[Solatar]

I guess it's down to what you already use your computer for if it's better than a console.

For a lot of you, it seems like PCs are a much more cost effective option.  Honestly, I use my computer for the normal web stuff as well as schoolwork.  My schoolwork involves history/linguistics research, not complex modeling or anything.  The point I'm really trying to make is that consoles DO have a large market for a reason: not everybody uses their computer for high-end stuff.  On a board like this, it's 100% expected that most will say PCs are better.  If you run through my dorm, for example, (ironically, mostly engineering majors) you'll see almost everybody playing games on consoles.

As much as I tried to play the devil's advocate, I don't own a console and do all my gaming on my computer.  Can't get Freespace on an Xbox.   I agree that PCs are much more flexible, but there ARE valid reasons for wanting only a console.

[Topgun]

Gaming PCs really aren't that expensive anymore anyway. You can build a damn good gaming pc for about $700, only $100 more than the PS3 at launch. But yeah, for 90% of the population a console is more practical.

[Solatar]

To be fair, I wouldn't have paid $600 for a console if my life depended on it. 

I remember buying my Nintendo 64 new for $100.  Consoles today are just too damn expensive.

[Mongoose]

My argument has never really been based on what piece of hardware is capable of doing more, but rather what's available exclusively on each one.  There are any number of really good games, including several of the greatest gaming franchises ever made, that have only come out on various console systems...therefore, if I want to play them, I need to own consoles, which I do.  By the same token, there are a number of games I love playing on the PC that aren't available on a console.  Some genres are at their very best only when played with a mouse and keyboard, while others beg to be run with a controller in-hand while sitting on the couch.  The way I see it, having the whole spectrum of experiences available just lets me have more fun.

[Mikes]

No installations, no slowdowns, no memory issues, no possible incompatibilities with <insert name>, nothing. Consoles allow to enjoy games istantly. Not to mention that the TV as a screen is far better than a monitor. Oh, and how can we forget portable consoles? They're simply awesome.

Welcome to 2010 where several games have framerate issues on current consoles outdated hardware and even crash and freeze... :coughs: just look at the support forums for some games sometime... kinda hilarious. Developers are not just "pushing consoles to the limits"...  they quite regularly give them way more than they can handle nowadays.

And a TV screen "better" than a monitor? Please....  read a review and consider things like response time and input lag. TVs suck for gaming.... even the ones featuring a "gaming mode" are horribly outclassed by even the cheapest monitors.

Fact is ... as far as multiple platform games go.... if you want enjoy every recent game without any slowdowns  ... then you need to build a proper gaming PC - and it will look much better in 1920x1200 with AA and AF too lol.

But frankly...  the huge majority of current overhyped franchises that are being developped doesn t compare favorably - gameplaywise - to what we had on the PC 5-10 years ago already, not at all.
As an older gamer i sometimes wonder if the newer generation even knows what they have missed.... and how they can put up with the generic shooter crap that is being developped nowadays.

The most hilarious "development" in my eyes - as an oldtimer - is definitely that as soon as consoles had online functionality they also had buggy half finished releases that require several patches ...  well, maybe not the most hilarious.... considering that they also charge extra for online multiplayer LOL

Objectively... there really isn't that much difference between the platforms anymore hardware wise. If you open an XBox360 up... what you find is PC components - just several year old PC components that you can find offered for 1$ each on ebay nowadays...  except in an Xbox they are sold at hilarious prices bundled with an operating system that severely restricts what you can do with them. It's kinda sad really...

[Nuke]

I wouldn't pay an extra $1000 for an Xbox that could do word processing.  Is the price really justified?

As Mobius pointed out, games can be optimized for the hardware on a console because you know EXACTLY what your end-user will be using.  To get the same "peace of mind" with regards to all games running out of the box, you need to get hi-end PC hardware.

all you really need is a semi-decent gpu. you can play most games with an $800 machine. high end fps games would need to run at lower detail settings but they would run. even a low end computer can run hordes of online flash games, console emulation, and low-fi indie games.

[mxlm]

But frankly...  the huge majority of current overhyped franchises that are being developped doesn t compare favorably - gameplaywise - to what we had on the PC 5-10 years ago already, not at all.
As an older gamer i sometimes wonder if the newer generation even knows what they have missed.... and how they can put up with the generic shooter crap that is being developped nowadays.

*twitch*

[NGTM-1R]

Yes, word processing, thats what we use our computers for.

Considering it's possible to webbrowse or IM in some fashion from most consoles, it'd better be. Because that's it.

[Turambar]

MODDING

[Mongoose]

MODDING

Which encompasses, what, less than 1% of people who play games?

[TrashMan]

Yeah, there's nothing in the PC realm that can really compare with crashing on the couch in front of a big TV to play some console goodness.

yes there is, its called crashing on the couch in front of a big TV to play some PC Gaming Goodness

I dunno about you, but attempting to balance a keyboard on my lap while simultaneously trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to use a mouse properly doesn't seem like an ideal experience to me.

You wouldn't even need a mouse for many games on the PC ( I play FS2 with keyboard only or joystick). Again, it depends on what you want to play and your controller setup. Is there anything stopping you for using a gamepad on the PC? No.
A FPS is the last thing I'd want to play on a console..The controls of every single one I tried are AWFUL.

[BloodEagle]

The best games of all time are almost all on the PC.  The same is not true for consoles.

With the exception of... seven or so titles, every console game I've played in the last five years has been worthless.  Though, to be fair, that margin holds true for modern PC titles, as well.

[TrashMan]

MODDING

Which encompasses, what, less than 1% of people who play games?

I don't know the statistics, but it doesn't matter. Modding prolongs the shell-life of a game. It gives a game new life and vibrancy. Heck, there are people who buy the game because of a mod. The players get free content.

Either way you put it, modding is very important.

[Mongoose]

The best games of all time are almost all on the PC.  The same is not true for consoles.

Several really really really really big franchises would like to disagree with you. If anything, I'd argue that the "greatest of all time" listings tend to weigh more heavily on the console side of things.  I know my own personal list most likely would.

With the exception of... seven or so titles, every console game I've played in the last five years has been worthless.  Though, to be fair, that margin holds true for modern PC titles, as well.

I can think of at least thirty, and probably significantly more, grade-AAA console titles from the last five years off the top of my head.  Hell, I can think of at least ten just for the Wii alone.

You wouldn't even need a mouse for many games on the PC ( I play FS2 with keyboard only or joystick). Again, it depends on what you want to play and your controller setup. Is there anything stopping you for using a gamepad on the PC? No.
A FPS is the last thing I'd want to play on a console..The controls of every single one I tried are AWFUL.

No, there's nothing preventing you from using a gamepad on the PC, but when the majority of the titles you'd use one for are released for consoles, it doesn't do you all that much good.  For instance, try to name me one really big platformer and/or action-adventure franchise that's cross-platform, let alone PC-only...and then do the same for fighting games.  And you'll get no argument from me about FPS titles on consoles (except for maybe the Wii, which works really well for them), as that's one of the genres I think truly belongs on the PC.

I don't know the statistics, but it doesn't matter. Modding prolongs the shell-life of a game. It gives a game new life and vibrancy. Heck, there are people who buy the game because of a mod. The players get free content.

Either way you put it, modding is very important.

I didn't say it wasn't important, but the vast majority of people are never going to create mod content themselves.  Hell, I'd be willing to wager that the majority of gamers will never even play mod content of any sort.  And modding isn't the only factor that can prolong the shelf-life of a game...otherwise, we wouldn't see Tetris still being released for every single platform under the sun.

[TrashMan]

The best games of all time are almost all on the PC.  The same is not true for consoles.

Several really really really really big franchises would like to disagree with you. If anything, I'd argue that the "greatest of all time" listings tend to weigh more heavily on the console side of things.  I know my own personal list most likely would.

"Popular franchise" did not equal "best" last time I checked.

If that above is the list of best games ever...then I shudder to think what you consider worst.

No, there's nothing preventing you from using a gamepad on the PC, but when the majority of the titles you'd use one for are released for consoles, it doesn't do you all that much good.  For instance, try to name me one really big platformer and/or action-adventure franchise that's cross-platform, let alone PC-only...and then do the same for fighting games.  And you'll get no argument from me about FPS titles on consoles (except for maybe the Wii, which works really well for them), as that's one of the genres I think truly belongs on the PC.

I tried lots of different games on both PC and console .. I even got several emulators on my PC. Suffice to say, anything that uses a gamepad can be played easily on the keyboard too. At least I never had any problem playing it, or found the keyboard superior.

There are plenty of platformers and action-adventure and fighting games for PC... Sure, a large number of them are multi-platfrom or indie games...but I never really had any trouble finding title of any type for PC.

I didn't say it wasn't important, but the vast majority of people are never going to create mod content themselves.  Hell, I'd be willing to wager that the majority of gamers will never even play mod content of any sort.

If by majority you mean console gamers, then you'd be right. When you got no mod to use and no habit of using them or knowledge of their existance..it's kinda hard to use them.
I know that more than half of the PC owners I know used mods.

[Mikes]

No, there's nothing preventing you from using a gamepad on the PC, but when the majority of the titles you'd use one for are released for consoles, it doesn't do you all that much good.  For instance, try to name me one really big platformer and/or action-adventure franchise that's cross-platform, let alone PC-only...and then do the same for fighting games.  And you'll get no argument from me about FPS titles on consoles (except for maybe the Wii, which works really well for them), as that's one of the genres I think truly belongs on the PC.

http://trine-thegame.com/site/
www.trine2.com (upcoming)
http://braid-game.com/

... just some examples that I'm quite fond of on the PC...

If you really want to play fighting games there s Streetfighter 4 on the PC too... although i never felt the desire for that or anything like it.

The real issue with consoles is - from my viewpoint - that it's pretty much the worst platform for my favorite genres, that is FPS, strategy (real time and turnbased: GalCiv2 and Civ5 anyone? Not to say HoMM6 is coming!) and flight/spacesims (what little there is left, is on the PC) and non japanese RPGs with good storylines (Witcher 2's coming too this year).

The genres i would consider "worth" getting a console for are the good old sidescrolling shoot em ups and old / exclusive jump and runs...  sadly, they do not make them anymore. (Nothing that compares favorably to R-Type (series), Gleylancer or Thunderforce (series) anyways.) ...   

The industry's obsession with "blockbuster console FPS" titles really is pretty much the most idiotic thing that could have happened in my eyes... wrong platform, wrong genre, awful gameplay by any objective comparison.

What i do play now however (on the couch/on the train)... is the old originals that i grew fond of ... on my cellphone. Which makes me wonder how much of a bite the console market is gonna lose to handhelds as they get more powerful. (After all.... *everyone* has a cellphone...  and everyone and their brother tries to sell you a smartphone for *zip* with a new contract as well.)
(They are right on the threshhold really.... you can already very easily play Lucasarts adventures with ScummVM on most cellphones (Monkey Island is wonderful on a cellphone with 320x200 screen and an optical mouse/joystick!).... and you can even (with difficulty) get DosBox to run on symbian and some others...   i certainly know what I'm gonna play on my cellphone the moment it becomes possible to play all the windowsXP classics one of the new smartphone generations LOL.)

Speaking of classics... i did load up and play through Planescape Torment from start to finish (It's on GOG) over the holidays... with all the fanmade mods/fixes and the 1920x1200 widescreen and UI mods...   what glorious joy... 
And there you have it... a 10 year old game that's putting every single socalled "triple A console blockbuster" that was released this year to shame - literally destroys them gameplay and storywise - and even still looks very pleasing to todays HD spoiled eyes...
What other game can say that of itself? :checks forums: uh yeah, ok assorted Freespace2 mods propably, alright

[Ghostavo]

No, there's nothing preventing you from using a gamepad on the PC, but when the majority of the titles you'd use one for are released for consoles, it doesn't do you all that much good.  For instance, try to name me one really big platformer and/or action-adventure franchise that's cross-platform, let alone PC-only

The best games of all time are almost all on the PC.  The same is not true for consoles.

Several really really really really big franchises would like to disagree with you. If anything, I'd argue that the "greatest of all time" listings tend to weigh more heavily on the console side of things.  I know my own personal list most likely would.

It's amusing your own list has examples for you.

Final Fantasy has titles for the PC, which includes it's own most famous title, FFVII.
Street Fighter has titles for the PC. Street Fighter has most if not all of its titles for the PCs, and since the games are designed for arcades, which I guess may count as a console, every title you play outside of an arcade may count as a port.

Outside of your list, even Sonic the ****ing Hedgehog has titles for the PC.

[headdie]

Outside of your list, even Sonic the ****ing Hedgehog has titles for the PC.

not recently and they play better on consoles

[General Battuta]

everyone who has made a serious argument for one platform being superior in this thread, please go to GameFAQs

nobody's stopping you

[Nuke]

MODDING

Which encompasses, what, less than 1% of people who play games?

I don't know the statistics, but it doesn't matter. Modding prolongs the shell-life of a game. It gives a game new life and vibrancy. Heck, there are people who buy the game because of a mod. The players get free content.

Either way you put it, modding is very important.

its also a cheap way to train hordes of future game developers and artists.