This Is Why PC Games Will Always Be Ahead of Consoles

PC Games has a nice article about the ongoing PC vs. Console fights. They tell us why we should get rid of consoles and play on PCs instead. Worth reading.

[Persistantthug]

Unfortunately.

[LightofDarkness]

How many of those have really shined this year, though? Granted, they've been good, but they haven't been the best. Gears and Uncharted have certainly begun showing their age and weaknesses, amongst others. Many of this years console exclusives have been pretty much superfluous, borderline "missable" titles.

[Letros]

I feel the same way, I get hyped for some console exclusive, fire it up and get bored quickly. I suppose I just have different tastes, this is why I need to have a gaming PC, I love StarCraft 2, DotA 2, and will be picking up SW:TOR when it comes out, toss on all the superior multiplats for 1/2 the price, it's a sweet setup.

[T900]

Look at it from a individual system point of view not all consoles against a single PC.

This year i would say PC has had more exclusives then Xbox 360 or the Wii, almost having the same amount as the PS3. I would say thats a feat considering PC doesnt have any dedicated giant organization supporting it.

We had exclusives like:

Shogun 2, Red orchestra 2, Witcher 2, Hard reset, Dawn of war 2 retribution. BF3 on PC was like a exclusive since its a different game.

Not that exclusives really matter, sure they may be good to fuel the fanboy wars, most games are multiplat anyways 90% of them atleast. PC is cheaper and superior on those.

Edit: Wii exclusives dont even count since those can be emulated on PC, hence thats one system taken out of context lol.

@letros

Dota 2 is going to be amazing cant wait for that one ;-)

[jetlian]

exclusive pc had for me was witcher 2 and thats hitting 360 next year! been delayed a few times was suppose to hit this year.

gears best tps and probably my goty. Less than 2 weeks from raam. Deus ex was very good too.

On topic these games weren't that great looking when they first hit pc tho and pc's cost more too

edit: who has more exclusives? hmmm tough to say when you lump consoles together. Hell plenty of TPGames don't hit pc due to pirating. Yea you have mmo and rts and thats about all. consoles do have a few in those areas

[slayorofgods]

exclusivity has been dying off for some time now. Sony holds a few still, but the trend says it wont last. Insomniac is developing for the 360, the souls games are no longer exclusive, and even Metal Gear is going multi platform. We all no what happened to 360 exclusives.

The best games this generation are multi platform games or eventually went multi platform.

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

Yup, it definitely depends on taste because I'd take Gears over Starcraft a million times over.

[SilentNegotiator]

Get rid of consoles? Excuse me, but do you realize how many franchises wouldn't exist if not for the corporate backing of the big three? They put billions behind internal and external studios to create dozens of high quality series.

Console gaming has gotten a lot less convenient this gen with passes and installs and DLC-focus, but they're still streamlined, offer pretty much the same experience to every user, and are usually easy to set up. You can scoff at the "weak minded console gamers" and "mainstream crappy systems" until your beret steams, but those advantages and all of the games make for a great experience.

Mods, better graphics (with hardware that is NOT less than $300), open servers, etc....that's all great. But you can't just say "We should nix consoles!"

[MaxXAttaxX]

*sigh*

[RedDead]

@nathanexplosion

All fanboys are insecure. I agree with LOD anyway, only a few console exclusives have been great this year.

[WetN00dle69]

@T900

Shogun 2, Startcraft 2 and The Witcher 2. Were the best the PC had to offer this year. That about it.

[Ducky]

^ StarCraft2 was last year I believe.

I'm not sure what the obsession is with 'blockbuster' titles though. A small game like Terraria is more fun than some blockbusters.

... oh, and Minecraft was released this year as well. (And is also a blockbuster) ;)

[da_2pacalypse]

PC will always have stronger potential than consoles... but exclusivity hurts PC since a lot of pirating goes on...

[hiredhelp]

Kinda like the idea of nearly all multiplays hitting PC. But pc do have thete own games many of you never heard of. Lets not forget there developers hitting consoles now that was on pc most recently deep silver,
And ya know whats intresting i hear that Some guy below say that PC GAMERS are insecure lol about what we get vertually everything the 360 has we have our exclusives. And now sony have started to work with PC, The heist. DUST, and more will follow.

[hiredhelp]

Sorry for my poor typing skills was ready for a sleep and typing on ipad.

[Trebius]

Consoles are where the money is....which is why theyll never go anywhere. PC games sure look pretty ... but most of it is garbage.

[RankFTW]

PC is miles ahead in terms of exclusives, here check the Steam store page and see how many games are coming out that aren't coming to consoles.

http://store.steampowered.c...

[360ICE]

You're missing insane amounts of titles unless you have a console on the side, and most PC exclusives are indie games that aren't really demanding much more than a lap top anyway. Also, graphics development is going insanely fast and in the middle of the race to being the prettiest game we forget the more interesting races, like which game has a better story, is more fun or more innovative. Now I will admit I sometimes miss mods on consoles, but also that can make the experience more focused.

[hano]

It doesn't matter to me. I see more exclusives on PC that I care about than on consoles from small publishers and indies (Magicka anyone!). Plus on terms of blockbusters we have seen Shogun 2, Anno 2017, Civilization 5, Witcher 2 and Trackmania 2 this year. So I still think PC is way ahead in terms of exclusives.
Plus we get the better versions of most multiplatforms. Have you seen the crazy mods that were released on Skyrim in just two weeks? more than 1000 mods it's like playing a different game.

[KeiserSosay4788]

By blockbuster, you mean TONS of advertising and hype right? Shogun 2, The Witcher 2, SC2, SW:TOR, RO2, DIABLO:)....and ALL of those games are different from one another, not shooter, shooter, action adventure, shooter, action adventure.

[BlackBusterCritic]

LOL PERSISTANTTHUG. Actually, the PC IS ahead in exclusives, and not just numbers, but actual GREAT exclusive games to play. Just because a game doesn't receive advertising up the ass, and Gamestop isn't heckling you to pre order it, doesn't mean it isn't any good.

[kikizoo]

Sure PC has some great exclusives (and exclusives matters a lot, no matter what xbox fans are saying) but best games each years are most of the time ps3 exclusives or multiplatforms..

"PC will always have stronger potential than consoles.."

stronger potential, when consoles have 3,4 years, and the potential is really usefull only when console are dying...and the new ones coming..

[miyamoto]

Yeah in what terms are PC gaming ahead of anything else, GRAPHICS?

Console games are made with the help of high end PCs but why do they end up successful on consoles?

We all need to look at the over all picture to see what kind of games move the industry forward and keeps it growing and healthy not just on a technical point of view.

There are many points to be taken in consideration not just graphics and mods as this poorly written article points out..

[BubloZX]

O got skyward sword on my PC bro. PC gaming is where its at

[Persistantthug]

.

[ATi_Elite]

The PC allows for the best Gaming Experience possible. You can always tailor fit your gaming experience to your needs on the PC.

Someone up above was talking about the PC doesn't have many exclusives.........All i play are PC Exclusives and i buy a lot of games and I never run out of things to play.

My 2012 to buy list:
Tera, Blacklight Retribution, The Secret World, STALKER 2, Hawken, Firefall, Planetside 2, DotA 2, Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, Starcraft Heart of The Swarm, Arma III, World of Darkness, and many more.

that's 13 exclusives right there for 2012 and I'm sure i left out some that I plan on buying.

[Rageanitus]

mmmm the bread and butter of consoles

xbox: Halo; Gears; Forza
ps3: uncharted; GT; god of war; killzone

For PC:
Starcraft; all those MMORPGS and RTS games; witcher etc etc..

There is one gr8 thing about PC gaming and ppl often forget you can play all the OLD games at modified settings

Now if you look at the most popular games... they are MULTIPLATFORM and they are usually found on the PC also.

Hence in conclsion the best combo is a nice PC gaming right coupled with the PS3.

[christian hour]

At the guy who says pc's cost more, yes they do if you want the latest everything in them, but you can make one that can cater to your specific needs be that video editing, music creation, gaming etc you can make one for less than the price of current consoles. In fact 50 quid will get you a GPU 4 times as powerful as current consoles, and you can get your ram motherboard hard drive and other essentials for about 100 altogether if you shop around. Obviously if you're doing cg work or 3d design and you want it up to scratch you'll want to fork out the 800 quid for a 3 gig ddr5 GPU, but then you'll make that back in no time if you're working profssionally.

Honestly I don't know why I see articles like this popping up so much, in fact they have been very common towards the end of every console cycle I've experienced, of course they're better, why debate that? By the time a console makes it past its first few months its already out of date with current technology been made readily available to PC's.

Imagine this, you have a ps3 and/or 360, you spent 400-600 for it on release (depending on region/currency), and then the ps4/xbox471 comes out and you relaly want them, but they cost like 600 squid, wouldnt it be fantastical if the next console came as a 200 dollar/euro/pound upgrade you just slotted in. Thats what owning a pc is like. YOu just pay small installments eveyr few years (at your choosing) to be miles ahead of consoles graphically and technically.

The pc exclusives we are seeing are not taking advantage of the technology thats actually at hand, becaus they need to support multiple setups, and if its a multiplat they need to design the game so it can be ported to a console and not shit bricks all over the gaff. We've yet to see what the current graphics cards and processors are capable of pulling off, but its goign to be spectacular when we do, and I have a feeling when we do (if we do) it will be a little game called Half Life 3 :)

Sorry for the lack of going over what I wrote and correcting typos and just retarded keyboard hands, I'm irish and it was friday night.

*note* I am a console gamer with ps3/xbox360 and a pc that struggles with google chrome. Someday I hope to join the pc elite but I will of course continue to be a console guy because I am a gamer at my core and I would like to play exclusive games that appeal to me.

[aquamala]

these console exclusives are exclusives because Sony/MS/Nintendo own or paid off the studio's to make exclusives for their platforms. who's going to pay a studio to make an exclusive PC game? it's an open platform.

[TheXgamerLive]

for many reasons, but let's just say this......A good guesstimation is that probably console games sell 40 or 50 to 1, not with the occasional AAA title but on average.
Game stop doesn't even take PC games nor sale them anymore unless you pre order a title only.
Consoles are constatly upgrading titles and looking and playing better and better each year.
Consoles have much much less bugs and virtually zero problems with just pick up and play.
PC gamers are "ALWAYS" having problems being able to just play a game. PC gamers have to put hundreds sometimes thousands into there machine just to play the newest gamnes.
Devoties will say blah blah blah but your lieing, pc gaming is a big headache and that's the truth.
Exclusives, LMAO, many of them are wtf, never heard of them and their's a reason,"They Suck". The occasional good or great title comesto consoles, like the Witcher 2, coming to 360 soon and will be even better than the pc version.
pc gaming today mainly seems to consist of RTS games, that's it's market.
The console market is a billion dollar indistry now, so hahaha yea why don't we all just go to inferior pc gaming machine, .............................. yeaaa let the problems commence. I can't wait, oh "blue screen", damn I guess I'll have to wait. wop wop waaaaaaaaa.

[DeadManMcCarthy]

for marketing not because of choice.

[Saryk]

When someone says that consoles have more exclusives, I really laugh.

Consoles have how many MMOs or RTS games?

Tonight I will be playing SWTOR, yeah for me!

What about all those freebies?

What about the FPS games that consoles do not have? Stalker and ARMA?

My son is a PS3 gamer and loves Mortal Combat and other fighting games, which the consoles does do better imo. I can play some sports games on my PC and they look great and play great, but consoles still do best on sports. I am using a 360 controller on my pc Racing, draw, in my opinion. And as I have stated repeatedly in the past. To each their own, each system is not better than the other because gaming is a taste and everyone has their own individual taste…………….

edit: Mods are nice though!

[T900]

I agree.

If you look at it from a broader perspective. PC already covers all the generes console fans like to talk about. However Consoles dont even begin to touch the generes PC can do:

MMO, RTS, Simulators are missing on consoles. Thats 3 whole generes consoles completely ignore.

Once you get used to Mouse/Keyboard even playing FPS on console feels like you are handicapped.

For the Sports games i urge you to check this out lol maybe you will agree after this PC does offer something there too that consoles dont offer, this is Fifa 11 running on 3 screens (eyefinity, Surrround) it shows the entire field when you play:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

The above is so awesome when you are playing with a couple of mates.

For the fighting games, PC has such a vast library. It has fighting games from the 90's, add in all the consoles, add in all the arcade games. You can begin to imagine the entire library of games, its insane.

Edit: i was playing Wrestle Mania the arcade game on my PC few days back via Mame it was such a great game back in the day, too bad current consoles dont have such titles or dont have access to those old games.

[StayStatic]

Can't agree more , except you forgot Serious Sam 3 which from what ive played so far is an awesome PC fps.

Hope i feel the same way once ive completed it , needs much more attention than its getting IMO , not been backed up with big marketing campaigns like BF3 i suppose.

Little food for thought for those wondering what the hell i'm going on about:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

:)

[KeiserSosay4788]

LOL, Serious Sam is sooooooo SERIOUS! My bro and I finished it a few days ago and the last level is INSANE! My keyboard listed 1736 enemies to kill, awesome game.

[Letros]

OMG I didn't think the last level would EVER end, it was crazy, never shot so many rockets in a game before!

[Rageanitus]

agreed... most of the popular games are on the PC and I can easily connect my gaming lappy to my TV with a single HDMI cable and then a controller if you really wanted to.

I have both the ps3 and xbox so I am not biased..... but its funny how console only players fail to acknowledge key advantages the PC has over consoles.

[TreMillz]

Consoles have better games. Thats it. Shinier screens dont justify it. And the guy up there said BF3 was like an exclusive...yea thats why Dice is supporting the PS3 version more huh?.. Mods have been done on PS3. FPS is opinated as BF3 plays smooth on the PS3 at 30 FPS. When PC gets games like MGS4, God of War, Uncharted, LBP, Infamous, Halo, Gears of War, Alan Wake, Heavy Rain, etc then its superior. Claiming all the MMOs which you pay for btw and most turn out to be crap. Witcher 2 aint exclusive, Diablo 3 is just an announcement away, Then you got Starcraft, WoW and Star Wars.

[decrypt]

What i find funny:

MGS 1,2,3- currently can be emulated on PC, Cant be played on most PS3s.

Gow 1,2- need to buy HD remake pack to be able to play on PS3, can be emulated on PC.

Halo- 1,2 on PC.

Gears of war- 1 on PC, PC gamers thought it was garbage, same as halo.

Good job combining all the exclusives of consoles against PC though :)

[TreMillz]

What I find funny is that MGS 1,2,3 can be played on all PS3, Gow 1&2 can be played on PS3 remastered or not. You claim PC gamers think Gears and Halo is garbage yet they went crazy when they didnt announce the sequels for PC. PC may have more overall exclusives but 90% of them suck, are forgotten, or just plain fail.

[StayStatic]

As a side comment , they did release a PC version of metal gear solid, looked great and the control support was fantastic , used a microsoft sidewinder back in day lol :D

Behold Metal gear PC http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Check out the size of the old school boxes lol =D

[STONEY4]

I actually played MGS1 originally on PC because I didn't get a PS1 until a bit later. Played some on a friends PS1, liked it, saw the (HUGE) PC box one day at a store, snatched it up. In a short time, I knew I was playing one of the best games ever.

[KeiserSosay4788]

umm.....you forgot shooters which still have communities going strong 10 YEARS later ala CS. Name one console game that has a community that long. Oh wait, you guys dump more money on games for less content and a far worse online component. Put that on top of the fact that only a handful of games even stay active for 6 months after release.

[Lord_Sloth]

Yes because we all know this flood of online FPS titles isn't stale at all... >___>

Seriously, PC games are boring as hell and since you have no bubbles, I win. XXXP

[helghast102]

"please look at us, we're still relevant.. promise!"

[Boon Tarkas]

that was funny

[absameen]

What I enjoy about consoles is the quick setup, low maintenance and ease of use. I personally am not interested in PC hardware and would view upgrading and tweaking a computer as a chore. But I do understand that a lot of people either enjoy this aspect or feel like it is a worthy sacrifice for perks such as better graphics and a very open platform.

[Saryk]

That used to be true 10 years ago. Windows 7 OS is very user friendly and does not need constant tweeking. Matter of fact, I haven’t had a problem since the release of 7.

[frostypants]

Windows 7 doesn't eliminate the need for constant hardware upgrades.

[MarkusMcNugen]

@frostypants

What do you mean constant hardware upgrades? I built my computer myself 3 years ago, put maybe an hour or two into overclocking it afterwards and it still runs most new games on max settings.

Now that weve established that, what is wrong with being able to customize and upgrade your computer? You dont think millions of people would buy a new graphics card for their 360 or PS3 if they could?

[Shackdaddy836]

@frosty You really don't need to constantly upgrade your parts. I upgrade maybe every six years and can usually play almost every game I want highest settings until then.

[death2smoochie]

Consoles DO not have more exclusives. The PC each year has literally HUNDREDS of exclusive games. The difference being they are not as advertised as the 10-15+ exclusive games that are released for each given console each calendar year

For CONSOLE ONLY GAMERS:

1) How many EXCLUSIVE FULL RETAIL GAMES were released in 2011 for the PS3 and the Xbox360? This does not include PSN games or XBL games.

Regardless of your answer, the PC HAS 10 TIMES AS MUCH RELEASED IN A CALENDAR YEAR:

http://www.gamespot.com/for...

http://adrianwerner.wordpre...

And thats just for 2011....and to add insult to injury. PC games are anywhere from $10-$20 cheaper on average and look and run better on mid range $700+ PC hardware than most console games.
I am not even counting in STEAM.

N4G.COM console only gamers have a misconception that the PC has LESS Exclusive games when in fact they have almost 10 times as much...

Then you have to ask yourself.

How many of those Console only exclusives were actually good? Just because it's a console exclusive DOES not make it a great game.
The best games to come out this year HAVE been multi-platform games.
From portal 2 to BF3 to BATMAN:CITY and I could list more, Multi-Platfom games have shined this year and in fact there are more multi-platform games released each calendar year than exclusives. Especially console exclusives.

The reality is most consumers in general for console games buy multi-platform games overall than exclusive console games...but saying that on N4G.COM gets you banned......

[jetlian]

most of those games would be classed as xbla or psn games which you decided don't count. Some of those games never released!

And RTS game wont sell as a major release on consoles and about games not being played for 10 years because we don't wait around for jack off companies. Whens half life 3 or episode 3 coming!! Halo 2 was up for a 5-6 years.

You say we pay more? like 15 dollars a month on top of the games cost for an mmo which are the best selling and played pc games. Your talking 200 dollars for 1 game for 1 year of play lol %^&*# please.

Cost of pc over 1 grand and no matter when you buy it its still gonna cost more than console

[B1663r]

1 grand???? What is this 1980? This is the year 2011, and my jive talkin lingo is at least 15 years out of date.

it is 1k now. MMMmmmmm kay?

[jetlian]

yea a grand people love to talk about today when 360 came out 05 it would cost a grand or more in 05.

Which is why I said even if you made one today the pc will still cost more than a console. right there in the last sentence.

And try to build a pc cheaper than a wii, 360, hell even ps3

Edit: pc is ahead you say did EA come out and say BF3 sold better on 360 than pc.=) but the love calling it their own

[Stretchystrong]

Yet, the pc exclusives aren't really relevant to a large audience. I have a gaming pc and I'll play console any day. You can't convince most console users to hunch over a mouse and keyboard when they can lounge on the couch with zero install time and pop in the disc and instantly play the game, comfortably. Who cares about how many exclusive pc games there are over consoles. Tell me how many of those are highly rated and compare those to average console exclusives and you'll get peoples attention.

[MaxMurdoch]

to each his own. If gaming isnt that important to you, then you can get by with a console.

If you dont want to compromise and play watered down versions of every game, PC is the only way.

Exclusives wise... every platform has their own. Not that it matters b/c most amazing games are usually multiplat anyway with a few exceptions (uncharted 3, dota come to mind).

[Hicken]

So what you're implying is that having a console is automatically compromising?

Yes, to each his own. I don't like gaming on PC because it doesn't feel right to me. My PC is for writing, and whatever internet necessities there are- I sell games, and dabble rather lightly in development. But I DO want to play some games like DotA and others.

I've said it before, but somebody who's a real gamer will want to play games on all platforms. As much as I like Sony, I still want a 360 for its exclusives. Same with the Wii and all the handhelds.

Being a gamer means acknowledging what each platform or console does well, and where they fall short. It also means acknowledging more than just your preferred games, and recognizing the flaws even in the things you like.

To be honest, I start discounting the idea of PC gaming when I hear shit like "If you dont want to compromise and play watered down versions of every game, PC is the only way." Comments like that reek of arrogance, even while other things you say make an attempt at being evenhanded.

[MaxMurdoch]

Your denial is hilarious. PC has the superior version of nearly every multiplat game. If you cant talk about facts, then dont come on the internet or you may get your feelings hurt.

I have a ps3 too, and the exclusives are ok, but nothing mind blowing.

I stated facts, you followed with opinion. Frankly IDC about your opinion.

Console DOES get watered down versions of every game. Thats just how it is, and thats how its supposed to be due to hardware limitations.

what did I say that got you so worked up and butt hurt?

[MysticStrummer]

...or maybe, just maybe, some people have tried PC gaming and found it to be underwhelming. I play more fun and memorable games in 6 months on my console than I did in my entire 2 year PC gaming experience. There are "real" gamers that own one console, two consoles, every console, a gaming PC, or a combo of them all.

[BigDog55]

I would like to know how many pc gamers there are?? Especially compared to consoles!

[Bladesfist]

Depends what you call a PC Gamer. If a console gamer is someone that plays games on a console. And a PC Gamer is someone that plays games on pc. Then you console gamers are greatly outnumbered as my dad plays solitaire on pc all the time. My step mum plays scrabble on pc all the time. Everyone I know plays flash games on pc from time to time.

[Psychotica]

People who own good PC's also own consoles for the most part. So this debate becomes about kids who cant afford a PC and trying to convince themselves that the consoles are good enough..

[Clarence]

I use to play all my games on PC. My Commodore 64 had all the games I wanted. The first time i played mario was on a computer. My IBM also had great games. The problem was that it became easier to game on console. It was cheaper for my parents to get a console over a new computer.

Now I use the Computers to draw and consoles to game. Everyone has their own preference. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't need to be convinced that gaming on a console is good enough. Maybe you need to be convinced that gaming on a pc is good enough.

Rage did not turn out to be great on pc, nor did COD. You can say crysis but developers now see that there's more money in console gaming which is why so many pc developers are making games for consoles now.

Any game that comes out on pc and consoles sells more on consoles. Gamers seem to be going with the consoles.

[d3nworth1]

PC will not always be ahead of consoles. There is gonna be a point where you cant tell the game from real life and graphics couldn't possible get any better.

[turgore]

Crap article. The first far cry picture isn't even from the 360 version but from pc.

[D3mons0ul]

"PC Games has a nice article about the ongoing PC vs. Console fights. They tell us why we should get rid of consoles and play on PCs instead. Worth reading."

Really? PC gamers, really? I thought you didn't care to "convert" people and you were the "master race."

What a joke. Get off of your high horses and realize that the very thing you take pride in and brag over is essentially meaningless.

[iagainsti120]

your meaningless

[MysticStrummer]

His meaningless?

[Lord_Sloth]

*You're

[tigertron]

Its pointless trying to argue with a PC gamer. They're right and you're wrong. Thats their logic.

We don't need another one of these stupid articles...

[frostypants]

Thing is, if you did this comparison last gen, or two gens ago, the differences would be ten times as staggering. The simple truth is that with every gen, the difference is narrowing. This is due to the fact that as we approach higher realism, it take more and more horsepower to make smaller and smaller noticeable graphical leaps.

It was also dishonest of them to show maxed out PC detail and treat that as if it's something every PC could run.

[kramun]

It doesn't matter whether every pc could run it, it is what it is able to look like if a pc is capable of running it. What should they do, show you the games on the lowest settings? Would that make you feel better?

Most gaming pcs from the last few years are more than capable of playing games on settings that look better than console anyway, and that's with recently released games as well. There's very few games that have pushed pc hardware until recently.

[frostypants]

"There's very few games that have pushed pc hardware until recently."

No...no no no no no no. No.

No. NO. Did I mention "no"?

There's never been FEWER games that pushed PC hardware to its limits as there's been the last couple of years. Developers are so hung up on cross-platform stuff now that PCs are too often NOT pushed hard. That's why people have to create these graphics mods in the first place to make up for it. Until the last few years, PC versions of games were built with zero regard for consoles, and games were pushing the PC hardware industry forward much harder than they do now.

And I stand by my comment that the PC vs. console difference has shrunk. It's fact. Compare console vs. PC FPS games 2 gens ago to the ones now. The console versions stack up much more favorably these days. Other than the impressive GTA mod, those other comparisons in the article were completely un-extraordinary.

It would seem that many of you have only been gaming for a few years. PC gaming used to be so effing far ahead of consoles that even having this discussion would be laughable. Now? The existence of this thread is proof of changing times.

[GarandShooter]

Why doesn't it matter? Why not look at average PC gamer experience vs average console gamer experience? Would that make you feel worse?

[FlashBack]

We know , we get it, PC has better graphics blah blah blah

[guitar_nerd_23]

This is why PC elitists will always be arogant...

Don't get me wrong I normally get multiplats on PC but my argument for consoles has always been diversity of games library which I think consoles are still better for.

PC games are a lot cleaner if you've got the right hardware but ultimately if a game is great it doesn't really matter what platform you play it on- ain't no shiney new textures gonna fix a poor game.

[Bladesfist]

Diversity of games on consoles. You mean diversity of millitary fps's on consoles. Im sorry but no big companies innovate on consoles. Your range of types of games are tiny when compared to PC.

[guitar_nerd_23]

Maybe diversity is the wrong word, what I mean is a substantial amount of very high quality games never see the light of day on PC.

It doesn't matter how awesome my PC is consoles are still the only way to access these games, so solely gaming on my PC is not viable for me and a lot of others.

For my tastes I would lose more jacking in my consoles then flogging my GPU.

[gypsygib]

What PC-only gamers don't realize is that if you get rid of your consoles you also throw away any chance of playing some of the best games each generation.

It may be hard to believe that while graphics are important, gameplay and games matter more.

[kramun]

But a lot of pc gamers own consoles as well, because obviously there are great games on console that are only on console. You could turn it round the other way as well though, a lot of console only gamers are missing out if they don't have a gaming pc.

And while you are right about gameplay, it's not something that pc gamers don't already know. Pc gamers can have games with great gameplay AND superior visuals.

[gypsygib]

True, there certainly are some PC game exclusives that are great. My comment is directed at those PC gamers that say they can't look at a console game because the graphics are too bad, there's actually a lot of them on N4G.

[Shackdaddy836]

Actually, because of consoles, more than half our games are cheap ports that have tons of glitches out of box. Also because of consoles, we barely ever see mod support and less and less games have dedicated servers which used to always be a given.

I do enjoy consoles but don't say they are helping PC because they are only hurting it.

vv I actually blame console gamers the most. Not all of them mind you, but the ones that mindlessly buy DLC after DLC and people who buy the same game over and over again.

And IDK what you are talking about after your first paragraph. I never said anything about getting rid of consoles.

[Hicken]

You should be blaming the developers, not the consoles. The consoles didn't take shortcuts to make poor ports of the games; that was in the dev's hands. And Silent Negotiator WAAAAY above made an extremely good point. I'll quote him for you here:

"Get rid of consoles? Excuse me, but do you realize how many franchises wouldn't exist if not for the corporate backing of the big three? They put billions behind internal and external studios to create dozens of high quality series.

Console gaming has gotten a lot less convenient this gen with passes and installs and DLC-focus, but they're still streamlined, offer pretty much the same experience to every user, and are usually easy to set up. You can scoff at the "weak minded console gamers" and "mainstream crappy systems" until your beret steams, but those advantages and all of the games make for a great experience.

Mods, better graphics (with hardware that is NOT less than $300), open servers, etc....that's all great. But you can't just say "We should nix consoles!" "

[MysticStrummer]

Console games are where the money is, so PC gamers get a lot of console ports. It's not complicated. PC gamers are seemingly more interested in keeping their rigs capable of running new games at high settings than they are in actually buying the new games. Low game prices are always brought up as a selling point for PC gaming, but those low prices also make devs more interested in making and selling games for consoles first then porting to the PC gamers who need a discount to justify a purchase. Piracy is also much more of a problem with PCs, and it makes devs hesitate to spend their time and money making a game that will not only be sold for a cheaper price but will also be more likely pirated. PC gamers are holding back PC gaming, not consoles.

[Boon Tarkas]

If pc gaming was the be all and end all none of us would have consoles. What the author must take into account is that the vast majority of console gamers started on pc's and then moved on.

Furthermore, upgrading a pc to take advantage of the latest games, at their holy grail of highest resolutions, will cost me at least half the price of a console and on an ongoing yearly basis.

[PersonMan]

Sadly, I cannot pull away from the console.

I played GTA IV in Windows 7 last weekend and it kept crashing on me. I didn't exceed the graphical limits of my card and I have plenty of memory to run the game. This is the kind of crap that makes me not want to play games on my PC. I'd just rather pick up the controller, press a button and be playing the game. I never have to worry about it crashing or not running right or updating/downgrading drivers.

Plus, no PC game compares to Uncharted or Infamous that I've found yet. Don't tell me to play Skyrim though, cause I hate RPGs.

[PersonMan]

Another thing is... if you want to get your friend into playing the same games as you... you gotta convince them to buy an expensive computer or upgrade theirs.

To me, it's a lot harder to find people with good enough computers to play the same games you want to play with them.

However, it's fairly easy to ask someone "Do you have an XBox 360? Yes? Get this game and we'll get online with each other!"

[Demobot]

Exactly. Console gaming is so convenient. Stick in the disc and go. And if the game is patched then atleast I don`t need to worry if my console is compatible or not. Also, I know that the guys that I am playing against have the same hardware that I do. So I don`t need to worry about someone having a better mouse than me or something.

[PersonMan]

Look at the people disagreeing with me.

PC elitists... psssssh.

Better graphics, but more headaches in the long run.

[Hudahudahuda]

Pc GAYmers hardcore to casual ratio is pitiful. Stick to wow and FarmVille please. Leave ninja gaiden and demons souls to us.

[PSX99]

enjoy jaggies on 5 year old hardware peasant.

[Rageanitus]

I recently purchased Crysis off Origin and installed the DX11 patch with high rez textures..... that game alone EASILY trumps any console game by a land slide in terms of graphics. Hell even the frame rate is quite smooth on my aging gaming laptop.

I also layed BF3 recently and it was quite amazing also.

The truth is you really dont need much $$$ to get a decent PC gaming machine.

And no I am not a PC fanboy.... I love my PS3 and I do own a Xbox. But these consoles are far behind.

[ForROME]

LOL PC Gaming is a joke and a whinners paradise

Consoles exist because PC lack(s) uniformity so everyone can enjoy a even level platform

[PSX99]

why will i care what others are playing? I want the best and not going to depend on someone else. consoles are crap and are limited. On pc you got infinite backward compatibility,no need to worry about a "reset" in a generation. you are jealous consoles are crap and don't look as good as pc.

[birdykilla]

If you like playing Diablo 3, Star Wars: TOR MMO, Shogun 2, DOTA, Starcraft 2, Witcher 2, and good RTS games then get a gaming PC.

The same shit thats in Xbox 360 and PS3 is in a PC. You've got your Case, GPU, CPU, PSU, Hard Drive, RAM, and MB. Monitors are cheap and all those components can be bought for $600-1000 depending on how much you spend on your GPU.

Case = $50-100
GPU = $150-200
CPU = $150-200
PSU = $50-100
Hard Drive = $50-100
RAM = $50-100
MB = $100-150

About how much consoles were when they first came out only back then this much $ would have made your PC only about ten times better then consoles. Now this much $ will make your PC about a hundred times better. Plus you'll get mods, better graphics, access to PC games, and last but certainly not least an open platform to do what you want with, instead of living within Microsoft and Sony rules and regulations. Options, Options, Options!

Almost forgot you also won't ever fall behind 5-10 years cause you can upgrade your Gaming PC whenever and however, it's a little thing called Freedom!

[TheDivine]

Both are awesome for different reasons

Consoles
-ease of use
-genrally more polished
-affordable
-local co-op
-one big even community (everyone plays the game the same)
-games ex. yakuza 4, alan wake, heavy rain, gears 3, lost odyssey, mgs4, uncharted, castlevania los, zelda, enslaved and more. The consoles have alot more blockbuster games imo and good genres like jrpgs and action games.

Pc's
-mods
-graphics
-cheaper games
-emulators
-game communitys have longevity (hop on cs or bf2)
-all games work (no bc or keeping an old console for old games)
-games ex. starcraft 2, the witcher, wow, arma, stalker, diablo 3, star wars tor, dota 2, and more. The pc has lots of smaller indy and niche titles like magicka, drakensang, and more. Pc's have far more rts', mmo's, and wrpg/crpg's.

It comes down to what you prefer. Ease of use or tweaking for better perfomance and graphics. More games or fewer but bigger games. Mods or a steady well optimised game. This isnt true for all games obviously but its my general impressions. Without pc's consoles wouldnt be forced to upgrade as fast or get inspiration for things like online gaming and arcade/indy games. Without consoles the pc wouldnt get as many big games/ports and have all these wonderful games like skyward sword, sotc, and mgs3 that people brag about emulating.

[dragonhearts]

Oh God.. how many reminders do we need... Is this all you guys have to write about?

[PixL]

They need something to jizz to.

[Twilightx7]

Why this story being posted again?

http://n4g.com/news/801274/...

Old, duplicate article, and still just as pointless as it's original posting over 4 months ago.

[Ducky]

Interesting. No-one appears to have reported the article yet either.

Perhaps y'should do that too to get a mod's attention.

[Ducky]

"Yes there is, there is one thing that will always make the PC the superior platform. We are talking about mods, but not just mods. We are talking about graphics mods."

No. =.=
Graphics mods are nice, but they're the lowest tier of mods.

Mods that improve/add to the gameplay, fix gameplay issues, and mods that convert the game into a new experiences are much better than mods that simply improve visuals.

[Tsar4ever01]

Would be nice if developers design "high rez packs" with all their games like they did for BF3 & RAGE.

[DEIx15x8]

The picture part is a pathetic comparison. I would hope a modded version of a game designed for high quality graphics would look better on a $1,000 computer you just bought than a 6 year old $199 console. In a year when the next gen consoles come out and have the same graphics for $299-399 what images are going to be used to compare?

[BrianC6234]

Can you say boring? I can. no thanks on PC gaming. I've tried it. It sucks. I don't want to spend weeks trying to get my games to play right. And constantly upgrading is no good. I built my PC three years ago or so and it's fine for what I use it for. If I used it for gaming I'd need some upgrades. I don't need to waste money on that when console gaming is so much better.

[ufo8mycat]

I must say I feel sorry for PC gamers, they really have nothing going for them.

They bring up graphics as a 'Pro', but the sad truth for them is, graphics does not make a game better. You are still playing that same exact game, same GAMEPLAY. I've played a lot of multiplats on PC also and the extra graphic fidelity does nothing at all for the game. I was still playing the same game.

So the whole graphics is a "Pro" is invalid. Why? Because it makes no difference, therefore it is not a valid Pro.

So what else is there? Exclusives? Where? Sadly this isn' 1998 anymore where the PC was stacked with exclusives. What does the platform have now?

I have kept my PC because of The Witcher 2 and Diablo 3 and a while ago I hear The Witcher 2 is heading to 360 and now rumors Diablo 3 heading to consoles as well.

So 'exclusives' is no longer a valid Pro now either.

So the only real valid Pro we have is MODS. Some people may care for them which is fine, me personally, don't really care at all. A lot of the mods are rubbish and when the great mods come out (that add extra gameplay to the game etc), I would of already completed the game and moved on.

So the whole "graphics" part is an invalid reason (see above), exclusives no longer exist on the platform, so really the ONLY VALID reason is MODS.

PC gaming is definitely not what it use to be, it is definitely behind consoles, in terms of the important areas, games & gameplay. This really shouldn't come as a shock as consoles reach a bigger market.

Of course these PC fans will deny this as they usually do lol.

If MODS don't mean anything to you, like they don't for me and holding on to 2 that use to be exclusives, to keep my PC around. That reason no longer exists, PC gaming is dead in that way.

So as a whole will PC gaming die? As long as consoles stick around and take the brunt of the sales & profits for game developers, no it won't.

As for valid reasons to game on it - the sad fact is, there really isn't any, unless you are into MODS.

[OooHJohnny]

Of course PC Games are Ahead of Consoles... Thanks Captain Obvious!

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

in all honesty, i could care less about pc fanboy rants, talking like console gaming ain't the savior of gaming.look @ how many comments(in so many words) say i can steal your your exclusives like thats helping gaming lol and wonder why devs are jumping ship.....you pretty up a game with mods and claim that p.c gaming is better lmao.yes p.c graphics are better and mods are cool, but thats where p.c gaming superiority ends, everything else is subjective.obviously the masses don't agree so all this article is, is pure butthurt.let me enjoy my inferior tech and stop trying to use me as a bases to feel secure about your gaming taste.you insulting console gaming ain't changing my mind.i luv console gaming and i don't need to lash out @ others because my console of choice is getting there ass handed to them by inferior tech.

[STIKUP ARTIST]

I just started PC gaming a few months ago. I run most games on ultra settings with my gtx 570 card so it has made me a graphics whore. I only play single player games/modes on it because I prefer to game online with friends on my xbox/ps3. The pc has some good exclusives but usually require you to use kb/mouse, which I hate. Battlefield 3 looks awesome on ultra but the control scheme sucks for me because it forces me to use that damn kb/mouse.

[Liperto]

Imagine a huge turd on a table, now someone is striking it with the flat of the hand.

This is what this article does.
What a non informative, fanboy enraging turd of an article!

[Passion4Games]

Games like this are fantastic on PC. Most games have online play though, the only popular "mods" on those games are cheats.

[Bolts]

I adore my gaming PC that I lovingly crafted with my own hands. It's a beast of a gaming machine that dominate my PS3 in all regards. That said I will always own a console in some form. There's nothing about PC gaming that would eliminate the need of owning a console.

The key here is to own both. Gamers who are console only or PC only are sadly deprived.

[camehlheon]

Haven't played on a PC for ages and I'm really happy with my PS3, have over 40 games now. I couldn't name 40 recent games I would have bought for PC, and if I did it'd have cost me twice the price of my console to play them.

Look, nobody is saying consoles are better than a PC. A PC is capable of million thousand things a console can't do, but a console is designed for gaming, easy to use, doesn't require constant upgrades, and has great exclusive titles.

Gaming on PC is also slowly dying because of piracy/DRMs, so publishers don't take much risks on this platform anymore. Though it's not dead yet, far from it, but still it's going rather down than up if you know what I mean.

And judging by the (irrelevent) difference between PC vs Consoles versions of a few recent games, it won't push me to come back to PC gaming anytime soon. Graphics ain't all that my friends.

Peace

[TyrannoTaurus]

Can I just pop in a disk, kick back in my recliner and play the awesome PC mods after a long days work? ...No? I guess I can sacrifice some better textures and performance so I can enjoy my games quickly and conveniently in between working, shopping for groceries, going out with friends, sleeping, etc. etc. etc.

Seriously, everyone knows that PC's are better. It's a matter of convenience. I spend far too much time doing other things to focus on pimping out my computer just to play a video game. I am not alone. There are many like me. Deal with it world. Enjoy your hobby. You win, you always win.

[Bladesfist]

Im a pc gamer because of a few reasons, these reasons also apply to why I dont own a console.

1) It is so much cheaper

I can't afford to pay £10 more for every game I buy at launch. If I look at my steam purchase history I have got nearly 60 games in the past year for under £15 due to the huge steam sales and daily sales. Also I need a PC to do my college work so why not just spend the price of a console on top of my PC to make it ready for gaming.

2) I am a programmer and aspire to be a game developer

I can not develop games or mods on a console, The tools and the communities for modding and game development are some of the best communities out there and they only exist on the pc for the pc. I also love my tech and I enjoy building a computer. Probably just the nerd in me.

3) Its an open platform

So I can do with it what I like. I do not have to follow a terms of service. I can tinker with it.

And of course having ALL my games running at 1080p @60fps is a lovely bonus.

[leogets]

Dumb article. Just like sayin this is why a farrari is faster than walkin.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

People are happy with their consoles,gears and uncharted are epic games and exclusive to consoles.Saying that consoles are inferior because of graphics is ridiculous.also consoles have had no great exclusives this year? wtf are these people smoking? its all just SO biased!
PC fanboy article.
Dont get me wrong PCs are great and have some great exclusives but so do consoles which is why people buy them in the first place duhhhh.
people prefer PCs because of graphics and people prefer consoles because they have a better choice of games.
Thats my opinion though lol its all opinion and what you prefer.
Why argue? there good for different reasons.

[moschops90]

It seems like da pc gamers are suffering frm a nervous breakdown..
Seriously, is it a crime to play the inferior version of a game cuz u dnt've da resources to afford the better one..
Denying the quality of games like rdr, uc, gears, gow, lbp, halo, forza, heavy rain, souls series, mgs 4, alan wake is showing hw pissed they are..

[-Gespenst-]

I agree but all those console screenshots seem deliberately bad. They don't showcase much, whereas the PC ones seem deliberately more scenic.