PC's vs. Consoles, A civil discussion.

[Gnoblar]

KEEP IT FLAMESLESS AND CIVIL

Ok. I've seen topics like this pop up, but they are always filled with ridiculous posts like

"PC's win, full stop"
OR
"360 is a piece of sh1t wtf man wht is rong wth u?"
OR
"I hate PS3, where's your "Best selling game of all time"?"

Etc. You get it. I want none of that here. I want to make comparisons between the two, but I would like to make a few statements first.

Consoles are still in developing stage, whilst the core of PC technology is pretty much down-pat and is constatnly being upgraded. Consoles are still in beta stage. The Nintendo and PS1 were pretty much ideas put out there for the hell of it (I know there were consoles before them I'm just using examples), and the market for consoles grew as studios saw that there were some advantages to them. With the next generation of consoles, Xbox and PS2 (The PS2 coming out first), the market grew extensivly as teh game creators could fit in more and more to the game, thanks to an increase in the raw output the consoles could generate, though in comparison to PC's tehy were still shoddy graphics. Then came xbox live, which kicked of a new era in consoles and PC gaming. It enabled people to sit in their lounge rooms, without sitting up or being 50cm away from the screen and be fully relaxed, and kick ass online. Then came Halo 2.
Not most people saw Halo 2 and thouht "Halo 1! Yay! Let's get the sequel!" But it was far more than that. Halo 2 created online console gaming. With the ability to have friends online (And you could paly with them whenever and you can see what they're playing if they're not on H2/party invites/awesome netcode (for the time, and remember, consoles, not PC)/matchmaking so you don't verse pro's when you're on level 1. It also had guests, and you can invite your friends over your house and play with your friend who has to stay home in the same game. Nothing even came close to what Halo 2 had to offer. It Made console gaming what it is now.

Then comes the next generation of Consoles, starting with the blistering xbox and Gears of war, and for the first time, The graphics on a console shone. It was epic. 4,000,000 Copies of Gears of war was sold, and the sexy new 360, which the entire console was based on Halo 2's intuitive online system, Party invites, messages etc. It all worked. With a 512MB graphics card (Not exactly), the 360 could pump out some intense graphics, but PC was jsut that step ahead, with raw graphical power and processing energy that consoles can't match. Yet.

Now the consoles are still in development, still being tweakied to perfection. The next generation are to be released with a bang of a rumored 1GB graphics card and some very nice titles (Gears of war 3...).

Before you right down straight away "PC's are more powerful, therefore better", remember this:

Consoles, "pro's":

My favourite points are marked in bold.

-Turns on instantly.
-Shut's down instantly
-Friends are visible NO MATTER WHAT GAME YOU OR THEY ARE PLAYING.
-No Installing
-Up to 4 players.
-Can play lying down, upside down, sitting, whatever.
-Takes seconds to get running, it's all plug and play, it's all there, it's all installed, it's all NETWORKED.
-No need to set up internet, just plug in the modem.
-Much easier to learn and master, and all PC's game rely on pixel perfect aiming, and it is very hard for a consoles player to reciece this, so an aimbot is used in most games, allowing players to get better quicker.
-Wireless controllers that can be carried anywhere, as they are very light and nifty.
-Invite your friends over to your house and play soem Halo/MGS4/Gears/What ever.
-Immense interactivity with the Wii.
-Consoles own the best selling game of all time, Halo 3
-Matchmaking makes gaming easier, just press "Find game" and some games even have "Search for good connection" or another type of filter. Host and Join is no longer the "in" thing.
-Updates passed directly on to your console, no need to quit and go the the website and reboot the game.
-Marketplace and store allows you to buy expansions (if they need money) to expand your game, instead of buying an $20-$40 expansion pack from a store.
-TV's are far superior to Computer screens (In size and res).
-ALL new consoles (Barring the Wii) games run at 1080p, allowing crystal clear delicious clarity.
-NO MORE RETURNING THE GAME because you don't have the system specs or you dont meet minumum requirements, you always have it the maximum.
-Game are engineered to run at full capacity with no lag, so you'll get very few frame rate frops (VERY few), I personally have had none.
-You get Halo 3.
-You get MGS4.
-You get achievments (Or "Trophy's) (They are very fun to work for, adn the more you get the more... prestige I suppose people reveer for you.)
-Controllers are so much more comfortable than keyboards.
-You don't strain your eyes looking at the screen, unless it's a small telly.
-It's made for gaming, and does just that VERY well.
-No viruses! All game files are virus-free!
-Although possible, I've never seen or heard of any hackers.
-Add more for me.



Cons:

-Graphics are not that latest and greatest, though Gears of War 2 begs to differ.
-No mods on 360's or PS3's... yet. (You can mod Xbox 1)



PC Pros:

-I've seen a 1792MB graphics card running Crysis. WOW HOLY WOW!
-Graphics are intense.
-Graphics are intense.
-Graphics are intense.
-Graphics are intense.
-Graphics are intense.
-Graphics are intense.
-Intense frame rates.
-Intense aiming for most games, with no aimbot existent.
-The raw power of PC's is awesome.
-Battlefield 2
-Battlefield 2142.
-Crysis
-RTS's (I personally don't liek RTS, but I stand alone really).
-Add more points for me.
-Infinite memory with USB's and External hardrives.
-Valve
-Modding Communities and Gameplay variant communites.

Cons:

-Self! Self! Self! Only one players, and all crowding the computer screen sucks!
-I hate keyboards.
-Too close to the screen, you can see the pixels and the colour blurs on old monitors.
-I prefer Lying down or on a bean bag.
-Hands are spread apart, and you can only do one thing with each (WASD and Mouse on most games).
-Friends? What friends?
-Not family friendly as you have to sit by yourself in a room to play.
-No 40" Sony Bravia LCD to play on.... (I have RGB at the back, but my 360 is plugged in on the Component, I don't like PC gaming).
-Installing games sucks.
-Uninstalling?  Oh dear, don't bring that up.
-WAY TO MANY HACKERS.
-WAY TO MANY VIRUSES.
-I want to play a serious game of.... BF2 let's say, just plain old battlefield 2, and I have to naviagate through a gabagillion servers just to find a non-modded game with a good population and latency.
-You either have a gaming PC or you don't, so you get good graphics or you don't.
-Expensive.

Ok, so try not to include personal opinion, but you may include personal experience

THOUGH COMMENTS LIKE

"I played Metal Gear Solid 4 and I hated it!" Are just dumb, so don't write that.
If you have somehting to say, you can praise a post or reply and if you want to add a pro or con, put down somehting like

"Pro's for PC:

Intense Graphics".

So yeah, please debate this without getting things like "I love PC" or "PC sucks".

What do I have:

PC:
-2.53Ghz
-Core Duo 2GB RAM
-320GB Harddrive.
-Dark Reign 2
-Dark Reign 1
-Age of Empire 1 & 2.
-Rise of Nations.

I don't play PC. My brothers plays all them except AOE2 and DR1.

360:
-COD4
-CODWAW
-Halo 1, 2 & 3.
-Gears of war 1 adn 2 (THough I'm selling Gears 2 for Operation Flashpoint 2)
-Frontlines (hey, it's alright)
-Fable II (Not mine, my brothers)
-Oblivion (My brothers again)
-Bad Company (My Favourite game)
-EndWar is going to be bought soonish.
-Borrowing  Rainbow six Vegas 2

I have played on PC:

-Crysis (Great)
-Far Cry 1
-BF2 (Love Project Reality)
-BF2142 (My favourite PC game)

That's all from me.

[iDante]

Wow. You wrote a lot.

The thing that gets me into a gaming system is A) the games and B) the system. In that order.
I like computers more because the games are better, no question. There's far more of them, and they own. They OWWWWN.

I also like them because the controls are more intuitive. Using the left hand to move and the right hand to look around comes naturally and came far more naturally for me than using my thumbs to do things. I've played games on these consoles for far longer than computers too, so it's not because I grew up on them.

[N. Escalona]

One of the great things for me about PC games is that they can develop things like modding and mapping communities because they are often much more customizable. For 2 games of equal quality, the online community for the PC game will last longer and be more interesting/dynamic than the online community for the console game.

That said, I play online games exclusively on PC.

[jrgp]

You didn't mention hackers for console games. I used to have friends, back in the day, who'd spend all weekend hacking their Xbox1 and getting around Xbox Live's protections to have all sorts of custom things in Halo2 online, like scorpion tanks in small maps, unlimited ammo, getting around the top of the map, flying, etc. They'd also run the xbox connection through their computer and use certain programs to kick certain people from the game. Consoles are NOT immune to hackers.

[SDFilm]

I love having a PC for its versatility and modding cababilities. A game with a decent modding community behind it can be 3 times better than the original retail release. The only down side of PCs is the start-up time and the cost. Last christmas was the only christmas that I didn't have a PC game on my list, since my PC just can't handle the latest titles such as GTA4.

I've played GTA4 on my bro's computer though, and I'd definitely wait to get my own new computer than to buy a console for it.

Blackhawk (Annihilator) in Deathmatch FTW!!

[STM1993]

1. The controls are very different in consoles vs PC. Depending on the game you are playing, you may prefer one over the other.

For example, Armored Core, which is a PS game. I think that game is really good, fun etc. However, I'm very uncomfortable with the controls since its for the PS. It's so difficult to aim AND move with the analog sticks along with many other complicated controls, which I find would have been much easier if I were playing with the keyboard. I would have personally preferred it if Armored Core was a game for PC, so the controls would be easier to handle.

Similarly, you have Devil May Cry. This game can be played in Xbox, PS, or PC. It's much more comfortable and easier to play that game on the console rather than on PC. You'd feel like the controls are pretty difficult to master and are limiting your maximum potential. You'd probably need a joystick or something, like the analogs that consoles have.


2. Consoles are built almost strictly for gaming, but PCs have many other purposes.
Don't you agree? Consoles are built solely for gaming (though they may have a few extra features like being able to play DvDs). PCs, on the other hand, are built more for other purposes like surfing the net and do some other stuff that isn't exactly entertainment. Yes, there are such things as PCs built for gaming, but wouldn't you agree that consoles tend to have much better graphics and tend to have less problems etc?


3. Same Machine vs Multiple Machines
If you were using a console, you would just need to buy a console and a few controllers, and everyone can play together in the same screen. Better yet, no cases of lag due to connection problems (unless you're playing co-op online). However, if you're gonna play using a PC, either two people have to squeeze in a keyboard, or you'd have to get another computer and then connect to each other via a LAN network. Connections may be problematic and laggy at times.



I personally prefer using the PC to play for most games, especially since I like first-person shooters, and I have a preference to use the mouse to aim directly rather than requiring the use of an analog. Of course, there would be some exceptions depending on the game I play. The main reason that affects my choice between using the PC and console to play is the difference in controls.

[Hair|Trigger]

Some random stuff that I think about Consoles and PCs alike

Dualshock controllers are better than XBOX and XBOX 360 ones.

with the right gear, PC can outdo any controller many times over in terms of aiming.

If you have the right knowledge, it's easy to get a ~$500-1000 gaming PC that out-performs anything you can buy from the shop for 4k.

Battlefield 2 is better on the PC

THPS games are better on the Playstation (dualshock controllers) 

Slow-paced games (like RPGs) are better on the XBOX controllers (Dualshock is kinda designed for faster-paced gameplay)

Developers should put a lot more effort into the "feel" of the gamepleay.  sometimes I feel like /killing myself because the people who make the games dont even pay attention to how the guns feel.

PC is better for online play, aswell as online communities and in general, easier to keep in touch and share things.

[Mr.Spoon]

Always have been a PC-slave and always will be.

The main reason for that is that you can do more with a PC than just play. That means that almost anyone has a PC today, for internet/work/etc.
If you're nearly broke all the time, that's where it stops

I have been a console-hater for some time, but when it comes down to it, there's really no point to that. I still don't really like the Xbox360 and Playstation 3, because i feel like i could have the same game experience on my PC if i bought a gamepad. The sad fact is that quite a few console games for these two also make the way to the pc.

On the other hand i have been a Wii-lover without a Wii for some time, because it delivers something i CAN'T HAVE games like that on a PC (as of now at least). It is also a different understanding of a console, since the Wii delivers games that are fun to play in a group, as opposed to games with a focus on singleplayer. For me, that is something i could think of having in addition to my PC-experience.

By the way: cross-platform games sprout some weird things: In Knights of the Old Republic i always felt like i had some kind of Xbox interface that they only adapted for the PC, which still worked quite well.
But then there was Shadowrun (as a roleplayer, i'm rather fond of that game/setting), where they fucked up the controls on PC on purpose to give the console gamers a chance.

[N. Escalona]

wouldn't you agree that consoles tend to have much better graphics

This really depends. When the 360 came out I thought the graphics were awesome. Standards have continued to rise of course, and the 360 is still current-gen for consoles but the graphics on several PC games are better. I say that without owning either a 360 or a PC game with post-360 graphics (my system isn't that great), so I'm kind of spouting BS; take it how you will.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

I don't have much to add to this discussion, as I don't play as many games as my name would imply.  However, while I do the majority of my gaming on my laptop, there's something nice about just being able to pop in a game, pick up a controller, and play some games with your friends.

[Mr.Spoon]

3. Same Machine vs Multiple Machines
If you were using a console, you would just need to buy a console and a few controllers, and everyone can play together in the same screen. Better yet, no cases of lag due to connection problems (unless you're playing co-op online). However, if you're gonna play using a PC, either two people have to squeeze in a keyboard, or you'd have to get another computer and then connect to each other via a LAN network. Connections may be problematic and laggy at times.

There's no reason why you can't play games like FIFA or ProEvo on PC with multiple controllers. There are some games that don't support that on PC, like Halo, but then again you could argue that Shooters are much better with a mouse than with a pad, so it evens out a bit

[echo_trail]

This is a pretty good topic, Gnoblar. Well done.

I don't have much to add to this discussion, as I don't play as many games as my name would imply.  However, while I do the majority of my gaming on my laptop, there's something nice about just being able to pop in a game, pick up a controller, and play some games with your friends.

There definitely is. I enjoy gaming much more on consoles than I do on my PC. There's just something about sitting a bunch of mates around the TV with a set of controllers, yelling at eachother over FIFA or whatever. Somehow it's more cozy than everyone just starring into their own little monitor, half a world apart. Also, many of the games developed for consoles are of poor quality once converted for PC. Some games are just meant to be played on a console only..

So, while I do enjoy a good game of soldat(like the one Kazuki and me had last night), even though I get my ass smacked these days, I've always been a console kinda guy.

[excruciator]

I play classic a lot therefore I vote pc.

But honestly, FPS are better played on a console.

[Espadon]

PC offers sheer versatility that a console can't. I'm all for utilitarianism.

[tehsnipah]

Well, the PC's will be all crying to Bill Gates soon......

I personally like Consoles. It's just that it feels more safe, like no virus, not too expensive, and best part, you don't need to buy any of those bullshit graphic cards. I mean sure PC's can have an amazing graphic; but I got used to the horrible graphic on my computer. So I somehow never minded about the graphics.

[miles moses]

my god gnoblar you're trolling aren't you
your 'discussion' is based around graphics and internet

[echo_trail]

for fucks sake, stop the constant spam, ben.

[croat1gamer]

*

pros:

PC offers sheer versatility that a console can't. I'm all for utilitarianism.

and, the most ppl who say
"intense graphiscs"
they are just dumb kiddies who dont give any respect to the gameplay, which is one from the main parts of a game**

you can use a mouse
i tried once to aim with a gamepad a fps
WAT THE FOOK WAS THAT?
not even auto aim could help

you have access teh whole internetzor, no limits

you can make viruses

you can play REAL strategies

the games arent that expensive

and the best one
valve software.

neutrals:
you can have on pc and consoles linux

cons:
windows

a lot of interesting games are only consoles

every 3 months you need to buy some new computer accessories


*xp fanboy, and console hater***
**that is why is soldat such an awesome games even with really past gen graphics
***except the ps1, it still rocks

[STM1993]

But honestly, FPS are better played on a console.

Why is that so?

I found it much harder to aim on a console. Though it tends to be easier to be accurate on a console (plus those guiding systems they'd provide), you can't really manual aim as quickly as you could have with a mouse. You'd have to press the analog to one side and wait for the cursor to turn to one direction really slowly.

Graphics-wise, I don't really care as long as they are reasonably good and the hitbox matches the appearance very accurately. That would mean (without considering lag) no such thing as shooting the side of a chest and considered a miss OR being shot at the air and counted as a hit.

[N. Escalona]

FPS I much favor on PC. I tried Ghost Recon on Xbox1 and it was okay, but the controls were holding the gameplay back. And using a hand to control a firearm is closer to the real-life arm than a thumb. It's also fundamentally more natural to control the angle of the aim (mouse), not the angular velocity of the aim (analog stick).