I got into a PC vs Console debate again...

[NormannTheDoorman]

Forgive me father, for I have sinned..


They claimed that software updates == hardware updates
More people play console (Which is irrelevant when it comes to performance)
Controllers are easier (Also irrelevant when it comes to overall performance)
PC gaming is expensive

 

[Jaffa]

Controllers are easier

Wait, what?!?

Ahh, I see now. This is why all of the 'pro gamers' unplug their keyboard & mouse combination and plug in their Xbox controllers to compete. Right?

PC gaming is expensive

Owning a Ferrari is also expensive. Perhaps Ferrari owners should sell up and buy a Ford Focus instead.

 

[Hadoblado]

I came in here all ready for a fight, then realised I'm not entirely certain what your position is

 

[Jaffa]

I came in here all ready for a fight, then realised I'm not entirely certain what your position is

Who cares? You're an INTP, just fight for both positions until he reveals his opinions. Then fight for the other one.

 

[Hadoblado]

Who cares? You're an INTP

Allegedly.

I don't see a single benefit to console gaming unless you're into motion sensor stuff, or don't already own a decent computer. I can't argue that case. I'd genuinely love to see someone do a convincing job.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I don't take anyone who starts these debates seriously... People aren't usually looking to find what's best for them.

Based on my own experience:

PC

Pros

1. Potential for higher quality graphics
2. Can customize peripheral devices (multi-monitor, gamepad, etc)
3. Modding community
4. Gaming is only one feature, a computer can do many other things
5. Games are realistically priced and constantly go on sale
6. Age threshold / potential for more serious and competitive communities
7. Doesn't generally require buying a whole new system to improve performance
8. Large gaming market

Cons

1. Friends and family aren't likely into PC gaming
2. Prebuilt / retail PCs are either subpar, overpriced, or both
3. Higher potential for compatibility and gameplay issues
4. Requires a bit of research to build and/or maintain your PC
5. Mouse+keyboard is not very ergonomic
6. Pressure to pay more to get the best graphical experience

Console

Pros

1. Centralized support / feature development
2. Special proprietary features
3. Social networking / social gaming
4. Exclusive titles
5. "Plug and play"

Cons

1. Hardware cannot be upgraded / performance is capped
2. Features are limited
3. Easily made obsolete
4. Prices of games are stagnant and unreasonable
5. Internal/External storage of games is limited
6. There is a substantial fee for multiplayer gaming

 

[Hadoblado]

That's probably the best case I've seen so far. Kudos.

 

[Brontosaurie]

here's the short version:

PC

pros: flexibility

cons: flexibility

console

pros: inflexibility

cons: inflexibility

maybe even this captures everything of relevance:

PC

pros: good

cons: good

console

pros: bad

cons: bad

 

[Hadoblado]

The be-all end-all argument for PC elitism:

http://steamdb.info/sales/

It's like you peasants miss out on Christmas

Edit: not that I in anyway enjoy Christmas. It's like you peasants miss out on Christmas in a hypothetical reality where Christmas is a good thing.

 

[Architect]

There's actually a type difference. I believe S types prefer consoles - at least most of the S's I know do. It's easier, the games are simplified and geared towards repetitive grinding. PC games, like MMO's (though some MMO's are on console) are more geared toward a different type of play, one Intuitives tend to like I believe. Console games are in much higher demand than PC too, which is reflected in the cost of the games and hardware.

If you want the best though you have to go PC. I just built up a pair of high end gaming rigs. Mine has an over clocked i7 and a AMD 285x2 - that's two 290x GPU's on one board, water-cooled. It's the fastest gaming rig you can get without going quad-fire.

It's probably equivalent to a stack of 5-10 consoles, I get upwards of 200-300 fps with all the eye candy turned on, depending on the game.

 

[deadpixel]

Forgive me father, for I have sinned..


They claimed that software updates == hardware updates
More people play console (Which is irrelevant when it comes to performance)
Controllers are easier (Also irrelevant when it comes to overall performance)
PC gaming is expensive

I think its mainly certain types of people that play pc games. These types of people, such as myself, enjoy troubleshooting their computer, upgrading it, tweaking it, learning new things, etc etc.

I believe a lot of consolers dont like all of that, whereas myself welcomes and enjoys what the consolers would see as a headache. The fact that console servers are much more populated is kind of aggravating, they dont know what they are missing out on.

 

[Pyropyro]

Why not both?

 

[deadpixel]

Why not both?

Yeah both are great options really, but I was just speaking in terms of those who only play on one or the other. I wont play on anything other than a keyboard and mouse, thats why I play FPS games on xbox with a keyboard and mouse, because im a problem solver

 

[EyeSeeCold]

There's actually a type difference. I believe S types prefer consoles - at least most of the S's I know do. It's easier, the games are simplified and geared towards repetitive grinding. PC games, like MMO's (though some MMO's are on console) are more geared toward a different type of play, one Intuitives tend to like I believe. Console games are in much higher demand than PC too, which is reflected in the cost of the games and hardware.

If you want the best though you have to go PC. I just built up a pair of high end gaming rigs. Mine has an over clocked i7 and a AMD 285x2 - that's two 290x GPU's on one board, water-cooled. It's the fastest gaming rig you can get without going quad-fire.

It's probably equivalent to a stack of 5-10 consoles, I get upwards of 200-300 fps with all the eye candy turned on, depending on the game.

It could be an S thing to spend so much money on consumer consumption.

Eh, consoles are just tradition, so those that are most non-traditional would seek out alternatives. Personally for me it just didn't seem economically justified to go the console route this generation, and I was already interested in upgrading my PC.

 

[Pyropyro]

I wont play on anything other than a keyboard and mouse, thats why I play FPS games on xbox with a keyboard and mouse, because im a problem solver

That's nothing. I type term papers with an Xbox controller and a Gameboy Color

 

[deadpixel]

That's nothing. I type term papers with an Xbox controller and a Gameboy Color

That would actually be going a step backward? I used to play with a kb+m on xbox, not anymore because I sold all of that shit to invest in my gaming rig.

 

[(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

That would actually be going a step backward? I used to play with a kb+m on xbox, not anymore because I sold all of that shit to invest in my gaming rig.

I used to love playing death match games on ps3 where you could hook a keyboard and mouse in. It was so easy to dominate and people thought you were hacking just because you had elite KB/M FPS skills and they were stuck using two thumb sticks. Funny, but gets boring after awhile. Also as time goes on more people realize you can do it and everyone starts to use a keyboard. It's kind of funny because, at that point... everyone might as well just be PC gaming.

 

[Pyropyro]

That would actually be going a step backward? I used to play with a kb+m on xbox, not anymore because I sold all of that shit to invest in my gaming rig.

I was kidding dude

Anyways, I play PC games more than consoles since I can "Alt+TAB" my way back to a project that I was doing in the same PC.

I won't mind playing on consoles though (Wii is kind of fun) but it's hard to find anyone playing on consoles here. It's either PC's or handhelds.

 

[deadpixel]

I used to love playing death match games on ps3 where you could hook a keyboard and mouse in. It was so easy to dominate and people thought you were hacking just because you had elite KB/M FPS skills and they were stuck using two thumb sticks. Funny, but gets boring after awhile. Also as time goes on more people realize you can do it and everyone starts to use a keyboard. It's kind of funny because, at that point... everyone might as well just be PC gaming.

Yeah, I actually used a device called the xbox input machine, which also worked on ps3 too. It translated mouse & keyboard movements to joystick movements and had a very nice 1:1 ratio feel, didnt feel 100% pc like obviously but was still better than using a controller. Funny thing is I went to the xim forums and played with quite a few different people who used the xim adapter too and people suck even with a keyboard and mouse.

I think FPS games just click for some people, and others not so much. My avg K/D on any FPS game that I want to get good at is going to be 3+, whereas 80% of people dont even have above a 1.

 

[deadpixel]

I was kidding dude

Anyways, I play PC games more than consoles since I can "Alt+TAB" my way back to a project that I was doing in the same PC.

I won't mind playing on consoles though (Wii is kind of fun) but it's hard to find anyone playing on consoles here. It's either PC's or handhelds.

So was i =P

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

Apparently I didn't state my position on this.



Long live the PC master race.

 

[(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

I think FPS games just click for some people, and others not so much. My avg K/D on any FPS game that I want to get good at is going to be 3+, whereas 80% of people dont even have above a 1.

You're right I think it has to do with growing up really. A lot of people who are into the COD stuff right now perhaps weren't into FPS growing up. I mean video games used to be for shut ins but now it's socially accepted. You'll see hot girls playing it, I don't know if they really enjoy it or are just trying to relate to men. I think my girlfriend did legitimately like one FPS I got her into.

But when I was growing up I gamed a lot and the only games I ever played were RTS which focuses on tactics and quick decision / precise movements and FPS. So I naturally am a beast at these games.

My first multi-player console game was Socom US Navy SEALS. This was the first console game to use the playstation microphone and people actually used it for tactical talk back then, I made a lot of friends with that mic.

Before that it was playing any free online FPS I could download. Before that it was Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM. So I think the really good people like ourselves just have lots of experience and are more intelligent as far as tactics go from experience.

Personally I don't really like call of duty that much I heard it described as a twitch shooter and that's pretty correct. Though I do like some twitch shooters like open arena and Quake... I don't know what it is specifically about COD. My favourite times were with Socom that's for sure.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Consoles for exclusive titles, PC's for everything else.

I would however argue, that the time dominance of consoles will return, coming commercial fully 3d and augmented reality devices will be focused on gaming and most likely will come in the form of consoles/purpose built devices, leading to the full simulators down the road.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

You're right I think it has to do with growing up really. A lot of people who are into the COD stuff right now perhaps weren't into FPS growing up. I mean video games used to be for shut ins but now it's socially accepted. You'll see hot girls playing it, I don't know if they really enjoy it or are just trying to relate to men. I think my girlfriend did legitimately like one FPS I got her into.

But when I was growing up I gamed a lot and the only games I ever played were RTS which focuses on tactics and quick decision / precise movements and FPS. So I naturally am a beast at these games.

My first multi-player console game was Socom US Navy SEALS. This was the first console game to use the playstation microphone and people actually used it for tactical talk back then, I made a lot of friends with that mic.

Before that it was playing any free online FPS I could download. Before that it was Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM. So I think the really good people like ourselves just have lots of experience and are more intelligent as far as tactics go from experience.

Personally I don't really like call of duty that much I heard it described as a twitch shooter and that's pretty correct. Though I do like some twitch shooters like open arena and Quake... I don't know what it is specifically about COD. My favourite times were with Socom that's for sure.

I don't think video games have been for shut ins since the early-mid 1980s. They were marketed as entertainment and arcades were already hugely popular as a social entertainment pasttime. Apparently 30% of homes in the U.S. had an NES (source, pg 26), this is compared to 65% of U.S. households that currently play video games (source). I'm sure the average person had the chance to play video games often even if their family didn't own one themselves, it has long been socially acceptable. I think the difference is the attitude towards female gamers now that we have internet and online gaming, the global perspective is becoming aware of the true demographics.


As for CoD, yes it is a twitch shooter. In the early years however the popularity was attributed to the WWII/war appeal, then it became known for the competitive multiplayer, by 2006 the CoD series captured the market and became a cultural icon. This was all before Modern Warfare, the game arguably responsible for the "twitch shooter" label.

2008 is where I personally switched to Battlefield, I could tell the series was getting stale by that point, at least the multiplayer aspect.

 

[Reluctantly]

If they would put a customized version of linux on the consoles (without having to hack the hardware), I'd probably consider getting one because they are cheaper and since the hardware never changes, the games are usually optimized for the hardware you already have.

But it is nice being able to upgrade a computer, run special indie games, run a multitude of programs and mods, and tweak the software and games at the same time. Then there's also the online experience of a community (such as this one that consoles don't seem to have). Plus I can't enjoy aiming with a joystick; the mouse is much more precise. Joysticks always seemed to work better for movement, but not for precise aiming in games that require shooting. And PC has a lot of MMORPGs, whereas I think only Sony supports an MMO - FFXIV I believe.

So I guess I see it as a console being an arcade machine made mostly for video games, whereas a PC is an online gateway for virtual reality. And so I love PCs because you can do more with them.

 

[Architect]

Try using a console for anything but games. My game PC is a full blown workstation that I'm also using to develop a game. Plus 400 fps @ 3440x1400, try that on crap-tastic.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I own both and use both for gaming. What does that make me?

 

[Pyropyro]

I own both and use both for gaming. What does that make me?

Rich

 

[Reluctantly]

I own both and use both for gaming. What does that make me?

A hard-core gamer?

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Rich

A hard-core gamer?

Ohh, ok. I was expecting fighting words.