The Unofficial Console vs. PC debate

[WhenKittensATK]

PCs can have dedicated servers.

 

Console games have dedicated servers too. Section 8, Battlefield titles, I heard Killzone 2 has them and a few others.

[ClayMeow]

Console games have dedicated servers too. Section 8, Battlefield titles, I heard Killzone 2 has them and a few others.

Not sure about Battlefield, but for Section 8, don't you actually have to host the server on a PC?

[WhenKittensATK]

Not sure about Battlefield, but for Section 8, don't you actually have to host the server on a PC?

 

Yep.

 

Maybe I should rephase and say some console games are hosted on dedicated servers. Some games let you create custom settings to those servers like Killzone 2. Other its a default game mode set, like Battlefield and MAG.

[Desktop-pro]

aright so i grew up playin doom on pc and it was badass. so i started on pc. but pc gaming is now dead. heres my list why consoles rule the market.

 

1)cost effective is the argument most people bring up first. you can buy all 3 current gen consoles for less than a decent gaming pc. no to mention you constantly have to upgrade you pc graphics card proccessor. sound card. if you wanna play anything good at decent quality

 

2)no viruses on consoles. sure whatever you can get virus protection. but thats just more money on crap you shouldnt need to buy to game

 

3)ya pc has a lot of games cause theyve been around for 30 years or whatever. but most arent even capatable with newer OS. theyre are more games exclusive to consoles including game of the year this year uncharted 2. also great series like zelda, mario, the tales series, final fantasy (sure some where on pc, but good luck finding them), and now that i think about it most RPGs

 

4) PORN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GAMING

 

5)emulating other consoles is nothing but a fail The games never run how theyre suppose to. and its not exactly legal

 

6)keycodes. yup you buy a pc game let a friend borrow it and hey! he cant check it out because once the keycode used up it wont install on anyone elses comp

 

7)sure pc game have better graphics but the gap between that and pc is getting smaller and smaller. and graphics have nothing to do with the game. gameplay is what makes a game fun

 

8)plug and play! yup put the disc in and you good to go. sure theres the occasional install on ps3 games and you have the option of installing 360 games but theres no upgrading this or that to play a a game. you get it home and you know its gunna run on the system

 

9)and im sorry sure gaming started on pcs (tennis for two in 1958 depending on what you define "video game" as) but what brought it to the public and what really started the revolution was consoles (the odyssey as ghetto as it was, the atari 2600 was huge for its time as well) also in the video game crash of 1983 who brought back gaming? that right nintendo with their famicon and NES consoles!

 

10)mobile gaming yup that a tough one to argue. PSP and DS sure theyre nothing compared to laptops but theyre way more portable and the battery life last longer than a laptop (at least on the ds haha. sorry PS)

 

11)the online community is way bigger now on consoles. and no WoW does not count that just shows whether or not you have a life. i will say tho its a damn fine game for its genre though

 

12)uh im done typing ill debate some more l8r. bottom line PC gaming is dying especially with the gap between consoles and PC getting ever so smaller. consoles are getting more like pcs now than ever without the cost

I agree 100%.

 

PC's still dominate in the RTS/MMO genre but with the way things are headed(motion controllers) i wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing that change pretty quick.

[Fogel]

To: The_Smith

 

Keeping in the spirit of the debate, I'm going to debate what has been selected to show in your 1st post and the ones I disagree with:

 

Arguments in favor of PC:

The DIY satisfaction.

PCs are upgradable.

Isn't this redundant? And since everyone likes splitting hairs, you CAN upgrade a console with the current generation of consoles. Mostly it is limited to the HDD, but it is still possible and the manufacturers make it easy for someone to do it. It won't void your warranty either.

 

Ya, you can upgrade your video card on a PC ...for the same price it costs to buy a brand new console

 

Consoles are instantly outdated when a new one is released.

Not true. The PS2 is still on the active list and Sony has no current plans to change that from what I have read. Not to mention, even when Sony decides to stop producing games for the PS2 you can still play your PS2 no problem. I still have my SNES hooked up to my old TV and play it frequently. Now old PCs... well, I typically only keep 1 build back active and taking up power strip space.

 

You actually get more Life from a Console than a PC. That should be a Pro for a console.

 

A console can't be fixed without voiding the warranty.

If this is a Pro for a PC than there should also be a Pro for a console that consoles actually have warranties, something that DIY computers do not. If you spend $1500 building a computer and screw up the build, your screwed. PC parts have warranties, but definitely not as long as a console warranty. Granted some people have screwed up their PC build and sent a part or two back in and got lucky on a return policy, but that is dishonest and not relevant to this debate.

 

PCs have more games.

Prove this to me...

Best arguement I seen for this is flash games and that is an extremely lame arguement ...maybe if you're a grandma bored at work you consider this real value. But if I have a choice between Gnome Bowling and Dragon Age: Origins ...seriously, do I honestly even need to argue this? Not to mention, like Krazy said you can play these flash games on the PS3's browser.

 

Despite that, both the Xbox and the Wii offer similar free/cheap games on this level. If you count the Wii's virtual game library in addition to the stuff you see in Best Buy they have a HUGE gaming library. The Wii offers both Indie stuff as well as old games released on previous generation consoles and still play GameCube games. Many older PC games don't work on today's platform ...unless you can find someone truly dedicated to that game who modded it to work and is distributing on the net.

 

I would just leave who has bigger game library off both lists until someone can prove their point. Unless we want to play childish games, I can say when I step into Best Buy I see more space granted to console gaming than PC gaming ...even for just 1 console.

 

Laptops can be lugged around quite easily.

So can consoles, what's the point? I actually see more people lugging a console around on the flights around the holidays than a laptop. Once again, both are portable ...and if the place you are going to already has that console all you might have to bring is a game controller and/or a game.

 

Once again, I call this one a wash ...or would actually give the nod to consoles on portability.

 

PCs can emulate old consoles.

Consoles can do this too. Tons of people have emulators on their Xbox/360. You can even hack the Wii to do this - "Zelda hack".

 

PCs are more powerful.

PCs have better graphics.

Redundant. Remove one or combine the two.

 

PCs CAN be more powerful and therefore offer better graphics. But in order for this to remain true the PC gamer has to build a new computer either ever year or every two years.

 

Consoles typically last 5yrs, but it will be longer with this generation. And as time goes on console game developers learn the console better and improve on the graphics. Games like Uncharted 2 prove this, those kind of graphics were not offered at the PS3 launch. So in order for a PC gamer to play a game at max settings like a console player can do for 5yrs they will need at least two computer builds. This is actually a downfall of PCs. Say the PC gamer uses the same monitor and each build they build a low end computer system ($800), not counting any graphic card or RAM updates over the years they will spend at the very least $1600. Compare that to a $200 console that plays ALL the newest, hottest games at max settings for 5 years...

 

This is a catch 22 arguement.

 

PCs are more polyvalent; they can do anything.

PCs can write media.

Redundant.

 

PC games have a command console.

What does this mean? I clicked the link and don't see where in the post this is defined.

 

PCs can softmod.

Not proprietary.

I'm going to call this redundant because not once have I ever thought... CRAP, I wish my console wasn't proprietary...

 

 

Arguments in favor of consoles:

 

They just work. They sometimes also have major problems.

How about this...

They have less issues than PCs. I think it's a very fair statement to say, consoles typically have less issues than PCs.

 

This is one of the MAIN freaking PROs to consoles, you can't just take it away because someone who has never owned a console bought into the Xbox RROD issue hype. The poster who stated this even admitted he could be wrong. Name one "major issue" ANY of the nintendo consoles had? Or any of the playstations... The Xbox360 is the first console to tarnish this record.

 

Consoles have set hardware and software to avoid this problem. This is why game developers LOVE programming for consoles. They don't have to worry about programming for many different parts, operating systems or additional software. I will call this debate extremely biased if you take away this point from consoles.

 

Oh and side note: Microsoft extended the warranty to RROD issues for 3 years... name a PC company that's done that.

 

They are cheaper. One must consider the difference in cost between a PC and a gaming PC, since the very large majority would have one anyway. Consoles also have problems.

Not everyone has a PC that is viable for gaming, sorry - this is just a wrong assumption. Low cost IS the #1 selling point for consoles and why they are so damn popular. To exclude this would be stupid.

 

Low end PC cost = $700/800

Console cost = $200

 

Gee... which is cheaper??? This is a really freaking hard math equation to figure out.

 

Maybe if you end up buying more than 60/70 NEW games when they first come out and got absolutely none of them on sale ...and you could actually use that $800 computer for 5 years on Max settings ...than you would have a point.

 

But I'm calling big time biased shenanigans on this one.

 

They are cheaper.

Redundant ...and the strikethrough is still wrong.

 

Consoles have more games.

Like I said before, I would just remove this from both sides. Unless you want to compare how many new major titles came out for the PC and then compare that with each console and pick the leading console to compare against the PC.

 

Consoles are easy to use, even for a child.

So are PCs, what's the point? First game I played on was on the PC. Especially with schools, I'd have to say the majority of people play their first game on a PC than on a console - Oregon Trail anyone?

 

No hacks and cheaters.

Like Krazy said, hacks and cheaters exist on consoles. You could make the arguement there is less of it, just like I'm going to buy the notion there is "less childish behavior" on PCs ...even though there is still a large portion of it in the PC world - one needs to only play WoW to prove this. But I certainly wouldn't say there is No hacking/cheating involved - just less of it.

[Fogel]

And you still didn't include many PROs for consoles:

- Re-sale of games - many console players take advantage of this, if you're gonna note a $10 price diff of PC games than note this

- PS3 is one of the best BluRay players on the market - if you're gonna note non-gaming functionality for PCs, note this

- Consoles get better with age - graphics improve as the developers get more familiar with the console

- Consoles are smaller in size - they also take up less power strip space and don't have as many cables as PCs require

- No maitenance on Consoles like you have with PCs. My SNES is exactly the same as it was in the 90s ...xcept for the coke stain

- Console games go on sale more at your local store than PC games do

- Consoles get more (major title) exclusive games ...I can prove this

- You can return console games (14-30 days) if you don't like it ...this is HUGE, I've used this pro many times

 

And you still didn't include some PROs for PCs:

- Gamers can use additional software while gaming...

==>>> I would LOVE to be able to use FRAPS on some of my console games ...like recording me kicking tail at MW2 for example

- Gamers can use VOIP (like Ventrilo)

==>>> I know most online games have in-game voice chat but it doesn't beat the flexibility of Ventrilo

- Ability to manage game files (screen shots, old save files, log files, old versions of game)

[Deathmineral]

I haven't read this entire thread but I see a lot of people agreeing with mungular's statements and I have to say that there is a lot wrong with what he is saying.

 

1. You don't have to constantly upgrade anything in a computer unless you buy something that is already past it's due date. For example, you probably shouldn't be on a geforce 5500fx anymore.

 

2. If you actually purchase anti-virus software... all I can say is wow.

 

3. Consoles do not have more exclusives for each console compared to pc, maybe if you compare the entire nintendo console line up sure.

 

4. I can agree with this one but still, you can look it up on consoles now as well.

 

5. Emulating is fine if you know what you are doing, anyone that hates it just couldn't get it to work.

 

6. This only applies if the game has some kind of stupid DRM.

 

7. This is just a very poor statement, how do graphics have less to do with games being fun or not being fun than it being exclusive, legal, anti-virus, those things don't affect the gameplay at all.

 

8. It really isn't that hard to install a game, I personally have never had to worry about whether a game does or doesn't run on my pc, unless the game itself is buggy.

 

9. Gaming started on computers, video gaming started on a console, there is a difference. As for bringing video games to the public, I personally don't see that as a good thing as we have many idiots in the world that have easy access to games because of it.

 

10. DSi, all I'm going to say.

 

11. WoW not a video game? Are you sure you know what you are talking about, or where you are for that matter, it is a video game, regardless of your personal feelings about it.

 

12. The only console that has become more like PCs is the PS3. The wii and the 360 are still very much not like a PC in the idea that they are very proprietary. Also, if it is true that consoles are becoming more like PCs then doesn't that just show that PCs are better and consoles aspire to be like PCs?

Edited December 22, 2009 by Deathmineral

[Krieg1337]

Fogel, WHAT? Low end PC? My PC is Low end now? Damn. My original PC(E7300 2gigs of mem and HD2900PRO, Asus P5Q Pro) blew away my Xbox 360 in every single game. My PC cost me $550, and it played Crysis on High without lag. Damn what a Low end PC there when consoles can't even handle Crysis <_<. Now I upgraded mine but that is for ****'s and Giggles. And PS2? Puh lease, that things games look worse than on my Old HP with a 7300GS.

 

Less issues? My PC has never actually had any major issues, just little ones here and there. But never has my PC managed to break one of my games like my Xbox did, yep it scratched my CD and its now unplayable(CoD 3).

 

Can you play your Xbox, Wii or PS3 on an Airplane? Nope, laptop you can. And I never saw someone coming into an Airplane with a console, except if you count PSP and those things.

 

Better Graphics and More Powerful are different. More powerful meaning they can handle much more things at once(lets say playing a game installing another and browsing the internet without lag)

 

Also, I had my Xbox 360 for a year and barely used it, it still got the RRoD and its insanely loud now for some reason(The replacement I got)

 

 

I really only like my Xbox 360 because I can easily use it on my 50" TV. And of course sports games, no one can beat those. Theres parties which are more enjoyable with an Xbox(Although I do enjoy lan parties with PC's).

[nickosha]

I absolutely believe that a mid-range PC (~$600-800) is much better price/performance than consoles. Yeah it's more expensive, but you're playing games on very high at much higher resolutions, usually with AA and 60+FPS. Plus the textures and effects are usually much better. Also the MUST spend $XXX or XXXX every year or two is crap and I'd like to think that anyone who is a computer enthusiast would recognize such an obviously wrong statement.

[Silverfox]

As I have already mentioned: this forum is 99% pro-PC. You can never hope for a fair argument here, regardless of how much detail you choose to present (or not as the case may be).

 

If I took these questions to a consoles forum, where 99% of people prefer to game on consoles, you'd see the bias swing the other way.

 

What does this tell us? It tells us that fanboys stick together.

[Crazy_Nate]

< PC fanboy

 

I still own consoles, though

[ClayMeow]

PCs have more games.

Prove this to me...

Best arguement I seen for this is flash games and that is an extremely lame arguement ...maybe if you're a grandma bored at work you consider this real value. But if I have a choice between Gnome Bowling and Dragon Age: Origins ...seriously, do I honestly even need to argue this? Not to mention, like Krazy said you can play these flash games on the PS3's browser.

 

Despite that, both the Xbox and the Wii offer similar free/cheap games on this level. If you count the Wii's virtual game library in addition to the stuff you see in Best Buy they have a HUGE gaming library. The Wii offers both Indie stuff as well as old games released on previous generation consoles and still play GameCube games. Many older PC games don't work on today's platform ...unless you can find someone truly dedicated to that game who modded it to work and is distributing on the net.

 

I would just leave who has bigger game library off both lists until someone can prove their point. Unless we want to play childish games, I can say when I step into Best Buy I see more space granted to console gaming than PC gaming ...even for just 1 console.

I honestly can't believe I need to PROVE this. You'd have to add every single console ever made together to match what the PC has to offer. If you want to do the math, knock yourself out.

 

PCs CAN be more powerful and therefore offer better graphics. But in order for this to remain true the PC gamer has to build a new computer either ever year or every two years.

 

Consoles typically last 5yrs, but it will be longer with this generation. And as time goes on console game developers learn the console better and improve on the graphics. Games like Uncharted 2 prove this, those kind of graphics were not offered at the PS3 launch. So in order for a PC gamer to play a game at max settings like a console player can do for 5yrs they will need at least two computer builds. This is actually a downfall of PCs. Say the PC gamer uses the same monitor and each build they build a low end computer system ($800), not counting any graphic card or RAM updates over the years they will spend at the very least $1600. Compare that to a $200 console that plays ALL the newest, hottest games at max settings for 5 years...

 

This is a catch 22 arguement.

Ah, typical console fanboy response, thinking that PC gamers must play games at max settings to play "like a console player." Seriously? At Max settings, every single multi-platform game looks way better on the PC than consoles. Consoles = medium settings on the PC, which can easily be attained by a 5 yr old PC.

 

 

Oh and side note: Microsoft extended the warranty to RROD issues for 3 years... name a PC company that's done that.

Guess you're not frequenting OCC a lot if you haven't seen the threads praising video card and memory manufacturers for their lifetime warranties? And you frequently find five year warranties on other components.

 

They are cheaper. One must consider the difference in cost between a PC and a gaming PC, since the very large majority would have one anyway. Consoles also have problems.

Not everyone has a PC that is viable for gaming, sorry - this is just a wrong assumption. Low cost IS the #1 selling point for consoles and why they are so damn popular. To exclude this would be stupid.

 

Low end PC cost = $700/800

Console cost = $200

 

Gee... which is cheaper??? This is a really freaking hard math equation to figure out.

 

Maybe if you end up buying more than 60/70 NEW games when they first come out and got absolutely none of them on sale ...and you could actually use that $800 computer for 5 years on Max settings ...than you would have a point.

 

But I'm calling big time biased shenanigans on this one.

Someone needs to brush up on his reading comprehension. You are correct, not everyone has a PC that is viable for gaming, but I've never met a console owner that didn't have at least one PC in the house already. As such, a true comparison of costs would be what it would take to make that PC into a gaming PC, and usually that involves a video card upgrade for a couple of hundred bucks.

 

 

- Console games go on sale more at your local store than PC games do

Yes, console games go on sale more at your "local store" because most PC game sales are done online now. If you take sales over all mediums, however, I'd have to say that PC games go on sale more often, especially when newer, thanks to Steam, D2D and various other sites.

 

- Consoles get more (major title) exclusive games ...I can prove this

Okay, please do.