PC -vs- Game Console

[Arris]

Well I have an old PII and due to not being able to change graphics adapter (laptop ) it can bearly run Half Life smoothly let alone any of todays games. I would hate to try RTCW or MOH:AA on this 266
I feel the focus has gone from CPU power to the Power of the graphics card. This seems to be a more limiting factor than the CPU nowadays. But since we are on the horizon of 64bit CPUs its going to be one of those "no upgrade possible" situations, well it depends on what you consider an upgrade. If you consider new motherboard and cpu an upgrade (keeping PCI and AGP cards) then it will be possible...

 

[Federelli]

The best pc on the market is always gonna eb better than a console cuz pc's r upgraded weekly while consoles only come with new drivers monthly....
So pc's have a major advantage over consoles, but console game makers use the console's hardware to the max, wich pc game makers don't cuz they have to ensure everyone can play their game, otherwise they'd go bankrupt

 

[Ai Hate]

i'll jump in again...

hmmm... the console has a short life span?
ok, so you mean a console lasts no more than 5-6 yrs? and the pc lasts longer?

if you look at it in one way, then it maybe yes. but if you ask me, i'd say no.
i think what makes the pc seems to have more "life span" is that you could upgrade it, right? so you have the same case. yeah, that's why you think it's the same old rig.

but is it the same rig you bought 3 yrs ago? the answer is no. you just don't realize how much money you spent on upgrading the rig just to get it to play newer games at even 30fps. decent CPUs (for gaming) are like $80+. plus mobo. plus RAM (which some people have the habit of filling all of their DIMMs ). not to mention today's gfx cards, and sound cards. what about that 5.1 speaker lying around? CDRW? DVD-ROM? Monitors? UPS? PSU? how about the cash spent on modding your rig? those round cables, fans and cold cathode lights? and the software! you did pay for all of these stuff, didn't you?

so have you ever tried summing all of that stuff up and realized how much you paid for the 5-yr-old rig (the life span of consoles) you're using to run MOHAA at 30+fps today? i'd say it's a lot more than a $299 console.

so the PC's "upgradability" doesn't make it has more "life span". especially with the pace of hardware improvements these days.

i'm not sure how much "life span" the current generation of console has, cause it'd probably have to compete against each other and the pc industry. but i mentioned "5-6 yrs", considering from the past consoles. the PS had at least 5 yrs i think...
and if the PS2 does win the market and continues it's "backward compatibility" with its next consoles (or if any manufacturer decides to do the same thing), then i'd say it'll expand the "life span" of a console even more.

you may think i'm a console freek who's too dumb to use a pc rather than answering a post on a forum, well, that's true
i'd definitely choose a console if i'd want sth purely to meet my gaming needs, and if i had enough money to get both a console and a nice rig to mess around. but actually, i don't. so i chose to buy the pc, cause it has more uses.
just my opinion on the "life span" subject.


ps. don't you just hate it when your english skills is the limitting factor when you want to convey your thoughts...

 

[Federelli]

well... money is always a problem when it comes tu pc stuff

 

[Georage]

Anybody counted the price of the games? After 2 years you can buy a PC game almost nothing, but you cannot find many PSX games in bargain bins (At least in Hungary). For example my friend get Motorhead (arcade racer from 1998) last year as a magazine cover CD, and its still rocks!

As for lifespan of PC - related to 3D cards - you can still play on TNT1 what is 5 years old... I'm not defending the PC as I would like to own a PS2 for saving me the driver and OS troubles Playing on TV also have some exciting value especially you have a bigger one, (70cm like mine and a TV-out 3D card )

 

[Arris]

PS2 is fun and I do enjoy sitting around with friends playing GT3, Baldur's Gate : Dark Alliance, its a different type of multiplayer experience rather than being connected to a server hundreds of miles away that other people you have never laid eyes on have also connected to. Also its fun to sit in a comfortable seat and take turns at playing a single player game. The same doesn't work the same with PC games in my opinion.
Playing on widescreen (and Dolby surround as some PS2 games are now coming out supporting) is good but the resolution of most televisions is inferior to that of a quality computer monitor.

Also even though there have been ports of games from PC to console and vice versa, both platforms still seem to have games that work better on them. To be honest I can't stand trying to play a first person shooter on a console, but driving games, platform games, RPG and such like are quite enjoyable. I don't know how Baldur's Gate : Dark Alliance would have worked on the PC, I suppose with a decent control pad it wouldn't have been too bad but there still seem to be genres that work better on console

 

[Federelli]

hehe Arris, that's 100% true, i played quak2 till the end in the psx and the engine was more detailed, but there was no texture filtering so pixels ran amok, and driving gmes and rpgs should be console only imo

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

The reason why PC's have to be upgraded to begin with is because of lame coders who do not squeeze all possible performance from machines.

Back in the days of the ZX Spectrum, coders squeezed every left byte from the machine, now coders don't seem to care if their game/app wastes 20Mb of RAM and wastes half of the CPU time doing nothing.

Console Developers have to push the console to its limits in order to make great games. That is why the consoles best games are near the end of its lifespan, because the coders have pushed it to the max.

 

[Faust]

Here's how I look at the idea of PC vs. console (for the sake of just talking about the one I'm most tempted to buy, lets say PS2).
I go buy a PS2, $300, then GTA3 and Metal Gear Solid 2, another $100. Then I have to buy a memory card, $10-$15 I'd hope, and then I'd end up buying another controller at least, $20 or so. I just spent $430, then I go look at new video cards. HMM, a GeForce4 Ti 4600, about $400.

Now I'm faced with a dilema, but then I realize that GTA3 is coming out for PC March 15th (I believe) and I have no doubt that MGS2 will come out for PC later. Now I'm no longer faced with a dilema, I have the decision made for a GeForce 4 Ti 4600, which would l33t the hell out of my already decent computer (except for the GeForce 2 MX, which I'd replace). Of course I don't have the money to even make a decision then I make a face like this :dead: .

 

[bedlam_4]

Another big plus for the p.c. game platform that is two fold

• building, sharing, playing mods online
• playing online
  [/list=a]
  
  this allows gamers to be part of a huge community.
  Not lending itself to offline multiplayer though, is a huge draw back. One that is being addressed somewhat through networking. Networking is a poor solution for the gamer as it requires one to double up on both hardware and software. Not to mention space.
  There is something to be said for being able to 'rub it in' up close and personal when you've just fragged your buddy.
  
  To sum up: The computer far surpasses the game console. That said there is still much room for improvement. Many of the game consoles best liked features could and should be incorporated into the p.c. Those features should be simple to implement and manage for most users. A three year old can easily plug in the game pads and navigate the menues of the game consoles. An example of a great feature in my mind would be a WWII combat flight sim with my buddy over at my house plugged into the same large split screen as me while playing online. A docking station for imput devices so that you do not have to access the back of the computer case is another user freindly idea. Mainstream software is continually becoming more user friendly. That is because it sells. Not evryone has the time, energy, or desire to be a computer software engineer but they love the power that the computer puts at their finger tips. We all know how addicting that power is. Hardware useability is just beginning to catch up. The first of two examples that I thought of are the forward facing plugins incorporated on Creative's Audigy Platinum mobo and comes equiped with a wireless remote. The other is the wireless optical mouse.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

I doubt that MGS2 will be out for the PC ever. Sony will want to keep it a PS2 exclusive. Same as Halo will be an XBOX exclusive.

 

[DaveSylvia]

I disagree. MGS was released on the PC so I can see MGS2 being eventually released on the PC. Also, Halo was originally planned for the PC. Since Bungie is owned by Microsoft, MS stands to gain from releasing it on the PC. Of course, neither company would allow that at this point, considering there are only a few hit games out for their respective systems. In the next 1.5 years, if not sooner, you may be surprised to see them out on the PC.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

It will probably depend on how much profit MS have to make out of it. If everyone goes out and buys an XBOX just to play Halo, why would anyone buy it again for the PC.

 

[Arris]

From what I know from reading various gaming sites, Halo is going to eventually be visiting the normal PC. It was originally slated for a PS2 release also but when Microsoft acquired Bungie the probability of a PS2 release dropped to 0%. I'm not sure but I think that MGS2 has utilised quite a few PS2 features such as making heavy use of the EmotionEngine. This may make a straight port a little more tricky to the PC, but I do think it will also make an appearence on the PC.

 

[fuka]

My opinion:

I think consoles are great, easy tools for beginner gamers and they do have awesome graphics and nice framerates. I think your better off with a console then a 200mhz computer. But if you have a really nice system then PC is definetly the way to go. I believe GTA3 is coming out for PC soon, just compare the difference in that game for example.

 

[boeingfixer]

Re: PC VS Game Console

Originally posted by young&wild
Hey people,

Which of the following do u think is more powerful when it comes to gaming?

I have friends who are staunch fans of consoles, even friends with killer machines (computers) but I am a hard core like alot of you. I see the whole console thing taking resources from me. If game developers weren't so dang busy making console titles, I would have more FPS's to play.

Down with all your consoles.....

And yes, I can feel the heat comming on.....

 

[hdmk]

Bottomless Pit

I'm sure this has been done before, but hey I want to do it again..

The PC just seems to be a bottomless pit - where you can spend an infinite amount of money, upgrading all the time - take for examples with the GeForce 3 and 4. The GeForce 3 hardly had a chance before it was superceeded..by the next generation, much like with everything else with pc's.

At least with consoles you just get the same platform for at least 3 years - giving developers the best chance to get the most out of the system, before the next console is released. And when it is released, you're only forking out about £300/$300, wheras you could spend that every 6 months on a PC.

We all know that the PC can do more than the consoles, but only because your paying so much, to buy the thing in the first place, and then upgrading it to keep up with the latest games..

It's an expensive hobby.

 

[T-Shirt]

I think that's the defination of " hobby" an activity to use up slight more time and money than it should.
If all you are interested in is console type games, go with the console, the PC has many more capablites, but if you don't/won't use them it would be overkill to buy one.
a reasonably upto date, very capable computer doesn't have to be expensive, unless you fall in to the trap of "needing" every "latest and greatest" component, and with careful purchase many parts can be moved to a new system.
V.S.
a console if you bought the newest one every time there is an upgrade, plus all the controllers, and add ons, at the end of it's life cycle few parts are forward compatible, so you start over. to me that's very expensive.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

I agree that upgrading PC is expensive, but no one is forcing you to upgrade to the latest hardware etc. That is your choice.

And just because you upgrade, doesn't mean that the old components are useless, they will happily suit a lower spec machine, which you can then sell to fund your next upgrade

As for consoles - Who wants to by an out of date console?, at least older PC's are still useful

 

[poertner_1274]

Originally posted by Th3M1ghtyD8
As for consoles - Who wants to by an out of date console?, at least older PC's are still useful

I am still looking for an old Dreamcast. And my favorite games are on Nintendo and Super Nintendo. So if I didnt' already have one(I have emulators on my computer) I would want to buy them to play for real.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

Yeah but my PC can emulate almost any console anyway

 

[SuperCheetah]

I believe the game console will die out soon, once the PC becomes the all in one wonder that it is supposed to be. As the chips keep getting faster and the drives can hold more info., there will really be no reason to use a game console. A PC can be used for basically anything, hence it is not made specifically for gaming so it is not optimized for that either. Still I believe soon enough the PC will get to the point to where gaming will be unrivaled on a PC when compared to a console.

In my honest opinion I believe gaming consoles are only still around because the older generation still crave for them, remembering the good old days of playing on the Atari or Nintendo. That and the fact that massive hard drives aren't standard yet on modern PC's although they will be soon. As processor speed keeps increasing expotentially better and better graphics will be produced allowing for a better quality gaming experience on the PC and the console.

I think sometime in the next 20 years the monitor will replace the TV as the dominant screen to watch TV shows and movies and whatnot on. It is inevitable that this will happen but to the number of movies and TV shows being pirated and the fact that nearly all the newest graphics cards come with stanard TV out ports.

Well, I guess I've rambled on enough about this so I'll stop now. Remember these are just my opinions.

 

[LNCPapa]

I strongly disagree SuperCheetah - I feel there is a seperate market for console systems. As the processors and video cards for PCs get faster and better the same will happen for consoles. We are not yet near a point (not even close, not remotely) where processing power is not an issue, therefore there is room for specialized devices such as consoles that limit the number of variables and makes it easier for developers to develop.

And Th3M1ghtyD8, I'd like to see you emulate Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, or XBox on your PC. How about the CPS3 arcaded board? That's pretty old but I'll bet if there was an emu for it your machine (even mine) wouldn't be able to replicate it's performance accurately.

In my eyes there is room for both, and they will both be around for a long time to come.

LNCPapa

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

My PC can easily emulate a DC, admittedly not fantastically. As for the PS2, developers have had a hard enough time coding for the PS2, let alone people trying to write a PS2 emulator. XBOX and Gamecube are not realistic to be emulated at the moment though simply because noone know's enough about how they work yet.

As soon as hackers etc. crack Micro$ofts protection in the XBOX, it should be easy to get XBOX games running on a PC, since the XBOX basically is a PC.

 

[LNCPapa]

My PC can easily emulate a DC, admittedly not fantastically. As for the PS2, developers have had a hard enough time coding for the PS2, let alone people trying to write a PS2 emulator. XBOX and Gamecube are not realistic to be emulated at the moment though simply because noone know's enough about how they work yet.

Not to be a tart (<- that one is for all of you in Europe), but it sounds like at the moment emulation of even the current console systems isn't plausible. The DC is only running at ~200 Mhz on a PowerVR2 and the PS2 is running at ~300Mhz yet I bet my Athlon XP 2100+ with my GeForce 4 couldn't run all DC games at full speed (if I could find a real working DC emu that worked with commercial games). All I could find was Dreamer, Dreamemu, and Nightmare and Dreamer was the closest thing I could see to working. BTW, how old is the DC? Sept 9, 1999 if I remember correctly - that's a lot of time in the computer world, but machines/emus still aren't to the point where this is easy (like Nesticle and Mame were). There's still plenty of space for both consoles and PCs I think, but there is also plenty of room for differences in opinion on this .

LNCPapa