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| PC | 43% | 364 votes | Total: 840 votes | |
| Console | 57% | 476 votes |
PC
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Add to FavoritesAs much as I love gaming on my Xbox 360, I am going to have to say that PC gaming is better. This is due to the fact that consoles get old and get replaced and costs a lot of money, where as you can just constantly upgrade a computer.
Another reason is that console games are so expensive. 50 recommended retail price? No thanks. I don't see why console gamers have to pay more to play the same game as a PC gamer...On the most part televisions cost more than computer monitors, which is another expense for console gamers. PC games generally tend to look better than on a console, however this depends on the computer that is being used at the time. Xbox gamers also have to pay Microsoft Points for expansion packs or add ons, whereas for most games PC gamers get them for free.
I own an Xbox 360, and yes Xbox Live is the main reason that I brought one - to play with my friends, however why do Microsoft charge us to play online? PC gamers don't pay to play online - neither do Playstation 3 users, so why just the Xbox? This is yet another cost that we have to pay in order to maintain an Xbox, the same as if your Xbox breaks you can't just go and buy a certain piece to have it repaired, you have to buy a whole new Xbox, whereas a PC is much cheaper to repair and maintain because you can get the parts for cheap and just repair what you need.
In the ten or so years that I have owned a PC I rarely ever had a serious problem or error, where as in the two years I have had an Xbox I have been through six. I even upgraded to an Elite because they were supposed to have less chance of breaking...but nope, it still scratched my discs and red ringed on me. Typical. Not what you expect from a 280 console.
With a PC you are also not just limited to gaming, you can check the internet, send emails, complete coursework, and using many different programs. On the Xbox you can only really watch films and play games, and the Xbox is a bit loud when you are trying to watch a film, whereas a computer can have the fan speed and so on changed to make it quieter.
PC's can also be upgraded for the future, with more hard drive space, or external hard drives, blue ray drives and many other features, where as consoles are limited and in order to upgrade the specifications you have to spend another 300+ on a new console every few years.
People say that PC's take more effort to look after, however aslong as you don't download illegal programs (because of viruses) then a PC generally will run fine. My computer was hit by lightening and it lasted another year even with the components melting, by the end of the year it was a bit slower but it still worked! Consoles (mainly the Xbox 360) will break on you even if you constantly keep it clean and take care of it; I brought my Xbox and I cleaned the dust from it everyday, made sure it was well ventilated, lay it down so it didn't scratch discs, however none of this mattered because it still broke within the first few months.
I constantly hear that consoles have better graphics than PC's - whilst this may be true for some PC's, mid range or high specification PC's really run rings around the consoles graphics. There is also much more custom content for PC users, such as maps for games like Quake which have been made by other users. You can also mod games on a PC - such as Fallout 3 - there are many ways to customize that game to add much more replay value, however this isn't there on the Xbox.
Overall, even though I do love my Xbox 360, PC gaming is much cheaper and more reliable in the long run. A PC can be upgraded, it's useful for many other applications, it can stream video to your TV, it's quieter and there are many more advantages to owning a computer.
Learn more about this author, Natalie M. Wolverson.
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Console
If you want the most diverse gaming experience for the price, than hands down you have to go with a console. First off any games you play on a console you know will work with your system. The same can't be true for a PC depending on the graphic quality of the game and the amount of hard drive space left on your computer. If your system isn't upgraded with new components every year, the likelihood of the newest most graphically enhanced games working on your PC, the way they are supposed to, is pretty slim. However gaming platforms have already calculated what their systems need to run on every game that appears in their lineup for the console. Which means you don't have to go out and get a new graphic card, or more ram every time they come up with a new game.
Secondly you got to look at the fact that the companies that are popping out those consoles are trying their darndest to make the PC obsolete by melding their platforms into a PC in itself. All the major platforms hold a certain amount of hard drive space and in some they can hold just as much as some computers. The capability to use the Internet for on-line gaming and anything else you need to do on-line is available and in some cases an Internet connection is portable on a console. As you can see the difference between a PC and a console are not that much different anymore and for the gamer the console is becoming a more obvious choice.
As far as certain titles go that are only on the PC, the console companies are already starting to make these companies think twice before they make their titles only for the PC. Its only a matter of time before these companies see more profitability in going with systems that are console/computer hybrids, which seem to be the computers of the future. In fact it seems that multi-functioning doodads is the direction that technology in electronics is going in general, which makes no sense as a gamer to go with the traditional PC unless it complies with the growing trend of an all in one system. Console makers tend to do a better job of setting the pace of when they are going to bring out a new console. They do their research and do a good job of determining when their consumers need a faster more reliable car. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the PC industry, as they throw out the fastest things out there, at what seems like every six months to a year. Even if the fastest is only slightly faster than the last., which often makes the consumer forced to buy other components; on top of the cost of games; to be able to play the latest titles.
So, if gaming is your thing and consumes a lot of your free time, I would say that a console from the big three would probably meet your need for gaming nirvana. Hundreds of titles are available, with a lot that are set up for on-line play and comparable graphics and game play to a lot of PC favorites. With that said, if you don't own a console I would strongly advise you, in closing, to run; not walk; to your local store to pick up your little piece of console heaven and embrace the future of your gaming experience.
Learn more about this author, Phoenix Fox.
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