It's a time old debate since the development of gaming consoles and the expansion of PC gaming.

In the red corner weighing in at roughly 20 kilo's we have the versatile PC, the only system to use a keyboard and mouse setup as well as offer a wide range of hand-held controllers and joysticks. Unfortunately it takes a long time to boot and requires a monitor to run (although TV play is possible it's not as good and requires specialist equipment).

In the blue corner weighing in at roughly 15 kilo's is the gaming console, often going by a number of names including "Playstation", "XBox" and "Gamecube". The console is a plug-and-play piece of genious that means you can get into your game much faster than the PC, and runs off a TV by default which often means larger screens and sitting on a couch!

Detail your pro's and con's for either PC or the console and explain why you prefer one over the other.

Hmm... well, consoles are plug and play as you said, and are extremely stable when compared to PCs. PCs crash a lot, can contract viruses, and due to paranoic anti-CD copying measures even single player games are starting to need the internet. It's not necessarily a bad thing, except when they force you to go through a clunky and slow online interface scanning for updates and forcing you to download them every time you want to play (eg, Steam with HL2). The PC dying and then you not being able to play your favourite game for a couple weeks can be a real drag.

However, due to their versatility, PCs can achieve superior graphical features to consoles, and make things feel more crisp and realistic. This is often achieved at a loss of FPS unless you own a very nice graphics card though. One thing you can say about consoles is they'll run games at a smooth pace almost all the time.

There are some games of course that have to be dumbed down to a great extent if they're put on consoles. EG, Morrowind. Also the PC has the option to modify existing content in a lot of new games. There are a greater diversity of games for consoles than there are for PC, however...

All in all I'd probably say I prefer the PC for my gaming. It has the majority of MMORPGs, and a lot of quality games. I still like consoles almost as much just for ease of use and the unique titles on them, though...

We have a variety of consoles and PCs in the house, ranging from an ancient 486 and a Sega Megadrive to my current PC (which isn't too bad) and an X-box....


The only console game I ever liked was Bust-A-Move for the PS1.... it was fun, in a brainless sort of way. I can see that consoles would have advantages for FPS games, perhaps - I just don't like the controls. While we had doom for the PlayStation and the PC, I was much more comfortable using the mouse and keyboard controls rather than the PS controller and its absurd combinations ('press the lower right back button and the X at the same time as the left arrow while standing on your head singing the national anthem of Bolivia' just to switch weapons or open a door seemed a tad cumbersome).

PCs have the great advantage of being easy to upgrade (even I can change over a graphics card), and you can always pretend you're doing something useful.... it's hard to claim that you're updating your business records on an xbox...

Plus, of course, PCs let you create and download mods.

And my monitor is bigger than our TV screen anyway.


All in all - consoles have their uses (like stopping the kids from complaining about their crappy hand-me-down computers), but I prefer the PC.

With the PS2 being turned into an office suite (With a Linux drive, should be easy to put Open-Office on), it seems likely that the next generation (X-Box, at least, not sure of 'Cube) will have better customisation and interface options. Of course, you'll have to pay extra for the hardware...

Still, my bid goes to PC. Among other benefits, there's more commercial-grade stuff available for free (if you know where to look), and you can legally customise your hardware (maybe not safely, though).

Id have to say PC gaming. There is much more to do, and it has better graphics.

PC gaming. Built in online play, mouse/keyboard setup, multifunctional. You have games Like Baldur's Gate, neverwinter Nights, Half Life 1/2, Doom 3... First Person shooters just feel so much better on PCs.

That being said, certain games are better on consoles. Quick, pick-up and play games, like sports games, some racing games, etc.... They belong on consoles.

PC have the ease of modification, the internet, the fact I can run games from import without illegal chipping and a superior online experience, generally speaking.

What I generally use my Xbox for is LAN gaming, it being so much easier and simpler to haul it and 4 controllers across the city than it would be to move my PC. Besides, there's a wonderful simplicity to console games in that I never, ever have to worry about specifications, and the 'ooh, will it run on my PC?' crap I have to go through with PC games.


Thou speaketh the truth. God bless the Alt+Tab buttons.

I prefer PC gaming purely because the graphics are a lot better and... They can be MODDED!

Oh now, not all graphics are better on the comp than on a console. The comp's advantages are, MMORPG's IMO. MMORPG's and easier online play than consoles. Sure you can play online with your PS2, but you gotta get an internet connection, hook it up to your computer, then get this other thing for your PS2 and hook that up to the first red thing from the right and the other yellow thing behind the blue thing and whatever. The problem with computers.. well, my computer, is that it's to shitty to run most new games. Ok, my computer can barely handle EQ2, so sue me. The XBox however, doesn't need any new graphic cards or more RAM, then again you have to buy a new console every third year or so.

PC gamers get much better life out of their games but then consoles are much faster and easier to setup for people that don't know how to. I think the PC Gets much better games sometimes than consoles do.

Not all the time, but when developers can be bothered, PC's can handle much better graphics than the consoles. I agree with you partly, in that Need for Speed: Underground 2's graphics were terrible. I'll bet EA has a sign in ever one of their offices saying "That'll do. Hurry up so we can make the public wait for the release while we do absolutely nothing."

I have to say i also like PC games although many older games had bad gaphics but look at the new games like Doom 3 and Half-life 2 they are great.

I think the PC is alot better for games like medal of honor and C&C and are also good for modding your games to get more out of them, but the consoles are better for every other type of game, like NFSU or MGS ect.

I think NFSU was grade F processed pig excrement. The next NFS game is going back to the classics, with cop chases, luxury sports cars (NFSU had Golf GTI's, the next NFS will have Ferraris, like the older ones), be the cop mode, etc.

I loved NFS: Hot Pursuit 2, and think it's great they're going back to the great games they used to make.

Yeah, that was cool calling in for support, laying road traps and flying the helicopter

I loved the selection of exotic cars they had in the game. Not some import Japanese street racers. NFS Hot Pursuit 2 was easily the best in the series.

What? You couldn't fly the helicopter in NFS:HP2. You could only call it in for support.

I'd have to say PC gaming because it give's you more options and not the same old stuff. Like morrowinds construction set gives you more play then the counsole.

Console gamer here, mainly for the fact my PC specs suck so would blow up if it even saw a copy of HL2. Its one of those awsome PCs with the 433Mhz processor

But then again I only use it for internet as well as alot of other things and not gaming.

I like consoles since you don't have to mess around installing games etc, really just is plug in and play. Plus some PC games get ported to consoles soon after anyway, while it dosen't happen often the other way round.

I'm totally agree with you, my pc's specs sucks too: Intel Celeron 500Mhz_128Mb Ram_8Mb shared video ram...do you really think this can run a good game? me not...so i prefer console gaming, in my case the ps2

For me it has to be the PC for 2 reasons:

1) Strategy games.
2) No "resource conflicts" with the other family members - I just read a post on the "oblivion" section the said something along the lines of :"a High Def TV coupled with a xbox360 is going to be awsome". Which is undoubtedly true, and made me think "should I go for that solution?". Then I thought about the arguments that would ensue about who could do what, when...

PC Gaming: Pros and Cons

Pros
First off, there are tons of games for the PC, and it even introduces a new genre that is hard to implement onto the console, RTS.

Next, you get the quality online play. Yea, the consoles have online play, but unless you buy a keyboard, there are many things you can do on a PC that you can't on a console. Also, online PC games are constantly updating, and you can even get updates for games that aren't used for online play. And that brings me to Mods.

The last PC pro I can think of, is mods. Some of the mods that you can get for games are amazing, and really increase how good the game is.

Cons
First off, it costs a whole lot more than consoles. A good pc costs a lot of money, and the day you buy it, it is out of date. You have to upgrade it to keep it running games, and it adds up to alot of money.

Next, you only get the small monitors. Unless you get SLI or Crossfire(which cost alot of money), and hook up two or more monitors, or one huge monitor, you are stuck playing on a screen smaller than a tv.

Lastly, Viruses, spyware, hackers, and other such things. As long as you get some decent virus protection, a good firewall, and decent spyware protection, and don't spend your days looking at porn and downloading spam links, you should be alright. Oh, and lastly, 56kers. Consoles don't allow them to lag your online games, but PCs do. Beware of 56kers.

Console Gaming: Pros and Cons

Pros
First off, the consoles are cheaper than a pc. For a console, you put out around $300. For PCs, expect well over $1000, and thats on low to medium settings only.

Next, TVs. Who doesn't like playing on that huge plasma screen?

Lastly, it is somewhat portable. You can take it anywhere with a tv, but a computer is a hassle to move. Also, no viruses, no spyware, impervious to 56kers.

Cons
First off, no fan made mods. Yea, sometimes the developers of the game will release a small mod, but the fan made mods are incredible, and consoles really miss out on them.

Next, the online play is good, but imo, the PC still reigns supreme on online play.

Finally, the last I can think of, the consoles don't really have any good RTS games.

Well, I am at a loss for cons. I can't think of many.

Anyways, I still think PC gaming is much better than Console gaming.

pc
pros:
-mods can expand gameplay
-graphics this might be a con for old pc users
-easy cheating uses word instread of x,y,l trigger,right trigger
-mmorpgs can be bad as some dont like them but good if your bored

cons:
-pricey to get a new pc
-can be uncomfortable to sit in the chair
-as darkone said it takes a long time to load
-controls can be hard to master if new to pc gaming

console
pros:
-can lie on sofa or bed while playing
-plasma widescreens make games good *cough*lightsaber*cough*
-easy controls basically all you need for the game no extra keys to confuse you
-cheaper than pc

cons:
-no mods at all
-online gaming is no where near as advanced
-cheats are hard because they aint displayed as you write them
-set graphics cannot improve
-less variety of games

I would just like to point out a few things with the list in the last post

1) for me...I can lie down or sit on my bed when playing PC, so I have best of both

2) PCs can be hooked up to 62" plasma screens, HD Tv's or even projectors as big as 300"

3) it is all down to personal preference for controls...do you prefer Keyboard & Mouse or controller? and if you prefer PC gaming but like using a controller you can buy a compatible controller to sue for the PC if needed

4) depends on where you go for your PC...somewhere like Dell.com...they will charge you too much for something that was top range 5 years ago

if I really wanted I could grab a ready made PC with mid-range to top of the range components for £650 ($1300)

compare that to your Xbox 360 and other consoles alone...yes the console is cheaper but what if you want the full entertainment package and grab a 50" HD Tv while you are there that's worth alot

personally I prefer the PC and to upgrade the PC since I use it for more than just gaming but I do also like to play consoles every now and then...I still play pro evo 5 and ghost recon 1 on the xbox when bored of playing Morrowind on the PC