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Console vs PC: Which should you buy?
Setting the Stage The debate on which platform is best for gaming has been raging since the beginning of time....of gaming.
The Rules of Debate Be nice. I've seen people get heated over this topic and that is not what I'm looking for here. This is more than a debate about what platform is "better." In some ways you can prove this on paper but in many others it remains entirely subjective. I'd really like to hear what you enjoy gaming on, and why.
I'll Start...
For me, I'm an avid enough gamer, with time really being the restricting factor when it comes to how much/many games I play. I also game on multiple platforms, both PC and XBOX.
For me, gaming is all about the time online with family and friends. I move enough that I have lots of friends and family that live all over the place. I'm also not the guy that's going to call you up and ask how you are doing, even if you're my brother haha. I will however jump into a game of Battlefield on XBOX with the main intention of catching up in a party chat, and maybe having a few only-in-Battlefield moments along the way. My little brother and I have kept up via console party chat for years, we even got my pops an XBOX and a few games just so we could talk to him every once in a while (again, not the phone type). I think the main draw of consoles these days is the accessibility. You don't have to do much research. You don't have to make a budget and piece anything together. You even have brick and mortar stores that still heavily cater just to console gamers where you can ask questions. Accessibility is a huge plus in my book.
PC Gaming on the other hand is an entirely different beast for me. It is a much more selfish hobby in my case. For me, the planning, research, and execution of building a PC was the main draw of owning a gaming PC, not the gaming itself. Some folks build models or exquisite wood furniture, others build hot rods, I build computers (and keyboards).
Beyond the build, there are a few benefits to PC Gaming that I've experienced. There is of course the graphics, not only in resolution, but in frame rate. For me gaming at 144hz is the only thing I truly love about PC gaming over console gaming (console always looks choppy to me if I directly move from one to the other). Furthermore I've found that games are generally much cheaper on PC, much thanks to Steam sales and HumbleBundle. Still, just based on how I choose to spend my time, generally selecting to be more social if I'm going to play games, I tend to play console more often than PC just because gaming alone just isn't a heap of fun to me.
So what would I personally conclude?
Well, really it just comes down to the fact that I'll play games where my friends play games and enjoy each platform for much different reasons.
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without anti-consumer exclusive games on consoles they couldnt hold themselves on todays market. there is litterally nothing a console can do that a pc cant but a shitload of stuff that the pc can to while consoles cant.
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With close to every major part of a PC as well as other public offerings coming up with a way to game with the power of a GTX1080 and I7 8700K with 32GB RAM and (like seriously peeps, no real noticeable latency when compared to playing a game, even shooters on the very same rig (which - with 60 MB download 20 upload internet connection - Both Nvidia’s option ”Geforce Now” as well as “SHADOW GAMING”, with the later being my favorite on account of it seamlessly playing and seamlessly SWITCHING... on everything I have with a screen and an internet connection is just the bees knees.
Confirmed seamless and latency free gaming tested with Shadow Gaming Services include: android tab or phone, iPad or iPhone, MacOSX, WIN10, Linux, their own set top box for 65 inch type 4K 60FPS STREAMING performance AND just starting beta testing an app for the Apple TV 4K as of last night. Also, they flat out give you admin rights to a windows rig. You can load Music Production software or 4K vid editing for all they seem to care - it’s yours until you cut the bill off. Most competing services like Gefore now give an Android desktop like interface with limited launchers or worse yet, Steam only access considering the way everyone and their Moms lovers developer has their own game launcher now. This is going to change the PC Gaming landscape, I just don’t know how much. It’s like an old similarity between it and the benefits of some sort of public transportation.... People just love their Cars. Cars in this case being their own best PCs. So it wont be immediate, but with Google, Intel, NVIDIA and 3rd party’s specializing in it like Shadow it will change a little, at least.
(Edited)151
(Still looking for the BOTH ALL DAY ALL NIGHT Option)
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I'm a fan of older consoles due to their simple controls, however i am not a fan of newer consoles . I am not good with aiming with a controller, and due to this i prefer PC for accuracy.
to me it depends on the game. as both have their pros/cons.
to me the PC is more for indie and mouse/keyboard games (like minecraft, some shooters) but if a controller works best for the gamer go console.
now here's my pros/cons.
console.
pro: requires you to buy a console every generation, but that's generally cheaper than a new top of the line GPU.
pro: games are stable in general (unless playing fallout)
con: locked into one company's approved games. and software (to an extent. CFW allows emulation, but i'm not going to get into that)
pro: generally comes with a well designed controller (one notable exception is the ouya)
and generally can use a keyboard for games designed for it.
PC
con: sometimes requires an upgrade to play the newest games, that sometimes costs more then a console
games are less stable than the console counterpart.
con: a "Gaming system" has a HUGE up front charge in the thousands.
pro: BUT that can last a LONG time after being used as a gaming PC (i just upgraded my 10 year old pc based on the q6600 due to a failing mobo) so it makes GREAT hand me downs
pro, can emulate older systems as long as your hardware is powerful enough.
pro: many AAA devs finally supporting it. so many modern games will EVENTUALLY get released.
con: will have fewer AAA titles due to exclusivity agreements.
well as you can tell im a console gamer but i do play a few (as in like 4) PC games on an infrequent basis. minecraft java, auditorium, audiosurf 1 and 2.
i want buy pc
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Definitely PC, it can do pretty much anything whereas consoles mostly only do gaming and movies. However if you have a potato pc like mine with a Nvidia GT 710 you probably want a console. It’s dependant on the specs but I personally like Pc better.
If money isn’t an issue and you’re playing shooters and want to play at the highest level and the best competition... PC. If you’re playing with your friends then the majority is going to have a PS4 or Xbox 1. Not surely, but likely.
Consoles provide a less expensive platform.
I chose PC to learn to use mouse and key for shooters. I’m happy with my decision.
If money isn’t an issue, have both!
I personally am an avid PS4 gamer, and I understand what people feel about PC as well. Many pick PC games because of the library of games available and the intuitiveness of the keyboard system, as well as how much it can be used for. I would personally prefer to own a PC, but even just an original release PS4 (which I use) or an XBOX can very well be viable for many games, along with some KB&M compatible games. I think that it should really be based upon personal preference and the price range that you can work with. If you want to stay on a low budget for a good experience, I would recommend a console, but if you want a higher price great gaming experience and the versatility of being able to work on a strong PC, invest in a solid custom built tower PC. Either way, its mostly based on person preference, as long as you want to have a good time.
For me it will always be pc, being able to transition seamlessly between work and gaming on the same platform is something I really enjoy
it literally depends on what u want, a child doesn't need customization, he just want to have fun and plash with two controllers or smt. Technically pc's are better in terms of hardware and stuff.
This post and it's comments are why I quit gaming
PC for ever and we can upgrade it
PC is great because you can maintain a vast digital library and there's no risk of losing your games generation to generation.
That being said, one major draw back is the lack of couch-coop/party games. It's just not as easy. I recently bought a Nintendo Switch which is a great fit for that especially that the joycons can serve as two separate controllers when needed.
stepsy
"and there's no risk of losing your games generation to generation."
that is incorrect. ever try running dos games natively on windows 10 or even XP. WITHOUT emulators.
(Edited)
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PC has more customization, more game selection, cheaper game selection, no subscription fees to play online (with some exceptions of course), more power to run better graphics at higher resolutions and frame rates. In all regards PC is better in almost every single aspect.
Really the list list can go on and on for why PC is better. I have an Xbox one that my friend passed on to me. Had a lot of great times on it too. Later on I built him a low spec computer for about the same price as a new Xbox or ps4. Needless to say he hasn’t touched console since.
If someone prefers simplicity and youre not the least bit tech savvy , then console is the way to go. The only thing Xbox or PS4 has over pc are the console exclusives. For all I know there could be a way to emulate or get those on PC, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s possible, but I can’t say for sure.
A PC is a console on steroids. In every regard it’s better. If you could only choose one of the three, it’s the most sensible option. I do have a lot of friends that are on PS4s. Some of them tell me to go get one so I can get plugged in with them... but for the most part I’ve already played dang near all the games except the exclusives. It’s not feasible to go out and spends hundreds of dollars on a ps4 when I already have a PC.
However if you don’t own any of them, going where your friends are is the best option. If I didn’t have anything, then I would go out and get a ps4 over a PC for the sake of playing with my friends. Is it the best way to spend that money? Not really. That is really the only factor I can think of why a console would be better than a Pc. You have some friends that own PCs too? Then that’s a no brainer .. ascend to greatness. Consoles are becoming more obsolete over the years. And I forgot to mention Nintendo as well which has some nice exclusives, but it really depends on how much money you have to blow.
heck, you can even make your own games on a PC. This debate is just about a landslide towards PCs, that may of not been true a decade or two ago, but in this day and age, PC is the platform of all the platforms. Best of the best. And with smaller builds becoming more prominent, the big stereotypical huge bulky computer is becoming a thing of the past. Other than exclusives, consoles have nothing on PCs. If anyone thinks differently, then feel free to enlighten me.
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If you're not gaming on both you're doing it wrong. You want to limit yourself? I couldn't care less.
If you're going to game on both there is no reason to get any console other than a PS4. They have great exclusives and there is literally nothing on XBOX that you can't play on PC. Maaaaybe if your friends only had XBOX and you had to play with them. In which case they also chose the wrong console lol.
I got a pc and a ps4, and one thing you mencion is true, on pc I am more of a selfish player also because of that I aint got much friends with pc. However I play most on pc, the graphics are just a big jump and if a new game comes out I rather buy it for the better system and that is the pc. But if you are a more casual gamer consider the fact that the console is just more simple, just take the controller lean back and power it up, an other aspect are games, most pc games come for console too but on ps4 you got also the exclusives ( Pd: I got the ps4 over the xbox because of the xclusives and all xbox games now come for pc) Enjoy gaming, sorry for my bad Englith
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if youre a console peasant i have only one thing to say to you *takes deep breath* DING DONG YOUR OPINION IS WRONG
0Dark
summed up what i was going to say.
0Dark
Yeah tru dat. However, please keep it a little more civil.
What we need, is a "console" that gets smart enough to hook into the power of Gaming PCs, while keeping the convenience and portability factor of the "console"...
This is where "shadow gaming" is going to come in HUGE! And hopefully several groups will smartly plug into this.
Imagine, a setup, where you can play with the consoles "interaction unit" which will look a lot like the Switch setup, only it will have every inch of the power of a full Gaming PC. Add in the option of being able to choose between running your own setup (and having little or no monthly costs) or taking the full Shadow gaming dive (which is currently looking at around 30 a month, but with no upfront costs, or worries about taking care of the system)
THIS is going to be a big part of the future of gaming... ESPECIALLY VR GAMING, which I am incredibly excited for!
TLDR; Why not both?!?
I use to be only a console gamer but started getting into watching streams a lot. I really got into watching PUBG streams and at that point it was only on pc and every streamer I watch was on pc so I made the leap and will never go back sure it’s a big upfront cost but so we’ll worth it in the end. I didn’t know what I was missing how well most games run how beautiful they look it was amazing and now with pc gaming on the rise and devs realizing that most streamers ect play mostly pc almost every game is for pc now. Plus with epic pushing the cross platform bridge and then giving that tech for free to anyone we will be seeing a lot more of Xbox PlayStation and pc gamers all playing as one.
windows 10 64bit PC 100% FTW
Emulation, of multi platform consoles on a pc! spend money getting your atari 2600 on your 120hz 4k flat screen, if money wasn't an option sure it could be done... but for those like me who want the older generational consoles games played on today's TVs without sacrificing quality and not having the physical hardware space involved with all of it. Piracy is bad mkay...own it then copy it. then mothball all of it in the attic, vault or cloak of invisibility. Emulation is fast af and costs very little. yesterday i got a i5-8400 8gb ram and a NVIDIA 1050-ti along with a couple of xbox one controllers, total cost under $600, to play arcade style "neo-geo" and capcom along with other lesser know cabinets and consoles. all the way up to x-box 360, and the Wii-U. now every game has the ability to play online with friends in the same room or across the globe. "and that's all i have to say about that"......
Console for me. I being able to have friends round and playing splitscreen. The price to performance ratio is much higher on console, even including paying for XB Live/PSN, because a lot of the cost is cancels out by the free games. Keyboard and Mouse support is coming/has come to consoles, and the games that I can only play on PC aren't demanding so i'm fine with playing them on my ultrabook. XBOX 4 EVER (unless PS4 becomes better)
I just want to say that it doesn't matter that kb & mouse support is coming to consoles (I can use any controller I want on my PC), consoles are just very far behind the curve. You cannot use the controllers of the other consoles or even of the last generation. Coming from someone who has owned and enjoyed Xbox's in the past the lack of the modular-ness that you get with the platform is just such a limiting factor to me. (I realize all of this now that I own a PC)
For me this really boils down to basic economics. Consoles have a low upfront (Captial) cost compared to PC, but with high reoccurring, incidental and software costs. This is the single biggest factor for most people when it comes to figuring out which system to buy for gaming.
As a example, a console can be obtained with a capital investment between $300 - $600 dollars depending on system and accessories. A comparable PC will have a capital investment between $600 - $1100. After the initial purchase cost of a system the cost of ownership will also include paid online services (XBox Live, PSN etc) and software costs. These reoccurring costs are where consoles are at a distinct disadvantage.
PC vs Console
System Cost -- $600 - $1100 / $300 - $600
Online Service -- $0 / $60 per year
New Release SW -- $40ea (33% Discount) / $60ea (Titles purchased within 3 months of release)
Older Release SW -- $20ea (50% Discount) / $40ea (Titles purchases after 3 months of release)
Assuming that 6 titles are purchased a year (1 title every 2 months), there is a SW and services cost delta of ~$180 between owning a console vs PC including the yearly online services fees. While this can be mitigated somewhat, by second hand SW purchases (Used games at GameStop), this is more the norm than the exception. In this case PCs end up matching console cost within 2-2.5 years and every year thereafter saves money. Obviously, any additional SW purchases only improves total cost of ownership for PC as the software cost delta is fairly consistent between PC/Console titles, especially if you are careful where and when SW is purchased.
It is reasonable to expect to replace a console or PC every 5 years (Average console generational cycle and average PC upgrade cycle). If this is the case, total cost of ownership between the platforms are as follows:
PC vs Console 5 Year TCO
System Cost -- $600 - $1100 / $300 - $600 (Dependent on capital purchase choices)
Online Services -- $0 / $300
Averaged SW Cost -- $900 / $1500 (Assuming 3 new release titles and 3 older titles a year)
TCO -- $1500 - $2000 / $2000 - $2400
When calculating the total cost of ownership over a 5 year period, comparable system purchases will result in an averaged $80-$100 a year cost savings for PC meaning that a PC purchase will beat console cost by $400-$500 over that entire term when the system is in service.
This is in addition to all the advantages that the relatively open platform on PC provides. This includes the ability to use ANY controllers or alternate input devices, shop multiple SW market places, stream games, emulate other systems and use the system for tasks other than just gaming.
At the end of the day simple economics makes PC ownership a much easier pill to swallow than consoles. The only disadvantage to using a PC is the higher capital cost and inablilty to run console exclusive titles. That being said, these titles are few and far between and is mitigated somewhat by the substantially larger software library available on PC.
(Edited)Part of the reason I chose the numbers I did is to normalize the value equation. This drops out "Prosumers" who spend hundreds of $$$ every GPU product cycle and inter-generation console purchases. It also acts as a performance normalizer comparing a lower similar performing PC ($600) with older console HW (Original PS4 or XBox One) and a higher performing PC ($1100) with newer inter-generation console model (PS4 Pro, XBox One X).
The proposition also assumes that only ONE console will be purchased in a gerational cycle and that other vendors consoles will not be purchased. This was done to give consoles the best chance at even being close to the value of a PC. If you must purchase many different systems during a cycle you already threw the economic benefit proposition out the window since TCO costs drastically increase each time an additional platform is added.
Looking at the HW purchase as a upfront capital expense each generation instead of ongoing upgrade or iterative system replacement expenses is the only sane way to compare the two. For example, a prosumer who upgrades their GPU each release cycle will waste as much or more money than a console user who purchases each iteration of a console within a single console generation. This is why these types of buyers are not considered. This normalization can give us results that are absolutely valid as it will pertain to MOST consumers and drop out the ones that don't care how much they are spending on this hobby.
You mention that gaming on either platform can be cheaper than I estimated. This is true and is estimated this way by design. I used standard pricing to give an averaged cost because steep discounts are only occasionally available. This is true for software (Games) as well as services and any reasonably discriminating buyer will know where and when to purchase to reduce costs for their platform of choice. You are making a case for the exception rather than for the rule. If you only purchase older games or only when games and services are on sale you are not the average consumer. I would also contend that discriminate purchasing can greatly lower costs regardless of platform and in the case of PC help to lower the upfront capital cost as well.
On the issue of console exclusives I agree that there are some good titles only available on certain closed platforms. This is anti-consumer as it ties quality software to a specific vendors solution simply to Shepard people into buying their solution. While the ethics of this are up for debate, the fact of the matter is that there are far to many games on the market to care about a handful of exclusive titles. If only gaming on PC, you miss out on 2-4 quality exclusives a year while retaining access to the broadest possible range of games available including many that were only ever released on PC.
You seem to take issue with the upfront and TCO numbers that were estimated based on a view that people can, under very specific circumstances, get things cheaper or choose to spend additional money during the life cycle of a product. Determining TCO based on average purchases is the only way to derive reasonable estimates for groups since most people don't spend much time digging up deals. This is an economic case which is entirely about PC vs Console value and quibbling about the occasional sale or buying habits of a minority of consumers does NOT change the fact that PC gaming tends to be cheaper over time for most people.
Your other point of contention is that there are some good games that are only available on consoles. I find it hard to believe that most people would be willing to spend an additional $300-$500 TCO on a SINGLE platform to play 5-10 games in a generation. This is further exacerbated by the fact that there are at least 2 consoles (Playstation and Nintendo) that would need to be purchased to have access to all major exclusive titles making that cost balloon even further. This is especially egregious considering the incredible array of software available to PC gamers which including exclusives that are at a similar quality to the titles you used as your examples.
One other thing to highlight. You mentioned that 'Free' games are provided to people who purchase a console network service subscription. This is not really accurate. PSN and XBL will provided a limited use license to some older software titles which is only usable on an active subscription account. If you stop paying for PSN or XBL your access to these titles is revoked until you pay the piper again. This is NOT 'Free' as you never gain an ownership stake in the SW and access can be revoked at any time. It is more akin to a rental or lease membership where the proprietor determines what low value assets you are allowed to use and when they can be taken away.
On PC, the closest analog would be something like Humble Monthly (Which admittedly costs more per month than PSN or XBL) except when you sign up any game licenses provided through the program are actually owned by you and don't require you to continue paying Humble Bundle for access. If monthly or yearly subscriptions are not your thing, standalone bundles can be purchased which largely duplicates the provided monthly subscription titles while providing more choice. In addition, the quality and number of monthly allotted games is significantly higher than what is rented / leased by either PSN or XBL.
I don't think that 'Free' games with subscription services are a good deal since:
- You don't actually have a ownership license to a title, instead only a rental or lease for the duration of the subscription.
- You are unable to choose titles, or choose not to participate in a subscription, but still gain access to discounted bundles of software.
PC for incremental upgrades, and never losing the ability to play older games you own.
Console if you prefer plug-and-play gaming, and don't mind using multiple generations of equipment to be able to play your game library.
PC games also have more settings, so you can have gorgeous graphics at 60fps or choose good graphics at 144+ fps. Consoles however have better optimization because the game developer can focus on one set of hardware. This is how the weaker hardware in a console manages to stay competitive with similarly priced gaming PCs.
It's probably obvious I choose PC. I like having my entire game library on one powerful machine, and having the ability to upgrade its parts when it no longer handles new games as well as I would like it to.
Buying a PC means more customization so there is always room for improvement when games require better specs
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The most fought war of all time.
I think the consoles are better suited to people who prefer simplicity and have little time available.
While the PC is more for enthusiasts I believe, I personally love to build; I built my PC completely liquid-cooled and the mechanical keyboard, and the PC I find it convenient because I can change hardware depending on my needs, which is impossible on the console.
Moreover on PC you have access to many free games and not that there are not on the console.
In any case, I believe that everyone has to choose the one that best suits his style, there is no better or worse; the important thing is to enjoy the game experience and have fun with friends.
(Edited)