Here's my two bits on Conoles vs PCConsole games: seem limited to me. there are not to many really involved console games out there. game play syle does not appeal to me, I like keyboard and mouse can't Mod console games like you can computer games But you don't have to upgrade as often your console as much as you do your computer rig, in order to play the latest game Consoles are cheaper to buy.Most console games don't require a patch in order for you to play them.PC graphics ROCK and can be modified.You can mod or download mods to have nudity in PC games (joke)I play only PC games because that is what I like. I have played console games and found they are not my style.We need more support for Computer Games.
@Finster I agree with you there I myself see the pro and cons on both side I remember some time back the head of PS1 I think when they did a very heavy marketing campaign to knock Saga who was the number one seller at the time now this is some time back think it was over 20 yrs ago now.A very smart move on there part they gave away the blades to sell ppl the razor's True Consoles are cheaper then a PC granted they try to make there money in the games they sell.And every 5 or 6 years the deck get shuffled to see what the next leading console to get Where with PC you can spend more or less the same amount of money in just upgrading.I myself would rather play on my PC then a Console as stated in Finster post 
PC has customization and control over the control, consoles sadly have the majority of games, damned if you do damned if you don't.
I see a huge problem with consoles Vs. pc as much as it pains me.A high end computer is expensive and new games usually (I didn't say always!) tend to demand a lot resources or they aren't really playable. That means that PCs that were up to date a couple of years ago, are out dated today.And sadly a lot people, for what reason ever, don't want to buy a computer more often than all 4 years or so. Also a lot parents buy their kids rather a console because it is cheaper than a PC... same goes for some people in a relationship, eventually with kids. There often the money doesn't suffice to buy a PC that would be up to date to play the latest games - plus a lot parents and couples/husbands/wifes don't see a new game as a reason to buy new pc hardware or a whole new pc.I fear the PC will lose more and more ground since in all other countries (except for europe) the consoles and console-games sell much better than PC stuff I simply guess the control over the control thing isn't enough reason for plenty of people to favor a pc over a console. Too many simply just want to turn on the box, slip in the CD and play and not bother about stuff like screenshots, tinkering with graphic settings and so on...
as much as it pains me.A high end computer is expensive and new games usually (I didn't say always!) tend to demand a lot resources or they aren't really playable. That means that PCs that were up to date a couple of years ago, are out dated today.And sadly a lot people, for what reason ever, don't want to buy a computer more often than all 4 years or so. Also a lot parents buy their kids rather a console because it is cheaper than a PC... same goes for some people in a relationship, eventually with kids. There often the money doesn't suffice to buy a PC that would be up to date to play the latest games - plus a lot parents and couples/husbands/wifes don't see a new game as a reason to buy new pc hardware or a whole new pc.I fear the PC will lose more and more ground since in all other countries (except for europe) the consoles and console-games sell much better than PC stuff I simply guess the control over the control thing isn't enough reason for plenty of people to favor a pc over a console. Too many simply just want to turn on the box, slip in the CD and play and not bother about stuff like screenshots, tinkering with graphic settings and so on...That may be true, but I honestly believe if PC games ever went heavily into decline, the industry as a whole would suffer badly from it in the long run, console games too. The reason for that is that the PC is the medium that allows aspiring game developers and designers to get acquainted with the tools and possibilities to work out their own ideas. If in, say, 20 years, nobody who likes playing computer games knows how to create anything of their own, far less people will complete an education for the gaming industry and there won't be as many people around to realize any large scale projects.
I must say that i prefer PC. Why?My choice is simple. I don't have 2nd TV-set so and when my family want to watch TV i can play on PC, or watch something. Also exploring the PC Environment is faster and easier. I mean you can point and click with mouse and have many folders opened in the same time.
I totally agree with you there and I sincerely hope the PC will never die as gaming platform for games like TW and similar.Reason 1.Yet, there are too many people out there (Met a lot in MMORPGs and close proximity of people I know) who care a poop about creativity. They only want to consume and that's it ;-(They don't want to bother about modding, screenshots, forum, community and whatnot... Last time I talked to someone like that, I felt like talking to a simpleton. Reason 2.And parents are still a powerful force that won't be ignored by the economical brown-nosers... sad as it may be when it comes to games made for adults and not for kids.A console is something you turn on and it works - a PC requires some knowledge... and a lot parents don't have that and are scared to lose control because of this.A console is something parents can control and confiscate without feeling guilty since it only serves the pure purpose of entertainment. With a PC it will be more difficult, because the kid probably needs the PC for school as well..But to do your homeworks and all that on your PC you don't need a high end machine - and parents don't have to worry the kid is doing or playing something on the PC they can't understand or control.Reason 3.People who have not much money but want to consume games as well. They probably (or not) would prefer a PC, too, but can't afford it without either pissing off someone or getting themselves into financial troubles.So they have to chose, no games at all - or console games... Reason 3.1Miser, who always prefer the cheapest solution and don't really care about quality of a game. They would only buy a new PC if the old one falls apart or dies from old age. And even then it would be a cheap-ass howler with low quality hardware, sold by some super-market once in a year.Here in germany we have a cheap supermarket chain called ALDI ... they sell such a instant PC once a year or all two years... and those machines are a pure pain in the ass. I have seen those things standing around at some of my former customers who had problems with their comps...So they buy a console and can play happily without worrying to be outdated, until the next generation of consoles comesKaeldorn said:
I mostly agree with Rhian. Parents buying a toy for their kids are most likely to choose a console for that. It's only meant to play games (and movies nowadays), and you don't have to be tech-savvy to control it / your child's usage of it. On a PC the kid can easily download any kind of game for example, and if the parents have the current parent's "standard knowledge" of PCs (read: no knowledge at all) they won't even know about it. With a console it's rather easy. Its interface is made to be understandable without problems and even downloaded demos can be checked by anybody who has never had any experience with it before. Also, current consoles do include a system to lock away adult content unless you enter a PIN, password or similar. So, for parents with no knowledge of computers a console is the easier choice, as well as being far cheaper. But that was the same back when I grew up.However, I think Rhian and many others here are missing a pretty important thing about console gaming: While it is true that there are PC games that offer a more intricate experience, even some adults want plain and simple fun every now and then. I am one of these guys. I simply enjoy games like God of War 1 and 2, Ratchet and Clank and other games like that. They might not be the most complicated game, and in fact are pretty dumb, except for the story sometimes, but they deliver on something the PC game industry still struggles with: Plain and simple fun gameplay. And some genres are even completely neglected by the PC game industry (see Beat'Em Ups or survival horror games.... I drool just on the thought how great a Beat'Em Up on a current PC could look. And survival horror games are only present on the PC in the form of sloppy ports).I still love playing a great PC game, no doubt about that, but consoles have something to offer that is just different from what I'd expect from a PC game. So, for me, it's an even situation. The only sad thing is that we're getting more and more PC games that are just ports of console games that tried to be a PC game (take Bioshock for example)
(take Bioshock for example)Same for me. That's why I also use MAME alongside my consoles and my PC. Retro gaming has a lot to offer.I spent quite a while playing the puzzle game that came with the Orange Box, too. It is good to have a quick fun session sometimes, and MAME and consoles are great for that, though I think consoles are getting some deeper games than in the past; career modes are more of a standard now, and games like Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, Twilight Princess and a whole bunch of others all have long playtimes and are quite intricate. But I could never replace my PC.
Rhian: How often do you need to buy consoles though. Every 3-5 years a new generation comes out so... games are more expensive for them and if you don't buy top of the line but one notch under you can get a decent Pc for under 2000 that can last 3-5 years. Console prices seem to be going up each generation, and yet still make you pay more for the games. I don't think money is the main reason parent buy consoles over pcs, it is the ease. When buying a console you just need to know where they checkout counter is. When buying a pc... My computer that I'm using right now I could replace for under 1000, and it isn't that old. I bought top of the line and it cost me more for it but if you don't cost doesn't play into it as much with all the offsets like games costing more and xbox live fees, extras addon crap, etc... Yes there is a difference but not a grandeous one. I'd really hate for computer games to stop coming, they are so so much better than console games. Yes a few rare console games come out with depth and all but so much more come out for Pc and can be altered after shipping.
I been following this topic from day one and it a very good debate we have going here.Now Ask yourself this what really is a Console Deep down it really a PC that only players game yes now they can play blue ray and do a few more things .But you can have that with a PC as well most gamer have a second hard drive just for game which I don't have yet :You may want to look at this you still need a PC to design game as well as Consoles. So IMO I don't think that PC will be replace anytime soon.when PS2 first came out they said it was going to replace the PC your DVD player and a few other things which had not really happened yet Many years Back there was talk of Apple PC going by the way of the doa doa bride but it never happened see where they are now Consoles are made for ppl that want it a easy in playing game and don't want to do anything more with the game which I can understand that.And PC game are made for ppl who want to do more with the game as been stated before so there not need to repeat that part ;D
.But you can have that with a PC as well most gamer have a second hard drive just for game which I don't have yet :You may want to look at this you still need a PC to design game as well as Consoles. So IMO I don't think that PC will be replace anytime soon.when PS2 first came out they said it was going to replace the PC your DVD player and a few other things which had not really happened yet Many years Back there was talk of Apple PC going by the way of the doa doa bride but it never happened see where they are now Consoles are made for ppl that want it a easy in playing game and don't want to do anything more with the game which I can understand that.And PC game are made for ppl who want to do more with the game as been stated before so there not need to repeat that part ;DTheres a big difference, how often do you hear of people upgrading a console to get better performance? All Xbox360s are the same so programming for them is very simple compared to Pc programming. Unfortunately it is in most Devs minds that PC = mature gamers, console = kids. So you tend to get almost all console games geared towards... *drum roll* kids. Games that are made for both platforms tend to get dumbed down mroe often than not. Also modding still is a Pc only thing, though since the Xbox 360 is very Pc like I don't see why they didn't just ship them with keyboards and allow file modification and usb transfers...then I guess they'd need a virus program though... or just use others mods at own risk. taht is probably why they didn't they want to keep consoles as simplistic as possible.Seeker said:I been following this topic from day one and it a very good debate we have going here.Now Ask yourself this what really is a Console Deep down it really a PC that only players game yes now they can play blue ray and do a few more things
@phalzyr I agree with you there on your last post it dose get dumed down that why I stated in the end that pc game are ment for ppl that want to do more maybe I should have said who want more And you are so right are more of a throw away then anything else Hell still have my old Saga in the basement someplace
And you are so right are more of a throw away then anything else Hell still have my old Saga in the basement someplace The industry as a while has degraded in options, control options specify, look at Halo and Bioshock both supposed AAA titles yet neither have full button mapping and the PC port of bioshock is crippled beyond belief sure Dues ex 2 was fcked but the mroe I play with bioshock the more I see code thats been totally raped for the console....I have put off buying a new console and I think I will jsut wait it out till a 3rd part develops a reconfiguration(full button mapping + KB&M) device to let me enjoy the stuff I buy.
That is possibly the biggest dumbing down that I hate the most and it isn't a bit necessary. Coding in key mapping is very very easy to do, at least make it ini changeable if you don't want to spend time making a pretty GUI for it... (I've made many remappable key trainers with ease, adding remappability took like thirty minutes or less :ZippyDSMlee said:
Depends on how tech savvy you are and how much money you have. I mean 600 bucks for a system is the same price for a high end graphics card. Why not buy both? or have all of them. A console is really only five to seven games. Not really that bad. for metal gear, you are going to want to save up. I think that would justify a purchase.
I've always felt that decking out a PC will yield many more rewards than purchasing a console or...three. They're simply so much more versatile that there's really no argument against it. I don't understand how people can say the PC market is dying, the latter half of 2007 was one of the best times in history for PC games. I'm certainly not against consoles though, there are plenty of console gems that shaped the revolutions in gaming technolog, and they can be a lot of fun. I will say however, that the market is definately generally directed towards a younger market, and therefore a game such as The Witcher would suffer immensely to have to be dumbed down to that kind of market, that's simply not the personality of the game.