Games

Updated: 30/01/2008

Why I prefer console to PC gaming (Jan 2008)

Was reading a couple of articles about how superior PC gaming is to consoles. I would have agreed with this before Ps3 and the 360 were released. But now consoles are powerful enough, online play is coming of age and screens are bigger with HD support.

Granted if you have the money, PC gaming will remain superior. But that is where the problem remains. When I buy a game for the 360. I pay the same money and get the same experience - granted some may be playing on 7.1 THX sound systems on 100 inch projections tv's. But the game will play the same. No advantage because I have a $500 graphics card, with 4 gb of gold plated ram encased in a $4,000 computer. The experience will be the same. Similar to cinema of old. You pay your money and experience the same event.

What prompted this was an article in a NVIDIA magazine of how players with bigger PC's and cards that support more direct x 10 features etc, will experience the game at it's fullest. Bugger that. Give me a controller on my couch, a large HD DVD and a ps3/Xbox 360. Comfort, value for money and getting the most from my game without more investment and tweaking till I get a migraine.

Direct quote referring to Call of Duty 4 on PC: "Players with faster systems and more powerful graphics cards will be rewarded with retina scorching graphics at silky-smooth frames rates". So the more money you spend on our equipment, the better the game experience!!! and "rewarded"...don't get me started...

Try a new game on either console and discover one thing. You will be playing it without fuss. On a console with an easy user interface. If you play multi-player that guy in god knows where will be experiencing the same(ish) experience as you.

Games for windows and the assigned score in Vista is a step in the right direction of making PC games easier to buy for your systems. If you score low and the game requires a high number: avoid. But still means a game may not work or work well enough without spending more money.

So if you like games, but a console and just enjoy. Use a computer for other stuff and buy a lower spec cheaper system. It will last you longer.

And this is from a pc fan boy who built pc's for fun, spent thousands in the process. It was fun. But maybe it's age and the realization that life maybe too short. Now I prefer sitting back with my 360 and joypad on the couch. Online play it a simple action. Update of games and O/S is automatic. My pc's these days is a laptop. Used for writing, email, web and all other boring business stuff. My living belongs to gaming. For either PS3 for kids and myself, ps2 for the kids or 360 for me (the kids just like watching as the games are that good!!). Plug and play (ahem) in the future for me....

Now that rant is off my chest, where is my joy pad and COD4 dvd?

Read my online article on the Xbox 360 : http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=287290

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