PC VS Console

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Spudster

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Hello,

What do you guys prefer as your main gaming machine? console or PC, I am going to have to say Console even though I don't own one but it is true that with PC all you do is upgrade but with a console such as the Xbox One you can plays games for years without having to switch consoles.

What do you all think?
 
If you build your PC correctly, no, you don't always upgrade. Due to that comment, plus the fact you don't even own a console alludes to the possibility that perhaps you keep buying laptops from Dell and are posting this out of frustration. Nothing but conjecture, though.

PC, but this is the first console generation I won't be a part of since I was 5.
 
PC is better in regards to everything except if you want to play from your sofa. Can't think of anything that the consoles excel at; except perhaps exclusives, but even then...
 
Consoles excel at simplicity and that's what is important with games. There's no worrying about what graphics card you have, no worrying about your computer being up to date, no being stuck meddling with technicals at all. I've never played a PC game that hasn't buggered up at some point or another, and my PC isn't that old or bad.

Sure, PCs have mods etc but they're >>>>>>usually<<<<<< poor quality and buggy as all hell anyway. I'd prefer simple compatibility over bad user-made expansions.

Having said this, I can see why one or two genres of games are better with a keyboard and mouse. RTS for example. Keyboard and mouse is just too cramped and there are too many keys to fiddle around with in general though. Controller beats it.
 
Let me say first of all, that the actual PC vs Console war is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. People picking apart systems others prefer to play on, it's a hobby for crying out loud, it's supposed to de-stress you after a long day of work.

I have no preference, I think if I HAD to pick, I'd go with the playstation console simple because I have years of experience playing games with a PS controller, so it's hard to switch. Aside from that, there's no other reason for me.
 
If you have a decent rig, you have easy access to what is usually the definitive version of a multiplatform game in visual and performance terms, the bonus edge of having mods, and prices considerably lower than that of their console counterparts, thus allowing a PC gamer to save money in the long term if they adequately handle their initial costs.

But it usually helps if you've a certain degree of technical disposition and enthusiasm to go there, and PC gaming is ultimately not for everyone. I'd love to have a titan with a couple of GTX 980s and the opportunity to practically run anything at ultra settings, but realistically that's not about to happen anytime soon. I've not the will or time to pour over PC jargons, familiarise myself with it all, comfortably know enough to get together components and assemble them together, and extensively fiddle with the settings to ensure optimal performance while praying that I'm not about to be plagued with a series of unforeseen problems that just take away my enthusiasm to play anything to begin with.

Because of that, I'll have to say consoles. Yeah, console versions of games will still look mediocre next to ultra settings on PC and framerates will range from poor to adequate, but as long as the damn game functions, whatever. PC gamers may sometimes have to be wary of certain big developers who frankly don't give much of a pig's arse about PC to properly optimise performance.
 
Yeah, ultimately, console is the simple option. But I really think pc is greater value. It can be daunting for those not down with a the jargon, definitely; but once you're all set up and ready to go then you can really reap the benefits. There are so many friendly websites out there too that are willing to help, it's not difficult to get the advice that makes it all make sense; it just takes time and a bit of browsing forums and knowledge bases aswell as comparing tech and prices. Actually building the pc is definitely the only challenging part.

The console UI is obviously designed to be user friendly and specifically targeted at gaming and entertainment but pcs are starting to go down this avenue too. Look at steams 'big picture' or the steam OS. Controller functionality is supported on a massive number of games too.

The best thing about pc is the choice and the price of games. I can't remember spending more than £30 on a game at launch on the pc. Whereas I can't remember spending under £50 for a ps3/4 game on launch apart from FFX-HD. I don't run into as many problems as greeny states; although to be fair console games have problems too, and are often slower to be patched (pc is often patched by modders before official patches are rolled put by devs)

As far as mods go I feel that they are really overlooked by people on console. Mods can double the lifespan of a game or even more. XCOM 'long war' mod for example completely changes the rules off the game and potentially quadruples the game length; and it's free & easy to install. Can't argue with that.

PC is also the beneficiary of true exclusives - many types of games just don't make sense to have on console (RTS, sports sims etc). The only console that really gets exclusives to that extent seems to be the Nintendo consoles. Most PS / XBox games come to pc either on launch, but if not then they come eventually. With so many games to choose from; I really doubt too many pc games were crying that GTA V came out a year earlier on console when they were salivating at the prospects at what they could do with it.

consoles are un-upgradable , sub-standard pieces of tech but they serve a purpose. Some people just aren't interested in what the pc has to offer so consoles are great for them; others want the newest games ASAP and the money for devs is on consoles on launch so that's great for them too, but I have a backlog of pc games I can't see myself eating through in the next few years; and I'm bored of my ps4 already. It's been out a year and there's no games that really make me want to play it that I can't get for cheaper on the pc. I'm not one to be bothered about graphical power or anything but it does seem laughable that devs are downgrading graphics for them to run on 'next gen' consoles.

I certainly appreciate the consoles; but the games are lacking still in my opinion. We need a new uncharted ASAP. Pc wins for me, if there HAS to be a winner. Consoles just aren't good value at all. Everything is a ripoff.
 
I used to be a lot more dogmatic on this issue, but I think that was maybe because I was a kid/teenager with no job to pay for consoles myself more than it was a matter of any actual platform superiority. Now I go where the games I want to play are. Usually that's Playstation, but I have a custom-built PC that is quite capable as a gaming machine and sometimes I opt for that over the console versions.

Reasons vary--maybe there's a great Steam sale going on, maybe I expect to do a lot of multiplayer that I'll want to be able to hop in and out of without firing up a console, maybe I want better graphics, etc. The benefits of the PC basically boil down to options and longevity. While it's become a lot more standardized in recent years, PC lets you play games pretty much in any way you want, and as far back in gaming history as you want. Windows 8's level of compatibility with old software is really incredible, and even when the odd game no longer functions you can just fire up Virtualbox/VMWare and circumvent the issue. On the other hand, console backwards-compatibility is becoming narrower and narrower all the time. Sorry Sony, Playstation Now doesn't count.

But that being said, PC doesn't get the same developer love as consoles. For much of the 2000's all the best games were console exclusives, and even now that PC gaming is becoming a thing again it's not uncommon for PC ports to come out months or years later than the originals...and oftentimes these are pretty shoddy efforts that can absolutely cripple a game experience. That's what consoles have going for them: that gaming experience. It's like going to a theater to watch a movie instead of just buying the Bluray. There's just something special about it that can't be recreated elsewhere. Maybe it's because console gaming is a very hands-off approach to software. No, you don't get a lot of options, but because of that you don't spend a lot of time worrying about them. You just put in a game, sit back, and enjoy it the way it was designed to be enjoyed.

So yeah, I really don't take a side on the issue. I like both PC and consoles. Some of the best games out there can only be enjoyed on a console, so I probably play more on consoles these days than PC, but don't get the wrong idea: tailoring games to my preferences and to run at way higher graphical settings than they were ever meant to is itself a game to me on the PC side, and I enjoy that, too.
 
I like consoles purely for the sofa factor. Sure, I might use the ol' laptop to run small-ish games, but consoles still own my heart. I love computers and all, but I'll never warm to the idea of using them for all-out gaming. I suppose Sony has their hooks sunk into me too deeply, haha.
 
There is something about PC gaming which has always felt off to me. Consoles in general have always felt more authentic to me. What I don't like about PC's is that you have to constantly update the hardware to match the latest games on a frequent basis. Where as I am still playing games on my PS3 from a system built in 2006 and what I love most of all is that all the games just work on it. I don't have to faff about with hardware upgrades the console is there and it can play any games within the PS3 library.

I understand that PC gaming can be better statistically, but the simple fact of the matter is, the games I tend to like are more suited to console gaming. When I think of PC gaming I think of MMO's like warcraft or FPS's. JRPG's have never really belonged on PC which is of course my favourite genre along with third person shooters, action/platforming games, fighters and racers. I've just always felt more welcome to the gaming library the Playstation has to offer over the PC.

But it also goes beyond that too, I like to play games on my HDTV, not a PC monitor. I know you could hook up the PC to the HDTV but it still just doesn't feel authentic. Booting up my PS3 on my TV and using my PS3 controller as I place a PS3 game into the machine. All of that is part of the experience for me and with PC gaming I just feel very detached from that. I know its a petty and vague argument for against PC's but even with Steam it just doesn't feel authentic to me.
 
Vivi-Gamer I think you nailed it with 'authentic'. That's a good word to describe it, and I find it interesting that someone else besides me gets the exact same feeling!

Where we differ is that I just get a different feeling about PC games. PC gaming is like a sport to me. Even when we're talking multiplatform games, generally if I sit down at a console it's to relax and have a good time, and if I sit down at the PC, it's to go all-out competitive. There are exceptions in both platforms' cases, of course, but generally that's how it goes.
 
Both of those takes are interesting to me, for a number of reasons, but I'll address the only concern I have first.

@Vivi-Gamer PCs do not actually "need to update" hardware constantly. If you invest wisely, it is possible for your hardware to survive two console generations. Though, to be honest, I think'd be wise to upgrade when the final specs are out for the high performance consoles (Usually Sony and Microsoft's) if you HAVE to choose a point in time to purchase. Otherwise, most PC gamers upgrade our hardware when it's on sale, and have an infatuation with doing so because we enjoy improving our experience. I can understand the misconception, though, with the way most PC gamers go on about it and how many people will try to play Skyrim on a netbook.

Beyond that, you actually make a pretty valid point with JRPGs. PC seems to have close to a monopoly on every style of game except JRPGs.....why? I don't play them, but I don't see much of a reason as to why more of the games don't make their way over? We have a puny list of them on PC. Is it a preexisting loyalty to Nintendo and Sony? I know Vivi said they are more "suited" to consoles, but fail to see any validity in this. If anyone could actually give me some insight as to this, I'd appreciate it.

@Kirito This is something that interests me....why is this the case? Is it because of some exposure to competitive game environments like Counterstrike, DOTA etc.? or just your own person take on the system, or the general community that exists therein? I have nothing to say that there is an underlining cause of it, but am nonetheless interested to seeing if one exists.

I've never actually seen any difference between consoles and PC, but that may be because I first gamed on a PC for quite a while, before using consoles for a number of years. Even until recently, I namely used my PC just to play singleplayer or cooperative games, never really venturing into PVP games.
 
It depends on the game for me, but I'm leaning more towards console for comfort level.

Games like Sims are naturally played on PC, imo. I actually started playing Sims on consoles first, and while I didn't find it difficult, I much preferred the versatility that the mouse (and keyboard shortcuts) has to offer once I made the switch to PC version. Same with FFXIV. While I love the console version, it was just much easier and convenient on PC.

Shooter games, however... I prefer consoles. I can't do keyboard even if my life depended on it. I'm just terribly awkward with it, and while it takes some practice, I get frustrated easily. Since I do have an XBox360 controller, I would definitely use that if I were to play a shooter game on PC. But overall I do like my couch and big screen T.V. too.

These days my gaming are on the PC lately, though these past few months I can only put it an hour or two at a time. I like that I'm able to take screenshots right away and upload on Steam or what have you. So both have their benefits and convenience.
 
Pockets I think for me it's more to do with the effort I put into the hardware than the kind of games I play. I'm actually not into DOTA or Counterstrike, though back when it was popular I was a pretty heavy Unreal Tournament player. It's more like gaming in general is my arena and the PC is my weapon that I built with my own hands and enjoy tweaking for maximum performance. When I get into a game on PC I generally go at it pretty seriously because I've invested time and money into the machine that's running it...I guess. I dunno, it's actually harder to explain than I thought :lew:

But yeah, I'd say it's just my personal take and not some common underlying cause. I do think the impression that JRPGs are better suited for consoles comes from their origins on the SNES/PS1, though.

I started out gaming on PC too, and I completely agree with you on hardware upgrades. Vivi-Gamer Those of us that are enthusiasts like to upgrade way more than we need to, but that doesn't mean someone who's more casual about it can't get by on less. Actually, it kind of bugs me how the broader PC gaming crowd moans about anything less than 1080p and 60FPS being unplayable. That's nonsense. If you've got a PC that can manage 720p and 30FPS and you enjoy it, don't let anyone tell you that's not good enough. Heck, I used to play Unreal Tournament (the original 1999 one) on a Windows 98 laptop with a 330MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, and a 2MB video card. You know what that pumped out? Medium settings at 512x384 and 25-ish FPS. And on that machine I could win 50-kill deathmatch games with 0 deaths. Sure, it gets better than that--much, much better these days--but hardware is much more standardized than it used to be. If you can stand running at less than maximum settings, you can get a lot of years out of modern PC hardware.
 
It doesn't bother me at all that we make such a fuss about it. People are particular about what makes it enjoyable for them, the only gripe I have is when we make it a superiority complex. I'm very sensitive to frame rate, so I will happily complain about that, but only because it deters from the experience and will happily sacrifice graphical fidelity to enjoy it. If I want to invest the time and money into getting both, that choice is always there. It's this option of choice that, for me, makes PC the more enjoyable experience, but have no issues letting people simply have what they enjoy.

Again, JRPG games are not something I have ever had a real keen interest in, but I find it hard to believe that the early years of gaming didn't face the same split that we had in the US. Games on PC vs games in the arcade (and eventually consoles). Differences in PC availability there, perhaps? Cultural value of a PC? Perhaps some more intrinsic with the differences in our language (only something I consider an option because of the ease for text heavy games in English vs Japanese back then)?

Disclaimer: Feel free to correct me on the ease of text in early JRPGs. I only know of it because I follow a YT channel called Extra Credits that noted Kanji and it's relevance for Eroge novels.
 
I've recently been playing FF8 on PC with just the keyboard...most cramped experience ever. Going through the menus is much more comfortable with a controller. I assume most people associate PC games with keyboard and mouse, regardless of the controller choice being there sometimes. That could be why JRPGs are more suited to console, according to a lot of people (me included).

Also, when you play a game as long as a JRPG, you want to be as comfy as possible. Nab the big tele and lounge around, instead of being stuck in a desk chair with a (usually) smaller monitor.
 
Pockets said:
I find it hard to believe that the early years of gaming didn't face the same split that we had in the US. Games on PC vs games in the arcade (and eventually consoles). Differences in PC availability there, perhaps? Cultural value of a PC? Perhaps some more intrinsic with the differences in our language (only something I consider an option because of the ease for text heavy games in English vs Japanese back then)?
Click to expand...

Actually the history there is a bit more interesting than that. Arcades were and still are huge in Japan--probably bigger than in the US ever, but definitely in the late 80s and 90s as arcades in the US gradually became less and less popular. Arcades in Japan defined what consoles would be successful based on what home versions of arcade games they offered. And back in the day, that was fighting games--VirtuaFighter, StreetFighter, etc. They were the big hits at Japanese arcades, and the primary reason a lot of Japanese consumers bought into the home console market. Where JRPGs come into the scene is when companies like Square and Enix started achieving success by doing something different. Rather than try to compete with existing popular genres, they aimed to prove that home consoles could be used as serious story-telling machines, and series like Dragon Quest and then Final Fantasy were born. The ideas caught on, Square was saved from bankruptcy by risking it all on console RPGs, and a healthy rivalry developed between companies. Add to that how personal computers didn't really catch on for gaming in Japan, and it's little wonder JRPGs have stuck to consoles ever since.
 
Adding in another two cents:

The Sims (even though my first experience for this one was on the console) seems to come really naturally when playing on PC. At first, the change was major and really overwhelming, I can even remember on the console as well - having more than one person did my head in.

However, with Final Fantasy VII in particular (considering that's the only one I have on steam) the console is a lot more easy going. The controls on the PC are well, crampy. :lew: I'm getting used to it but I think I much prefer playing this game with a controller in my hands.

Once again, a good side to both, hence the reason I don't think one is better than the other. :D
 
For me personally, I've always been a console gamer. I didn't have the PC as a young girl to be able to experience gaming in the PC world.

I now see the benefits of the PC though. The games tend to be much cheaper at purchase, and with the right graphic card, you can experience games with amazing speed and qualities of all the graphics in the actual game itself.

My boyfriend is a complete PC gamer and owns TwinGTX690's and oh goodness, it's a beauty. :cali:

I still love my console though <3
 
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