My PC vs Xbox 360

[Frosteh]

The price of the hardware inside a 360 exceeds the price of which it costs to buy on the market, almost all consoles are sold at a loss.

The money comes from the games, the average console game is more expensive than the average PC game, at least in the UK.

The Xbox360 is £280 at play.com, my last video card cost £375 alone, so hardware wise consoles are actually very cheap, way cheaper than PC's could ever be because the buisness models allow the console makers to sell the hardware and make a loss.

 

[STL3200AMD]

The price of the hardware inside a 360 exceeds the price of which it costs to buy on the market, almost all consoles are sold at a loss.

The money comes from the games, the average console game is more expensive than the average PC game, at least in the UK.

The Xbox360 is £280 at play.com, my last video card cost £375 alone, so hardware wise consoles are actually very cheap, way cheaper than PC's could ever be because the buisness models allow the console makers to sell the hardware and make a loss.

WERD!
OP, you never intended to buy a 360 obviously, so why didn't you just say so from the get go and ask your (ridiculously misconcieved) question in the first place? The 360 is a great console gamer, If your bias to the pc and only entertain this idea for the wifey... then get a game cube or a wii for the two of you. If your only going to play every once in while, then the 360 is the wrong choice.

 

[Dan_D]

A friend of mine brought the XBox over the other day and we played some games on it. I hooked it up to one of my HD TV's and all I have to say is, I am not impressed by the grpahics. I've been seeing the kind of graphics they are doing on that console for some time.

Oblivion on my PC looks better than it does on the XBox 360. None of the other games I saw compared either. Though I have to say that I did enjoy Dead Rising and I will eventually purchase an XBox when more content I am interested in gets created for it.

 

[dreamcast87]

Buy your wife a DS Lite...with Tetris and Mario

Cheap and Fun on the go gaming

 

[Sharky974]

Oblivion on my PC looks better than it does on the XBox 360. None of the other games I saw compared either. .

Yeah right. What are those other games? Really there are few PC games that match the shiny X360 titles, they would have to come in like the last year. FEAR or something like that? Yeah right, FEAR does not look any better than a typical 360 game and you know it. Again, what games on PC outclass 360 by a wide margin? Maybe a little, but there is nothing on PC that is out of 360's league at all.

Like for example, what PC racers match PGR3?

A bunch of people have made a big deal out of some X360 PC ports being inferior in some places, but that's what typically happens with PORTS. They aren't optimized for the ported machine so they suffer. Besides, IGN insider does head to head, with video, split screen, etc and usually despite what people claim on forums the games that are on both PC and 360 look virtually identical on PC/360. This is proved by IGN with actual splitscreen comparisons of the game running on each platform, not people saying stuff on forums that may or may not be true, such as "I max my setting with my 7900GT!!!!". Yeah sure buddy.

There's a couple common sense points of why PC will have minor advantages: RAM. No matter how powerful the GPU's and CPU's of PS3/360 are, they still come down to having 512 MB of total RAM, where a decent PC has 1-2GB of system RAM +512MB of video RAM. So naturally you may be able to get better textures on PC. That's kind of a no-brainer. That said, I dont see much difference in textures on PS3/360 games versus PC so far yet either.

The other is resolution, PC's offer the ability to ramp it 360/PS3 do not. So you're going to get some people who think gaming at 2500X1600 or whatever is a huge advantage. And true it's not something a console can match. But 1280X720 is more than fine anyway. Especially since until this gen consoles where at 640X480!

Also: GEARS OF WAR. I dont care what these PC heads say, upon release (Nov. 12) that will be the best looking game ANYWHERE. Granted I believe high end PC's COULD run it, but guess what they wont get that chance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7MO6lDtpSU

It's youtube's horrible quality but you get the idea.

By the way, the video card in 360 is custom so it's not really comparable to anything out right now. However in raw shader power it is probably somewhere between a X1800XT and X1900XTX as has been stated. I cant wait for R600 and it's derivatives to come because they will suposedly be a lot like the card in 360 "based on it" so hopefully the ALU's will be laid out similarly and we'll get some PC card (not the highest R600 mind you, but probably one of the mid-range variants) that gives us an idea of R500. As of right now its pointless though because ATI's current PC cards are laid out in a totally different manner plus many other differences.

However, this is NOT the case with 360's competition the PS3. It has a GPU that is directly comparable to PC cards. So what is it? A 24 pipe G71 at 500 mhz. In other words it's basically a 7900 GT (or GTX, doesn't matter) at 500mhz. Connected to 256 MB of 650 mhz GDDR3. But with on pretty big caveat: it only has a 128 bit internal memory bus. That's right it has the bus of a budget card. However 7600 GT is pretty fast with only a 128 bus, and in a console it will be easier to work around the bandwidth limitation.

But that's what's in PS3 which is in X360's general class, so that should give you an idea of what we're talking about in these machines: mid-high range PC cards.

For now anyway. Of course soon PC's will shoot ahead as always.

Oh I wanted to make a last point, current 360 games are not always a great indicator of the machine. It was basically rushed to market and the dev kits had single X800's in them (that was all they had back then, spring 2005ish). They did not get full strength dev kits until like a month before launch. Many of the early 360 titles did not look that great but that is changing. Plus the dev tools are getting a lot better and more time=better graphics.

There are a bunch of games coming out before Christmas that have much improved graphics than anything on 360 currently. Such as off the top of my head:

Splinter Cell Double Agent
Rainbow Six Vegas
Gears of War (of course)
Bioshock (this may be a while, but is said to have some of the best graphics ever)
Mass Effect
Brothers In Arms (whatever the upcoming one is subtitled)

 

[Steve_010]

I'm late to the game (3 pages deep) but I think the OP was just looking for someone to tell him he has a nice computer (i.e.: e-penis) and not really care about a console.

Hence the:

So, just from what youve said, I would assume you agree that the 360 is LESS powerfull than my computer, ehh?

and

eVGA 7900gt KO/24pipes of HOLY SHIT

and

why the Xbox costs as much as it does with an inferior graphics card within it compared to mine

whatever...I felt the need to say that...

B.W. was right when he said:

This is border-line flamebait.

Price-wise, it's middle of the road compared to Wii ($250) and P3 ($600). There will be 2 more consoles to chose from in a few more months...

 

[GT98]

I've been gaming on the PC since the days of the Commodore 64 and then got a 486 PC in 1990 or so. I got an Xbox when it first came out and really didnt get into it, sold it, then got another one back about 2 years ago when I got my 50 inch DLP HDTV and still really didnt get into it once again...all in the mean time the gaming market for the PC just about died (IMO)...

I got an Xbox 360 last January and it ROCKS! It blows away the old Xbox and has a constant stream of new games that interest me, where as the PC is still stuck in duldurms when it comes to games. All the games that are on the PC are either FPS (gets boring after a while) or MMO (which I never got into) and real lack of any new innovation or games that I like.

With that being said, I think I'm going stick with the Xbox for the vast majorty of games I want to play. There are a couple games that won't translate well on the Xbox (sims and wargames) so I'll do an upgrade come next Year with a DX10 card and Vista and should be good for 2 years or so before I have to worry about upgrading again.

 

[SAW]

Well, I was "trying" to stay out my own thread which EVERYONE misunderstood and think I was just trying to Envy up my computer. I'll just say it once more, that just wasnt my intent at all. I really and truely wanted to know WHY the 360 was what it is. Period.

But, one thing all you guys who have replied have in common is the fact that you ALL say Im bias, but then, so too are you by stating what you have in the manor of which you have.

I, not ever reading anything about the 360 (on purpose), HAVE read where "others" say its better than a PC, graphics and other ways as well. Well, since I was out of the loop, I CREATED THIS THREAD. Someone answered earlier saying the card is basically equilivent to a 7800. Ok, fair enough. This is one of the things I asked. No harm no foul, right. So, as far as MY PC was concearned, what I "had read" others say about the 360 WAS NOT TRUE!!! That was the answer I was looking for and I got it, back on the first page. This thread became 3 pages cause you all assumed I was bragging....Well, you know what they say when you ass-u-me things.

I also stated the fact that its just not possible for the 360 to have better graphics than what I can produce on MY PC. Again, its not bragging, its making a TRUE statement....at least as far as MY PC is concearned.

If the 360 is being played on a "regular" TV, its impossible for the graphics to even come close to what I can generate with my monitor. Again, NOT BRAGGING...(honestly, I can care less), just making the statment that "from what ive heard and read" about the 360 being better than a PC has been incorrect. A regular TV just doesnt have it within it to have the LPI I get with my monitor. Period. Math just cant lie, and the MORE "dots" ya got, THE BETTER THE PICTURE.

That being said, I can move into the "HDTV". Most of you guys mentioned the fact that you play your 360 on one of these HDTV's, but then state that between the 360 and a PC, the 360 is a better buy at around 400 bucks. Again, math doesnt lie and Im not going to dispute the fact that, yes, 400 bucks is about 3 times cheaper than what I spent on my PC (about 1300), BUT....you guys are NOT including YOUR cost for your HDTV's. Last time I checked, the cheapest one I saw was right around 900-1000 bucks. Add that to your 400 dollar 360 and well, there we have it.

In the end, Yes, I was looking for a comparison of performances between the 360 and MY PC. There might be a thin line between that and bragging, but its a line nontheless and as I said above.....HONESTLY guys, I could care less who or what is better, I just wanted the FACTS about what Ive heard and read. I got those facts on page 1, the rest of this thread has become lame and really, whats the point of continuing it, so if a MOD happens to read this, feel free to close it bro/bro'ette, no more use can come from it.

 

[quadnad]

Like for example, what PC racers match PGR3?

I'm really sorry to have to get into this, but almost every racer for the PC is far superior to those available on the consoles. e.g. GTR and GTR2, GT Legends, RFactor, etc. The physics, the realism, it's all superior.

Also: GEARS OF WAR. I dont care what these PC heads say, upon release (Nov. 12) that will be the best looking game ANYWHERE. Granted I believe high end PC's COULD run it, but guess what they wont get that chance!

Apparently there is a confirmed version arriving for the PC, not at the same time, but hey, not too bad either way.

 

[diehard]

BUT....you guys are NOT including YOUR cost for your HDTV's. Last time I checked, the cheapest one I saw was right around 900-1000 bucks. Add that to your 400 dollar 360 and well, there we have it. .

I would'nt include the cost of my couch either, because id still have them regardless of the 360, same goes for the HDTV.

I'm really sorry to have to get into this, but almost every racer for the PC is far superior to those available on the consoles. e.g. GTR and GTR2, GT Legends, RFactor, etc. The physics, the realism, it's all superior.
.

I would whole heartedly disagree with you here.

Apparently there is a confirmed version arriving for the PC, not at the same time, but hey, not too bad either way.

The closest thing ive found to any kind of "confirmed version" is this from CliffyB:

Gears of War is an Xbox360 exclusive. We're developing it specifically to take advantage of the power and features of the console. All of the work on Gears between now and when we ship is toward creating the ultimate Xbox360 game.

ould we, in the future, adapt Gears for Windows just as Microsoft did with Halо? Sure we could and, as you can see from J Allard's comments, Microsoft is clearly cool with that idea. But we're a long way off from thinking about that. Right now our only goal is to make Gears one of the "must have" titles for Xbox360 and judging by reaction to our relatively early showing at E3 we're well on our way toward achieving that. One major web site, 1UP.com, already voted us their Best Xbox360 Game in their Best of E3 roundup!

 

[quadnad]

I would whole heartedly disagree with you here.

Ask any race sim fan [myself included], and they'll tell you that they're all on the PC. Get a good wheel, and all the best racers from hardcore sims to arcade sims are here. I'm not saying that PGR is a bad game, but it certainly isn't the best. If you've played some of the PC racers I mentioned, you'd know. EDIT: I almost forgot the whole NFS series....

The closest thing ive found to any kind of "confirmed version" is this from CliffyB:

I just realized that the thing I read said confirmed "Gears of War and PC UT2K7." oops
Oh well...hopefully we'll see the same thing that happened to Halo [even though it deserved to be a PC game in the first place *shakes fist*].

 

[Domingo]

Glad to see this isn't turning into a complete PC vs. console bout. I'm notorious for getting involved in those for some reason.
If we're talking graphics, Oblivion DOES NOT look better on the PC unless your PC is the most screaming thing on the market. Either that or it'll look better in stills at some crazy 2000X1500 resolution, but you're pulling single digit FPS in it. The 360 version in 1080i or 720p looks every bit as good as the game running on a PC at 1280X1024.
If you have a screaming SLI/Core 2/AM2 system then you might be able to make it better than the 360, but for 99% of PC gamers it DOES NOT.
As for FEAR...that game's graphics aren't all that impressive to be honest. I'm not sure if the lights/shadows keep it running like a dog, or if something just isn't optimized...but I think HL2 looks better than FEAR in every way and it runs 2X as well, too.

 

[SAW]

I would'nt include the cost of my couch either, because id still have them regardless of the 360, same goes for the HDTV.

Umm, a couch has nothing to do with ANYTHING in this entire thread. And YES, you MUST include the price of your HDTV.....or the tv your using.....You cant very well play the 360 without them, right?

I would have a monitor regardless of any games I had, cause its required to do anything. It was a cost added to my PC cost and its a cost 360 owners must include too. You cant get away from that.

 

[diehard]

Umm, a couch has nothing to do with ANYTHING in this entire thread. And YES, you MUST include the price of your HDTV.....or the tv your using.....You cant very well play the 360 without them, right?

I would have a monitor regardless of any games I had, cause its required to do anything. It was a cost added to my PC cost and its a cost 360 owners must include too. You cant get away from that.

I guess you can't seem to understand that i would have an HDTV had the 360 never been concieved, let alone me owning one, so why would i include that in my cost? Its the exact same comparison as the couch, i need one to play the 360, but i would have one regardless, so i would'nt include that in the price. IMHO, if you want to include the price of an HDTV , then you need to include the price of your computer chair and desk also.

 

[SAW]

Well, sorry dude, but your incorrect. You do NOT "NEED" a couch to play your 360. You can stand or sit on the floor. You DO however REQUIRE something to "VIEW" your 360 games, otherwise you would NOT be able to play them, therefore, its a cost that MUST be included. Doesnt matter if youd have it regardless, thats not the point, the point is that it IS required to play, then its required to add to the cost.

Its "YOUR" opinion that it doesnt. Fine. Your entitled to that opinion. Enjoy it

 

[Domingo]

Um...people are stretching here.
An HDTV should count in the cost of a 360 much the way a monitor counts for your PC. It doesn't matter if you had one prior, it counts for both or it doesn't count at all.
If you don't count the monitor you've had for 4 years and still use, then you can't count the HD set either.
The same would apply to a speaker set/receiver you have for the 360's dolby digital audio. If you have a sound card/integrated sound in your PC...then the home stereo receiver needs to count, too.
You could factor in controllers, wireless adapters, etc. if you really feel like it...but I'd call it a little nitpicky.
Factoring in furniture is stupid, though. You can play a 360 at a desk and you can have your PC next to a couch or even your bed.

 

[quadnad]

Um...people are stretching here.
An HDTV should count in the cost of a 360 much the way a monitor counts for your PC. It doesn't matter if you had one prior, it counts for both or it doesn't count at all.
If you don't count the monitor you've had for 4 years and still use, then you can't count the HD set either.
The same would apply to a speaker set/receiver you have for the 360's dolby digital audio. If you have a sound card/integrated sound in your PC...then the home stereo receiver needs to count, too.
You could factor in controllers, wireless adapters, etc. if you really feel like it...but I'd call it a little nitpicky.
Factoring in furniture is stupid, though. You can play a 360 at a desk and you can have your PC next to a couch or even your bed.

Clearly the HDTV and PC monitor count in both equations...
I do have to mention this though: an HDTV is both far more expensive and also much more of a luxury good than a computer monitor. I think it's a safe assumption to make that most people had a computer and monitor long before they had an HDTV (if they have one at all).

Either way, this is a silly discussion; each platform has it's merits, and most people have a strong preference either way. Lets just let people enjoy whatever platform they choose.

 

[B. W.]

Either way, this is a silly discussion; each platform has it's merits, and most people have a strong preference either way. Lets just let people enjoy whatever platform they choose.

Can we close the thread now?

 

[quadnad]

Can we close the thread now?

here here!

 

[BladeVenom]

I guess you can't seem to understand that i would have an HDTV had the 360 never been concieved, let alone me owning one, so why would i include that in my cost? Its the exact same comparison as the couch, i need one to play the 360, but i would have one regardless, so i would'nt include that in the price. IMHO, if you want to include the price of an HDTV , then you need to include the price of your computer chair and desk also.

Well I'd own a PC even if I didn't play PC games. So if we compare costs that way, then Xbox360 gaming starts at $399 and PC gaming is free.

 

[Steve_010]

Can you play the xbox360 on a regular TV? If I didn't have to go out and buy a new tv also then I wouldn't have to add it into the price right?

That question isn't sarcasim, it just really seems by the responses that in order to play the 360 it has to be on an hdtv.

 

[quadnad]

Can you play the xbox360 on a regular TV? If I didn't have to go out and buy a new tv also then I wouldn't have to add it into the price right?

That question isn't sarcasim, it just really seems by the responses that in order to play the 360 it has to be on an hdtv.

You certainly can play it on a standard def. tv, but you're going to forgo the whole point of the new hardware....why play it at standard def. resolution if even a midrange-low-end PC could play it at that res?

 

[Steve_010]

You certainly can play it on a standard def. tv, but you're going to forgo the whole point of the new hardware....why play it at standard def. resolution if even a midrange-low-end PC could play it at that res?

because the average grandmother/school girl will never know the difference?

 

[quadnad]

because the average grandmother/school girl will never know the difference?

lol...but the average grandmother/school girl wouldn't buy an xbox 360...

 

[Sharky974]

You can play 360 fine on an SDTV. And the games will still look better than previous consoles.

That's like saying a playstation 2 is worthless because it only plays 640X480. However, somehow 90 million of them were sold.

I dont think you add the cost of a TV to a console either, because 99.9% of households already have at least one TV. However if you buy a computer and dont already have one, then you have to buy a seperate monitor that is only used with it.

Also an HDTV will be used for more than your 360, watching movies and TV. It's likely everyone in America would have switched to HDTV eventually regardless of if consoles even existed. HDTV is it's own movement.

If the 360 is being played on a "regular" TV, its impossible for the graphics to even come close to what I can generate with my monitor. Again, NOT BRAGGING...(honestly, I can care less), just making the statment that "from what ive heard and read" about the 360 being better than a PC has been incorrect. A regular TV just doesnt have it within it to have the LPI I get with my monitor. Period. Math just cant lie, and the MORE "dots" ya got, THE BETTER THE PICTURE.

You can easily hook up the 360 to your PC monitor with a simple VGA cable if you so desired.

*gasp*.

Also, you can find decent 26/27" LCD HDTV for around 550 (look for syntax or westinghouse, good budget brands). That is what I paid for mine.

However I wont quibble too much with $800-900, as if you dont look for a sale or shop online that's about right (although you can get a 32" online for those dollars, hell 37" soon probably, how bout that for blowing away your PC monitor in size!)

Oh, but Wal Mart and Best Buy also sell 30" CRT HDTV's for like $470. I prefer the picture on CRT anyway myself, the biggest drawback is bulk/weight imo.

 

[Sharky974]

I'm really sorry to have to get into this, but almost every racer for the PC is far superior to those available on the consoles. e.g. GTR and GTR2, GT Legends, RFactor, etc. The physics, the realism, it's all superior.

I doubt it you're just saying that.

So those games are superior to Gran Turismo 4 as well?

I mainly meant graphically flashy. PGR3 is definitly at least as graphically flashy as any racer on PC. It's in that top echelon. Maybe it's an arcade racer so it's not deep, I dont know about that stuff, that's just preference/game style. Someracing games tilt arcade some tilt sim.

Btw, I went to Gamespot and looked at videos of GTR2, it's definitly graphically nothing special, PGR tops it easily. But I also found that according to Gamespot the GTR series is coming to X360 anyway ( in 2nd quarter 2007). Also Gamespot reviewed GTR 1 the same as PGR3, 8.8 for each. Also I think GTR came out on Xbox too although only in Europe or something.

Plus Xbox 360 has games like full Auto with a fully modeled 35 mile wide island of Hawaii to explore and MMORPG mode with thousands of players online..does PC have that? No. You can go both ways with it.

 

[quadnad]

So those games are superior to Gran Turismo 4 as well?

GT4 is a decent game, but I'd certainly say that these top it both graphically and gameplay-wise. The career mode in that game is just plain broken...

Btw, I went to Gamespot and looked at videos of GTR2, it's definitly graphically nothing special, PGR tops it easily.

Yeah, it isn't as flashy as PGR3, but the physics and actual driving characteristics are far better in GTR/GTR2 as well as the other games I mentioned. It's because of this that they're different games; PGR3 is much more arcade vs. the GTR sim.

Plus Xbox 360 has games like full Auto with a fully modeled 35 mile wide island of Hawaii to explore and MMORPG mode with thousands of players online..does PC have that? No. You can go both ways with it.

Don't you mean Test Drive Unlimited? Because thats coming to the PC this October.

 

[Frosteh]

A TV or HDTV is still part of the price of a console, like it or not it's a requirement to be able to play games.

I'm 23 and I don't own a TV, I gave mine to my sister when she moved out to Uni, that way I don't have to pay TV licence fee's in the UK. I havn't watched proper TV for years now, I aquire my TV eps through other means because they lack adverts and are generaly 10 million times more convineint than watching it on TV.

If I wanted graphics from the 360 that even came close to that of a decent high end PC I wouild need to purchase a HDTV (probably in the region of £1,500 for a decent one, and then about £110 a year for my TV licence fee.

No thanks, my PC cost that and it's far superiour in every way.

 

[Steve_010]

(probably in the region of £1,500 for a decent one, and then about £110 a year for my TV licence fee.

Holy shit thats retarded. I was about to say that America would crumble if they charged a tax or something on TV but all the unemployed and welfare all have better tv's and cable service than I do!!!! What else would they do during the day. The gov't could make a bundle off of America's addiction.

 

[Sharky974]

A TV or HDTV is still part of the price of a console, like it or not it's a requirement to be able to play games.

Well I dont know about UK but here in America, most every family has about 5 TV's.

You can get a small TV for what, $50? A 27" is probably $100.

That's why I say a monitor is more essential to the cost of a PC. Because if you buy a PC, if you already have one you can use that monitor (if it's not outdated), otherwise you have to buy a new one.

Whereas 99.9% of people already have TV's. You dont buy a TV with a console you just buy the console. Then you hook it up to your TV you watch TV on.

Why are we arguing this btw? You still cant build a PC as good as 360 or PS3 for the price. Even if you say they both have to have monitors.

Usually whenever I compare the cost of a PC to X360/PS3 on forums (I've done it a few times) I dont count a monitor in the PC cost because I say it's only fair. So if you dont count a monitor it still costs a minimum of $600-700 to build a PC as good as PS3/360.

You can get a 360 for 299. PS3 is 600 but it also comes with Blu Ray that costs what, $1000? If you wanted to add a Blu Ray to your PC. So that doesn't work either.

 

[PWMK2]

Well I dont know about UK but here in America, most every family has about 5 TV's.

Uh...

I don't know what part of America you're from, bud, but that's a lot of TVs, especially as an average. From what I've seen, the average would probably be closer to 2, especially since not everyone even has a TV in the first place...

Now, if you were talking about telephones, I'd say you're correct. But that's a lot of TVs to be the average...

 

[SAW]

Well I dont know about UK but here in America, most every family has about 5 TV's.

You can get a small TV for what, $50? A 27" is probably $100.

That's why I say a monitor is more essential to the cost of a PC. Because if you buy a PC, if you already have one you can use that monitor (if it's not outdated), otherwise you have to buy a new one.

Whereas 99.9% of people already have TV's. You dont buy a TV with a console you just buy the console. Then you hook it up to your TV you watch TV on.

Why are we arguing this btw? You still cant build a PC as good as 360 or PS3 for the price. Even if you say they both have to have monitors.

Usually whenever I compare the cost of a PC to X360/PS3 on forums (I've done it a few times) I dont count a monitor in the PC cost because I say it's only fair. So if you dont count a monitor it still costs a minimum of $600-700 to build a PC as good as PS3/360.

You can get a 360 for 299. PS3 is 600 but it also comes with Blu Ray that costs what, $1000? If you wanted to add a Blu Ray to your PC. So that doesn't work either.

Ok, this is the difference between what we are talkin about here bro...

True enough and again, no argument from me, "most" families already have "TVs". I wouldnt agree with the "5 tv's" part, but, you are correct about saying they dont cost alot, cause they dont. Now, the key component to what you are saying here is "TV". NOT "HDTV"...There is a HUGE difference is cost there.

Now, as it is, and no dispute from me, 360 does have good graphics. We have established the fact that it is safely comparable to a 7800. HOWEVER....jumping back into your comments about not including cost of a the TV in the equation. If your playing a 360 on a "regular" TV, then your not "seeing" the graphics the 360 was built to produce.

That being said, brings us back to the HDTV equation. Most of the people who have commented in this thread alone, have mentioned "HDTV" one way or another and PLAYING a 360 on a HDTV. Using an HDTV or a PC monitor is the ONLY way your going to "see" the graphics it was meant to have. THEREFORE, its a "cost" and should be included when disscussing the cost of playing a 360. Which this thread started talkin about earlier.

It doesnt matter if the individual bought the HDTV prior to owning a 360....at least NOT in this particular mannor, cause "their" arguments towards the subject matter of this thread is that the 360 is the better buy as far as games and graphics and such are concearned. Saying that you "get the whole package" for $400 bucks. But this is NOT really the case, they are not including the price of their HDTV in that equation, which in turn, completely turns their argument around about it being the better buy, both in performance and graphics. So, when you include the HDTV into the price tag for playing the 360 "the way it was meant to be played", your in it for $1400 bucks.....basically. Cause ya just cant get that quality without it, period. Just like I WILL NOT GET the graphical quality if I used some cable and ran the signal from my 7900gt to my 32" REGULAR TV. Regardless of what the games resolution capablities are and what my 7900 is capable of, its still ONLY GOING to be as good as the TV I view it on.

Since you cant play the games the 360 has WITH the graphics its capable of without an HDTV, then its a cost that must be included.

 

[Orange.exe]

Ok, this is the difference between what we are talkin about here bro...

True enough and again, no argument from me, "most" families already have "TVs". I wouldnt agree with the "5 tv's" part, but, you are correct about saying they dont cost alot, cause they dont. Now, the key component to what you are saying here is "TV". NOT "HDTV"...There is a HUGE difference is cost there.

Now, as it is, and no dispute from me, 360 does have good graphics. We have established the fact that it is safely comparable to a 7800. HOWEVER....jumping back into your comments about not including cost of a the TV in the equation. If your playing a 360 on a "regular" TV, then your not "seeing" the graphics the 360 was built to produce.

That being said, brings us back to the HDTV equation. Most of the people who have commented in this thread alone, have mentioned "HDTV" one way or another and PLAYING a 360 on a HDTV. Using an HDTV or a PC monitor is the ONLY way your going to "see" the graphics it was meant to have. THEREFORE, its a "cost" and should be included when disscussing the cost of playing a 360. Which this thread started talkin about earlier.

It doesnt matter if the individual bought the HDTV prior to owning a 360....at least NOT in this particular mannor, cause "their" arguments towards the subject matter of this thread is that the 360 is the better buy as far as games and graphics and such are concearned. Saying that you "get the whole package" for $400 bucks. But this is NOT really the case, they are not including the price of their HDTV in that equation, which in turn, completely turns their argument around about it being the better buy, both in performance and graphics. So, when you include the HDTV into the price tag for playing the 360 "the way it was meant to be played", your in it for $1400 bucks.....basically. Cause ya just cant get that quality without it, period. Just like I WILL NOT GET the graphical quality if I used some cable and ran the signal from my 7900gt to my 32" REGULAR TV. Regardless of what the games resolution capablities are and what my 7900 is capable of, its still ONLY GOING to be as good as the TV I view it on.

Since you cant play the games the 360 has WITH the graphics its capable of without an HDTV, then its a cost that must be included.

Well, shouldnt you include speakers also then?

 

[SAW]

I did. I have Logitech 5.1....or were you talkin about the 360 users? If you were, then yeah, if they use anything to "enhance" their gaming experience and it didnt come with the 360 in its box, then its a cost that should be included when discussing having a gaming experience "equated" to a PC.

I realized I made a mistake in not including that too just now and that mistake was that "I ass-u-med" the HDTV's had speakers, heh. Honestly, I wasnt thinking about it, cause my tv has speakers built into it, heh. But yeah, if the speakers were extra, then you include that too, sooo, thats another, what, 100 bucks, at least?

But, then again, technically, you can still play the 360 without sound, but that would kinda suck, heh.

 

[Sharky974]

Since you cant play the games the 360 has WITH the graphics its capable of without an HDTV, then its a cost that must be included.

Not really. Hook it up to your PC monitor. That's what I did before I got an HDTV.

So you are once again wrong. It is not a cost. It is NOT necessary to buy an HDTV to enjoy a 360. Therefore it is not part of the cost.

Also you can use your regular TV.

The thing is TV's are completely seperate from 360. HDTV is taking over even if 360 DID NOT EXIST. So since the majority of people will already have HDTV within 5 years, it's not necessary for the majority of people to buy an HDTV.

Aside that you can already use PC monitor or regular TV.

Then I like how you exaggerate the cost. If we are talking bare minimum cost you can just buy PC monitor for like $150. There is your HD display to play 360 on.

And all TV's come with speakers so you do not need to purchase speakers. However, PC's you must purchase speakers. And if you really want any decent sound you will need 5:1 so that is another $200 for PC (for a decent set, not worth buying less). So add another $2-300 to PC cost for speakers since you have to buy seperate ones where TV's have speakers built in.

 

[GMoney42392]

Is it me does the OP sound like he should get a WII or what?

wants accessible games for the wifey? check.
Doesnt want to pay an assload? check

My advice to the OP is obviously just wait for the wii.

w00t another wii fan. that thing is going 2 kick serious ass. can u imagine playing fps on that thing??? drool. wipe. drool.

 

[GT98]

Well I'd own a PC even if I didn't play PC games. So if we compare costs that way, then Xbox360 gaming starts at $399 and PC gaming is free.

Thats why gaming on the PC sucks...people are downloading games for Free, and developers aren't making any money, thus not that much in the way of games on the PC for the past couple years. Piracy sucks and it killed off the old Atari ST back in the Late 80's.

 

[SAW]

Not really. Hook it up to your PC monitor. That's what I did before I got an HDTV.

So you are once again wrong. It is not a cost. It is NOT necessary to buy an HDTV to enjoy a 360. Therefore it is not part of the cost.

Also you can use your regular TV.

The thing is TV's are completely seperate from 360. HDTV is taking over even if 360 DID NOT EXIST. So since the majority of people will already have HDTV within 5 years, it's not necessary for the majority of people to buy an HDTV.

Aside that you can already use PC monitor or regular TV.

Then I like how you exaggerate the cost. If we are talking bare minimum cost you can just buy PC monitor for like $150. There is your HD display to play 360 on.

And all TV's come with speakers so you do not need to purchase speakers. However, PC's you must purchase speakers. And if you really want any decent sound you will need 5:1 so that is another $200 for PC (for a decent set, not worth buying less). So add another $2-300 to PC cost for speakers since you have to buy seperate ones where TV's have speakers built in.

Ehhhh, Wrong again Dude. Even if you use a PC monitor, the monitor didnt pop up from no where and become existant on your desk/table....It had to be bought.

If you didnt use a TV or you didnt use a HDTV or you didnt use a PC Monitor, what would you view your 360 on? THAT is the point bro, plain and simple.

I guess your just skipping thru this thread and not reading thru it, cause I already mentioned the fact that if you use a regular TV, then you are NOT getting the FULLEST out of your 360. As people were stating, THEY "USE" an HDTV, which was their argument towards the 360 having superior graphics...BUT, it CAN NOT have ANY type of "superior" graphics if your using just a plain jane TV. Its just not possible.

If you use a PC monitor to play a 360, then obviously, your using it for its RESOLUTION capablities.....and its STILL a cost. I will agree with you on one point though, PC monitors are realatively cheap, as you said, $150 bucks for a simple one.....BUT, again, as you plainly stated yourself.....ITS STILL A COST of $150 bucks. Heh, you just cant get around that dude.

One way or the other, you MUST have something to view the 360 on. That something, at one point, cost YOU money, which MUST be added to your overall cost to play your 360. Just like if you bought a 2nd controller for the 360 (cause it only came with one), then THAT is an extra cost.

As for the "speakers" part of the equation....Again, I do not believe you are "READING" the previous posts correctly, cause I said that if the speakers were something the person wanted to "ENHANCE" their gaming experience, then THAT is an added cost that MUST be added to the overall cost to play the 360. I never once said the speakers were "needed", in fact, I DID say that speakers/sound was NOT needed to play, but then that would suck. Soo, I dont know where you come off saying what you have in your last post. I for one, am NOT interested in HDTV's. Not in the least. Im fine with my 32" regular TV to watch movies and stuff on, but as far as HDTV's having speakers or not, I speculated that fact cause I didnt know if they did or not, cause, as I said, I just am not interested in them, therefore I never bothered to look to see if they did or not. So, if the HDTV's do infact come with speakers built in, then NO, its not an added cost. BUT, if the person went out and bought 3 foot tall speakers and surround sound, and then use that for their gaming experience, then they must include that in their cost for the 360 experience, regardless if they had them before or not. Why? Because you cant just say "You get the WHOLE gaming package for $399" when obviously, that just isnt the case. To make that statment TRUE...the 360 would HAVE to come bundled with the HDTV as well as the speakers and extra controller and anything else that was "extra". If it came with ALL of that, then I would cease my argument here, but it doesnt, so people's earlier statments that you get the "WHOLE" package for $399 is FALSE.

 

[finalgt]

Plus Xbox 360 has games like full Auto with a fully modeled 35 mile wide island of Hawaii to explore and MMORPG mode with thousands of players online..does PC have that? No. You can go both ways with it.

You mean MMO games, that genre that PCs invented and popularized? The ones that have been on PCs since the mid-90s? Yeah dude, totally. You need a 360 for that stuff.

 

[quadnad]

You mean MMO games, that genre that PCs invented and popularized? The ones that have been on PCs since the mid-90s? Yeah dude, totally. You need a 360 for that stuff.

Either way he's talking about Test Drive Unlimited, which will arrive for the PC this october.