PC vs Console

PC vs Console.

The debate lives on and with the release of two new platforms the debate is flourishing. Here are my reasons why I think the PC is the stronger platform. Agree? Disagree? Hit me up with your comments below.

1. Mouse/Keyboard Interface

Blizzard's Starcraft and Starcraft II are national religions in South Korea. Even the South Korean Air Force has a sanctioned team. PC is king in this country because of the mouse and keyboard needed to play these real time strategy games. Imagine playing Shogun: Total War 2 or Sins of a Solar Empire on a console with the same ease. Nope. Not going to happen.

2. Solitary/Intimate play 

I am not a social gamer. And even when I am, it’s online only for me, baby. I get my social fix in MMOs, Guild Wars 2 being my personal poison. Granted, setting up to play with family or friends sitting side by side at the same PC is doable, though cumbersome at best. But that’s okay. PC gamers are used to solitary play. In the dark. With headphones. It’s all about total immersion.  

3. Multitasking 

Imagine sitting on the sofa listening to music on your console, alt-tabbing out to chat to friends and raising hell in GTAV and also watching an eBay auction wind down to snipe seconds. Playing on a PC there is no imagine. There just . . . is. Not to mention being able to craft a novel, spell check it, and then print it out (or email it to an editor.)  

4. Game selection

Walk into any Gamestop and declare you’re a PC gamer and you’ll get treated like a leper. Walk into a Best Buy and your mouth will drop open when you see the diminutive (and dwindling) selection of PC games on the shelf. You know what? This doesn’t matter, not anymore. In the world of digital distribution there is no need for brick and mortar real estate shelf space, plastic discs, cardboard game boxes and paper manuals. And the Steam digital distribution venue is king of this new realm. Steam currently offers over 2,000 games. You won’t find this kind of selection on a “next-gen” console. You won’t even find half that selection, and that’s on both consoles combined.  

5. Cheaper games 

Okay, I know I’m splitting hairs here and stepping into the gray area, especially since the Sony Playstation online service offers free games from time to time, and Blizzard became a trendsetter and offered Call of Duty games on PC for $60.00 (the same price for the console versions.) Still, I scored Far Cry 3 for $7.49 on a Steam sale. And I paid $40 for Bioshock: Infinite. I got Batman Arkham City Game of the Year Edition (which includes all of the DLC packs) for $10 on a Steam sale as well. Console games are $60. Period. They almost have to be. That first ten dollars covers licensing fees.  

6. Backward compatibility 

Chances are you can take any older PC game from your shelf, install it, and get it to work. It might take some tweaking, but you can make it happen. Better yet, you can buy an already tweaked version for your system on www.gog.com. The nice thing about GoG.com is game purchases usually include screen wallpapers, mp3s of the game’s soundtrack and nice PDF game manuals. In addition, GoG is on the verge of implementing an active client service like Steam. Game updates will be automatic, and you can chat to other GoG members and create a personal profile showing off all of those great old games you own. Wing Commander for $4.99? Consolers, don’t try this at home. Don’t even try to play PS3 games on your PS4 or Xbox 360 games on your XB1.

 

So, there you have it. And yes, I’m being a little harsh on console boys, because in truth, PCs and consoles have enough differences that maybe it really is unfair to try to compare them in this manner. I’ve been a PC gamer since 1990, but I actually started on an 8 bit Nintendo NES. Metal Gear made me late for work the whole time I was playing it. At about the same time I beat it, I got a chance to see a gaming PC. That’s all it took. I gave my Nintendo away and never looked back.