by Edward Matthews

Created on: October 15, 2010

Consoles are the best gaming platform, and they are always going to be.  Whenever a technology device is specialized to do one task really well, it is always going to perform better than a general purpose device.  It makes no difference if you are talking about playing games or printing a document.  Specialized devices reign supreme.

Better Gaming Experience

First of all, consoles are easy to use, and this provides a better gaming experience.  Have you ever put a game into your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 and had to install a new driver so the game would work with your console?  I haven’t either.  However, I have had this “fun” with many PC games, where it is rarely as simple as popping in a disc and getting started with the action.

Game Selection

While many great games do eventually get ported to the PC, there are several core titles for each console that are never going to see play time anywhere else.  Many games are designed with a console in mind and do not fit the PC gaming genre.

Rentals

Look for a rental place that offers PC games.  I dare you.  You will never be able to rent PC games due to the way games are installed and ran on a computer.  However, you can drive to many places within a few minutes of your home where you can rent a game for your console.  You can also rent via mail with several services, offering you a never-ending stream of games to play.

Performance/Cost

The current generation of gaming consoles sells for around $300 US each.  Try and find a high-end gaming computer that will match their performance for that price.  While you may be able to get a PC with “slightly” more graphics processing power than the current consoles, you will pay the same for this machine that you would for an inexpensive new car.  Some graphics cards by themselves sell for more than an entire console, and that is only one piece of the PC gaming puzzle.

Networked Gaming

Of course you can play networked PC games.  The problem is, there is a new network for each game that you are going to play.  Only the consoles offer a dedicated, single network that can be used for all the games that are offered for their platform, from Xbox Live to the Playstation Network.  This flexibility allows you to pick up a controller and get into some multiplayer action at 3 AM any day of the week, something you will not find with many PC games.

Consoles are the premier game platform, and they always will be.  PCs have been second tier since the arrival of the NES, and that is how things are going to stay.

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