PCs and Consoles

[JKTrix]

Personally i see no reason for console gaming to exist

WOW

[Slothy]

Desktop computers, if you build one yourself, and upgrading your Graphics Card is about the same in price of a console, and last just about as long imo. My computer from 2004 can play any PS2 type game fine, like RE4 with no fuss. I can even play Street Fighter IV on this thing. However newer games i like to purchase like RE5 require a new card. But this card lasted me this long, and only now do i feel like i need a new one, with the price equivalent to that a console.

I would partially disagree with this to be honest. My card was pretty much top of the line when I bought it about a year and a half ago. I really can't see it still holding up to high settings on a lot of PC games for more than maybe another 3 years based on how games are developing. That's 4.5 years total if I'm lucky of not getting the best visual experience possible, while my PS3 and 360 (but not the Wii) are set to have near ten year life spans like the PS2 managed. Yes they'll start showing their age after about five, but with competent optimization of PC ports (which console games ported to the PC which seem to be all the rage these days almost never get), they'll still rival more powerful PC rigs in terms of performance. So basically, within the lifetime of the PS3, I'll be paying at least as much as a PS3 twice for a new graphics card (less if I find a good deal or stay away from absolute top end) to keep playing the most recent games. And of course that assumes that all of the other hardware in my PC holds up for ten years which it wouldn't. Keeping up to date on PC specs is not a cheap proposition even if you build your own (which most people never will and won't realize the cost savings). Now the higher price is easier to justify since the PC gets used for more things than just games, but upgrading for games is a tough pill for some to swallow when when their PC does everything else they want very well already.

RAM is almost dirt cheap and if you are smart enough to get a good MoBo you will be able to upgrade all of the rest of your rig for many years before having to replace it.

I have to disagree with this to be honest. The only way you'll have room to upgrade on a mobo is if you don't buy top of the line right away, which can be a good way to do it, though with most parts not really coming down much in price anymore except processors, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Even really fast RAM is fairly cheap compared to slower stuff. My point being that the more high end you go when you build the PC, the less room you have to upgrade later.

Intel and AMD go through socket designs like candy and anytime they release a new processor that is a clear leap forward they generally aren't backwards compatible with the last generation of mobo's. This means the only option for upgrading would be a faster processor in the family you already use since you can't use the new processor design in the older mobo. You might get some performance gain, but a faster Core 2 version isn't going to be as big a leap as say going from a Core 2 to an i7. Ram's another bugger as well since motherboards only support so much and at so high a speed. In fact, for $100 I maxed out mine with the fastest RAM it could handle with a full 8GB's. $100 is pretty cheap for that much RAM and there is no way I can improve it. Granted 8GB's is more than any gamer needs, but as faster RAM comes out, more of the slower stuff isn't necessarily as good. Better than having half the amount but still not a huge leap.

I could go on but this post is long enough anyway. My point being that while you could leave yourself room to upgrade when you build, within five years any upgrades available to you are less desirable and might get you a good two more years tops. Personally, I'd rather build something top of the line up front as cheaply as I can then totally replace it in five years or so so that I get a large jump in performance instead of a smaller step up. It is up to each person though, but if you're going to go with a cheaper build with "room to upgrade" I really think you're better off with another full build by about the five year mark.

[Yeargdribble]

Processors haven't been exploding forward the way they used to. You could be running a 4-5 year old processor that's still pretty decent and if the mobo has plenty of RAM expandability and a good PCI-e slot you'd be fine. I'm not expert, but I doubt that most games are bottlenecking at the processor. If you've got a bottleneck it's probably first the vid card or second the RAM with a distant third being the processor.

That said, I don't necessarily disagree with you. When either the sh*t hits the fan with one of my machines or just feel like upgrading I often go ahead and get a new mobo and CPU along with the other bits usually about 3/4 top of the line or a little better mostly because I like to keep old machines that are mostly functional around for simple crap (like having a dedicated recipe finder/online cookbook in the kitchen or making a dedicated emulation machine for old DOS/NES/etc. games). However, those machines work fine and could easily be running a lot of great games especially with an upgrade. Sure they might not run Crysis, but that's 90% of computers.


In the end it's going to be preference. I don't really see any reason either (PC or console) should be excluded from the party.

[Mirage]

I used to have an AMD Athlon 3000+ from like 2005 along with a video card from around the same time. The only thing I needed to be able to play Mass Effect at a better setting than Xb360 runs it at (20% higher res and more antialiasing), was an 8800 GT, which I got for 120 dollars. Btw, my CPU was a bottleneck with this setup :p, but I later got a 4000+ single core, and then a 4200+ dual core for really cheaps :p. These are still pretty old CPUs though, so my point still stands. I can even play Crysis (on low)!


If you have a PC that isn't older than 4 years, you can bump its graphics capability to near or better than the current gen consoles for less than half the cost of a new console, so I don't think the price of PC capable of running new games is an issue, but maybe installing a 3D card on your own is.

As for the PC vs console gaming debate, I think it depends entirely on what kind of game you're playing. I think some genres work way better on PC than on console, and vice versa. Competitive FPS gaming for instance, is definitely in the realm of the mouse and keyboard, same with RTS games. What I think consoles have got over PC is where they are usually located. A PC is often located for example at the work desk you've got at home, or some other isolated room, at least mine is. My console however, is hooked up to my TV in my living room, a much nicer environment to be playing games in. Of course you can connect your PC to your TV, but most people don't do that, for example if they only have one computer, and they don't want to do all the other stuff on their TV as well. The PC is a multipurpose computer, and many of the things you do on it are impractical to do on a TV.

The ease of piracy on a PC is probably a problem too. It might not be as big a problem as some claim it to be, but it is definitely much bigger than on console games. The game developers then have two options: Make a console game that won't be pirated very much, or make a PC game that will be pirated 30% more than if it was on a console. Guess which is gonna earn them more money.

Btw I really hate it when games are ported to PC, and the controls aren't optimized for it. I'm looking at you, FFXI!

[Shattered Dreamer]

You guys are sort of explaining why I gave up on PC gaming all that messing about buying new RAM, graphics cards & everything in between. I buy the console & for as long as that current generation lasts it can play every game released for that format. Simple, easy, fun! I put the disc in it works & don't have to worry about my PC telling me it needs more RAM or a better graphics card. This is the triumph card in the hand of console gaming!

[Mirage]

That's why you have a nerdy friend who fixes it for you!

[Skyblade]

I find the battles between console and computer most puzzling as well. The differences between the two are getting smaller and smaller. Consoles ceased being simply gaming platforms last generation. This generation has brought them closer to computers. Custom operating systems, hardware additions, online systems, and plenty of features besides just gaming show that the gap is getting closer. To me, the main difference seems to be the control scheme, and the fact that the consoles have much more fixed system specs than PCs.

While I'm not predicting the death of consoles (or rather, the consoles becoming simply another PC) in the future, but if it did happen, I would hardly be surprised.

[Shiny]

I can see the appeal of PC gaming with the onslaught on Alienware and laptops. You can now play PC games on the go as you can portable consoles. I'm not much of a PC gamer because I find many of the more popular ones extremely time consuming and elitist. I just want to play games for fun, not have to constantly level up the character in a game that seems never ending.

At least with console games, I know there will be a conclusion -- a final result of all the leveling and actions I've done in the game. With games like World of Warcraft, you don't get that closure. I also dislike the controls for PC games. I like having a controller to grip in my hand and push a few buttons instead of the keys on a keyboard. Not to mention the fact that most PC games tend to take up a lot space on my harddrive. Two of the many reasons I prefer console to computer games. With the said, the only games I've really be into for PC is point and click adventures, The Sims series and shooters.

[Quindiana Jones]

I prefer console gaming over PC gaming because it's simply easier, in a sense. Well, more relaxed. I don't have to be sitting at a desk or a table with a controller.

Having said that, now that I (think I) have a powerful enough computer, I'm tempted to get Oblivion or Fallout 3 for PC, just because some of the mods look AMAZING. And I love Oblivion. Probably my favourite game ever. But once you've done everything there's little else to do.

I also want to buy The Witcher, because I'm a total fanboy for Polish fantasy adult RPG games. But these decisions may ruin my life because I'll never be able to put them down!