Next episode - Game consoles vs. PCs - Got questions?

PC gaming has always just seemed so daunting to me - is my computer fast enough, do I have enough RAM, disk space, is my graphics card new enough and on and on. Consoles on the other hand, I just have to figure out if it's on my system or not, then I'm done and can play.

PC Gaming is far superior to console gaming IF you have the hardware and are willing to put in commitment. I used to spend hours on my Wii to escape from the complications of rebooting, patching and upgrading my PC, though after I got my new gaming rig PC gaming has once again consumed my life and it is GLORIOUS. Quite frankly, no console can match the graphics on the PC; yes, 360 owners may gloat about their 'Gears of War' but it has already been outclassed by titles such as Half Life 2: Episode Two and the Crysis multiplayer beta. Also, certain genres are almost totally exclusive to one platform - racing games are scarce on the PC while there are hardly any Real Time Strategy games on the consoles. In the end I believe the choice comes down to whether you want something quick yet slightly 'shallower', if you will, or whether you are willing to put in several hours' worth of commitment to experience IMHO a deeper, more rewarding time. That said, the fine line between PCs and consoles grows increasingly blurred as PCs move to the living room and consoles gain internet connectivity and media center capabilities, so perhaps in several years such a debate will not be necessary. Just my two cents.

"PC gaming has always just seemed so daunting to me" I would have to agree with that. Also people are mentioning Half Life 2 episode 2...I just got the orange box for my Xbox 360 and it looks just as good as the pc version? I have it for the pc as well. Maybe I am wrong so if anybody knows a place were it compares graphics from Xbox 360 Half life 2 stuff to PC let me know. I just like the 360 better...I think its what type of games you play myself. If you really like strategy games and stuff like that then you probably like the PC but me personally I love shooters and they just don't seem as fun on the 360. However to play fair I will say because I have both a pc and Xbox 360 the only thing I REALLY love about a PC is you can have 3 screens/multiple screens (I personally use matroxtriplehead2go). Yes you can just have a big TV for the 360 but its just not as fun in my opinion. But other then that the 360 totally wins compared to a PC. PS wrote this in a hurry so sorry for bad grammar ;o)

I'm on the side of PC gaming, first off, you can use the computer for other things then games, second off; it is easier to pirate games.
Why would I want to go spend so much money on a game console when I can get a computer that can do the exact same thing?

I'm an all around gamer. I love gaming on both my PC and my consoles. However, if I had to pick one or the other, I'd definitely go for consoles.

Yes, PC gaming IS superior, but that superiority comes at a price. As new games come out, system requirements go up. 5 years ago a lot of games needed about 256mb of ram. 512 at max. Now we're pushing 1GB easily and some hefty graphical requirements. You have to keep your system in shape so to speak.

With consoles, you just buy the game, put it in your console of choice and you're good to go. The games get better over time (compare some early PS2 games to some of the newer ones) without much effort on your part. Every 4 years or so the next generation of consoles are released and you upgrade then.

Also, gaming consoles are starting to do more than just play games. Even the "made purely for gaming" Wii lets you surf the web and connect with others. In this day and age, the gap between what PCs and consoles can do is smaller than ever.

Finally there's price. As I mentioned before, you have to keep your PC up to date to play the latest games without problems. The average console life is about 4 years now. In the world of PC gaming, I'd say about two years can go by before your computer starts to become obsolete, unless you have the best money can buy.

I'll let the figures speak for me here.

A Xbox 360 with a hard drive is currently 350. If you want the absolute best version it'll set you back 450. If you use it for gaming and don't care about downloads and media, you can get by with just the hardware until the next version comes out, which may be about 4-5 years.

A gaming PC with enough juice to last you an equivalent amount of time will set you back $2000+. If you want the absolute best money can buy then it'll be $5000 plus ($6657 according to dell). And while the thought of a rig that powerful makes me drool, it doesn't seem practical when I can enjoy myself just as much and in some cases more with a console.

Just my humble opinion.

For example, PC's are great for games like battlefield 2142, which rely on more than just games, they also need voip, advanced keyboard controls, a good CPU and GPU and more. Then again, games like star wars battlefront work very well on consoles, as they can use voip with Xbox live, they don't rely advanced keyboard controls, and rely heavily on super-powerful GPU's and relatively weak CPU's. The result of this question is what i call "The Endgame Platform", which has been discussed for many years in the games world, (no melodramatic pronounciation needed), which is a single game development system, on which developers actually write to several "core" API's, these API's then translate these games into code that runs incredibly well on "the metal", the metal being the device running the game. The result of this would be all PC's, Macs and consoles would be shipped with the "Core" API's and then one version of the game would run well, and run closely to the hardware it is placed on. Now, you have to remember "the endgame platform" is about 5-15 years away, as the idea and the feasibility of the "core" api's has only just become a reality, fore example, Apple has a series of "Core" api's that reduce the amount of code used to provide graphics, video and audio on the Mac, the API's then translate this "core code" into "metal" code for the mac, now the core api's in Mac OS X is still fairly new and in its infacy, and its going to be YEARS before we can build a Core API that can translate one set of "Core Code" to run on several different CPU and GPU architectures such as x86, cell processor, PowerPC (for Xbox 360) and more.

Consoles are quickly superseded by new technology. Even the most advanced console (the PS3) has a GPU (G80) that is the same architecture to one used on the PC over 2 years ago (7800GTX).

As for controls the game pad is far inferior to a mouse and keyboard, this has been demonstrated with cross platform play. A game pad even with max sensitivity can only move 180 degrees in a second this is dwarfed by the capacity of a mouse.

PCs are for serious gamers who don't accept limitations on how much skill they can bring to their gaming.

This is true but at least from what I have seen manufactures don't seem to be making as many games for PC anymore...just my opinion

I would make the argument that it is not the PC that is going to lose this console vs. PC war, but rather that this war is already over. The best example of a console system is the original Nintendo entertainment system. The controllers, the cartridge games, the signal purpose system, it is a true console. This generation of "consoles" have hard drives, DVD (HD and Blu-ray) drives, WiFi, ethernet port(s), USB ports, mulitcard readers (PS3), graphics cards, ram, the only thing missing from a console to make a full pc is keyboard, monitor, and mouse, and even those have work arounds. Ones doesn't need a true monitor when connecting the console to a 47" 1080p HDTV. With a little digging anyone can find a keyboard replacement for the xbox360, and possibly for the PS3, I'm not sure about the Wii. As for the mouse the Wii has replaced it with the remote/controller. The xbox360 is starting to allow its players to compete online against PC gamers playing the same game. The PS3 is going to be able to download and player PC created maps for the new UT game. The consoles have gone the way of the dinosaur; the last console in my opinion was the N64. Since then huge leaps have been made in the console market to make the console as functional, or more so, as a PC and something the entire family can use. Of course if the entire family is using something, like a DVD player, then it?s the entire family that is going to spend money on that unit. Businesses have been trying to get the internet into the family room and get the PC into the family room, because then everyone could use it easily and comfortably. The "console" is how they have started to finally achieve this. So again I make the argument that it is not PCs vs. consoles, but rather that desktop PC will shift toward work uses while "consoles" will continue to shift toward the play aspects of PCs. Next generation "consoles" will be close the gaps between PCs and current consoles even more with full internet browsing, user created mods and maps for multiplayer games, downloading movies and music, etc. Image the social network possibilities when developers can combine gamer profiles with myspace, facebook, etc. Or as you're playing a game you "Digg" a certain level, item, enemy, or the entire game itself. I don't think there will be standard keyboards and mice, but a highly effective replacement will be available.

OK, I'll admit it. I was a total PC snob. I thought that consoles were for kids or adults too shallow or otherwise technically unable to deal with gaming PCs. I thought that the multi player aspects of PC gaming, and the ability to add content (modifications, maps, etc) made it the superior platform.
Then two things happened. I was late, but I bought an original Xbox. The graphics looked really good on my big CRT TV. I was really wowed by the 5.1 sound in my home theater system. Then when Xbox live came on board, I was pleasantly surprised by how fun Crimson Skies was. The second thing was how hard it was to keep my gaming PC both current and functional. I had to be investing in new graphics cards and motherboard upgrades. And despite this it was always a "hold your breath" moment when I was starting a new game? Would it run or crash for no reason. If it crashed, why. Could I fix it?

With next-gen consoles and HDTVs most of my reasons to PC game are gone. The community of XBL is as good or better than most PC games. The sound and graphics on next gen consoles (not including Wii) is the equal of all most PCs. And there are two facts that I can't get away from.
1) When I put a game in the 360 it works. All the time (well, mostly). No graphics problems, no crashes to desktop.
2) The money. The total cost of a console is about that of a higher end graphics card. And it will last 3 years.

Yes I would totally agree thats exactly what I was thinking but dident know how to word it :o)