We live in a world where the mighty console seems to dominate the gaming world – more games are made for them, there are larger communities for consoles and they’re cheaper and easier to access – but that hasn’t stopped me from continuing to use my PC to enjoy the latest games. Why? Well, here are just a few reasons why I stick with the good ol’ PC for my gaming needs.
Foremost in my passion for PC gaming are the games themselves, which contrary to popular belief do actually keep being released for PC. People are always talking about the death of the PC as a gaming device and I always push them aside because of this reason: quality games still do come out for PC, and enough of them for me to keep going at a steady pace. So, OK, there are fewer PC games than console games, but so what? The difference is negligible considering the volume of PC games that get released every year.
Just this year, I’ve enjoyed playing FEAR 2: Project Origin, The Godfather II, Resident Evil 5, The Sims 3, Red Faction Guerrilla, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Need For Speed: Shift, Prototype, ArmA II, Burnout Paradise, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Wolfenstein, HAWX, Dark Sector and Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. That’s 19 games, all released this year, and all great games.
I got all those games because they’re big name and well known games, with good reviews. All of them stood up to my test and I enjoyed playing all of them, even if I haven’t finished some of them as yet. The year before, 2008, I played 16 games; it’s still a lot, but it is less than the amount I’ve played this year. In both this year and last, there have only been 5 or 6 console-only games I may have wanted to play. That’s not many considering the 36 games I touched on PC over that time period. In my eyes, the PC gaming industry is still strong.
But it’s not only the games that keeps me drawn to my PC for games, it’s also the graphics. If you have ever played a PC game then hopped on the same game on the console, you will see the difference. My gaming machine can easily pump out graphics set on high with acceptable frame rates, and it just looks so much better than on any console. Textures are better detailed, scenes are rendered better, and lighting absolutely shines on a PC. Also considering the large catalogue of games available and being released, I’m not going to replace my PC with a console any time soon.
I also am not a fan of the controller. I have an Xbox 360 controller that I use with my PC for some games (mostly racing), but other than that, I far prefer to use my trusty keyboard and mouse to control my characters with absolute precision, especially in shooters. It just feels so much better to control a character precisely with a mouse over the sloppiness of an analogue stick. Not only that, but in most games you can change the controls to however you like, something not often seen with console games.
What also stops me from buying a console is the fact that I had a computer and I didn’t have a console. I just chucked in a relatively cheap graphics card and I could play most games on the highest settings. The graphics card cost me $200; a console would have set me back $300 or more. This may seem cheap, but to get the most out of PC gaming you will need to spend money.
And it’s a downside really. Computers need upgrades far more often than consoles because games will demand the latest and greatest to run at the best settings, and this will end up costing you more than a console in the long run. The Xbox 360 was released back in 2005 and hasn’t changed much since; no upgrades needed. A PC would have needed to be upgraded at least once or twice during that time to maintain its grace. However, you do pay for the best.
Multi-tasking and flexibility are also a huge benefits of a computer as a gaming device. While writing this post, I could have opened up a game, played it for a while, Alt+Tab-ed out and written a bit more, put on some music, returned to the game then closed the game and finished the post – all on the one device. Also, as a computer isn’t just a gaming device, I can surf the internet, edit some photos/vidoes, watch a movie, chat with people via Skype/IM, write a document then hit up a game all without switching devices.
Oh, and did I mention mods? That’s also something a console-user doesn’t really get to experience. There are huge communities out there that modify games to add more levels, change what characters look like, change sounds, add more items in fact they can do almost anything with a game thanks to the power of a PC. Thankfully though most PC games have strong anti-cheat devices in place so you can’t use mods during multiplayer games.
Maybe one day I’ll make the switch to a console as my main gaming device, but for now my good ol’ PC is doing its job just fine. I enjoy the games that come out, I enjoy the better graphics and I enjoy everything else that my PC can provide, and that’s why I’m not making the switch any time soon.
pc gaming has alot more games thsn consoles
here are two good links
http://adrianwerner.wordpress.com/games-of-2010/
http://downloadablesuicide.com/2009/07/16/pc-gaming-its-problems-stem-from-mistreatment/
I personally prefer playing on consoles because I tend to prefer console-exclusive games a lot more than PC-only games (I’m not into RTS or MMOs at all); there are a lot of console-only games I like that you’ll never find on PC (one of them being certain JRPGs, as well as many Japanese-made games in general). I also like the (relatively) bug-free and hassle-free convenience of playing games on a console (no installs, no worries about compatibility or whether my PC can run the game). All my friends play on consoles, and it’s a lot of fun and easy to hook up with all of them on a whim when some of us are online at the same time.
Also, your point about PCs being good for other non-gaming related tasks (word processing, web browsing, etc.) is moot, because everyone who owns a console already has a PC as well that can do those things. It’s just that the PCs may not be fast enough to handle games. Also, the consoles can also do non-gaming related tasks like social networking, chat, photos, movies, web browsing, etc. The PS3 is arguably the best Blu-ray player on the market, and is integrated very well into a home theater system.
You pretty much described my feelings about PC Gaming, except for the last part. I have NO intention of ever going to Consoles.
U have said it all bro !!!
I love my pc from the depth of my heart !!!
Hope that more and more people think about this in the same way !!!
Consoles have replaced the PC as the gaming platform of choice. Piracy, and all the self-righteous morons that perpetuate it have cost the PC gaming industry dearly. Amazing how pirates try to justify their actions. If you don’t like a car or it’s price, you don’t steal it to teach the car maker a lesson do you? I only wish more casual pirates were arrested and felony convictions placed on their records. This would prevent them from doing many things long into their life. Stealing is wrong, simply because you think you are cool and hip, does not negate the fact that you are a criminal.
I used to love PC Gaming, but the pirates and warez assholes slowly made it irrelevant. Fewer and fewer titles come out each year now for the PC. You can deny it all you want, but PC gaming is going the way of the Wii.
COD:MW2 has so far accounted for less than 12% of all sales. And after the crap they took from PC gamers about dedicated servers, wait until their next game. You will likely see them drop PC support entirely in favor of the PS3 and 360.
i quit pc gaming last year it seem to expensive just to upgrade my computer im mean paid 600 for my pc now i need to upgrade my graphics card which is like 200 then the ddr which 150 then hardrive another 200 with the console no need to buy cards or DDR just pop in the game and ready no need to worry if ur pc will meet the min specs of the games
I feel just like you, I can’t stand controllers and the comparatively horrible graphics of consoles… (even gta4, which I play with a wireless xbox360 controller I can’t stand to look at on consoles even though it’s almost a direct port)
I don’t plan on ever switching to consoles… also because games cost about 15% more on consoles(and steam has great deals) and because I have a COD4/Age of Empires 2/L4D2 LAN party every other weekend and I have to say it’s a lot more fun…
console game devs are going bankuprt. sony has lost billions on consoles.a $200 old pc is alot more powerfult han any console.
Dreamhunk – are you mentally retarded? It’s PC devs that go bankrupt and don’t make exclusives anymore you uneducated moron. Consoles have better games every year than what the PC gets and the few decent games the PC does get (Ported, i might add) don’t even sell.
Console exclusives ALWAYS sell better than PC exclusives. Console versions of multiplatform games ALWAYS sell better than the PC version – why??? Why aren’t YOU buying theese games if you think they’re so great? PC devs don’t need uneducated trolls like you talking trash on message boards all day, they need your MONEY. It’s no good if you spend all day on the internet telling everyone how great PC games are but don’t even buy them, this is why most devs can’t afford to develop PC exclusives anymore.
Also – PC more powerful than any console??? LMAO – then why does no PC game look even half as good as Killzone 2 or Uncharted 2?
oh really can you prove it because I have links and proof to back me up.
Yes i can prove it. Go check out VGChartz or any other sales – tracking website and look at the difference in sales between platforms. Not that you should need to…….it’s common knowledge for all real gamers that console games sell better, you shoudln’t have to be spoon – fed that type of pre – school information. That’s like asking for proof that the world is round.
Like i said…..VGChartz……or even Google. I’m sure you’ll find something.
your console noob
lets take a look at hardware a lone
27 billion alone
sorry china does not play on consoles
sorry Indina don’t play on consoles
I have not even touch soical gaming or even webbased games
wow has what is 11 billion gamers
guilwars 6 million
eve online has what 300 0000
I could keep going on
sorry the world does not play on consoles they play on the pc
one more thing with mirosoft and sony trying their hardest to destory pc gaming. It’s kind funny sony and mircosoft who have lost billions on consoles , are trying their best to force pc gamers into buying console junk.
look at the drm garbage, the media garbage ant the other garbage going on in the gamin Industry
Dreamhunk – do you have learning difficulties? World Of Warcraft has 11 BILLION subscribers??? LMFAO – there aren’t even that many people in the world you freaking retard! OMG……..NOBODY can possibly be this stupid. This just goes to show how pathetic PC gaming has become that retards like you have to make up a load of crap to try and get your point across. I never credited you PC fanboys with an over – abundance of brains but to say that WOW has 11 billion players………this is just getting sad.
Don’t bother responding kid, at least until mommy and daddy send you to school first, you’re just embarassing yourself now.
I’m sorry dreamhunk but David is right, more people play games on consoles than on the PC. It doesn’t stop me from continuing to play games on my PC, but I do admit that it is the smaller market of the two.
However, you said that consoles are more powerful than PCs and this is not true in most cases. Anyone who has a “gaming PC” likely has more powerful hardware than the Xbox 360 (3.2GHz Tri-Core, 512MB VRAM and a 500MHz-core GPU) or the PS3 (3.2GHZ Cell engine, 256MB RAM/256MB VRAM and a 550MHz-core GPU)
I have both a PC and my Xbox 360 and play my PC alot more than the 360. There is just so much more you can do. There are no limitations (With the right hardware), the PC has mods while the 360 has expensive downloadble content. Not to say the community is in the whole alot more better. There are fewer screaming 12 year old’s and people who like to insult you for no reason. I dont think PC gaming is dying I just think people haven’t realized the PCs full potential yet.
love my pc never move back to consoles again.
@ Tim – PC’s are more powerful on paper but that doesn’t always reflect results in games. Like i said, IMO there is no game on the PC that has better graphics than Killzone 2, even if the PC is “Capable” of more.
The PC may technically have the more advanced hardware but the results of the games depend on the skills of the developers alone.
the insult base alone for pc gaming over 250 million. I have proof to back tha up too. rune scape has over 10 million gamers so sorry nothing is bigger than pc gaming.
oh by the way kill zone 2 does not destory crysis. kill zne 2 is console junk.
Consoles are turning into p.c.’s.
I used to be a pc gamer then went to consoles when that’s what my friends play. Still think a keyboard and mouse is the way to go with FPS games but have gotten used to the 360 controller. RTS’s will always in my book though will be pc only games.
good article.I love to comeback to my pc again n again to play latest and old and some retro console games (with emulators).My current pc can play all the games (excluding current generation console exclusives) and also my daily cores-checking mails,ripping dvds,burning dvds,bits of programming,visiting articles like this and commenting…lol and lot many. So while buying or upgrading my pc and consider all this task and I am free enough to use any damn software- OS,applications,tools as my need and buying capacity.I am not sure the availability of the emulators of retro gaming platforms for the major current generation consoles- whereas they are forced to buy it online -they can’t take backup of their old games and play on their console directly.
I guess it hasn’t yet dawned upon some people that it’s possible to like gaming without having to shoehorn oneself into a ‘PC Gamer’/'Console gamer’ category.
Oh, well. It’s hardly my loss.
Dreamhunk you blind fanboy idiot, do you actually believe more people play on PC than on consoles??? You must be a bit thick.
Also, Crysis doesn’t look 10% as sharp as Killzone 2, stop being such a dumbass. You either need glasses or you just need to play killzone 2 instead of that PC junk.
@ David
Killzone 2 would have been a cinch to play on the PC, but Lets see, MS, Sony, And even the Nintendo dumbfucks are all making these “console exclusives” which drown out the good titles that come to the PC. Take Mass Effect 2 for example. ME2 was made for the pc then ported to the consoles, instead of the other way around.
Consoles also make things to easy. just like the mac. The ones who have brains know stuff about computer, and were not just blind retards. Any layman can own a console, but PCs are for a exclusive group of people who know that computer gaming is better in many ways, compared to consoles.
Xbox live: Pay money to play
PC: Free
PS3:don’t know
Granted: PS3 has good graphics…FOR A CONSOLE
Granted: Xbox 360 has lots of features…FOR A CONSOLE
Granted: consoles are good for when having friends over
the PS3 may have a OK graphics capability, but all the console companies, they don’t care about the customers, they just want your damned money. Map-packs. 10 dollars? What a waste. PCs get it for FREE.
And your constant bickering is pointless. Whatever you say, you wont sway people like me.
look at all the mods out for old games like battlefield 2(PC version). Old game. Still kicking. Shows how PC communities will keep kicking until MS literally starts busting down houses and smashing computers. Which will never happen.
So please. Go play what ever dammed game you want on your console, while i chat with people for free while listening to music and typing up a College recommendation.
Andrewthecool