Gaming Platform Wars

[Aloneness]

Okay, the background story for this poll is me and my friend got in an argument about which is better. His argument is that gaming platforms are better then PC and I quote "PC Gaming Is Dieing Out." Now I can see where in certain cases a platform such as the Wii, or other interactive platform can gain an upper hand in the argument, because you cant do stuff like what you can on the Wii on a computer, but he was talking about systems more along the lines of the PS3 and Xbox. He also was saying that graphics were not the most important part of a game. Oh one more thing that I just remembered is that he was wining that you have to "install a game on a PC, were as you can just plop in a disc on a game console."

Now for my side of the argument: First off I'd like to point out that gaming on computer has better controls for the most part, for example in a first person shooter I don't wanna feel like I'm a crane operator just to shoot the guy on the other team, its call point and click simplicity because in the real world you point your gun where you wanna shoot and pull the trigger. About the only time I can see a console's controls being better ... is a maybe a turn based strategie game where on a computer the default key layout wold be something like "A" "S" "Z" "X" "C" and the arrow keys or something like that, but if you really don't like the keyboard or mouse ... Just plug in a PS3 or Xbox Controller... which brings me to my next point the PC can be multi-platform by the use of Emulators, for example my computer also doubles as a PS2, N64, Gameboy Original/Color/Advanced, Nintendo DS, and NES. The last point of my argument was that unlike a gaming platform I have the ability to mod games, now I know you can do this on some platforms but you can't do very much to a game... for example my The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion + SI + NotN file is about ... 10-12 GB's without including mods however when I do Include mods my Oblivion file shoots up to about 36 GB's which would kill an Xbox. So I'm Pro-Computer~ 


Computer Pros:
Better Graphics
Better Controls
More Versatile
More Modding Options


Computer Cons:
More Expensive
Takes A Few Minutes To Install A Game

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Game Console Pros:
No Installing
Cheaper


Game Console Con:
Limited Controls
Worse Graphics
Less Modding Option
Can Only Do Stuff Made For The Game Console

[WingedZephyr]

Although I personally prefer consoles, I would disagree on a few things.

I would argue that ever since Steam came around, PC gaming is not dying out at all, and most likely even growing. Steam sometimes offers even brand new games for far cheaper than console prices, and you can take your games any place you can have Steam installed. PC gaming is a very solid option - as long as you have the hardware to support it.

The reason I don't use my PC for gaming is that I lack the hardware needed to run most games, and while games might be cheap, the hardware isn't (though it can depend on what you need and where you get it, of course). I also tend to abuse my computers, so I prefer to have a console that will last me several years instead of having to reinstall games on a computer every two years or so.

And I don't know about Xbox or Wii, but my PS3 always has to install something every time I put a brand new game in. It takes just as much time as it would installing on a computer, so that's kind of a moot point.

I don't think there's any such thing as a "better" platform, be it PC, Xbox, PS3, Wii, or whatever. It's all a personal preference based on the gaming experience you want and what kind of games you play. Even if I had a better computer to play games on, I'd never get rid of my consoles. My sister has a Wii that she's very happy with because she's more of a casual gamer, and even if Xbox or PS have more power and better graphics, she wouldn't want to trade in her Wii for one because it meets her needs.

[Aloneness]

Agreed steam really spiked the PC gaming community, I can't really argue about the installing thing because I don't have any other platform, other than the Emulators I have, which are you mount the .ISO file, Select the ISO in PCSX2 and then play the game.

[Mr. Magic Man]

console for me

My only  reasons:
1) when you want to play with friends, you don't need them to download anything. (most of the time)

2) local multi-player is very annoying with computers.

local multi-player is a lot easier to me when on a console, but that's just me.

[Vine Tabris]

What's wrong with playing both?

[Aloneness]

What's wrong with playing both?

Nothing this is just to see which people think is better.

[Vine Tabris]

I don't think neither is better than the other, just depends on your personal preference, so it's all just opinions. They each have their own collection of good exclusive games, so I don't see the reason why there has to be a war over it when it just comes down to what type of games you like and which platform has more of the games you like. We all like different games, so it's just a matter of taste.
Oh, and PC gaming isn't dying, not at all. PC games aren't all the expensive either. From what I've seen most PC games cost just as much as a console game, and there's also a lot of good free online PC games like League of Legends, DC Universe Online, Champions Online, Dofus, Heroes of Newerth, City of Heroes ect. So, even if PC games were a little more expensive, the amount of free online games should even out the value.

[Aloneness]

wow someone else that's played/heard of "Dofus" ... but there is no "war" its just a simple debate

[Vine Tabris]

Yes, well, I'm just contributing to the neutral side of the debate, for which there is no poll option.

[Aloneness]

Just because its not there doesn't means its not represented because if you don't have a preference then you just don't pick one no ones holding a gun to your head and saying pick one. ^^; Its like politics, you have two people to vote for, you don't like either of them. Are you still going to vote for one despite the fact you don't liking either of them? (Not getting into real world politics that was just a hypothetical example)

[Ares the Ram]

its all taken with a grain of salt. Computer games might have better graphics and modding options, but controls are better or worse depending on what you're playing. FPS are generally better on pc, but a platformer is made for a controller for example. On the other hand, if you have a ps3, you do have to deal with installs for firmware updates and game updates.

Overall, Im a pc gamer because of how easy it is to buy stuff on steam

[Sigcutio]

Personally I'm more of a console person, but that's because consoles usually have more of the games I like (and there are the console exclusives). Now that I've come to understand the hardware power and options the computer offers, however, I've definitely come to really like computer gaming. Unfortunately, the cost of hardware is also what keeps me from converting which is a shame because I feel like I really missed out for certain games (Oblivion). Steam does help with prices, but at the same time I feel like I do not truly own the game. I suppose I'm just more of a hard-copy sort of person.

Until I have an income, it looks like I'm stuck with consoles, but I don't mind. I am perfectly happy with nintendo, xbox, and playstation. 

(On a side note, I am glad that this is not a console war flame thread  )

[Sly-Meerkat]

To me it depends on what games i am playing at the time and what console.....

If i was to play a simulation game like the sims or a RTS game like Command And Conquer then yes i prefer PC for them games but as for racing, shooting and other games i prefer to play on consoles.

PS. i have xbox, ps and pc and play games on all them so i just do what ever really, im happy 

[Vine Tabris]

Just because its not there doesn't means its not represented because if you don't have a preference then you just don't pick one no ones holding a gun to your head and saying pick one. ^^; Its like politics, you have two people to vote for, you don't like either of them. Are you still going to vote for one despite the fact you don't liking either of them? (Not getting into real world politics that was just a hypothetical example)

Yes, but how are you able to tell how many people are neutral, and how many people just haven't voted?

Can't tell if there's no poll option for it.

I should also mention that computer controls are not always better, I say this because I am a left-handed person, and usually do computer things with my mouse on the left side, whereas almost every computer game caters to right-handed controls.
Sure, you can customize keys a lot of the time, but have you ever tried to play League of Legends with the number pad? It's not fun.

[Timmy Fox]

I like PC due to the better graphics, ease of recording gameplay without the need for a pricy capture card.. I don't fully agree on all your pros and cons as well

Computer Cons:
More Expensive
Takes A Few Minutes To Install A Game

=========================================

Game Console Pros:
No Installing
Cheaper

While I agree on most of these, consoles aren't always cheaper the way I see it: Even if you can get a great gaming PC for only $500-600 you are able to get consoles real cheap yeah.. however you can get great computer monitors for quite low prices while a good big-screen TV is usually quite more pricy when it doesn't offer much more than a bigger screen at similar picture quality.
As well from my experience, PC games, especially newer ones, are quite very often $10-20 cheaper than their console counterpart, which, quite quickly can add up and weigh out the fact that the actual console might be cheaper, because as explained, the console might be cheaper, but the games are quite often more expensive in my experience.

I know when MW3 launched, at the local game store, the versions for PS3 and Xbox 360 was £20 more than the PC version, I remember this also applying for Black Ops when it first launched. Then after doing some research, I've found that this applies to quite many somewhat recently released game titles... and then just 10 games could build up to a hefty $200 difference in price between PC and console versions!

Another thing is the "No installations" while this remains true with consoles that you can usually just put the disc in and play whilst PC you need to take a few minutes to install.
This imo has both ups and downs on both sides, one quite big plus for the PC is that once it's installed you don't need to hassle with any discs again because it's installed on your hard drive, ready to run at any time while consoles need to switch the discs for each game.
Something else that I believe PC does better is applying updates and such: Whilst at least Xbox 360 usually can take a few minutes before letting you play to apply both bigger firmware updates or smaller game updates, at least Steam on PC on the other paw does this quite quick and in the background. Only time it actually seems to take some time is when applying an update to itself which requires you to restart the client.