Pros and cons: PC gaming Vs. Console gaming

[Latios XT]

Just so you know where I'm coming from:
I've been an avid console gamer sense the days of the SNES (and yet I was 8 years old at the time). It's only recently shifted to PC gaming since 2002. I'd say I still have it in me to properly judge to two.


PC Gaming (Assuming you own a custom built PC)

Pros
1. Given that you get a top of the line PC, chances are it performs better than anything else.
2. Backwards compatibility is Windows' second nature.
3. You can brag about what's in your rig.
4. You can enjoy games at resolutions better than 720p, on maximum settings, at 60+FPS. And with a $500 monitor.
5. Keyboard and mice work well on many games.
6. You can do something else at the same time (maybe put on some Dillenger Escape Plan while playing UT2004)
7. Even if you don't want to game, you have many more things you could do on a PC.
8. You can always download a demo to a game if you want to see if it works for you.
9. "Region Free"
10. If you're unsatisifed with what you have, and you're feeling brave, there's always overclocking.

Cons
1. Buying a top of the line PC burns a hole in your wallet.
2. Tech support? What's that?
3. If you plan on staying up-to-date, consider upgrading once a year.
4. You have to make sure your PC can play the game in a few years.
5. If Windows decides to be mean, lots of luck fixing it.
6. MSN Messenger pop-ups.


Console gaming

Pros
1. Relatively cheap for something powerful.
2. It's dedicated!
3. You don't have to worry about system requirements other than the amount of memory card space you have.
4. Entertainment is second nature, or should be.
5. Great multiplayer settings.
6. You don't have to worry about upgrades.
7. You have tech support and a warrenty.

Cons
1. Backwards compatibilty? What's that? Unless you're Sony.
2. You can't brag about what's in it.
3. FPS games are awkward on a controller.
4. You can't do something else at the same time.
5. HD Gaming requires another $1000 for an HDTV.
6. Although you can rent a game, nothings better than trying a game for free.
7. "Region unfree".

[Anti-Sheepskin]

I think the main gripe with consoles is the lack of customizability. That and the fact that games can be modded with a PC.

I think the latter will eventually die out as consoles are increasingly connected to the internet, however, the lack of customizability is more interesting.

I think in the end you're going to have a fusion of the PC and the console, into an all-in-one machine that plays movies, you get on the internet, and you can play console games on. Afterall, consoles are just specialized computers no matter how easy they are to use.

[Renown]

Case in point, technological advancements for the PC are beneficial from the get go, no need to wait another 4+ years for a "next-gen" console to meet those specific requirements at all.

Let's use an example, Samsung is on the verge of releasing it's coveted GDDR-4 memory chips, which will benefit PC gamers again...from the get go.

Picture this...

Xbox 360 Gamer: d00d, Xbox 360 pwnz.

PC Gamer: If you say so, I just picked up meh brand spanking new X2000 XT that uses GDDR-4.

Xbox 360 Gamer: Pfft. n00b. I think the 360 uses GDDR-3, and it just came out this year...it's helping to pioneer the use of GDDR-3 for something.

PC Gamer: GDDR-3? What's that?

PC Gamer: That's like, so....3 years ago. =P

Provided that was more of a joke than a point in particular, but you get the idea.

GDDR-4 by itself will render the PS3, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Revolution obselete...in graphics memory usage and speed alone.

[Anti-Sheepskin]

Oh man.. that's.. oh.. man... oh.. man.. I'm on the floor right now I'm laughing so hard.

LOLZ!!11!L!OLZ!LMAO!11!1

The PC will always PWN consoles because of its customizability. As I've said a million times before.

[Latios XT]

I find it funny that the first thing anyone likes to use against PC gaming is "Well it costs $2000 for your PC when I can buy my XBox 360 for $500"

Right. My PC made the XBox 360 obselete before it came out

And I got to enjoy the Quake IV demo at 1280x1024, FSAA 4x, Aniostropic 16x, and around 45-60FPS. The XBox 360 does it at 1280x720, FSAA 2x, maybe some Aniostropic filtering, and well, I hear it has framerate issues.

[Rockman X]

this is just my opinion but you should add "games can be hard to play on a keyboard" I have some games for the PC and it is hard playing on the keyboard

[The God of Haiku]

But some games are also difficult to play on a console controller. Halo is about the only FPS that can confortably and effectively be played with a console controller, but it's still better on PC.

[Anti-Sheepskin]

Well, you can always hook up a controller to the PC. However strange.. unusual.. fanboy-ish.. weird.. it is.

Have you seen the people buying controllers for PCs? - Dude, I have, it's not a pretty sight.

A combination of cigarette smoke, Depends, and the plastic of many-a-controller-broken.

I'm going to throw up now.

[Latios XT]

Apparently once you've played the NES and SNES on emulators enough, the whole "Keyboard sucks!" argument suddenly goes away. Although I'll admit it's kind of a nightmare to play the N64 on the PC, but then again, who only depresses the stick 10% of the way?

I used to have a Dual Shock 2 -> USB adaptor, and I found it only useful when playing emulators. It's funny when you play the SNES on a PS2 controller.

Well heck, if anything, I do better on Capcom/SNK style fighting games on a keyboard than a controller or joystick because... doing a half-circle back + forwards motion really sucks on a controller.

[Anti-Sheepskin]

I'll tell you what else sucks. Trying to press two buttons at the same time. I had to try to do that in Chrono Trigger in the future.. with that weird fscking man-face rat thing running around and shit, and I couldn't unlock it. A fscking travesty, I'm telling you.

I would never want to play SNES on a PS2 controller - heathens.

Oh, they have Street Fighter II on a controller now I guess, you can find it in bargain bins everywhere.

Even at Wallgreens. Ain't that a bitch.

[Renown]

I'll tell you something else, in a console game, let's say you're playing Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the XBox, the graphics are nice but it's very jagged here and there.

My point? You can't do anything about it, you'll have to acccept the fact that it was made for that specific hardware analysis, more then often, developers remake certain PC games for consoles using minimum or normal settings...whichever it may be you're not going to be promised a pretty picture.

With a PC if you're not too happy with the results you're getting, you can switch to the settings, add some AA or AF...and if your card is good enough, you can even set detail settings to max. Consoles need to embrace the user-friendly idea more and not interpret it to being a thing where you can have backgrounds in the main menu of whatever system.

[Latios XT]

On that note, I'm kind of ticked that Peter Moore said the XBox 360 would end all jaggies. Played CoD2 on it, and well, I saw jaggies. What's worse is that I'm lead to believe most games use trilinear filtering instead of Aniostropic... and that doesn't kill framerates.

Heck, I've played most games recently on maximum as possible settings and my video card doesn't breat a sweat.

[Renown]

Well, Peter Moore claimed the XBox 360 would do a helluva lot more than it's doing now, so yeah. I do believe the 360 has the potential for it, totally. Aside from that when will developers finally embrace the goodness that are the basic laws of a custom PC?

[Anti-Sheepskin]

Doubtful. You and I both know that they could make those games now. Probably the expense.

[The God of Haiku]

This isn't so much about the pros and cons of PC vs Console gaming, but more about the direction both are headed.

Right now, the console market is what rules and determines the industry. PC enthusiasts will probably cry out in protest to that, but it's true. PC gaming is still a big and vital part of the game industry, but look at things. o.o Go to most stores that sell video games. Compare the console section to the PC section. At most Best Buys, where the PC section used to be pretty sizable, it's not just one smell shelf or so, while each console (alone) has an aisle or two. Even at most EB/GameStops, each console has more shelves than the entire PC section. Hell, even the GameCube section has a larger selection. Go to E3 and what's the big buzz? Consoles.

PC gaming is fading out as consoles become more and more like their personal computing counterparts. Of course, PC gaming will never go away entirely. o.o Hell, it's what kept the market alive during and after the Crash when gaming went back underground. Happened again during and after the Second Crash. PC games are vital to this industry, but even the industry, itself, doesn't realise this and is puting too much emphasis on the consoles. Consoles are great, and have their purpose, but the PC is capable of so much more. And now, as higher-end PCs are becoming more and more common, the whole purpose of the console is deteriorating. However, because both platforms are outdoing one another, they cancel each other out. Consoles are becoming more like the PCs in capabilities and PCs are becoming more like consoles in frequency and purpose.

I don't know. We're overdue for another industry crash. Nintendo's Wii is the innovative hope for this generation and for the industry. If the Wii doesn't live up to its former code-name, Revolution, Sony and Microsoft will be the downful of the video game industry, ushering in the Third Crash and the Third Golden Age of PC Gaming before the decade's out.