The Future of the Console

[Bolivar]

Bolivar, you're nuts. Mouse/Keyboard is a far better input device for shooters than a controller.

Yes, I am nuts. But I've been playing shooters on PC for a long time, I played Counter-Strike competitively and sunk countless hours in Team Fortress classic and the original half-life. I absolutely agree with you that mouse & keyboard is a far better input device, targeting is easier, more accurate shooting is possible, which elevates the skill required and makes skillful playing far more rewarding.

But it's not as fun. Again, I've played Call of Duty on PlayStation and Call of Duty on PC and it's far more fun on PS3.

Another point to your post, Sony does allow cross-platform play, but only a few developers like Epic Games and Valve take advantage of it.

[Shiny]

It depends on the game really. Some shooters like Quake and adventure games I can deal with playing on PC/Mac, but some games call for the ease and simplicity of a console. Either way I can't see consoles going away anytime soon. Companies will push the exclusivity of content on their particular console if they see the market going more towards PC gaming. Console gaming also offers casual and other type of gamers the opportunity to play with multiple controllers to create the ultimate social gaming atmosphere. That's not something you can typically do with one keyboard and mouse...

[GhandiOwnsYou]

Console gaming also offers casual and other type of gamers the opportunity to play with multiple controllers to create the ultimate social gaming atmosphere. That's not something you can typically do with one keyboard and mouse...

This is one of my biggest selling points for consoles. Don't get me wrong, online is cool and all, but ever since Contra showed us how it's done there's been nothing as fun for me as co-op with a buddy sitting in the same room as me. Fighting game parties, or 4 dudes on a big screen pounding beers and playing modnation. That the core of console gaming over Computers to me, they are built to accomodate social play.

[Wolf Kanno]

Where there are also LAN parties for that in the "same room experience". My PC friends have no problem bringing all their Desktops to one persons house to do a few instances on an MMO as a means of having fun on a Saturday night. Consoles certainly do it easier, but co-op gameplay is often being neglected in games in favor of online play. To developers, it's the same thing.

[GhandiOwnsYou]

There is a world of difference between having a buddy press connect on controller 2, and bringing an entirely separate machine over to set up for each person that wants to play. Even if you were to ignore all the setup, you're still looking at a roomfull of guys all staring at their own screens.

[Wolf Kanno]

Considering a co-op involves a split screen, I would say you are still having a bunch of people in a room, staring at their own part of the screen. You can still glance over the side and see what's happening on your friend's PC as well, it's not like a PC screen is some private dark theater with one admission. Also, when you start playing around with games like Halo that allow your to hook up multiple systems and TVs to do high number co-op, I feel the difference is negligible. Not to mention that even in consoles, co-op is starting to be slowly fazed out in favor of online play.

[Depression Moon]

My friend told me one time how much one of those gaming pcs cost and I was like whoa! Too expensive for my blood.

[Freya]

I'd be a PC gamer if it wasn't so damn expensive! You can upgrade and mod game sand stuff with PC. You can't do that with consoles.

[GhandiOwnsYou]

Considering a co-op involves a split screen, I would say you are still having a bunch of people in a room, staring at their own part of the screen. You can still glance over the side and see what's happening on your friend's PC as well, it's not like a PC screen is some private dark theater with one admission. Also, when you start playing around with games like Halo that allow your to hook up multiple systems and TVs to do high number co-op, I feel the difference is negligible. Not to mention that even in consoles, co-op is starting to be slowly fazed out in favor of online play.

Hit and miss I suppose. My favorite co-op games have always been the ones that didn't split screen. Run n' Gun and Beat em up type games like Contra, Metal Slug or Streets of Rage. These types of games are coming back in force on the PSN and Live Arcade lately. They're easy for developers to make and people love polished, old school titles. Hard Corps: Uprising and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World are good examples.

As far as modern gaming goes, I think a lot of people have rebelled against the shift to online. Enough at least to make developers turn back a bit, realize that they didn't SWITCH camps and they just have a new camp they have to keep happy too. Motorstorm comes to mind. The original ONLY offered online multiplayer. There was a fairly sizable backlash though, and since then they have offered split screen as well.

[ReloadPsi]

A console offers reliability, reliability and reliability. I've never had trouble running a console game. That's why I'll always stick to them.

And the iOS can suck it. I am not letting Apple drag me into their IT Master Race. I've been playing along for long enough while I was in film school.

I'd be a PC gamer if it wasn't so damn expensive! You can upgrade and mod game sand stuff with PC. You can't do that with consoles.

Yes you can; it's called "buying the next one." And in the long run it lasts longer and is cheaper.

I cannot stand online play. Online gamers have no respect for the fact that the people you're playing with have put the time aside to play a game with you because you aren't sharing the room with them. Online gamers are a contemptuous bunch of people and I'm glad I don't play with them any more.

[Freya]

No. Graphics change if I remember correctly, every like 8 months. Now a console lasts for about 8 years before there is a new one. If you have a PC you can have the better graphics the entire time. Like currently, I can't buy myself a WiiU, Xbox 720 or PS4 but I can upgrade my PC. If you want to keep the same graphics for 8 years, yeah sure, but if you want anything better, PC it is. And instead of buy a new console every bit, you can just buy one new part. That to me is cheaper.

Consoles are not reliable. Red ring anyone? While most PC problems are human errors, they got themselves a virus or messed up something. Console, that's all the developer. The only way there is human error is if they've tried to mod it.

[ReloadPsi]

Oh yeah, I forgot I'm the only person left on the planet who places no importance in graphics and has felt that way since he played Donkey Kong Country and realised it was actually kind of crap and easy, but those graphics sure were nice.

And I guess I forgot to take the 360 into account, but then it has Microsoft's name on it so I already ignored it :3 I've been playing my PS2 and N64 for quite a long time I guess.

My next gaming purchase will in fact be a PC, but that's because I'm sick of consoles trying and failing to somewhat imitate them. I guess I'd actually forgotten that reason because I've been so set on not playing those particular ones for so long that it's become a habit I don't even think of the reason for. Man, that last post of mine was kinda ignorant really.

Having said that, bringing up the "human error" thing for PCs is a bit unfair when you factor in that putting a computer together is one of those things some people just cannot understand, no matter how hard they try to. I actually did a computing course for a year and frankly learned nothing because I couldn't get my head around any of it. When I do buy my next PC, I'll be asking someone else to help me put it together because even with instructions I am useless at this stuff.

[Slothy]

Having said that, bringing up the "human error" thing for PCs is a bit unfair when you factor in that putting a computer together is one of those things some people just cannot understand, no matter how hard they try to. I actually did a computing course for a year and frankly learned nothing because I couldn't get my head around any of it. When I do buy my next PC, I'll be asking someone else to help me put it together because even with instructions I am useless at this stuff.

Yeah, but the human error stuff that causes the most PC problems isn't with regard to building them, or even cleaning them out. It's simple every day stuff like don't open attachments from strange emails. Know what the hell you're downloading and that it's from a trusted source. Don't download porn to your computer. Don't open up the control panel and start messing around with settings if you don't know what you're doing first.

You know, the basics. And to be fair, the same sort of general idiocy has done in many a console as well. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people stick a console near the floor so dust can better accumulate inside. Or put it in a small enclosed space with almost no room for the air to vent, assuming they didn't outright cover the air vents. When it comes to basic incompetence, no electronic device is safe. Barring that though, a PC made from decent parts is going to last as long as any given console. Longer when the console is made by Microsoft.

[ReloadPsi]

Having said that, bringing up the "human error" thing for PCs is a bit unfair when you factor in that putting a computer together is one of those things some people just cannot understand, no matter how hard they try to. I actually did a computing course for a year and frankly learned nothing because I couldn't get my head around any of it. When I do buy my next PC, I'll be asking someone else to help me put it together because even with instructions I am useless at this stuff.

Yeah, but the human error stuff that causes the most PC problems isn't with regard to building them, or even cleaning them out. It's simple every day stuff like don't open attachments from strange emails. Know what the hell you're downloading and that it's from a trusted source. Don't download porn to your computer. Don't open up the control panel and start messing around with settings if you don't know what you're doing first.

You know, the basics.

Again, something else I hadn't actually considered because I give people too much credit :P

[Slothy]

Nothing wrong with giving people too much credit. You're less likely to become a cynical ass like me if you can be consistently optimistic like that.