PC Gaming vs Console Gaming

[deanb]

So this has being going on for a while, certainly the past 5 years or so.

So this is a topic to discus it, how it came about, and how to keep the filthy peasants in their place.

[Mercurial]

I am a bastard child then.

[Harri]

I'm pretty sure it was more than the past 5 years. More like ever since computers started becoming mainstream and accessible to everyone and their grandmothers. The whole PC and console debate came about as consoles being cheaper for the everyman and easier to setup and use. Basically the apple to microsoft.

[Mal]

My hair is pretty long at the moment... GLORIOUS PC MASTER RACE INDEED.

 

But I am a mudblood. ;_;

[Thorgi Duke of Frisbee]

I use a computer to play all the crazy indie games, RPGs, RTSes and any Valve game, but I use a console for practically everything else.

[Strangelove]

I only dabble in pc gaming. As a console guy I have nothing. Against the pc. Though the same can't be said for pc gamer...

 

I've realized that a big reason I prefer consoles is not knowing my way around a keyboard. I don't have it memorized like I do my ps controller. The keyboard for me is just too cumbersome so i feel comfortable around pc games that really entirely almost on the mouse. Games like the sims and audiosurf.

im trying to play mass effect 2 right now on my pc and i have to keep looking down at what i press. That shit aint fun.

i also have a laptop and i dont really wanna plug in a controller everytime i wanna play. I wanna get good at the keyboard because a lot of pc games play better that way since thats how they were made. Its very obvious. I feel like im just too old to try to learn now.

[excel_excel]

I think its always been there but well the internet wasn't so big as it was back in the PS1 days. Nowadays everyone has an opinion on everything that's occurring on consoles and PCs and I think its every factor that occurs in used in this stupid VS thing.

 

Lets take PC upgrading. It used to a lot more prevalent, but now days that myth of having to upgrade every 3 months is false. but fanboys use that in their arguments. "DUR, YOU DONT HAVE TO UPGRADE PS3 OR 360 EVERT MONTH".

 

Theres also the poor console ports, or good ones in some cases coming into argumentation

Its just fanboys really. From both sides! "Oh I can't wait to play this new game with super awesome high textures and 64xMSAA and dedicated servers and free online" or the opposite 'side' "LOLERS I know I can play this game and don't have to download a bazillion patches to make it work!"

 

There shouldn't be any arguments between gamers as PC gaming has always pushed Console gaming for years. The reason console gamers are getting free DLC and community created content from Portal 2 is because its on PC in the first place. By them having that available on PC they can work towards providing that stuff to console gamers.

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

I've realized that a big reason I prefer consoles is not knowing my way around a keyboard.

 

How long did it take you to type that post?

[Mister Jack]

For me, whether I get a console game or a PC version of the same game comes down to a few factors.

 

1) Is this a game I'll keep forever or do I want to sell it back later?

 

2) What genre is the game? Does it play better with a controller or a mouse and keyboard?

 

3) Does either version have exclusive content?

 

4) Dedicated servers? Achievements?

 

5) Is the PC version just a console port? Because that's a huge red flag.

 

6) What kind of DRM is on the PC version?

 

We're past the point where anyone can just say that any one platform is superior to the rest in every aspect without being a complete jackass.

Edited May 14, 2011 by Mister Jack

[Mercurial]

Itt I think most PC gamers are douchebags and just too picky for their own good, but hey what can you do. On the other hand I think console gamers can be total assholes or casual bro jackasses.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Hakidia

[STiger]

Dear god Dean, what have you done?

 

What have you done?

 

EDIT:

 

>mfw consoles are just watered down PCs

Edited May 15, 2011 by STiger

[Pirandello]

GLORIOUS PC GAMING MASTER RACE.

 

Nah, I just grew up without consoles. Pissed me off to hell and back when I always see my cousins getting the newest generation console during their birthday, and my parents wouldn't buy me one since they're the type that think "games rot brains".

 

So I just stick with PCs my entire life and here I am now.

[Cyber Rat]

Please excuse me while I use my BRAIN to play these games that require EFFORT and SKILL which cannot be achieved with GAMEPADS.

 

 

Dirty console lepers...

[TheMightyEthan]

I basically only play games on console if they're not available on PC. That said, until a recent hardware failure caused me to upgrade my PC I played primarily on console, and I still kind of self-identify as a console gamer.

 

There are some games that I prefer to use a controller for (like Batman: Arkham Asylum), but most games that have console versions let you use a controller on the PC too, so that's not really an issue.

[SanaEquiesterer]

I grew up a PC gamer, and it was through emulators and demos that I got into the Final Fantasy series. I gradually shifted into consoles a little more when I heard the news that Square would only be releasing FFX on the PS2, so I bought one. Things were great for a while during that console generation, when there was a bit of a balance between console exclusives, PC exclusives, and shared titles. Then along came the current generation of consoles...

 

Now, I stick to the PC if a game supports it, but I might be rethinking that for certain games. There are a few titles, usually third person, that are optimized for a gamepad and turn out to play atrociously on a PC. I shouldn't have to fiddle with video settings to reduce mouse lag.

 

I hate that every entertainment industry has been Hollywood-ized, which is partly responsible for the developer shift to consoles. I don't hate consoles or dedicated console users, but their preferential treatment has me pulling out my hair when their lowly console filth contaminates what could otherwise be a glorious PC experience.

[MasterDex]

Itt I think most PC gamers are douchebags and just too picky for their own good, but hey what can you do. On the other hand I think console gamers can be total assholes or casual bro jackasses.

 

 

Your view tends to be the one that annoys me the most out of all the PC vs Console debates. Sure, there are a lot of douchebags on PC but there are just as much on console yet every time, it's always "MOST PC gamers are douchebags, Console gamers CAN be douchebags" or vice versa. Statistically speaking, there are likely more douchebags playing only consoles than there are douchebags playing only PCs. The fraction of the respective playerbases that are douchebags are likely very similar.

 

PC gaming is great but it has it's flaws.

Console gaming is great but it has it's flaws.

Gaming is awesome and we all need to learn how to get on with each other.

 

This tit-for-tat, console wars/console VS PC bullshit is only going to work against us. So PC gamers complain that there are no dedicated servers in the latest multiplayer game, why should they be accused of whining for doing so? Why are so many console gamers all too happy to lambaste requests like that from PC gamers and settle for shitty p2p networks? Why can't we work together for the common good of gaming?

 

I don't know, I'm just so fed up of this kind of shit these days.

[Strangelove]

But console gamers never talk shit about the pc. Theres no reason to. What bad things can they say about the pc? We all use one.

On the other hand, PC gamers do. A lot. About how the graphics suck on consoles, about how the mouse and keyboard are better, about their games being dumbed down because of consoles. Whether its all true or not, whats the point? Youre talking shit to people who couldnt give a rats ass.

[Cyber Rat]

Speaking of douchebags, EU PC FPS players seem to be bigger douchebags than US PC FPS players. It is common to get kicked from BF:BC2 if you're dominating someone on an EU server, but it seems to be extremely rare from what I gather in the US.

[Mercurial]

You're taking me too seriously dex.

[MasterDex]

You're taking me too seriously dex.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to come across that way. The point I was getting at is that the PC vs Console debate and by extension the console vs console debate always boils to "they have more douchebags, we have less" or "We have more exclusives, they have less", etc, etc and leads onto "therefore we're better". It's so childish. It's very rarely that I see anyone bring legitimate comparisons into the debate without using them as a way to one-up their opposition.

 

For instance, I could say "Mouse and keyboard is better for FPS games than a controller so if you're an FPS fan, it might be worth getting yourself a good PC for gaming" and someone will come back with "Well at least we don't have to spend $5,000 on our machines!"

 

Yeah, the price difference is a legitimate argument to bring up but in the example above, it's brought up with no consideration as to whether the statement about m+kb holds any weight and that's what happens in just about every PC vs Console debate and Console vs Console debates tend to be no different.

 

But console gamers never talk shit about the pc. Theres no reason to. What bad things can they say about the pc? We all use one.

 

But that's the thing, many console gamers do talk shit about the PC and frequently. There's also more than just one quip they use against the PC. This is what I'm talking about, both sides take the "they hit first, we only hit back" approach but both sides fire just as many stones at one another.

 

On the other hand, PC gamers do. A lot. About how the graphics suck on consoles, about how the mouse and keyboard are better, about their games being dumbed down because of consoles. Whether its all true or not, whats the point? Youre talking shit to people who couldnt give a rats ass.

 

1.PC's best graphics>Console's best graphics: That's not talking shit, that's stating facts. The fact of the matter is that to someone who plays games maxed out on a PC, console games don't look as good. It's like a PS3 player going back to play a PS2 game and finding they can't stay playing the game because of the graphical difference between the PS2 and PS3.

2. Mouse and Keyboard ARE better for some games.

3. Games ARE being dumbed down because of consoles.

 

You write all that off as talking shit but the way I see it, it's PC gamers stating facts (Mouse and Keyboard are better for some games and PC graphics are better than console graphics) and stating concern for the future of their platform of choice (games being dumbed down because of console focus).

 

Sure, there are those who'll take the above facts and use them to appear better than console gamers but they're not the whole, they're not even the majority. Just because someone mentions some aspect of the PC as a games platform that's better than consoles, it doesn't mean it was brought up to insult, degrade or devalue consoles or console gamers.

[Strangelove]

Then whats the point of pointing it out? If only to start shit.

 

I wouldnt go in front of a homeless man and eat a cheeseburger just to let him know my life is better than his if it wasnt out of being a dick.

 

You cant even mention how much better you are or what better things you have in front of people who dont have it. It gloating and its a dick move any way you slice it. No one cares that you can play things with triple aliasing or at 60 frames per second. I cant stress that enough. I dont play Uncharted 2 and think "shit, this looks like crap. i wish ti were on pc."

Creativity and great art direction have always been way more important to me than graphical prowess.

[CorgiShinobi]

I'm jumping into the PC gaming boat right now, or I'm at least trying.

 

See, for me, it's easy to be a console gamer. I have a console, and I get games for it. No other expenses unless I want to purchase some goofy peripherals and extra controllers. Right now I'm trying to play a little Portal 2 on my PC.

 

I can't run the game on the highest settings, which I figured from the start. Thing is, when I turn down the settings, all of a sudden I'm missing objects inside the game! Either I turn up some settings, lag, and become out of sync; or I lower settings, have no lag, but have over half the graphical objects disappear.

 

See, I'm not as hardware savvy about computers as I am about networking and other attributes relating to computers. Hence I've never liked the idea of having to upgrade a PC. Just upgrading my PS3's HDD was like an operation in my eyes. I couldn't comprehend casually cracking open my laptop and jamming components in there.

 

I'll have to experiment, but I hope I can get Portal 2 on my PC running at a nice middle ground. I'm glad I finished it on my PS3 so that this isn't as big of a problem.

[MasterDex]

Then whats the point of pointing it out? If only to start shit.

 

I wouldnt go in front of a homeless man and eat a cheeseburger just to let him know my life is better than his if it wasnt out of being a dick.

 

You cant even mention how much better you are or what better things you have in front of people who dont have it. It gloating and its a dick move any way you slice it.

 

I disagree. If I said "I'm not buying MW2 because it has no dedicated servers on PC" and someone came back and said "So get it on console since it's all the same", I might reply (With no intent to gloat or to insult) "Nah, I don't play FPS on consoles, mouse and keyboard is just too much better than a controller for them". I don't see that as a dick move. I think that's one of the problems - Console gamers seeing any mention of PC's strengths as elitism.

 

No one cares that you can play things with triple aliasing or at 60 frames per second. I cant stress that enough.

 

While you may not care, there are plenty of console gamers that do, if there were not, there would be no debate. If no one cared about PC gaming then so many console gamers wouldn't be chanting "PC gaming is dead", "PC gamers are elitist pricks" and "Hurhur! Crash! Drivers! Price!" in every PC article that appears on Kotaku. But they do and so they must care on some level.

 

 

I don't see PC gamers too often gloating for gloating sake. In an article about specs, they may say "My system should eat this for breakfast" but that's more a sigh of relief on their part than it is gloating for gloating's sake. Alternatively, you may see PC gamers talking about how and with what settings they can run a game but again, this isn't always gloating. More often than not, it's just stating facts (This system with these components can run this game with these settings at this framerate). If you read gloating into that then that's your own issue. I also can't say it's common to see PC gamers ribbing on console gamers by mentioning how a game runs on their systems as those kinds of conversations are generally held between PC gamers.

 

I dont play Uncharted 2 and think "shit, this looks like crap. i wish it were on pc."

 

Neither do I and I don't know anyone that would identify as a PC gamer that would. Uncharted 2 is a fantastic looking game. That said, I wish it were on PC because as fantastic as it looks, it could look better. That's not a dig at consoles, mind you, just my opinion and a fact.

 

Creativity and great art direction have always been way more important to me than graphical prowess.

 

I echo that sentiment. I feel however that it's important to point out that more power doesn't just translate into better graphics. It translates into better AI, bigger levels, better physics, etc, etc, etc. Reducing the advantages of PC gaming down to the graphics is common amongst naysayers but it's not right. the PC, as a games platform, has many advantages to it just as the consoles have their own advantages.

 

Why can't we just accept those advantages regardless of what our favourite platform is and just get along?

Edited May 15, 2011 by MasterDex

[Saturnine Tenshi]

I'm Saturnine, and I approve this post.

[Mister Jack]

I'm not one to pick sides, seeing that I do both console and PC gaming, but some of the more uppity PC gamers would do well to remember that their platform of choice has a number of downsides too, regardless of if the games look prettier. Oh, I would very much like for my games to look pretty. Know what I'd like more? For them to work right. Barring a critical hardware failure in your console, there is way more potential for a game to have technical problems on the PC than a console. Sometimes it's nice to just be able to put in a disc and know that you won't have to put up with any bullshit to play it.