1. Blogs
  2. SirPoonga's blog
  3. Why did you switch from pc gaming to console gaming?

Why did you switch from pc gaming to console gaming?

SirPoonga

Shared on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 12:44

I am a pc gamer, though my start was on the Atari 2600. Most of my childhood gaming was on an Apple IIe and a NES. I always prefered pc gaming because of user created content. It extends the life of a game. I mostly play on consoles now, but I haven't given up on pc gaming. The reason is I have mroe friends on consoles. During college I played mostly PC games because everyone had a PC and we had a school network to play on. We spent many hours playing Quake and Warcraft II.

I have seen three common reasons people switch from pc to console. Two of witch are stereotypes of pc gaming.

1) PC gaming is expensive. This is not so. This stereotype comes from pc hardware companies marketing their latest product. Unlike consoles new hardware is coming out all the time. The manufactures want to make money and sell this product. Many people think in order to play games ona PC you need to constantly upgrade your rig. This is not the case. If you build your own PC, which isn't hard to do, you can design it to be upgradable. Many people compare the cost of a gaming PC to a console. $1500 compared to $300. This is not a fair comparison. You are probably going to have a computer anyway, correct? I think I read 70% of the US is online or owns a computer at least. What you need to compare is the price of the console to the extra cost of making a pc a gaming machine. If you compare it that way they are practically the same.

For example, I do need to upgrade my current PC, but just the video card. I have an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz CPU, decent motherboard, best heatsink, 8800GTS video card, 500gig hd, and 4 gigs of memory. I built this over 3 years ago for about $1500. Now, if I was to take out the gaming parts - I would only be replacing the video card. Instead of a $250 card I would be putting in a $70 card. Maybe instead of 4gigs of memory I could just use 2gigs, that's $70 (prices are at the time of purchase). So that is comparable to the price of a console. That $1500 I quoted - that includes everything but Windows - including a new LCD monitor. A good monitor can last you 10 years or more. My last monitor was a 19" CRT that I had in college. I probably had that about 11 years. Do you include the price of the HDTV you bought for your console when you compare prices?

Now you might be thinking "but you said you need to upgrade, that adds to the cost." That is true. However, there are checks and balances here. Didn't it cost extra to buy that second controller? Chat pad? New headset because the old one stopped? Also PC games are $10 to $20 cheaper than the same title on a console. So over the life time of a console a PC will cost about the same.

To upgrade my PC I am looking at a $200 video card. I am not going to spend $500 for the latest one. No one needs the latest tech. Certain games will have the latest tech in them, but there are many many many more games that work on 3year old computer. PC gaming is a business. Developers will want to sell to as many people as possible. Well, if they sell a game that most people can't run that isn't going to work out well. Steam puts out a hardware survey of its users. Right now my computer contains many of the parts listed as most popular. That's what develoeprs are going to make sure their games run on to get the biggest audience. I still play many new games on my PC. I won't get the cool new effects or 8 times anti-aliasing. However, pretty graphics shouldn't affect gameplay. The video card I am looking at is currently the best price for the performance. I think if you stick with parts that are the best price per performance you can have a PC that last three years, and then after just a couple upgrade, like a video card or memory, last another three years before you need a whole new system.

2) Too many people mod PC games. Well, I think this is a shallow excuse. Just look at MW2 on the console. Do a search on youtube for MW2 glitches and hacks. Glitching and hacks is just another form of cheating similar to modding. However, if you are smart with PC gaming you can avoid most mods. Many games incorporate punk buster. Punkbuster is a bit of software that monitors for mods and hacks (like memory hacks). You cannot play on a public server without having the latest version installed - which will install automatically if you chose so. All the hacks you see on youtube are probably private servers.

3) It is easier to comunicate with friends on consoles. With Xbox Live this was true. However, when Steam was released several years ago it ended that. Prior to Steam PC gamers would use xfire, aim, irc chat, whatever. Xfire was good, about as good as Xbox Live on the first Xbox. However, Steam is integrated into games. Valve released the programming interface for free to get developers to use their service. I could argue Steam is better than Live. There's only one thing Live does better - spliting chat audio from game audio. Otherwise Steam has many more features (like see what servers your friends are on and whio else is on those servers).

 

Consoles are getting more and more like PCs. Game continually need to be patched, some games have user created content, some games have continued development for more than a year, etc... I would be willing to bet that in 10 years there won't be much of a difference between pc and console gaming. In fact, I bet in 10 years people won't use PCs, they will have a box that hooks up to their high definition TV that does cloud computing. Everyone will be on a service instead of owning a PC. That service will have everything from games, movies, music, office applications, etc...

Comments

Lala Calamari's picture
Submitted by Lala Calamari on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 13:04
But there's no cool Avatars! The main reason I game on a console is the fact it's cheaper. I get work issued PC's and Laptop. But they're business grade equipment. If you exclude gaming, they are perfect for the rest of my PC needs. It's also easier to game on the XBox. Say what you want about M$ and the $50 Live fee (I usually pick it up for $30 on sale), it works very well. It's so easy to game with Friends, send messages and what not. And up until now it was pretty much free of Hacked glitches. That's turning me off of MW2. I just can't take it. Finally, I do think the patching of games sucks. Developers seem to be more interested in getting the game out right away regardless of the bugs. They figure they can always fix it later. That's even if they do fix it.
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 13:24
Lala, you haven't used Steam. It's better than Live. It has all the features of live. It;s integrated witht he games so you can access everything while in game. For example, you can access the Steam store while in game, your friends lists, and your steam profile. It also has clan support. You can also start a group chat with friends that can be both text and voice (party chat before xbox had party chat). You can right click on a friend and get server info. You will see who is playing, the score, settings, map, etc. Consoles have not been pretty much free of hack until now. Halo 1 had hacks that had to be patched. The main reason I do most of my gaming on the xbox is because that's where my friends are. I still play PC gaming because it isn't that expensive. Consoles aren't that much cheaper. Over the life time of a console it may only be $100-$200 cheaper than PC gaming. if you use laptops, yeah, you aren't going to upgrade that. You probably aren't going to game with it as gaming laptops are really expensive. however, with desktops, it isn't that much more to make any PC into a gaming PC. If you want me to throw up numbers I can do so. If you think you need to constantly upgrade a PC you are wrong. You only need to do that if you fall into the marketing hype. Do you really need to play that one game that is suppose to be a system kill for years to come or are you happy playing all the other good games that run fine on your average computer? Remember, your average computer is a 3 year old computer.
scratchski's picture
Submitted by scratchski on Tue, 02/02/2010 - 07:51
I choose console simply because I don't have the technical know-how, nor the desire to gain it, for PC configuration. Turn on and play suits me fine.
IAmTheLiquor's picture
Submitted by IAmTheLiquor on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 13:41
I game on a console because I don't want to sit in front of a small screen and play games with a keyboard and a mouse. Being on the couch with a controller in my hands is a lot more comfortable.
Falelorn's picture
Submitted by Falelorn on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 13:56
I game on both and use Steam, but I prefer consoles over PC's because it just is easier to game on the console at this time for me. I do MMO a lot so the PC is pretty much the only way to do that, but if the PS3 or Xbox could have the same MMO's I would MMO on them if it worked well (like Everquest Online Adventures does on the PS2) And to say that PC gaming is not expensive is not really the truth. It is expensive and you have to upgrade the thing if you want to keep up on the best graphics and highest frame rates. While you may not have to upgrade every year, it is a big upgrade every 2 years. I spend around 300 dollars every year upgrading my PC, but its a beast gaming machine and I like the best graphics and framerates possible. If you do not want the best graphics or framerates of course you can skip upgrading for 3 years but almost all PC games are designed around high quality graphics and the lower quality graphics are pretty shitty looking. I also like outputting my PC to my 48 inch TV at 1920x1080 (1080p) and this is great for many games like World of Warcraft (when I played), Star Trek Online, Everquest 2 (with a custom UI), The Witcher, etc... hooking up the PC to the TV is easy because its just HDMI cable, but there is some issues because I dont want the PC right beside me but I need to be back away from the TV and to make it easy to play with the Keyboard/Mouse (wireless isnt an option cuz I like my high end gaming keyboards and mice), so I have to use long USB cables (high quality ones with near zero latency)... Halo 1 had patches? Considering there was no Xbox Live until Halo 2 I doubt this and it was Co-op, if your friend wanted to cheat, smack him in the head.
Gatsu's picture
Submitted by Gatsu on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:14
While I agree with most of your post Poonga....there are several things I gotta disagree with. With PC gaming comes many more issues that consoles don't have to deal with as often. Patches to fix the game, bad drivers, etc. Yes this happens on consoles as well sometimes. But with PC games it happens a lot more often. Day 1 patches. Another point...with a console...you put a disc in and play. On a PC, you put a disc in the 1st time....install. Wait wait wait wait wait. Oh shit bad directx install. reboot. uninstall, reboot. reinstall. wait wait wait wait wait. Then configuring your system to make the game run smoothly. Oh that didn't work. Now for some reason my audio card isn't working. Sometimes it magically all works right the first time. But I've never had that happen often. I have the patience to go through the process once in a while, but not for every game. Not every time. It gets old real fast. Communication is also a big pain sometimes. Sure Steam makes it a little easier, but its still not as simple as it is on the 360. Yeah consoles are becoming more like PCs....but I doubt they will ever get to the level of customization and expandability that a desktop PC has.
MutusLetum's picture
Submitted by MutusLetum on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:19
I've been doing a bit of research about building a PC or (more likely) finding someone locally who will do it for me on the cheap. I know that I could get a decent starter one for $500-600. I'm not all that interested in playing the most system-demanding games, but there are a lot of games that pique my interest (experiences that I would not be able to get on a console). My second option would be using Boot Camp on my current iMac. I just need to find a cheap OEM version of Windows 7. We are probably going to upgrade to a newer iMac or possibly a Mac Pro near the end of this year, so this would be our second computer. Decisions, decisions.
RyanFromVegas's picture
Submitted by RyanFromVegas on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:37
I admit its not necissary and its my own failing but inevitably I end up on youtube and see video from a $3000+ seup and start drooling. All those extra effects and rock solid framerates and I start feeling inadequate and want to upgrade. That never happens on a console. Also, I always demo a game used from gamestop. If I dont like it I get my money back. Also, I can sell the game months later if only for a couple bucks. With the pc its pay full price and eat the consequences.
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:51
Gatsu, almost every AAA title on the Xbox had a day one patch. You still use discs on a PC? I rarely have driver issues with PC games. The only time I had major issues was with Vista, but we all know Vista sucks. I think part of the reason I haven't had problems int he last year is I have been running Windows 7 which automatically grabs the latest drivers for everything. PC and consoles have their own sets of problems. Recently I lost my game save for Forza 3. I tried to move it to a memory card so I could use it on another xbox. Somehow during that process it became corrupted. Liquor. That's why I say this is going to change in the next 10 years. You can use your PC on your TV. If you have a 1080p set you have enough resolution. Many games work with a controller, though a wireless keyboard and mouse work fine. Plus look at Falelorn's post, he uses his TV :) Fale, have you looked at Microsoft's bluetrak? Those are suppose to be high resolution wireless mice. Also, my point with Halo 1 is that Xbox 1 titles had patches, even if it wasn't Halo 1. Not everyone needs the latest hardware. Most people don't - the Steam hardware survey shows that. There's Xbox owners that have bought new versions of the Xbox that have come out just because they wanted the latest. I know PS3 owners that sold their launch unit to get the slim. There's always going to be some people that want the latest tech, but that isn't the majority.
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:52
Ok, there is one thing that I forgot that does make console games cheaper. You can trade console games.
TANK's picture
Submitted by TANK on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 15:06
I switched for three reasons #1: Was tired of screwing around with drivers and overclocking and installing and all that shit and the constant chasing upgrades to make games work properly. With consoles, you just put the game in and it works. Though now stuff still works but i prefer to 'install' the games to the hdd. #2: The constant cheating online with middle ware cheat programs and what not. It got out of hand and for a while Console gaming was salvation but not anymore. #3: PC games started to seem like they were all rushed otu the door with a relaase it now fix it later mentality. Console games used to be salavation for this too because once the game was release it was done no fixing it later, so it had to be right the first time. Now console games are as bad as PC games for release it now fix it later especially for multiplayer titles. So in the end, the only advantage I have gaming on my xbox is it's hardware locked and the games will just work when i put them in the drive. All the other advantages console games used to have, they don't have anymore, they've been just as corrupted by cheaters and shitty publishers as the PC space has to deal with.
Falelorn's picture
Submitted by Falelorn on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 15:18
ya I reviewed a MS Gaming mouse with Bluetrak and was very impressed, not enough to switch tho... Im very faithful to my mice and keyboards.
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 15:22
That interesting. Because I never understood the point of gaming mice. I can kick "hardcore" player's ass using my wireless microsoft mouse 300 - cheapest of all wireless mice. Ok, I think the point of my post is PC have built up a reputation in the last 5 years of being expensive for gaming. I think now that may not be the case. Also I think the other common reasons for leaving PC gaming no longer exist or the same problems have come to consoles. I think this is a hint that PC and consoles are becoming one. With more people putting media center PCs in their home it is only a matter of time.
Falelorn's picture
Submitted by Falelorn on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 15:26
I use a gaming mouse for specific commands in MMO's and also the size (I have big hands which suck for normal mice and PS3 controllers), but the mouse for sure does not make the gamer in fast action games.
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 16:02
Ok, that makes sense. On my desktop I have a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo. It is a 5 button mouse. I couldn't see playing Shadowrun without it. I tried playing Shadowrun on my laptop with my three button mouse, couldn't do it - ended up using my xbox controller. I don't have big hand, I have short stubby fingers. A travel mouse is fine for me.
Falelorn's picture
Submitted by Falelorn on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 16:15
oh ya one other thing why Xbox > PC gaming... achievement points :D I love that little notice "80g - your a whore", which is why I often buy Games for Windows Live games as well... easy to boost the good old score What is weird tho, I dislike trophies in the worst way, total ripoff and lame implementation IMO, but im not a PS3 hater I love my PS3 and even tho its not used as much as the 360/PC its good for the odd good exclusive like Drakes Fortune and Resistance (1 not 2)
SirPoonga's picture
Submitted by SirPoonga on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 16:59
Fale, I wonder why I don't like trophies as much as achievement points. I don't get achievement points for the points. I couldn't care less about my gamer score. If an achievement sounds interesting I go for it. I did the gnome achievement for half life 2. BTW, where is ep 3!!!
ImMrPete's picture
Submitted by ImMrPete on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 19:05
I have to add my two cents. I game on everything I get my hands on. Console, hand held, PC. When it's all said and done I prefer the PC. Why? To me PC gaming is a more personal experience. My PC is built by me, every piece of hardware, wire, fan was all installed by me. The community is better. I rarely come across timmys like I do on Xbox Live. Steam is better than Xbox Live. It's easier to send messages and keep in contact with a large amount of people. (Go 2o2p Steam Community Group!!) Achievement points are worthless to me. The number adds up to what? No one really cares. I do like the achievements themselves though. Steam has its own system and it works pretty well. Cost wise I spend less on my PC than I do on my PS3. I don't understand why people think that PC gaming is so expensive. The only real downside to the PC is being unable to sell your games once completed. Once activated on Steam you are stuck with them. P.S. What GPU are you looking at? I haven't really seen you playing any games lately.
BlowMonkey's picture
Submitted by BlowMonkey on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 05:41
I got out of PC gaming for the very reasons you mention to be false lol so they must be true...at least to me. I was sick of upgrading hardware to play a game, rolling back fucking drives to make some other game work, dealing with hacks (even in games with PB enabled - COD 2 was a fucking nightmare even after PB was implemented). Man I'm in IT - I don't want to do my job when I get home just so I can play a game (that's why I now have a Mac at home lol) People "cheat" on the consoles to - but it isn't like it was on the PC. People actually used hacks on the pc - changing registery settings, using modified video drivers, modified game code. That isn't so on the console - 99% of what you see are glitches or map exploits...which is still terrible but at least if everyone wants they could do the same things relatively easily. I just got real sick of all that stuff in a hurry. I haven't regretted switching over even though I was a long time (Qtest - Quake1) PC gamer and a fairly competitive one (CPL / TWL) ranked #1 in the world in Vietcong (PC) for a while (talk about a game that was hacked lol - thing was a nightmare - I worked with the devs on a custom anti-hack software toward the end mostly in a testing capacity).

click for more 2O2P member action

click for more 2O2P member action

© 2007 Media Crumb Inc. All rights reserve Media Crumb Inc.

Join our Universe

Connect with 2o2p