Is PC Gaming Really More Expensive Than Consoles ?

Is PC Gaming Really More Expensive Than Consoles ?

[Pikajew]

In the long run its must cheaper with all the deals you save on Steam

[ATi_Elite]

Don't forget every Gaming PC comes with a Free Wii!

So not only do you get to play PC Games but also Wii games and every system ever made except PS3. 360 games will be playable when Windows 8 is launched.

The price at this point is irrelevant. I'm more concerned with the value of my dollars spent and being able to use my PC to take care of business needs and to make money to pay for itself is it's main job and all the gaming stuff is secondary.

PC = Does more than just games!

[Agent-86]

"So not only do you get to play PC Games but also Wii games and every system ever made except PS3. 360 games will be playable when Windows 8 is launched."

Yep, you only miss out on PS3 games which is why I own one of those as well. It's great being a combo PC/PS3 gamer: you miss out on very few games. Anyways, got to get back to playing the new BF3 Back to Karkand on PC. The new expansion is amazing!

[-Alpha]

^

PC/PS3 sounds like an excellent combo, add in the 3DS or Wii for Nintendo flavour and IMO, it's a great all around package

[Tanir]

PC/ps3 is a great combo, tho Alpha, you can just download the dolphin for some HD wii games so you dont need the wii still.

only thing is pc's are def way more expensive and they get outdated so fast.

my gaming pc was a beast 2 years ago, yet it cant handle witcher 2 at max :( not that many PC's can lol

[slayorofgods]

@below

No it's not piracy, Wii codes have been made public (not cracked or hacked), Dolphin is an open source emulator that has been made possible by Wii developers. Playing your Wii games on a pc is perfectly legal.

There are even rumors MS is going to do the same sort of thing with xbox games.

[Godmars290]

Are you talking about emulation? May as well be talking about piracy.

And sorry, but as much as people want to defend PC gaming, holding it up as cheaper, at some point you're not shelling out money for upgrades or a new pC - because you just have to play a $40-$50 game at the best possible resolution - but you're putting in the time and effort to install and debug. Expecting the common consumer who isn't PC literate to become so or pay someone who is.

[Ducky]

^ Emulation =/= Piracy

[dc1]

@ATI
wait..O_o. You can play 360 games on windows 8?
Is this MS's doing?

[BlackBusterCritic]

@Godmars, you silly head, emulation isn't piracy. PS3's could EMULATE PS2, remember? Is that piracy? LOL! Emulators are 100% legal. Its the COPYING of copyrighted material of the actual games that is ILLEGAL.

Upgrading is never a problem. I haven't upgraded since 2008, and I run nearly all my games on HIGH and ALL my games are 60fps or more. Some of the newer ones like Arkham City don't run each setting on high, but I'm perfectly fine with that. Still looks, plays, and runs better than the console version. lol
So far, I've got nearly 200 games on Steam, total value of over $1600, but I've only spent around $400. =) Consoles? What consoles?

[t0mmyb0y]

I don't get the Free Wii part. You play Wii games on PC? How if so?

[slayorofgods]

I'm willing to bet most pc gamers have only purchased 1-2 gpu's in their lifetime.

It's interesting since some people will make you believe we need to buy a new gpu every year.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

.
The writer makes a number of assumptions:

The individual doesn't own a PC Monitor.
The individual doesn't own a TV.
The individual doesn't own an internet connection.

The vast vast vast majority of people will own a TV and a smaller majority will own a PC Monitor. The majority of people will still own both.

The writer states the price of internet for 3 years, for both console and PC. Yet again this is largely an irrelevancy, as most people already own internet and its primary purpose is not for PC or Console gaming.

Building the PC seems fairly straight forward, the writer states the prices of all components. He does the same for the console. This is where the poor comparisons starts.

The writer is happy paying for £10 for a keyboard but insists on paying £22.99 for an OFFICIAL Xbox Controller, and not only 1- despite this being about playing ONLINE he decides to buy an extra 3.

He states that a 21" monitor is suffice for the task but only a 32" TV will do.

Now, exactly what quality is that monitor? is it 1080p? does it have an HDMI input? I'd question his assertion that an £87 monitor for a gaming rig capable of playing the newest games is even close to suitable...

oh it has both you say? right, so we'll ignore the TV and we'll use the monitor for the Xbox too.

oh but it doesn't have HDMI input… and it has 10ms respond time? Better not play Crysis or BF3 then.

Last he states that he has bought 47 games over 3 years at £39.99 each. Again we must question his logic- if he has done so, then he must have an awful lot of money floating around so that he can pay FULL price for every game he buys. And if this is the case, we must wonder. Why is someone who has money to BURN, lecturing us on what the cheapest option is?

Why not buy online from Shopto.net and get them for £35 or cheaper? Why not pre-owned and get them for £20? Why not sell them on again and get your next new game for free?

It is clear as day that the writer's intentions is not to make an objective comparison but to achieve am already decided conclusion that PC gaming is cheaper than consoles. The assumptions and additions made throughout are condescending and take no account to real world situations. The writer considers today's pricing but ignores the £28 the Xbox Live 12 months cost on ebay.

I for one just bought a new 250GB 360 from Amazon for £189.99 just last week that included a controller, 12 months live and Halo: ANniversary all for £10 less than his stated price of the basis 250GB console.

If you don't own a TV (you probably are more likely to buy another cat than consider MP PC or Console gaming), Console or Internet and intend on buying 47 new games over the next year it COULD be cheaper for you to buy a PC. Assuming of course that you're capable of putting all these components together yourself and not having to pay PCWorld £200 to do it for you...

But as long as you're willing to NEVER watch TV...

If however, like the other 95% of the population who already own TV- and a DIGITAL CAPABLE TV at that- then do what most people do- save £1500 by buying a console off Amazon, your 15 (not 47!) games that'll you buy pre-owned or with discounts online, buy your Live off Ebay and use the internet you already own to play games.

Or buy a Wii and do it all for £150.

Easy.

[Motorola]

Well I plan on upgrading my GPU every year because I only buy low end cards which is only about 100 dollars, with which I can play with the latest DirectX if a new one was to come out.

[slayorofgods]

Building a gaming PC isn't that expensive.... The real problem is that there are so many tech-tards out there that couldn't figure out what to do with a gpu if it was given to them for free.

But for people that are more tech-savy; of course pc gaming is by far the best experience and they know how to do it under their budget.

The "you need $2000 to game on a pc" is just a haters argument that is 100% false.

[solar]

my main reason i like to game on PC is because the platform is open. which means mods, work arounds if a game is broken, and upgradable. i dont have to log onto PSN or Xbox Live to access the internet.

[GraveLord]

Not really. If you're a hardcore PC fan you'll want to upgrade your rig often. That's thousands of dollars in about 5 years. A PS3 cost only $600 at launch.

[slayorofgods]

Want to? sure. Need to.... Absolutely not!

Just the same as a console gamer, you put a certain budget into it. With a console you can buy a new game, or whatever new controller, or device extension with whatever amount of money you want to spend. If you want to buy a game once per week you'll spend a lot more then thousands of dollars.

As a pc gamer the same is true. A gpu can last a long time. If you buy a gpu at the beginning of a console cycle you will always have graphics that are on par with that console and you will always be able to play any game. If you have a budget to buy a gpu every year.. Then why the heck not, console gamers do the same sort of thing with their money spending.

[MmaFan-Qc]

well, my new rig cost me 3200$ this summer.

yeah, my two 580 in sli cost more than my ps3.

[ardivt]

and that's just the price point.
even if it would be more expensive, mods alone would make me prefer pc gaming over console gaming.

[TopDudeMan]

Well, the games are cheaper, but in the long run, you're gonna have to keep making upgrades to your system as games require greater specs as time goes on.

[Darkfocus]

When a game needs higher specs it's because it looks better(or is horribly optimized :() so really you could just keep the same hardware and run it with similar graphical fidelity to older games... you don't need to Max every game contrary to popular belief...

[ninjahunter]

If you want to have high end all the time you will probably only have to upgrade every other year, and you can just sell your old GPU making the new one only put a $50 dent in your wallet. Upgrading is a non issue, my laptop is using tech on par with 5 year old high end parts, still maxes out 9/10 games and the 10th game has one setting turned down (Im looking at you SSAO).

[TheIneffableBob]

The entry point can be a little more expensive to a lot more, but in the long run it can be cheaper because of all of the great deals there are on games (made possible by the fact that no licensing costs are taken on games and digital distribution convenience).

[BattleTorn]

I simply like the simpicity of console-gaming.

my experiences with PC-gaming are filled with fustration.

and personally avoid mods now, cause I usually tinker with mods more than playing.

[gigreen]

Steam made PC gaming just as simple in my opinion, games install and update automatically in the background and the loading is much faster.

[caboose32]

Yea I would say the general investment into PC gaming is more expensive at first, because it is a computer after all. But after that, it is basically up to you how much more money you put into it. So it can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be after that.

Also you get amazing deals on games through steam which saves TONS in the long run.

[FCOLitsjustagame]

Cheaper for me because I value my time. I want to put the game in and play, not configre and test and upgrade drivers. I moved from PC to xbox when morrowind (which wouldnt play on my PC) came out on xbox and I really have no desire to go back.

I also prefer the game controllers and the couch to my desk and mouse/keyboard. But that argument really is not that important now a days since most games can be played on a laptop connected to your TV with a controller if you want. Still even setting that up is a hassle. Like you said you do more with the PC so its not always sitting there connected to my TV like my xbox is.

[SergeantVodka]

PC gaming. Casually raising its middle finger at consoles since the dawn of gaming.

[D3mons0ul]

That's certainly not the right attitude to have. Way to be part of the problem, chief.

Most people are part of a problem rather than a solution though, don't feel bad.

[SergeantVodka]

I was trying to be comical, turns out that it did not come across that way. Sorry !

To be honest I am all for console gaming ! Great stuff. I love my PS3 and 360 to death. Don't know how I would live without Killzone and Gears ! Although it is nice to have a good old game of Counter Strike once in a while, y'know ?

In the end however, no form of gaming is ever really ' cheap ' we have an expensive hobby, but it is a damn good one.

[D3mons0ul]

I know exactly what you mean. I just have a problem with the elitists and fanboys. Sorry for making the assumption.

[e-p-ayeaH]

After getting a decent rig there´s no big expenses but with consoles is the same thing and it makes sure that every game launched for that console will run on it while on PC its a guessing game.

If you can afford enough for a good PC just go for it! if you cant get the console of your preference and there´s also good games at cheap prices.

[hiredhelp]

You know when i read articles like this i think to myself its not just about the cost.
Yes its cheaper of course i mean i have just rolled back into pc gaming after a 5 year gap that was on consoles. Here in UK top game cost me online £39.99 for my ps3 ,PC £29.99 .
Thats a huge £10 saving per game at least But thats one aspect.
I like the fact that not only have i saved myself money but im able to take controll of video option's
Do things i just cant do on my ps3.
I like to run Fraps check my fps,And yes i love also grabbing some deals on steam too.

Yes i do have the Wii emulator lol thoe i wish they make a stable n64 emulator.

[mixelon]

Project64 worked fine for me 5 years ago.. Has it got worse since?

I love PC gaming, but id have trouble picking between console and PC for games..

Its nice to see a Commodore user too.. Go C= Amiga. :)

[_Aarix_]

I used project64 on a freaking NetBook and that worked perfectly

[hiredhelp]

@mixelon. Aaix. :)
used to have issues with glide gl or somert mind u that was along time ago. Way b4 laptops or netbooks were around. Had a pentium4 back then 500mhz how times change.

[gigreen]

Why do these calculations still assume PC gamers would want a monitor and console gamers a TV? It's not the 90s anymore. In this day and age it's a matter of preference and can easily switched around.

Plus TVs usually are in households anyway, it's not that gaming is the only thing you can do with it.

[busytoad]

pc/ps3 combo the best. 360 user's gotta pay 60 bucks a year in order to play online lol.

[Bladesfist]

My pc actually does everything.

[Psychotica]

When you consider how many other things you can do with a PC that consoles can't then it's a much better investment.

[Scribe81]

Considering I needed a new computer anyway, the increase in expenditure to get more/faster ram along with a video card, was really minimal. Then as others have said, add in Steam games for dirt cheap and a much faster drop in price for newer games and PC gaming is much cheaper than console gaming.

The last time I actually went out and bought new games for my PS3, I bought Killzone 2, Valkyria Chronicle and Street Fighter IV. I spent almost $200 on 3 games alone. Two days ago they had a sale on RPG's on Amazon. I got three games for $15. During Thanskgiving sale, I got three more games from Steam for about $15. In fact, if I add up every Steam game I own, I have 66 games that I only paid $240 for. That's it. That includes games like Borderlands GOTY, Batman Arkham Asylum, Dead Space 2, Dungeon Siege 3, etc.

On top of that, I was one of those PS3 owners that complained bitterly about the lack of backwards compatability of slim PS3 especially after my fat 60gig YLOD on me. PC has the largest backlog of games and with sites like gog.com making older games Win 7 ready, even more games from yesteryear of gaming are available on PC.

[spektical]

wat i dont like about steam... you dont own the physical material and can be blocked out of your purchased content ala EA.. physical is not going away.

[ATi_Elite]

I have steam and over 75 games and all kinds of DLC!

I can burn (and have burned some) my games to a Disc and still play them. Anyway all MY games are on my HDD. So to be clear i have Steam games on a DVD and MY HDD.....how much more physical do you need?

Steam has an offline mode that allows you to play your games OFFLINE! Also you can play your games from any computer. just log on to your account and download your game to that PC and play.

If i loose my PHYSICAL copies and my HDD blows up Steam will allow me to re-download your library for FREE!

What is better than that? NOTHING. Scratch a PS3/360/wii disc and you gotta go buy another disc PERIOD

Steam will never lock you out of your account or from playing your games. A work around Steam is already available anyway.

EA- Origin.....I DO not like Origin and I play BF3 without origin and on a Hard copy of BF3 cause I do not trust EA!

[spektical]

steam can block you out of the content, read the ToS... :|

[kramun]

Any game on any console or pc could be blocked by the makers of the game (online at least) if they choose to. The ToS isn't exclusive to Steam or pc.

Infact any console can have features blocked if the makers choose to.

What an irrelevent issue to bring up just so you can use it to bash Steam.

[ATi_Elite]

You can play ANY PC game online!

I play many of my Steam games on PRIVATE servers. Steam, Origin, GWFL, battle.net etc can not stop you from playing your games online.

they can stop you from using their servers but not from using PRIVATE servers.

Like when i get off work i will be playing BF3 without Origin on a Private server.

But yeah his excuse was lame and an attempt to bash Steam.

[tiffac008]

You really have to mean it, if you want to scratch a Blu Ray disc. There is some hard-coating layer on Blu Rays, so you pretty much don't have to worry about it like DVD's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

I had one sat on and tossed around in the car like a frisbee multiple times. It was unhinged inside the cover too and only had one minor scratch.

Pop it in my PS3 and still worked like a charm.

[Somebody]

I have moved around my Steam folder several times this year alone (I just discovered that you can do that). First it I moved it to bigger and faster drive since the default is getting full. Then a virus messed up my Windows, prompting a reformat and re-instal. The Steam folder is still in the unaffected drive. Recently I migrated to Windows 7 and a much newer drive.

It all took reinstalling the Steam client and verifying your account. So far no lock out.

I prefer Steam's offline mode. I noticed that the client would be extremely slow in logging on to my account or at times simply freeze if I was downloading something or simply surfing. I would either stop the download or just let Steam stay in offline mode for most of the time. Games seem to launch faster in that mode.

I haven't burnt anything yet, although I should be backing up my data.

[Stretchystrong]

I have a high end gaming pc and still end up playing console because I don't like sitting at a desk to play a game where you're supposed to relax and enjoy yourself.

[Bladesfist]

Executive chairs come in here. Or plug it in to your tv. Even low end video cards come with hdmi ports.

[Stretchystrong]

I use my 55 inch tv as a monitor. That's not the point. It's the ease and plug and play functionality of consoles that continually makes console gaming a majority.

[kramun]

If you use your tv as a monitor, why are you saying you don't like to sit at a desk to play a game?

Do you put your 55" tv on a desk when you play your pc?

[Brownghost]

then why buy a pc if your not gonna enjoy it

[hiredhelp]

I love the idea being on my couch playing my pc on my TV. But my computer is in my bedroom with my partner me on a desk no room to do that.
I know m8 mine plays his threw his telly plugs in his 360 controller way he goes. But not all games support that so xpadder gets used at times he sais.
WOW good to see many pc gamers here, fedup reading articles were people bitching.
Merry xmas season everyone.

[gypsygib]

That article was very arbitrary, who doesn't have a TV seriously, while many people don't have PC screens because they use laptops.

Anyways, I game to relax, which means sitting back or lying down on the couch, sure you can do that with PC but you'd get owned by all the K & B players so it wouldn't be much fun.

[MyNameIsNotRick]

I just got a gt 430 w/ 2gb of ram for 40 bucks. I have a relativly shitty gateway that a got used 3 years ago and havent touched my xbox in 2 weeks. I'm running fallout new vegas at high settings with no prob...

Long story short, It doesn't take much money to blow console graphics out of the water...and the games are cheaper on steam.

[Lord_Sloth]

Since PC games are so often pirated of course it's cheaper in the long run but I like the wide variety of games that consoles have.

[Brownghost]

Truth is I used to pirate many pc games when I got my computer this year. Then beginning of this Summer I found steam and own 50+ today. Great deals can wipe piracy away

[Lord_Sloth]

Trust me when I say I know allllll about steam. My old roommate used to use steam and would refuse to buy a game he wanted just because it wasn't on sale with Steam. I suppose it would have made sense on average except that it came off as more cheap with him since he just horded money all the time and STILL Pirated at least 80% of all the games he played on the PC.

[Genecalypse]

Everyone needs a computer in todays world, its a simple act of getting one designed for gaming as well and ta-da you have a system that does multiple things and no need for a console.

Im pretty sure most of you are on N4G are reading this on a computer right now, whether it be a laptop, a Desktop or even a mac, so you have already paid money for that, and more than likely its more than 300$+, hell it could be a 1000$ computer. And on top of that you own a console and buy games for it.

Or you could own a gaming PC thats around 600$+ and play all the latest games on high settings..coupled with cheap Steam games or *cough*Piracy*cough*, PC gaming isnt really expensive.

Then people bring up "you have to upgrade every year". This is entirely false. Do we get new consoles every years? No. PC hardware is so ahead of consoles that next gen consoles will still be less powerful by a long shot. Dont forget that games are tailored for consoles, and then made for PCs in most cases which in turn makes them fairly easy to run and not at all taxing.

People need to upgrade when games are hard to run, but because of the very "static" nature of consoles that doesnt happen for a very long time. The next "jump" will most likley be when PS4/720 come out and then we'll see a boost to all around visuals, but PC gamers more than likley wont have to upgrade, their systems have already been playing at those settings for years.

[Saryk]

Depends on how much you spend on games! If you buy one or two games a year, console wins. If you buy everything that comes out or a lot of games for yourself and family then PC all the way!

[-MD-]

PC gaming is about 90% cheaper than console gaming

[Brownghost]

Why do people think gaming computers are worthless. Your not getting just a gaming console but a computer. Custom computers cost $500-$600 and are better than $500 Shitty office computers from bestbuy. It is very worth it and with better games, bigger matches, and hundreds of exclusives. It is worth it