well, i hate consoles, since i don't see the thing that should be 'cool' about it, and i have a proper PC. and i dread the controls alot, like in shooting games, you can't aim that good. And like some people also said, you can do alot more with a PC. Oh and btw, i have read that in a couple of years (min 20-30) years consoles will vannish. i hope atleast.
PC is just a nicer enviroment. My rig was made late 2007 and is now fairly outdated (Q6600, ATI2900HD 512mb and 2GB DDR2 Ram) and I've yet to find a game I can't play on at least medium on my 17" monitors 1280*1024 resolution. I can listen to music, talk to freinds on chat programs, browse the internet, watch porn, and play games in my armchair. Besides, played NFS:Underground on Xbox360? Slowdowns anyone? So much for smooth. 
But consoles have their own perks, for me at least, PC always.
But consoles have their own perks, for me at least, PC always.
My work computer was built in 2003 and still works with most things I throw at it. My home computer is from 2006 (and due a bit of an upgrade at the least in 2009) and is actually slightly worse!!!!
This I blame on my love of Shuttles (SFF PCs), which can't cope with the temperatures inside a gaming rig with any amount of 3D graphics. So I think I'm going to have to return to the massive, ugly midi towers of the 90s.
This I blame on my love of Shuttles (SFF PCs), which can't cope with the temperatures inside a gaming rig with any amount of 3D graphics. So I think I'm going to have to return to the massive, ugly midi towers of the 90s.
Problem with PC's is their generic hardware/software environment and requirement to have mid-to-high end graphics cards to run any relatively new game, ending up with needing a lot more money just to play new(ish) games.
Also apart from the obvious, (eg LFS etc), there are advantages to the consoles input devices in some games. For example in God of War II you need to spin or turn things sometimes to solve puzzles or defeat your foe, the thumb joystick is perfect for this as it requires at least a little bit of skill to use one to do the task rather than just holding down a button to turn something the right way. Just adds a slightly different element to the actual way you interact with the game.
So the way I see it is, if you're a serious gamer and are prepared to spend a lot of money to get the absolute best graphics and performance in modern games, (and have to have every latest title as soon as it comes out), then a dedicated gaming PC is the way to go. If on the other hand you're just a part time gamer that uses games as a bit of fun and relaxation, (meaning you're not buying every latest title when it's released), then I think consoles are by far the best value for money.
Also apart from the obvious, (eg LFS etc), there are advantages to the consoles input devices in some games. For example in God of War II you need to spin or turn things sometimes to solve puzzles or defeat your foe, the thumb joystick is perfect for this as it requires at least a little bit of skill to use one to do the task rather than just holding down a button to turn something the right way. Just adds a slightly different element to the actual way you interact with the game.
So the way I see it is, if you're a serious gamer and are prepared to spend a lot of money to get the absolute best graphics and performance in modern games, (and have to have every latest title as soon as it comes out), then a dedicated gaming PC is the way to go. If on the other hand you're just a part time gamer that uses games as a bit of fun and relaxation, (meaning you're not buying every latest title when it's released), then I think consoles are by far the best value for money.
And there we go. Finally, some "consoles suck, la la la la" comments. Took long enough.
The controls are only bad if you're usd to PC. When I started using consoles I sucked at shooters. I got frustrated about how it was less intuitive than mouse/keyboard. Gears was my first 360 game and I died so often that it just wasn't funny.
However, by the time I got Halo 3 and CoD4 I was used to it and now I really like the joypad controls. It's not as quick, but it feels natural. The feeling of actually squeezing a trigger is cool too
The controls are only bad if you're usd to PC. When I started using consoles I sucked at shooters. I got frustrated about how it was less intuitive than mouse/keyboard. Gears was my first 360 game and I died so often that it just wasn't funny.
However, by the time I got Halo 3 and CoD4 I was used to it and now I really like the joypad controls. It's not as quick, but it feels natural. The feeling of actually squeezing a trigger is cool too
Consoles have a bit of an edge if you're a casual gamer - everything is spoon-fed to you. You can't do much in the way of modding, and only stuff that the developers want you to have you can use such as extra content and patches (although you do have to pay MOAR for extra content). In that way, consoles are much better than PCs.
What I wish is that all PC games were organised like a console. One definitive format, one overall set of rules and regulations, and one certain way of getting decent content. I think Steam is the closest thing you can get to a console without using a console: solid state gaming with automatically patched games and a community to keep it all running.
On the controller side of things: Since I started playing FPS games on my PC, I realise that I really don't like using controllers for anything other than platform games or general tomfoolery on old games when you have some mates around for some classic gaming action and shouting. Which brings me back to my original point: consoles are for casual gamers, but you can't get many places being a casual gamer on PC with games like TF2 and CSS (I imagine, I'm not up-to-date about all this stuff)
What I wish is that all PC games were organised like a console. One definitive format, one overall set of rules and regulations, and one certain way of getting decent content. I think Steam is the closest thing you can get to a console without using a console: solid state gaming with automatically patched games and a community to keep it all running.
On the controller side of things: Since I started playing FPS games on my PC, I realise that I really don't like using controllers for anything other than platform games or general tomfoolery on old games when you have some mates around for some classic gaming action and shouting. Which brings me back to my original point: consoles are for casual gamers, but you can't get many places being a casual gamer on PC with games like TF2 and CSS (I imagine, I'm not up-to-date about all this stuff)
horses for courses.
PC is a V8 tho
PC is a V8 tho
As I said originally, and Gunsmith just echoed, it's all about what you want from your gaming experience. My experience of CSS is wallhacks and aimbots (and endless bloody downloads of useless sound effects, horrible levels and crap textures). I certainly don't miss that on console shooters.
The Orange Box was released on PS3 and 360, so if they're the only titles you need to stop being a "casual gamer" then the consoles obviously fit in too. I wouldn't consider myself either hardcore or casual, but I take playing games seriously when I do it and I can do it for days on end if I want to, so I guess that would make me a "serious console gamer".
UT3 is moddable on PS3 and I assume more moddable games will arrive eventually for all of the consoles. Farcry 2 made some tentative steps toward making level modding possible for everyone. LittleBigPlanet has some fantastic player-created content possibilities. There's plenty of serious tournaments out there specifically for console gamers (the ESL even has a console section now), it's not like console games are Super Mario.
I still prefer RTS on a PC and I certainly wouldn't want to try Photoshopping anything using a joypad, but for anything else it's just about what you're used to. Picking up a joypad for a few minutes on someone else's box isn't going to take away the years of experience you've had with a mouse and keyboard, so you can't expect it to match up right away. It takes some getting used to.
If you ask me, the argument from anyone who hasn't done a lot of playing on both is probably not worth the time it took to write.
The Orange Box was released on PS3 and 360, so if they're the only titles you need to stop being a "casual gamer" then the consoles obviously fit in too. I wouldn't consider myself either hardcore or casual, but I take playing games seriously when I do it and I can do it for days on end if I want to, so I guess that would make me a "serious console gamer".
UT3 is moddable on PS3 and I assume more moddable games will arrive eventually for all of the consoles. Farcry 2 made some tentative steps toward making level modding possible for everyone. LittleBigPlanet has some fantastic player-created content possibilities. There's plenty of serious tournaments out there specifically for console gamers (the ESL even has a console section now), it's not like console games are Super Mario.
I still prefer RTS on a PC and I certainly wouldn't want to try Photoshopping anything using a joypad, but for anything else it's just about what you're used to. Picking up a joypad for a few minutes on someone else's box isn't going to take away the years of experience you've had with a mouse and keyboard, so you can't expect it to match up right away. It takes some getting used to.
If you ask me, the argument from anyone who hasn't done a lot of playing on both is probably not worth the time it took to write.
That's the one for me. It's the complete opposite. A console looks horrible on my TV. Thus, I would need a "seperate monitor" for a console. That would be in the tune of about $1000 at least, assuming big enough to sit on the couch when playing. Add to that $600 for the console, assuming again, that I would be purchasing at the time they come out rather than years down the road when they are cheap such as where we are in time now.
My PC I bought 3 years ago for $500. It came with the monitor, no need to purchase a new one. Now, it does need a massive upgrade because I don't keep up with PC tech. You don't need the latest and greatest most expensive upgrades to keep up like most people do. Moderate upgrades would still do the trick and keep you in the game. I don't think I would be in the $1600 range to keep playing games on the PC as I would to keep playing games with consoles.
Games really don't interest me in the least. I can't tell the last time I played a "game". To put it into perspective, the last 4 titles I purchased in decending order is LFS, Flight Simulator 2004, Nascar Racing 2003, and Indycar Racing II. That tells you how I like my "games" to be. And yes, I played ICR2 from 1995 on my original P75 until I finally aquired a handmedown computer that I could run NR2003 in about 2004.
I've played many games on the PS2 at friend's places, but they never interested me enough to purchase a console myself. I've never seen a PS3 and haven't tried my brother-in-law's xBox 360 yet.
I just saw an ad video on the TV displays in the store yesterday and must say, it looked stunning. Still not enough to make me go out and purchase a $1000+ TV to play it on plus the cost of the console and game.
with a console you can play with 4 people at the same time! not with a pc
yes PC is more powerfull but when your bored you can always play with some friends on your console...
yes PC is more powerfull but when your bored you can always play with some friends on your console...
And what games would that be (i mean games you would play with 4 people on the same screen)?
The last time i did that was with the N64 and Mario Kart. Beside that, the only game i sometimes play with a friend (on the same screen/console) is Soul Calibur (best fighting game ever made (IMHO)).
LAN/Online is way better than split screen.
I agree, plus you can play multiplayer on the computer with Joypads plugged into the PC. (Not that many games support it, but meh.)
Sometimes being able to punch your mate who's sitting next to you can be priceless 
The difference between a console and a PC is becoming quite thin, when considering the actual games on offer. There used to be a lot of difference between something like the Megadrive and a typical home PC, now the same game will often be developed for all the major platforms. On the other hand... it seems the major distinguishing factor (leading to purchasing preference) between the different consoles and PC is that one game will be made for one console and be unavailable on all the other platforms. That strategy keeps the whole console market moving, imo. There isn't much difference between an Xbox and a Playstation really- it comes down to the games. I would say that the PC is actually closer to the Xbox and Playstation than those things are to the latest Nintendo.
Now, completely contradicting my opening statement (I've had a bit of time to think about things as I write
) I see consoles as extremely limited in terms of the variety and kinds of games you have access to compared with a PC. With PC, you get most of the latest cross platform games. You can also play emulated games from a wide variety of consoles and computers like the C64 and Amiga, and as well you have access to the entire PC back catalogue. That's a point which isn't bought up that often. You can't play an Xbox game on the Xbox360 or vice versa, but it's possible (in 99% of cases) to play any PC game from the past on your latest PC. With PC, you can take game history with you. With a console, you can only play the games of the moment.
Another incredible resource for PC games is the internet. There are so many indie developers out there making games for PC, most which will never be published. Some of course make it over to console which is a good thing. But again, this is an area (a huge slice of the games pie) where the PC shines.
Now, completely contradicting my opening statement (I've had a bit of time to think about things as I write
) I see consoles as extremely limited in terms of the variety and kinds of games you have access to compared with a PC. With PC, you get most of the latest cross platform games. You can also play emulated games from a wide variety of consoles and computers like the C64 and Amiga, and as well you have access to the entire PC back catalogue. That's a point which isn't bought up that often. You can't play an Xbox game on the Xbox360 or vice versa, but it's possible (in 99% of cases) to play any PC game from the past on your latest PC. With PC, you can take game history with you. With a console, you can only play the games of the moment. Another incredible resource for PC games is the internet. There are so many indie developers out there making games for PC, most which will never be published. Some of course make it over to console which is a good thing. But again, this is an area (a huge slice of the games pie) where the PC shines.
Sure you can, I have a number of old xbox games that I play on the 360.
I stand corrected then
You can't use VGA out on the 360 with so xbox games, but apart from that, they work fine.
As for old PC games, there are a number of old games that I remember trying to run from back in the day that wouldn't work, or worked badly.
Another killer app the PC has, is piracy, it's much easier to get a pirated PC game, than it is to get a pirated console game, although its possible.
As for old PC games, there are a number of old games that I remember trying to run from back in the day that wouldn't work, or worked badly.
Another killer app the PC has, is piracy, it's much easier to get a pirated PC game, than it is to get a pirated console game, although its possible.
Have a PC for gaming (and everything else), and have a Wii. Best console ever, that. 
yea if your freakin 5 years old, or when your a mongol
that video is nice, but come on!!! the only games the wii has are Mario kart, mario tennis, mario golf, mario karts 2, mario dickface, mario land and those wii sports things..........
USELESSI'm glad I've played on a Wii. But I'm extremely glad I don't own one - the controller is awful - unresponsive, inaccurate and generally a bit crap. The games themselves have lots of promise of being about gameplay (a la 80s style gaming), but actually become tedious and boring after a few minutes.
Like I say - I enjoy playing Wii every so often at a mates house. But I won't spend money until Wii2 comes out (hopefully with a vastly improved controller).
Like I say - I enjoy playing Wii every so often at a mates house. But I won't spend money until Wii2 comes out (hopefully with a vastly improved controller).
For me it's console gaming, although I do enjoy certain games on the pc which work better (i.e. Football Manager and sim-racing)
The problem is that PC developers don't push the limits of the technology, were as console developers have a limit to work too. Also the pick up and play element of console gaming is a big advantage over pc gaming.
The problem is that PC developers don't push the limits of the technology, were as console developers have a limit to work too. Also the pick up and play element of console gaming is a big advantage over pc gaming.
Consoles vs PC's
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