The Eternal Battle: PC vs. Console |
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| BY Rain Anderson Feb. 4th, 2008 | |
Some genres also just work well on the PC and struggle on the console. Any real time strategy game will struggle on the console because the controls are far too complicated to handle with just your two thumbs and index fingers on a controller. This makes playing RTS games on a console difficult and as a result of that, just not fun. They tried releasing StarCraft for the Nintendo 64, and that just flopped. However, the developers of Halo Wars, which is an RTS set in the Halo universe, promise to make the RTS playable on a console. The PC has dominated RTS games and the WarCraft and StarCraft series are incredibly popular and two great series of games that console gamers will miss out on. First person shooters are also awkward at first on consoles: aiming with the thumbstick is not as quick or precise as using a mouse, so the skill level is somewhat capped for console players. Veterans of games like Counter-Strike know how quick one can aim with the mouse, pulling off shots known as snapshots and such, that are just impossible on a thumbstick, but this is mostly for online multiplayer play. As a single player experience, the FPS on a console is still quite well done, but adjusting to a thumbstick after years of using a mouse is a bit awkward.
The next-gen consoles and HDTV have brought the consoles up to par with the PC, though. The graphics on an HDTV are stunning and delivers sights the PC can’t (unless you have a monstrous computer monitor). Xbox LIVE still charges a subscription fee just to be able to play online, but the PlayStation Network is going to be free - so that’s a step in the right direction. Renown PC strategy games, namely Sid Meier’s Civilization, are being ported to the console with Civilization Revolution, and its previews are looking very good.
Consoles have stepped it up and are almost on the same playing field as PCs. The main difference now is the ease of customization on the PC and the less restricted online play. The PC was always catered to a certain niche of techie and nerd mix, and that niche is losing numbers to the consoles. Consoles are more than just game machines, as well - they are online capable multimedia players. The consoles are transforming into what PCs offered exclusively, and thus the niche of PC gamers are either turning traitorous or trying to stick true to their roots. I know I have turned traitorous - since I was ten, I have been an avid PC gamer and preached PCs over consoles because of their more advanced features and better graphics, but the Xbox 360 offers pretty much the same thing now. My apologies to hardcore PC gamers, but the cost of keeping up with system requirements of new games and the lack of good, new and exclusive games makes the transition to a console not so painful. I predict that the PC gamer market will remain a small niche of the world.
February 11th, 2009
at 5:45 pm
PC gaming is still far beyond console imo, just for its versitility.I use my pc for work, gaming, dj and music production, and to watch movies/tv (some of which arent out in cinema’s lol).Keyboard n mouse will always beat a controller in any fps or rts game, so your not held back by limited controls.What it really boils down to is cost, pc’s cost more but offer limitless functions.And considering a new console game is £40 in UK, and the same game is £20 for pc you will save eventually.I bought many games special edition on release, like crysis, Stalker,FFOW and all were %50 cheaper than console and included exclusive content.Many of those were cheaper than the standard edition, console games are way to expensive imo.Plus when you factor in that console games generally have less content, smaller maps, short single player modes.What is hurting pc gaming is the console ports, pc gamers are used to bigger better games, but now because consoles cant offer that, we get ports, a game you finnish in an hour or two just sucks.
April 16th, 2009
at 1:25 am
Mhm. Agreeing with Kevin here. I play Cod4 compedatively (top 10 in aust). And I tried playing on the console…. and wow. The controls are not just hard (just for a pc gamer no duobt) but sluggish, I mean for a start any game where it takes 2 seconds to turn 180 degrees is Stupid.
And then going on to mods, The only Mod that people play properly on cod4 is Promod (It removes alot of weapons, changes some key aspects and makes the ONLY perks Brandolier and Stopping power) And the fact one can’t mod on consoles…. How can that compare?
But back to the actual depate, I agree with most points however at the start you were naming a few games that moved to pc. Half of them started on, or were released the same time as Pc.
But all in all, Pcs (In my opinion, anyway) For the non-causal gammer, are far ahead in the stuggle of Pc vs Console.