POLL: Pc vs console

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I was possed with this question a few days ago:
Would you prefer console's to Pc's if you could plug a keyboard and mouse into them?

Of cource the addition of those instuments would also open up a number of new (for console's) game genre's (stratergy, RPG, decent fps etc).

Please add any discussions or thoughts to this.

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 46 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Pc vs console (46 votes.)

Please tick your preferance (Choose 1)
* PC - 89% (41)
* Console with keyboard and mouse - 4% (2)
* Above but only with X-box style HDD - 0% (0)
* Console's just the way they are - 7% (3)

 

For what purpose would I do that? Seems pretty pointless to me. Might as well just buy a joypad and plug it into my PC - greater flexibilty, and no chance of it becoming outdated.

 

My sole greatest complaint about consoles is that the vast majority of thier games are so dumbed down it isn't even funny. Best recent example. Deus Ex. First game was very complex. Sequel comes out on consoles and PC and is dumbed down. For every Splinter Cell that consoles get, there are hundreds of mindless games that are made for the lowest common denominator. If there were only consp;es we would never have seen Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Civilization, Full Throttle, Sam and Max, and dozens of other great games. So my vote goes to PC.

 

The way I see it, if you did all that stuff to a console, then it will become, effectively, a P.C. You need to say: what do you prefer as things are. A P.C platform, or the current consoled platform.

 

Consoles:
- License fee's
- No customization
- Single-purpose

Of those three, the last one is the biggest reason NOT to buy a console. Internet, movies, games, work, school -all that can be done by PC. Nevertheless, I own both NGC and PC.

 

PC owns all consoles

 

Who'd want a boring console, that is even unable to catch a virus, making you nearly crush your own PC in frustration.
PCs are so much more fun&annoying&frustrating than consoles. It's like having a doll or a nasty dog that constantly messes around with your appartment.

 

PC can do everything a console can, and more.

Remember, PC games have been in production for well over 20 years now, and most of them will still be compatible too.

Consoles can only accept one or two different flavours of game.

 

And the graphics on PCs are always going to be far ahead of consoles.

 

I think most console games are more shallow then PC games. The console is more for people who want to play in groups and PC for players who want more indepth games that you play alone.

 

There's a guy I know that has a stack of about 5 Xboxes, sitting on top of a file cabinet, all wired into a switch along with his main computer. He's plugged 60gig drives in all of them, and uses them as file servers and other modium tasks (encoding video, mp3's, ftp).

Basically, for $150, you get computer cluster that doesn't take up much real estate. You could build a nasty little full tower case, and shove all those drives in there, but you have only one cpu. The way he's got them clustered, you get more throughput on certain kinds of tasks. The "old" adage is that you're better off having 3 mediocre 1U's than having some quad-cpu 3U.

Overall, I'd say running a cluster of Xboes using a usb keyboard/mouse and a TV can have some serious potential.

 

Consoles are for guys who's RAM ain't big enough.

Let's not go there.

 

Wow. As of this moment, I'm the only person who's voted for consoles. Of course, this IS a predominantly PC gamer site, so it's not so suprising.

My first beef with PC is the quality of the games. Now, if you're me, and don't enjoy RTS or FPS, you're more or less SOL as far as a PC goes. I love RPGs, and while BG2 would top any list of best RPGs (or games, for that matter), the amount of quality RPGs you can potentially get for consoles completely dwarfs the PC equivalent. For every Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape: Torment people pointed out to me for PC RPGs, I can likely think of 2 or 3 equivalently good Final Fantasy's or Breath of Fires. Sure, if you're into stuff like FPS, PC is the way to go, same with RTS (you'd have to be out of your mind to play an RTS with a control pad) but if you like fighting games, for example (I don't, but many do) then you've got very limited fare as far as PC games go. So PC= better shotters, real time strategies, and probably turn based strategies as well, although it's arguable. Console= better Role playing games, better fighting games.

As for the lack of upgradeablity for consoles, it's a simple tradeoff between that and reduced expenses. Keeping your PC to the point where it can play the newer, more graphically impressive games can cost quite a bit of money. RAM upgrades, video/sound cards, etc. add up eventually, whereas for consoles you need simply pick one up and it's good for a few years, at least. It ALSO requires some techical knowledge about what cards to buy, installation, etc, and not everybody (i.e, myself) knows exactly how and what to upgrade on their machine to play the new games that are released. So PC= better technology, more graphically impressive games, much higher maintenence. Console= less high tech, more user friendly, full compatibility for all released games regardless of system specs, bugs, etc.

Finally, if you really wanted to, you COULD surf the net, watch movies, listen to music on a PS2 or Xbox. These are multipurpose machines as well, but I don't really see what relevance this argument has to the quality of the machine as a gaming system. Surfing the net is great and all, but what does that have to do with how good a PC is for the purpose of gaming? Consoles support online play fully now, so PC doesn't have that advantage any longer. Plus, consoles like Game Boy Advance and the new PS handheld provide portable gaming, which the PC can't really compete with (laptops aren't really that convenient for portable gaming).

 

The way I see it - console RPGs are an entirely different genre than PC RPGs. Console RPGs are story based to the point of no choice, PC RPGs are less linear. As someone once put it - Console RPGs should be called Role-acting games - you're given a role, and you have to play that role. There is no room to create your own character.

 

Count me in for consoles. The main purpose of gaming, other then RPG's, which are meant to play singularly, is still to play with 2/3/4. What better way then consoles. I for one own a NGC and play it more often then PC. But than again, I spend a lot more time in front of my PC, but not for gaming purposes.

 

Yeah, good games; I play them on my PC at times.

 

The PC definitely wins, hands down.

The console only wins if you're having a few beers with mates, and take turns shooting each other up in Unreal Tournament.

 

Which platform has a better selection of RPGs is arguable. Personally, I do not think that any of the Final Fantasy games can compete with Morrowind, BG2, PST, NWN, etc.

Heh. For $500, I could get a PC that could handle any game for the next six years, no upgrades, no nothing. You aren't going to get that kind of longevity out of a console for the same price.

 

That's a good point. There are exceptions, especially with the PS2/xbox/Gamecube generations, but in general console RPGs tend to be more storyline heavy and linear. It's a tradeoff between role playing and story.

Yes, there IS emulators to contend with, but the games I'm talking about were originally console games. Plus, emulators are technically illegal (not that anybody cares, but just saying) unless you actually own the game. Illegal rips and stuff like that is not something I actually count, but I can see where you're coming from. I like to purchase the actual game to reward the gaming company for producing a game I consider worthy of buying, but I definately use emulators for older (SNES) games.

I could pay $300 dollars for a console that'll be good for 4-5 years. Plus, Rastor, you're a modder, and you know how to build/upgrade your PC for gaming quality, but not everybody does. Consoles are a lot more accessible, with less maintenence required.

Also, Nizidramanii'yt brings up the point that consoles are better for multiplayer, which is something I missed in my first post (I don't own a gamecube). There's not much better then having a few of your buddies down and popping in a multiplayer game like Super Smash Bros. melee. PCs have online gaming and LAN connections and such, but it's not the same as console multiplayer.

 

I have to admit. Emulators are seriously awesome. I've gone back and actually completed so many games that I never got the chance to. It really helped me get some closure on the issue.

*sob* *sob*

There's nothing like being able to poke some of those old games. Giving yourself 250 bombs in Wings of Fury (or 250 torpedoes). Loading up infinite magic on Shinobi. Tons of swords and gems in Conan: Halls of Volta. Or giving yourself 100k gold and a bunch of Aegis Shields and Excaliburs in Final Fantasy.

Or infinite health on Ocerina of Time?

So, anyways. My earlier point was that consoles can be used a number of ways. If you're going to "summer camp", or you have to work in another city for a couple of weeks. Or if you need some cheaper server space.