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Gwar brought this up in the Fallout thread. I usually stay away from a discussion like this, but here it is anyway:

I prefer console gaming for several reasons:
- if I pay 50-70 bucks for a game I expect it to be friggin' done! And while the whole updating-issue creeped itself in to console gaming in the recent years it's still not quite as present as on the PC market. At least that's what I've heard.
- lazy programming and crashes aside, if I pay money for a game, I want it to look as good as possible on the system I use. I open the tray, put in the disc and the game looks good. I don't think my PC has enough power to run a game like GTA4.
- I already spent waaaay too much time in front of my PC. I like to relax while gaming, and that works much better on the couch in the living room with the big TV screen.
- I have absolutly no problem at all playing FPS games with a gamepad. It works just fine for me. That's all. Mouse and Keyboard is okay, but I don't need to enjoy a good shooter.
- Altough I play a lot of shooters these days, I prefer Jump 'n Runs and 3rd person action games like Devil May Cry, and those just don't work on a Keyboard.

I could think of more arguments (for both sides though) right now, but I'm hungry.

Always have been and always will be a console gamer primarily, sure i've played all the great INterplay/Black Isle RPGs of the past, but I just love kicking back with a console lying on my bed and chilling out whilst playing not sitting haunched over a PC playing games.

Tbh though I think its more the fact that my favourite games series - MGS, FF, Armoured Core, Suikoden, Devil May Cry, GTA, Breath of Fire etc etc have always been or work better on a console than a PC.

Don't get me wrong I have played great games on the PC and enjoyed it immensly but theres just something that always keeps me going back to the playstation (mainly the playstation, I still own all 3) or any other console (still own my SNES, N64 and Megadrive too).

That and I tinker with PCs enough, I really cba to build another machine just for high performance gaming.

I prefer PC over console, mainly because I prefer mouse and keyboard for shooters, but also because RTS games play better on a PC. There was a time that I was a proper 360 junkie but after I built me a new PC I've returned to PC gaming over console gaming. For me in most cases the PC is superior, with the only exception being that console games have better coop gaming functions.

I voted Console as around 95% of my games have been on the consoles, I've owned most of them in my time. (Saying that I still haven't found anything yet thats made me purchase a Ps3, and its doubtful I'll ever get a Wii.) Did just order Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires for my 360 though, 100 Create slots, can't wait.

I have a few PC games, tbh the reason its not 99% Console and it is due to Sims, Civ 3, Sims 3, WoW, WaR And CoX.
I mainly use my PC for MMO action though. (Although that might change for Champions Online.)

I also prefer Consoles as I like to relax usually playing games, lounging in an armchair. WoW and MMO's in general have been the only PC games that really broke my habit of not looking at any kind of PC game as I found sitting at a chair for lengths of time uncomfortable.

Console. A good PC is way too expensive to maintain and keep upgrading.

I'm on the fence about this one.

PC: I really enjoy playing games on my PC. I've been madly addicted to many shooters and RTS games on my PC in the past, and I have very fond memories of time spent with user-created content. I think that it's hugely valuable to give players the power to create new things in a game. Especially Blizzard's RTS games. The breadth of quality user-created gametypes was astounding, and kept me interested long after I was bored of refining my Orc build order. Also, for me, PC games have traditionally been very good for multiplayer, as it provided a simple way to hook up with more of my friends at a time. Before the Xbox, our only option for playing 4+ player games was the PC. So we'd happily plug 6 or 8 of us into the same server of AVP2 and pounce away at all of the other players. Sure, playing games in the same room as someone is very social, but being able to play with all of your friends at once is a great tool. Also, I play, and enjoy, RTS games. Therefore I invariably prefer to play them on the PC, as console RTS games are few and far between.

Console: One of the biggest benefits consoles offer, in my eyes, is their guarantee of straight-from-the-box quality. No time spent installing, optimizing, fiddling with settings to get it to both look good AND run smoothly on an older machine, just pop it in and get playing immediately. Also, as I mentioned above, playing games with someone physically right there is excellent, and getting together to play videogames were excellent opportunities just to chat while doing something fun. (which, while still possible on the PC, is tougher) With the Xbox and Xbox 360, we began to have Console LAN parties, and had loads of fun reliving what we had already been doing on the PC for years - just without any technical hassle. Also, I like using a controller for some games, and I feel that it has it's place beside the mouse/keyboard setup.

So, in conclusion, I like both, but I guess my vote has really been determined by my wallet. I own a gaming computer, and haven't bought a console since my gamecube. c'est la vie.

I prefer consoles cause my PC is really really slow. I play RTS's and sometimes RPGS on them.

I play both. I bought my PS2 for the DVD player and still use it today. I need new hardware I will probably get a new PC for the games and possibly a PS3 and Wii for the games if I get a deal on either.

The PS2 has been one of the best purchases I have ever made, if not the best although I am no longer a student/ working part-time.

PC baby.
-I can choose what to upgrade and when
-I can do more than the few things consoles have
-I can get free games
-I can buy a friggn gamepad for my PC
-The 360 will cost me about as much as two PCs with its faults


Dont get me wrong I love consoles but my PC combines all elements of what I do into one package.

Jon Touchdown wrote:
-The 360 will cost me about as much as two PCs with its faults

What are you smoking?

An Xbox 360 is $299 AUD. A good computer is typically up to three times that. And you have to keep buying new parts for your PC, costing you even more.

The 360 does have the unfortunate bit where it dies every so often. My Elite died three times on me, thankfully during its warrant time.

I chose both... but I wouldn't necessarily say 'I don't care'... its just I find my gaming divvied up between them whether it be WoW, KOTOR, DoW on the PC or SF4, Legos Star Wars II, or DOA:XVB on the 360

They each have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm not going to list them, because I don't care to. Suffice it to say I would never play Madden on my PC, and I would never play CoD4 on a console.

For me, it is only console gaming.


The #1 reason is that gaming is an enjoyable pastime for me and that means I want to kick-back and enjoy it as much as possible. When gaming on a console I can recline in my leather couch, put my feet up on my coffee table and play on my 60" plasma with awesome surround sound.

While I do have a widescreen display and surround sound on my computer, it is a MUCH smaller monitor and more importantly the posture you have to sit when controlling a mouse and keyboard is not the same level of relaxation.

Besides that major reason there are a few more lesser reasons:

1) Consoles also don't require you to worry about hardware and software requirements for different games (and tend to be cheaper).
2) The network of friends on Xbox Live is very convenient and easy to use to keep up with your friends and what they're playing (and jump in when they are playing the same thing).
3) Controller feedback (vibration) does definitely add to the immersiveness of many games and I it.


While it is true that a mouse/keyboard allows for much more precise control, especially for 1st person shooters and RTS, there is no reason why every game on a console of any genre can't be made just as good, because as long as EVERYBODY is playing with the same controls then they are on the same playing field. Any developer worth their salt can most definitely work within the constraints of the gamepad to make a fantastic experience (and many have).

All-in-all I would never play on a computer unless it is the only place to play a game that I REALLY want to play (like Dawn of War). Otherwise I will always choose a console over a PC for gaming.

Generally I prefer consoles for my gaming needs. I currently do most of my gaming on the 360, but I'd like to get a PS3 soon. I used to be a collector and had kept all my old systems, but just made the decision to get rid of all my old stuff several years back.

I like gaming on a PC for certain genres (RTS and other intensive strategy games) and games by developers who still primarily deal with consoles [BLIZZARD, RELIC]. About the only time i'm playing new PC games is after i've upgraded my PC which doesn't happen very often. So generally I'm always about 2-3 years behind on PC titles. I'll buy a new computer to play Diablo 3 though. Mark my words on that.

In the previous decade i'd have said PC was the only way to do FPS, but most developers out there now have a got such a good handle on how to translate FPS to console that actually make playing with a controller is very easy [gone are the akward days when all you had was D-Pad]. Plus I actually find it easier to do multiple things with a controller in an FPS. Probably very fast paced, "twitch" FPS games are better with a Mouse + KB but I don't play those so that point is moot for me.

But of course in some areas the PC is better of course - generally free multiplayer that allows for a larger number of players than on a console. Only now are we seeing console player counts in the range of 24-32 players when PC games have been doing that for some time now. But again console developers are now only truly understanding the power of online play (something PC gamers understood in the last decade.)

I do feel that a controller is too cumbersome to be used in an RTS. Even in Halo Wars, an RTS designed specifically for the console, I still don't feel like I have perfect control. It doesn't matter that everyone else has the same handicap as me - because the controls feel restrictive and clunky. I want to play the game, not fight against the controls. As I played the demo all I could think about was how much better it would be if I only had a mouse. And that game suffered from a dumbing down of options that was necessitated by the control method. A shame really.

Tacobake wrote:I play both. I bought my PS2 for the DVD player and still use it today. I need new hardware I will probably get a new PC for the games and possibly a PS3 and Wii for the games if I get a deal on either.

The PS2 has been one of the best purchases I have ever made, if not the best although I am no longer a student/ working part-time.

PS2 FTW!!!!!

Cheese Elemental wrote:

Jon Touchdown wrote:
-The 360 will cost me about as much as two PCs with its faults

What are you smoking?

An Xbox 360 is $299 AUD. A good computer is typically up to three times that. And you have to keep buying new parts for your PC, costing you even more.

Only the best my friend...



299$ To get the mere console then comes
-Extra controllers
-games
-Accessories
-XboxLive and Microsoft Points
-Various Repairs out of warranty or warranty expansion

It's not fair to compare PC gaming versus the Xbox 360 when the entire premise of the thread is PC Gaming vs Console Gaming.

The Xbox 360 is not the only console in the world to have ever existed, though it does have the dubious honor of being the most failure prone console of all time. The failure rate on this system is clearly an anomaly when compared to most other previous console releases.

Lagduf wrote:It's not fair to compare PC gaming versus the Xbox 360 when the entire premise of the thread is PC Gaming vs Console Gaming.

The Xbox 360 is not the only console in the world to have ever existed, though it does have the dubious honor of being the most failure prone console of all time. The failure rate on this system is clearly an anomaly when compared to most other previous console releases.

True, other consoles do have their failures as well. But at the end of the day both PC and Console have pros and cons and it is truely up to what a person prefers.

Im declaring this a TIE with no winner

Anung Un Rama wrote:Gwar brought this up in the Fallout thread.

I notice a lot of people in OT and here are mentioning me now, would it kill you to Throw me a PM?

But on topic, PC ftw. Any console games WORTH playing are all on PS1 or earlier, and easily played via emulation (Just finished replaying FF9 with smoother graphics and the ability to speed up when needed, 10x better than my PS1 Experience) and any Dual PC/Console games are better on the pc for many reasons, one being scalbable graphics, one being that they look better, and a third being smexy user made content that doesn't suck.

And the ability to "try" things before committing to blowing money on them

Why should I PM you? I started this thread so the Fallout thread wouldn't get derailed by this discussion.

It's not like I'm bashing you or anything...

Anung Un Rama wrote:Why should I PM you? I started this thread so the Fallout thread wouldn't get derailed by this discussion.

It's not like I'm bashing you or anything...

No-no I didnt mean it like that. What i mean is, I gave you the idea, PM me so I can give my input, as I don't check these forums much

I still love ya

I had a nice thought out response to this thread...and then realized it doesn't matter at all.

PC and console are both strong in their own way. Normally if I can get a game on my PC over my PS3 i will get it there, but there are some games that are PS3 releases only that are just too good to pass up.

Gwar! wrote:

Anung Un Rama wrote:Why should I PM you? I started this thread so the Fallout thread wouldn't get derailed by this discussion.

It's not like I'm bashing you or anything...

No-no I didnt mean it like that. What i mean is, I gave you the idea, PM me so I can give my input, as I don't check these forums much

I still love ya

Okay, then I just misunderstood you. No harm done.

Consoles are for gameing, MACs are for work, other computers are for virus catching, and I don't touch 'em ;-)

Nemesister wrote:Consoles are for gameing, MACs are for work, other computers are for virus catching, and I don't touch 'em ;-)

My Linux laughs at you and your Mac Viruses

pc for rts games, and roming old systems i dont' feel like actually hooking up

console for playing movies and getting my rpg fix, and for zelda.......zelda is why i still have Nintendo stuff around

greenskin lynn wrote:
.......zelda is why i still have Nintendo stuff around

Sad but true...

Gwar! wrote:

Nemesister wrote:Consoles are for gameing, MACs are for work, other computers are for virus catching, and I don't touch 'em ;-)

My Linux laughs at you and your Mac Viruses

What a shame, I usually respect Linux-users just as much as MAC-users Well, I grew up using MACs and for something like 15 years I've never had one single virus, so I stay faithfull

I do console, because I was using a console a good 10 years before there was ever a computer in the house.

I payed good money for a big TV. HD and my 360 are much better friends than my laptop is.

I don't have to pay to upgrade my console to stay current for new games.

I also don't have to connect to the Internet to play single player or have Steam download some spyware crap to my console to play.

Computer is for work. Console is for play. They really don't need to try to do each other's job.