[WoWGold]

The PC is a capable machine, but convenience is king these days, what with casual gamers and the Wii. World of Warcraft carries the torch for the PC because of its maintstream appeal. WoW Gold, epic mounts, challenging instances make for a good MMO experience that can even run on a low-end PC.
All I see in the list is high-end, wallet-busting PC elitism. :/

[RazeTheWorld]

I do agree that the mouse and keyboard are not the most realistic. The light gun for NES was the most realistic, but it would also be a terrible controller for a first person shooter.


If someone had a wiimote and they were playing someone with a mouse and keyboard, they would never win. A keyboard and mouse is the best control method for FPS, RPG, strategy, adventure, and other games. World of Goo is much easier to control on the PC.

[rkinne01]

I have found that the WII controller can be horribly inaccurate at times. I like using the keyborad and mouse controls, they allow for much more control that a console controller.

[trevor97007]

First of all, the Wii is not a piece of trash. If it doesn't appeal to you, fine, but don't knock it for that reason. Also, PC gaming is only good if you can afford it. When you live paycheck to paycheck, there isn't any money left over for upgrades to be able to play the games. For most people, the console is the best way to play because they never need to do any upgrades to make sure they can play whatever game they buy.

[JimH443]

I play my games on the computer because I'm not even getting paychecks (other than unemployment). I haven't had to upgrade my 3 year old $400 (when new) XP computer to play what I want. Granted, I can't play every game out there... but then again, I sure as heck couldn't afford to buy every game out there. And, when worst comes to worst (as it has), there's plenty of freeware / shareware that consoles don't offer.

[MarioJP]

Not only that but pc hardware is very cheap. PC gaming is not even expensive at all. The only thing left is know how to put a system together. Once you got that covered your pretty much gaming.

[Villainstone]

Well as a former console gamer of 17 years I think of the PC as the adult game console. I played consoles for 17 years and I grew up and bought a PC, never looked back. Also I would love to see a console span across the monitors, filling both front and peripheral vision LOL. Wait I would also like to see a console gamer play a game and check their email at the same time on the same system LOL. Oh and when was the last time a console gamer modded BF2, and made their own maps. Hey did you hear the one about the console user that gets a head shot nearly every time when sniping a moving target, me neither because those stupid thumb sticks are so inaccurate compared to the mouse LOL. I can go on but I am sure more people will pick up where I left off. Take your consoles and shove em, they are obsolete and costing more than a normal PC. I another ten years if they are still around they will out price a PC. I mean 600.00 for a machine that play games and watches movies, not to mention a little bit of web browsing.

[Villainstone]

I got another one lets spend 400.00 on a console every 3 years.
I can buy a PC and upgrade it every years for 5 years and still play the newest games with the newest graphical advancements. While the console lovers are stuck with the same old three year old looking game. I mean come on three years from now do you really want your game to look the same as it does today LMAO.
"Wow I got the new Halo... ahhh it looks just like the last one that came out two years ago."
It's a good thing I can make my game look better year after year. Oh and can your console print spreadsheets and graphs. Can it surf the net, IM, photoshop, play music, burn a disk, rip a disk, record live TV all the the exact same time LOL. I'll give an easy one do your console have adjustable resolution, and graphical enhancement... 8x AA, 16x AF anyone... me me me please.

[historyboi]

i prefer pc gaming
because the online experience is better

1. more maps than the average xbox,playstation, exc

2. ability to make/mod maps

3. cheaper internet

4. can you play wow or warhammer online on anything other than a computer? I have yet to see people play world of warcraft on an xbox360

even offline can be good to

1. more games

2. half of them you don't have to worry about losing the play disc

3. rpg and real time strategy games play better(starcraft for example, scrolling would be a pain on the controller)

4. portability of games, you could put your game on a flashdrive or external hard drive and take it with you and lose no progress

[coastie65]

Villainstone said:

Well as a former console gamer of 17 years I think of the PC as the adult game console. I played consoles for 17 years and I grew up and bought a PC, never looked back. Also I would love to see a console span across the monitors, filling both front and peripheral vision LOL. Wait I would also like to see a console gamer play a game and check their email at the same time on the same system LOL. Oh and when was the last time a console gamer modded BF2, and made their own maps. Hey did you hear the one about the console user that gets a head shot nearly every time when sniping a moving target, me neither because those stupid thumb sticks are so inaccurate compared to the mouse LOL. I can go on but I am sure more people will pick up where I left off. Take your consoles and shove em, they are obsolete and costing more than a normal PC. I another ten years if they are still around they will out price a PC. I mean 600.00 for a machine that play games and watches movies, not to mention a little bit of web browsing.

Hi villianstone and welcome to the forum. PCWorld built a computer and gave it away in April of last year that did precisely that. They had one pictuer in which flight simulator was installed, and you have the font view on one monitor and the side views on the other, like in a regular cockpit. It was pretty neat, and all three monitors were 24". I play on the PS2 & PS3 as well as the PC. Stuff like Tomb Raider play better on the console than on the PC in my opinion, but I prefer playing the RPG's on the PC as well as Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Being able to mod a game on the PC does have it's advantages for sure. I am pretty much neutral as far as PC vs Console as I enjoy both, with the exception that there is NO Xbox in my future, and the Wii is extremely doubtful. coastie65

[historyboi]

i have a soon to be 4 year old dell laptop

and i have yet to find a game that i cant play on it (other than vista) and my only problem is not graphics but size of the files halo 1 for pc takes almost 1/4 my lappy memory then i get the custom halo to play maps people make... i constantly find halo 2 maps made in halo 1 custom as well as a few halo 3 maps

these are with dual weild and exploding vehicles as well as the fall dmg...

for xbox i have halo 1 and 2 and would have gotten halo 3 if it dident cost over 200$ to get and i had herd rumors that half my xbox games cant even be played on the 360

(halo 3 costs over 200$ because of price of system +price of game)

so i currently have 1 xbox 1 supper nintendo and i look back and i see that if i sell my systems for a better system, then i wont be able to play the games i liked any more but if you buy/build a pc you have less of that problem because you can find a patched version of the outdated games online and get more play out of them nomater how new the comp is

eventualy you will see the old games get laggy but when? 15-20 years after its new?by then the newer version of that game may be out.

[zeroblizzard]

The Wiimote and Nunchuk could be written to be PC-compatible. Besides, there are car attachments for PC's. As for shooting games, it's the keyboard and mouse, or a controller (if you decide that you must be inferior), or nothing. Go out and shoot a real gun if you want the real thing.

[zeroblizzard]

You're considering the options as if you have a console AND a PC. If you have a PC that's relatively new, you can upgrade it to kick some serious @ss with the right hardware. Yes, you're right, that requires people to know how to open up a computer, take out the old card (unscrew one screw, grab onto the sides of the card, and pull out), and put in the new one (grab the sides, push into slot and screw in a screw), and that may be too much for people to handle. Those people will probably go out and buy a console because "they can't be bothered" or "I don't want to know how to upgrade my computer" or "I don't have time".



I view the PC as a tool that allows you to have all of the features that we normally use PC's for, with the added bonus of being able to play games. I guess that PC's are more of a lifestyle than owning a console. However, owning a PC is more of an investment in the future than consoles (you can't do everyday computing tasks on a console, can you?), and you don't have to replace it every few years (ever heard of something called "forwards compatibility"?). PC's just provide a larger niche than console's do, and that's more useful to more people.

[zeroblizzard]

Yes, most games don't run at that high of a resolution at all. The max for a XBOX360/PS3 is 1080p (1920x1080). The max for a PC is much higher than that. A $230 graphics card (4870) can produce better pictures at 1080p (more anti-aliasing + filtering) than a console.

[flovalova]

I just got this from my co-worker, and I replied him with the same answer, give me a 50 inch monitor and then talk about whats better. Gaming has become a phenomena because of Game Consoles. Think about the times of Atari or Nintendo, although you can play Super Mario Bros or Asteroids on a PC, imagine how fun it was on a Game Console. I wouldn't trade my PS3 for a million pc games.

Good article-not agreeable.

[ajshurts]

@Undefined

Opinions aside, the majority of your post is patently false. You can argue expense all day long, but I can build a very capable gaming PC for $500 and it's future proof. ...and not appealing to casual gamers? Are you serious? Where do you get your facts from because NPD would seem to differ with you:

www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/npd-62percent-of-us-gamers-play-online/70378/?biz=1

If people are paying thousands they are getting a VASTLY superior experience graphically speaking than any current console could ever hope to achieve. Consoles are ALWAYS at least 2 generations behind, even on the day they are released, the current PC hardware will trounce the newest consoles. If you don't see the difference, than that is on you, not reality.

In the interest of full disclosure, I own all 3 major consoles, and have been a PC gamer since the Vic20. My bread and butter will always be in PC gaming, but I enjoy consoles as well. I am just not diluted enough to think that the console experience could ever match up with the horsepower of even a moderately powered PC.

[splwrx]

MysteriousX, not to be rude, but your pc gaming spec quotes DDR3 ram, at X amount, but only $50USD for a mainboard, now im pretty savvy with this kind of thing, and i thought id mention a mainboard with DDR3, couldnt possibly be that cheap, unless its a peice of rubbish, so if you go lowest quality, even $50 is hard to achieve, but realisitically id be reaching above $150.00USD if your quoting DDR3 ram. just a thought.

[nappyjim]

Everyone who argues, 'well can your console check email, download porn, watch live tv, etc at the same time" are idiots. The argument is not which platform can do the most, the argument is which platform offers the best gaming.

And to the dood who quoted a motherboard at $50 that could support all the stuff he was quoting is out of his mind. Show me a reliable, quality mobo for $50 that can support a good video card, HD audio card, and DDR3 Ram; lol get real. Oh, and you cant factor in a HD TV along with the console. Most people already have an HD TV or TV display that they are happy with prior to purchasing a console, so scratch that $500 from your list.

I like PC's for RTS, RPG, but for FPS I like console. using a K/M for a FPS should seems wrong. No feedback (vibration) and it all just seems to mechancial and roboti; click-point-shoot, click-point-shoot.

And to the dood who said, "have you even seen a console gamer get headshot after headshot, no, because the analog stick is so inaccurate". Ummmmmmm, you've obvosuly never played Halo on Xbox Live. There are doods on there who will make you curse at your TV because you "know" they have to be cheating somehow.

PC graphics are better yes, but by a large margin? Nop. Even when I look at those comparison screenshots, I have to look at the print to understand what i should be noticing. "As you can see in the PC shot, the main characters pants have 2 more wrinkles in them and the tree's in the distance have twice the amount of leaves". To that, I give a big, "WHO GIVES A FLYING F&$*" If you really care that much about the details, then I think you need to get a life and understand the game you are playing is not real life, so it is OK if it doesnt look 100% realistic.



Oh yah, I prolly spelled some stuff wrong, who cares. if you come back with that argument, I will not bother to respond.

[splwrx]

PFFT, get a 50" Panel and then argue???
its when you get a large panel you notice clarity more from PC use than any console could ever give you.

if you get a 26" or a 32" chances are, its way harder to notice the difference between consoles and PC's becuase vendors dont focus on tech quality too much on panels that small anymore. its ussually 40" and above which get the good stuff packed in them.

get a Samsung A650 series 46" or 52" LCD Panel, run your pc via HDMI on that, and your PS3, i assure you your PS3 is inferior in comparison. your PS3 can upscale, so can my PC, and most others running K-lite or BS Player. you watch Bluray movies, so do i $100 for a HD/Bluray drive. but ill be damned if your PS3 can get 50fps+ running Farcry 2, or Call of Duty- World At War. my PC can, and for that, there is no comparison to consoles. Note: i only have 1 x GTX260. thats the cost of gaming to me, 1 good video card, compared to buying a full console, as a PC is always needed these days, add a good video card, and its now a gamer also. easy. if only most people realised that if they have a pc, then get a semi decent video card, and all your console games, will perform better on PC if available.

in fact, forget my PC, assume you went out and bought one from whomever running at least a 9600 series Nvidia GPU or ATi 4800 series, i assure you, your PS3 running GTA4, or Dead Space, or pretty much any game cannot outperform the pc for video rendering quality. no chance. sorry buddy. i still own a PS3, and a 360, the only 2 consoles with 1080P capability, but no word of a lie, neither can be visually more pleasing than what you can obtain from a PC. a PS3 isnt bad, and same goes for the 360, but neither are in the same playing field as a PC.

Most people who go out to compare the costs of a console to a PC, are doing it wrong, forget the pc, you need one anyway for emails, net surfing, documents, itunes etc...., so if you have one doing this already great, you almost there, now go compare a console to a decent video card, truth is, thats all you should be comparing, forget the rest of the system as its just as much a household necesseity these days as a microwave. VGA card vs Console, thats what we should be talking about when price comparisons come into play, and more importantly, bang for buck video quality.

[MysteriouX]

Previously some posters mentioned the "good things" about the Wii controller and how it was better than a keyboard+mouse.

And I did mention that it would just be a matter of time before some company either created one or some hardware genius just modded a Wii controller for the PC.



Well look no more: Lenovo's new PC IdeaCentre A600 All-in-One Desktop comes with a remote controller just like that.

"...For gaming enthusiasts, Lenovo developed the 4-in-1 optional remote controller. It is the first to bring PC users the ability to play games using the remote control's ‘motion drive' feature, which controls on-screen objects according to the movement of the remote.

Unlike other remotes, the Lenovo 4-in-1 remote controller can also be used as a VOIP handset^3^ to make and receive phone calls over the Internet, similar to a typical cordless telephone. The remote also serves as a media center/TV remote, and with Microsoft Vista Media Center users can use the controller to operate DVDs, movies and TV. Additionally, the remote functions as an "air mouse" so it can be used to operate the cursor on the screen... "



So there you have it, another score for the PC!



And yes I agree with splwrx, most homes already have a PC anyway, so it's just a matter of comparing the costs of upgrading a few components instead of getting a new PC.