PC Gaming Arguments:
5. Strategy and MMO Games Command & Conquer and Battle for Middle-earth are just two series that have seen moderate success in the conversion from PC to console. Emphasis on the moderate: the games are thoroughly playable and look good; but it’s been said a thousand times before, there’s just no replacing the mouse and keyboard with a controller, since too much precision and efficiency is lost, and strategy games just run better on a PC. I’m not technically minded enough to be able to explain why a shooter looks like junk on my PC but Command & Conquer 3 looks 10 times better than the 360 version. I guess it’s just one of those things – not that I’m against developers trying. Anyone heard of World or Warcraft or the upcoming Star Wars MMO - both great pluses for the PC gaming category.
4. Steam (and other Direct Download Services): Although all three current consoles have some instance of a downloadable service, all three consoles also have rather limited hard drive space compared to a PC (the PS3 has a major advantage over the other two consoles in that any 2.5” hard drive can be installed, thus negating this point). Still, with a superior hard drive the PC can hold a lot of games, and services like Steam mean that even if you don’t keep one installed, it’s not a difficult process to reinstall it (just a long one).
3. Mod Factor: A major reason for choosing PC over console is the chance to use mods, or indeed make your own. Entire communities are built around modding games, with different people becoming renowned for their specific talents. Modding can also extend games lives: see FreeSpace 2, an 11 year old space sim given new life after the Source Code was released and the Upgrade Project took it upon themselves to upgrade all the games graphics. 11 years on and people are not only still playing it, but it looks awesome as well.
2. Customization: Any PC gamer is dead proud of his or her rig. They lovingly choose which parts to install so that it is exactly the way they want it. Want two graphics cards? Why not. Want liquid cooling? Go for it. Want red LEDs instead of blue ones? No problem. A console is a console, but a PC could be a million different things. Plus if you open it to take a peek, you don’t void your warranty. Bonus!
1. Graphical and Processing Power: My biggest reason for using a PC over a console is the potential power available. If you’re willing to pay the money, a PC could outpower an Xbox 360 many times over. Games therefore look awesome: running in resolutions consoles can only dream of (how about 5760x2400 over six monitors? Impractical but sweet) with more advanced physics and details, games can really come to life, if the developer puts in the time. Unfortunately, with most games being multi-platform, most games are just ports and don’t really push the boundaries. Then games like Crysis come along and remind PC players just why they spent £2000 on that liquid cooling system and those three graphics cards.
Conclusion: If you’re willing to pay the money and spend the time learning how to get your machine to work, a gaming PC is extremely rewarding. Plus you get to show off how much better the latest game looks running in 2560x1600 with super-advanced DirectX features like uber-textures, shaders, post-processing, physics and full-screen anti-aliasing all running smoothly at over 60FPS compared to the measly 360 version. For everyone who’s not a millionaire or has other things to spend money on (like food: it’s a well documented fact that PC gamers live on a diet of red bull and RPGs), stick to the console. Plus consoles play games in split-screen, which is great for parties and gaming with friends locally!
