Other Why the PS4 vs Xbox Vs PC debate is stupid (rant)

[TeaMMatE11]

Gaming. We all love and enjoy kicking back and relaxing in our chair/couch and load up our favorite FPS/MOBA/RPG etc. etc. We're all gamers at heart.


I'm going to explain why this whole debate is absolutely stupid.


My background: I've played PS all my life, from the earliest of ages I remember playing on the PS2, Star Wars Battlefront II and Final Fantasy X, to name a few games. I don't have a good PC, so I can't enjoy PC games as much as other people do. Intel doesn't do justice to games. At all.


This debate is stupid because...


1) PC wins. There is no question, without a doubt, PC is the most versitile gaming machine you can have. You have the power to make as casual as a desktop, or one that runs every game over 100 FPS. It's really your choice.


2) PC is (usually) the best platform for gaming. The only exceptions to this is that I believe fighters and racing games are best played on a console.


3) Exclusives are bad for the industry. The amount of money that Square Enix or Naughty Dog can make would be unbelievable if they released their games on PC. It's stupid that someone has to pay $350 plus to play a game they don't have on a different platform.


4) Last but not least, WE'RE ALL GAMERS. Does it really matter what games we enjoy, on ANY platform? All that counts is that we're having fun. The gaming has divided itself because of the platforms we play on. Usually the consoles get the most of he hate. But at the core, we're all gamers.


Do you agree/disagree?

 

[LegoLad659]

Complains about people fighting over specific consoles, immediately begins to fight in favor of a specific console ( )


But yeah. I get the feeling that most of these people don't even have a PC - They either use a Mac, which I've heard has a lot of compatibility problems with games, or if they do have a PC they don't use it for gaming. They see the console they have as their main gaming device, and honestly... That's completely fine. Everyone prefers different things. I, myself, will play pretty much any console game there is as long as it's not a first-person game (Leave that to the PC, guys >.> Mouse will always be the best control method for controlling any first person game, ever. A control stick will always turn you around too slowly.) Kind of like what you said above, but with a much broader spectrum. I'd even go so far as to say that games like Bejeweled, Triple Town, or pretty much anything where you have a board of stuff in front of you is best played on something with a touchscreen.


Every console has a type of game that it's good at. PC just happens to encompass most of them.

 

[iMRampage]

PC is really versatile for gaming but I don't think that make it would be the best machine. Many game is cross platform and not run so well on PC.


In my opinion... there are pros and cons for every machine. There is no the best gaming machine for me.

 

[LegoLad659]

PC is really versatile for gaming but I don't think that make it would be the best machine. Many game is cross platform and not run so well on PC.
In my opinion... there are pros and cons for every machine. There is no the best gaming machine for me.

That's less the fault of the hardware and more the fault of poor porting of the software itself. PCs are customizable to an insane extent, able to have the best hardware that you could possibly have, provided you simply have the money for it. Consoles are fixed at a certain hardware level and it takes plenty of doing to upgrade them in any capacity. If a console game doesn't run well on PC, or a PC game doesn't run well on consoles, 99% of the time in both cases it's the fault of the guys who ported the games from one device to the other.

 

[Ammy]

1) PC wins. There is no question, without a doubt, PC is the most versitile gaming machine you can have. You have the power to make as casual as a desktop, or one that runs every game over 100 FPS. It's really your choice.
2) PC is (usually) the best platform for gaming. The only exceptions to this is that I believe fighters and racing games are best played on a console.

1) On a semi-related note, the myth of "well PC is more expensive than console" needs to be dispelled. You can sink a couple grand into it but with a small amount of research you can put together your own gaming rig for around the same cost of a PS4 and have it perform at the same level with a much larger library. It doesn't require the extensive amount of knowledge most people reading up on these things from an outsider's perspective imagine it to.


2) I can't speak for racing games, but fighting games have gotten better about that recently. Ultra Street Fighter IV is pretty solid now that GFWL is dead. Street Fighter V is cross-play with the PS4 version, performs better, and doesn't require an additional monthly fee. Tekken 7 is coming out for it. You still have Arc System Works releasing their titles either several months or several iterations late, which is unfortunate as I'd really like to pick up Revelator, and Warner Bros are just being asses with the way they treat PC gamers, but on the whole it's positive. Plus there's always MAME and Fightcade to fall back on if I ever feel like jumping into 90's era Capcom games. Not to mention the rise of indie fighting games on Steam.


I never got deep into the whole "console war" thing as it's frankly petty and there are actual issues in the world that should be argued over. As far as personal preference and value I do think PCs win by a landslide. Consoles do have two things going for them though; exclusives and simplicity.


The first is just business. Except for a few of the really, really quirky titles Nintendo has put out most of them can make the transition to PC flawlessly.


The second is just a matter of comfort. As I said before, putting together a gaming rig isn't complicated. Yet I can see how it would seem daunting to someone with zero prior experience with hardware, and some would rather have the option of purchasing something with set specs that they know will work without any troubleshooting on their end. That's perfectly fair. Makes me really concerned for the future that Sony and Microsoft are heading toward with the Neo and Scorpio. They keep trying to make their consoles more like a PC and some within those companies seem to flat out want customizable hardware. All I really see this doing is...


A) Turning away people who had focused on them in the past.


and


B) Failing to get the attention of PC gamers. I'm not keen on it, anyway. Why would I sink money into upgrading a box that is inherently limited just to be sure I can run Naughty Dog's latest title well when I can just focus on my desktop and get more out of it in the long run? Not to mention the crutch of XBL Gold and PS+. That alone is keeping me away from my PS4 until FFXV and Persona 5 hit.


Depending on how hard they push it I don't see it having a very positive affect on the industry, which is a shame as I do think dedicated consoles serve a purpose and fill a niche separate to that of gaming PCs.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

1) On a semi-related note, the myth of "well PC is more expensive than console" needs to be dispelled. You can sink a couple grand into it but with a small amount of research you can put together your own gaming rig for around the same cost of a PS4 and have it perform at the same level with a much larger library. It doesn't require the extensive amount of knowledge most people reading up on these things from an outsider's perspective imagine it to.
2) I can't speak for racing games, but fighting games have gotten better about that recently. Ultra Street Fighter IV is pretty solid now that GFWL is dead. Street Fighter V is cross-play with the PS4 version, performs better, and doesn't require an additional monthly fee. Tekken 7 is coming out for it. You still have Arc System Works releasing their titles either several months or several iterations late, which is unfortunate as I'd really like to pick up Revelator, and Warner Bros are just being asses with the way they treat PC gamers, but on the whole it's positive. Plus there's always MAME and Fightcade to fall back on if I ever feel like jumping into 90's era Capcom games. Not to mention the rise of indie fighting games on Steam.


I never got deep into the whole "console war" thing as it's frankly petty and there are actual issues in the world that should be argued over. As far as personal preference and value I do think PCs win by a landslide. Consoles do have two things going for them though; exclusives and simplicity.


The first is just business. Except for a few of the really, really quirky titles Nintendo has put out most of them can make the transition to PC flawlessly.


The second is just a matter of comfort. As I said before, putting together a gaming rig isn't complicated. Yet I can see how it would seem daunting to someone with zero prior experience with hardware, and some would rather have the option of purchasing something with set specs that they know will work without any troubleshooting on their end. That's perfectly fair. Makes me really concerned for the future that Sony and Microsoft are heading toward with the Neo and Scorpio. They keep trying to make their consoles more like a PC and some within those companies seem to flat out want customizable hardware. All I really see this doing is...


A) Turning away people who had focused on them in the past.


and


B) Failing to get the attention of PC gamers. I'm not keen on it, anyway. Why would I sink money into upgrading a box that is inherently limited just to be sure I can run Naughty Dog's latest title well when I can just focus on my desktop and get more out of it in the long run? Not to mention the crutch of XBL Gold and PS+. That alone is keeping me away from my PS4 until FFXV and Persona 5 hit.


Depending on how hard they push it I don't see it having a very positive affect on the industry, which is a shame as I do think dedicated consoles serve a purpose and fill a niche separate to that of gaming PCs.

The only strength for a console is to play it with someone else. A PC is good for people who either live by themselves or their family is not a gaming one. The console can be set up to have multiple people playing simultaneously instead of taking turns, since most PC games are single-player oriented.


There is the other argument. You can use controllers on a PC. But still...I would rather play with friends on a big TV screen (Yes, I know, you can connect the PC to the TV) and play that way.


PS+ I think, is underrated in some ways, because you get free AAA titles every month, mixed in with an indie game. But Sony made a bad, bad decision to stick a 500GB hard drive into the base PS4.

 

[Ammy]

The only strength for a console is to play it with someone else. A PC is good for people who either live by themselves or their family is not a gaming one. The console can be set up to have multiple people playing simultaneously instead of taking turns, since most PC games are single-player oriented.
There is the other argument. You can use controllers on a PC. But still...I would rather play with friends on a big TV screen (Yes, I know, you can connect the PC to the TV) and play that way.

I'd actually argue that isn't a strength for consoles any longer. Despite having the functionality of four player local multiplayer a lot of games now don't even support it due to having to render everything 1-3 additional times assuming it's a split screen as opposed to shared ones. A lot of devs have issues getting that to work properly in an industry that almost seems to demand that you make your game as shiny as possible without the engine crashing. Instead it seems like a majority of the titles instead expect each individual to have their own system so they can play over the internet via private lobbies and friend invites.


In my experience the last...I'd say six years or so changed the notion that PC was for single player/online while consoles had couch multiplayer opportunities to one where local experiences are severely lacking. It's honestly a shame. At the very least Nintendo never really neglected that. For all of the faults the Wii U had, it's nice to still be able to invite two or three people over for a few rounds of Mario Kart or Smash.


Real strength of PC amounts to freedom of choice. Like you said, you can hook them up to televisions as well. Just gotta plug an HDMI cable from the GPU to it. Actually dual-booted Overwatch on my desktop using multiple monitors and played some matches with my brother this way, though admittedly it took some toying around with settings.


I like the concept of PS+. I'm not one to hate on indie games on principle, always found that a bit silly. For where I am at my life right now I just don't need them though. I do a lot of research before I purchase a title. I know what I like, and my backlog is already huge. I know I'll never get around to most of them, so throwing down the $50/year for their online service feels like a waste to me, doubly so when they don't even have an exclusive title that would really even make use of online multiplayer that I can't already get on my desktop. Was hoping it'd be Bloodborne, but...PvP was kinda janky.

 

[thoughtless]

Both PC and Console have their merits. Although I would never buy a Xbox One, simply because I have no reason to. I can get all of the exclusives that are coming out on Windows 10, and I can just play other console games on PS4. Plus PS4 generally has better exclusives anyways so I wouldn't be surprised if the fact that they made it exclusive to Xbox and Windows 10 would shoot them in the foot when it comes to sales. There's nothing there to make someone want to buy a Xbox One when they could just buy cheap gaming computer for less and play it, or just buy the game on the gaming computer they already have.


And also not everyone wants to even own a computer, and not everyone is willing to learn how to actually buy/build a computer that's going to be decent for gaming. For them, consoles are going to be the best option. I personally use both, because there are simply some games that I feel more comfortable with playing on the PS4, and some games that I think are better on PC.


Exclusives are kinda silly, but they're there for one reason, and that's to get other people to buy the console simply because they see this one game they want on it, and they can only get it on that console. You'd think people wouldn't actually do that, but you'd be really mistaken. Having really good exclusives will increase the sales for a console, so I'm pretty sure Sony got a good amount of money out of releasing Bloodborne. So yeah, exclusives are irritating for people who don't have a console, but they do a lot of good for the companies that own them.


IMO, Nintendo should stick with making handheld devices. There's a lot of money to be made there since they don't have competition.

 

[MrSquid123]

In virtually every way a pc is better than a console, so why do consoles do so well? Three things: people not knowing about games being on PC, people not knowing they can use their controllers on PC for most games and price. Consoles are far far cheaper. And of course the occasional actual exclusive game.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

In virtually every way a pc is better than a console, so why do consoles do so well? Three things: people not knowing about games being on PC, people not knowing they can use their controllers on PC for most games and price. Consoles are far far cheaper. And of course the occasional actual exclusive game.

Consoles, are more expensive, because Ps4 requires PS+. In the long run, let's say it takes 7 years for the PS5 to come out. 50 times 7 is $350-that's $350 bucks more you could have to upgrade your PC. Hell, you could buy another console for the amount of subscription fees paid. PC only has to worry about paying a company such as Comcast to play online. No extra fees.


Plus, Steam has deals and sales so often, that buying a game at full price is just plain out stupid.


For a new game, you have to spend $60. Steam sales can range from 20%-70 or even 80% off.

 

[MrSquid123]

Consoles, are more expensive, because Ps4 requires PS+. In the long run, let's say it takes 7 years for the PS5 to come out. 50 times 7 is $350-that's $350 bucks more you could have to upgrade your PC. Hell, you could buy another console for the amount of subscription fees paid. PC only has to worry about paying a company such as Comcast to play online. No extra fees.
Plus, Steam has deals and sales so often, that buying a game at full price is just plain out stupid.


For a new game, you have to spend $60. Steam sales can range from 20%-70 or even 80% off.

In the long run they're more expensive but it's easier to pay a lot over a long time the to pay a smaller amount up front

 

[MrSquid123]

In the long run they're more expensive but it's easier to pay a lot over a long time the to pay a smaller amount up front

Plus people often don't factor in the long term cost

 

[LegoLad659]

For a new game, you have to spend $60. Steam sales can range from 20%-70 or even 80% off.

At one point I believe I even saw one game go on sale for 95% off, though don't quote me on that.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

In the long run they're more expensive but it's easier to pay a lot over a long time the to pay a smaller amount up front

...


A console will be replaced after 7 years, when they NEED to replace the hardware. Another 400 bucks. The cycle continues. PC you upgrade any time, when you feel like it. It's easier to play on PC because of the steam sales and $350 can go into the cooling system, the graphics, the computer, etc. you can do a HUGE upgrade with $350.

 

[MrSquid123]

...
A console will be replaced after 7 years, when they NEED to replace the hardware. Another 400 bucks. The cycle continues. PC you upgrade any time, when you feel like it. It's easier to play on PC because of the steam sales and $350 can go into the cooling system, the graphics, the computer, etc. you can do a HUGE upgrade with $350.

A lot of people don't think of the long term costs and don't realise that it's even possible to upgrade a computer