gaming Console Vs. PC

[Guest]

I'll start things off by giving a bit of an introduction and listing some objective points for us all to build upon.

 

So consoles and PCs have been the bane of gaming devices since the start of time and many believe at war. The war has been going on since the 80s or so and it's probably going to keep going. From the old days of the Amiga and NES to the modern days of custom built machines and Xbox Ones, it's a battle that is far from over and one that may never be truly "won". Some remain loyal to only one side, while others enjoy both. Me personally, I believe all forms of gaming are great and instead of being at war with each other all gamers should unite against the common enemy: bad journalism by terrible conservative douchebags who wish to paint gaming in a bad light to fuel their agenda.

 

However there is no denying that there will always be strengths and weaknesses between the two platforms. Because of this, I believe the two will always exist together because the gap has not been fully bridged yet and there are some places where it can not be bridged. Here are some of the strengths and weaknesses of consoles vs. PCs to start us out:

 

Console

 

Strengths:

• ​Pick up and play-ability. A console is a fairly cheap solution to gaming needs with almost no prior knowledge needed to boot up and go. While PCs have gotten easier to build, set up and even install games, consoles remain a very convenient method of playing the latest games without needing to invest very much.
• Universal controller. This may not seem like much, but some games are made better by having the same controller all around. Specifically fighting games which benefit from every player having the same controller. It can't be denied that some games just play better with a controller and that everyone having the same controller creates a much fairer environment for some games.
• Convenient online service. While steam has definitely made things easier, the victory has to go to consoles. While you have to pay for online play, the advantages make it worth the money. Consoles play all online games over a universal service that makes talking to your friends, communicating and playing together easy. On PC shy of Steam, it's a little more jumbled. If a game is on Origin you need to use Origin to talk to any friends playing those games. You may end up needing multiple clients to talk to all of your friends and play all of your games. This brings us to our next point.
• Superior achievement systems. Because the online features of consoles are unified under one service this means that your achievement tracking is also universal. You will never have to deal with some of your achievements being on Origin and some of them being on Steam.
• Exclusives. No one can deny that there has been an exclusive or two that made PC gamers look with envy. While PC gets exclusives too, the list of console exclusives is far  larger and the amount of exclusive games and even exclusive genres for PC are shrinking. A long time ago MOBAs and RTSes were almost completely exclusive to PC, shy of a few games.
• Used games. While used games has become a controversial subject, it has to be said that it's a cheaper way to get the newer releases and a way to get some of your cash back for games you no longer want that are long past a refund period.
• Never worry about not meeting requirements.
• Physical copies. A lot of people like having a physical version of their game, and if that's you, consoles are the way to go.
• Couch multiplayer. Something that consoles have done for years is the wonderful ability to invite a friend over to play.

Weaknesses:

• Lower resolution graphics. While consoles are far from looking like garbage, they do take a hit in fidelity. Though the gap is getting smaller.
• Lack of mod support. While games like Fallout 4 are getting mods, it's safe to say that PC still controls this benefit.
• Not that upgradable. While you can generally get a bigger hard drive when it comes time to buy a new console you have to shell it all out at once.
• Taking a chance on hardware that may fail. It's no lie that a console won't necessarily take off. Look at the Wii U. A console could flop only months after purchase.
• You lose out on some games because developers choose to go exclusive to competing consoles.
• Some PC games will never get ported because they would not translate well or consoles could not handle them.
• Older graphics hardware means that some games will need to be watered down to play well. This means while a PC version may get a solid 60FPS, a console version may need to be downscaled to 30FPS for smooth play.
• Third party devices and complex hook ups needed for recording game footage.

 

PC

 

Strengths:

• Far more multi-purposed. Your PC will be more than just a gaming device. You'll be able to browse the net with ease, word process, video edit and much more. While consoles have more features these days, they can't even compare to what you can do with a PC.
• Customizable. A PC can be built however you want and you have nearly unlimited options for themes, hardware and everything else.
• Mod support is high.
• Free online play. While the saying you get what you pay for exists, it needs to be said that for a free experience, PC offers a solid online experience for free.
• Ability to make your own games without licenses.
• Open platform, easy to modify, and totally legal.
• Some games control better with mouse and keyboard. It's been debated for years, but no one can TRULY deny that mouse and keyboard has done wonders for some genres such as RTS, and FPS.
• Superior power. There is no denying that PCs have superior graphics power.
• Exclusive games that don't translate well to consoles.
• Emulation. This means old school games all in one place.

Weaknesses

• Expensive upkeep and start up. While many will argue you can build a "great" gaming PC for less than a console to build a machine that will stay relevant longer and play the latest games you'll have to spend much more. When a part dies as well, you'll be paying a pretty penny to fix it.
• Digital only for a lot of games. PC games are primarily distributed via digital only sales, so if you prefer physical copies, PC is not for you.
• Some games do not translate well to PC. Specifically games that rely heavily on analog control. Some games just remain unpopular on PC due to their console counterparts having the bigger market share.
• Delayed PC releases. It's no mystery that often times the PC version of a game will take longer to come out. Grand Theft Auto 5 took an additional 2 years before it was released.
• Too many clients. Origin, Steam, Uplay, it all spells out that you will have your friends and achievements scattered across platforms.
• Compatibility issues. With consoles, so long as you have the old console you're good to go. It's rare that you held onto an old PC to play a copy of Dark Seed 2.
• Takes up a lot of space. There's no way around it: a good desktop is going to take up more space than your PS4.

 

These are only some of the points, but what are your guys thoughts?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,803]

I highly prefer consoles due to their ease of use, ease of setup, ease of game playing (meaning I can play any Xbox One game on my Xbox one regardless), and the overall community that consoles seem to have. They have always been my preference and always will be, I personally think that they have more positives for me. it is all preference.

 

I don't care what people game on, as long as they are enjoying it.

[Envy 6,202]

Oh dear, not this topic again! >.< I won't forget the last one I participated in... Which just kind of proved my opinions all too true.

 

At the end of the day, I just don't know why people can't just let others be. Why does it even matter what others like? It only starts to matter when they start being a butt about it, and I've certainly seen that happen.

[Lunar Echo 10,335]

I am a console gamer, it's just easier to get things done for me.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Lunar Echo

[Mothra 704]

I really can't cope with the controls on PC. And believe me, I've tried, over and over again, but the keyboard and mouse aren't things I can use as controllers, which really is the only thing stopping me. I know you can get console controllers to connect to PC, but I think I'll stick with consoles

[Guest]

Oh dear, not this topic again! >.< I won't forget the last one I participated in... Which just kind of proved my opinions all too true.

 

At the end of the day, I just don't know why people can't just let others be. Why does it even matter what others like? It only starts to matter when they start being a butt about it, and I've certainly seen that happen.

I think while preferably I would rather not be a jerk about it that at least acknowledging the differences is important because this all shapes how gaming will change over time.

[Mr F 1,522]

I perfer the PC, mostly because PC has exclusive game genres AND allows me to be on the forums WHILE playing games. :3

Ever played a moba or mmo on console? No?

Thats what I thought! xD

 

 

Expensive upkeep and start up

This is only halfways correct, pc games are A LOT cheaper. So it takes only a few months/weeks to make it worth it.

http://gabegaming.com/

 

 

Origin, Steam, Uplay

Orgin and Uplay are kinda terrible. I have not launched them in a year or so.

GABEPOWER!

[Jonny Music 3,444]

I like both Console and PC gaming alike.

 

Though I tend to favour Nintendo a lot (because of their exclusives, duh), I still like playing games on any platform. Even if I don't own Sony consoles, that does not mean I won't play on them.

 

Both PC and Consoles have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages, and I respect that entirely.

 

For the 8th gen consoles for example, the Wii U paired with a Gaming PC Desktop/Laptop is the perfect combo for me. I get the best of both worlds in terms of the 8th generation of consoles.

[Envy 6,202]

I guess I'll post my opinion:

 

I am definitely on the console side. Mainly because of Nintendo - Nintendo makes the vast majority of games that I like to play. But there are other reasons... Ease - any console you buy will play each and every game specified to be made for it just the same. No worrying about "This game would run better if only I could buy that new video card..." It just drives me up the wall, because I built a PC specifically for The Sims 3 - a "low-end PC game" (and paid a horrendous amount for it) and it still doesn't play it like it should (the game couldn't even read my video card, which was supposed to be top-of-the-line for playing the game, so there'd be little to no lag).

 

When I say "ease", it goes beyond what I said, from my experiences PC gaming is just a big headache, and for me personally, it just isn't worth it since aside from The Sims (which is essentially non-existent for me at the moment as The Sims 4 is a bad game with no chance of ever becoming anything worthwhile) there are very few other titles I have any interest in. The types of games released for the PC just aren't typically for me. So it's a headache that just isn't worth it for me.

 

Aside from that I do love the PC for The Sims, though. The custom content is a really nice feature. Like... if Animal Crossing were on a platform that allowed for custom content (without some kind of hacking which could brick the system), I'm sure someone would be able to take the saxophone and trumpet items from Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer and mod them into Animal Crossing New Leaf. That would be a godsend because... How can they add those instruments in HHD but not New Leaf?! I should be able to have them in New Leaf considering every non-wind instrument they have in it! Come on Nintendo... *irrelevant rant*

 

I'm trying to be fair here, but I go where the games of interest to me are and Nintendo has the majority of them.

 

I think while preferably I would rather not be a jerk about it that at least acknowledging the differences is important because this all shapes how gaming will change over time.

 
The pros and advantages to both? I'm not saying that the discussion can't be had, but the last time we had it here (that I participated) it devolved really quickly.
 
I fully acknowledge that both ways of gaming have their advantages and disadvantages, but there is a certain group on one side (of whom I will not mention by name because if I do they will come and prove me right lol) who does not acknowledge this and thinks that their way is superior and the only way.

[Guest]

 

 

Ever played a moba or mmo on console? No?

 

http://www.smitegame.com/

http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/

 

 

 

This is only halfways correct, pc games are A LOT cheaper. So it takes only a few months/weeks to make it worth it.

 

 

I see the argument of Steam sales come up often and for a long time I personally felt they were a huge benefit... Until recently... I stopped and thought about it and realized that Steam sales are actually not a "better" deal a lot of the time. While it's true sometimes you can get AAA titles for next to nothing, most of the time the games that are on HUGE discount are indie games which are already low in value as it is. To top this off a lot of the AAA titles that get say... 50% off or higher are games that have been out long enough to where you can find them used on a console for that price. When a brand new AAA title goes on sale on steam it's usually a low amount like 10% off which isn't really that big a difference.

 

On a console, I can literally buy a game 2 days after launch used and save $5-10 from the first week of sales. Rarely does that happen on steam. About a month or two after launch I can save the same or even more at any time I want, I don't have to wait for sales. Right now at Gamestop I can get Metal Gear Solid 5 pre-owned for about $4-5 off whereas on Steam I will need to wait for a sale. Within a month or so I am certain I could get the game as low as $50 on PS4.

 

What's even better is I can return any console game I buy from some stores up to 14 days of purchase for full refund. Steam only allows this up to 2 hours of gameplay and most other PC game sellers don't offer it at all. I can literally buy Metal Gear Solid 5 right now, play it for 2 whole days and return it for a full refund from Best Buy. On top of the cheap cost of my console, this is an insanely great value.

 

Then to top it all off after I am done with a game I have the option to trade it in for extra cash towards new games. While I don't personally do this, that's something PC gamers can never do. After you're past the refund period of your game you can not turn in games you no longer play for new games. That's it you're stuck with it now. Steam sales only create the "illusion" you're getting a better deal. In the end it evens out to "about the same". You get about the same savings with a console that you do with Steam.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 3,003]

• Too many clients. Origin, Steam, Uplay, it all spells out that you will have your friends and achievements scattered across platforms.
• Takes up a lot of space. There's no way around it: a good desktop is going to take up more space than your PS4.

-There are multiple clients but I never heard of anyone who, for example, had Origin account but not Steam account. I think is safe assumption that vast majority of PC gamers have Steam.

-Not necessarily true as it highly depends on your specific setup. Completely possible for PC setup to have console-like setup (arguably less space if considering PC monitors tend to be smaller than televisions).

 

Another point that should be added to list is that PCs have free online gaming; with exception of Nintendo consoles to date, you must pay fee to play online for PS4 and XboxOne.

 

 

PC is definitely more preferred for me. Customization and power of it are key reasons (love better graphics and framerate). I also don't just play games; I also spend quite a bit of time working on digital images and compositions which also requires decently powerful machines.

 

That being said, however, I definitely want to get WiiU eventually for exclusive games; not much reason for me to buy PS4 or XboxOne.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Luna the Great

[Guest]

I guess I'll post my opinion:

 

I am definitely on the console side. Mainly because of Nintendo - Nintendo makes the vast majority of games that I like to play. But there are other reasons... Ease - any console you buy will play each and every game specified to be made for it just the same. No worrying about "This game would run better if only I could buy that new video card..." It just drives me up the wall, because I built a PC specifically for The Sims 3 - a "low-end PC game" (and paid a horrendous amount for it) and it still doesn't play it like it should (the game couldn't even read my video card, which was supposed to be top-of-the-line for playing the game, so there'd be little to no lag).

 

When I say "ease", it goes beyond what I said, from my experiences PC gaming is just a big headache, and for me personally, it just isn't worth it since aside from The Sims (which is essentially non-existent for me at the moment as The Sims 4 is a bad game with no chance of ever becoming anything worthwhile) there are very few other titles I have any interest in. The types of games released for the PC just aren't typically for me. So it's a headache that just isn't worth it for me.

 

Aside from that I do love the PC for The Sims, though. The custom content is a really nice feature. Like... if Animal Crossing were on a platform that allowed for custom content (without some kind of hacking which could brick the system), I'm sure someone would be able to take the saxophone and trumpet items from Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer and mod them into Animal Crossing New Leaf. That would be a godsend because... How can they add those instruments in HHD but not New Leaf?! I should be able to have them in New Leaf considering every non-wind instrument they have in it! Come on Nintendo... *irrelevant rant*

 

I'm trying to be fair here, but I go where the games of interest to me are and Nintendo has the majority of them.

 

 

The pros and advantages to both? I'm not saying that the discussion can't be had, but the last time we had it here (that I participated) it devolved really quickly.

 

I fully acknowledge that both ways of gaming have their advantages and disadvantages, but there is a certain group on one side (of whom I will not mention by name because if I do they will come and prove me right lol) who does not acknowledge this and thinks that their way is superior and the only way.

All valid points! Gamers should go where their need is and while a lot of elitists will try and say that a platform is "flawless" they would be mistaken. Exclusives whether people like them or hate them keep competition going. Nintendo having those "gotta have em" exclusives is what keeps people buying consoles from them. I can never deny that even a console I hate has games that I love.

 

I respect all forms of gamers. :3

Edited September 24, 2015 by Guest

[Mr F 1,522]

http://www.smitegame.com/

http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/

I have heard about those games are the console versons good?

Some of my friends said they felt a bit simplified.  Mostly talking about console verson of SMITE.

On a console, I can literally buy a game 2 days after launch used and save $5-10 from the first week of sales. Rarely does that happen on steam. About a month or two after launch I can save the same or even more at any time I want, I don't have to wait for sales. Right now at Gamestop I can get Metal Gear Solid 5 pre-owned for about $4-5 off whereas on Steam I will need to wait for a sale. Within a month or so I am certain I could get the game as low as $50 on PS4.

What kind of jesus gamestop do you guys have in the US?

Here in the frozen north semi-new console games are more like 75-100 dollars. I am not even kidding.

Even launch prices are cheaper on pc here. Its like 55 dollars compared to 75-100.

Edited September 24, 2015 by A Cat

[Scootaloodle 1,623]

I’m not much of a gamer, but I’d vote for PC.

 

I prefer mouse and keyboard for controls, and a PC has the option to be upgraded, like graphics and sound card etc.

 

Not only that a PC has the advantage of being great for doing lots of stuff not just gaming, where as consoles are pretty much really just meant for one thing.

 

I’m not anti-console or anything silly like that though, I don’t exactly hold a grudge against people who use one. But I see no advantage to me owning one personally when I got a perfectly good computer that would do the same thing as a console along with a billion other things.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

PCs being expensive is kind of a outdated stereotyped from the late 90s and early 2000s when even basic work PCs were expensive and kind of a luxury, which is the case anymore. Here's a $500 build going toe-to-toe with a PS4 and even exceeding in some cases

 

 

The PC also comes in as a good investment because of cheap games via Steam (Great Sales on top of sites like Bundlestars, Humble Bundle, and Green Man Gaming that sell steam codes and have their own internal sales and bundles on them), a large library, and freeware games from places like Gamejolt, general productive use, and emulators 

 

For personal experience, here's some footage I took on my system what was around a $600-$650 build (I used the nicest version of the 750ti you could get at the time and a FX-8320)

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by Shoboni

[Envy 6,202]

Not only that a PC has the advantage of being great for doing lots of stuff not just gaming, where as consoles are pretty much really just meant for one thing.

 

I'm not really on-board with this point. I mean, someone can easily own an incredibly inexpensive PC that does just about everything just fine except for gaming, as I did for many years. So buying a PC for gaming is an extra expense on top of the ordinary price of a PC.

[VengefulStrudel 1,495]

believe all forms of gaming are great and instead of being at war with each other all gamers should unite against the common enemy: bad journalism by terrible conservative douchebags who wish to paint gaming in a bad light to fuel their agenda. However there is no denying that there will always be strengths and weaknesses between the two platforms.

 

 

I wish I could find more people with this mentality. The whole console VS PC "war" was pretty big at my high school, elitists from both sides spewing insults at each other every now and again. I suppose the funny part is, when not arguing with each other, they were arguing among themselves. Console elitists would be split into Playstation VS Xbox, Playstation elitists would be split into PS3 VS PS4, and the PC elitists had their own "factions" respectively. It was entertaining, at the very least

 

I agree with pretty much all the points you presented, besides one, though I have some I'd like to add:

• Getting a refund on a console game is a whole lot easier than it is on PC. Steam only recently implemented a refund policy, but even still it is very limited.
• I believe it's easier to fix a broken PC than a broken console. For example, if your 360 implodes or whatever, you'll have to buy a new one (to my knowledge, at least), while for a PC you only need to buy a replacement of the part that broke down.
• The point I disagree with: compatibility. While there are indeed issues with many games, which just won't run at all on modern systems or run really badly, PC has much better backwards compatibility than consoles. I can't put my PSX game CD in my PS3 and play it, but I can do that on PC. Even Doom 1 is still highly playable, despite its age.

 

I do love both systems though. I pretty much play on my PC only now, but that's because it has all the games (and mods) that I want. I wouldn't restrict myself to just one system because I like it more. Unfortunately, I don't think these "wars" are ever going to end, gamers will always find something to "war" about. If some hologram-based gaming system popped up, we'd have Consoles VS PC VS Holograms. Even if one "won", judging by my high school experience, the "factions" would still argue and bicker with each other.

 

Welp, I sure typed up a lot.

 

PS: Having seen Retsupurae's videos, who the hay who want to play Darkseed 2?

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

 

I'm not really on-board with this point. I mean, someone can easily own an incredibly inexpensive PC that does just about everything just fine except for gaming, as I did for many years. So buying a PC for gaming is an extra expense on top of the ordinary price of a PC.

 

It depends, by build cost me $800 including the 23", 1080p monitor and Windows 8.1. 

 

Even more footage, due to video limit

 

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by Shoboni

[Envy 6,202]

It depends, by build cost me $800 including the 23", 1080p monitor and Windows 8.1

 

$800 is definitely an additional cost over what a PC that can do non-gaming and such fine. I had a laptop that did everything I could ever need it to do except for gaming which cost under $200. Granted, that was from a big deal, but you can find plenty of PCs - desktop and laptop - well under $800 that are great aside from gaming. Gaming is a hefty extra expense.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Envy

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

To get technical, there is no real distinction between console and PC other than is created artificially:

 

If there was a particular *thing* that a PC does, you could theoretically create a console to do exactly that (let's call it console X.) The advantages to that are that when someone is creating software for Console X, they know exactly what they are working with - to use an analogy, they can walk into a kitchen and make a sandwich with their eyes shut because they know where everything is. The disadvantages are that it can't do anything else without being altered, which upsets the kitchen - if you move the knives, the sandwich won't be cut into squares (or triangles. Or whatever shape you like, it's not important.)

 

Likewise, PCs can do anything a console can do because they, to go back to my hideously tortured analogy, can be told to look like a specific kitchen. The chef (software) is put in this kitchen and produces a sandwich because everything has been put in exactly the right place. Of course, constantly re-arranging your kitchen is not terribly efficient.

 

This invalidates any claim of difference in a hypothetical world, but obviously we don't live in a hypothetical world. In the world we live in, consoles were made to play games, and more modern ones have been adding more features, bringing them closer to PCs in terms of utility (note that 'closer' is a relative term) but that is entirely the choice of whoever produces the console. The point that I am driving at is that one can criticise individual consoles (or indeed, all consoles individually, if you are so inclined) but criticising consoles as a theoretical whole doesn't really make sense. And criticising PCs as a whole makes even less sense.

[ConcorDisparate 385]

I guess wouldn't enjoy playing on console anymore.

You can't watch streams, videos, talk on forums, etc.. while playing, and games are really costly. On PCs, a lot of games are free, or free-like, if you get what I mean. Anyway. Mods really add a lot.

I want to talk with my friends, to be able to discuss, share videos easily. I want to be able to leave the game at anytime to leave message on a forum, to draw, and to get back to the game whenever, smoothly.

Of course, recent consoles can do that, but it doesn't feel that great, it feels like a bad copy of what PCs offer, to me.

 

I switched on PC when Bf3 got released and didn't come back. To me, it's just better overall. It's like using phone or using skype on a PC. Both can do the same things, but skype just feels better.

 

I'm okay with people using consoles though, we can appreciate different things or disagree on some points. Though I really find ridiculous the people bashing PC players on FPS games because they use a mouth and a keyboard while they are stuck with their controller.

[rarity1 461]

PC because of the large amount of mods.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

$800 is definitely an additional cost over what a PC that can do non-gaming and such fine. I had a laptop that did everything I could ever need it to do except for gaming which cost under $200. Granted, that was from a big deal, but you can find plenty of PCs - desktop and laptop - well under $800 that are great aside from gaming. Gaming is a hefty extra expense.

 

A $200 PC will need replaced very quickly because it will reach a point where even browsing the internet is unpleasant and laggy, let alone trying to watch a video or something, so you end spend more money in the long run than you would buying a nice system that's going to last several years.

 

You also have to think that the PC can replace more expensive consoles, so you factor in that as well.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Shoboni

[Castle Bleck 19,383]

Basically, console versions are more reliable but lower in quality, while PC versions are the other way around.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Basically, console versions are more reliable but lower in quality, while PC versions are the other way around.

 

Depends on who made the port and the effort put into. While there's ports that are utter-shit like the first RE4 port and Saints Row II, there's also ones even better than the console version like MGSV and GTAV.