. Play sc2 and lol but lol is only holding placement for dota 2. But going to spend more time during this fall for all the games that are comming like twisted metal, resistane 3, uncharted 3, batman aa 2, and dark souls. But will spend more time on pc again when dota2, diablo 3, and guild wars 2 comes out, only problem with guild wars 2 i just hope i can play it.

[Imalwaysright]

Do yourself a favor and play Demons Souls. Imo is by far the best PS3 exclusive.

[Motorola]

Consoles have some good exclusives (Red Dead, Halo series, Uncharted series) and are conveniently priced. Also the controller (PS3 and Xbox 360) but alot of companies are putting controller support in their games which is nice.
Also No concerns of whether you can run it. You could upgrade but some people dont want to go through the hassle. It may not be a hassle for many people including myself but some people are just unable to put a graphics card in a computer.

[CadDad]

I was thinking about this the other day, and consoles win the race because you don't have to fiddle with them to get them to work. I have PC games from DOS all the way to new stuff, but if I want to play an old game it sometimes takes a tremendous amount of messing around just to get it to work, if I can even get it to work at all. Every new Operating system and hardware configuration can potentially screw you on installing and playing older games.

With consoles you just hook em up and go. I may be in the minority as someone who enjoys playing older games often, but it's still a serious limitation for PC's.

-caddad

[SkyGamer]

There is program compat. and Dosbox. Yes it is free and helps make the win98 and older games playable on a modern os.

[spdarksky]

You said about playing older games..Can PS3 play PS2 games let alone PS1 games????

Oh my PC can easily play 10, 20 year old games with no fuss. No programming required. I still play old games like XCom, Day of the Tentacle on the same OS and same PC that i play Crysis2 with.

[CadDad]

I know of and use those programs and it's still far more hassle than consoles are.

My PS3 can play PS2 and PS1 games, but so can my PS2 and my PS1, that's not really the point I was getting at.

The point is, consoles can be hooked up and you can play any game on them without anything else, with PC's you have leg-work to do.

-caddad

[gcolley]

ease of use!

[JonnyBigBoss]

It really comes down to library and ease of use. I have a gaming PC that all I use for is browsing and work.

[ATiElite]

1. More people play their games on consoles than PCs this day in age............250 Million online PC Gamers worldwide with PC Gaming in India and China where Wii,PS3,360 are not.

2. No need for waiting, multiple disc changes, etc........Excuse me FFXIII on the 360, Console load times are longer in game on consoles than a PC game loading from a HDD. the initial install takes like 2 minutes unless it's Steam or another Digital service (which most PC Gamers use) then their is NO install time.

3. Most consoles over the years have released for between $250-$600 while popular PC manufacturers cost 3 to 4 times as much..............but you can always build a DX11 Gaming PC for $450 and remember it does more than just play games like I don't see Wii,360,PS3 burning Blu-Ray or doing your Taxes.

4. Consoles just have more exclusives..........first off any gaming PC can play ALL Wii games so scrath off Nintendo, second the PC has more MMO's than the 360 and PS3 have exclusives combined and that's just MMO's. So if i included all the other genres the number of PC Exclusives is staggering. When i say Exclusive i mean Exclusive to one SYSTEM. No multi-plats.

5. when is the last time a PC exclusive title won GotY? It’s been a while.........OK GOTY no longer matter because all my favorite games won a GOTY last year, too many publications hand it out But Half Life 2 won GOTY in 2004 and Call of Duty 2003 so that's 5 PC Exclusives in 14 years vs. 5 exclusives on console as all other winners were multiplats. HL2 was on PC in 2004 the Orange Box is what consolers got in 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Console gaming is cool, it has it's advantages and disadvantages but DO NOT go making up false facts about PC Gaming in a stupid PC vs. Console article. Therefore as you can see most of R. Hillis article is a lie.

R. Hillis you are an Official Ass Clown and you know ZERO about PC gaming.

[silencedwriter]

1. Didn't read the article. The definition of gaming in reference to this article is defined. So your argument is invalid.

2. One example and you totally missed the point. Your argument is invalid. Was more focused on install times and disc changes during install times.

3.The article referenced that it is cheaper to build your own rig than to buy one already assembled, yet again your argument is invalid.

4.As far as quality titles go. (that means AAA) Consoles are far superior. And don't name me a game that came out 10 years ago. Consoles have better exclusives, that is a fact.

5.More CONSOLE exclusive titles have won GotY awards across the board than PC Exclusive titles have over the past 10 years.

So after your fanboy ass came up with a list that you deemed discredits the article, did you feel better? Does it make you happy that you look at this with such bias, that you pass yourself off as a crybaby bitch? Well keep crying AtiElite, you can go play your PC exclusive games like Farmville and Zuma Blitz, lol.

[iamgoatman]

"Does it make you happy that you look at this with such bias, that you pass yourself off as a crybaby bitch?"

Look who's talking, your post reeks of biased, fanboy ignorance.

[ATiElite]

@ Silencedawriter....U mad!

this is the perfect Post to use for the thread......"How to be a fanboy without being a troll"

http://n4g.com/news/802938/...

cause you sir are a Fanboy and a Troll.

@iamgoatman
Nice!

[SkyGamer]

At least ATiElite gave references. All you gave were, that's invalid. So what is invalid? It has been proven that Solitaire is the MOST played game of ALL time and yes that is on a Windows PC.

[silencedwriter]

^ Plays PC. :(

[magicwalnuts]

Witcher 2, that was easy. The only thing us PC Gamers are missing out on that we weren't before are games like Uncharted, Red Dead, Heavy Rain, and Alan Wake, which sucks but the benefits are far greater. Plus who says I can't own a PS3 as well.

[Soldierone]

I already know I won't be able to post this without getting a negative "YOU HATE PC AND ARE A FANBOY!!!!" response...but its worth a shot.

1 True, however I don't know why numbers are brought up. technically speaking there are millions of phone based "gamers" that could win this argument easily. so both sides lose here and its stupid to argue over.

2 True and false, if you can clarify a little bit. I dont understand what you are talking about with no installs for Steam. there are still installs, and for the rather lengthy games it is rather long for some games. You can pre-load games and what not, but you still gotta install them and they take about the same amount of time depending on the hard drive speed.

You also only have one excuse for one console (360). What about every single PS3 exclusive? No installs and killer graphics. Not a single game on Ps3 has multiple discs. Load times are a similar story. Games directly on the HDD of a PS3 load much faster than discs, I don't know how they compare to Steam games though as that all depends on the PC hardware.

3 False in most cases. I am building a 600 dollar PC with minimum specs to play games in the high end range. a 450 dollar PC is probably pre-built and can pass for bare minimum specs in less than a year. look up graphics cards. The cheapest card to play BF3 on good settings is going to run you a minimum of 150 dollars, unless you get it from a crappy unkown company....Tack on the 150 to 200 dollars for a processor, another 100 (being extremely generous with the numbers) for the motherboard and that right there is hitting your 400 dollar mark. Now you want to tack on a blu ray drive that burns blu rays? Reading Blu rays alone is going to cost you 80 dollars, double it if you want to burn them.

4 True but MMO's are not a good example. I will admit there are a lot of unkown exclusives, but a majority of them are from smaller developers, indie games, or games "inspired" by other games...console gamers can refer to the last one as "COD Clones" but of different games.

5 false, Its like sports or playing a game. Winning doesn't matter to the sore losers, but if they won theyd be happy as hell and pushing it in the faces of the loser any day of the week.

As for the strengths of a PC gamer

1 You have mods. This might not be that interesting to a lot of console gamers though. However im personally interested in building my own game, I love seeing some of the stuff people come up with. However it sometimes gets annoying dealing with all the lobbies not being normal.

2 The assortment of games is better for gamers. You have all kinds of indie developers, you have engines that are easier to use and build games off of, you have everyone trying to break in and make games. This falls under the "exclusive" titles area, but can't combat the opinion of the writer as he had a point. Consoles have more AAA titles geared toward them, meanwhile these games are more subtle approaches to creative ideas. Steam makes these ideas more readily visible and accessible, forcing you to have a more open approach to what you play. However none of them will be like that of studios dumping millions of dollars into one title.

Honestly it comes down to personal choice. If you can afford to buy a gaming PC get one. Gaming on a console doesn't mean you are not a "true" gamer. Saying one side (360, ps3, PC etc) sucks and never giving it a chance means you are not a gamer.

[ATiElite]

1. 250 million online gamers.....Just Google it. They surveyed PC's that were online, gaming, and had Discrete graphics cards and that's how they determined that number. if you have a discrete graphics cards your playing more than Solitaire or farmville.

2. I don't think you have used Steam. with Steam you download a game and it plays. You do not have to install a game when you use Steam. Also consoles read info from a disc so during the game your loading times are longer than a PC reading info from a HDD.

3. I do not know where you shop but Newegg.com is where i get all my gear.
CPu Athlon II X4 $72
Gigabyte Mobo $50
RAM 4GB DDR3 $31
250 GB HDD $38
Sony CD/DVD burner $20
GPU Asus 460 GTX $120
Raidmax smilodon case with 500w PSu $80

total = $411 and this meats recommended BF3 system requirements. add a Blu-ray burner Sony $99 so the total is $510.

4. "MMO's are not a good example" why because I'm right? sorry but PC Gamers Play MMO's and RTS along with aall the other genres, that's our style. I'm sure the PC has more Exclusive RTS than the PS3 and 360 as well.

5. Like i said GOTY doesn't matter anymore because everybody passes that title out now and i provided a link to back up my point about 5 PC exclusives winning the last 14 years.

like i always say i don't care what you play on cause it's all about enjoying the games but don't make up false facts about PC gaming cause i will prove you wrong with facts and links.

$510 you can play BF3 and burn Blu-ray disc.

[Soldierone]

Lmao its so pointless trying to talk to certain PC gamers AT ALL. I tried to stand on middle ground as much as possible.....

1 Like i said why does it matter? Failed to read the whole comment? I run a discrete graphics card in two of my PC's and neither of them have ever had a single game installed on them. Thats called a false assumption. Graphics cards are also needed for film editing among many other things, not just video games.

2 I use Steam daily, you still install....i dont know if you only download little casual games or what, but you still INSTALL the game half the time it does it in the background for you. Even if you don't install, the download still justifies the install issue at hand.

3 Umm actually I am buying everything from NewEgg, if you want other places the prices only go up. I like how you talk about bare bones specs and if you read my entire comment on this you would also had read "unless you get bare bones or pre built crap" I wonder how long that setup you listed will last at moderate settings....not very long.

I spend 150 to 200 dollars more and I can run Direct x 11 at full setting, the added BF3 at FULL SETTINGS is what makes it worthwhile. This is the minimum specs to achieve the highest settings, you know the whole reason PC gamers have rights to brag about? If you are floating around at minimum specs, why not just get a console....

4 Again not a good example. Console gamers don't give a crap about MMO's and maybe thats why they don't like PC Gaming? This is an argument justifying why console games are thriving, perhaps its because their market isn't flooded with MMO's? Since MMO's are your only argument perhaps consoles should say only FPS titles or one genre they thrive at should only be included?

5 So a lot of sources hand out movie of the year awards....yet why do we only care about the Oscars?

You failed to prove anyone wrong. your only "source" is a survey of people with graphics cards, and even that is easily inflated....not everyone with a graphics card is gaming.

I mean it with the kindest of regards, but you wanted to try and prove me wrong so i have to defend myself.

[_LarZen_]

I started out as a PC gamer, got tired and jumped over to consoles. Been a console gamer for many many years now, but now the gfx on PC games are starting to get so much better in all ways and the games are more or less the same I found out I wanted more....

So since the games are the same but the gfx evolve I have jumped ship again after all these years. Today actualy I ordered a monster of a computer...a computer that wil give me gfx I as a console gamer could just dream of...and that wil even in the next generation of consoles outperform it in all ways.

The games are the same...the gfx evolve and now it has gotten so incredibly much better on a PC, especialy this fall we wil have a revolution on computers buildt for gaming.

I have jumped ship...I wil experience the highest quality in gfx the world has ever seen. And I am almost pissing my pants in expectations...

[Dojan123]

I think BF3 will do that to a lot people. I heard the other day from a friend that does not game on a PC tell me he is thinking about getting a desktop just to play BF3. I do hope BF3 makes money so other developers will build with the PC as the lead and port to console. Not the other way.

[bednet]

I'm a PC and PS3 gamer...but mostly PC, Just upgraded my GPU to a GTX 570 OC from a 8800GTX SLI setup that I bought in 2006. One of my cards fried and I just decided to change it all...best of all it only cost 300$...the same as a PS3...I should be good for a while now...maybe I'll upgrade my Mobo/CPU/RAM in a few months.

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

I started gaming hard on Pc gaming mostly because you can play online. But the thing is that's no longer the case with consoles.
Sure pc is good, i see alot of good deals on steam to so that makes it good. But... you have to keep upgrading your system to play the most high end games.

Look at this, I had to upgrade my Rig 3 times since the Xbox 360 released.... i've just given up on it and i will never spend money on my rig again. I just use my rig as a media hub and a place to do my homework now.

My Ps3 will always be the place to game now.

[Huntmaster17]

You don't HAVE to upgrade every time something is released. What high end games and at what resolution? I'm still using my old dusty 8800 graphics card at the standard 1920x1080 res. The Witcher 2 and upcoming Battlefield, Rage, and other games released this fall was the wake up call. I'm finally building a new pc this month..

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

Mostly just upgraded my Cpu and Ram Increases i've only upgraded my gpu once.

I multitask alot so i needed this extra push Because some games Hog cpu and ram.

Besides more people play on consoles anyways. Steam is usually just 2million online at a time.

[qwertyz]

console gaming is much easier all you need do is buy the console and pop the disk in little knowledge required. pc gaming you'll need to build a gaming pc which will require looking for parts that fit your budget and personal performance requirements as well as understand how to tweak in game settings to suite the capabilities of your pc, which is why pc gamers are usually more up to date about current technology while console gamers believe their consoles are still bleeding edge technology when in fact they've been outdated since 2006. in some cases gaming pcs are more expensive although its possible to build a $300 pc that would be 5 times more powerful than current consoles. aside from all this there are alot of good games that are console exclusive don't get me wrong pc also has some exclusives.

[Laika]

here come the insecure pc purists

[scepter]

consoles r for pussys who cant use an mouse and keybord how that fucking lazy clowns pc gaming never is outdated consoles u have 500 dollar paperweight minute u buy it why u cant update it stuck with its graphics power till next gen system comes out pathetic lame and disgusting

[earbus]

Main reason is pc requires more knowledge to operate ,not everyone can figure out patches resolution conflicts etc.

[maxmill]

console gaming ftw

[scepter]

i own ps3 i only buy exclusives for it thats it killzone 3 infamous 2 wkc 1 and 2 gt 5 and eventually ff versus 13 when its out

[Tigerfist]

Consoles are considered to be more user friendly devices than a PC. Consoles don't need upgrades or much technical knowledge either, PC's are the complete opposite.

It's not like PC's are very complicated or that even good PC builds are hard to come by, it all comes to the fact that it seems confusing and complex to the common mortal man.

PS: And people shouldn't forget that PC's aint just a simple gaming or media device. PC's are very versatile at both work and entertainment purposes.

In a nutshell: Casuals prefer consoles over computers because consoles are perceived as very simple devices, popular and efficient.

[Basjohn]

More delicious delicious flamebait.

Oh N4G when will you learn and implement a user voting system so we can filter fanboy raging content from all providers?

[HaloSpartan]

I barely can go back to consoles,it's so inferior to PC gaming.

[_LarZen_]

Why do people use money on hometheater? Better sound systems, better tv or projectors...?

They want to experience a movie as perfect as possible.

Same can be said about pc gamers.

[SuicideShaun]

I love the irony of this site. Guys like you and I who give a straightforward answer, have 2 bubbles.

[bozebo]

A few reasons (In order of their importance, I think):

# People have bad impressions of PC gaming because retailers often totally rip their customers off - so people in general rarely have a gaming capable machine without explicity paying too much for it. Normally, the price of a mid-end home PC with a low end graphics card that isn't designed for intensive gaming costs more than the components that make up a capable gaming rig with a high-mid end graphics card - and that would be buying retail components with profits made on them.

# Good marketing. PC gaming doesn't have a primary steakholder, some organisation who can unify a business practice with an aim for popularity - because it is an open platform, which is actually a good thing for PC gamers and developers in the end.

# Sometimes things really just like to mess up in PC gaming and PCs in general, though it isn't that bad anymore - you can just install steam, buy a game online, wait for DL - click play; 95% of the time that works. The other 5% can be annoying and frustrating I will admit; but it is usually from old games or bloated AAA multiplats with several layers of middleware all tied up in a fragile balance, bodies like GFWL attempt to make sure this doesn't happen - but they go about it in the wrong way I would say. Also, people potentially having malware on their computer can't exactly help when trying to run complicated software like games.

# Consoles are generally cheaper than PCs, particularly up until 2007/08.

# Consoles have some great exclusives, loads of MUST plays. Though PC has more over all the generations, but that would make sense.

Thats it then...

I am mostly a PC gamer, simply because it fits me. It has the most potential for entertainment from a gaming platform - the software just needs to be there, and much of it is. If anybody gets a proper taste of PC gaming, they would be feeling the need to get involved.

Anyway, all types of gaming are bigger than ever before - PC gaming included. So it can only get better, most of the new developers are PC developers and greatness has to start somewhere. The most important thing is the games, the PC has slightly more potential for creativity than consoles - technical excellence is far less important.

[kraze07]

Who the hell cares. Both consoles and PCs bring something great to the table at the end of the day. Each platform shines in areas that the other doesn't so Im not picking sides, I'm enjoying both.

[TBONEJF]

This is why Consoles have succeeded over pcs in gaming. one thing is you don't have to keep upgrading your memory card or graphics card every year. another thing is you can extend your storage space like a PC with external Hard drives. The only thing I hate bout PC games is that companies keeps coming out with new graphics card and DEV keeps updating their games and it's like your old PC isn't compatible with the game cause the graphics card. that's the only reason I don't buy PC games anymore is because of that damn GRAPHICS card keep changing every year.

[annus]

What games do that? I bought my PC around the same time as I got my PS3, launch day. Both were around the same price (PS3 was $1000 AUS, PC was $1100). My PC is still running strong, sure it can't handle the graphical beasts like The Witcher 2 on the highest graphics, but it can still run a majority of games at the highest (or close to) settings, and the games that don't still look better than PS3. I have never have any problems with games not running because of new graphic cards every year, you should probably email what ever game company's games are doing that, because I don't think that is normal.

[TBONEJF]

hey man it's just my opinion just saying that I hate to upgrade my memory card and graphics card every year. that was before I bought consoles

[kraze07]

Having to upgrade every year is a common misconception when it comes to PC gaming. Most games today can still be run on a 3 year old medium spec gaming PC on decent settings and still look better the console counterparts of the same games. The hardware may be 3 years old but it's still 2/3 years newer than a current gen console.

[TABSF]

PC has more exclusives than all consoles combined

http://www.pcgamingfan.com/

Just check out the "Game of 2011" tab plus the Freeware and Mods
Never mind, the previous years and what's coming in 2012.

[Run_bare]

Yeah.. i used to Love PC Gaming, but when I get older, I prefer Console so I don't have to worry about ugprading, sitting on the couch or bed comfortably with my fiance and play together.

[pr0digyZA]

Yes but what do you do when you want to play games.:P

[MrDead]

What the hell is wrong with N4G?....... It only does flambait

[Jamaicangmr]

More cost effective it's as simple as that.

No need to upgrade one box to rule them all.

That in a nutshell is what it boils down to.

[TABSF]

How about this

100 PS3/360/Wii games, take your pick

100 X £40 (RRP Price) = £4,000
100 X £30 (3/4 Price) = £3,000
100 X £20 (1/2 Price) = £2,000
100 X £10 (1/4 Price) = £1,000

You get the picture.

http://n4g.com/news/798822/...
On Steam you could get 268 Games + 93 DLC = £398 comes to £1.10 per content.

Even if you got 100 games for £5 it would still be £500 on any console plus its extremely hard to find any console game under £5 unless its un-boxed.

Plus When you get these games off Steam 70% of all the money is going to the developers/publishers.

With these console games the developers/publishers
only get 30% of new sale and nothing off pre-owned.

PC is the cheapest platform, meaning the most cost effective. It gives the user the choice of keeping what they got which is usually already better than consoles or upgrade to experience next gen such as a Crysis with mods, GTA IV with mods and/or DX11 tittles.

[White_Wolf]

I can play dozens of games on PC. I can play PS2, PS1, Dreamcast, Snes, Genesis, etc, so many games.

Also I can play the new gen games for PC.

For the rest I use my PS3.

I think I play 10x times in my PC than in the PS3.
Anyway, if I spent that time playing in my PS3 I think I would get a ylod and I see NOTHING wrong with that.

I wanna my PS3 to last for at least some 6 years, so I have to doze my playtime in it and also I see NOTHING wrong with that.

No one is going to shut me up.

BTW, PCSX2 is getting better by the day. Playing PS2 games in HD is a completely different and better experience.

I'm off to play Devil May Cry 1,2 and 3 now on HD, using PCSX2. Laters.

My PC specs... It's nothing majestic, but it works beautifully for all games:

C2D E8400 overclocked@ 4GHZ, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 460GTX(A hell of a v-card and very, very cheap).

This rig costed me less than my PS3. The official price of the PS3 in Brazil is 1000USD.

The official price of a PS3 game in Brazil is 120USD.
With the money of only 2 PS3 games I can buy a Nvidia GTX460.

Ignorant, racist people in charge here. No wonder this country you guys belong to is swallowing by the year.

But seriusly down here in S. America we don't give a shit about you. We rejoice everyday something bad happens in your fucked racist country.

Burn in Hell. That's the only place you all are headed to, anyways, and we South Americans are rejoicing this very fact.

[BioDemon-]

Report this idiot. This filth shouldn't be on a gaming article.

[zen555]

Why are there so many horrible articles creeping onto this site? This is either a 6th grader or someone who never learned how to develop an argument.

[iNMyFiN4LH0uR]

sasadAD

[Dogswithguns]

After a long period of time installing my PC games.. Don't really feel like playing anymore.

[prettyboy12]

im guess cause its more variety...maybe

[1PC2PS33360]

Honestly both have their merits and I like being a gamer with a badass gaming rig, a ps3, a 360, a ds, a wii, and iphone and I still use my ps2 sometimes.

The reason PC appears, yes only appears to be behind in sales and such is they lump all "consoles" together as one going against the pc. Your talking like 5 platforms against one,

The PC EASILY makes far more money than the xbox360

Far more money than the PS3

Sure when you combine everything together the "consoles" win out

Also most sales figures neglect things like Digital Downloads (steam, direct2drive, impulse, gamers gate, amazon ect.)

PC also offers the best gaming experience imo.
best graphics
mods
best sales/deals

but i love my consoles for exclusives like Demons souls, uncharted 2 and 3(loving the beta), halo reach, gears 2 and 3 and Mario

All in all I consider all platforms sweet, I could get by with only one platform, but having them all is the way to go!

[PS360PCROCKS]

Kind of love the ignorance of people saying they like to sit in front of their TV and game. I have a 50" 3DTV, PS3, Xbox 360 all of my couches and my gaming PC in my gaming area. I have all wireless keyboard/mouse to use my PC, or xbox 360 controller. I use my laptop to hang out and use the internet and do all my work on. It's not that hard to game on a PC identical to a console. PS3 has what 10 3D games, PC has like 500

[clarkdef]

Hate these sort of articles. I don't give em hits, They are asking you which child do you want to love the most. They then want to gauge your reaction too, so they can cater there articles to the mainstream in the future.

Not to say that's what these guys are doing, but it seems to be a trend.

[SuicideShaun]

I feel compelled to educate some people in this thread about technology and pc gaming. But I'd much rather just post this picture.

http://media.giantbomb.com/...

[Vortex3D]

One thing the article didn't say is old games compatibility. On the console as long the game is made for "PS3" or "X360", even the launch title will run on the latest PS3 or X360 hardware revision. On the console, every game just work with very rare exception. Try that with most oldest PC games without spending a lot of time tweaking and still no guarantee the oldest games will run properly.

The article said about hardware. The latest game will be guaranteed to run the best possible on the same console hardware. Not so with PC because even latest games may run on the older PC hardware, the developers usually don't optimize for the older PC hardware. It's expected PC gamers just have to run the games at low settings or update the hardware. That's the advantage of console because developers have to optimize the latest games to run properly on the console hardware.

Gamers also argued for $300, you can buy nice PC hardware today. How about when the console were $500 and PC hardware of equal age? Will the old $500 PC hardware still run the best at latest games? Like I said, the latest games probably will run at low settings but the developers often don't optimize the game to run better for the same old hardware. Until PC developers are willing to optimize the PC games to run the best possible on the older PC hardware, console is the advantage. If the argument is why would PC developers optimize for older PC hardware. The point is not having to spend extra to upgrade the hardware.

[ViserysTargaryen]

A gaming PC have the advantage of being a totally badass PC that does everything. Using a console for anything other than gaming can you get sued by Sony.

[Dynasty2021]

I upgrade my PC roughly every 4-5 years.

Wonder how often consoles will need replacing based on PC hardware advances...hmmm...

Consoles will never beat PCs. It's simple.

[Whackedorange]

The main reason that consoles have suceeded is cause a console is alot more user friendly than a pc is. Usually all you need to do is unpack it, connect it to your tv, get a game and put it in the console and sometimes it needs to install on the console but most of the time you can enjoy the game right away. Another reason is that the developer knows that the hardware specs apart from the HDD which is replaceable is excactly the same and can max out the game to the specs which they cant on the pc cause there are so many variations on hardware. To really game on a pc you need to have some computer knowlegde on consoles you dont where a 5 yr old easyally can play the games without the help of somebody with "better" knowlegde and also if you throw in piracy its easy to understand why consoles seems to have suceeded over the pc.

[StayStatic]

Then why can't i play ps3 games on my ps2 ???

INB4 invalid disc !!!

Same idea , i upgrade consoles just as much because i buy the right parts to begin with on PC and i suggest others do the same and not expect it to run a a crappy dell laptop with on board graphics chips :P

Anyways interesting read

[GamerPS360]

i have all three, though I mostly play on PC. Once You get taste of 580, you can't digest console graphic with 720p res very well.

[DrillaKid]

Thing is the 580 costs more than a PS3 or 360. But by the time BF3 comes out I'm hoping I can build a PC with a 580 (maybe even Sli or 590).

[Substance101]

You dont need a GTX 580 to play BF3 unless you are thinking of playing on 3 screens or so.

[DrillaKid]

But if you're going to game on PC might as well make it worthwhile; the demos of BF3 shown thus far have all (supposedly) been shown on a single 580 and that's the way I would want to play it.

Also DICE apparently said that the PC which can max out BF3 hasnt even been made yet.

[Ranshak]

This mostly happens because companies like AMD and Nvidia like to promote their best. Hence developers tend to show the best hardware available at the time.

I am sure you could get 2x 6950 for around the price the price of a single GTX 580 and get almost 150% performance.

Any how i am sure they will keep it playable for midrange hardware too, which again will look leagues ahead of the console version.

[Killman]

This 'PC vs. Console' crap is getting old. All I see is a bunch of elitists arguing over nothing. I game on PS3, and I am fine with that. If you game on PC, then I assume that you are fine with that. Thats all that matters.

[spacetoilet]

Well IMO, and I'm and old hand at gaming (started on Atari 2600, spectrum 48k, c64)
and I own, or have at one time owned most consoles along the way. And I still play and love consoles, I have a ps3, and a Wii...And I love them both.
BUT YOU JUST CANNOT BEAT A NICE PC FOR THE ULTIMATE GAMING EXPERIENCE.
It's the greatest.

And as someone else quite rightly pointed out earlier, please don't harp on about PC's being too expensive, unless you have your console hooked up to some shitty 90's CRT, you more than likely have a HDTV that is not cheap. A decent rig, is about the same price as a console and a decent tv. The only difference being, is come november, I will have mouse and keys, and 64 players on DX11 with all settings on high, and we all know what game that is.
Ok console kiddies hit disagree.

[DrillaKid]

And what exactly can you do with a gaming rig without a good quality monitor? A rig + monitor would cost more than a console and TV (especially when the TV you use for gaming is the same one you use to watch TV).

[death2smoochie]

YET you can use that same HDTV your console is on for your PC...Just saying...
because that is exactly what I do and do so with a wireless keyboard and Xbox360 and PS3 controllers from my couch.

You can ALSO buy THREE or even FOUR high quality 24" monitors and run it in AMD's Eyefinity setup or Nvidia's multi-monitor solution and it is still cheaper than that HDTV you have for your console.
Hell....If you have buckets of cash you can hook up THREE HDTV's to your PC in the same way...

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

You have OPTIONS. You do not get this with console gaming. EVER.

And trust me....Once you game on three or more monitors with your PC in FULL 3D, or not, you will never EVER look at gaming on a regular HDTV the same way again. EVER.

http://www.newegg.ca/Produc...

http://www.nextag.com/24-in...

Even buying THREE 27" Wide screen monitors will cost you less than a HDTV....
Three of them will set you back $900...
A decent quality HDTV will set you back more than this.
Even if you add in Nvidia's 3D gaming solution it is still cheaper than than for example Sony's 3D solution for 3D gaming as you need to buy a 3D capable HDTV...

http://www.pcmag.com/articl...

So for $1100 you get THREE 27" Wide Screen top of the line monitors in panoramic viewing in FULL 1080pX3 viewing and full speakers built in each monitors.

Then factor in the cost of console games being $10-$15 dollars more on average than the same exact PC game (and I am being nice by not even mentioning STEAM sales for games which can be as low as $10 sometimes for Triple A multi-platform games...opps I mentioned it :P)
And before you know it the savings you made have outstripped the initial cost of that "cheap" console...

http://www.nextag.com/Samsu...

[Malacath]

I used to be a PC gamer myself but switched to consoles.

The problems with PC's is constantly having to upgrade to keep up with the latest games. I got fed up and just wanted to buy games that worked.

Nothing more anoying then buying a new game, installing it then finding out it didn't work properly with my pc. Either the game ran too slow, or compatibility problems with drivers or hardware.

I gave up trying to keep up so switched to xbox

[spacetoilet]

You are clearly lying. Don't breed, thanks.

[JeffGUNZ]

Actually, he isn't lying. A lot of people don't go out and purchase gaming rigs. I had a decent computer, but it wasn't a gaming only PC and I found myself in a similar circumstance. Sure, I could have saved some money and purchased a gaming rig, but by that time, I could have just bought a PS3 and a 360, which I did instead. I wish I had a gaming rig for games like BF3 and such.

[HINDERIZATION]

you should always check the compatibility with your PC before you buy the game. i agree that that is one of the drawbacks for PC gaming but you have to use your brain when buying new products. upgrading is another drawback, but again, you need the knowledge to know what to get for your PC.
well either way, i still think you're lying lol...

[JeffGUNZ]

I personally think the reason I prefer consoles over PC's is the easiness of gaming then it is on PC. I don't mean the level of difficulty against other PC users, but the fact that once I purchase my console, any game created for that platform can be played on that said system. Therefore, I don't have to check specs and/or requirements to run the game before I purchase it.

Also, a real great factor is how mainstream and functional it has become as a part of the living room. All I have to do is turn on my system and I am able to game within seconds. Also, my consoles are either in my bedroom or livingroom and I can quickly switch to netflix and/or any other applications available. I think they have made them so easily adaptable and user friendly that they are slowly becoming more mainstream then PC's.

Nothing against PC gamers, those people with a nice gaming rig are lucky folks!

[FanboyPunisher]

Its cheap for them, they couldnt afford a PC.

Fucking bums.

[HaHa_Ostrich]

You get a lot of disc swapping on the 360 and lot of installing on the ps3.

[lugia 4000]

a 400$ PC can outperform a 360 and a PS3, plus it can do alot more than consoles.

My 2 year old laptop can play crysis 2 720p at gamer, which looks better than a 360 and a PS3.

Ill get some more money to buy a GTX580 because its worth it.

[DrillaKid]

You cant build a gaming PC for £250.

[HINDERIZATION]

that may be the only reason i don't do PC gaming all that often. i can't afford it since i don't have a job and i'm in college, and second, PC's become obsolete and need upgrades to keep them in tip-top condition. i would love to PC game if i could afford it. but sadly, i can't.

[Ravenor]

If only you needed to upgrade to the latest and greatest to have great performance and visuals in PC games.

Everything seems to run just about the same on my girlfriends Core i5 750, GTX 460, 4gb of ram compared to my much newer PC. Newer hardware is WASTED on console ports, I know people running Core 2 Duo's and Core 2 Quads and they still run 99.9% of games just fine.

[Tzuno]

Because the main focus of developers is in the console gaming. On PC piratery is so big that they run to consoles but that doesn't mean that the gaming on PC is dead if they want they can make games on PC that can make consoles dream to them after 1 or 2 generations of consoles.

[Too_many_games]

Take World of Warcraft and Starcraft out of the picture and PC gaming is a joke

[HINDERIZATION]

disagree. I've played stalker: shadow of chernobyl, neverwinter nights, starcraft, and half life. all amazing games. PC just doesn't advertise their games as well as console.

[Ravenor]

Advertising is left entirely to the publisher in the PC's case, there is NO subsidy from larger parent companies.

People need to stop referring to PC as if there was an equivalent to MS, Sony or Nintendo. It's just not there.

[StayStatic]

Put controllers into the fps scene and they become a joke

[Too_many_games]

First person shooters are a joke so i see no problem :D

[alcapwn180]

I mean it is a pretty basic concept to why Console gaming is doing better. Consoles are made and then you can't do anything past that. It's there. People like that more then trying to upgrade a PC (Personally I love upgrading PC parts). I love playing a PC more because mine was only 800 and I get tons of amazing performance.

[tigertron]

1. One off payment (minus Live subscription) NO need to keep upgrading.
2. Convenience
3. Comfort i.e. lying on your bed or sofa.
4. Social aspects - inviting your friends round for a few games and beers.
5. Exclusives

[HINDERIZATION]

one word: Advertisement.
the last PC game that i saw advertised as an exclusive was Starcraft 2 and that was some time ago.

[RAmar101]

after my purchase of ps3 and 360, ive not had to spend anything on it to run games.

pc on the other hand if just far to costly, looking at the prices of gaming rigs they are a joke in comparison

[Ravenor]

Derp derp derp, you're paying for labour+parts+warranty+customer service.

Build it yourself, you save something, you learn something and it's nice to know that it's something you built with your man hands.

Oh, I haven't needed to upgrade in 3+ years now.

[Ravenor]

Hey guys! Wanna go play Mech Assault with me on the original Xbox? Oh wait we can't....

The PC is free, we don't get everything taken away from us because it's not profitable anymore.

[kraze07]

Lol, so true. Bubs for that comment

[leahcim]

clicking here and there, is no a good and smoothly way of play games.

I think thats the main reason.

[punisher99]

"While most games that come to the Xbox 360 eventually get ported to PC, Sony and Nintendo have tight grips on some “AAA” titles. Uncharted, God of War, Killzone, Heavy Rain and nearly every popular Nintendo franchise are only available on there respective systems. This is a huge blow to PC gamers, because some of those games listed above won Game of the Year awards. On that subject, when is the last time a PC exclusive title won GotY? It’s been a while"

Do you guys have any idea how much I have been saying that all along??? But for what ever reason when I get into a conversation with PC gamers I get hammered with the disagree button. Wake up PC gamers, gaming is not just about resolutions and mods. But its about actual games!

[tigertron]

I agree, not generalising all PC gamers here, but there are alot on here in denial.

If you want to game on the PC, thats cool, but I wish PC gamers would accept that games consoles have become more and more popular, for many different reasons.

[punisher99]

And thats all I'm saying. And I've got no problem with the PC platform. Someday I still plan on playing Starcraft 2 some day. And its because of the GAME. Not because I can play in 1920 x 1080 or 60fps. Honestly, I really don't even care about that. But I want to play the game, because of the game. If you know what I mean.

[Hifist1]

lol

[death2smoochie]

Over the long run a $1400 kick ass Gaming PC rig will be cheaper than a $300-$600 console...
Almost ALL PC games are $10-$15 cheaper. Then you have Steam that has these fire sales where you can get top AAA games for $10 sometimes.
In 2+ years if you are a serious gamer, the money you save on games alone is greater than the cost of a console

[gazerino]

I'm sure i read an article posted on N4G last week on how Consoles will never beat PC for gaming!!

[Orionsangel]

Because modern console games have almost evened up the playing field. Just about any PC game can run on a console. At full specs? No, but the difference isn't so much that matters anymore. It only matters to PC purist. Who must play all games on extreme settings. Consoles with a HDD and HDTV's helped blur this line between PC and console. Where before PC's had sharper images on CRT monitors vs crappy Analog TV resolution. If you're into PC modding of course you'll say PC will always win.

[death2smoochie]

The fact that those same PC games cost $10-$15 dollars cheaper in most cases is the main reason why PC gaming imo wins by a landslide.
Games are cheaper on the PC, AND those games look and run better in 99% of the cases...then you have FREE MODS to add life to that $10 TRIPLE A game you just bought off steam, while console owners just spent $50_$60 on the same game without mods...

With the savings you make down the road on added up game purchases, (and the savings are SUBSTANTIAL if you are a serious or core gamer) you can choose to buy a mid range or higher end GPU and run all those games at 1080p@30+ fps using REAL AA and do so with multiple monitors if you like...and in the long run your PC gaming rig is still cheaper than that initial start up cost of your console when you factor in these costs for games costing more on consoles than the same PC game...
That is IMO a...

[nightmarex121]

The game are so cheap is b/c of priates, why even pay 10 bucks when you can just get it for free, for example the witcher 2 it didn't have any drm or anything it support pc gamer but it got pirate the most for months.Only reason why people even buy of steam is so you can play online.

Every Pc gamer elist priate thats be one of the reason why i would upgrade my pc so i pirate games. And the reason why my friend is upgarding his pc so he can just play priate games.

[StayStatic]

@nightmarex121

No piracy effects consoles just as much as anyone and it doesn't stop at the games industry, don't be naive, its so dam easy.

Also Consoles are sold at a loss at launch and money is made back by overpriced software , accessories and other services they may have.

Third party companies have to pay the console company a licensing fee to publish games on their platform.

Steam games are cheaper because they don't have these extra costs , your effectively paying back for your bargain bucket hardware over time. Plus steam games are not physical and instead digital making them even cheaper.

[Orionsangel]

EPIC FAIL! Because you can say what you like, but consoles are still kicking PC's ass in terms of fame and money. So obviously the majority of gamers are happy with their Wii,360 and PS3 and looking forward to the next gen consoles, plus they can play PC games. The only people who praise PC over console are PC only snobs. Who dream of a PC only game world. Well dream on! Consoles Rule!

[tubers]

1 word: ACCESSIBLE (cheap and no brainer)

[parasit3]

1. MMO
2. Windows 7 OS
3. Better internet browsers (over consoles)
4. Graphics
5. Higher Resolutions than 1920 X 1080
6. Extended Display (3 monitors)
7. Flexibility
8. STEAM
9. Lower prices on PC games
10. Social Networks
11. More Processors (6 Core)
12. More RAM(up to 16GB)
13. Bluray Drives
14. Burning discs
15. Upgrading computer parts
13. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
14. " "

[punisher99]

What about games?? You know, the #1 thing about gaming. I guess actual games just doesn't matter to PC gamers. There is a reason why Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Uncharted 2 are the highest rated games this generation.

[BitbyDeath]

PC's are not built soley for gaming and therefore do not need to succeed in that area.

Consoles are, this alone puts consoles in front but it is a null comparison IMO.

This is like comparing the speeds of a Car Vs a Lawnmower.

Why bother?

[Hifist1]

It's a mindfuck that console is cheaper than PC. In longer run it really ain't.

And i can say that "PC has no games" -statements are false. This year's PC exclusives: Dawn of War 2 Retribution, Guild Wars 2, Red Orchestra 2, Shogun 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Next year there'll be at least Arma 3 and Diablo 3. And those are just "big names". Then there's TONS of great indie(Minecraft, Terraria) and freeware games.

Also multiplatform games are obviously better on PC. Higher resolution, higher fps, higher textures etc. M+kb is insanely better than controller in most genres.

One more thing: mods. They can make wonders, in best case mods can change the whole experience.