# Best gaming platform? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 18, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872 "2014-09-18T21:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/1 "2014-09-18T21:18:55Z")
Is it the XBox 360 or the Playstation 4? Or the WiU? It seems to me Xbox does everything you need but is cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/2 "2014-09-18T21:58:32Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Is it the XBox 360 or the Playstation 4? Or the WiU?. Wasn’t the 360 replaced by the XBone (or something to that effect)? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/3 "2014-09-19T02:43:48Z")
Ahem. PC (flame on!). It is for me though, my most advanced console is PS2 and Xbox 1 not One. Yes, I assume 360 is not intentional. Definitely not WiiU, sorry. PS4 is the most popular and this generally translates to gaming. Whether the non-game features are better in either one is another matter. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/4 "2014-09-19T03:09:24Z")
Moving this to the Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/5 "2014-09-19T03:42:31Z")
Out of the “next gen” consoles, the PS4 has sold more units and has better hardware than the Xbox One. Realistically, your decision should come down to “Which console has the exclusives I care about?” and “Which console do my friends have?” (if you plan on playing online with them). For general game play, they’re going to pretty close to the same. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/6 "2014-09-19T04:54:29Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Ahem. PC (flame on!). It is for me though, my most advanced console is PS2 and Xbox 1 not One. > > Yes, I assume 360 is not intentional. Definitely not WiiU, sorry. PS4 is the most popular and this generally translates to gaming. Whether the non-game features are better in either one is another matter. I agree with this. Take the four or five hundred bucks you’d sped on a new console and games, upgrade your pc, and wait a couple months for the next big Steam sale. (Unless you’re a Japanese game fan, in which case, get the new model 3ds that will be out next month.) ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/7 "2014-09-19T14:16:00Z")
The best gaming platform is the PC, IMHO. It is the only platform with the flexibility to be whatever you want it to be. It is the only platform that allows you to tailor your experience to your heart’s content. It is the platform with the highest number of highly rated exclusive titles, and the platform where multi-plat games (which are probably 95% of all games) look and run best. Consoles play second to all of that. Amongst the consoles, I’d say the PS4 offers you the better hardware, while Xbone offers you the better social features and UI. The only other defining characteristics are the handful of exclusive titles. You’d have to see for yourself which ones you like best. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/8 "2014-09-19T14:17:26Z")
Oh christ, here we go again. The best gaming platform is the one that suits your particular needs, has the games you want to play, and that most of your friends have. The End. Lock thread please. x.x ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/9 "2014-09-19T14:27:03Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Oh christ, here we go again. > > The best gaming platform is the one that suits your particular needs, has the games you want to play, and that most of your friends have. The End. Lock thread please. x.x While subjective things certainly come into play, I think dismissing objective points of fact out of hand sounds a little defensive on your part. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/10 "2014-09-19T16:19:04Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Oh christ, here we go again. > > The best gaming platform is the one that suits your particular needs, has the games you want to play, and that most of your friends have. The End. Lock thread please. x.x > [@Kinthalis](#): > > While subjective things certainly come into play, I think dismissing objective points of fact out of hand sounds a little defensive on your part. Don’t you have to defend something to be defensive? Granted Airk’s reply doesn’t do much in the way of a conversation, I think Airk nailed it. There is no ‘best’, there’s only the possibly of a ‘best for you’ because different things are important to different people. Maybe Urbanredneck should have asked: "What is the best gaming platform for me? Here are the things that are important to me… " That would at least generate helpful answers as opposed to opening up a tired old debate. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/11 "2014-09-19T17:32:42Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Granted Airk’s reply doesn’t do much in the way of a conversation, I think Airk nailed it. There is no ‘best’, there’s only the possibly of a ‘best for you’ because different things are important to different people. Perhaps you need to define what “best” means. In the absence of details (e.g. best under $500) then I take “best” to mean what it literally means…the best gaming platform there is. We could get subjective and say WiiU is “best” because it has Mario games and I love Mario games more than anything. There is no “right” answer on this road though. Objectively the only correct answer to this is the PC. It is adaptable in ways that game consoles simply are not. Not only in raw power (which with little effort you can [equal consoles at the same price](http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/171158-can-you-build-a-gaming-pc-better-than-the-ps4-for-400)) but in all things it can do that consoles cannot. Bottom line though, for games, is that PCs have the whole market on modding. Modding communities expand and improve games far beyond what the developers ever could imagine or implement. Look at something like Skyrim. While the options available are daunting in number you can customize your game a thousand ways you never could from a console making a good game downright fantastic. PC wins. It is no contest really. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/12 "2014-09-19T17:52:57Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > PC wins. It is no contest really. Unless you want to play games that aren’t on it. Which exist. And are good. Which is why I posted the way I did. Yes. I am being defensive. I am trying to defend myself from another thread full of posturing on the part of people who who are trying to convince someone of a subjective opinion as if it were an objective fact. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/13 "2014-09-19T18:03:28Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Perhaps you need to define what “best” means. In the absence of details (e.g. best under $500) then I take “best” to mean what it literally means…the best gaming platform there is. > > We could get subjective and say WiiU is “best” because it has Mario games and I love Mario games more than anything. There is no “right” answer on this road though. > > Objectively the only correct answer to this is the PC. It is adaptable in ways that game consoles simply are not. Not only in raw power (which with little effort you can [equal consoles at the same price](http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/171158-can-you-build-a-gaming-pc-better-than-the-ps4-for-400)) but in all things it can do that consoles cannot. > > Bottom line though, for games, is that PCs have the whole market on modding. Modding communities expand and improve games far beyond what the developers ever could imagine or implement. Look at something like Skyrim. While the options available are daunting in number you can customize your game a thousand ways you never could from a console making a good game downright fantastic. > > PC wins. It is no contest really. That’s just silly. You think you’re trying to be objective but you’re not. You’re defining what ‘best’ is to you. A lot of people don’t care about customizing a game. I don’t. The price of PC high end PC hardware can make it too expensive for some. PC’s are frequently the last platform developed on for really popular games. If I have a network of friends that I want to play online against/with; I’m not going to feel I have the best gaming platform when I’m the one sitting at home alone at my PC when all my friends on their PS4s or XBox Ones. To me the best platform is one that I can hook into my big screen tv, and play comfortably from my recliner. Yes a PC can do that, but not as easily as a Playstation or XBox. A PC is HANDS DOWN NOT the best platform for me. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/14 "2014-09-19T18:15:36Z")
I agree that having the OP list some criteria would be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/15 "2014-09-19T18:17:32Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Unless you want to play games that aren’t on it. Which exist. And are good. Every platform has games on it that are not available on the other platforms. Nothing new there and entirely subjective. The OP asked for the “best” and _objectively_ the best is the PC. It has far more utility, it is far more configurable and has a much larger base of games to draw from. Certainly if the subjective stuff like wanting to play Mario Kart is the most important thing to you then by all means buy a Will-U. Objectively there is no question the PC is the better platform. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/16 "2014-09-19T18:28:54Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > That’s just silly. You think you’re trying to be objective but you’re not. You’re defining what ‘best’ is to you. A lot of people don’t care about customizing a game. I don’t. You may not care but having the option to do so makes a PC an objectively better choice. It is better to have an option and not use it than it is to not have the option in the first place. I would also submit you are missing out if you do not take advantage of mods. Depends on the game of course and what is available but they can really make a remarkable difference to the point you wonder why they aren’t working for the developers. > [@](#): > > The price of PC high end PC hardware can make it too expensive for some. PC’s are frequently the last platform developed on for really popular games. If I have a network of friends that I want to play online against/with; I’m not going to feel I have the best gaming platform when I’m the one sitting at home alone at my PC when all my friends on their PS4s or XBox Ones. To me the best platform is one that I can hook into my big screen tv, and play comfortably from my recliner. Yes a PC can do that, but not as easily as a Playstation or XBox. A PC is HANDS DOWN NOT the best platform for me. None of the platforms can play multiplayer with a different platform. That is because Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will not let it. PCs are out there on the web and would accept such players if they were allowed out of their closed ecosystems (ecosystems that console players pay to access that PC players do not). If all your friends play on XBone then fine but that does not make Xbone “better” in any respect. And yes, you can absolutely setup a PC to play on your TV. You can also build a PC as capable as a PS4 for the same money as a PS4 as I showed in a previous link up-thread. You can do better if you want to. Hey! Look at that! PC players have a myriad of options console players don’t! Gee…I wonder if that would be an objective point in the PC’s favor? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/17 "2014-09-19T18:39:02Z")
Seriously? Another thread like this? How about we all wait for the OP to list what he would consider the best criteria and avoid rehashing the whole PC vs Console argument yet again? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/18 "2014-09-19T18:58:55Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Unless you want to play games that aren’t on it. Which exist. And are good. > [@Enright3](#): > > I’m not going to feel I have the best gaming platform when I’m the one sitting at home alone at my PC when all my friends on their PS4s or XBox Ones. On the other hand, if you’re deeply committed to playing an Xbox exclusive or if all your friends own PS4’s and you want to play with them then you probably don’t need to ask advice on which platform is best. Those are both perfectly legitimate reasons to buy a specific console but if they’re heavy criteria for you then the question was answered before you asked it. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/19 "2014-09-19T19:35:51Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > On the other hand, if you’re deeply committed to playing an Xbox exclusive or if all your friends own PS4’s and you want to play with them then you probably don’t need to ask advice on which platform is best. Those are both perfectly legitimate reasons to buy a specific console but if they’re heavy criteria for you then the question was answered before you asked it. Unfortunately, a surprising number of people DON’T seem to think to ask those questions before starting a thread like this. Edit: Not saying that applies to the OP necessarily, but I’ve seen more than my share of threads where the OP read something and went “Huh, you know, you’re right, all my friends have a 360, so I guess I better get one so I can play with them.” ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872/20 "2014-09-19T19:38:17Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Unfortunately, a surprising number of people DON’T seem to think to ask those questions before starting a thread like this. > > Edit: Not saying that applies to the OP necessarily, but I’ve seen more than my share of threads where the OP read something and went “Huh, you know, you’re right, all my friends have a 360, so I guess I better get one so I can play with them.” Or maybe he hangs out with a really cool and nerdy crowd, and they all play PC games 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-gaming-platform/698872.md?page=2)