If you walk down( or drive, actually you'd probably drive) to your local best buy (or :insert name: brick and mortar store) you have choices. We have the PS3 (i think good choice) Xbox 360 (aka rrod box and ok choice) and Wii (depends choice). Instead, the frequent users of this board have invested in a computer that is capable of not only doing email and word processing but intensive video gaming processing. Why? I've spent at least $1100 on my computer and I'm sure that many of you have spent equal or more on your own rig. Again, Why?

When I was a senior in high school I was presnted with this choice. Buy and computer and put it together for college or buy and xbox and a laptop. Oblivion forced my hand (great game, not matter what you hear) and in march of 2006 I spent $420 on an xbox 360 and $70 on the collectors edition of said game. I had a blast. I played that game for 2 weeks straight until I beat it. I brought condemned (one of my favorties) and beat it, dead rising, call of duty 2, fable the lost chapters.... I was knee deep into console terrotrory. Then in the summer after my senior year I was faced with a choice

1 buy a none upgradable laptop for around $1100 or
2 (my idea) buy the parts and put together my own computer for the same price.

I choose the latter. In the late fall of 2006 I became bored with my 360 (not even dead rising could arouse my interest...) and sold it. (I was ripped off) I didn't game for 4 months. Then I rembered gaming and all of the good times it had brought me. I sought out games on amazon and soon I found silent hill 2, far cry and dreamfall.

As unlikely as it seems, it was those three games that brought me into computer gaming (lucky me, in winter of 2005 I played/beat half life 2 with the computer that my parents brought. I paid them $100 dollars and my brother paid them $100 for the 6800GT that was included with the dell that they brought and it was that card that was later used in my computer for college)

After dreamfall/farcry it was Resident Evil 4 then Stalker, Then oblivion and the rest is history.

So for you, why was P.C gaming your choice over the cheaper options abvailble everywhere that electroncics are sold?

1) I already had a computer that can run games. From then on, I just stuck with it.
2) I never really got used to using a controller, and it seems more un-intuitive for the FPS games I play.
3) PC Gaming was real big back when I started out.
4) Free online.

Well, I have had a PC capable of gaming to some degree just about all my 13 years of console gaming.

Nice post there jkmetal :D

the reasons why i custom built my own PC is that i just find PC's more interesting, on console your very limited, and the achievement/trophy system just seems like a poor excuse to keep gamers playing the game once completed, on PC modding is a must on fav games, and i cannot wait for Grand theft auto 4 to come out! :D
So, what do console gamers do? they buy a laptop o_O , and not a cheap laptop, no, an expensive one, which begs the question WHY, but nevermind......

in terms of games, i actually prefer the older games like Anno 1602 and dungeon keeper etc, but i do love to see next gen titles in full glory on my own personal computer, if i don't i feel im missing out, Crysis is just purely amazing when all eye candy is turned up, and made me glad that the money is well spent.

I used to build my PCs and everything to game online, since it's before consoles started going online.

Just to throw down something else here, I can build a top of the line gaming PC for $600-700, not $1100.

Because when I was young, the games I really liked and played were mostly on the PC.

I`m just more interested in pc gaming, it`s more customizable, more modable, plus I can do alot more things on a computer if I don`t want to game, but I still have my trusty ps3 right next to me if I want to play that.

PC's have some exclusives that won't be released on consoles, some games that were released back then that are so freaking good are still not released on consoles and allot of people missed out on the chance to try them out. Plus sometimes, PC exclusives do get ported to consoles but some turn out to be terrible like HL ports and Doom 3 ports. Some are released way late like Crysis and AoC on consoles.

Games on PC's are cheaper and some are easier to get (Valve), you also have HUGE library of games that go way back to the 80's. Plus, most Xbox360 exclusives also end up on the PC and some games run better on PC than on consoles.

About the price of a gaming PC, I don't think it's really that expensive considering you get a pretty wide range of choices from hardware to choose, a pretty good graphics card that can run games better than consoles go on for about $120 now (8800GT) and will last for a pretty good time until you have to upgrade.

So to me, PC will always be the better choice for games.

it has the most games I want for it. the only game I'm considering buying a console for would be Rock Band (2?) and even then I'd still buy multiplats on the PC as a matter of habit if nothing else.

It really comes down to exclusives.  There are just certain games that are ideal for the PC and will never make it on a console.  A game like Spore might come out on the Wii, DS, and even mobile form, but we all know which version is vastly superior.

I prefer console myself, but I know that there are things a console can't provide that a PC can.

1) Price.  When you compare a PC in total over price of retail consoles, everyone seems to forget you need a really expensive HD LCD/Plasma TV to go with your consoles otherwise they are going to look absolutely awfull.... and this bangs the console price all the way up beyond a PC.
2) Upgradeability....... With a PC, being able to upgrade/change the hardware whenever you need to is cruicial for long term in my opinion.... PC graphics completely out weighs any console esepcially with all the technical features that come with PC games such as Anti-Alias.
3) Games are cheaper, between 60-70 bucks for a console game is absolutely out ragious, no matter what it is.
4) You can do a whole lot more on a PC then you can on a console, you can do almost anything you'll ever want to do on a pc, you can create your own videos, record your best gaming moments, download mods/level/maps/ download new content and its free/ create wallpapers, all kinds of images/ build up communities far beyond just a simple friends list /  no bull crap fee like xbox live, what the hell is up with charging that?
5) Type of games you get on a PC, you just simply cannot get at console level....
6) In my opinion, the gaming experience is just far superior on a PC then any console
7) Ability to create your own music cds or your own DVD videos
8) MMO's
9) Online gaming in general actually, not just mmo's
10) Controllers work on PCs aswell, not just consoles (but thats not really a point to make) just thought i'd throw that in for good measure lol.....

people always complain about having to upgrade your pc every few months......  this is incorrect, just becuase there is a new piece of hardware that comes out, doesn't mean your older hardware cant play anything, a lot of the newer hardware is developed for not just gamers, but for desktop-publishers / Video editing companies / Game Developers / extremeists aswell as hollywood movies and and in some cases music industry. The newer hardware is there if you want it, but doesn't always mean you have to upgrade every other month.....

Well, I grew up playing PC games so it's always been the natural choice for me. Keyboard + mouse > Any controller.

I've never owned a decent TV until very recently so that has also held me back from getting into console gaming. Not to mention that I haven't had any place to put a big TV + sofa either. These things are about to chance now though that I've moved into a larger apartment so my interest in console gaming will probably rise as I get things set up. There are tons of titles out there that I want to play, that's for sure. Oh, and I've never had a good sound setup either but I've ordered a kickass home entertainment system so that's on the way too!

Not to mention that you can do so much else on a PC, I know I spend more than 80% of my time in front of the computer online, listening to music, chat with friends, etc. On a console you can pretty much just play games. I know this is changing but I have no desire to pay to be able to play online. I guess this is hypocritical to say since I mostly play single-player anyway but still...

Titles and an aesthetic you just cant get on a console.

As far as im concerned Steam is single handedly keeping the pc above water in terms of gaming.

Clear sky is the title prompting me for an upgrade though.

"1) Price.  When you compare a PC in total over price of retail consoles, everyone seems to forget you need a really expensive HD LCD/Plasma TV to go with your consoles otherwise they are going to look absolutely awfull.... and this bangs the console price all the way up beyond a PC.
2) Upgradeability....... With a PC, being able to upgrade/change the hardware whenever you need to is cruicial for long term in my opinion.... PC graphics completely out weighs any console esepcially with all the technical features that come with PC games such as Anti-Alias.
3) Games are cheaper, between 60-70 bucks for a console game is absolutely out ragious, no matter what it is.
4) You can do a whole lot more on a PC then you can on a console, you can do almost anything you'll ever want to do on a pc, you can create your own videos, record your best gaming moments, download mods/level/maps/ download new content and its free/ create wallpapers, all kinds of images/ build up communities far beyond just a simple friends list /  no bull crap fee like xbox live, what the hell is up with charging that?
5) Type of games you get on a PC, you just simply cannot get at console level....
6) In my opinion, the gaming experience is just far superior on a PC then any console
7) Ability to create your own music cds or your own DVD videos
8) MMO's
9) Online gaming in general actually, not just mmo's
10) Controllers work on PCs aswell, not just consoles (but thats not really a point to make) just thought i'd throw that in for good measure lol.....

people always complain about having to upgrade your pc every few months......  this is incorrect, just becuase there is a new piece of hardware that comes out, doesn't mean your older hardware cant play anything, a lot of the newer hardware is developed for not just gamers, but for desktop-publishers / Video editing companies / Game Developers / extremeists aswell as hollywood movies and and in some cases music industry. The newer hardware is there if you want it, but doesn't always mean you have to upgrade every other month.....

"

Very well put. Also regardless of the console market, if you have a good PC, everything is just nicer... and look infinitely better as well, shooters feel the absolute best with a mouse and keyboard, and mods mods mods maps maps maps....and continuous free updates from devs(valve is a good example) and Steam is the best thing to ever be invented for the PC...beats the hell out of any console service. So many reasons why a game can live for years and years on the PC but die out on consoles after a year or two.

Almost all the bigger titles that are on a 360 also are released or will be released on the PC, think about it. I could list them all but I won't.  Hardly an exclusive worth playing.  PCs have a plenty of great games that won't came out on consoles.  You have to pay to play online also.  PS3, well it's hard to argue that its that much cheaper or that you get a larger selection.  Wii is a whole different thing all together.  So why buy a console?

I got into building PCs in my teens and it sorta went from there really.  PC has free online, mods, custom levels etc and PC games are also cheaper as well.

• I Build my own PC
• IT Professional -- I Just Love PCs
• Customization/Modding -- Hardware and Software
• Electronic Hobbyist -- Pull it apart > Clean it up > Put it back again
• True HD
• Game Tweaking

You can just do more with a PC. Gaming, communication and work for example. The games are also just better and all the mods available increase replay value.

Porn games, no need to say more