PC versus Consoles - help me understand

[EmilShmiengura]

Let me get this out of the way first: I am a PC gamer. Always was, always will be. It didn't start as a choice to be honest; many years ago (too many) when I was a kid, I could justify to my family buying a PC because it had a practical side to it. Also it was the only way to get online at the time. I liked it and stuck to it ever since. I liked the freedom it gave you over your hardware, I liked tinkering with it.
However what I don't understand is the whole PC versus Consoles debate. Why is it even a thing. It just a question of personal choice and I don't get why it's such a debate topic and especially why people need to assert the superiority of one platform over the others.
Also what baffles me is the sense of triumph some PC gamers have after Micrososft's latest cock-up like it was their personal trimph somehow. I for one felt very sorry for console fans and also a bit apprehensive (last time I checked my gaming PC was running a Microsoft OS afterall so their crappy practices could be around the corner for all PC gamers know).
So if somebody could help me understand this whole "PC vs consoles" nonsense I would be very grateful. Thanx!

 

[IpponDropkick]

I often get a sense from PC gamers that they feel like console gamers aren't aware of how easy it can be to get a gaming rig with the right choices. We joke about the "PC master race" but I think they honestly believe that their platform is better and most people think it's out of their price range economically, so they try to argue that perception. More than any other platform I feel like they think they're "educating" console players.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Nobody likes feeling like they've bought the wrong gaming platform, and some will argue to the death because of it.


Not me though.

I'm lucky enough to own a good PC gaming rig, all the current gen consoles, a WiiU, I'll be getting a 3DS soon, and I'll most likely get the PS4.


I like games.

I don't care about platforms, as long as I get great games.

 

[Smooth Operator]

As long as there are people there will be adversity and it doesn't matter one bit over what it is, and where there is competition someone will want triumph.

MS cock up might be very beneficial, Windows monopoly is really not helping anybody and now also Valve being strongly against it we might see new options for gaming on PC.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

The thing that gets me about consoles is all of the exclusives, I don't want to have to throw down another $500 to play the latest Halo game and then another $400[footnote]And as I live in Australia, these prices are going to be significantly higher, whereas PC components are available to me for pretty much the same price as in other places.[/footnote] to play the new Kingdom Hearts or whatever. Not to mention I have two more entire machines to deal with.

It annoys me that literally the only selling points the new Microsoft and Sony consoles have for me personally, and I'm sure for a lot of other people, is their exclusive titles. It feels like Microsoft/Sony have taken these exclusive titles hostage and I have to pay a ransom to play them.

Its fair enough that some games aren't exactly compatible with peripherals available to and the very nature of a PC (a 3DS game probably isn't going to work on a PC for pretty obvious reasons.) But Microsoft and Sony consoles don't really have this excuse, as they are basically more specialized or even more restricted PCs. I understand that the difference in architecture between consoles and a PC might make it a challenge to make a game available on both systems, but this is because of a design choice by Microsoft/Sony, they could have just as easily created a more similar architecture, right?

I have nothing against consoles on their own, I've spent way more time enjoying games on a console than on a PC. But the way the console market is right now just seems backwards, where the games are just there to sell the console.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Yeah I don't get it either. I pretty much just get almost all the game platforms. That way I can play every good game.

 

[Bellvedere]

The same reason as Xbox vs. PS?

Everyone makes a choice for their own reasons which to them are the best reasons. Obviously everyone thinks whatever platform they're using is the best platform (at least initially) otherwise they wouldn't be using it. When their choice is called into question (whether purposefully or not), folks take offense, because it's not some product made by some large company that's being insulted, it's their reasoning and decision making which relates to their intelligence. And no one likes being called an idiot.

 

[Ickorus]

I don't understand it much because the PC is such a vastly different beast from a console that there is really very little to compare in the standard console war format.

I only really ever get involved in those debates when someone's perception of something is wrong or they are intentionally trying to mislead people.

 

[Doom972]

As games that were originally aimed for PC gamers (mainly FPS and RPG) began to be made with consoles in mind, PC gamers, such as myself, felt that gaming started to devolve because of the consoles' limitations.

For example, we had FPSs with complex storylines, huge levels and a variety of weapons like Half Life, and then suddenly Halo becomes popular while being a very basic FPS. Another good example would be Deus Ex: Invisible War, which had much smaller levels, simplified mechanics, and looked very bad compared to other games at the time. That happened when Ion Storm decided to go multiplatform and make the game for the PC and Xbox. Ifyou look at the screenshots of the original PC-only version, you would see a very different game.

This brought out arguments about whether it's justified to cater to console players, when it's PC gamers who made those genres and franchises popular in the first place. Many PC gamers think that console games hold the medium back, and in my opinion, they do. However, I don't bother arguing about it on forums because all that happens is that people get defensive, start insulting each-other and nothing is accomplished.

 

[Bostur]

Platform wars are as old as the concept of personal computing, and I include consoles in the category of personal computing.
Buying a personal computer is a substantial investment and no one wants to make the wrong purchase. There is always an element of doubt when making such a purchase and when others choose different it pokes at those doubts. We can't undo the purchase of a shiny piece of equipment, so there is little reason to see the point of view of the 'other side', it's better to actually be content with our own purchase. This leads to us being rather entrenched in our opinion about which platform is superiour.
The fact that computing platforms usually aren't compatible with each other also serves to accentuate platform wars. There is less arguing about whether Dell is a better PC than Alienware, or whether NVIDIA is a better GPU than ATI, because those are compatible with each other.

At least this is what I believe happens psychologically. I also think hardware manufacturers sometimes try to use this against us by creating deliberate incompatibility in the form of exclusives for instance. If XBox, PS, PC and Mac could all run the same games we wouldn't argue which one was the best platform. And overall we would be in a much better position as consumers.

 

[Foolery]

The platform is just a vessel to me. A gateway to games. It's all subjective and all preferential. I like personally like to choose platforms that are the most beneficial to me. For consoles, that's DRM free, used games, no online fee, no online pass, full functionality offline, etc. I have a PC and steam. I don't mind steam, and that's mostly because of sales. But if I can get a title on PC without any kind of game client, I will. It's why I use gog.com

 

[Hero of Lime]

I can't speak for console other console gamers, but the reason I don't have a gaming PC is that I don't really don't feel the need when other platforms including handhelds keep me occupied pretty well. I could afford a PC and I would love to have the services and sales Steam provides, but I've never seen PC features that just scream "you need this to enjoy games more!" Graphical boosts are nice, and the world of modding is interesting, but it's not enough to make me add on a PC to my already bloated gaming collection. To answer the original question, I think the battle between PC vs. console or console vs. console is just stupid anyway, if the platform has good games(and they all do), it has my interest.

 

[EmilShmiengura]

Many PC gamers think that console games hold the medium back, and in my opinion, they do.

I felt exactly the same way as you do for many years. However now I'm not so sure. As I grew more aware of the way the gaming industry functions I cannot help but wonder if it's bad busines prectices that hold the medium back.

When their choice is called into question (whether purposefully or not), folks take offense, because it's not some product made by some large company that's being insulted, it's their reasoning and decision making which relates to their intelligence. And no one likes being called an idiot.

And there we poke the nerve a little. To discuss various choices is one thing. To insult someone over a purchase they made is one of the things I can't understand- and these discussions always end up as insult matches. Especially as their choice doesn't affect you in this case (of course there are types of consumer behavior that should come unde severe criticism because they affect everybody - like preordering games months in advance based on just their titles on nothing more).

Also an important part of that was that consoles had largely their own game styles and focus (for instance Nintendo largely the quirky Platformers and a lot of kid-friendly games and the PlayStation 2 a lot of JRPGs) and Microsoft ruined that too. The only company that has still kept some of its charm and identity in that shift is still Nintendo, but they¡¦re fighting with entirely different problems nowadays like creative bankruptcy, low-powered hardware, gimmick-based gameplay and increasing difficulty of being able to push out games fast enough to support a platform in the eye of rising complexity and development costs.

Is it just Microsoft's fault there?? Also I totally get what you're saying, it feels to me that in the rivalry between console and PC gaming all of the sides involved lost everything that made them special, interesting and unique.Especially consoles, who turned from purpose built machines into grey lumps of convenient product-dispensers. As for the rest of your post thank you, I made a fresh cup of coffee just for it

But the way the console market is right now just seems backwards, where the games are just there to sell the console.

I think you've stumbled upon a whole new question there, and a very good one - are games turning more and more into huge overpriced advertisments for hardware?

 

[EmilShmiengura]

I often get a sense from PC gamers that they feel like console gamers aren't aware of how easy it can be to get a gaming rig with the right choices. We joke about the "PC master race" but I think they honestly believe that their platform is better and most people think it's out of their price range economically, so they try to argue that perception. More than any other platform I feel like they think they're "educating" console players.

While it's true that a gaming PC is waaay more affordable than many people believe (a false belief reinforced and perpetuated by the main stream gaming media) as a PC gamer I can tell you that as a whole we are not in any position to "educate" anyone considering the amount of expensive, unnecessary and often inefficient crap that the so called "master race" buys. You can search high and wide for more irresponsible and clueless shopaholics than some of us but you'll not find many. ( I am being so virulent concerning this because their choices do end up affecting me) .

 

[BlackMageBob]

The thing that gets me about consoles is all of the exclusives, I don't want to have to throw down another $500 to play the latest Halo game and then another $400 to play the new Kingdom Hearts or whatever. Not to mention I have two more entire machines to deal with.

It annoys me that literally the only selling points the new Microsoft and Sony consoles have for me personally, and I'm sure for a lot of other people, is their exclusive titles. It feels like Microsoft/Sony have taken these exclusive titles hostage and I have to pay a ransom to play them.

Its fair enough that some games aren't exactly compatible with peripherals available to and the very nature of a PC (a 3DS game probably isn't going to work on a PC for pretty obvious reasons.) But Microsoft and Sony consoles don't really have this excuse, as they are basically more specialized or even more restricted PCs. I understand that the difference in architecture between consoles and a PC might make it a challenge to make a game available on both systems, but this is because of a design choice by Microsoft/Sony, they could have just as easily created a more similar architecture, right?

I have nothing against consoles on their own, I've spent way more time enjoying games on a console than on a PC. But the way the console market is right now just seems backwards, where the games are just there to sell the console.

KHIII and FFXV will be out on the xbone too. I agree with you on the gating and the exclusives though. I intend to buy an xbone, but I'd prefer it if I could play them on my PC. I bought both Darksiders games and the full AssCreed series through Steam, and played them with a Razer Onza. Same experience, but prettier. And cheaper, thanks to buying them all through Steam. PC games have had DRM for a long-ass time, so...nothing new here for me.

 

[Griffolion]

In short:

There is a small, vocal group of PC gamers who take an elitist stance against consoles. They in no way represent the larger PC gamer community.

Console players see this, and take it that all PC gamers are like that. Hence the "PC Gamer Master Race" crap.

Console gamers proceed to talk some crap about how PC gaming is dying, consoles are better, etc. They do this because, hey, you gotta defend the platform you choose.

The rest of the PC gaming community see these attacks, and step in with their own arguments, usually quite sound, and usually from a perspective of also owning a console.

Ensue all manner of flaming.

The people I see that make the most sound arguments, are those who both game on PC, and on a console.

With PC and the big two consoles all now on x86. They will come closer together than before. Hopefully.

 

[Bertylicious]

It's materialism, innit. It's like in the games themselves; you do stuff in order to get better loot which in turn makes you a better person. As in life.

If my stuff is better than your stuff it means that I am (adopts black country accent) better than yow.

 

[tilmoph]

Before the current generation, it was equal parts bullshitting on the internet and arguing about genres (PCs having many flavors of strategy and western rpg, and for a while shooters, consoles had platformers, sports, jrpgs and now shooters).

With this new console generation, however, a fair number of people are saying that they are or are considering going back or getting into PC gaming. Since this generation saw console gaming dominate the landscape and lead to percieved console freindly/"dumbing-down" changes in game design (streamlined controls, less micromanagement of characters/units/whatever, smaller servers for some of the shooters), coupled with an increasingly closed development and rights managment policies, which are easier to circumvent on a PC, mainly through the greater number of indie developers and places like GoG, PC gamers see an opportunity to a) become the focus of game development again and b) end, or at least slow, the DRM type policies publishers have been pushing. To help people on the fence or put off by the belief that PCs are harder or more complicated to game on, they start discussions trying to counter such arguments whilst trying to make the consoles seem wekaer, to nudge the undecided consumer to their camp and help push their platform and preferred game development practices become dominate. Of course, often because of the tone of the poster this usually turns into debates at best, pointless flaming at worst and with somefrequency, so the effect may be damaged.

Not that I think they'll have any great success, but hey, if the iron seems hot, might as well take a swing.