Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

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Skippman
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Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by Skippman »

As a die hard PC gamer for over 15 years it's interesting to me to see how far console games have come to meeting the standards PC gamers have expected for years. With games like Mass Effect and BioShock console games are quickly becoming on par with games like Half-Life 2 and Crysis.

Given the proliferation of large screen HDTV's, surround sound set ups in the home, and DLC it's becoming, at least to me, a tougher choice between PC or console game. Take Fallout 3 for instance. 3 years ago I'd never have even considered getting it on anything but my PC. But now that I have a 62" HDTV and 7.1 surround sound setup in my theater the choice becomes much harder. Play with a keyboard and mouse on my PC, or play on my home theater.

What say you? Is the line blurring and the choice becoming harder? Or am I perhaps lowering my standards to much?

<Note: this is not an invitation to a flame war, but an honest discussion>
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by martini161 »

personally, i cant play shooting games on anything but asdw and a mouse, so the choice is easy for me
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by smack323 »

i agree with martini. I use my PS3 on my 55 HDTV - and play my FPS games on my computer still.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by Skippman »

So for you guys it's more a matter of the control interface any any diffrence in qualities of the games?

I agree the WASD keyboard layout has become the defacto standard in shooters. I know that you can play Unreal on the PS3 with a keyboard and mouse but I've not tired it myself. I've been told by those who have that it's been implemented in a way such that it's not as responsive as the PC version. This was apparently done intentionally to prevent the keyboard/mouse users from having an unfair advantage over the gamepad users.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by martini161 »

yeah, that and i know my PC could still pwn a 360 8 ways from sunday 8)
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by ratNukit »

WSAD, and the graphics :mrgreen: , because there is no AA on the PS3 or 360. I also like higher resolutions than what the consoles can offer.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by DMB2000uk »

You aren't thinking logically:

You totally need to hook up your PC to your media setup!

IF you don't want it in the same room, get some wireless extender device things. I'm sure it's do-able.

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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by vicaphit »

The only games I really play are FPS and RTS games. Those both pretty much require a keyboard and mouse for me. I have one racing game, and then the GTA series. Racing does feel better with a controller, but not good enough to take a hit when it comes to graphics. GTA is a mix, so I would rather have the keyboard and mouse.

It is all about the control schemes for me. My computer's monitor may be smaller than the TV it is also hooked up to, but the res on the monitor is a lot better. I go back and forth between the two.

If I were into platformers I would be all about the consoles, but I am not.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by Skippman »

So it's pretty much as I figured. The major hurdle for most people between console games and PC games comes down to a control interface issue. Which begs the question as to why no one programs console games with the option of a keyboard and mouse interface.

As far as connecting my PC to my home theater, I had given that some thought in the past and have tried using my HDTV as a monitor for my laptop on various ocassions. It's very difficult to configure and the image never quite scales right, resulting in black bars on the sides of the screen. (Yes, I am using a widescreen resolution)

What prompted this debate for me is the proliferation of games that are being released for both the consoles and the PC with the Orange Box being the first major one. I've read the reviews and know that it doesn't run nearly as good for the console as it does on my PC, but that's not the point I'm attempting to make. With more and more games being developed at the outset for both PC and console the choice between systems is becoming harder for me. Oblivion looked pretty fair on the X360 from what I played of it. Fallout 3 looks to be the same.

I guess I wonder is when do you reach the point of deminishing returns? I could spend $10K on a CD player and doubt very much that it would sound much better than a $300 in all but the most controlled of enviroments. I could spend an easy $1000 on twin GPU's but how much better will the image be over the one my current cards are generating, and how much better than my consoles?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up my PC gaming addiction any time soon. But with video games becoming more and more the cinematic experience I wonder if I might not be better served playing some of them on my home theater. Games like Mass Effect in particular.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by KnightRid »

I used to be a "computer gamers rule, consoles suck" kinda guy, until they started releasing games that you need to have $500 video cards to run on the nice 22 and 24" screens at high resolutions! PS3 has games at 1080p, at a price of around $400 - so to play a game on a computer with the same level of detail you would have to spend quite a bit more than $400! I know, you can do more with a computer, but you will also have to keep upgrading that computer while the PS3 will always play whatever games are released for it.

I just cant see the expenditure anymore to play a game - lets spend $2500 on a computer to play a $50 game..?? :rolleyes:

Even with just buying video cards, you are still talking about spending more on a single video card then the cnsoles cost in order to play at the highest resolutions. I also dont think the computer gaming industry really enhances many games for the pc anymore, due to the fact you cant buy a $500 computer and play them, so they let all the detail work go for the consoles and just port it right on over.

Mike

It would be neat for someone to try and justify the cost of even just the video card costs over say 5 years compared to the one time cost of a console ;)

I still love my PC, but I had to change my thinking as I got older and money becomes more of an issue.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by w00fd06 »

As most have said, wsad + keyboard is always better for FPS's, but the price is a bit much, 2,000+ US dollars to get the same performance as a PS3? so in terms of value (if you plan on using your computer for ONLY games and NOTHING ELSE :lol: sorry, i had to lol) then a console is better, but if you want an all in one and have a little bit more cash, go for the PC's, always.

consoles are, however, beginning to branch into the realm of "use it for everything!" with downloadable content and web browsers, but once they reach a certain point, they're really just gonna be called PC's, as they will have all the peripherals a computer has (the wii's getting close) the only difference will be that you can't upgrade anything.... so even then, go for the PC!
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by aircommando13 »

Here's how I used to view it

Consoles are for when you have groups of people all playing one game (usually a mindless shooter) on split-screen, and computers are for more expansive single player games with deeper plots.

Recently though games like grand theft auto IV are closing the gap, but I dont think it;s a bad thing. This just means more competition, which is always good

As far as choosing, I'd say hook them both up (PS3 and PC, or XBOX360 and PC) to a HDTV with surround sound
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by ratNukit »

KnightRid wrote: PS3 has games at 1080p, at a price of around $400 - so to play a game on a computer with the same level of detail you would have to spend quite a bit more than $400!
Actually it only gives out 720p and 1080i :axe: :mrgreen:
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by KnightRid »

ratNukit wrote:
KnightRid wrote: PS3 has games at 1080p, at a price of around $400 - so to play a game on a computer with the same level of detail you would have to spend quite a bit more than $400!
Actually it only gives out 720p and 1080i :axe: :mrgreen:
http://ps3wiki.qj.net/index.php/List_of_1080p_Games

sorry, but it does do 1080p in games - it HAS to do 1080p for blu-ray also. You have to hook it through the cirrect cables and have a tv to display it, but it DOES do 1080p

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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by smack323 »

i'll second that. it does do 1080p - my sony can pop up an icon on the screen to tell me what the format is being displayed in 720p, 1080i or 1080p. when i hit it during gta4 its 1080p.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by hercules71185 »

Out of curiosity, what level pc is the PS3 at now? A while back it used to be the best then I heard it compared to the 8800 series Nvidia.
Also, I've always used my bigscreen for my pc anyways so that isn't a factor for me. The main reason I like my pc is because you can do more than just games and the games seem to have more depth.
The only con of PC gaming........ Some of the good looking games don't come out on it. They only goto console and never PC. That does suck. Or sometimes like a year later the companies are like ok. Let's make more money and release it on PC.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by martini161 »

yeah but the BEST looking games only come out for PC as consoles arent powerfull enogh sometimes. in terms of computing power: a ps3 has 8 cores at 3.2 ghz each. while it does technically have 8 cores, dont think of it as being equal to an 8core procesor though,as the 8 cores are very specilized and such. you cant really compare them directly
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by Nobahar »

For me the PC choice is really simple. Everyone needs a PC, not everyone needs an HDTV and home theater system (I live on a tight budget and move around pretty frequently, so it's more of a hassle than what it is worth). To convert a PC into a gaming PC, all you really need is some more RAM and a decent video card.

If you're not picky for quality and just want to run games, you can get a cheapo graphics card (20-50 bucks) and play most of the games on your PC. Contrast this with spending $$$ on your entertainment center and more $$$ on the actual console. People who can afford the latter setup usually can afford both, so the question is irrelevant. You can play some games on console, some on PC.

PC is the obvious fiscal choice. Now if you want top-end graphics, there is a range where you benefit more from console since it is sold at a loss. But typically the most high-end graphics cards are newer and beat consoles, and as I said- if you can afford the top-end stuff, you can easily have both.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by hercules71185 »

Nobahar wrote:For me the PC choice is really simple. Everyone needs a PC, not everyone needs an HDTV and home theater system (I live on a tight budget and move around pretty frequently, so it's more of a hassle than what it is worth). To convert a PC into a gaming PC, all you really need is some more RAM and a decent video card.

If you're not picky for quality and just want to run games, you can get a cheapo graphics card (20-50 bucks) and play most of the games on your PC. Contrast this with spending $$$ on your entertainment center and more $$$ on the actual console. People who can afford the latter setup usually can afford both, so the question is irrelevant. You can play some games on console, some on PC.

PC is the obvious fiscal choice. Now if you want top-end graphics, there is a range where you benefit more from console since it is sold at a loss. But typically the most high-end graphics cards are newer and beat consoles, and as I said- if you can afford the top-end stuff, you can easily have both.

good point. I'm about to build a new beast the only thing I'm waiting for is a ddr3 break in price haha. It's absurd the amount of money they charge.
My old PC was a AMD 3600 x2 @ 2.8, With 3GB of DDR2 budget ram. The 8600gt by Nvidia, a basic 320gb hard drive, and a cheap PSU and case combo. Totaling 380 dollars. It could play Crysis at high settings a few at medium at 1440 x 900. COD4 all maxed aside from AA and AF or some lower and 1680 x 1050. I could also download and watch movies and listen to music. Do my work spreadsheets etc. All on a budget PC. I'm building a crazy one because I want to not only play maxed out, but, I want to use it for folding on the Legit team. And playing at 1920 x 1080 I could play only at low settings. Still most games look good. Sorry for the rant it's late.
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Re: Console vs. PC - Is the gap closing.

Post by Skippman »

Well my original question was related to the graphical experience between a PC and a game console, not the versitlity. I have 3 PC's in my home office. A media server. A workstation. And my gaming PC which is what gets the bulk of my usesage. I suppose PC's will always have an edge of consoles, if for no other reason than PC's can do things in a more sophisticated way (save and load games, install patches, mods) thanks to the operating system. Also, PC's evolve where consolse have generations. I can swap out to a newer GPU on my PC and get a better graphical experince. The same can not be said of the consoles.
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