I read this article on pcworld.com by Matt Peckham on “15 Reasons PC Gaming Beats All” and felt I needed to respond to it. Some of the items were downright wrong especially items 7 and 11 on his list. If you haven’t already check out Matt’s arguments then come back and compare my responses.
Now I was a long time Hardcore PC gamer and in the past couple of years I started to sour on it when I realized how badly components, constant upgrades and time spent tweaking, troubleshooting and repairing was hitting my pocketbook and gaming time.
I’ve since dumped my gaming PC switched to a MacBook Pro for my primary computer and all my gaming is restricted to the 3 current generation consoles (Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii)
Read on for the full list
- 1. Consoles are buy and forget. Sure you might buy a few extra controllers but when was the last time you needed to upgrade the ram in your 360 or swap out the video card in your PS3. When you buy your gaming console you’re buying something that should be relatively static for the lifetime of the machine which for a console is usually about 5 years if you buy it around when it’s releasaed. Nvidia has had a video card generation a year for the past 5 years (6000’s 7000’s 8000’s 9000’s 260’s) Full list of Nvidia revisions
- 2. Consistency The same game won’t perform the same on any 2 PC’s. Due to differences in background processes. OS Versions and Patch levels, Malware, Viruses, hardware differences, etc. The only external factor that may come into play with a console is heat. (Make sure your entertainment center is well ventilated people)
- 3. Cost The Xbox 360 Elite is $397.63, PS3 80 GB is $399.83 at my local Wal-Mart both will play every game made for them at the highest resolution and the highest detail levels smoothly. By comparison A current high end video card alone ( an EVGA E-Geforce GTX 280 ) is $579.46 at my local Computer place now you still need hard drives a Motherboard and CPU, Memory, power supply, DVD drive, Windows License etc. And keep in mind if you want your games to run smoothly at the highest detail levels you’ll need to upgrade this in a year or two. Sure games are $10-$20 cheaper but is it worth the hardware costs and constant need to upgrade.
- 4. Relax from the couch Sure a lot of geeks like me have a computer in the living room. But most people don’t nor do they want to. Lets face it gaming from the couch is far more comfortable than sitting down at the computer desk. You could wire your computer up to the TV and switch back and forth from your monitor to the TV but why add the extra step I mean I just turn on my console and I’m ready to go. As for media there’s not much now that I can’t stream from the computer in my office to my 360 or my PS3. See my post on how to setup an Xbox 360 media server in Linux
- 5. The keyboard and mouse were never designed with gaming in mind I know there’s a lot of diehard FPS guys saying the keyboard and mouse are the only way to play FPS’s and a few years ago I would have agreed with you but truly modern gamepads (XB360, PS3 and even the Wiimote) are vastly superior they put way more intuitive functionality at your fingertips and buttons remain fairly consistent accross most games unlike some of the archaic keyboard button mappings I’ve seen on some PC games. My expierience is that the Keyboard/Mouse preference is more of a “This is what I learned first” type of preference once I gave up on PC gaming and moved to consoles almost exclusively I grew far more proficient with the gamepad even in FPS titles. “You must unlearn what you have learned”
- 6. Consoles aren’t over encumbered with secondary functions (Yet) Consoles exist primarily for one purpose and that’s to play games. I know I know the current generation have media playback and some internet stuff built in but honestly that’s all secondary (Trust me no ones buying an Xbox 360 just to get on MSN) PC’s are a jack of all trades and a master of none gaming certainly isn’t the focus of the Windows OS dev team it’s making a (hopefully) stable OS that can browse the web get email, write documents, edit spreadsheets and edit home videos, etc, etc, etc. Consoles aren’t encumbered by “Legacy Support” in the same way that PC’s are, meaning they don’t have to support thousands of hardware peripherals, old standards or even architectures The Xbox 360 uses a triple Core PowerPC (Yes similar to the old G5 Apple computers) CPU whereas the original Xbox used a 733Mhz P3 processor which used a completely different instruction set (The CPU’s speak different languages so to speak) PC’s still haven’t been able to complete the transition to 64 bit from 32 bit yet and it’s been almost 7 years since the introduction of AMD’s 64 bit Opteron and According to the Vista Team blog only about 20% of Vista users (ignoring all the XP users) are using the 64 bit version of the OS. Being able to wipe the slate clean as consoles do with the next revision affords huge advantages.
- 7. Consoles don’t go kaplooey like PC’s go kaplooey When was the last time your PS3 got infected with malware? Do you remember that time you had all that trouble installing those Video drivers that kept crashing your Xbox 360? Of course you don’t. This is for a few reasons. the first being that unless you do some hacking of your own only approved software runs on your console this closes a lot of vectors that malware or viruses “could” get in. And secondly debugging software issues is a hell of a lot easier when you have a limited number of hardware configurations. Everyone that writes software for an Xbox 360 or a PS3 knows exactly what hardware and system software are going to be running on that console. How many millions of hardware/driver/OS/softwre combinations can you have on a PC? It make testing and eliminating conflicts between specific drivers/hardware/software a lot harder when you have no idea what people are going to have on their computer.
- 8. You still have a PC just a cheaper one Just because you do your gaming on a console doesn’t mean you’re going to toss you computer in the bin. But it means you’ll be able to spend a lot less on your next PC, or maybe if you have the money to burn be able to drop that excuse for not buying an Apple Computer instead of a Windows Computer. Again keeping your PC upgraded for top notch gaming is EXPENSIVE so instead of upgrading your CPU and Video Card every year or two just buy a computer that does all the other stuff you need it to and use that Gaming PC premium cash to buy yourself an Xbox 360 or a PS3. Go buy an ultra moblie like an Acer Aspire One or an Asus EeePC so you can keep it next to you on the couch while your playing games on your console.
- 9. Console Games are completely unbound Where else are you going to find innovations like the WiiMote, The best Party games on the planet like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, Xbox Live’s ubiquitous in-game Voice communication and party system and consoles are one of the places where split screen gaming is still alive.
- 10. Consoles are the New heart of creativity in games With incredible titles from independent or small developers like Braid, PixelJunk Eden. And with the Xbox LIVE community Games having just launched this creative community is going to grow exponentially over the coming months.
- 11. The Total cost of ownership of a console is lower Keep with me while I do the math. A capable gaming computer would cost around $1000 (off the shelf, more if you start customizing) now if we estimate one game a month at $50 that’s $600 for a year of games so we arrive at a total of $1600 and keep in mind that you’ll be upgrading this computer before the console if you want to keep new games running at full detail settings but that aside well assume a total of $1600. Here’s the math on the console. Xbox 360 Elite $397.63 plus a year of 1 game per month at $60 per game so we arrive at a year of games for $720. Woa that seems like a lot doesn’t it? now $720 + $397.63 is $1117.63 .. wait that’s $482.37 less than the PC with it’s cheaper games. Hmm.. you could even throw in a year of Xbox LIVE at $49.99 and you’re still only at $1167.62 total which is still $432.38 less than the PC with it’s “Cheaper Games”. Remember most consoles are sold at a loss and the money is made with the software licenses no one’s going to subsidize the cost of a gaming PC for you.
- 12. The online experience with consoles is smooth as silk If online multiplayer is your thing I’m always going to recommend an Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. It just cannot be beat. The process is made completely idiot proof and the Party System in the most recent Xbox 360 update is indispensable allowing you to keep a party of friends together even while moving between different games. The $49.99 a year is trivial given the lower cost of ownership of the 360.
- 13. Piracy will never be as big of a problem on consoles Not to say that piracy isn’t a problem at all. But due to the fact that the tradeoffs are so high most users aren’t willing to void their warranty, get banned from online play and possibly turn their console into a $300 doorstop just to save on a couple games. The tradeoffs are much lower for piracy on the PC.
- 14. Consoles have brought Group play to the mainstream The moment I knew this was one of the hot points of the consoles was almost a year ago when my father (in his 50’s) came over and spend most of the day playing Wii sports and later Rock band with my sister, my mother and me for hours. And now he’s planning on buying a PS3. This is a guy who swore off Video games back in the 80’s after one particularly long session of Q-Bert and hadn’t played more than 5 minutes since then despite having a son who’s owned pretty much every major console and a lot of gaming computers.
- 15. Current Gen consoles look beautiful on big screen HDTV’s Nothing beats the feeling you get playing games on the big screen. Remember back in the 80’s wishing you could have played Super Mario Bros 3 on a huge screen like the kid in the Wizard It just makes the games seem so much more lifelike and epic in scale to see it on a big screen HDTV or Projector than on a possibly higher resolution LCD computer monitor.
This is a well written argument for consoles. However, that being said… I’m not going to be doing any gaming on a console? Why? Why should I? I already own a computer (which should be relatively obvious to everyone), and I see no need to spend hundreds of dollars more for something that can only play games.
You’re quite correct about the difference between a low end computer and a gaming computer. However, my 3 year old computer plays the games I want it to and all I did was spend $100 on more RAM (which I would have done even if I wasn’t using it for games). No, the graphics are not awesome. In fact, I’d admit they’d barely be considered “passable” – but what can you expect for free?
Yes, free. I spent $0 on additional game related hardware. I spent no more money on games than I would have if I owned a console.
The problem in the industry is that all the designers are writing games that value glitz over substance. The games themselves really aren’t any better, the differences are merely cosmetic. And for this they want me to buy a new video card and even more RAM – assuming the CPU could even handle it if these changes are made? I’m sorry, I just won’t do it.
You’re absolutely correct Jim. Despite the stance I take in this post I don’t think PC gaming will ever die completely ( especially for the casual or occasional gamer ) but I think it is definitely going to (If it hasn’t already) lose the focus as the “serious” gamers in the 20-35 year old crowd realize the cost of keeping their PC’s in tip top shape to run things like Crysis or whatever the next big graphics powerhouse is come out. That being said everything has it’s place. If the old school text/point-and-click adventure games like Kings Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Zork, etc ever made a comeback the PC would be the ONLY place to play those, and I don’t see things like World Of Warcraft hitting the consoles anytime soon. Thanks cor the comment Jim
If it pleases the court, I would like to present an analogy to arguing with a PC nut about control being a matter of preference and game design:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJJA1vvMc4I
Awesome and oh so true.
I damn agree, but nothing I have to say hasnt been said before
1. PC gaming dont cost thousands. An 800 euro pc with an 8800gt (which today cost only 90 euros)can play all today’s games at max at 1680×1050 with 2xaa( except crysis which i play at 1440×900 without AA at high details ). May i remind consoles play 95% of their games at 720p( 1280×720).
2.Pc’s are a necessity You have a cheap 400-500 euros pc why not give 80-150(the range that a midrange gaming vga cost this day more upgrade it and play games instead of byuing a more expensive console
3. like i said before you dont have to get that gtx280 ( which btw is about 350 and not 579) to play games ( a freaking ati 4670 will play ALL todays games at 720p with all settings set at high and with 2 or 4xAA). A 150 480 will play all games at 1080p with AA( crysis at 1680×1050)
4. You CAN connect a pc to a TV a Projector and plug in any controller you want ( there are far more controllers available for pc than consoles available) or a driving wheel or a flight controller or a joystic and play games from the couch
5.. PC games cost either $40( dow II for instance or FEAR 2) or $50 console games cost $60 ( let alone in europe which in many cases cost 70 euros)
6. PC’s can do a lot MORE than consoles
7. Can you play ps2 games with xbox 360 or gamecube games with ps3? I CAN with my pc
8.Most games are better with keyboard and mouse ( especially RTS and FPS) but even if you dont like it like i said you CAN plug any gamepad in your PC ( even a dual shock from ps3( there is a sixaxis usb driver for that) for that
9.graphics on pc are better ( can you play fallout 3 at 1920×1080 with 4xAA)
10. MODS( user created content). For instance in killzone you are stuck with what sony will release while in crysis if you go to crymod there are 300single player maps along with about 300 multiplayer maps and tens of total conversion of crysis. An other example is Half life 2 ( there is even a startrek or a goldeneye total conversion ). All these mods are 99% of times free
11. It doesnt have to be a geek to play pc games. All it takes is reading skills and IQ of 60 or more. 2 -4 clicks for installing a game ( if a new dx version is needed 80% of times the installler will do it automatically ). Also you dont have to update vga drivers all the time only once or twice a year Download new driver (takes 2 clicks ) install driver ( another 2 clicks) restart pc and is all done). Also correct me if i’wrong but many console games do need patches while there are some games they need installing
^^i agree.
One gtx260 can play everything maxxed (higher quality than console) except for crysis and that abomination called grand theft auto 4.
Since most games are gpu intensive all it takes is a midrange CPU, spend, what is it, $190 now for a 260, when you already needed a computer, $200 for a gpu is better than $300+ for a console
Next point nobody has brought up: PC Parts drop in price faster than consoles, that means we’re getting quicker and more efficient over the 5 years that a console is out for.
Put the same game next to itself, on a decent pc and on a console. Doing that alone has converted some people.
I agree too, Cost of ownership hmm, I could buy an xbox 360, but have to pay for replacement game discs when it scratches them because of defective design, or have to pay over $100 for repairs if the dvdrom fails, RROD, etc Xboxes are a liability. the Playstation 3 has crap games and any ports to it are second rate and in some cases playable, the controller sucks -still, no one gains anything useful by learning to code for the cell processor unless you happen to own an IBM bladeserver with cell processors in it.
PC gaming is what it is, you get what you pay for. you want it to look good and play smooth, you pay for it. Much larger number of titles than any console, more controllers available. They just gotta get piracy sorted so it doesn't hurt the buyer, and in turn sales.
I think EA and other PC game publishers should start using dongle technology like the Pace ilok or Syncrosoft usb Key for licenses to their games. there are mac and windows drivers for them, so you would not have to worry about having to revoke or uninstall games to install on another machine/OS what PC doesn't have a spare USB slot nowadays? even those pesky consoles have em.
I don't know about that. I have 2 360's and neither has had any problems scratching disks. I've never had to replace a single console game I've owned going all the way back to the Intellivision (a 1979 vintage) one of my 360's did RRoD (the one I got at launch) but was fixed for free where did the $100 come from. A quick look around the web will show that PC DVD drive actually have a fairly high DVD Drive failure rate as well. Not to mention that 25% of PC's require a major component to be replaced in the first year (eg, Hard Drive, Monitor, RAM, Processor, Motherboard, Graphics card). Most of the 360 DVD failures are related to people running the 360 standing up which should never have been marketed as a "installation option" but that's a marketing/aesthetic issue not a technical one. Saying that Playstation 3 games are crap is a highly opinionated argument and one people often fall back on when they can't find Something else to argue. Batman Arkham Asylum is awesome on the PS3, Uncharted 2 is awesome, Metal Gear Solid 4 was awesome, Little Big Planet NEVER stops being fun, Wipeout HD is incredible, Echochrome Pixeljunk Eden and FlOw are all great downloadable titles. And you're right the Cell Processor is hard to learn to program for but it's also a lot more powerful and they don't expect programmers to even take full advantage of it for several years yet which means better looking games to come. What you're forgetting is that for all intents and purposes the 360 and the PS3 ARE computers and they have the advantage of only having to do 1 thing well. No task managers windowing system nothing but what is essential to run games. There is simply less overhead. I really struggle to see any real tangible difference between most console games and their PC counterparts. Now ya if you're the type of person that pauses the game and grabs a picture of the same frame off the other platform and compares them side by side you're probably going to notice a difference. This would never hold up in a double blind test though.