We can piss an moan about hardware specs and control configurations all day long and get no where on this issue. The real bottom line here is the number of games and the ease of use. Let's compare...

Console:

1) I buy, or rent, a game.

2) I turn on the console, put the game in and the game runs.

3) If I'm on XBox live, I may have to download a patch, but that normally doesn't take more than three minutes tops and then I'm playing the game.

PC (retail):

1) I buy, becuase you can't rent, a game.

2) I turn on my PC, put the game in and the autorun begins begins the installation wizard.

3) I am then required to aggree to an End User License Agreement before the game asks me to enter a 25 digit alphanumeric key located on the CD sleave / case.

4) At this point, the game begins installing. If I'm lucky, the install will take about ten minutes.

5) If I'm not lucky, the install will stop every five minutes and ask me to insert another CD.

6) After the last CD has installed, I'm then asked to insert Disk 1 and am asked if I want to install Gamespy Arcade, Xfire, Yahoo toolbar, or any other crapware that the developer is getting a gratuity check from.

7) After declining all that shit, I click the finish button with the launch game radio button clicked.

8) The game loads to the title menu at a whopping 4 frames per second.

9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2.

10) Back at the title menu now, I start up the game and get told that I need to patch to the latest version and the game dumps me to the desktop and starts the updater that spends the next three hours downloading shit.

11) With the update finally installed, I restart the game and click on "new game" on the title menu. I then get to see the opening cinematics using the in-game engine and play the first ten seconds of tutorial when the game crashes and I find myself back on my desktop.

The download version of the PC game experience is different only in that you spend 6 to 10 hours downloading the game and you don't have to swap CDs.

The Steam version foregoes the first 7steps and doesn't allow  you to play your games offline.

PC elitists can call console gamers retards all they want. Take a look at that list and tell me who is really the retard in this situation.

1. the steam version does allow you to play games offline i was just doing it with left 4 dead i dled from them. it just has to have your account on your computer for u to sign in if your not hooked up.

2. yes the installation process does suck but then again you have more say on where u want the game to go on your computer and how u want it to look. idk i just like pc gaming more than console gaming. but i do have consoles and i love gaming on them so that shows u how much i love videogames : ) lol

Yeah, and the Gameboy was simpler to use than the X360.

But seriously: I think the conflict has mostly to do with the past.

Historically, PCs have been lightyears ahead of consoles in technology and game design. It is only with the most recent generation of consoles that they have really stepped up to the plate and proven a very sensible alternative. Easily the most sensible for new gamers with no computer as well as TV watchers who already own a nice set. As it is now, consoles only barely lag behind PCs technologically, but the divide that has developed since the old days holds strong amongst those who grew up with the basic truth that consoles were much more primitive machines.

And now, PC gamers who have owned PCs since then have no reason to switch to even an only slightly inferior yet vastly cheaper machine when the console will have to be replaced by the next generation in roughly the same amount of time the next upgrade for their PC is due, and for roughly the same price.

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

We can piss an moan about hardware specs and control configurations all day long and get no where on this issue. The real bottom line here is the number of games and the ease of use. Let's compare...

Console:

1) I buy, or rent, a game.

2) I turn on the console, put the game in and the game runs.

3) If I'm on XBox live, I may have to download a patch, but that normally doesn't take more than three minutes tops and then I'm playing the game.

PC (retail):

1) I buy, becuase you can't rent, a game.

2) I turn on my PC, put the game in and the autorun begins begins the installation wizard.

3) I am then required to aggree to an End User License Agreement before the game asks me to enter a 25 digit alphanumeric key located on the CD sleave / case.

4) At this point, the game begins installing. If I'm lucky, the install will take about ten minutes.

5) If I'm not lucky, the install will stop every five minutes and ask me to insert another CD.
Most games these days have a DVD version available. No need to insert another DVD unless it is massive, and in some cases there are double sided DVD's, and even there is double layer DVD's.

6) After the last CD has installed, I'm then asked to insert Disk 1 and am asked if I want to install Gamespy Arcade, Xfire, Yahoo toolbar, or any other crapware that the developer is getting a gratuity check from.
See above, however you can just click no, XFire though is a good choice of software. And so is Gamespy arcade if you prefer that rather than the basic server browsers.
 

7) After declining all that shit, I click the finish button with the launch game radio button clicked.

8) The game loads to the title menu at a whopping 4 frames per second.
Read the minimum requirements before buying,

9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2.
Again, see above. 2 hours though is a long time and you are certainly exaggerating a little bit.

10) Back at the title menu now, I start up the game and get told that I need to patch to the latest version and the game dumps me to the desktop and starts the updater that spends the next three hours downloading shit.
Patches as good.

11) With the update finally installed, I restart the game and click on "new game" on the title menu. I then get to see the opening cinematics using the in-game engine and play the first ten seconds of tutorial when the game crashes and I find myself back on my desktop.

The download version of the PC game experience is different only in that you spend 6 to 10 hours downloading the game and you don't have to swap CDs.

The Steam version foregoes the first 7steps and doesn't allow  you to play your games offline.
You can play single player offline in *offline mode*.

PC elitists can call console gamers retards all they want. Take a look at that list and tell me who is really the retard in this situation.

 

Console:

1) I put in game

2) Play game

3) Get bored of game after a week

4) Waste 60 bucks

PC:

1) Download game

2) Install

3) Sleep patch

4) Have fun next day

5) Enjoy game for two years

I didn't know clicking a few buttons using about 2 muscles of the human finger was really all that bad and worth writing down.

I just purchased a new gaming PC. I also own a next-gen console. My new PC is lightyears ahead of the console and plays much better games then the consoles. No matter what anyone says, PC's will always pass consoles in performance and graphics (at least for the foreseeable future). The only why consoles will match PC's is when they come bundled with a keyboard and mouse. When that happens, the console will become the PC....then the argument is over.

A. Real gamers have both.

B. Sex can be complicated too, doesn't mean I'm not into it.

C. This issue isn't the hardware, or the controller, it's the community, xbox live is the bottom of the food chain.

Hehe, the old PC vs Console battle. Ok, partially it is a matter of taste, and mostly a matter of habits.

I use my PC for many things. I draw, I write, I post in forums, tons of other things, often while making a break from a game (especially in MMOs), and so far the PC is just the best allround tool for all that stuff. I can sit on my desk and do all those things just as I want merely with an alt-Tab. The PC is just a way more versatile machine than any console.

Personally I prefer the keyboard/mouse control a lot over console control too. So many quick buttons for my games!

So far most console games are considerable shorter and considerably more expensive (at least in Euro-land), so the money => play-time ratio is way better. Also usually PC games are more complex than console games. At least so far. Since I also buy all games nonetheless, because I tend to replay and spent long times on my games, renting is out of the question anyways.

So for me interests and habits the PC beats console hands down.

In this battle there really is no objective "win"; it's all based on who you are talking to.

Quote...

"9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2."

How old is your rig?

I think they both have their place... Maybe PC gaming is not for you? I like all the fussing and tweaking... it's all part of the hobby. I agree that consoles seem easier to use, but when something goes wrong with your console, it basically becomes a brick. It is probably cheaper to go buy a new consol than fix it, whereas with the PC I would run diagnostics, find the problem and replace the part that is borked.

To quote Logan Decker of PC GAMER magazine "Consoles have their place, no doubt about that. But while I would not turn down a nice moped that only takes me to see movies at one movie theator, if I'm spending my own money, I'd rather pay 10 times as much for a fast and capable car that I can tweak and upgrade at any time, and that takes me anywhere and everywhere I want to go."

I'm not ripping on consoles or consol owners because I do enjoy playing consol games... but to each his own.
 

Well...I for one switched to PC from console many years ago for the online aspect. Back then there was no such thing as an online expierence with a console. Nowadays consoles like Wii, xbox and ps3 have an online component which would have been nice to have back in the PSX/N64/Dreamcast days. But since ive obligated myself to PC gaming I think ill stick with it. Atleast then I can buy an inexpensive graphics card every few years to keep up with the times instead of a ridiculously over priced console.

And then there are MMOs...

Originally posted by Drewg

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

 

5) If I'm not lucky, the install will stop every five minutes and ask me to insert another CD.
Most games these days have a DVD version available. No need to insert another DVD unless it is massive, and in some cases there are double sided DVD's, and even there is double layer DVD's.

Touche, but I still occasionally run into games that are on multiple CDs. A couple years back I purchased the Dawn of War Gold edition and it had about four DVDs in it. In fact, any bundle that includes the original game plus expansions is going to have multiple DVDs.

6) After the last CD has installed, I'm then asked to insert Disk 1 and am asked if I want to install Gamespy Arcade, Xfire, Yahoo toolbar, or any other crapware that the developer is getting a gratuity check from.
See above, however you can just click no, XFire though is a good choice of software. And so is Gamespy arcade if you prefer that rather than the basic server browsers.
 

The point being that I shouldn't have to decline this shit. If I want it, I'll just download it and install it myself. K?

8) The game loads to the title menu at a whopping 4 frames per second.
Read the minimum requirements before buying,

And you've never bought a game that didn't run correctly even though you had the recommended system specs? How long have you been playing PC games? Supreme Commander anyone? Crysis? I understand the Empire Total War has a bad case of the crashes as well. Sure, these things get patched... eventually, but I've never had a console game crash. Console games either run, or they don't run.

9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2.
Again, see above. 2 hours though is a long time and you are certainly exaggerating a little bit.

Duh! Congratulations, you've learned to spot sarcasm.

10) Back at the title menu now, I start up the game and get told that I need to patch to the latest version and the game dumps me to the desktop and starts the updater that spends the next three hours downloading shit.
Patches as good.

And yet, I've never had to wait an entire afternoon to get a patch for an XBox game....

The Steam version foregoes the first 7steps and doesn't allow  you to play your games offline.
You can play single player offline in *offline mode*.

I used to have no problem, but lately I've been unable to run Steam games with my wireless turned off. Then again, it may just be that I'm running from a different machine... <shrugs>

 

 

I honestly don't understand all the hate, I've never seen a console gamer say PCs are shit so it's pretty much just PC elitists starting up some flame for the sake of it even though nobody cares. I myself have both an Xbox 360 and a PC and I enjoy both a lot.

Originally posted by Gruug

I just purchased a new gaming PC. I also own a next-gen console. My new PC is lightyears ahead of the console and plays much better games then the consoles. No matter what anyone says, PC's will always pass consoles in performance and graphics (at least for the foreseeable future). The only why consoles will match PC's is when they come bundled with a keyboard and mouse. When that happens, the console will become the PC....then the argument is over.

 

And how many games actually require that much power? Crysis.... Empire Total War.... Alan Wake.... The amount hardware + bullshit is just not worth it to play a handful of games. I know, I know, you really like that monolithic electronic phallus proxy that you spent so much money on. But some of us like to... you know.... PLAY games. Tech demos are nice to look at and all, but I'd really rather have something to play.

Originally posted by Elikal

Hehe, the old PC vs Console battle. Ok, partially it is a matter of taste, and mostly a matter of habits.

I use my PC for many things. I draw, I write, I post in forums, tons of other things, often while making a break from a game (especially in MMOs), and so far the PC is just the best allround tool for all that stuff. I can sit on my desk and do all those things just as I want merely with an alt-Tab. The PC is just a way more versatile machine than any console.

Personally I prefer the keyboard/mouse control a lot over console control too. So many quick buttons for my games!

So far most console games are considerable shorter and considerably more expensive (at least in Euro-land), so the money => play-time ratio is way better. Also usually PC games are more complex than console games. At least so far. Since I also buy all games nonetheless, because I tend to replay and spent long times on my games, renting is out of the question anyways.

So for me interests and habits the PC beats console hands down.

In this battle there really is no objective "win"; it's all based on who you are talking to.

Well I totally agree with Elikal on all of that. I cant use a console to do my artwork and then switch between emails and browsing the internet. Consoles are just for games......and they are generally more expensive too. I find that games on PCs tend to have more depth although of course thats not always the case. There also seems to be more diversity in choice. The fact that it has a keyboard also opens up possibilities for games on a PC while with a console you are limited to a tiny selection of buttons on a gamepad. First person shooters on consoles suck in comparison to what you can do with a keyboard and mouse on a good PC. Same goes for strategy games as well. Also console games seem to generally be dumbed down to be easier. This is definately noticeable in FPS games which I guess is to compensate for how useless a gamepad is in such games in comparison to a mouse and keyboard.

Also the OP is massively over exagerating the time it takes to get a game up and running on a PC. Some mmos can indeed take a long time to setup (mmos are limited on a console anyway) but most single player games I have on my PC were installed, patched and ready to play in under an hour and I also get more options to configure how it runs. Games on my PC always look and run better than anything on a console too.

A good PC easily kicks any consoles arse in my opinion.

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

Originally posted by Drewg

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

 

5) If I'm not lucky, the install will stop every five minutes and ask me to insert another CD.
Most games these days have a DVD version available. No need to insert another DVD unless it is massive, and in some cases there are double sided DVD's, and even there is double layer DVD's.

Touche, but I still occasionally run into games that are on multiple CDs. A couple years back I purchased the Dawn of War Gold edition and it had about four DVDs in it. In fact, any bundle that includes the original game plus expansions is going to have multiple DVDs.

Expansions. Plural. If there was an XBox game as big as say, Dawn of war Gold, you would have to enter multiple CD's to get the benefiet of them all, and they'd leave some of the game files on the HD of some sort.

 

6) After the last CD has installed, I'm then asked to insert Disk 1 and am asked if I want to install Gamespy Arcade, Xfire, Yahoo toolbar, or any other crapware that the developer is getting a gratuity check from.
See above, however you can just click no, XFire though is a good choice of software. And so is Gamespy arcade if you prefer that rather than the basic server browsers.
 

The point being that I shouldn't have to decline this shit. If I want it, I'll just download it and install it myself. K?

They pay the developers to include their software with the game, thus the devs get money to pay their workers to work on the game and then some.

8) The game loads to the title menu at a whopping 4 frames per second.
Read the minimum requirements before buying,

And you've never bought a game that didn't run correctly even though you had the recommended system specs? How long have you been playing PC games? Supreme Commander anyone? Crysis? I understand the Empire Total War has a bad case of the crashes as well. Sure, these things get patched... eventually, but I've never had a console game crash. Console games either run, or they don't run.

Never bought Supreme Commander. Crysis recommended settings I assume means you can play the game, just. Empire Total War I am able to run on medium, crashes happen because it's a badly developed game, Empire anyway.

9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2.
Again, see above. 2 hours though is a long time and you are certainly exaggerating a little bit.

Duh! Congratulations, you've learned to spot sarcasm.

10) Back at the title menu now, I start up the game and get told that I need to patch to the latest version and the game dumps me to the desktop and starts the updater that spends the next three hours downloading shit.
Patches as good.

And yet, I've never had to wait an entire afternoon to get a patch for an XBox game....

I assume the game had no problems that were bad then, congratulations. With games like WoW or AoC new content is released and fixes are issued, the main space user is the new content, new content is always good. COD:WaW patches had included some maps if I'm not mistaken.

 

The Steam version foregoes the first 7steps and doesn't allow  you to play your games offline.
You can play single player offline in *offline mode*.

I used to have no problem, but lately I've been unable to run Steam games with my wireless turned off. Then again, it may just be that I'm running from a different machine... <shrugs>

 

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against consoles. I just never bought any of the newer ones as their will be a new one every so many years. You fork out 700 bucks for a ps3 and in a few years time it will be defunct. Fork out 700 dollars for an awesome gfx card and you will be able to play many games for the years after, just not the newest ones of high settings. And there will always be games made for the PC, whereas after a few years of the ps3 or xbox being old, games will cease to be made...

 PC's can be used for many many things, home entertainment, file sharing, internet browsing, gaming and can run multiple OS's. With a ps3 or xbox you got gaming, home entertainment, and maybe browsing. And can really only run one OS, unless you want to risk the chance of getting banned for a modified system.

Originally posted by TwistedFire

I honestly don't understand all the hate, I've never seen a console gamer say PCs are shit so it's pretty much just PC elitists starting up some flame for the sake of it even though nobody cares. I myself have both an Xbox 360 and a PC and I enjoy both a lot.

actually ive seen many console fanboys scream about how much pc's suck so its only fair for pc gamers to respond

My version is like this:

Console - I own a Nintendo DS, pretty self explanatory, I think.

PC: I buy the game, install from DVD, go into video options and put all of the settings on High and play the game while enjoying the graphics 100x better than the console version at 40+fps.

The moral of this story is: instead of spending your money on an overpriced console which is basically a wannabe PC, invest that money into a better PC and you won't have any problems.

I own a gaming PC, and a 360. The PCs are, and will always be far ahead of consoles.

The thing I have found, in owning my 360, is that roughly 95% of the released games are complete CRAP compared to what the hardware is capable of. Only a handful of games worth owning and not just gameflying have come out. The real talent in the game development world seems to have shifted to PC-based gaming. The console game producers just pump out the same games over and over, changing only one little aspect of the game play while throwing on a new coat of paint. I love my 360, it is an entertainment best when coupled with netflix and gamefly. There have been a handful of game to come out that I love and own and play over and over.

But in terms of pure gaming, the consoles are just grabbing their ankles and begging for lube. The increased performance capabilities of the gaming PC coupled with the console companies' No-Limit Records approach to game-making make the PC the unquestionable victor.

I own a PS3 and I have 2 computer (1 PC and 1 gaming laptop).

I use PS3 for whatever games I want to play (mostly single player and/or offline co-op), while I use my computers to do online games.

Seriously, it's a matter of taste, and I prefer online game with a keyboard and a mouse, and I want my action games to be on a gamepad.. even though I can hook up a keyboard to console and a gamepad to pc, I stll rather to use them as I see fit.

True gamers would have both a PC and console for their respective games to play.  As for the "hate", depending on the subject (such as MMO on console), I would say that unless there are something worthy of discussion, we can ignore most of them.

Originally posted by Drewg

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

Originally posted by Drewg

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

 

5) If I'm not lucky, the install will stop every five minutes and ask me to insert another CD.
Most games these days have a DVD version available. No need to insert another DVD unless it is massive, and in some cases there are double sided DVD's, and even there is double layer DVD's.

Touche, but I still occasionally run into games that are on multiple CDs. A couple years back I purchased the Dawn of War Gold edition and it had about four DVDs in it. In fact, any bundle that includes the original game plus expansions is going to have multiple DVDs.

Expansions. Plural. If there was an XBox game as big as say, Dawn of war Gold, you would have to enter multiple CD's to get the benefiet of them all, and they'd leave some of the game files on the HD of some sort.

 

6) After the last CD has installed, I'm then asked to insert Disk 1 and am asked if I want to install Gamespy Arcade, Xfire, Yahoo toolbar, or any other crapware that the developer is getting a gratuity check from.
See above, however you can just click no, XFire though is a good choice of software. And so is Gamespy arcade if you prefer that rather than the basic server browsers.
 

The point being that I shouldn't have to decline this shit. If I want it, I'll just download it and install it myself. K?

They pay the developers to include their software with the game, thus the devs get money to pay their workers to work on the game and then some.

8) The game loads to the title menu at a whopping 4 frames per second.
Read the minimum requirements before buying,

And you've never bought a game that didn't run correctly even though you had the recommended system specs? How long have you been playing PC games? Supreme Commander anyone? Crysis? I understand the Empire Total War has a bad case of the crashes as well. Sure, these things get patched... eventually, but I've never had a console game crash. Console games either run, or they don't run.

Never bought Supreme Commander. Crysis recommended settings I assume means you can play the game, just. Empire Total War I am able to run on medium, crashes happen because it's a badly developed game, Empire anyway.

9) I then spend the next two hours in the graphics options adjusting resolution, texture detail, model detail, particle effects, anti-aliasing settings, and various other cryptic shit until I have about 24 frames per second, at which point the game looks less like the screen shots on the box and more like Quake 2.
Again, see above. 2 hours though is a long time and you are certainly exaggerating a little bit.

Duh! Congratulations, you've learned to spot sarcasm.

10) Back at the title menu now, I start up the game and get told that I need to patch to the latest version and the game dumps me to the desktop and starts the updater that spends the next three hours downloading shit.
Patches as good.

And yet, I've never had to wait an entire afternoon to get a patch for an XBox game....

I assume the game had no problems that were bad then, congratulations. With games like WoW or AoC new content is released and fixes are issued, the main space user is the new content, new content is always good. COD:WaW patches had included some maps if I'm not mistaken.

 

The Steam version foregoes the first 7steps and doesn't allow  you to play your games offline.
You can play single player offline in *offline mode*.

I used to have no problem, but lately I've been unable to run Steam games with my wireless turned off. Then again, it may just be that I'm running from a different machine... <shrugs>

 

 

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against consoles. I just never bought any of the newer ones as their will be a new one every so many years. You fork out 700 bucks for a ps3 and in a few years time it will be defunct. Fork out 700 dollars for an awesome gfx card and you will be able to play many games for the years after, just not the newest ones of high settings. And there will always be games made for the PC, whereas after a few years of the ps3 or xbox being old, games will cease to be made...

 PC's can be used for many many things, home entertainment, file sharing, internet browsing, gaming and can run multiple OS's. With a ps3 or xbox you got gaming, home entertainment, and maybe browsing. And can really only run one OS, unless you want to risk the chance of getting banned for a modified system.

That doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  The Playstation 2 was released in 2000. The Playstation 3 was released in 2006. Your video card really isn't going to last that long and still play the newest games. There will always be games made for the PC? Thats adding spin. There are games made for NEW PC's, not old PC's. The computer your bought 6 ~ 7 years ago is not going to run the games of today.

 The thing is, nearly all the things you mentioned you can do on a PC, you can do on a PC you can pick up for free at the junkyard.

I spend 1000$ on a gaming PC a few months ago, and the only thing I currently use it for is internet browsing and chat as most of my gaming is done on my consoles. The quality of PC games have seriously gone down the drain as most developers now would rather develop for consoles than PC.