7 Reasons The PC Is Owning The PS4 And Xbox One

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This list is a good start but I'm sure most of you can think of way more reasons the PC beats consoles.

Of course, there are a ton more reasons why the PC is worth your hard-earned cash more than Sony's and Microsoft's next-generation machines. Using arguments presenting during TechRadar's recent PC Gaming Week, we delve into some of the best.
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"potentially upcoming titles such as Portal 3, Left4Dead 3 and Half-Life 3"

He's joking right?
 
That whole thing falls apart on the second slide talking about vaporware games...
 
Everyone knows the hardware is better already. The reason that consoles are the key platform is sales. Games companies target consoles first because that's what sells. That's only going to change if PC games sales beat console sales.
 
As far as I am concerned, until Star Citizen is released, it is vaporware in my world. I have no issues with playing games on my Xbox One, 360 or Original. However, I also have no issues playing games on my FX 8350 with R9 290x either. :D (Unless the game itself has issues which is more likely on the PC than consoles.)
 
I agree with most of these.

Would disagree with the cost one though.

Yes, your upfront costs are higher with PC gaming, and yes, you spend less on games through Steam sales, and you don't have to subscribe to a service like Xbox live Gold, but Xbox live gold is only $60 per year, and you'd have to buy A LOT of games to make up the cost difference.

Especially once you get bitten by the bug, and start upgrading to ever increasing levels of fancy hardware.

I would argue that this extra cost is worth it, and theres also the "incremental cost" argument, where most people need a computer anyway, so let's compare the cost of a console to the difference in cost between a basic email and MS office computer and a entry level gaming rig.

Even with this, I would argue that to suggest that there are long term savings with the PC is a bit of a stretch.
 
That's a bullshit list. A list made by someone who isn't a PC gamer. Here's the real list.

#1 PC gaming in the long term is cheap.
#2 No monthly fee for playing mulitplayer games.
#3 60+fps
#4 Mods! How did this never get mentioned?
#5 Backwards compatibility. Dos games still work with DosBox.
#6 Emulators! Anything from SNES to Wii emulation is done on PC.
#7 Steam! Origin! GoG! PC gaming fights for your money.
#8 PC master race. I just threw that in there for the lols.
 
Ashbringer said:
That's a bullshit list. A list made by someone who isn't a PC gamer. Here's the real list.

#1 PC gaming in the long term is cheap.
#2 No monthly fee for playing mulitplayer games.
#3 60+fps
#4 Mods! How did this never get mentioned?
#5 Backwards compatibility. Dos games still work with DosBox.
#6 Emulators! Anything from SNES to Wii emulation is done on PC.
#7 Steam! Origin! GoG! PC gaming fights for your money.
#8 PC master race. I just threw that in there for the lols.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of these, but how do you figure #1?

Give me some examples?

There was a time when you could build a semi-decent midgrade gaming rig for $500. (excluding monitor/keyboard/mouse) That isn't possible anymore.

Your upfront investment is going to be much higher than with a console, and the console is going to last you 8 years, vs the computer will need at least a new GPU at least every couple of years.

Yes, there is so subscription fee, but at only $60 per year, it doesn't make a huge difference.

And yes, Steam sales are huge, but you'd have to buy a shit ton of games to even come close to making up the difference between a console and a PC.

I would argue that any way you look at it, the total cost of ownership of a gaming PC including all games, and upgrades is going to be more expensive short term and long term than console ownership.

It's an extra cost that is well worth it IMHO (I wouldn't even play games if it weren't on the PC) but still an extra cost. And a rather large one. They aren't even close.
 
They forgot some of the most important like a huge variety of indie games and the ability to do what you want with your machine rather than what some corporation and it's advertisers want.
 
I love my gaming rig, but this was a crappy list.
Reasons PC is better:
1: Cheap games that will work for a long time
2: The games run better
3: The controls are better
Reason Consoles are better:
1: The games just work
2: They what most of your friends have
3: Consoles usually get big named games first
 
Shmee said:
I love my gaming rig, but this was a crappy list.
Reasons PC is better:
1: Cheap games that will work for a long time
2: The games run better
3: The controls are better
Reason Consoles are better:
1: The games just work
2: They what most of your friends have
3: Consoles usually get big named games first
Click to expand...
Typos are why this forum needs an edit button. Oh well.
 
The backwards compatibility issue alone ends the discussion in my mind. PC you can still play a DOS game for decades ago.

With consoles every generation is pretty much starting over from scratch. And this current console generation really is pathetic in that so many titles are just "remasters" - re-releases of titles that existed on 360/PS3 with minor improvements and people are actually buying the same games over again. I don't even blame the publishers - if they don't serve this market of idiots, someone else will.
 
Ashbringer said:
That's a bullshit list. A list made by someone who isn't a PC gamer. Here's the real list.

#1 PC gaming in the long term is cheap.
#2 No monthly fee for playing mulitplayer games.
#3 60+fps
#4 Mods! How did this never get mentioned?
#5 Backwards compatibility. Dos games still work with DosBox.
#6 Emulators! Anything from SNES to Wii emulation is done on PC.
#7 Steam! Origin! GoG! PC gaming fights for your money.
#8 PC master race. I just threw that in there for the lols.
Click to expand...

I mostly agree but.

#1 Yes, but depending on how you game not really significantly cheaper. At this point indi devs are supporting the PS4 XB1 well enough that I have a fairly decent library on them as well for the same cost as my PC games.
#2 Should clarify for games that themselves don't require. I'm still not a fan of PSN+ and Live Gold, but at least they are starting to justify their existence. Since I have PSN+, I get quite a few free games between my PS4 and PS3 since I still own both. Those alone more then justify the cost. I still utterly dislike the multiplayer paywall on principle though.
#3 Yes, but 30 really isn't an issue from your couch for certain types of games.
#4 This all day long.
#5 Isn't as good as it used to be, while DoxBox works it is harder and harder to play older windows titles. Can be done, but is a bit of a pain sometimes. Still something is better then nothing.
#6 Can't really endorse something that is clearly piracy.
#7 I utterly hate forced DRM and I utterly hate Steam and Origin..sadly I'm part of an ever shrinking minority who just wishes it was a god damn web store only and not shit I have to install.
#8 Meh, getting tired of this over used bit. It was funny at first but the reality is consoles don't and never will compete with PC as far as those who want the absolute best experience in most games. However that does NOT mean consoles aren't useful. There are plenty of things my consoles do that either are far less convenient then on my PC or my PC outright can't do. Which is why I game on All platforms.

Because I'm a fucking gamer..that's why.
 
DPI said:
The backwards compatibility issue alone ends the discussion in my mind. PC you can still play a DOS game for decades ago.
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I still fire up an old Infocom text game every so often.

You are standing in an open field west of a white house.

There is an open mailbox here.

:cool:
 
They didn't mention the #1 reason (at least to me) is the you can use a keyboard+mouse.
 
Tyler-Durden said:
I still fire up an old Infocom text game every so often.

You are standing in an open field west of a white house.

There is an open mailbox here.

:cool:
Click to expand...

>open the mailbox.
Opening the small mailbox reveals a leaflet.
>take the leaflet out of the mailbox.
Taken.
>read the leaflet.
"WELCOME TO ZORK!
 
Zarathustra[H];1041518886 said:
I agree with all of these, but how do you figure #1?

Give me some examples?

There was a time when you could build a semi-decent midgrade gaming rig for $500. (excluding monitor/keyboard/mouse) That isn't possible anymore.

Your upfront investment is going to be much higher than with a console, and the console is going to last you 8 years, vs the computer will need at least a new GPU at least every couple of years.

Yes, there is so subscription fee, but at only $60 per year, it doesn't make a huge difference.

And yes, Steam sales are huge, but you'd have to buy a shit ton of games to even come close to making up the difference between a console and a PC.

I would argue that any way you look at it, the total cost of ownership of a gaming PC including all games, and upgrades is going to be more expensive short term and long term than console ownership.

It's an extra cost that is well worth it IMHO (I wouldn't even play games if it weren't on the PC) but still an extra cost. And a rather large one. They aren't even close.
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I just did a test build for a mid grade gaming system assuming the builder has NOTHING already (so they need CPU/Mobo/RAM/GPU/case/PSU/Monitor/OS/Mouse/Keyboard/etc/etc)

I did a Microcenter i5 K CPU bundle with motherboard, 8 gigs of ram cheapest 1920x1080 monitor, $99 MS OS and a mid grade $200 GPU.

In the end, gaming PC, upfront investment is $1,039

Xbox One launch day cost $499

lets assume you buy it on launch, and lets also assume that it lasts 8 years like the last gen.

Lets assume that you keep your CPU and motherboard for the entire 8 years (which seems a stretch) and that you upgrade your GPU for another $200 once every two years. (which also seems like a long time between mid-grade GPU upgrades.

On the Xbox side lets assume Xbox live gold is paid for at $60 per year for all 8 years.

Total 8 year cost (before games):

PC: $1,839
Xbox one: $979

So, the PC is $860 more, even with the assumption that no CPU/mobo/RAM upgrade is done over 8 years, and GPU upgrades are only once every two years, which seems like a rather sparse upgrade schedule, but it might work.

I don't know how many games you buy, but do you really think you'll save $860 in games over 8 years? you must buy a lot of games.

Me, I rarely see many games I'm interested in. I wind up buying one or two a year on a good year.

My game purchases over the last years are as follows:
2015 (to date): CS:GO
2014: Nothing
2013: Civ5: Brave new world expansion, metro Last Light,
2012: Civ5: Gods and Kings expansion, Portal 2
2011: Deus Ex HR, Fallout 3, Red Orchestra 2, Portal
2010: STALKER (CoP, SoC and RoW), Metro 2033, Civ5
2009: Half Life 2 Episode Pack, Civ 4: Beyond the Sword
2008: Nothing
2007: Nothing
2006: Nothing
2005: Nothing
2004: Half Life 2, Counter-Strike Source

I don't have very good records before 2004.

There is no way the cost of games difference makes PC gaming cheaper than console gaming, unless - again - you buy every fucking game ever released, which I can't imagine most people do.

Most people have interests in specific types of games and buy those. For me it's open world FPS games, post apocalyptic eastern European FPS games, civilization games, Counter-Strike and Red orchestra series, and that's about it.
 
Unless I missed something...
Steam Sales, more than offsets the increased upfront costs of a gaming pc.
However, if you happen to already have a desktop, the only real cost is a video card, and if I'd think that an pentium/i3 + 200ish (290(x)) dollar video card will match or exceed the performance of the new consoles.

If you can live with waiting 6 months, the savings on games b/c of steam, will more than make up for the cost of the video card.

Now if you factor in using it as a dedicated device, then it will take longer (years) to recoup the upfront costs.
 
About the only pc gaming I have done lately is "social" based. I have a mame cabinet and I have a virtual pinball machine that I just picked up. Both are technically pc gaming but offer an experience that I can share/have with others.

Married and with 2 kids, I don't get a lot of "alone" time to go in my office and leave the world behind to play pc games. Maybe others can afford this luxury, but this for me is the big difference in why I've transitioned to console gaming over pc gaming. That and kb/mouse isn't as comfortable as it used to be (damn you rsi!).

Now I know there are advancements in couch computer gaming with steam streaming and other technologies, but it just isn't there yet enough for me. I think probably late 2015 into 2016 might offer better/more options. Same goes with VR, which is the complete opposite and total escapism. However I'm hoping I can justify that to the family (we'll see).

I think with mass market products to make pc gaming more accessible like the steam link + steam controller, a lot of my issues with pc gaming will go away. I'm hopeful it will also appeal more to a wider, less geeky, audience as well. I do prefer the higher fidelity and mods that come with pc gaming, the tradeoffs are just a no go with me right now though.
 
glorious-pc-gaming-master-race-2.jpg
 
Zarathustra[H];1041518886 said:
I agree with all of these, but how do you figure #1?

Give me some examples?

There was a time when you could build a semi-decent midgrade gaming rig for $500. (excluding monitor/keyboard/mouse) That isn't possible anymore.

Your upfront investment is going to be much higher than with a console, and the console is going to last you 8 years, vs the computer will need at least a new GPU at least every couple of years.
Click to expand...

I almost agree with you here. There are different levels to it though. You can put one together that will outperform the current gen consoles for around that much. Barely. It's a fine line, and you have to be careful not to skimp on things like the PSU, or you're going to run into reliability issues. However, it can be carefully done, and in a way that would allow you to upgrade later and still have a decent foundation to do it on. Get a decent Z97 board, an OCed Pentium G325x, a GTX 750Ti or 960 maybe, 4-8GB, etc. (or an AMD equivalent for a little less likely)

However, for something good in the mid range, you will definitely need a bit more. I consider my current gaming PC mid-range (even though it handles everything I throw at it beautifully.) 4690K, Z97, 16GB DDR3, GTX 970, good PSU, good case. This is definitely not put together for ~$500.

Then of course there's the high end, which in a thread like this... Probably not relevant though in the context of this site/forum definitely is.

Anyway, I think the line is very fine between consoles and PCs, and one has to weigh out all of the benefits, whether they even need the additional functionality of the PC, etc. Or... do what I do. Have a decent PC and whatever the current Nintendo console is, and you have a very wide range of games and game types at your disposal.
 
I just feel bad for anyone that doesn't own a PC and one or more consoles. Stop being so poor. FFS.
 
Laughs while people remember the articles from the XBone and PS4 release about how PC Gaming is dying...
 
Zarathustra[H];1041519012 said:
How many games do you buy? Would you really save enough money in games to offset $860 in cost difference?
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Hmm, here's my experience:

I got like 120 games for maybe 50 bucks total. I got them off humble bundles. Half of them AAA titles like Saint row, Deus Ex, Bioshock Stalker and Hitman series. I can't keep up with my PC games library anymore.

On Steam I bought many games at 75%-90% off, I'd say maybe 10 for a few bucks each. I recall getting Dead Space 1 and 2 for $5 total.

Anyway, when I'm thinking gaming I only count the video card as the investment, the rest of the PC gets built regardless cause I need one at home, but that's just me.
 
hmpff....

The reason PC gaming declined in the first place is because of Intel's shitty graphics. More than half of all PC's can't game well or at all. Intel knows it and they don't care.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041519012 said:
How many games do you buy? Would you really save enough money in games to offset $860 in cost difference?
Click to expand...

I couldn't say one way or the other. Probably not, but enough of an offset to make it worth my time in my case. I tend to buy some games earlyish at full price, while others I wait for sales. So I'm a good mid-level case. I have nearly 300 games in Steam. But, that's because I hold onto my games, and even re-bought games that I had on disc because I didn't want to hold onto them physically anymore. (so I'm also a bit of an oddball case) However, I get more use out of a game on average than someone that buys it, beats it, and then sells it or never touches it again. Out of the 300ish games, I would say maybe 5-10 are crap. The rest are either good, or I enjoyed them at some point in my life, and know I'll want to play them again. I also do a lot of emulation. I'll have a current console attached to my TV at any given time, but I'm not dragging out the old ones most of the time. Having a nice central location (the living-room PC) is perfect for this. I'm not really arguing against your points, just providing my own angle on it.
 
My main two reasons - keyboard/mouse control,if you're a diehard FPS gamer no controller can beat it. It still mystifies me why consoles refuse to provide native support for KB/M despite shooters being a staple.
The mods!!! There's so much available for games like Fallout3/New Vegas it can extend the life of a game for months.
 
michael.pa2 said:
My main two reasons - keyboard/mouse control,if you're a diehard FPS gamer no controller can beat it. It still mystifies me why consoles refuse to provide native support for KB/M despite shooters being a staple.
The mods!!! There's so much available for games like Fallout3/New Vegas it can extend the life of a game for months.
Click to expand...

I play primarily with KB/M on my main gaming PC (though I do have a nice pad for it too.) Then I play games that work better with a pad on the living-room PC. If the shooter doesn't require pinpoint accuracy I'll actually "slum it" and play in the living-room for the extra comfort, TV size, etc. Otherwise, it's back to the desktop.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041519012 said:
How many games do you buy? Would you really save enough money in games to offset $860 in cost difference?
Click to expand...

The money cost thing depends a lot on what kinds of games you play and the computer you use to play them. Lots of people play games with integrated graphics in really inexpensive computers (like you can get a Windows tablet starting at $100 which can run older games..even more immersive/bigger stuff from a few years ago like Fallout 3 will run on the Bay Trail Atom's GPU without being too awful as long as you have 2 GB of RAM) and since most people would own a computer regardless of having a console, those kinds of people who don't need or want cutting edge stuff will experience a cost savings over a console.

Like for me, my HD3000 equipped laptop was too big so I gave it away and I do most of my typing and creative stuff plus occasional old games on a linux mint netbook with an Atom n270 in it and a kid-friendly Dell Latitude 2110 netbook with an Atom n470. I got both of them for less than $60 each and I don't have any plans to replace my bigger laptop until Cherry Trail tablets and netbooks have been out for a while...so like maybe 2016? Until then, yay for Netbook PC Master Race gaming! :D
 
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