Video games have come a really long way in the past few decades. If you look back at the start with games like Pong and the Atari console it’s really outstanding what we view today as a quality game. Groundbreaking graphics, increasingly complicated controls, and incredible story telling are all must haves for a game to seal its place in the annals of gaming history. New games today have to flex and break the mold in some way and bring us something original and worth remembering, all while being addicting enough to keep us coming back and turning on whichever platform we prefer. This article is about the pros and cons to the various ways to experience those games. Whether it’s on a high end gaming PC or a reliable console, the two offer a surprising amount of differences with two very different price tags.
We will start with the PC; first off any PC gaming rig that is capable of playing new games with high graphics is going to cost around $500-$700. Even spending that much isn't going to guarantee max setting with a smooth frame-rate on some more of the more demanding titles such as Battlefield 3. That is also assuming you put the parts together yourself which a lot of people don't want to do. While it is not overly complicated to put a pile of PC parts together, it definitely takes a little know how and maybe a friend with a good amount of experience helping you through if you don't know what you’re getting into. PC parts can also vary drastically in price, while I said before it would cost around $500-$700 that is bare minimum. There is also always the worry of those expensive parts breaking and having to be replaced. If a hard drive breaks it can be utterly devastating and very expensive to recover lost data. As you increase quality and power of parts the price will increase with it. If you want to spend more you can also buy a pre-built one from companies like Alienware or CyberPower. These companies offer PC's that focus on gaming but building it yourself is always going to be the cheapest option. Just the other day Razer announced the Razer Blade; this is the first mass marketed gaming laptop. With features like programmable gaming hotkeys and a touch pad that switches to a LCD display to show inventory and other info if you are using a separate mouse. Other gaming laptops are also relatively big and heavy, while the Razer Blade is under an inch thick and less than 8 pounds providing much better portability. This laptop is definitely impressive in terms of features and hardware but unfortunately it will run you about $3000! OUCH! That might be okay to some more dedicated PC gamers but that is one heavy price tag for the majority of people.
When comparing the features of PC gaming to console gaming, the latter always comes up short. You are able to download major titles straight to your computer with digital download platforms such as Steam or Direct2Drive, removing the worry of damaging your favorite game on a fragile disc. The PC platform also offer's certain games that consoles can’t or don’t as well, such as RTS (real-time strategy) and indie games like Minecraft. Xbox Live and PlayStation Network do provide a pretty impressive indie selection unfortunately these games are usually released only after they have proven their success in the PC market. There is also a large selection of free to play games like Team Fortress 2 and all the free to play mmorpg's like Forsaken World's. These games are usually micromanaged with the option to pay for extra content but still offer a quality game that is free for the user. PC gaming also provides a huge amount of user created content for games like Left 4 Dead. Countless modifications and even full levels or full games have been created by users. Counter-Strike is one of the most popular games in the world and that was originally a mod for the Half Life engine from Valve. PC games are also typically more affordable then console games at around $10 less then there console versions except for the big AAA titles which usually cost the same as the console version. Also you can typically find some pretty good deals and sales for the savvy bargain hunter bringing the price of PC games down even farther.
Now for the benefits of console gaming. Consoles above all else are affordable and reliable. They don’t require the upgrading of new parts every few years. Unless they break and have to be sent into the manufacturer for repair they are really quite dependable. Now I'm sure many of us experienced the infamous "Red Ring of Death" on our beloved Xbox's but Microsoft at least in my opinion has done a good job handling these tragedies. Simply print out a shipping label for your Xbox and send it in for repair, Microsoft usually has about a two week turn around time. A console is going to run you about $200-$300 depending on which one, maybe more depending on how many accessories you need. It is nowhere near the price of a high end PC gaming rig and you’re also getting the security of knowing for sure that your game is going to work on that machine. If I buy an Xbox game there isn't the question of "is my system capable of handling this game?" you get with the PC. Now one of the draw backs to the console is unfortunately the online community. It’s typically younger than and not as mature as the PC online community and for some that can be something that ruins a lot of quality games. I'm not sure why these kids swear like truckers while gaming but it can either be pretty hilarious or just down right annoying. Console gaming also has one huge benefit over PC gaming, and that is the multiplayer. I'm not referring to online gaming I'm talking about sitting on the couch with a few friends and either brawling it out in
Smash Bro's or burning rubber in
Need For Speed, the PC just can’t offer this type of multiplayer unless its LAN party or something along those lines.
Overall it really breaks down to a few key selling points that will pull a gamer to one side or the other, affordability, reliability, and availability. These are the three main things you are going to have to focus on when deciding what gaming platform you want to focus your hard earned coins on. Or if you really love gaming you could always get them all but more than likely something is going to start collecting dust. Also feel free to discuss this in the comments below or on our forums!
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When comparing the features of PC gaming to console gaming, the latter always comes up short. You are able to download major titles straight to your computer with digital download platforms such as Steam or Direct2Drive, removing the worry of damaging your favorite game on a fragile disc. The PC platform also offer's certain games that consoles can’t or don’t as well, such as RTS (real-time strategy) and indie games like Minecraft. Xbox Live and PlayStation Network do provide a pretty impressive indie selection unfortunately these games are usually released only after they have proven their success in the PC market. There is also a large selection of free to play games like Team Fortress 2 and all the free to play mmorpg's like Forsaken World's. These games are usually micromanaged with the option to pay for extra content but still offer a quality game that is free for the user. PC gaming also provides a huge amount of user created content for games like Left 4 Dead. Countless modifications and even full levels or full games have been created by users. Counter-Strike is one of the most popular games in the world and that was originally a mod for the Half Life engine from Valve. PC games are also typically more affordable then console games at around $10 less then there console versions except for the big AAA titles which usually cost the same as the console version. Also you can typically find some pretty good deals and sales for the savvy bargain hunter bringing the price of PC games down even farther.
