Why PC gamers should love (or at least not hate) consoles

[Spencer Petersen]

The problem is that there are games that don't do well on PC (platformers, arcade fighters, racing/sports games), and games that do very well on PC (FPS, RTS, RPG). The 360 and PS3 fail to grasp that idea that they need to define their niche to really validate their existence. The Wii on the other hand has defined it existence rather well, as the console for motion control sports games, mini game collections, party games and JRPGs, all things the PC has problems with. Sure, it has its problems, but it goes for an audience that is traditionally left out in the rain by the PC, and it helps bring otherwise disenfranchised buyers into the community.

The 360, at this point, is a weak and fragile PC with a terrible OS tied to stringent corporate oversight, a well designed motion sensor peripheral without a single must-have to justify buying over a Wii and a few exclusive titles that would play equally as well on a PC. This wouldn't be a problem if they really pushed for exclusives that highlight the plus sides of the console (the analog controllers, local coop and synergy with other online options), and the PS3 is nearly as bad, with LBP and GOW saving them from oblivion.

My point is not that consoles suck, its just that they need to stop trying to waste resources on beating the PC at its own game with inferior hardware, controls, developer freedom and versatility, and instead focus on its own audience and niche where those issues are less troublesome or even helpful in their way.

 

[shrekfan246]

Snip

That's why I added my edit about if you want a computer that will just run the games, you can get it at a fairly competitive price (Though I was referring to only new items, not second-hand, since we're basing the price of the console as being brand-new).

But I suppose I am one of those insane people who will try ramping up the resolution and all of the graphics settings to the max before even starting a new game, because to me that's one of the major benefits a PC has over a console:
My PC can run pretty much anything at 1600x900 with all of the settings almost maxed.
My consoles won't even render at the lowest resolution of "true-HD" because of the TV we have here.

 

[Hobonicus]

I really don't understand how The Witcher 2 being released for the Xbox 360 AFTER it has already been released for the PC will suddenly cause the quality of the PC version to plummet.

Well this is an easy answer. The developers were fully aware that they would be porting the game to the 360 later, so they designed it with that in mind. This may have been why the interface is so god awful, because it's meant to be compatible with a controller. Although for the record, I loved The Witcher 2 and don't feel like it was consolized in any way except for maybe the interface.

 

[Waaghpowa]

- Some games are much better when played with a gamepad.
- Consoles have less piracy.
- Consoles are much better for local multiplayer on one system, usually plenty of space and a nice big tv, as opposed to having people awkwardly gather chairs around a pc screen.
- You're running games on a standardised system, so you don't encounter some of the random errors encountered with PC games.

1) That's a matter of preference, but a gamepad can be used on a pc as well as numerous other forms of input rather than being limited to one.
2) Though that may partly true it doesn't change the fact that it occurs and that the next generation will be any better.
3) There's always LAN, people who play on PC's don't gather around the monitor. Also the "Nice big TV" argument doesn't make too much sense to me. Yes, it's big, but the larger the screen the further back you sit. So your 40 inch TV at 6 feet just ends up looking the same size as my 23 inch monitor from 2 feet.
4) Though this may also be true, console games are usually reduced in texture and resolution quality to do so. Most console games, as far as textural resolutions go, go often reach 720p and have pretty low FPS. Also any issue you get on a PC game can be easily fixed 9 times out of 10 with a simple google search.

I would also like to remind people that PC gaming isn't the same as console gaming, you don't build a PC just for games. People, like myself, have just combined their games with their computers. Since computers are basically a necessity, why not have both in one place? The average person spends too much on a sub standard computer then goes out to but a console for 300 dollars. If you combined that cost, you'd have a decent gaming rig.

 

[TiefBlau]

The other day, I was debating PC vs. consoles with my friend. Being the neutral bastard that I am, I agreed that PC games were generally of better quality than their console counterpart. Still, I had to defend the consoles. I've been a console gamer my entire life (besides WoW for around 4 years). Looking back, I see a pattern in consoles that should make PC gamers happy. Its mainly this, consoles are becoming PC's. Slowly, we are seeing the push for more features on the consoles that only the PC previously had. If, all of a sudden, consoles stopped being made, then you would see a huge drop in the amount of gamers around the world. As consoles get more and more amazing tech, more people learn how to deal with everything the PC has to offer while it still is in a controlled setting.

Basically, the consoles are evolving into PC's. I predict that after the next console cycle, which will might end around 2018, everybody who can afford a good PC will have one. Everybody will know how to use it to its full potential, everybody will be happy.

I agree, but I don't see it as a reason to love consoles as much as a reason to believe that in the near future, all these arguments will be completely meaningless and inconsequential.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Snip

That's why I added my edit about if you want a computer that will just run the games, you can get it at a fairly competitive price (Though I was referring to only new items, not second-hand, since we're basing the price of the console as being brand-new).

But I suppose I am one of those insane people who will try ramping up the resolution and all of the graphics settings to the max before even starting a new game, because to me that's one of the major benefits a PC has over a console:
My PC can run pretty much anything at 1600x900 with all of the settings almost maxed.
My consoles won't even render at the lowest resolution of "true-HD" because of the TV we have here.

My rig has got an i7 930 clocked to 4.0 and 2 GTX 470's clocked 30% and run at 1080p at all times. I go back to some console games and my eyes strain because the resolution and FPS are so bad by comparison. There's actually a list of a lot of console games of their true resolutions, most of them don't even reach 720 and have zero AA.

 

[Giantpanda602]

I agree, but I don't see it as a reason to love consoles as much as a reason to believe that in the near future, all these arguments will be completely meaningless and inconsequential.

Because, if there weren't consoles, there would not be nearly as many gamers. In the future, the collective console gaming community will combine with the PC gaming community.

 

[jayteedubya]

I personally like that consoles are less expensive and go out of date much slower

 

[FallenMessiah88]

Blame the developers, not the player base. Once, there was a time when developers knew that every platform had its strenghts and weaknesses. Back then, developers knew that not every game was meant to be played with a gamepad and that some games were just better suited for mouse and keyboard.

Also as far as games lasting forever, there's always emulators.

Really this whole "platform war" should just go die in a fire and then throw itself off of a cliff. Period.

 

[SovietSecrets]

I don't hate console gaming, I am just annoyed when console gamers keep telling me PC gaming is going down the drain.

 

[suitepee7]

i don't hate consoles. i just think your arguement is completely wrong. i HATE the fact that consoles are becoming more like PCs. if i wanted my console to be more like a pc, i would buy a pc. all the console needs to do is allow any form of input method as a controller (with easy setup) and i'd be set. until then, i have a fairly decent laptop which runs most games i want, and i have a PS3.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

And microsoft should watch their backs as well. As soon as linux stops being 'by hipsters for hipsters' we might be seeing it as a mianstream rival one day.

If a few devs/pubs that still have good reps with the PC gaming scene put some effort into supporting a gaming focused distro of linux they could really shake things up... and Microsoft would deserve it for treating PC gamers like lepers ever since they got into the console biz.

 

[Waaghpowa]

I personally like that consoles are less expensive and go out of date much slower

Consoles are out of date before they're even released when you consider they choose components that are good at the time, then spend a year or two in R&D, so by that time it's 1-2 years old. I have a 10 year old desktop that still plays games about as well as a 360.

 

[Waaghpowa]

And microsoft should watch their backs as well. As soon as linux stops being 'by hipsters for hipsters' we might be seeing it as a mianstream rival one day.

If a few devs/pubs that still have good reps with the PC gaming scene put some effort into supporting a gaming focused distro of linux they could really shake things up... and Microsoft would deserve it for treating PC gamers like lepers ever since they got into the console biz.

The difficulty of running games on linux is the only thing keeping me on windows right now, I sure as hell hope someone steps up and starts it.

 

[Katana314]

Lets be honest. The average computer owner who randomly decides they want to play a few games on their PC is not a person who will know how to "slot in" a fairly powerful graphics card, and will want to either buy a pre-built one or pay for another person to do it (They may not even know which graphics card ARE fairly powerful). The average PC gamer would probably know how to interchange hardware, but again, let's be honest: Would they really have a PC that was built on hardware made before 2008-2009? And, yes, graphics card and processors are much cheaper than they used to be if you're not getting the most current models, but the point is that when it's all put together, it costs more than a console (and if they did have older hardware, also take into account the cost of UPGRADING, maybe?).

But this is where I yield part of my argument to you for bringing up a good point: A television. When you take that into account (which most people wouldn't because as you said, it's an item most people have already), ta-da, the price finally becomes about even. Unless they bought a really cheap television like the one I have.

Also, I'm really bad at TLR's.

EDIT: The real TL;DR: If you want a computer that will simply run most games, yes, you can probably get it similarly priced to a brand new console, but if you want to be sure those games will run really well, it'll cost more.

Extra EDIT: Depending on the TV/PC, you could even argue that purchasing a console could be more expensive, if someone pays for a massive HDTV and all of the special cords they need for the console to connect and play in HD. You could easily get a very powerful computer for a little over $1k, but buying some 45-60" HDTV costs the same or even more, and then you'd have to tack on EXTRA for the console/peripherals.

I didn't really include processor or memory in my calculations because most newer computers definitely have enough on that end to do solid gaming. A core 2 duo, for instance, can probably run most Unreal Engine 3 games reasonably well.

I'm also certainly not including people who "casually want to play a few games". Those people would be better off finding a flash game, facebook game, etc. I will agree that buying and installing a graphics card is not as simple as buying a console, but it's also not nearly as complex as some people would assume. Just like with many other appliances or "range in value" products, you'll go for a little bit of advice on "here's what I want to run" and most of value is just in the price and ratings. Then, as long as you have the right slot on the inside of your computer, there really is no wrong way to do it unless you somehow assume you need a soldering iron. (Yes, if you're moving on to something like the processor, it gets more complicated)

-tangent-

I would, however, like to thank the recent generation of consoles for the fact that "PC gamers always need to upgrade" is simply no longer true. Most developers are now aiming for the graphics range of the 360 and PS3, which is far below the current bar of graphics cards. Because graphics is no longer the big race, this bar is not going to be raised for a long time, and many have noticed this console generation has stuck around MUCH longer than the previous ones. Thus, many people who got an old GeForce 8800GTS many years ago will find it should still be more than adequate for current games. Today, that card costs around $50 (though it's technically discontinued)

Since I'm saying a lot in favor of PC gaming, I will just say that I just recently bought a PS3; my first next-gen console, and though it hasn't nearly turned me off PC gaming, it is pretty nice so far.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

And microsoft should watch their backs as well. As soon as linux stops being 'by hipsters for hipsters' we might be seeing it as a mianstream rival one day.

If a few devs/pubs that still have good reps with the PC gaming scene put some effort into supporting a gaming focused distro of linux they could really shake things up... and Microsoft would deserve it for treating PC gamers like lepers ever since they got into the console biz.

The difficulty of running games on linux is the only thing keeping me on windows right now, I sure as hell hope someone steps up and starts it.

Yeah, pretty much the same here. Although if that 'Windows 8' thing is the future of microsoft operating systems, as soon as Win7 gets too long in the tooth I'm jumping ship regardless of how much of a pain in the arse it is to get games running on linux.

 

[Morgan Howe]

i have owned several $3000+ home build pc rigs, and i can honestly say i prefer console for performance hands down, at least the PS3 anyway. PS3 is far more stable then any computer that has equal power. Its plug and play simplicity makes it great for casual gamers as, great game line up and online support for hardcore gamers, and movies and music for "non-gamers"(yes i know your out there )< ). also your never going to see Microsoft giving out free games because they fucked it up.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Yeah, pretty much the same here. Although if that 'Windows 8' thing is the future of microsoft operating systems, as soon as Win7 gets too long in the tooth I'm jumping ship regardless of how much of a pain in the arse it is to get games running on linux.

I did manage to get a bunch of Valve games to run on Linux a while back with Wine, problem was I did it on a shit computer so the FPS was terrible. The biggest problem I had was trying to get Linux graphics drivers.

 

[Katana314]

i have owned several $3000+ home build pc rigs, and i can honestly say i prefer console for performance hands down, at least the PS3 anyway. PS3 is far more stable then any computer that has equal power. Its plug and play simplicity makes it great for casual gamers as, great game line up and online support for hardcore gamers, and movies and music for "non-gamers"(yes i know your out there )< ). also your never going to see Microsoft giving out free games because they fucked it up.

I can see what most PC gamers say about overall quality being higher, but I'll definitely say that at any rate, the framerate is more consistent on a console. At times, it just feels smoother.