What is the point of consoles anymore?

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Ashadowpie

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Feb 3, 2012
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i honestly wish they would just go back to " this hunk of machine only plays video games " i have a fully working fast computer AND a big TV AND a surround sound DVD player already, i dont need my video game machine to do those things, i want it to play video games. sadly enough consoles are just control freak mini computers now and all they need to do is give you a mouse and keyboard now or soon. i miss my PS2 when life was simple, no downloads, installing no updates, everything was physically yours and the only way to break it or lose it was to actually break the damn thing with a hammer/hands/wall or lose it under your bed/couch/friends house.

* sigh * the good o'l days.
 

Abomination

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Dec 17, 2012
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Exclusives.

Yeah, that's low content so it won't suffice.

The only reason is for the exclusives on the console. There is nothing that a console can practically do that a PC doesn't already do better.
 

DeadlyYellow

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Fanservice.

I certainly don't see a point in it anymore, and really have trouble keeping the bile down when talking about the mainstream video game industry nowadays.
 

RJ 17

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Nov 27, 2011
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Well if Microsoft is to be believed, the point of having a console is to be able to watch sports, TV, and Skype with people, and you should be thankful that it just happens to play games as well.
 

Gormech

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May 10, 2012
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The point of a console is to have an easy buy-it-and-the-games-with-its-logo-will-work-on-it (most of the time) thing.
With a pc, the main problem is that people who don't know how to upgrade have to risk buying a new game because their current setup might not be able to handle it.

In short, it's easier to use a console, better to use a pc if you take the time to find out how.

Also, console's are less likely to get viruses and stuff.
 

Substitute Troll

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Consoles will most likely mold into handhelds, with the option to plug it into the TV. PC gaming shall rule once again.
 

mrm5561

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well for me anyway there is three big advantages. 1. indy titles on the xbox live. cheap fun little games that are usually really clever and fun to play. 2. console exclusives. as a metal gear fanboy i don't know how what i would do if another major title came out and i had no way to continue the story. and finally fighting games. i love fighting games and for some reason they rarely get ports from the consoles. as it stands i will more than likely be building a pc instead of going with the ps4 or xbone, but i'll have a tear in my eye when the next mortal kombate comes out
 

Baron_Rouge

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Obviously, you're entitled to your own opinion, and if you don't want one, don't get one. I, however, will be, and for the following reasons:

1. I just prefer the atmosphere of being able to sit down on the couch and relax by playing a game. I never felt like that with a PC.
2. Local multiplayer. Say what you will about CoD, but it's great fun when you have 3 friends around playing a team deathmatch against some bots and seeing who can get the most kills. Plus, games like PS All-Stars, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, LittleBigPlanet, Rayman Origins...they just don't exist on PC, at least not like on console, because if you wanna play multiplayer on a pc, generally everyone has to have their own device.
3. The exclusives. Sony and Nintendo both have great exclusives out there that I just wouldn't want to miss out on. I'm sure the same is true for PC, and this isn't a "consoles are better than PC" argument, but they personally justify the purchase of a new console for me.
4. With few exceptions, when I run a game on a console, I know it'll work. I don't have to worry about whether my console is good enough to play it.

These are all based on my experiences with current gen consoles, but I think they'll apply to next gen consoles too. Plus, I don't care if they're less powerful than a pc. There are plenty of huge, beautiful games this gen, and I think there will be next gen too. Did anyone look at Red Dead Redemption and think "you know, I wish my console had more processing power"?. I doubt it, because it was amazing anyway. Dark Souls, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock Infinite...they all looked wonderful, and I don't think consoles need a great deal more processing power. I mean, they're getting more, and I'm excited to see what they do with it, but ultimately I don't really care if they're less powerful than PC.

Mainly, though, the point of consoles, and new ones especially, is new games. Killzone: Shadow Fall, the Witness, Infamous: Second Son, Knack, Ryse, Pikmin 3, the New Super Smash Bros...are you honestly not excited for them, or any other new games that've been announced for the Wii-U, PS4, and Xbox One? It's fine if you aren't, but I am, and plenty of other people are too. That's the point of these new consoles; new games.
 

accipitre

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Apr 24, 2012
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The point of consoles? Well, you can get spied on by your always-on kinect... and you can pay slightly less than you would for a roughly equivalent two-year-old PC... and that's pretty much it.

Hail the glorious dawn of the Master Race. Tremble and kneel before us, for our time has come at last.
 

Baron_Rouge

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Mr.Tea said:
The Wykydtron said:
Because they're (supposed to be) cheaper than going out and buying a decent gaming PC, because y'know not everyone can just go and pick one up. Also you don't have to be sat at your desk all the time. Also fighting games look wank on PC monitors.
But that's the point: Those aren't console-specific. You don't have to use a PC at a desk, you can plug controllers (and different kinds), you can output to a TV or a Projector or something more exotic (like an Oculus Rift)... All that's left is the price.

The most popular argument used to be that consoles were no-bullshit machines where you pop the disc in and play, but that's fucking gone now isn't it?

And yeah, the exclusives... Those wonderful arbitrary business decisions where instead of selling your games to everyone, you sell them to a third or fourth of the total market and tell the rest to go fuck themselves. Gotta love 'em... But you're right, they're not going away and they make systems sell. [sub][sup]be forced down people's throats.[/sup][/sub]
Well, just because the new XBOX has a problem with used games, doesn't mean the PS4 will, and the Wii-U doesn't, so I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to pop the disc in and play. Also, what's wrong with exclusives? You know what happens without exclusives? There's no point in releasing multiple consoles. You may as well just have one, if they all have literally the same games. And if you only have one console, then they have no competition, and quality will drop and prices will rise because they have a monopoly. They're necessary to promote competition, and competition breeds excellence. Do you think the studios behind Halo, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, Infamous, Forza, Gran Turismo, and Uncharted and every other first party or exclusive studio would've put that much effort in if there was no pressure to make their console the best? Exclusives are generally the best games on a system, because they have to be. Also, the systems aren't being forced down people's throats. That's ridiculous. I want New Super Mario Bros U, but I can't afford a Wii-U yet. You know what? I'm a grown man, so I'm gonna patiently wait until I can afford one, and then play it. When I choose to buy the console. It's not being forced down my throat, it's just a system offering a service. Is every system which offers something different to its competitors forcing itself down our throats?
 

aba1

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Its funny cause one of the biggest advantages to consoles over PC's is local multiplayer which has all but been abandoned or that they are trying to get rid of used games which is another selling point. The developers keep ignoring all the console advantages and pushing the features that the PC thrives on. They need to realize that their advantage lies in that they are simple gaming machines they are cheaper easier and more accessible. All of those advantages are getting overlooked and that is why people are moving over to PC's.
 

PoolCleaningRobot

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Its still a little easier than dealing with some pc bullshit but the XBone hit every single one. I want physical games instead of full installs so no wait time downloading and installing things, can share games, I don't want drm services like uplay and origin, it's easier to use with a controller (which is another Microsoft fuck up. Why doesn't the 360 control the windows 7 desktop without 3rd party shit that requires maintenance?), my console magically patches and updates itself without screwing random shit up, etc

With a good pc, these things are minimal but a good pc will be more than a few hundred dollars. As long as the ps4 doesn't approach the $600 mark, then it would cheaper for a console
 

Siyano_v1legacy

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Jul 27, 2010
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For me there is no reason for any new console, why are they all adding socializing stuff and stream your game? wtf?
Most people are already tired of seeing "trophy" update on facebook or any games you can play on FB, I don't care you just leveled in farm ville >_<
I use FB for friend and because its an easy platform to have access to them and organize event, chatting and other similar thing.
Is streaming now the new popular thing to do?

Exclusive to console are just a bad excuse from companies to not test with PC
Pc is very simple to use and require small knowledge to know how its works, just follow 3 simple rules
1- Don't download from random place
2- Read the checkboxes when installing (prevents toolbar and such)
3- Don't click random link in email
As for Pc, it almost a plug and play, installing a game is also not that hard, yes its require few minutes
The only downside of a PC is the cost, but don't forget that PC can also do other things than play games already :p
 

romxxii

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Feb 18, 2010
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Clowndoe said:
Well, there's the eternal plug & play thing PCs will never have. So if you're one of millions of people content with playing the games you listed, then there's a case to be made.

Of course, as a person who is not contented with what is offered on console and is helplessly attracted to a lot of the games on PC, it's a no-brainer for me.
This argument against PC gaming never made sense to me. Yeah, when I get a game, I have to install it. Once. After that, whenever I need to play it in the future, I just click an icon, and boom, I'm in before you can fetch your crummy old disk.

Additionally, from what I heard both Xbox One and PS4 will install to the hard drive anyway. So unless you're trading in games on a daily basis, this argument is pointless.
 

Apollo45

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synobal said:
I for one look forward to watching TV on the Xbox one, I'm not sure how we watched TV with out it.
The serious argument of this. I watch TV on my TV. Why in God's name would I want to watch TV through my Xbox on my TV? It's the same with movies. I watch movies on my TV. Why would I want to watch movies on my TV through my Xbox instead of through my DVD/Blu-Ray player? I can install and play digital games on my computer for $50 at the most. Why would I want to go out, buy a hard copy, then go through the hassle of doing everything that I do for my PC on my Xbox?

Everything that the Xbox does I can already do with what I have, and what I have is already better at it. I got game consoles because it was easy to plug and play games. Now it's starting to look like it'll be even more difficult than with a PC, because from what I understand out of all the nonsense they said I need to be on my profile to play games that I've bought. I already have Steam for shit like that, but at least Steam gives me decent deals.
 

bug_of_war

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4 words to answer you, "LAN parties can suck". Seriously, I would become a PC player, but the whole lugging the computer around to play with friends is SO much more a pain in the ass than just lugging one controller and a few games around. There are other reasons such as not wanting to learn how to maintain a good gaming computer, not wanting to sit at your desk, fighting games, parents can sit their kids in front of the tv (not a great excuse, but an excuse none the less).

So yeah, consoles are here for the long run, and they're simply adding more and more features that offer people a wider experience. I don't see a problem with that, and I don't see why a feature you can completely ignore is so bad.
 

MrHide-Patten

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I'm one of those rare buggers that likes the current gen and the previous gen doesn't stack up in my eyes personally. I just prefer to play with a controller (PlayStation) than a keyboard and I don't like having a gaming system be in the same place as where I work. It's a mental thing, more than a technological or functional reason.
 

Zeraki

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The point of consoles used to be ease of use and the ability to just plug and play. This was also in an era when PCs still weren't as widely used in most homes, and consoles were a much cheaper alternative.

Nowadays everyone and their dog has a PC of some kind, they don't take much technical know how to operate and they're more affordable than they used to be(even for gaming).

The only real advantages consoles still have over PCs are exclusives, local multiplayer(which is all but dead now) and the fact that you can loan games out to friends and rent games/buy them used. Microsoft at the very least seems to be doing away with that last one.