Computer or console: Which do you prefer for games?
Yep, the old argument again. I was talking about this yesterday to a mate (a World of Warcraft addict) who doesn't like consoles, and neither I (who much prefers consoles) nor he managed to move the other an inch. Anyway, I thought I'd see what we all thought about it on here.
I'm not talking about computers like the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64 (well, I say computer...), BBC etc. I mean modern computers, basically just the PC (be it Windows or Linux or whatever) or an Apple Mac (are there arny other computers in use for games nowadays? I only know of the Mac and the PC) that people play games on, and modernish (say last few years) consoles. It doesn't matter whether you mean the PC or Mac, or the XBox 1 or 360, or the Gamecube or Wii, it's just computer vs. console.
Both consoles and computers have their own advantages and disadvantages over the other format; computers are far more flexible, can be upgraded (well the PC can, I don't know about the Mac) and have a mouse which is great for aiming or onscreen selection and is far more accurate than a joypad when moved at speed. Consoles are far more reliable (if you ignore the 360's skyhigh failure rate:o), boot up very quickly, need no maintanence, the games work first time and always at full speed (no need to upgrade the CPU or graphics card) and have the convenience of a joypad to control everything.
You get no blue screens of death on a console, nor any viruses, malware or incompatibility on a game that should run on your system. On the other hand, on a PC you get the ability to run lots of great and free mods for many of the best games, the ability to create those mods yourself, and a huge back catalogue of (mostly) compatible games (though some require work to get them running on your PC).
Some consoles have some great emulators on them. On the other hand, the PC has more emulators, and often these emulators run better and have more features and compatibility.To be fair, the emulators on the console can be easier to use, but then the more complex emulators often require more CPU power than the host console can provide.
PCs require maintanance to work properly, which is a real pain. Or, to look at it another way, learning to fix and maintain your PC can teach you a lot about technology, and get you into a PC-related work field. It did for me. So the PC's troublesome nature is good or bad, depending on your point of view, especially considering that some people like messing around with their PCs. Consoles require no maintanance.
PCs are ugly. Consoles aren't much better, but then who buys a machine to look at it, so it's a bit of a non-point, here. The i-Macs look nice, though.
PCs offer higher screen resolutions than console games, but since you sit up close to a PC screen, and farer away from a console (Telivision) screen I don't really see the difference. The comparitively low resolution of a console game has never bothered me personally. I never had a really low resolution console such as the Atari 2600 or Collecovision, everything from the Megadrive/SNES upwards looks fine to me.
PC games run from hard drive, and not their discs. This is a major plus point, and a minor minus point. It's great because the games load much quicker (after they have been installed), but slightly bad because you can't just try a game quickly, you have to install it first (and waste time clearing the necessary hard drive space if you're short of space), but this isn't much hassle at all. On the other hand, consoles play their games straight from disc, which is slower loading, but more convenient (although I think that the slower loading far outways the slight convenience of running directly from disc). On the plus side, some consoles allow game loading from hard drive, such as the XBox (which needs to first be modded), the PS2 (you need the right interface and software, and then not all games work from hard drive), or the XBox 360 (although not all games work this way on the 360, I understand). Then again, the N64 had cartridges, which are almost instantaneously quick, and very tough too (unlike CD or DVDs). I like games cartridges :smile:
Consoles are easier to carry to your mate's house for a link up gaming session. PCs are tougher to lug about. Consoles are cheaper than PCs, although the difference is much less than it used to be. Consoles are better for kids, as there's less for them to wreck or wrongly delete, but there are lots of free games on the PC, plus PC games seem more likely to have cheats, which some children might like.
Anyway, this poll is purely about playing games, not word processing, e-mail, programming, or anything else non-games playing. I'm just curious what percentage of us prefer to play modern(ish) games on a computer and who else prefer a console. Your choice of console (be it 360, Wii, PS2 etc) isn't important, not is your computer of preference (PC, Mac, whatever, but NOT a Speccy/C64/ST/Amiga etc, this is about modern gaming) just whether you prefer to play modern games on a console or a computer.
I have't added an option for handheld machines (even though they can be great - the PSP version of FUSE takes up hours of my time ;-) Psion Scrabble maked train journeys fly by) as it's just about playing games in your own time, at home, not to kill time at work or when travelling.
I'm not talking about computers like the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64 (well, I say computer...), BBC etc. I mean modern computers, basically just the PC (be it Windows or Linux or whatever) or an Apple Mac (are there arny other computers in use for games nowadays? I only know of the Mac and the PC) that people play games on, and modernish (say last few years) consoles. It doesn't matter whether you mean the PC or Mac, or the XBox 1 or 360, or the Gamecube or Wii, it's just computer vs. console.
Both consoles and computers have their own advantages and disadvantages over the other format; computers are far more flexible, can be upgraded (well the PC can, I don't know about the Mac) and have a mouse which is great for aiming or onscreen selection and is far more accurate than a joypad when moved at speed. Consoles are far more reliable (if you ignore the 360's skyhigh failure rate:o), boot up very quickly, need no maintanence, the games work first time and always at full speed (no need to upgrade the CPU or graphics card) and have the convenience of a joypad to control everything.
You get no blue screens of death on a console, nor any viruses, malware or incompatibility on a game that should run on your system. On the other hand, on a PC you get the ability to run lots of great and free mods for many of the best games, the ability to create those mods yourself, and a huge back catalogue of (mostly) compatible games (though some require work to get them running on your PC).
Some consoles have some great emulators on them. On the other hand, the PC has more emulators, and often these emulators run better and have more features and compatibility.To be fair, the emulators on the console can be easier to use, but then the more complex emulators often require more CPU power than the host console can provide.
PCs require maintanance to work properly, which is a real pain. Or, to look at it another way, learning to fix and maintain your PC can teach you a lot about technology, and get you into a PC-related work field. It did for me. So the PC's troublesome nature is good or bad, depending on your point of view, especially considering that some people like messing around with their PCs. Consoles require no maintanance.
PCs are ugly. Consoles aren't much better, but then who buys a machine to look at it, so it's a bit of a non-point, here. The i-Macs look nice, though.
PCs offer higher screen resolutions than console games, but since you sit up close to a PC screen, and farer away from a console (Telivision) screen I don't really see the difference. The comparitively low resolution of a console game has never bothered me personally. I never had a really low resolution console such as the Atari 2600 or Collecovision, everything from the Megadrive/SNES upwards looks fine to me.
PC games run from hard drive, and not their discs. This is a major plus point, and a minor minus point. It's great because the games load much quicker (after they have been installed), but slightly bad because you can't just try a game quickly, you have to install it first (and waste time clearing the necessary hard drive space if you're short of space), but this isn't much hassle at all. On the other hand, consoles play their games straight from disc, which is slower loading, but more convenient (although I think that the slower loading far outways the slight convenience of running directly from disc). On the plus side, some consoles allow game loading from hard drive, such as the XBox (which needs to first be modded), the PS2 (you need the right interface and software, and then not all games work from hard drive), or the XBox 360 (although not all games work this way on the 360, I understand). Then again, the N64 had cartridges, which are almost instantaneously quick, and very tough too (unlike CD or DVDs). I like games cartridges :smile:
Consoles are easier to carry to your mate's house for a link up gaming session. PCs are tougher to lug about. Consoles are cheaper than PCs, although the difference is much less than it used to be. Consoles are better for kids, as there's less for them to wreck or wrongly delete, but there are lots of free games on the PC, plus PC games seem more likely to have cheats, which some children might like.
Anyway, this poll is purely about playing games, not word processing, e-mail, programming, or anything else non-games playing. I'm just curious what percentage of us prefer to play modern(ish) games on a computer and who else prefer a console. Your choice of console (be it 360, Wii, PS2 etc) isn't important, not is your computer of preference (PC, Mac, whatever, but NOT a Speccy/C64/ST/Amiga etc, this is about modern gaming) just whether you prefer to play modern games on a console or a computer.
I have't added an option for handheld machines (even though they can be great - the PSP version of FUSE takes up hours of my time ;-) Psion Scrabble maked train journeys fly by) as it's just about playing games in your own time, at home, not to kill time at work or when travelling.
Post edited by ewgf on
Comments
If a game was available for both say Bully I bought it for the Wii, as my Pc's not upto it. the graphics on the Lego games are much better on the PC than it is on the Wii so I prefer the PC versions.
god i need to reinstall windows :P
ive always prefered consoles...........well since the mastersystem anyway
Oh no, so am I, please don't get me wrong - I'm not some console snob who thinks that PCs are just for accounts and e-mail. It's just that I don't like using the keyboard and mouse for games (mice are great, keyboards don't work well for first person shooters though, I think), I prefer to lie back on my bed and play video games via a joypad, and I spend so long fixing PCs all day that I don't want to come home and have to spend time on my own PC just to get a game running. I do really like some PC games, and I especially love some of the mods for first person shooters, it's just that I don't like playing games on the PC :(
The only games I play on the PC is either Football Manager 2009 or Chris Sawyers Locomotion, firstly because I can't abide console footy management games and secondly becasue Locomotion ain't out on a console :)
Oh I've played lots of FPSs on the PC, but only when I couldn't get to play them on a console (either because they weren't (yet) out on a console, or because I didn't have access to the console(s) that ran the games). Games like Doom 1 and 2, Quake, Half-Life 1, 2 and episodes 1 and 2, Alien vs Predator 1 and 2, Unreal Torunament, Deus Ex, and so on. I will play on a PC if I really want to play the game and can't get to it any other way (or if the PC version is better than the console version, such as Unreal Tournament), but I much prefer to play it on console.
True, but you still have to set the joypad up for every game, and not all games work right with a joypad, and you need to use the mouse to start the game, and so on.
That would make sense, as those games do benefit both from a higher screen resolution, and the ability to easily "lasso" groups of onscreen items, which isn't too easy with a joypad.
On my ps3, I play action games/sports games (GTA, Fifa 09, Pro Evo)
I've never been a big PC game nut, because my PC has always been just one or two steps behind the times. Never could keep my machine upgraded enough to play the latest, although most of it is samey shite anyway. Don't think I think that about all PC games there are some gems out there.
I've played and enjoyed most of the less conventional older FPS games on PC, things like Blood, Shadow Warrior, ZPC, Quiver, Strife, and Redneck Rampage. I still like firing Doom or many of it's TC's up every now and then, but I still think the best version of original Doom is the PS1 version.
But the only PC games other than FPS I've really enjoyed since I've owned a PC was GTA (the original), GTA: London, Hunter Hunted, Theme Hospital, Syndicate Wars, Zax, Hopkins FBI, Monkey Island 1 and 2 (3 was cack), Grim Fandango, Eric the unready, Diablo, Diablo 2, and a load of remakes and free games.
I've enjoyed hundreds maybe thousands more across consoles, be it on the real machine or emulated.
Of course I have played some absolute shite across both options as well.
There are so few console only games I want to play I would be quite happy not having one and I wouldn't miss it.
The other big advantage for me is that I can play most games on my laptop which is my only option when I am away from home. I can't really lug my 360 or Wii round with me all the time.
...but then again, I do have a very nice PC gaming setup, so no game is a real problem for me to run!
What about the mind games you play wiv' Normski?
With a console (starting with the PS 2 and now the Xbox 360 and Wii) I've found that I've a much more varied and interesting selection of games to choose from and I don't have to worry about whether my poor PC will be able to do them justice.
Still, the PC is still better than consoles at one thing - surfing pr0n. Erm. :P
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
Also, you don't really need to keep a stupidly high-end machine to play some of the best games. All bar a handful of my favourites will run just fine on my three year old cheap laptop with a few of the settings tweaked down a bit. Heck, most of them will even run on a netbook and that includes a few FPS and driving games.
i hate consoles.
They do on a technicality, but I know what you mean.
Why is it that the same device has not been made for PCs? And then get the games going with it also ... thinking out loud with a stuffy head and a runny nose.
You mean to tell me that you've been playing games with my mind without the aid of a computer or a console???
How the heck are you connecting to the Wide Web?
...
Scratch my back while you are at it, please :-)
... realise what?
It eventually becomes the superset of all consoles anyway. That is... if you are like me and don't mind playing games ten years out of date.
Why mess around buying expensive propriety Sony memory cards etc.. Fire up ePSXe instead for a quick game of Tony Hawks or Driver - don't need a mem card it's just a bunch of files on the HDD.
Compress 100 PSX games onto your laptop HDD - never need to insert a CD again either. Play the whole lot whilst on the move.
Plus you can have your PSX game pads plugged into the PC via USB, and then seemlessly switch to N64 emulation for a quick game of Mario Kart.
Not to mention also you can have your competition pro digital joystick for 8-bit retro gaming and your logitech flight stick for Flight Simulator X etc...
What other system allows emulation of so many legacy systems at your fingertips (including the COMX-35 :D)
Also, what about text adventures? I've seen keyboards on playstation 2 machines but aren't these always an optional extra?
I do have a PS2, which was given to me but don't use it too much.
Of course, I'm never desperate to play the very latest titles that would probably demand a console. Also, I might be biased. :)
EDIT: also modding as suggested below - very important and the PC is usually more flexible in that regard (e.g. Morrowind mods, GTA3 user-mp3 playback etc..)
Also, you can plug your PC into the TV for arcade games - and lie back with your game controller as if it were a console.
Finally, you don't end up with a growing pile of obsolete consoles over the years. You just move all of your game and emulation files over to a brand new PC every few years and then use the old PC for something else.
I'm a Civ 4 (+mods) nut, I'll admit but I just got an xbox 360 to go with my new big TV so I sorta got a conflict of interest going on.
I'll tell you the big thing that swung me though- I used to play a pc game (Thief) then discovered the mods for it. Then Thief 2 came out and I also dicovered the mods for that.
I'm pretty sure I've spent more time playing the modded versions of thief 1/2 and civ(1-4) than I have playing all my console games together - and I've had pretty much every console including the Atari Jaguar!
To me, that's the reason I gotta pick the PC. My xbox is great. My PS2 is still playable. My WII is brilliant when drunk friends are round. But my dodgy OS, obsolete graphics card, overclocked-till-it-smokes-2.9ghz PC still has something to interest me when I complete my console games (couple of hours in the case of LOTR:conquest, glad I had a pirated version of THAT one)
As things stand though - if it's all still available for me then the choice is Consoles - especially those that use Cartridges.......