I just read a pretty good article in Games Radar about the arrogance of PC gamers, which I've seen glimpses of from time to time, but never to this extent. I'll post the article, but I want to say some things first. I think both sides have merit in their arguments, although I must say the consolers come off as more down-to-earth. A PC can truly be a haven for gaming, and no, it doesn't have to be limited to RTS's and FPS's. There are many different kinds of games on a PC, and if you have a DOS emulator like DosinaBox, it easily has a deeper, more diverse back catalog than any console (PS3 is a possible exception, with its backward compatibility of PS1 and PS2 games). Add the ability to write programs that can emulate nearly any console system, and the free games made by aspiring game designers, and having a PC is having access to a treasure trove of gaming.
However, if you want to treat the PC as a true gaming machine, where you can play the newest, hottest games, it's going to set you back. A lot. As stated in the article, a new high-tech video card can cost as much as a Playstation 3. Even if you go the cheap route, and buy a low-powered but upgradeable PC and install the upgrades yourself, there's obviously a large amount of do-it-yourself maintenance involved. Whereas with a console, you're getting one for a comparably low price, and it's ready to go right out of the box.
Also, there still may be a gap between graphics capabilities of the PC and the console (now Xbox 360 and PS3) but it's lower than it's ever been. Consoles are becoming more like PC's with each passing generation (I'm not saying that's a good thing) and online play is a huge component of each of the new consoles.
As for me personally, I've been playing pretty much consoles exclusively for the past few years. I just like the feel of sitting in the living room and playing a great game on my couch, with the control pad. Sitting behind my desk and playing a game doesn't quite have the same appeal. Plus, I got a little too frustrated over the years with getting some games to work on my PC, and asked myself, "why am I putting myself through this?" I think I'll definitely go back to PC gaming one day, it'll just take the right game. I also have Gametap, which is a great service that lets you play many games, PC, and console, on your computer. But I'm so busy that I hardly have time to use it, and then not for more than a few minutes.
Anyway, here's the article:
http://www.gamesradar.com/us/pc/game/news/article.jsp?articleId=20070510115820632080§ionId=1006&releaseId=2006032219817514003
2 comments:
Interesting article. I am afraid to say it though, I'm more of a PC gamer than console gamer. I just find that consoles are lacking, such as the 360. The game library for it is pretty much nothing, and the backwards compatibility only works on some games. Crap in my opinion. I like PC's better because of the power you get from them and the upgradeablitity. Most modern day gaming rigs dwarf consoles like the 360 and PS3. True you can spend thousands of dollars to make a top of the line gaming rig but in my opinion it's worth it. It's like getting a Honda Civic, or whatever, and putting a bunch of aftermarket parts in it. Customizing the PC is half the fun. As for my rig, well, I really don't have one. Right now I'm using an old junkbox I put together. PIII EB, 800 Mhz processor. It's sad, I know.
Yeah, I can't say I'm planning to buy any of the new consoles. I haven't seen anything yet that compels me to buy one. Dead Rising still makes me salivate though, but not enough to drop 400 big ones. I'm perfectly happy with what I do have, PS2 is my console of choice at the moment, and I've barely skimmed the surface of its library.
I was unhappy with the backwards compatibility problems with the 360. Customizing a PC sounds like it can be really fun, but installing things and figuring out the nuts-and-bolts just is not my strong suit. I was going to open up my tower recently to dust off the fan, but seeing all those screws scared me.
Don't feel too bad, your PC is probably much better than mine. It's just a Dell I ordered online like three years ago. It runs really well though, I've never had a problem having it do what I needed it to, although I have been behind the curve by a long way on PC gaming.
And thank you, you're the first person to comment on my blog. At least there are people reading, which I feel great about. Thanks again, and I hope you check in more.
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