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Simple one, which do you prefer, PC gaming or console gaming?

Myself I prefer consoles. I do like PC gaming, especially TF2, but the fact that when you get a new game there is a significant chance you will have to upgrade your computer or software, and the general crap you have to go through to set up or patch a game just alienates me from it.

Anyway, what do you think?

PC. Higher end is (and will always be) higher, I have more control over the environment, there's better games (though this is waning), and (most importantly) I can use a goddamn trackball.

I'm sure console games have their purpose, but ever since they stopped making games you could play with four people on the same console even though they support four controllers, that purpose has eluded me.


Edit: I swear there were words in there that weren't typos.

I am beginning to enjoy PC gaming more and more as of late, mainly because I don't know many people that play consoles or they all have an Xbox, I have a PS3.

 Squigsquasher wrote:
when you get a new game there is a significant chance you will have to upgrade your computer or software, and the general crap you have to go through to set up or patch a game just alienates me from it.

I only upgrade about once every 3-4 years, and with the exception of the brand new rig I bought last year, it's usually less than $200 every time. That's not much more expensive than a modern console, especially given that I feel like everyone I know has had at least one RROD or other hardware failure on their console.

The setup/patching complaint is a valid one. I feel like every time I try to get people together for a game, there's at least one guy for whom the game just flat-out won't function. It then turns into a night of furiously trying to debug the issue, rather than enjoy ourselves.

I do both.

Consoles for my shooters (and console exclusives), PC for MMO's, RTS, and whatever is on sale in steam this week.

I don't know why there is a debate as to one being better then the other.

 Ma55ter_fett wrote:
I do both.

Consoles for my shooters (and console exclusives), PC for MMO's, RTS, and whatever is on sale in steam this week.

I agree with this statement, they've got their purposes, though in my opinion if PC gaming becomes as versatile as console gaming then it's PC all the way but it becomes unfair as the person with the more money has the faster internet and the best processing speed.

But internet connection still is a massive factor in console gaming.

Both.

Consoles. I only have a Macbook, so PC gaming is out of the question for me. In addition, I like using a controller more than I like using a keyboard+mouse.

 Ma55ter_fett wrote:
I do both.

Consoles for my shooters (and console exclusives), PC for MMO's, RTS, and whatever is on sale in steam this week.

I don't know why there is a debate as to one being better then the other.

Dead on

PC is superior for everything, but it really shines with moddable games.

Since most games on consoles these days are multiplayer over the internet rather htan competently done splitscreen, I haven't really gotten many.

I kinda miss the old days. THEY WERE BETTER DAYS! [/rosetintedglasses]

I took the random advice of a couple of posters here and built a PC. Totally amazing experience, and I recommend it. It was scary in a fun sort of way and not that difficult. Then it booted up and I felt like a gangster.

It's not that difficult to figure out.

Console gaming is for someone on a budget who can't build a full gaming PC, or someone who has friends like him who all have consoles. If they don't have PC's, doesn't make much sense for you to have one if you only game with them.

PC gaming is for people who have the money to build a quality gaming rig. The experience will be better in basically every way, aside from the possibility of you sitting on a couch while playing on your console.

Its not about what's better than the other...its just which fits your situation better.

Actually, with wireless USB controllers, you can gmae on your PC from a couch just as easily as you could from a PC.

You'll be at a disadvantage in multiplayer games, to be sure, but it is still most assuredly very possible.

Hell, I have a USB dual stick controller which I use for various old games/ROMs and certain single player games designed for playing with gamepads. Mine is wired rather than wireless, because I simply prefer it that way (I'm old school), but still.

PC.
I find controllers to be awkward to use.
And the upgrade a PC every time a new game comes out think is a complete exaggeration.
I've had this machine for the last 5 years, no upgrades (with the exception of the graphics card and monitor that decided to die one day. Not gaming related), and I can still play the latest games.
Though my computer does tend to hiccup a bit with The Witcher II. Still functional though.

Both. While i like the higher end performance of the pc, it is harder to enjoy some splitscreen with my friends on one, and sony can't seem to stop making good first party games.

PC here.

I started out with a console (8 bit NES - oldskool! ), but switched to a 80 MHz machine just a few years later when I was still a teen. Of course, back then the difference between computer and console games was somewhat more evident than nowadays, but aside from the gaming experience with some pretty cool classics (X-Com, Transport Tycoon, friggin' TIE-Fighter...!) I also felt like I actually learnt some pretty important stuff as I grew more and more proficient in handling DOS and editing my config and autoexec files to tweak the PC into simulating required memory and stuff like that. In a way it's a shame you can't really do that anymore.

Anyhow, nowadays I still prefer the PC - partially because I am of course used to it, but also because I perceive it as having numerous advantages over a console:
- the PC is more of a "multitool" than the console; aside from gaming I can use it to browse the internet, watch videos, read and write documents, edit images, ... even program my own games!
- mouse control confers a much greater accuracy for shooters (there's a reason for console titles commonly using "aim assist" or having reduced difficulty settings)
- PCs commonly have the potential for a much better tech, both in graphics as well as in client connections (compare the max size of BF3 maps and player counts from PC to console)
- I have the ability to modify a game's files, either by editing them myself or by installing cool mods that may add new features or even result in a completely different game
- I can make and upload screenshots to show stuff to my friends, and I can chat within most games or (using various messengers and/or chat clients) outside
- I can actually "move" saves and complete games from an older PC to a newer one when I buy it; all the stuff I already had doesn't become "junk" overnight ... I still play Master of Orion II on this baby!
- last but not least, I can play cool indie games like FTL on this baby

Many of the aforementioned perks can be replicated by consoles these days, but (a) not all and (b) it requires purchase of additional periphery, which I just cannot imagine to work as well on a couch as it does on a proper desk.

This is not to say that I do not see consoles having their own advantages either, though:
- lower acquisition cost
- many games specifically developed for a shared experience with 2+ players in front of the same TV
- usually less of a hassle (no installation or patching, little risk of critical errors); just slot in the cartridge and get going!

So all in all, I prefer the PC at any single day for stuff like shooters, roleplaying games, strategy, flight sims etc. When I've got a party at my house, however, you can generally forget about PCs unless it's a LAN party.
Consoles are perfect for "party games" like various beat-em-ups or sports stuff and a neat addition to an evening of DVDs or pen&paper or whatever. Especially if said console is a Wii - maximum fun with silly moves!

I play on both, however I do prefer using a controller most of the time.

Also, I have a 60" TV; so most of my games are on console. Also, there is no room for a PC by my television, so don't tell me that.

 Amaya wrote:
PC is superior for everything, but it really shines with moddable games.

Not everything. Consoles are better for fighting games and platformers.

Why? I have a USB controller that works perfectly well for fighting games.

 Melissia wrote:
Why? I have a USB controller that works perfectly well for fighting games.

They are not impossible to play on pc, but you can't get any split screen action with your friends on one. Same thing with a multiplayer platformer.

I prefer console, just because I can buy a game, put it in my 360, and start enjoying the game.
On PC, I need to install it (which taeks a while) and if it don't work, I'm screwed and need to change some drives and all.
Console it is, just because it's more simple.

Both, regardless of genre. I just like both. Also, console exclusives are often awesome games.

 farrowking37 wrote:
They are not impossible to play on pc, but you can't get any split screen action with your friends on one.

Why not?

Really, this entire conversation is rather stupid. A console is quite literally nothing more than a proprietary minimalistic gaming PC, and when set up right, any gaming PC can do pretty much everything a console can do and more. Including, I should note, split screen. Because I HAVE played split screen on my computer-- I used my keyboard and mouse and my nephew used my USB gamepad, and we played an old SNES Rom splitscreen.

Of a fighting game, in fact. Fun times!

In the end, the only real benefits of consoles are ease of setup, price, and to a limited extent, game choice (and the latter is entirely arbitrary anyway). Similarly, gaming PCs have the benefits of superior hardware, the ability to upgrade, general use beyond gaming, portability in the case of laptops, and to a limited extent choice of games (because again, this is mostly arbitrary).

Nothing else. Both of them can use mouse and keyboard (even if console games rarely support it, the capability is still there), both of them can use gamepads, both of them can support splitscreen (hell, gaming PCs can support multiple monitors, and I guarantee that consoles will be able to within a couple generations as well), etc. etc. etc. People are trying to make distinctions where there really isn't any.


So yeah. I play a gaming PC because I'm okay with the greater complexity. Other people play consoles because they're okay with its simplicity. But don't delude yourself in to thinking that gaming PCs can't handle split screen. That is a lie.

Also unlike a console, PCs upgrade much more regularly. Sometimes leading to ports from a console or multiplatform titles to be limited by them a bit.

I'm sort of on the fence though and like both anyway.

Software, maybe, but not necessarily hardware.

Mel really dislikes consoles, huh?

 thenoobbomb wrote:
I prefer console, just because I can buy a game, put it in my 360, and start enjoying the game.
On PC, I need to install it (which taeks a while) and if it don't work, I'm screwed and need to change some drives and all.
Console it is, just because it's more simple.

Until you get red ringed

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:

 thenoobbomb wrote:
I prefer console, just because I can buy a game, put it in my 360, and start enjoying the game.
On PC, I need to install it (which taeks a while) and if it don't work, I'm screwed and need to change some drives and all.
Console it is, just because it's more simple.

Until you get red ringed

Impossible.
When mine red ringed, I got the new one, and that one has no red lights in it.

 thenoobbomb wrote:
Mel really dislikes consoles, huh?

Nope.

I dislike delusions, and there's a lot of them going on around here.

thenoobbomb wrote:Impossible.
When mine red ringed, I got the new one, and that one has no red lights in it.

Ork logic at work.

warning bulb flashes -> unscrew bulb -> problem solved