Curious... Why not a console?

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just stopping by to say that the newer the consoles seem to get the higher resolution games are, when i say higher resolution i mean PS3 which also requires HD television to get the full 'ooh' and 'ahh'. If i want high resolution, i can easily buy less than 400 dollars in parts for an upgrade to my pc and ooh and ahh over emulated games. need a controller? pc controllers are some of the easiest and most intuitive to program/find/use.

there are perks to the console game situation, mainly i like it for the 'multi player' options or parties, i mean, come on, who wants to sit four of your friends in front of a pc and play gears of war? unless your in a LAN party which is an entirely different situation.

personal preference yes, but, with some draw backs pc gaming is much cheaper in the long run.
 
Personal Computers can do just about anything. When i get tired of playing hl2 or crysis i quit and get on ventrilo to talk to my friends online and browse around forums and get on facebook. All at the same time, not to mention i have dual screens with a sweet desktop setup.

With a console your only limited to one thing.. and thats the $60 games you purchase to go along with it. All three console companies have tried to add more features but for some reason thy fail miserably. I don't know why they cant just make it a PC.. generally its the same thing just not customizable. *sorta like macs, to an extent*

In general computers are much more powerful and sadly only gamers on pcs realize that. Try arguing about how powerful your pc is to a console freak who has no experience in computer hardware (they always think they do)
 
Personal Computers can do just about anything. When i get tired of playing hl2 or crysis i quit and get on ventrilo to talk to my friends online and browse around forums and get on facebook. All at the same time, not to mention i have dual screens with a sweet desktop setup.

With a console your only limited to one thing.. and thats the $60 games you purchase to go along with it. All three console companies have tried to add more features but for some reason thy fail miserably. I don't know why they cant just make it a PC.. generally its the same thing just not customizable. *sorta like macs, to an extent*

In general computers are much more powerful and sadly only gamers on pcs realize that. Try arguing about how powerful your pc is to a console freak who has no experience in computer hardware (they always think they do)

this is the truest thing i've seen all day!!!!

i argue w/ my console buddies all the time.. and they can never come up w anything... its just like... OH.. WELL CELL PROCESSOR... stupid ******bags.. they anger me so much.....
 
So to summarise:

Why a PC:

1) Much better graphics if you're prepared to spend out on upgrades every so often.
2) Vast library of titles availiable even going back to the dawn of computer gaming with emulators and virtual machines.
3) Enthusiast grade PC's are a fun hobby in themselves.
4) The games are cheaper & if you're of that inclination piracy is easier.
5) You have the option of mouse & keyboard which owns for FPS, RTS, RPG. (A major concideration if you're a fan of one of these genre)

Why a console:

1) You can slouch on the couch in front of the TV to play games rather than sitting at a desk.
2) Its easy and fun to have a few mates round and play against each other.
3) Consistent gaming experiance as the hardware is identical.
4) The console itself is cheaper than a Gaming PC and won't take up the same room, suitable for a casual gamer.


I haven't included any of the points people raised about using computers for non-gaming activities because to be fair you don't need an expensive gaming PC for those things, a cheap laptop would do fine. Although of course you can do those things on a Gaming PC and you can't on a console so I suppose that is a vaild point from that perspective.

That is a pretty well said! I have some more negative things to say to the disadvantage of a console (some have probably already been mentioned):

1) Better performance? 90% XBox360 and PS3 games run at 720P / 30 fps.. THAT'S TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE MY GOD! we're talking about 30 frames per second at the equivalent resolution of 1280x720... how lame.. without anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering? LAME! Without maxed graphics settings? Lame.... I could go on. I almost vomited when I saw HL2 running on a 360, pathetic that such an old and highly scalable game was slaughtered, and don't get me talking on the PS3, horrible framerate issues, nothing beats a computer in performance, sure Crysis runs at 30 fps on high end systems, but we're talking about resolutions beyond 1680x1050 and visuals that make console games look like children's drawings.

2) Keyboard and mouse offers a much higher degree of control than a controller ever will. PERIOD. I don't care which one is more fun, I care more about control, and K&M offers that.

3) PCs just let you do more stuff, and they are so customizable. In fact, you can get a PC with a decent dual-core processor and a decent high-end graphics card, and it'll be in the same price range as a console. I built an E2180/X1950GT build not too long ago that cost me about $600 total, and I was able to play CoD4, Unreal Tournament 3 and pretty much any Source game maxed out and beyond 60fps.

4) Please don't go on saying 30 fps is adequate. It's not, plain and simple. I'll admit, I can't see much of a difference between say 100 fps and 60 fps, but I can totally see a difference between 30 fps and 60 fps.
 
That is a pretty well said! I have some more negative things to say to the disadvantage of a console (some have probably already been mentioned):

1) Better performance? 90% XBox360 and PS3 games run at 720P / 30 fps.. THAT'S TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE MY GOD! we're talking about 30 frames per second at the equivalent resolution of 1280x720... how lame.. without anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering? LAME! Without maxed graphics settings? Lame.... I could go on. I almost vomited when I saw HL2 running on a 360, pathetic that such an old and highly scalable game was slaughtered, and don't get me talking on the PS3, horrible framerate issues, nothing beats a computer in performance, sure Crysis runs at 30 fps on high end systems, but we're talking about resolutions beyond 1680x1050 and visuals that make console games look like children's drawings.

2) Keyboard and mouse offers a much higher degree of control than a controller ever will. PERIOD. I don't care which one is more fun, I care more about control, and K&M offers that.

3) PCs just let you do more stuff, and they are so customizable. In fact, you can get a PC with a decent dual-core processor and a decent high-end graphics card, and it'll be in the same price range as a console. I built an E2180/X1950GT build not too long ago that cost me about $600 total, and I was able to play CoD4, Unreal Tournament 3 and pretty much any Source game maxed out and beyond 60fps.

4) Please don't go on saying 30 fps is adequate. It's not, plain and simple. I'll admit, I can't see much of a difference between say 100 fps and 60 fps, but I can totally see a difference between 30 fps and 60 fps.

30fps on some games is adequate when you take Vista into effect. For instance, major cities on WOW.
 
WoW doesn't count....that lag is due to server lag. Also WoW doesn't count period when talking about computer gaming graphics and performance really since its such a low-powered game compared to most others today.
 
1) Better performance? 90% XBox360 and PS3 games run at 720P / 30 fps.. THAT'S TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE MY GOD! we're talking about 30 frames per second at the equivalent resolution of 1280x720... how lame.. without anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering? LAME! Without maxed graphics settings? Lame.... I could go on. I almost vomited when I saw HL2 running on a 360, pathetic that such an old and highly scalable game was slaughtered, and don't get me talking on the PS3, horrible framerate issues, nothing beats a computer in performance, sure Crysis runs at 30 fps on high end systems, but we're talking about resolutions beyond 1680x1050 and visuals that make console games look like children's drawings.

REALLY? no AA ? i know so little about modern day consoles haha...
 
Last console game i really got into was socom 2 for ps2. That game kicked A$$. But yeah pc>consoles for sure.

But here's my pro's cons

Why consoles are better than pc's?

"friend friendly" I find the pc is a very anti-social machine in a way. There is no such thing as a two player pc game. While on consoles you can bring over 3 friends and spend hours drinking and playing super smash bros or mario kart etc etc. Pc's can't offer that. You may argue that pc's can be lanned but who wants to drag your tower/monitor over to a friends house.

Consoles are very newb friendly. Just plug in the cords and your good to go. Pc's on the other hand require software/hardware updates and certain games can have issues on certain machines.

Consoles are tiny and can be hidden under tv's and most now have wireless controllers. While pc's require a desk and have lot's of cords.

Power consumption. had to mention it

No need to troubleshoot problems. Again i have never had a problem with a console but i have had software/hardware issues with my pc's. Spending days troubleshooting pc problems is not fun.

Consistent graphics. For every console game you buy you know the graphics are going to be a certain quality regardless. Pc's games can be hit or miss. Sometimes when you have the specs it still runs bad.

Price of course. Consoles will run you 300-400 bucks. while desktops usually start at 600 if you build it yourself and buy the right parts.

Lovable mascots that you will never see on a pc. Sonic/mario/donkeykong/metalgear/mortalkombat. I can't say the pc really has any of those. I really do love squaresoft games though. I think the only game they had for pc was final fantasy 7.

Why pc's are better than consoles

-Cheaper games
-More games
-Games are most customizable
-Better online experience. (anyone for final fantasy 11 for xbox 360) Shudders at the 3 hour install time and 10 dollar monthly fees. Not to mention using the horrible in-game keyboard to chat. VOICECHAT WHERE R U!!!.
Computer is all-in-one tool. You can video edit/Music edit/ watch movies/ Burn movies/ Burn music/Talk to your friends/ Facebook etc etc list goes on
-Games look and play better generally. Unless you don't have the minimum specs. Then your in trouble.
-Better updates/patches for games
-Better tech support for games
-Easier to trouble shoot a faulty pc part by part.
- Computers generally have a longer shelf life if you don't overclock the crap out of it. My brothers xbox360 lasted two years before it died.
-Better warranties. Most computers have a 1-5 warranty on certain parts while consoles have at best 1 year. Microsoft gives a 90 day warranty on the 360 WTF IS THAT BS????
-Computers can be upgraded, consoles can't.

Phew think that's it

O yeah.. PORN!!!
 
Basically as another person said, if at the end of the day you really don't know why you spent this much compared to what a console costs then you won't see the glory of having a gaming PC that you can make unique to yourself. Freedom is the key with a pc- and that is why it will always attract the die-hard gamers.

Amen!

Is not that consoles are bad or sucks because is not true, PC & consoles have both their advantages and disadvantage, it depends on what you are really looking for..
 
To me my PC is more than just an appliance to play games on.

Console fanboys wont understand this; but it is an enthusiasm, a hobby for me, a console just cannot touch the feeling of building, overclocking, modding and customising my system.

To put that in perspective, if I had the choice between a free console and my system for $2000 then I would have to choose my system.

Its just the way I am.
 
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