Hello all !

I'm in a very serious dilemma and thought I'll post about it and hear your guys thoughts. I'm sure other people were in the same situation too :)

I own a high-end PC and an XBOX360 with an HDD.

Both are hooked on a 1080p 27" display.

Why am I saying this?

Because I've been offered/won some free games for some reason that is unimportant.

Point is I can get PC games on a Steam account / XBOX360 games or PS3 (but i dont have a PS3 so it's out of the question :D)

So what do you think ? Go for the PC version of a game or the 360 ? 

Sure the PC looks better probably and plays a bit faster on some occasions but the 360 has Live! and achievements...

Also consider the games are digital downloads so no boxes or any collector stuff that may apply to the 360 versions...

But I accept that there's no DVD failing involved since Steam will be around forever I guess :D

What do you think ? Go for PC (performance, visual quality?) or console (achievements, Live! etc.) ?

Want to hear what fellow gamers think :)

p.s. I can list the games I am elligible to get but I don't know if it matters...I can do it if anyone wants to compare specific games PC vs Console :)

It really just depends on the game. For instance I would normally be buying dragon age on console but there is going to be player made content that is only available on PC.

On the other hand, If I were to buy Resident Evil 4 I would buy it for console because the PC port was horrible and controls are garbage.

You can do some research before the said game. For example TF2 on XBOX lacks a huge amount of content and has a lot of achievements on PC, making it straight superior to its console version.

PC game updates seem to come out faster, but the Xbox games are thoroughly tested b4 release. Tough choice.

I'd go with Console games 1st. My pc is for mmo's only.

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH looks at PC...looks at MAC....Fires plungers at Justin Long's nuts!)

Well I used windows live for Fallout 3. It has achievements just like xbox live and you can even communicate with people on xbox live as well. I don't know about playing online works with the xbox people but I don't see why not.   Im not sure if all the games have windows live but if they do then you get the best of both worlds.

Dragon Age and Borderlands are 2 of the games in the list I'll be probably getting for PC :)

I heard Dragon Age has even different controls in PC which makes it better etc.

Any of you got any ideas about Batman Arkham Asylum and FUEL (the racing game) ? 

usually, this is how it works:

Graphically: high end PC > console
Longevity: PC > console
customization: PC > console
Controls: PC > console
game availability: depends, for total available catalog PC > console. For newer titles console > PC.
Multiplayer support: PC > console.
hardware Price: console > PC.
Software price: PC > console

However, those are just a bunch of generalizations that really differs from game to game. but it holds true for most titles.
Honestly, Depending on the game I'd go for the PC version more than the console version.

I would go with PC especially since you said you have a High end PC, and don't worry too much about The Xbox Live thing if you get any games that are "Games For Windows" you can use your Live account with them and still communicate with your Xbox friends. Edit: Also forgot you'll get the same achievements as on Xbox with Games for Windows

I'm getting Dragon Age on both ! ... sad old git that I am :p

It really depends on the game on if you want the pc version or console version. This is what I'd look at.

1. Because of draconian DRM the console version of a game wins by default over the pc version.

2. You need to take into account how good the port is. If the original game was made for a console and ported to a pc, the console version more times than not will be the better version. If you buy the ported version of a game you are taking a risk of it being a bad port and the developers not willing to address issues properly. Saints Row 2 is a good example. This goes both ways. Dragon Age:Origins was developed for the pc and ported to consoles. The pc version should be better.

3. Main title console games should be more polished. It's a lot easier to program to program for an Xbox 360 or PS3 than it is for a pc. There are so many variables on a pc. Multiple operating systems, multiple video cards, where is the cutoff line. There are so many different applications that could interfere with a game (for example UAC).

Overall I like playing games on the pc, still there is a lot to be said for the console.

I did notice Saints Row 2 on PC was CRAP and turned me off from getting the game at all to be honest...But you do have a point...Get the game for the platform it was mainly meant to be played on...

Thanks guys :)

Originally posted by zspawn

But you do have a point...Get the game for the platform it was mainly meant to be played on...

 Thanks guys :)

 

It is a good point, but not always true, I preferred the Mass Effect PC port over the XBox. Best advice is to look at each game when it's released, take some time a look for reviews that compare each platform. If you are looking at Dragon Age, it is not even a contest, PC is the way to go/

it depends on the game and specifically if it's a PC original or a port. almost always, its better to go PC unless the control system is messed up on the pc. there is of a workaround, which is to simply hook up  a game pad to the PC.

How about achievements ?

Would you go for a 360 version for the achievements even if the PC version would look better on your PC ? :)

 Typically if a game is released for PC around the same time as console the PC version will be better.  If it's ported over a year later after everyone's stopped caring about it, the PC version will suck.

Originally posted by zspawn

Any of you got any ideas about Batman Arkham Asylum and FUEL (the racing game) ? 

I've got Batman on PC with an Xbox 360 pad plugged in.  Works a charm!

Just get a 360 pad for your PC and you can have all you wish.  Even games that don't officially support the pad can be profiled to use it with programs such as Pinnacle.

Originally posted by zspawn

How about achievements ?

Would you go for a 360 version for the achievements even if the PC version would look better on your PC ? :)

 

personally id go for the PC, since i dont care for achievements too much ^^u.

anyway, most games that have PC and 360 versions nowadays have achievements on both platforms.

Originally posted by decoy26517

usually, this is how it works:

Graphically: high end PC > console
Longevity: PC > console
customization: PC > console
Controls: PC > console
game availability: depends, for total available catalog PC > console. For newer titles console > PC.
Multiplayer support: PC > console.
hardware Price: console > PC.
Software price: PC > console

However, those are just a bunch of generalizations that really differs from game to game. but it holds true for most titles.
Honestly, Depending on the game I'd go for the PC version more than the console version.

On the software price folks may want to check out the November issue of PC Gamer. (I think)
 

It goes into propaganda mode about the decline of currency and into matching $60 a pop price point of console games as a PC Gaming revive effort.

So that advantage may not be here much longer.

 I personally would go for PC. I love the fact that PC is ALWAYS better performance then any consoles. I do enjoy playing console games, and some competitively.

It really all comes down what you feel is more important to you. It boils down to either Graphics and Performance (PC) or Achievements and probably a more interactive online community (Console). 

I hope this helps and hopefully you make the decision that is right for you!