A Call To Arms! Console vs. PC

[TheHobbitofDune]

Your job is to choose a side and try and convince me and everyone on the opposing side that your side is awesome and know's whats up. My job is to go and take a nap All kidding aside, I truly am curious as to which side you're on. Will the console tribes prove victorious over the PC clans? Will the droves of PC warriors drive away the console knights?

I will have to go with the PC, since Steam lets me play whatever I want, whenever I want, for a cheaper price than if I had bought the same games for my Xbox. Also, consoles have been suffering a lot lately from pointless pre-orders, useless DLC, and other garbage. I don't like it one bit. Though I still do love the nostalgia factor that console gaming presents, as I did grow up with that, so I still love that as well.

I will admit though that I do plan on having my Xbox 360 and my prized possession, the Dreamcast, hooked up to a TV in my living room when I eventually move into my own apartment. That way I can play all of the games I own now. Plus, it would be great if I have company over, seeing as how I won't be bothering with watching TV. I will have a PC gaming rig in my room though, for all of my serious gaming needs.

But anyway, which side are you on?

[Lord Cooler]

I'm kind of in neutral ground, having both a gaming rig and a couple consoles.

My opinion is that there are certain types of games that are simply better on a certain platform. For example, shooters(both FPS and 3rd-person) just belong on the PC, with a mouse and keyboard. The console controllers just SUCK for these kind of games. On the other hand, fighting games and certain action games just don't work nearly as well on a PC than they do on consoles. Which pisses me off to no end that people insist on making games exclusive to one platform that goes right against this logic... Halo and Gears of War, I'm looking at ya.

There is, however, the fact that it is possible to connect a controller to the PC, making its only downside the price. A gaming rig can be quite expensive, and sometimes needs to be upgraded more often than consoles do. If you're not willing to be a pirate, that is, then the cost can be cut down quite a bit(since the games will be free), but then again the Wii and X360 can be pirated as well, and so can the PS3(but much harder).

Also, there's the multiplayer factor. It's just more fun to have your friends over and play the game together rather than do it online, but there are ways to work around that(laptops, LAN houses).

[Master Nero Attoru]

For whatever reason I've never gotten all that much into PC gaming, with a few notable exceptions (KOTOR, SWTOR, Baldurs Gate, etc).  At the same time, ever since I went to college I've been way behind on the console stuff... heck, I finally caught up in the Assassins Creed series finally!  However, if I had to pick I'd go with console.  The nice thing there is that you don't have to sit and worry about whether or not your machine or internet connection is gonna be adequate to play... you just take the disc out, throw it in the thing and play.

Additionally, the gf and I love to play console games together (Modern Warfare being one of our favorites for coop).  So anything that'll get my lady gaming with me will earn my favor

[TheHobbitofDune]

I like that PC's make it easier for you to play older games. Also, the fact that you don't need to buy new consoles every time a new one comes out is a plus. The thing about consoles is that the controllers are more in-line with what I grew up with, and more in-line with what I think video games are about. Than again, you can also plug a controller and an HDTV into a computer too, and have it run even smoother than if you had used a console. Also, you can just download the games, while you have to buy a physical copy of a console game, which can degrade with time and use.

Still, Halo is only available for the Xbox, and that balances the scales rather nicely

[Master Nero Attoru]

I like that PC's make it easier for you to play older games. Also, the fact that you don't need to buy new consoles every time a new one comes out is a plus. The thing about consoles is that the controllers are more in-line with what I grew up with, and more in-line with what I think video games are about. Than again, you can also plug a controller and an HDTV into a computer too, and have it run even smoother than if you had used a console. Also, you can just download the games, while you have to buy a physical copy of a console game, which can degrade with time and use.

Still, Halo is only available for the Xbox, and that balances the scales rather nicely

Yeah I can definitely see your point, but the fact is that a computer becomes outdated pretty quickly too.  I mean figure this - the PS3 was first on the shelves in November 2006 (according to Wikipedia), and there still isn't a replacement for that (with games still being made rampantly).  The laptop I got going into college in August 2006, however, can't even play the most basic of modern games.  Granted I could update certain aspects - the graphics card, etc - but the processor limits the amount that it can be upgraded overall.  Factor in the relative prices (PS3 started around $500 or $600 depending on the model, and are now sold in bundles at around $300, whereas a decent gaming PC can easily break these figures) and the console becomes stiff competition.

Of course, I didn't include the fact that the PC has more purposes than just gaming, which obviously gives it an edge, but my intent isn't to bash the PC anyway.  It's a great way to game, I was just pointing out some perks of consoles.

[TheHobbitofDune]

Yeah, but that is a laptop I see your point though.

There is also the nostalgia factor of taking a game out of its case and popping it into the tray. To be honest, I love PC and console gaming, and I don't have a favorite (ignore what I said in the very first post). Consoles are also better for having guests over, lol. You can't have a ton of people crowding around one little monitor screen

Also, the cost of games are halved with PC gaming. Microsoft and Sony bump the prices up on console games. When I was a kid, the price of video games for consoles was $35-40, not $60. I don't pay $60 for CD's or movies, so I refuse to pay $60 for a video game, especially when I look over at Steam and see that they have cheaper prices. It does add up though, either way.