Do You Prefer PC Or Console Gaming?

Consoles, I guess.

@AhmadMetallic: How did I just know that you'd be the first poster?

@killacam said:

i prefer a controller and the tidy package of a console.. but if that can be perfectly emulated on a PC with much better performance and graphics, i'll probably take the plunge.

It'd be great for you to get a gaming pc. I mostly prefer a controller, but I'm definitely a believer in the right control scheme for the right game. And playing the Walking Dead with a controller, even though it is far better suited for it than most adventure games, really bugged me. Wish I would've just got it on Steam... dang. And I definitely prefer mouse and keyboard for any game that I'll be spending a lot of time in the menus of.. like ME2 or Fallout.

It all depends if you have a PC powerful enough or not.

If you have the PC can do everything a console does better and stuff a console can't do. I'm playing Saints Row The Third right now and i play it with a controller. For all intent and purposes it's the same thing as playing on console but with better graphics and framerate.

If i play a shooter it's always going to be KB/M but once again if you prefer controllers most new games support that now and you get the benefits of better graphics/framerate.

I like the simplicity of a console but Steam and other platforms like that brought this simplicity to PCs as well. I could understand in the past that PC gaming could seem daunting at times for less knowledgeable people but it's really no longer the case. Everything is just as automated as it is on console.

Plus people need to get rid of this fallacy that PC gaming is so much more expensive. You can get a perfectly competent PC offering performance similar to the consoles for 500$ bucks. Most people already have a PC. Take that crappy 400$ desktop PC you already have for your everyday use of the internet, put 200-300$ worth of CPU and GPU power and a bit more RAM and there, you're done, you've got something already more capable than a console for no bigger of an investment.

Consoles.....I only play old PC games because I have an out of date PC that can't run a lot of modern games.

I play PC because the kind of games I like most are impossible to find on consoles.

I buy games for whatever they run best on usually.

neither or both depends on the genre

They're very different machines and I use both for gaming quite a lot, but overall I prefer consoles. They're more convenient and offer reasonably powerful hardware for a good price.

I fully switched over to PC 2 years ago, and don't think I'll ever look back. It took awhile to get used to mouse and keyboard for shooters, but now that I'm comfortable with it, playing with a controller again seems pointless. Speed, accuracy, precision, etc. I still use a 360 pad for most 3rd person and action games, but for FPS and RTS, its the best. Hands down.

Yeah, some games just aren't controller compatible. And some games are, but you have to edit an .ini file because, for example, instead of looking left or right with the right stick, its defaulted to the left and right triggers(?)!! I'm talking about you, Ubisoft. Seriously, every Ubi game I've bought on Steam! Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Far Cry. But, a quick glance at the forums and there are usually 2-3 fixes that are fairly easy to do. Not a big deal if your even slightly computer friendly.

And then there's Steam. No going to stores, no being asked to buy any extra bullshit. Just click, agree,pay, download, play. Done!! You also can't beat Steams prices(most of the time). For instance, their summer sale starts next week. I have $100 saved for games. If I spend all of that, I will have a fairly large amount of games. How many console games can you get for $100? 1 new and 1-2 used? I just can't afford that anymore..... probably because all my $ has been saved to buy a new PC.

I can understand the price thing. My current rig, after buying a new GPU and PSU, was a little under $1300.

XPS 420, Intel quad core at 2.4G, 4 gigs RAM, Nvidia 9800GT, Visa 32-bit <---(see why I'm upgrading?)

That was 3-4 years ago. The new rig I'm looking at is a lot better, but a lot more cash(over $2500). I also do all my music recording, and get a vast majority of my entertainment, from my PC, so its worth it to me. The only thing I watch on my HDTV anymore is Adult Swim when I'm trying to go to sleep,lol. I find it funny how Xbox and PS are pushing so hard with the whole "One box that does everything. Games, movies, tv and more all in one place!" thing.

I've had one of those for years...... My PC!

I ve always been a split console and PC gamer. They both have their ups and downs. If I had to pick it would prob be consoles. More content, stability, and cost seem to trump the random pc gaming gems that happen less and less as the years progress.

Consoles are already PCs. Slap and Keyboard and mouse in and there is little difference, just less customization which has always been a double edge sword, and really only caters to leetest graphics whores who make up the minority. PC gaming was great for the games consoles could never do. That doesnt happen anymore.

I fully switched over to PC 2 years ago, and don't think I'll ever look back. It took awhile to get used to mouse and keyboard for shooters, but now that I'm comfortable with it, playing with a controller again seems pointless. Speed, accuracy, precision, etc. I still use a 360 pad for most 3rd person and action games, but for FPS and RTS, its the best. Hands down.

Yeah, some games just aren't controller compatible. And some games are, but you have to edit an .ini file because, for example, instead of looking left or right with the right stick, its defaulted to the left and right triggers(?)!! I'm talking about you, Ubisoft. Seriously, every Ubi game I've bought on Steam! Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Far Cry. But, a quick glance at the forums and there are usually 2-3 fixes that are fairly easy to do. Not a big deal if your even slightly computer friendly.

And then there's Steam. No going to stores, no being asked to buy any extra bullshit. Just click, agree,pay, download, play. Done!! You also can't beat Steams prices(most of the time). For instance, their summer sale starts next week. I have $100 saved for games. If I spend all of that, I will have a fairly large amount of games. How many console games can you get for $100? 1 new and 1-2 used? I just can't afford that anymore..... probably because all my $ has been saved to buy a new PC.

I can understand the price thing. My current rig, after buying a new GPU and PSU, was a little under $1300.

XPS 420, Intel quad core at 2.4G, 4 gigs RAM, Nvidia 9800GT, Visa 32-bit <---(see why I'm upgrading?)

That was 3-4 years ago. The new rig I'm looking at is a lot better, but a lot more cash(over $2500). I also do all my music recording, and get a vast majority of my entertainment, from my PC, so its worth it to me. The only thing I watch on my HDTV anymore is Adult Swim when I'm trying to go to sleep,lol. I find it funny how Xbox and PS are pushing so hard with the whole "One box that does everything. Games, movies, tv and more all in one place!" thing.

I've had one of those for years...... My PC!

Consoles.

Mostly because I'm a lazy fuck. I don't want to adapt to a new way of controlling games. I don't want to learn about the guts of computers.

Also, I have shit internet with incredibly tight download limits. I could never properly take advantage of digital distribution and without that, PC gaming seems impossible from my perspective.

Console. I can"t play on mouse and keyboard comfortably.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Samael2138 said:

I fully switched over to PC 2 years ago, and don't think I'll ever look back. It took awhile to get used to mouse and keyboard for shooters, but now that I'm comfortable with it, playing with a controller again seems pointless. Speed, accuracy, precision, etc. I still use a 360 pad for most 3rd person and action games, but for FPS and RTS, its the best. Hands down.

Yeah, some games just aren't controller compatible. And some games are, but you have to edit an .ini file because, for example, instead of looking left or right with the right stick, its defaulted to the left and right triggers(?)!! I'm talking about you, Ubisoft. Seriously, every Ubi game I've bought on Steam! Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Far Cry. But, a quick glance at the forums and there are usually 2-3 fixes that are fairly easy to do. Not a big deal if your even slightly computer friendly.

And then there's Steam. No going to stores, no being asked to buy any extra bullshit. Just click, agree,pay, download, play. Done!! You also can't beat Steams prices(most of the time). For instance, their summer sale starts next week. I have $100 saved for games. If I spend all of that, I will have a fairly large amount of games. How many console games can you get for $100? 1 new and 1-2 used? I just can't afford that anymore..... probably because all my $ has been saved to buy a new PC.

I can understand the price thing. My current rig, after buying a new GPU and PSU, was a little under $1300.

XPS 420, Intel quad core at 2.4G, 4 gigs RAM, Nvidia 9800GT, Visa 32-bit <---(see why I'm upgrading?)

That was 3-4 years ago. The new rig I'm looking at is a lot better, but a lot more cash(over $2500). I also do all my music recording, and get a vast majority of my entertainment, from my PC, so its worth it to me. The only thing I watch on my HDTV anymore is Adult Swim when I'm trying to go to sleep,lol. I find it funny how Xbox and PS are pushing so hard with the whole "One box that does everything. Games, movies, tv and more all in one place!" thing.

I've had one of those for years...... My PC!

/tear

I know that feel, bro, lol.

And I didn't even mention how awesome even older games look when you're running them at 60 fps, at higher resolution, with HD textures. I went and re-played several games from a few years back, and it was almost like playing a new game. And when my new PC gets here in a couple weeks, there shouldn't be anything that I can't play maxed out(at least for awhile). I'm so stoked to play Max Payne 3 and Battlefield 3, but then I'm also going to replay Witcher 2, Skyrim, Arkham City, etc... just because I have to see what these already brilliant looking games look like maxed out. I'm guessing 16 gigs of ram and a GTX 690 should do the trick. :)

I used to be really into PC games, but now I'm a console gamer all the way.

@Sackmanjones said:

What have you done...

Actually, I haven't read every post but after four pages this thread is surprisingly docile and respectable.

Go Giantbomb!

Anyway, I have a laptop with older/less resource intensive games on it and playing games on it has convinced me that I like PC gaming better. However, note that I do not have anything that's even remotely a respectable gaming PC, so all of the newer AAA games are on my Xbox 360. Even when I do get a gaming PC, I don't think I'll ever completely leave consoles behind, but PC will definitely become my go-to system for whatever isn't on consoles.

Both have their purposes. The truth is consoles are just easier & less fuss, while PCs are just more flexible. Yet, gone are the days where you coudl say, "This game will never be playable on a console...", those days are gone. Now, we are at the point where all you can say is "If you want to play the mod-version of the game your need a PC." Soon, sorry PC community, that ability to mod-PC games will dwindle as well thus making the argument moot.

People say the next generations of consoles could be coming up. I say, "That's probably true...but also the last generation of PCs that are 'as open' is coming to a close." Consoles will become more like computers in some ways and computers will become consoles in some ways, and they will all be more like an immutable appliance Apple & Google loves to make.

I personally prefer PC gaming due to a variety of games from indie, mainstream, and free. If their is a version for the PC then I usually will get it due to mod support or if I don't have the console version. I generally also prefer the keyboard when it comes to shooters and 3d games in general.

both. i actually go through phases. ill only want to play games on my PC, or ill only want to play games on my console. currently im in a console phase. but i really enjoy the advantages of both.

anyone saying one or the other is better, or insulting anyone for preferring one over the other is an asshole.

Consoliero here. I prefer consoles. I've been playing both on PC and consoles, and I know PC gaming has some advantages like better graphics and the ability to use game mods, but lying on my couch with a controller in my hand beats sitting infront of a PC with sucky keyboard and mouse controls BY FAR.

I grew up console gaming and mostly preferred it until my teens. I started to prefer the PC as I got older because it was easier to justify the expense of upgrading to a new computer (it has a lot of other important functions besides just playing games) than it was to justify buying an increasingly more expensive new console every few years. Yes, PC gaming can be fussier and requires more from you in that regard, but in exchange you get a lot of nice perks. Especially these days, with people hooking their PCs up to their TVs and an increasing support for console gamepads on PC games, a gaming PC can pretty much do everything a console can do and a lot more. The only thing that still draws me to consoles now are the console exclusive games such as Nintendo's major IPs.

I'm almost exclusively a console guy but that may change when the next gen consoles come out. Might be time to start looking for a cable to run from my PC to my TV.

I do PC because of the variety I mean I can go from playing ass creed to battlefield to Dota2. Also there is just so much variety at better prices and mods which can lead to all new types of games like dayz. But the biggest thing is that is the easiest for me to use(FYI I have been using computers since I was like 5).

But number one thing that keeps me going is the great communities that spawn out of PC gaming I mean @AhmadMetallic,@Forcen,@Darksaw, and hell even@scarace360 are some of my best friends and I would not trade that for any thing.

Personally? Always be computing.

I like both, for different reasons. I like the comfort of console, everything just works out of the gate and I can sit comfortably on my couch. I like the flexibility of PCs though and the controls for certain games, but it's incredibly aggravating when things don't work (and they often don't) and I don't like sitting at a desk.

PC. Haven't had my 360 hooked up in about two and a half years.

I love both equally. I grew up with PC games but nowadays half my gaming time is on consoles.

I play most RPG and strategy games on my PC. Generally I play shooters and racing games on consoles.

Maybe I would enjoy playing games on my PC more if it was easier to get them to run properly.

@AhmadMetallic said:

I finally got cables to connect my PS3 to my monitor (don't like using a TV) so I fired up Red Dead Redemption again and have been taking it real slow like it's my first time, and enjoying it.

And I noticed why I love PC gaming much more.

• First of all, the controls. Using a controller to move and shoot just sucked my soul out. I so wanted to pull the right stick out of its socket, lay it on my desk and move it WITH MY HAND when I wanna move Marston's silly ass around tight areas, or aim and shoot without having to use aim assist like a chump.
• Then you have the graphics. It just looks bad compared to the visual sexiness my PC offered me in, say, another Rockstar title, Max Payne 3. It just looks plain bad.
• And there are not enough options for anything. Not for visuals, not for controls..
• Luckily I have dual monitors so I used the big one for the game and the small one for my PC to surf the net. Had I been playing on PC I could've used the instant Steam overlay or alt-tabbed out of the game and surfed the net immediately.
• The loading times.. Wanna change a single setting? Wait 20 seconds for it to save. Died and want to reload? Wait a minute or two to load. Had this been on PC changes would be so instant I wouldn't even see the loading circle.
• The game looked so bad that I wanted to google some ENB mods for it. Then I remembered I can't mod PS3 games like I do on PC..

I'm enjoying my time with RDR, but seriously, it feels like I went from driving a BMW to driving a Hyundai just to play this awesome game again.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about console gaming as well.

Keep in mind I was primarily a console gamer for a good 6 -7 years until I recently bought a beefy PC. Load times and high-res textures are probably one of the biggest advantages.

PC for the last 3 years or so.

I prefer the consoles for the first 50% of their life cycle, than PC blows the consoles away with raw power.

i love both. there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to either of them. In the end, i find myself splitting my time fairly evenly between the two.

Console for me. Im a very lazy person and prefer to pop in a disc and go.

I like sitting on my couch and playing a game. Consoles have typically made that easier. I also like using a controller. Consoles come with those things right outta the box.

@Hunter5024 said:

Maybe I would enjoy playing games on my PC more if it was easier to get them to run properly.

If you don't mind me asking do you have a very specific problem? I am just curious.

@slowpantz said:

Console for me. Im a very lazy person and prefer to pop in a disc and go.

I really don't get this. With modern PC games unless some thing is super fucked all you have to do is just download and maybe set the resolution

For me, I play most FPS and strategy games on PC, and leave third person games for play on the consoles. I should pick up a Xbox 360 controller for PC though, might remedy that real quick.

As a kid I vastly preferred console gaming. As I've grown and built my own PC, though, it just seems... almost archaic to go back. No mod support, generally limited to a single control input method (Maybe a wheel or fight stick if you're lucky!), always with the shitty framerate (A framerate below 60 is one of my biggest pet peeves on consoles and PCs both. I hate low frame rates.) and lower resolution. The "ease-of-use" has slowly been getting zapped out of the console experience since the dawn of the PS2, where everyone you knew had replaced theirs at least 5 times, and only got worse with the advent of the 360's red ring of death, combine that with forced installs for lots of games that take forever for no fucking reasons, slow-ass PSN updates that baffle my goddamn mind, UGH. Ease-of-use my ass. Shit's gone to hell. While on the PC it's been going in the opposite direction. Now for 99% of games I buy, I click a single button on Steam, the game is purchased and is downloading immediately, done in a few minutes tops (Steam loves to use the full bandwidth of my 60 megabit connection, COUGHPSNWHATTHEFUCKCOUGH) and then another click and I'm fucking playing the game!

The more consoles try to emulate the PC experience, the more the inferiority of the platforms shows. Especially with MS not allowing use of mouse and keyboard for whatever godforsaken reason. Cause typing with with a D-Pad is fucking fun!

The more consoles try to emulate the PC experience, the more the inferiority of the platforms shows. Especially with MS not allowing use of mouse and keyboard for whatever godforsaken reason. Cause typing with with a D-Pad is fucking fun!

Reading these comments makes me want a better PC just to go on steam. Steam seems like they have good offers and discounts.

I prefer the idea of console gaming, but the execution makes me prefer PC. The ability to just plop down on the couch, pick up a controller and go is great, but once you get going you're just constantly barraged with compromises. The controller can't perform as well leading to compromised gameplay/UI design, the consoles aren't powerful enough leading to compromised graphics and they lack good memory storage leading to compromises with loading times and saving/checkpointing. And then there's the utter lack of chat/community support and terrible voice-comms. That's not to say I don't enjoy gaming on my consoles, but it's only really great when I play games that are specifically designed for consoles. Things like fighting games, or 2d platformers or generally arcade'ish games I guess.

@xbob42 said:

The more consoles try to emulate the PC experience, the more the inferiority of the platforms shows. Especially with MS not allowing use of mouse and keyboard for whatever godforsaken reason. Cause typing with with a D-Pad is fucking fun!

Couldn't really have said it better.

@falserelic said:

I prefer a console. For me less expensive and more easier to use. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't mind trying PC gaming. But my computer is not the best to play games on. If I do manage to get a decent PC. I would like to check out steam. I heard alot of good things about it.

I don't really buy the price argument any more. It depends entirely on the amount of games you buy. Sure, the initial investment will be higher, but you can get a mid-range rig at a fair price these days. And, full-price games cost less, and there are alot more deals to be found. Right now, you can get Deus Ex: HR for about 7 euros (not many more dollars) on Steam. With the summer sale right around the corner, you'll find dozens and dozens of deals that will probably be way better than that. Plus, you get higher res, and much better performance.

I get the appeal of console gaming to a degree, and I have a 360 and a PS3, but all things being equal, I'll choose to play on PC every time.

Always PC. 
But the consoles are great too. 
 
I know, crazy. Liking Consoles AND PC, end of the fucking world. 

I own a ps3 for the occasional exclusive but I spend 90% of my gaming time on PC, I doubt I will buy a next gen console.

Well you say its less expensive but recently I've pre-ordered all my games on steam which save me £10, take spec ops for example the PS3 version is £39.99 if you pre-order on steam its £29.99. Yes the pc cost more up front but in the long term its cheaper, that my experience at least.

PC

Always

PC myself although of course I have a console on the side for some games I want to play that only pop up there. Like for example El Shaddai that I just finished today. My god what a beautiful game!

@falserelic: Depends on the genre.

Platformer: Console

FPS: PC

Sandbox/MMO: PC

Puzzle: Console

RPG: Console

Adventure/Action: Console

I like playing with maximum FPS. So more recently PC.

I've always preferred console gaming, but I may be building my first PC soon. My current laptop is grossly outdated, and I no longer need a portable computer, so it makes sense to create a desktop rig. I'd really like to be able to play Diablo 3!

@ShiftyMagician said:

PC myself although of course I have a console on the side for some games I want to play that only pop up there. Like for example El Shaddai that I just finished today. My god what a beautiful game!

I actually platinum El Shaddai on the ps3. I had alot of fun playing it too.