I find this annoying: Comparing PC to Console

[DerBear]

I'll admit this is my first proper console war I've been involved in. Before I was too young and didn't really care.

One thing I found annoying while discussing this on various gaming websites and even around here was the fact people often either compared PC to a console or they brought up how much better a PC is to a console.

I was watching a Q&A by some youtuber (honestly can't remember his name) and he brought up an excellent point about the fact that really console owners choose a console over PC for the following reasons:


Its cheaper overall
Its easy to install and you don't even have to upgrade it
You're guaranteed for at least 7-8 years + of having the 'latest console'


Whereas if you are a PC gamer then you generally don't have any of those securities. We all know by right that a PC is better than a console. However I think entering into the debate of discussing consoles and saying that is stupid more or less because I don't think some PC gamers understand that not everyone wants to build a PC from the ground up or invest £500+ in gaming PC.

I guess me, personally I dislike the mentioning of discussing PC in console debates because it takes away from the topic as well as already stating the obvious.

[Syvelocin]

Personally, other than the sheer power of a PC, it's that a PC isn't just an investment in gaming. I very often skip gens because I simply don't need something to play games on when as long as you have the minimum requirements, you can play tons of games on PC without needing a specific console. The only reason I own consoles is because of exclusives. You may be paying 400 for a console instead of one grand for a PC, but I use a PC for hours and hours a day while I use a console a maximum of 2 hours a day if at all. To me, it's like comparing a flip phone to a smart phone. Like sure, it's cheaper, but it's also a personal organizer, mp3 player, "game" system, etc. Consoles are getting better with this, but PCs will always win on versatility. Even at one grand, I'd rather get a new PC than get a new gaming console, but that's because personally, even though I'm definitely a gamer, I don't value gaming very highly as a function than a practical tool you can use academically, professionally, casually, as well as for entertainment. You don't even need the top of the line parts. My PC can play everything I've tried on Ultra graphics but I only have a GeForce 560. That's still a little more than some people are willing to spend on a graphics card (when it came out), but just saying you can compromise and still have a great machine.

But no, I never bring PCs into console conversations with the intention of comparison. Like you said, there's no point.

[Cygnus]

Well, I honestly like to keep a balance between PC and Console gaming, because they both have their pros and cons, and to me there are games that are suited better for console than for PC and vice-versa, like I doubt anyone would wanna play Tekken on PC over a console version as an example, or that someone with a good PC would get The Witcher 2 on 360. They're both great honestly, PC might be more powerful but consoles are more "stable" and "social" if you wanna use those terms.

[Infidelitas]

I just prefer consoles to PCs purely because I like having the controller in my hand.

I agree that they shouldn't be included in the console wars debate.

[TheMatrix]

My preference for consoles is because I can't remember all the different key combinations on PC. I also don't really have a keyboard suitable for gaming, nor a great graphics card.
I have a choice between a GeFore FX 5500 or a GT 540M. The latter isn't terrible, but it's a laptop and thus not really intended for heavy-duty gaming.
Another reason I like consoles is that the games will always work, and there's no fiddling with drivers or missing shared libraries(known as `DLLs' to Windows folk). PC tends to be inconsistent with which games work. RCT1 works just fine on Windows 7, but RCT2 does not. Quake 3 Arena(my dad's copy from '99) works on Linux, even though much has changed since then.

But you are right. Comparing PC to console in a console holy war is and always has been comparing apples to oranges.
Although, that may change, as the current generation of consoles basically is this year's PC, just without a keyboard or mouse.

Consoles, when first started, were created as a cheaper alternative to a PC, as the latter costed at least a grand, and not everybody had that money(we're not adjusting for inflation, of course). So, the console makers of then made a lower-end computer, which was more affordable compared to a PC.
That remained the case really until the end of this generation of consoles. On a PS3, for example, it is possible to deliver amazing graphics and excellent gameplay, even though it ``only'' has 512MB of memory(256 for each main and video); most modern games of today require at least twice that much, or so say their documentation.