PC games vs Console games

Cafe Society
21

Or, if there IS a bug, it’s unfixable.

One thing that never seems to get brought up is the cost of a TV. I’ve got a shitty TV but a good monitor. A console would be cheaper, but factoring in the cost of a good enough TV to actually enjoy it, and we’re looking at at least a grand, or more than enough for a kickass computer, minus the monitor. And if I want to enjoy the new Hi Def features of the new Xbox it’s 500 bucks for the console and 1400 for the TV that’ll show it off.

It’s an odd double standard where everyone includes the cost of the monitor but excludes the cost of the TV when price comparisons are made.

22

It’s 1400 that you’d spend anyway.

23

Not really.

How many homes do you know that have a TV but no console gaming system? Lots?

Now, how many homes have a computer monitor, but no computer? Far fewer, i bet.

A television is a standard piece of household furniture in wealthy countries, and virtually everyone has one whether or not they have a gaming system. And, even in houses with a gaming system, a television is usually purchased to do a whole bunch of things other than play games, like watching video/DVD movies, or simply watching TV.

The reason the monitor is factored into the cost of a computer is that the two things are generally purchased together for a specific purpose, whereas a TV does not need a console gaming system in order to be an important part of the household’s entertainment.

And it’s not as if you need the latest 42" widescreen plasma TV to have a decent gaming experience. Flatscreen CRT televisions with very decent picture quality and decent size can be had for $200-300. It’s not that the experience won’t be better on an expensive HDTV, but you can still have a perfectly good time on a lower-level model. And, as garygnu says, if you’re the sort of person who’s going to spend big money on a TV for gaming, you’re probably the sort of person who would have spent the money anyway.

Also, the main price complaint about computers in this thread hasn’t been about the monitor, it’s been about the need to upgrade with faster and more expensive graphics cards. Having a too-slow graphics card in your computer is much more likely to compromise your enjoyment of the game (IMO) than having a non-HD television.

24

Yes, you can. I respond to you now with one of them, and play WoW just fine with it sitting on my bean bag. (About 37 WPM at the moment still.)

25

Well I have to say I’m surprised. I went into this thread thinking it’d pan out into those endless

“PC gaming is DEAD! Xplaybox 45000 will be faster and cheaper and look better then the PC ever will!”

“Nuhuh! The best the Xplaybox 45000 can hope to be is a snapshot of cutting edge the PC will have them in the dust before the Xplay is even officially released!”

pissing contests. When I got out of college I had enough money to either support my PC habit or my console gaming habit. I looked at the games + internet + applications and had to go PC. I haven’t regretted my choice and I do get annoyed when a game is obviously dumbed down or looks crappy because it was made for a console and the PC at the same time coughDeus Ex 2cough or a game that I am interested in and would work well on the PC but doesn’t seem likely to be ported coughDestroy all Humanscough but I don’t feel my gaming or console gaming is inherently at war with each other. They both have strong points and weak points and I just wish that game companies would learn how to take the strongest features of both and make games that optimize the system they’re on and port them properly so everyone can have the best of both worlds.

26

A Xbox 360 controller uses a USB interface. They plug right into a PC’s USB port. Windows XP recognizes it. This is sort of a non-issue these days.

27

True, but the point that Chronos was getting at was that the controller doesn’t come with the PC, not that you couldn’t find one that would work with a PC. Unless XBox 360 controllers now come included with PCs.

28

Reread his post. He does point out that he is sure that console controllers are available for a PC as you mention. He also says that “many games play better with a video-game type controller.”

My point is that since they are available for both, it’s a non-issue. The controllers are very readily available. You don’t have to manually install drivers. Granted, they do not come with a PC, but they can be purchased for under $30, which is less than half the price of a new game title.

I completely agree that console style controllers are often superior depending on the game. That’s why I have one for my PC. :slight_smile:

29

Advantages of console gaming (some already mentioned)–

No compatibility worries–either it runs beautifully, or it doesn’t run at all. And you’ll know which is the case before you buy it. No hardware to tweak, no software or drivers to tweak. (Or hell, the reverse–older games that you have to futz around with to get to run on newer machines) And no playing at 5 FPS because your system needs an upgrade.

Easier to transfer saved games–with a console it’s either a memory card, or the game itself for older systems. For a PC you have to figure out where your game file is saved, and then find a way to transfer it. (Granted, memory cards also make it easier to lose saved games)

Controllers tend to be more intuitive than keyboards, as are games designed for controllers. This isn’t universal, and I know you can hook up a controller to a PC (I have an adapter for my own PS1 controller), but games designed for a console have simpler control schemes–I’m STILL learning new shortcuts for WoW, and I’ve been playing since open beta. As far as the mouse goes, Black and White had a completely mouse-based interface. I loved it. For about a half hour. Then I found myself fighting with the interface constantly. It’s easier to press a button then try to draw an S shape that works.

That said, PC gaming is superior in my mind because I have a PC already. I don’t have a current-generation console of any stripe. I did have to buy a new computer for gaming (works nicely for video editing too), but I was able to play games, albeit badly, on my old laptop. I can install and play any PC game on the market right now, while for consoles I either have to buy a new one, or scrounge the used games bin. I tend to prefer console games to PC though.

30

I like the multiplayer game experience - with my friends there. Super Smash Brothers, Mario Party and Super Mario Strikers would be so much less fun if I played them with my friends over an Internet connection.

I don’t have to upgrade my consoles more than every 5 or 6 years, and they cost much less. I bought a laptop which was pretty damn good in 2004 - it runs the lowest everything in The Sims 2.

I love controllers. I find using a keyboard and mouse to play to be awkward. I have trouble in FPSs where I have to use the arrow keys to move and any other key to jump. It isn’t intuitive for me, any other key requires me to take my fingers off the arrow keys so I can’t jump and move at the same time, losing precious time.

If my friends want to play a game I own, I loan it to them, and they can play it legally. No messing with serial numbers and piracy crap.

The Japanese embrace consoles, not computers, and I only play Japanese made games.

Where are you going to get Animal Crossing, Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center on the go? Not with a PC!

31

I’ve got a Knights of the Old Republic save with over ten million hours “played” that says differently. Consoles do have an advantage in this area, but it’s not as large as it used to be: a lot of the sloppier PC game manufacturers have been driven out of business by their poor product, while the introduction of hard-drives and internet connections has seen a definite erosion in platform game stability. Consoles are by no means bug-free: I can practically guarantee you that the last month of development on any given title is largely dedicated to countless meetings about which bugs they can afford to leave in, and which ones have to be fixed to meet compliance standards.

32

It all comes to time and money for me. I play games because I think games are fun. I most decidedly do NOT consider spending six hours reconfiguring my video card “fun” in any sense of the word. Ditto for dropping $300 every year just to stay moderately ahead of the hardware curve. No thanks. My Xbox hardware was a total investment of about $500, including replacement controllers and cables, and I’ve gotten a good five years of gaming (and DVD play!) out of it. Meanwhile, my brother spent three times that on his PC, and hemorrhages more every few months, scrambling to prevent his system from becoming obsolete. Sure, I might have less available buttons, and the graphics might be marginally less shiny, but I get four-player multiplayer Halo for a comparatively minute price and zero setup time. A total no-brainer, in my mind. YMMV.

33

I think it depends on what mood you’re in: sometimes you want an elaborate, 10-course meal; sometimes you just want microwave popcorn NOW.

PC gaming can be a deeper, longer-lasting experience. Console gaming is great for a quick fix. I’m very glad I have both, but I agree with what everyone says about tweaking the PC being annoying when you just want to play. And I’m a geek :wink:

34

I suppose I should toss in this quip here: I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to play an FPS effectively with a console controller. Is it just me being brought up on PC FPSes, or can any of you actually play an FPS with a controller at anywhere close to the speed at which a keyboard and mouse user can?

35

This is my main reason for moving over to console gaming.
On a console you normally don’t need patches.
If the game doesn’t work, it won’t work and you swap it for a different game.
I was getting tired from having to download patches for every bloody game.
Then you install a patch for the one game and the other one stops working.
(It is probably not as bad anymore as 5 years ago).

BTW: The XBox360 (and the PS3) are on-line capable and are quite capable of downloading extra content, mods and the like.
I do agree about the (im)possibility of running certain games on consoles (mostly RPG’s and/or RTS), but these kinds of games don’t have my interest anyway.

36

Personally, I have always preferred PC gaming, but what seems to be happening now is that more and more games are being written primarlily for consoles due to the larger market and ease of testing on a controlled platform, and then being ported to PC if they have any time and money left before launch day.
So you then get ‘PC’ games which have odd little console touches such as wanting sequential button combos for things you’d normally just bind to a spare key, or huge reticules and deliberately engineed weapon dispersion to compensate for the reduced aim precision.
Since nowadays there’s not much difference in terms of net connectivity, patchability, crappiness of coding and so on, I’m starting to think I may as well play my console games on a console instead of on a PC.

Personally, I can’t wait for the day when we just have a display appliance and controller, with all the game data, profiles, subscriptions and so on held online ready to despatch a freshly patched and updated copy every time you press ‘play’.

37

I hardly think FF Tactics and Dynasty Warriors are ‘quick fixes’.

38

Consoles are a lot less expensive than equivalent PCs, at least at release. A PC that can run Oblivion as smoothly as the Xbox360 with the same level of detail would cost at least three times as much, and that’s if you build it yourself and spend a lot of time shopping for the best possible prices for components. So price is a major factor.

Console games are also sometimes more advanced than what is possible on PC at the time. In older console generations, this was more pronounced - when the PS1 came out, it did 3D graphics better than 95% of the PCs out there. When N64 was new, there were no PC games as good as Goldeneye on the market. With this generation PCs are doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the consoles, but as pointed out above, it takes a beast of a system to play games that look as good as XBox 360 titles.

Also, some games lend themselves well to consoles yet would be awkward on PC - one example is fighting games. Even if you have a large monitor, it’s probably going to be more awkward getting two players in front of it than to get two players in front of the TV.

Then there’s portability. You can easily take your console over to a friends house and hook it up to their TV. Taking your PC to a friends house is a different matter.

Then there’s ease of installation. I usually have no problem installing PC games, but I have better luck than most from what I hear. Even if you have a problem-free installation, you still have to take the time to install, set it up, then download whatever patches you need. If you do have problems, you will also spend time updating drivers, tweaking settings, etc. You don’t have to worry about that with consoles.

Then there’s game availability. A lot of good games are released to console first and only come out on the PC after months - i.e. the GTA series, Halo, Fable, Condemned, etc. Some are never ported to PC, and in some genres MOST good games aren’t going to get a PC port - i.e. platform jumpers, racing games, and fighters.

I personally am a PC gamer almost exclusively. The last console I bought was an N64. I’ve been tempted to pick up a console a few times to play some hot title that wasn’t coming out on PC, but I need a PC anyway and can’t justify to myself the expense of buying a console for just a few games. My preference is also largely based on my game genre preferences…I mainly play first-person shooters and strategy games, and PCs excel at these genres while consoles usually don’t measure up - there’s a few good FPS and strategy games for consoles, but none that are exclusive that I want to play that badly…and in the case of FPS games, I prefer mouse+keyboard over controller+auto-aim.

39

If I had to pick one or the other it would be PC. Since I have the option though, I do both PC and PS2. A game like God of War totally rocks on PS2 but I can’t imagine trying to play it on my PC. Something like the Civilization series which is amazing on PC, I can’t see being much of an experience on the PS2.

Or as it’s said…why can’t we all just…get along?

40

I didn’t say all console games are like that; but if you want a quick, no-nonsense gaming experience, it’s nice to have an “appliance” in front of the living room TV, waiting for you to fire it up and play. You seem to think I’m dissing consoles; au contraire - I’m a console junky too. Nothing like an hour of Gaiden Black to work out your aggression. I also love a good “WSAD” FPS on the PC.

As other people say - it’s great that there are both. If you’re lucky enough to have the means to indulge in PC and console gaming, you’re getting the best of both worlds.