What would it cost a console gamer to switch to PC gaming?
(aka "the PC vs Console smackdown thread")
Mainstream gaming has long been the domain of dedicated boxes sat under the living room TV, and the development of the console and its software has followed this particular placement within the household. However, with the consolidation of hardware and software, with console’s becoming PCs in architecture and software often being cross-platform and running on middleware engines, console’s no longer have the game library advantage they once had. At which point it’s worth considering as a console gamer whether it’s time to switch over to PC and benefit from the advantages of flexibility regards hardware utility. I’ve given this a little look along with the idea of an updated PC for video editing, but it seems quite complex and certainly a lot pricier than some suggest in other threads. Hence this thread to tackle the perennial issue without the discussion appearing in dribs and drabs throughout other threads, where we can actually attempt to identify all the costs beyond just the obvious fiscal ones which seem pretty different depending which side of the pond you’re sitting. I know there are PC builders out there happy to wade through price options and who actually know what mobos need to go with what CPUs where my eyes just gloss over…
There’s a very personal perspective here, where I consider myself as a generic ‘core’ gamer who’s gamed about as long as there’s been gaming devices, from consoles to computers and back again. In my case there’s the possibility of buying a home workstation and using it to game. There’s also a more casual gamer perspective just replacing the gaming box with a PC.
Rules of engagement!
This thread needs to be discussed by both console and PC gamers, which means a thread crossing both forums. I appreciate this goes against a good many natural laws, and the potential collision of opposed, immiscible forces has the potential to destroy the universe as we know it. The streams should never be crossed, yet here I am trying to cross them. As such, you can expect it to be policed pretty draconically; it is my personal thread and some fool entrusted me the tools to take complete control and I will wield them! Don’t be surprised if your posts disappear without any warning beyond this one if I consider them just nonsense. If you don’t intend to contribute with suitable maturity, or you’re incapable of accepting the subjective nature of many relevant opinions (eg. “Doesn’t look bad to me” or “is quite expensive”) and agreeing to disagree when appropriate, then quite frankly just @#£* off now and save me the effort of cleaning up after the fact! There's no needfor any great emotion here either. We can be objective where possible, and polite when disagreeing with someone's viewpoint.
---
To start with, my perspective. Picking up from the 90s, I was a computer gamer on Amiga which can be considered the best of both worlds with innovative mouse games and amazing arcade games, but it sadly died out. The PC of the time offered an expensive platform riddled with issues and inconveniences and poor performance for your money. PS1 appeared and brought about affordable, enjoyable 3D gaming with a comfortable controller and a significant social element, with us sat around the TV playing games, even solo games like Driver. PS2 offered more of the same, with superb value as the hardware and coding efficiencies provided superb experiences the PC wasn’t competing with. I still played some PC games like Dungeon Siege, but they couldn’t hold a candle to the likes of Dark Alliance (subjective opinion; do not discuss). PS3 offered some considerable value, but also has started to introduce the misery I associate with the PC gaming of yesteryear – buggy games, patches, setup issues (particularly online, although that may be improved), long delays when you just want to game but instead it’s downloading a new firmware, dodgy framerates and tearing where once consoles were all about solid 30 and even 60 fps. Whereas over the past 10-12 years, PC has made huge strides. I find Win 7 stable and capable, although there’s still a long and unpleasant history with Windows that is hard to forgive and forget. Looking forwards, there’s a big question mark over the next-gen consoles. Chances are they’ll be a flavour of PC in hardware, with some benefits and some disadvantages. I don’t know the complete state of play on PC, so it’s time to ask.
So, features I value that I associate with console gaming, in no particular order:
This price thing is definitely a major issue, the most common one bandied about when this subject keeps coming up. The sorts of prices in the UK are from suppliers like eBuyer and Overclockers – a console-sized case seems to be about £40+ just to begin with. And could you even fit a decent next-gen console spec (let’s say 7850ish based on a sample of current rumours, with who-knows-what CPU) inside that case and have it cooled quietly without needing significant extra expenditure?
For the potential console buyer to be lured away to PC, what aspects of the console experience can the PC currently and with Win 8 provide at the £300 and £200 price points?
As an alternative, for someone like myself who is thinking of upgrading their PC for other work, what is the cost to support gaming and what would I lose out on, if anything, by not playing on a console?
tl;dr
1) How much PC could one get with their money if today, someone walking to a store to pick up a 360 or PS3 decided to get a PC instead? (£200)
2) How much would a PC cost of equivalent spec to a console around the launch period. eg. 7850 based in 2014, compared to a £400 XB3 or PS4?
3) How much would that same spec console cost in an equivalent sized case? PS3 phat was 324 x 98 x 274mm (12.81" x 10.79" x 3.86")
(aka "the PC vs Console smackdown thread")
Mainstream gaming has long been the domain of dedicated boxes sat under the living room TV, and the development of the console and its software has followed this particular placement within the household. However, with the consolidation of hardware and software, with console’s becoming PCs in architecture and software often being cross-platform and running on middleware engines, console’s no longer have the game library advantage they once had. At which point it’s worth considering as a console gamer whether it’s time to switch over to PC and benefit from the advantages of flexibility regards hardware utility. I’ve given this a little look along with the idea of an updated PC for video editing, but it seems quite complex and certainly a lot pricier than some suggest in other threads. Hence this thread to tackle the perennial issue without the discussion appearing in dribs and drabs throughout other threads, where we can actually attempt to identify all the costs beyond just the obvious fiscal ones which seem pretty different depending which side of the pond you’re sitting. I know there are PC builders out there happy to wade through price options and who actually know what mobos need to go with what CPUs where my eyes just gloss over…
There’s a very personal perspective here, where I consider myself as a generic ‘core’ gamer who’s gamed about as long as there’s been gaming devices, from consoles to computers and back again. In my case there’s the possibility of buying a home workstation and using it to game. There’s also a more casual gamer perspective just replacing the gaming box with a PC.
Rules of engagement!
This thread needs to be discussed by both console and PC gamers, which means a thread crossing both forums. I appreciate this goes against a good many natural laws, and the potential collision of opposed, immiscible forces has the potential to destroy the universe as we know it. The streams should never be crossed, yet here I am trying to cross them. As such, you can expect it to be policed pretty draconically; it is my personal thread and some fool entrusted me the tools to take complete control and I will wield them! Don’t be surprised if your posts disappear without any warning beyond this one if I consider them just nonsense. If you don’t intend to contribute with suitable maturity, or you’re incapable of accepting the subjective nature of many relevant opinions (eg. “Doesn’t look bad to me” or “is quite expensive”) and agreeing to disagree when appropriate, then quite frankly just @#£* off now and save me the effort of cleaning up after the fact! There's no needfor any great emotion here either. We can be objective where possible, and polite when disagreeing with someone's viewpoint.
---
To start with, my perspective. Picking up from the 90s, I was a computer gamer on Amiga which can be considered the best of both worlds with innovative mouse games and amazing arcade games, but it sadly died out. The PC of the time offered an expensive platform riddled with issues and inconveniences and poor performance for your money. PS1 appeared and brought about affordable, enjoyable 3D gaming with a comfortable controller and a significant social element, with us sat around the TV playing games, even solo games like Driver. PS2 offered more of the same, with superb value as the hardware and coding efficiencies provided superb experiences the PC wasn’t competing with. I still played some PC games like Dungeon Siege, but they couldn’t hold a candle to the likes of Dark Alliance (subjective opinion; do not discuss
). PS3 offered some considerable value, but also has started to introduce the misery I associate with the PC gaming of yesteryear – buggy games, patches, setup issues (particularly online, although that may be improved), long delays when you just want to game but instead it’s downloading a new firmware, dodgy framerates and tearing where once consoles were all about solid 30 and even 60 fps. Whereas over the past 10-12 years, PC has made huge strides. I find Win 7 stable and capable, although there’s still a long and unpleasant history with Windows that is hard to forgive and forget. Looking forwards, there’s a big question mark over the next-gen consoles. Chances are they’ll be a flavour of PC in hardware, with some benefits and some disadvantages. I don’t know the complete state of play on PC, so it’s time to ask.So, features I value that I associate with console gaming, in no particular order:
- Convenience – put in a disk and play it. No installs, it just runs.
- Stability – no need to reinstall the system every once in a while because it becomes clogged up with crap.
- Controller support – I like console controllers and really can’t get on with KB+M. I want my games built around such controllers.
- Portability – being able to pick up the machine and move it around the house or to someone else’s house. I don’t want to lug a small tower around.
- Sociability – seems to me local coop is mostly a console feature. Games sometimes get local coop on console where they don’t on PC AFAIK, and we also get console specific content such as EyeToy or Kinect or Wii which are focussed on bringing people together.
- Library – Sony are still able to provide compelling first-party content, and wheeling and dealing by MS and Sony secures exclusive content. If you want the full range of console games, PC on its own won’t be enough.
- Price – a console costs £300 for hardware when I buy it. I keep looking and I keep seeing very little PC for the same sort of money (actually you can’t get a PC for that in the UK), especially when you consider consoles are ~£200 now and likely to get a price drop too. Perhaps I need to add onto that console price £150 after a few years for a replacement because consoles don’t have the quality they used to, although maybe that’s just this gen being a really bad one? Certainly when buying hardware though, Joe Gamer is going to see a £300 price ticket on a console and more likely a £500+ ticket on PC I think.
- Network gaming – PSN is a bit poop, but looking forwards I expect it to be comparable to Live, at least in terms of partying up and cross-title chat. So no matter what machine one might buy next-gen, there’ll be a consistent friend network.
- Quietness – PCs used to be howling monsters, and I don’t know how much that is still true or not. My laptop is certainly louder than my PS3 despite being a very lowly spec!
This price thing is definitely a major issue, the most common one bandied about when this subject keeps coming up. The sorts of prices in the UK are from suppliers like eBuyer and Overclockers – a console-sized case seems to be about £40+ just to begin with. And could you even fit a decent next-gen console spec (let’s say 7850ish based on a sample of current rumours, with who-knows-what CPU) inside that case and have it cooled quietly without needing significant extra expenditure?
For the potential console buyer to be lured away to PC, what aspects of the console experience can the PC currently and with Win 8 provide at the £300 and £200 price points?
As an alternative, for someone like myself who is thinking of upgrading their PC for other work, what is the cost to support gaming and what would I lose out on, if anything, by not playing on a console?
tl;dr
1) How much PC could one get with their money if today, someone walking to a store to pick up a 360 or PS3 decided to get a PC instead? (£200)
2) How much would a PC cost of equivalent spec to a console around the launch period. eg. 7850 based in 2014, compared to a £400 XB3 or PS4?
3) How much would that same spec console cost in an equivalent sized case? PS3 phat was 324 x 98 x 274mm (12.81" x 10.79" x 3.86")
