emeraldrafael said:
I get what you're saying, but this is basically how i look at it:
I can save and spend... I dont know... $400 American for a PS3 and get a few games for.. I dont know... lets say about $130 American (I'm a sony gamer, so i dont know prices and stuff on Microsoft stuff). In contrast, I save up $2000 to buy a decent gaming computer. Or at least to have all the parts of it. Then thats another $200 for games cause i know good graphics heavy PC games are expensive. Now sure, it sounds great, but then as soon as I build my PC, its going to be obsolete. So I'll need to spend more money to keep it as current and top of the line. If I dont, then people who do have the money will have a better system then me.
With consoles, its not really like that. you pretty much are on even level with everyone system wise, so it depends on your entertainment system. So I'd rather have that, then in the long run be spending enough to buy a new console just upgrading a PC for it to be obsolete.
Essentially, to me, PC gaming is just a continuous game of catch up and puts a huge dent in your pocket that consoles really dont.
Because I got 8 messages for the quote above, most a good portion in length, i'll explain my reasoning and hopefully cover the points people brought up.
DISCLAIMER: My above statement applies to the extreme avid gamer. Yes, thats not all of you, but because they think themselves to be better then most (on some level, no matter how small), that is where the bar is set, and what i'm judging you to (like commons being judged to leaders). Also, I'm judging things based on price as new. I dont care about sales, that means waiting, and if you are avid, you dont wait. I'm also biasly judging every PC gamer because every PC gamer I've ever met (thats a good 2000+ over my lifetime) has always held that superior logic that PC is better because Graphics is better. So you need to prove that graphics = enjoyment at the cost of constant upgrade
Yes, PC games are cheaper, but good, graphics games (crysis, far cry) are not. And if you are building a machine to be an avid PC gamer, you want the best. So to have the best, that means money always spent. and the best games when they want to be the Peak of realism are costly.
Yes, Consoles are obsolete shortly after they come out. But no, I'm not saying thats better, I'm saying that equalizes the playing field. Contrary to what was said, better processing and graphics slows lag, and as anyone who can TRULY blame lag will tell you, that can be the decision between life and death. You cant (to my knowledge at least) upgrade a 360 or PS3 to the same extent of a computer. And new slimmer systems do not make the game look better, whihc is appearantly the main draw of a PC as a gaming system.
$2000, is what brought to my attention, is a gross overestimation. They say you need $800 for a pc that doesnt need upgraded for three years. or a few (to me, thats 3-5). Well, thats great, but so what? Thats the life of a console (if not shorter). Hell, the PS2 alone went for what, 6, almost 7 years. And that was just the flat cost of the system. The only X variables were number of controllers wanted, games you wanted and when you wanted them, and if you wanted any of the extra stuff (memory cards, peripherals, etc). Also, for people who told me that Consoles cost more over the long run, know. The consoles have an average of 4 controllers at once on one system. Thats also assuming you dont ask your friends to bring a controller with them. The next time a new generation comes out, the price resets and starts new. It doesnt carry over the costs of the previous console, because at any given time, a console (current) is based against a PC, not the history of the console (games bought that work through backwards compatability).
I'll give a for instance. My friend is someone I am holding all of you too. He's an avid gamer, a top dog kinda guy. Over all, for his PC gaming (since its been a continuous upgrade and he never just bought a new tower instead of carrying some parts over) just on the system alone, has amounted to $10000 American. Yeah. Thats been since... oh... 1996. And thats not including what the inflation would equal.
And even if you only upgrade every few years, you start with this (and i'll start at the average because everyone cried that I overpriced). For fun, I'll include a base of 200-300 games (new, from retail, not steam), because we'll say these are upgraded every three years (yes thats low, but i fi make it four, i'm increasing games on that too). This is all American.
PC: Start: 800.
Upgrade: 200 Games: 250 Protection (assuming its yearly, thats three payments at $35 each)/Backup: 135.
-----------
Total: 1385
Upgrade: 200 Games: 250 Protection/Backup: 135
-----------
Total: 1970
Upgrade: 200 Games: 250 Protection/Backup: 135
-----------
Total: 2555
Thats over.. nine years. Not including subscription for MMOs
For the Consoles (assuming an average of 350 between what they usually range) that you buy new every 3 years, with games (same cost), peripherals (Controllers mostly 50 dollars for two), online substcription (yearly at $40, because live accounts cost 59.95 yearly, PS Network $20 one time). All American.
Start: 350
Games: 250 Peripherals: 100 Subscription Online: 120
---------
Total: $820
New console: 350
Games: 250 Peripherals: 100 Subscriptions: 120
---------
Total: $820 Total So Far: 1640
New Console: $350
Games: 250 Peripherals: 100 Subscriptions: 120
Total: $820 Total So Far: 2460.
OVer the course of nine years, you spend less on Consoles, saving $90. Yeah, thats not much. BUt lets say the average gamer is 25/26 (18-34). Nine years is equal to almost a third of the gamer's life. So really, you're multiplying that 90 by three, whihc is 270. Thats the cost of an upgrade. Thats the cost of games for a three year period. Thats the cost of a car payment, well, really more, a car payment and a half maybe. thats not including DLC (since some is free, others charged, its harder to get the percentage to use) for both PC and Console, or the subscription fees that an Average MMO PCer has. SO yes, even at its AVERAGE PC gaming is more expensive. And before PCers out there go all Steam or Impulse, the Consoles have their own market, and can be just as cheap depending on what you want to play.
Also, before you just say i never gave PC a chance, I did. For three years, I tried to PC game. Admittedly, I didnt spend that much on it. It was more my uncle, and he spent something like $700 when it was all said and done. Also, Admittedly, Internet was spotty at times, but overall, it was good as long as we didnt have floods or really bad weather. This was after 3 years on the PS2 console. The keyboard was daunting, moving to using all the numbers, letters, F# keys, and key combos. The mouse was unwieldy in comparison to a good pair of analog sticks overall. The games were overall cruddy, but I'm an RPG/FPS/Racing/Sports kinda guy anyway (i'll play an RTS from time to time, but they have be to really stimulating and not cause a compulsive disorder). So going to a keyboard after being on console was Horrible experience. For three years, i played almost exclusives on my PC, and I still never got the hang of it it all. The natural feel of the controller (even the abomination of the Gamecube controller) was better.
